Bettine

There is only so long that you can enjoy yourself making repairs and using up old scraps of fabric. I can not deny it is a very satisfying pursuit but now it is time to treat myself and break into something savoured but not exactly new.

I bought this fabric from Seasalt last year in the end of summer sale. It should have been £55 but it was half price (still quite an investment for me) but it was a 3m roll so definitely enough for two garments which seemed good value. I was tipped off about this supply of fabric from Ruth at Nightingale and Doolittle. She uses Seasalt fabric to make some of her wonderful clothes. Here latest one is a stunner.

I wanted to make another Bettine Dress by Tilly and Buttons. I have made three so far but the first one I made, in cotton, has since gone to a smaller owner - it is too small across the arms for me now. The second one is a jersey version which I have just this week passed on to a colleague because I am ready for a new something. The third one has gone missing in action but I do remember taking it on holiday to Italy last year...mmmm...mystery.

I really enjoyed making this dress remembering to make a few alterations for a better fit. I added a bit of width to the skirt pieces to help it go over my head, I added a bit more to the grown on underarm for the same reason as well as getting more arm room and I also added a bit to the length to make it suitable to wear to school for sitting on small chairs.

This time I even added the epaulettes; the fabric was drapey enough to take them without me looking like Mussolini. My reputation in this house as a bit of a task master does not need bolstering with stiff shoulder details.