How (Not) to make a prom dress

I should preface this- incase anyone planning on making a lovely dress from a pattern comes across this from google or some other search engine.

"Dressmaking should be a simple and enjoyable art from which is hugely rewarding for all it's challenge."

If you want the afore printed statement to be true, buy a modern pattern. not retro, not reprinted. MODERN.

This was my first error- I bought a Butterick 60s "retro" reprinted pattern, and it says on the packet in big letters that it is "easy" and aimed at "beginners". Beginners in the 60s, that is. not a modern novice. Without my mothers dressmaking know-how from her school lessons, in the 60s I'd have ended up making a right balls up of this.
The second issue with a retro patters is the assumption that you'll be wearing undergarmenst of the era- e.g, in this instance, A girdle.
Add to this that modern sizes are greatly changed- I has some of my Mums skirts from the 70s, and they don't fit round one of my thighs, let alone my waist. In the back, they carry the same size I wear. Except the vintage items are half the size.
After some very careful reading and measuring we decided to cut the 60s size 20.
42" bust projection (This is not the back number from the bra, but the overbust measure at the biggest point- If you're new to dressmaking don't be fooled!)
34" waist
42" hip.
It turned out we could have cut the 18.

The pattern called for 7m of fabric. I bought the fabric for this from Malaysia- for just over £1 per meter.
If I was making this from shop bought material from the UK (The best price I've found for printed cottons or polycottons is £5- if anyone has found better please tell me!) I'd have been really stressing about every pattern piece as I'd have no material left to play with/error margin- especially for that cost! as it is, My only stress has been that it'd be difficult to get matching fabric in the UK, but not impossible.
For like £9 cost for all the fabric, I'd have been inconvenienced if this had gone wrong, but not bankrupted.

So, pattern cut out, the next challenge was finding a surface big enough to lay out all that material- it stretched from the conservatory, through the dining room and into the bay window!

We cut all the pieces following the pretty minimal instructions- loads of actually quite complex tasks were "assumed knowledge"- e.g, tailors tacks, bust darts, how to fit a zip and which seams to leave were not explained.
Neither was the idea of using a grain line- which I'd never done before so I was pleased to be working with someone who realised we needed to check the distance from the salvage edge (With the writing on!) to the grain line was the same across all the pattern pieces.

I also didn't realise that you cut the bodice the opposite way to the skirt- to stop if from stretching. It sounds so obvious- and it wasn't detailed in the instructions at all!
It makes sense though.
The skirt was huge! 4m of fabric- so it ended up really heavy.

We zig zagged round all the edges of every piece for the pattern to make sure it didn't fray. I learned that at the makery in Bath when I made my tunic! Then they were ready to use!

That all done, and the bodice and skirt bits all made into a separate top and skirt, I was delighted that they ended up the same size!
Measuring win!

From here I pinned them together and sewed round the seam.
Thankfully I didn't catch any other fabric in it- I was expecting to be spending hours and hours unpicking stritches where I'd sewed the wrong bits together.

The half finished garment:

My mum had gone out for dinner after helping me to cut the bits out- so I'd done all my sewing without supervision.
She returned at 11pm took one look at it and declared it was looking misshapen and needed facings!
So, fuelled by gin, we cut facings from thetop part of the bodice pattern pieces, zig zag hemmed them and sewed them right side to tight side round the arm holes ann neckline.
we finished at 2am, and it looked like every orifice of the dress had a peter ban collar of it's own.

I got up early and used another of my Makery skills to roll and pin all of the facings. It took me about an hour so I'd finished by the time mum had got up in search of coffee.
She took over and sewed the seams whilst I had a shower.

She fitted the zipper for me- as I'd never done one and we were on limited time. That is my next skill to master.
Once the zip was in I tried it on and it honestly looked like a sack!
It was so big.
I had no idea what we did wrong!

