Double Whammy: Ogden Cami and Deer and Doe Chardon Skirt

Today I have a double post - both patterns which you have seen on the blog before. Let's go from the top down!

The top is another True Bias Ogden Cami... I think I've made 5 at this point? I wear a lot of this style top (and did before I discovered the pattern), so I am now in the process of updating my original Primark tops in this style with Ogdens. I have also found that every time I find a print I like but am not sure if it will work as a dress, I am tempted to get a metre and make a top. Maybe I need to start making some for others!

This fabric though is pretty special. It's the first ever silk I've seen with! It's a sandwashed silk, which I purchased on Goldhawk Rd while in a meet up with Claire of Claire Sews  What I actually had planned for sandwashed silk is to make an underdressed in black to go with an embroidered tulle fabric I have in my stash, but given I'd never sewed with silk before I thought it would be a good idea to test it first to make sure I could sew it. And it was surprisingly easy!

I also love this dark red - before this year I had no red in my wardrobe, but between this and my first Kew I'm really growing to like this colour. It felt like just enough risk to take to try this out. I will be headed back to Goldhawk Rd in the future for the black for the dress (and maybe some others in the process!). The silk is just gorgeous - easy to see, easy to wear and looks so lush. It's a perfect match for this pattern to dress it up a little, and it has jus the right amount of drape too. I do love the Ogden for wearability - there is no chance of exposing yourself or the straps moving around and that makes it perfect not just for every day but for my work too.

The skirt is a Deer and Doe Chardon. People who are familiar with my blog (hi Mum!) will recognise this pattern as I've made it several times before (and currently own 2 others, one of which is this brown corduroy one which gets a lot of wear in autumn/winter). In fact, I have previously made it in black, as blogged at the end of August 2015! However, after so many years, not only was the fabric greyer and faded, the zip was also not only silver instead of black but the pull was broken. Add to that the fact that I had definitely outgrown the bright teal pockets and red bias I used. My sewing skills have not only improved, but my sense of coordination and sensible nature have come into my sewing (A.K.A. I've moved on from the USE ALL THE COLOURS! stage), so I decided to make it again.

This is a cotton twill, the same as my original, but this time purchased from the Village Haberdashery  The only downside was, I realised when I got the fabric home that it wasn't actually black, it was navy blue! So I picked up a washing machine dye pack from my local department store in black and put the fabric into the machine. Having only dyed once before, and that on the stovetop, I was worried about the machine (I rent) but my worries were unfounded! It worked perfectly and then I had black fabric. I made my usual size (44), but I did end up taking in the waist a bit so could have made a smaller size. This time I went more subtle, with black bias binding (that was fun to hand stitch on in the evening with bad lighting...), but kept contrast pockets by using a fat quarter from my stash which I had bought from Spotlight literally years ago. It's a gorgeous purple and blue space print, which is contrasting enough but not too obvious.

I adore my new skirt and know it will get just as much wear as the old one, and I am so excited to make more with sandwashed silk! Between that and my dye adventures, I have even more plans. For instance, I have yet to find an eyelet in a pattern I like which is coloured - pretty sure I can solve that myself now! Always more to add to the list...