Sunshine.. A strapless dress, and a matching bikini

Its been ages since I wrote anything on here - I was about to embark on my aran cardigan, which I assumed would be a massive project yet in fact took only 3 months! I don't have a picture handy right now yet I still feel compelled to write this, so I'll carry on and add it later.

Recently it's been hotting up and I've had an overwhelming urge to create all things floaty and floral. The dressmaking and pattern cutting courses I've been doing since September have got me totally hooked and now I'm in there I can't get out!

A few weeks ago I found this pic online and thought I'd try and make something similar...



So I ended up with this :-)



I'm pretty chuffed with it, it's the first thing I've made without a pattern, and it fits just perfect! I just need to sort out the net petticoat underneath so it flares out a bit more.

So then I got carried away with the scraps left over and made an itsy bitsy bikini ready for my trip to Cyprus - its done quite well! Here it is catching a few rays on my Mum's balcony:

Probably the best fitting bikini I've ever had! Though the fabric isn't really stretchy enough for swimming. I'm scared to attempt anything with jersey fabric at the moment so I think that'll be something to get to grips with when I get home.