My mum started to panic, thinkingI'd be really upset- but this happened at the Makery. I learned that all you have to do is take your seams in- so I did that and it looked better- see I do listen to instructions!
My Mum then took in the bust and waist darts- because she's neater, and they had to match!
By the end of 12 hours of combined work, this was the end product:

I still need to hem the bottom edge of the skirt., and I might rouche the shoulder straps because the look a little wide.
Other than that, I'm chuffed to bits!
We made a prom dress!

I'd like to take this moment to direct you attention to my £6 shoes from the PDSA charity shop- they're Clarks, don't you know!

Weekend at my Parents

 Traff was at a Stag weekend in Bristol- Friday to Sunday-and we worked out that the fastest way to get him there was to drive- rather than take the train.

So, in the end, it made the most sense to Drive to Chippenham, Drop him off at the station and let him get the train- which is 30 minutes- to Bristol.

You can't drive Chippenham to central Bristol in 30 minutes.

I've tried.

This required another person 1) to remove the car from Chippenham station.

2) To drive the car on Sunday when he was hideously hungover.

So, I went to stay at my parents house- it was the perfect excuse!

I also persuaded my mum to help me to make a prom dress- but more on that debacle later.

I love staying at my parents because they kind of still treat me like they did when I lived at home- in 2006.

They always put my tea into my "go girl" mug- It's a bang on the door one, from when that was all the rage. I used to have my tea in it before school when I was at secondary school, and if my mum was feeling nice she'd leave it on my dresser whilst I was in the shower in the mornings (She was always up before me as she commuted to Oxford).

I don't even think it's my mug-I'm pretty sure my sister had it with an easter egg in - but it seems to be mine now!

And they always buy real butter. I love real butter on bread. And even more on toast!

On Friday night I helped cook Mexican food for when my dad got home from work- They've been using the hairy dieters cookbook, and the recipes are really quick and easy.

We made the fajitas and they were really yummy.

Then we had gins. Heston Blumenthal Earl grey and Lemon tea from Waitrose- With Liptons Lemon ice tea.

This will be repeated!

On Saturday my Mum needed to go into town, and she came with me to Spec savers and helped me pick out some glasses- I got a blue framed pair for every day and I got sunglasses with red frames. All primary colours!

I wouldn't have picked either without her help so that was really good.

Even better, Specsavers got my glasses ready to collect for the following morning. Now THAT is excellent service!

In the afternoon we had to collect furniture for my parents neighbour- My parents live on a new estate and the show home has finally sold- The new owners didn't want the furniture so it was being sold at a very reduced price.

My parents got some bedside tables and dining room chairs.

Thir neighbour had bought all the mirror and black wood bedroom furnishings- they were really chic but incredibly heavy! I was gutted she'd got so many bargains.

I bought a teak thai looking mirror.

It's on the dresser in the front room awaiting a new and more permanent home.

After that we spent the afternoon dress making, drinking tea and eating strawberries. which is quite a relaxing way to spend your time.

Sunday was Fathers day- So Ray and John came over, and Traff joined us a bit worse the wear from his weekend of drinking.

We had a BBQ, and mooched about all afternoon, it was really lovely to see everyone and sit out in the sunshine.

I made the satay skewers from the hairy bikers book to cook on the bbq, and they were really awesome! I regret cutting jalapenos though- I cut my thumbs so many times sewing, and they rubbed jalapeno juice in the grazes/cuts whilst cooking.. it's been 4 hours and they still burn!

:(

The ice cream saga

I was good today- and after all my cake eating exploits over the weekend I thought I'd better walk to work.
All good. I had a productive day, tired but alive and no where near as tired as Helen! win!

I was looking forward to my walk home as its been really sunny here all day- In the end I walked back with Jenni- and walked a different route to normal, which was fine as I wasn't in a massive rush, just mooching about.
I then decided to make my walk a bit longer, walk up the hill and then home through the park- so that I could have am ice cream from the ice cream van.

Sold out.
:(

I could have given up at that point, but I'd promised myself an ice cream so I walked all the way round the block to the corner shop and got myself a magnum.
It was worth it, but I'm still sad it wasn't a 99 with a flake.

