UFO: Simplicity 3503

Before I had my first child ( I now have three!) I cut out and started sewing an animal print maxi dress using Simplity 3503. It was all the rage back then..... you know before the indie pattern and general sewing pattern explosion....... ah those were the days when sewing patterns were just numbers, not names belonging to the blogosphere........

Eventually, she is finished

I have nothing to add to what everyone has said about this pattern. It is fabulous. I cut a size 8 and it fits like a dream straight out of the packet. The only change was to cut 4 inches off the length as I am 5'4". Despite the fact that I am four years late with it, there are still a lot of maxi dresses around and it is perfect for the heat wave the UK is experiencing.

Built by Wendy Sew U A line skirt

My first garment of 2013 is this super easy A line skirt from the Sew U book. I highly recommend this pattern, but then you can't really go wrong with a basic A line skirt. I wanted a simple pattern so I wouldn't disrupt the embellished detail at the hem. I am really glad I did because I haven't done a great job pattern matching at the side seams, though to be fair this was due to the limited amount of fabric I had.

A line skirts are perfect for casual wear and are flattering for most figures. I love Boden clothes and they always have lots of A line skirts such as these from A/W 2012

When I saw this lovely soft baby cord in Leon's (the best fabric shop in the North). I knew it would be perfect for a Boden style skirt. What is more, a Boden embellished A line skirt retails for around £60, whereas my skirt length was only £6! As I already had the pattern, some black lining, zip and interfacing; I knew I was onto a winner.

The pattern is super simple, very suitable for a beginner, or someone wanting a quick project. It also meets two of my goals for 2013: to sew clothes inspired by Boden and to make clothes appropriate for my lifestyle ( A line skirts are much easier to wear than pencil skirts). There are some lovely summer versions of this skirt in the new spring catalogue so I will be making a few more of these in the coming months.

The only alteration I made to the pattern instructions were to use seam binding at the hem. There was hardly any hem allowance beneath the embellished section and I thought seam binding would add a little length and weight. I am not sure I pulled the seam binding taught enough and it is a little wrinkled but this is not noticeable from the right side.