Mum and Dads new clothes

I very recently had my Mum and Dad come to stay. They live far far away, Belize to be precise, so for that reason came to stay for a whole six weeks. This gave me ample opportunity to ply them with handmade clothes to take back with them. I find that my generosity is limited when it cones to making clothes for others, but when it comes to my parents no amount is too much.

Here they are in some of their new togs

I made mum several bits. The first being this dress from my favourite... 'stylish dress book: wear with freedom'. This book never stops giving! It's a combination of the boxy dress and pleated front top, but I neglected to photograph mum in just the dress without the jacket. Doh! The fabric is a textured spotted cotton (I can't remember the technical name just now). It was all stitched with french seams and bound with self made bias strips.

The jacket is from 'Stylish dress book: clothing for everyday wear', as per my Crimplene suit. This was made from a very soft tapestry, which frayed to buggery by the way. I've never known anything like it. I french seamed the side seams, overlocked the armholes, but then had to bind the armholes on top, as the seams were not holding up too well. I managed to salvage them though and hope they will last now. The inside of the jacket, although unlined, is something to behold! I am so proud of it that I made my Mum turn it inside out, so I could take pictures. All the binding matches the dress and I even printed a little label (my woven labels hadn't arrived at this point).

My beautiful Mum!

The next item is this little a-line skirt. Self-drafted, it is made from some very lovely heavily embroidered silk. This was a bargain that I picked up from a car boot for 50p can you believe? It was a joy to work with and I love how it turned out. I also made this same skirt in a purple psychedelic print, but Mum had already packed it by the time we were taking pics.

And now onto my Dad! Unfortunately I only had time to make him one shirt. I would have loved to have made more, but by the time I'd made the paper pattern and constructed this one, there was no time! Where did it go? For his pattern, I made a copy from an existing shirt he'd brought with him. He liked the fit and it was easy enough to do.

He chose the fabric, which was from our local market and was £1 a yard. It's a Teal crinkle cotton with embroidered flowers. At first I thought it was a bit too pretty, but I love how it turned out and how it looks on him. The crinkle was a bit tricky on such a structured garment though, as you really need to get it flat for the collar and the centre front. I opted for easy popper fastenings instead of buttons. Job done!

I need to make more of these shirts to send in the post, but overall I feel really good that my parents have been able to go home with such personal gifts from me.