We’ve had our eye on the gorgeous Day Dresses that Abi – our winner of Avid Seamstress of the month for July – has been making!

We couldn’t wait to find out more about this creative, wonderful lady!

I’m Abi Norman…a proud Midlander living on the South coast and working at Southampton General Hospital. I’m a keen Lindy Hopper (a swing dance from 40’s) and my first foray into sewing came from making a couple of simple Vogue dresses and loving the feeling of being able to make and then dance in my handmade creations! As much as I love getting dressed up in wild prints and parading myself around the dance floor(!), making clothes for everyday wear is a tad more useful and fundamental…so when I happened upon The Day Dress by The Avid Seamstress, I couldn’t have been paired with a more prefect pattern! I love that its not ‘over-fancy’ and has a simple and subtle elegance about it…it’s a great cut…feminine but also practical and I don’t feel overdressed in it.

I’ve been lucky enough to have found some stunning fabrics with which to make them from…my first was made from a beautifully textured bark cloth from M is for Make from Brighton…it’s called Mod Blooms and is a tulip design from the Anya range by Mona Luna Fabrics.

My second one was squeezed out of the end of a bolt I found at Sew Over It in London…not sure what sort of fabric it is, other than it’s very light and airy, has a fab drape…maybe it’s a viscose? I’m still pretty new to fabric substrates! This one feels very casual, very summery, I love wearing it so much!

My third one is a bit of a head turner…I’ve been wondering for a while what to do with this amazing piece of Melody Miller fabric I bought from Ray Stitch in London…it’s from Kokka Fabrics and is part of her Ruby Star range from a few years ago. The print is big, bold…placement of design and pattern matching were a big consideration…but I think I aced it (if I may be so bold!)

I actually have a 4th on my sewing table at the moment…my latest one is made out of a bright, summery cotton I found in my stash…I saw the fabric, I felt it needed to be turned into something quickly whilst the sun is (sort of) still with us…so what better pattern than my go-to day dress! Watch out for the fourth instalment…

I’m still a fairly new sewer…or maybe just a simple sewer as I haven’t accomplished massive achievements in my two years of sewing, but I like making what I make…and that is mostly garment sewing for myself and the odd family member! I try and sew as much as possible and love being able to set a day aside to really crack on with a project. I’ve had a very trusty old Toyota sewing machine that I had from many years ago when I dabbled in a bit of sewing during my A-level in Theatre Studies…but the old girl finally went into retirement when I got treated to flashy new Janome number for a “special” birthday ;-) all I can say is…automatic buttonholer, automatic buttonholer!!!

Abi, we love the fun you have with fabrics for the Day Dress – each one is a work of art! You’ve selected The Sheath Dress as your prize – enjoy! Lisa, The Avid Seamstress

Would you like to be an Avid Seamstress of the month!? Have a look here on how to enter..