I think this view made my incredibly long walk home worth it:

Circus Pack holiday

We took our Brownies on pack holiday this weekend- I say "took" We actually stayed the night in the hall we usually meet at, as it has rooms with bunk beds, woods, a campfire circle and really good kitchen facilities. None of our pack had been on a pack holiday before- so we were expecting lots of tears and parents having to collect their little ones in the middle of the night- We underestimated them. it went really well.. maybe next time we can leave the county.. or at least the town..

We arrived on Friday night.. Well, I arrived from work at 4pm and spent a few hours moving tables about and putting out beds for the grown ups until the kids arrived at 6pm. They made us a card and bought us some flowers!

We played some outdoor games as the weathers been lush, and had hot dogs and ice cream outside for tea!
I think I was more excited than the children about that- I'm obsessed with eating outside now that we don't have any outside space at home.
The girls had new groups to work in, and made their badges in different colours to show which group they belonged to, and they started their diaries. Tats managed to get loads of really cool coloured carpet squares so the girls had one of those each to sit on and keep their diary, reading book, brownie pencil etc on.

After all our evening activities, we had a pyjama fashion show hot chocolate and biscuits and the girls went to bed. Ray, Abi and I missed the fashion show as we were desperately ironing transfers into 40 T-shirts ready for the next days activities. O_o It took us hours!
Not as long as it took the girls to go to sleep though!
After the T-shirts we put all the beds out and got ready to sleep ourselves- although, the young ladies were having none of it. I think the average was 4 hours sleep on Friday night, and thats probably being generous...

On Saturday we were up at 5:50. I made the coffee. The girls were up. They spent the morning doing crafty activities and making friedship bracelets and posters for their six boards.
We had eggy bread for breakfast- You scramble eggs with milk, dup the bread into it and then fry the bread until it goes golden. It's super yummy./ Although, better if it's made on a wood smoke fire outside.
The brownies weren't sure about it, although most tried it.
There was loads left over- I have 6 pieces (3 slices of bread) but Val managed to eat 9. I'm really impressed.
That will be my new target..

After breakfast we did out chores, played games in the woods, and had room inspection.. even that didn't encourage tidiness!
We then had cake at 11
Oh my god, I've never eaten so much food in my life as on pack holiday. the kids must have been totally stuffed all weekend!
After cake, we made circus props- We made Poi, Juggling balls, Decorated our T-shirts and decorated hula hoops- all ready to use in the afternoon,although the girls didn't know they'd need them.
The hoops we decorated with electrical tape to make them stripey and put a thin strip (1cm width) of gaffa tape round the inside to make them grippy. They looked awesome! possibly that was the post effective craft!
We made poi from long striped socks weighted at the toe with rice, and knotted to stop the rice escaping.
The girls decorated the t-shirts we made the night before with fabric pens.
The final activity was to make juggling balls from balloons and rice- in the end, we used flour. it was easier. but not by much. what a nightmare.

We had lunch, and Ray and Abi took the girls to play in the woods- which was perfectly timed for the circus skills man to arrived with all his stuff!
He was set up and surrounded by unicycled before the girls returned.
He put on an excellent show- and let us join in with the whole group activities- then when the girls got free reign on everything we helped them to use the unicycles and stilts.

In the evening we had Helen's excellent Lasagne for dinner- I love Lasagne!
And giant jaffa cakes- flan base, with orange jelly and dark chocolate melted on top. And everywhere else all over the kitchen.

And then a campfire in the woods! singing and smores! Whilst Abi, Ray and I lit the camp fire, Val and Tats took the girls out for a walk. They all managed to get stung by nettles. then bitten by mosquitoes.
We stayed out until 10pm and the girls were still not sleepy- we had to beg them to go to bed and it took them quite a while to sleep.
And then one of them had a milk tooth fall out! I don't have any kid and was stressing over the protocol for the tooth fairy- not to mention that with 30 of them on bunk beds one of them was bound to see me trying to sneak the tooth out and leave the money!
In the end I persuaded her that it might get lost, so to put the tooth under the pillow in the medical room (I kept the tooth safe for her mum the following day..apparently some parents keep them all?).

