And It All Starts Here

'One is never over or under dressed with a little black dress' - Karl Lagerfeld

Ahhh the Little Black Dress. That true symbol of elegance. The trusty staple in every woman's wardrobe. Also the hardest thing to find on the planet at a reasonable price. Ever.

High street shops just can't get it right. All I wanted was a black dress with no frills or cut outs or beads or what-nots or doo daas. Just a black dress. H&M were the most promising but as well as wanting a black dress I wanted something that was slightly more than a nightie in disguise.

And so finally I turned to my (or rather my mum's) sewing machine. The only sewing I had done in 3 years was for a couple of school shows which was very fun but also very temporary lasting about 6 weeks each year.

So resting all my faith on my GCSE Textiles and my mum's advice I set to making this:

http://sewing.patternreview.com/patterns/52597

I decided that this was a really classic design and could be dressed up or down. I chose a sturdy black poly-cotton to hold the shape in the skirt and a red lining to contrast for a bit of fun.

I found this was quite a challenge after not sewing for 3 years and was really happy that my mum was there to help with little things like the concealed zip and getting the lining to lie right (or as right as I could).

I didn't quite get the lining perfect, but the overlap's even around the neck line and most people seem to think that it's meant to be like that so I've left it. The fit around the waist could have been improved as well but I've found that just wearing a belt to bring it in has fixed that.

Anyhow, this is how it all started, and now, well I'm hooked. It's gone from a frustration with the high street to just wanting to make anything and everything.

So Hi! I'm Etta and you've stumbled across my little patch of the internet. Anything thrifty and it'll be here, from making and customising clothes or cooking a super meal on a budget right through to budget beauty products.

Happy Thrifting

Etta

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