Thoroughly Modern Maddy

Does anyone here have favourite sayings? Because I have a couple: “short and sweet”, “better late than never”…and today’s post is going to be both of those things! I try to stick to a rough posting schedule of once a week on Thursday, but this week – well, things got away from me a bit. This was the last week of my mid-year break, so there’s been a lot to do! Also it was my not-so-little-now-sister’s birthday, there’s been a lot of last minute sewing going on…(which I can’t wait to share!)

Anyway, I’ve had these done for a little while now, and I’ve finally gotten myself organised enough to share them – proudly presenting Marlborough #3…and the matching Alice tap pants!

Isn’t the lace divine? I love the coral-y/salmon-y colour, and it’s really soft and delicate, not stretch but with quite a bit of give. The best part? It was a $2 remnant! There’s still heaps of it left, so expect to see it popping up again in the future. The elastics came from a Merckwaerdigh findings kit – AND OH MY GOD, I CANNOT GET OVER THAT MATCH. It’s so spot on, it’s like they were dyed together. I was really happy with the quality of straps and elastics of this kit – the only thing I subbed in were some gold rings and sliders from my stash; I just think they give a much nicer finish than the included plastic ones.

I’ve not much really to say about the bra – for this version, I altered my back piece properly with a slash-and-spread, instead of just cutting a little extra like I did last time. The band is now a perfect fit. I assembled using my usual method (tutorial coming soon) that allows me to conceal all seams. The back is cut a little lower too, in this one; just because I was using a two hook closure – and I really like it 🙂 The little rose trim is from my stash (and I can’t even tell you how much I love these, I always want to sew them on everything).

The Alice panties pattern was released in Ohhh Lulu’s latest line of patterns. They’re inspired by the cute, flouncy tap pants worn as undergarments in the 1920s, but with a modern twist; they’re less full and sit low on the hips, so they’re less fussy than the traditional style. I had originally intended to draft a pair of 1940s style full circular knickers to make from this lace (from the Sew Vera Venus tutorial), but then I decided I wanted something a little simpler for this set. This pattern was the perfect answer! Like the other Ohhh Lulu pattern I’ve sewn, the fit is spot on, the pattern well-drafted and the instructions clear. I didn’t really follow them closely, as I wasn’t using lace for the leg holes or fold-over elastic for the waist; I used regular picot elastic for the waist band and rolled hems on the leg holes. Worked like a charm! They’re quite cute and comfy…maybe not the underwear to go under skinny jeans, but under full skirts and dresses? No problem 🙂

I love this set! Now that I’ve got the fit on the Marlborough fit right, it’s such a temptation to keep sewing them one after another! I think it’s time to try something new though…and I have so many nice kits and remnants to use (I picked up a burgundy velvet remnant the other day, and boy, am I excited to sew that up)! But there’s always a million projects in my queue – I have a ball gown to finish, a slip/nightgown/pj set to sew up (I’ve not decided which one yet!), a pencil skirt and cigarette pants (from Gertie’s books!) and many, many more! But what’s in your queue at the moment? I love knowing what people are working on!

One final exciting piece of news: I now have over 100 followers, on WordPress, Feedly and Bloglovin’ (and 50 Pinterest followers)! I’m honestly so excited about this; thank you all for your lovely comments, likes and support so far. I’m planning a special little something to celebrate (which I totally meant to have ready for the occasion, but the recent followers spike caught me a bit unawares), so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Until next time,

Miss Maddy x