Sunday was started with sleeping in till 7:20 and bacon rolls. then chores, packing up the girls beds- and looking for lost socks and shoes and felt tipped pens.
They payed outdoors with their circus equipment and filled in their diaries until 11 when we had a cake break.
After that they started preparing for their bin bag outfit fashion show, whilst Helen made roast dinner and everyone else started cleaning, tidying, hoovering and mopping.
I don't know how such small people can make so much mess!
Their parents came at 4pm, we finally left about 5pm. I cannot explain how tired I am- How tired we all are! but the kids loved it, and begged for another one. The parents were all grateful and pleased, some gave us cards or wine or just verbal thanks- which is really more than enough.

My weekend seems to have passed in a haze of chaos and cake.

Traff's parents new puppy :)

Traff's parents got a new dog today- They adopted a rescue dog- a doberman named Brandon- from an animal shelter near where they live in Spain.

Traff's mum has been knitting things for them to sell in their charity shop- as well as blankets and coats for the dogs too.
Whilst they were visiting the people who run the shelter to hand over their knitted goodies they were told about the Doberman- it had been rescued because it's owners didn't want to keep it, so they shot it in the face, to "get rid of it".
The poor dog wasn't killed by being shot, but was left blind, so it's prospects of finding a home were pretty bleak, so the outcome would have been the same really- shot or euthanised.The woman at the shelter flet it was a pretty hopeless case.
Traff's parents almost immediately decided that they would adopt him-and after recovery and rehabilitation over the last 2 months (The had to pay for his food)- he is now in his new "forever home".

They emailed us some photos of him kipping on the porch and out for a walk around the garden.
He's a big dog! and he'll get bigger yet as he's not very old.
They rang to tell us he has a lovely temperament and has settled in really well- he was sleeping on Traff's mums lap. He's already able to find his way around ok- luckily they have a bungalow- and he'll only find that easier with time.

I'm pleased he got his happy ending eventually, but I'm pretty disgusted and horrified that anyone would treat a dog like that just because they couldn't be bothered to look after it or didn't want to keep it. I can't understand how anyone could do that.

They adopted a rescue dog before which had been badly beaten by it's last owner. every time you raised your hand to do anything- like turn on the lights- it would start cowering and yelping.
In the end it ran away, and I'd like to think it made a home for itself in the mountains near where they live, away from people.

Lau & Traff's Malaysian adventure!

My online quietness for the last week has been because I have been out of the country! I think that's pretty forgiveable.

Last Friday I went straight from work to the Train station, and met up with the wifely one- and we headed off for Heathrow! woop woop! and I had ice-cream for dinner at the airport, which made me happy!

The flight was a bit of a Monster one- 13 hours and overnight- we both managed to get a few hours of sleep, but we were incredibly grateful when we landed in KL. From KL we changed took a smaller plane out to Penang.
Thankfully Randi and Stu picked up up from the Airport, as we were both feeling pretty done in- I'm not sure we'd have managed to negotiate a taxi.
They dropped us off at the hotel- we stayed at Shangri La's Golden Sands and it was LUSH!- to unpack and have a wash, and then they took us to their local bar.
Bora bora.

Bora Bora is awesome- It's the only "bar" which is just a bar- it does do food, but it also does a massive range of beers and cocktails. I didn't see anyone order food there the whole time we were there!
The front of the bar is behind the night market, thats where the indoor seating is. If you keep walking past the bar theres outdoor seating under pergolas with fairly lights on. Keep going a bit more and you can sit on the beach by the fire pit- designed to keep the mozzies at bay.

We sat on the beach, drinking cocktails and beers, watching a tropical lightening storm take place overhead,in the evening heat.
And it was lush.

The jet lag on the way there is much worse than the way back- we both work up really early, had breakfast and went on the beach before meeting Randi and Stu the next day-the views made it worth the confusion and lack of sleep:


On Sunday Randi and Stu drove us to Georgetown, so see the stilt houses- ther're a UNESCO world heritage site- and pretty tourist trappy-they're also beautiful, and oddly peaceful being so far out over the water.

