Washi, redux

The other day I popped into The Village Haberdashery to buy some binding clips. The ones that cost a couple of quid. And yet somehow I came out having spent a good deal more than that on all sorts of things including some of this gorgeous print from Center City by Jay McCarroll. Since making my washi dress last summer I have been itching to have a go at the tunic version, and given that the weather is completely freezing just about perfect now for little sleeveless tops it seemed just the right time to make it. That's my story, and I am sticking to it.

Let's just pretend I don't look really uncomfortable, ok?

After the boob related issues I encountered last time I decided to go a size bigger. I figured that the extra weight that I seem to have mysteriously gained over Christmas (can't imagine how) would definitely push me over the edge into a medium. And boy am I glad I did. This top is so comfortable, with plenty of space for breathing and all those other necessaries. Like underwear.

The other thing I did differently this time was add a bodice lining. I didn't realise this was an option when I made the dress, but it is actually so much easier than facings. Mainly because you don't have to mess about with bias tape on the armholes. Rae has put up some brilliant videos that take you through it step by step, and if you watch them properly instead of being all complacent and assuming you can just wing it then you can do this without having to rip out the same seam three times. Not that I did that or anything. Oh no.

So now all I need is some nice weather, or a trip to the sunshine. I wonder how warm Austin is in February.