Getting my sewjo back?

First off, apologies for the radio silence!  I've had a pretty busy few weeks (including getting a mini promotion at work, eek) so my poor sewing has suffered.  Now that we're into September, it's time to go back to school and get back into the swing of sewing.

After the success of my mum's New Look 6184, I planned to make one for myself using the Rag Market fabric.  I cut and overlocked all the pieces at the end of the Bank Holiday bonanza, then it sat on the dining chair looking at me dolefully until I cracked and started making it.  As with the other, it came together quite quickly, but the fabric for this one was a bit of a pain (I've no idea what it was, a kind of thin drapey viscose maybe?  Lesson learned there...) and I had to put the zip in no less than four times (I'm very embarrassed to admit that).  This resulted in some stretching, and as this bodice is also a little too long, there's some slightly unsightly bulging at the back.  Here are some slightly rubbish photos for a slightly rubbish project:

If it was still the summer then I might have more drive to unpick and redo, but sometimes you have to know when you're flogging a dead horse.  I'm disappointed, but think that with a belt (and a cardigan) it should look alright.

In happier news, say hello to 'Claudia', my new dress form!  She was a very generous birthday present from my bf and his parents, and is named after Ms Winkleman, lovely presenter of the Great British Sewing Bee.  I'm hoping that she'll be a valuable asset to my sewing and happy model for my projects.

To try to get my sewjo back, I'm going to participate in the By Hand London 'Anna' sewalong and have bought some cheap cotton to practice with.  Making this dress reinforced that I have quite a strange upper body shape, so a bit of trial and error in the sewalong will be help me to perfect it for when I find some really fab material.

I also bought a *ton* of new patterns and had some for my birthday:

DO NOT LET ME BUY ANY MORE.  I'm excited to get going with these, particularly the retro blouses (Simplicity 1590) as I've never made clothing with button holes before!

What's on your cutting table for autumn?  Do you change your sewing style for the colder weather or persist in making unsuitable summer frocks?!

Until next time

Amy x