Ranid bought Traff a durian Puff- a pastry with durian fruit cooked inside it- I've tried Durian before and didn't like the texture- the taste is actually OK. The smell is disgusting. Traff's holiday game was "durian or bins?" Even the locals say "It tastes like heaven but smells like hell".
Traff did not like durian puffs.

We then went to little india, to the woodlands indian cafe.
:D
The best Indian food I've ever eaten.

We also went fabric shopping- so I have some Malaysian batik-y fabric to make my prom dress out of for the leavers prom later this month, and some other fabrics to make some summer skirts out of.
They then took us to the only cake shop in Penang- apparently it's a total institution- they hang local art on the walls and serve loads of milkshakes and juices as well as selling a huge range of cakes!
I was too full from lunch to eat any. that is my biggest holiday regret.

In the afternoon we mooched about the hotel, read our books and swam in the pool... and went for more drinks in Bora Bora.


In the evening Randi took us to her favourite chinese street cafe- In Malaysia, I have come to realise that everything is done to keep people cool, so just because a restaurant is a Metal roofed Gazebo on concrete hard standing doesn't meant it's not a real restaurant- or that it's dodgy either- The local people eat at the street stalls- I guess the trick is to pick one which has lots of local people eating there and you'll probably be ok!
This is Traff's monster meal- it was huge!

We mooched about in the evening and got an early-ish night. Malaysia is on the equator so you get 12 hours of daylight 7-7 and 12 hours of dark- this is a huge bonus for the jet lagged! you can go to bed at 7pm!

On Monday Randi and Stu were at work in the daytime so we were left to our own devices. We got up early to make the most of the day- and because our hotel was next door to a mosque, which has a very loud 6am prayer call.
This was when I discovered that they had dim sum for breakfast!
:D
So I had that and nasi gorneg which is malaysian fried rice.
I will miss eating dim sum for breakfast.

Traff went to a jungle walk with the hotel whilst I lazed about and read my book.
After that we had a lazy swimming pool and para sailing filled day!

In the evening we went to the Hawker centre - they're really famous in Malaysia and especially in Penang- The food is awesome and cheap- you pick a table and remember the number, then you can order whatever food you like from lost of different stalls. :D
I ordered a clay pot delight- which was less than delightful as there were lots of small bits of bone in it.

However, the satay was incredible. As was the rain!

We had another beachy- hotel- moochy day on Tuesday and met up with Randi in the evening for malasyian thai style food.
After dinner Traff got more dinner as the portions at the thai place were pretty small, and I got fried ice cream!
:D
I love fried ice cream!

On Wednesday we went to Penang hill:

And to the buddhist temple Kek Lok Se- it's the biggest temple in South east Asia and it's beautiful.

And they have a huge pond of turtles!

After that we went to a chocolate shop for chocolate tasting- Malaysians are very keen on their chocolate- We tried all the usual flavours- and then some less usual ones- including Curry, Sesame, Durian and coconut.

I also went batik shopping and got myself a new sarong! :D In honesty, I do have a sarong but I left it on top of the wardrobe in Bedford.

And home in time for an afternoon of swimming!
In the evening Randi and Stu took us to a revolving restaurant in george town for cocktails and to take in the views- you really can see all of Penang! It's so pretty!


On Thursday we had planned to go for a hike in the jungle with Randi and Stu, but the weather was really not on our side, so instead we went to the butterfly farm.An Austrainan bloke was laughing at me as one of the butterflies flew into my face and I flinched.
I'm not afraid of butterflies, only of unexpected objects coming into contact with my face!


In the afternoon we went for pizza at a pretend italian restaurant- mostly out of laziness and partly because the malay people do not seem to have "lunch" at midday- In fairness its so hot that most people are probably asleep and out of the sun- especially as most buisness transactions and shopping take place at night I guess they would be eating breakfast about then.



we followed this with more mooching about and reading by the pool- I wanted to go parasailing but it was so grey and stormy it wasn't going to happen.
It was still hot- as you can see from my sunburnt face- It was just rainy with lots of lightening.

On Friday it cheered up massively and we were able to go on our walk with Randi and Stu.
Randi had made a picnic- including pork sausages she bought from Tesco- from what she refers to as "the infidel section". Apparently the malaysian muslims working on the checkouts take a very dim view of pork and alcohol purchases.
We can't have walked more than 3 miles to turtle beach and 3 miles back- so that is less than my average daily walk- however, in the humidity and heat of the jungle I thought I'd die before we got there!
The walk itself was really interesting - we saw monkeys and mud skippers and monitor lizards and loads of butterflies and spiders.
I can't get over how loud the jungle is. everything makes so much noise that it's deafening. you can barely think over it!

We got to turtle beach about 2pm- having hiked through the heat of the day under the shade of the trees- and sat down to picnic.
We watched the rain over other parts of the coast and the sky was really interesting- Stormy and moody. We had planned to have a swim but with storms over bays to both sides of us the sea did not look inviting.

We had a look at the salt and fresh water lake- as the tide comes in the waters mix- and it's home to weird crabs with only have one mass
ive pincer. the other is small and a bit useless.

Then we hiked back- just as the heavens opened.
We didn't get any rain under the tree cover, but we did make a tasty lunch for the mosquitos. I got bitten on my face too :(.
We all had repellant on, but we must have sweated so much it was ineffective.

In the evening Randi and Stu took us out to a fancy Thai resturant in the spice gardens- the food there was really amazing, and I have a new found love for okra tempura.


After dinner Traff and I went to spend our ringitts in the night market- you can change up 50 and 100 ringitt notes but nothing less than that. I got some presents for my family, and a new back pack for wearing to work and to take when we go camping etc- having to take my handbag hiking was very inconvenient- I'd normally take a back pack on the aeroplane as my hand luggage- but my current one- which I bought for climbing snowdon 2 years ago now- is beyond battered. Traff got presents for his family too, and a new wallet.
Then we headed to Bora Bora to spend the last of our small notes.
Sad face drinks:

We got up at 4am to be at the airport 2 hours before our flight- although our 1st flight was only a local one we were worried because we had to do all the security stuff there and collect our boarding passes, as we land in Penang and go straight through to airside.
The woman on the desk laughed at us and was like "Oh, no, you only have to be here 20 minutes before" but she managed to book us onto the 5:55 flight- which was a bit of a relief as we'd only had 50 minutes between getting off the Penang plane and getting onto the KL one originally- this gave us an extra hour- Randi and Stu warned us that whilst we might make the flight, or bags might not- as it had happened to them more than once before when you land with less than an hour between the flights- Although she did also say they always turn up eventually.
The nice lady at the desk allocated our seats- both times in front of the emergency exit- so we had no Windows but a luxurious amount of leg room.
And we were right next to the loos.
This turned out to be a massive advantage, as I ended up with what can only be described as food poisoning on the plane. It was horrible. Lots of passengers were also taken ill and lots of people moved seats because the people next to them were throwing up.
I did at least manage to do all of that in the loo- not over the person next to me.
I guess it just takes one person to be poorly on a flight like that and touch the door handle to the loo, and over 13 hours lots of people will start to show the symptoms of the same thing.
When we landed I was so ill.
We just sat in arrivals by the loos for 3 hours. in the end we gave up and booked a hotel. There was just no way I was going to make it back on the tube. it's just over an hour from heathrow to Kings cross- with no loos on a packed train, and than 40 minutes if you can get a fast train from there.
I think it was probably the best £94 I've ever spent to stay the night at the Arora international hotel in Staines.
We came back this morning- we left the hotel at 7am, got the bus to heathrow then all our trains- finally getting back here at 11.

We're now having a moochy day. All our washing is on and I'm almost completely better, other than being tired and dizzy, I'm feeling loads better than yesterday!

So, in conclusion:
We love Malaysia!
If you're flying long haul tell them you're vegetarian and have all your meals especially prepared for you and reduce the risk of food poisoning.
Take hand-san gel.