Goodbye my darling, darling girl, beloved companion of 17 years and 6 months.The best cat I could ever ask for.
Your name means joy, because that’s what you brought me, and so many other people, for all your life.
Felicity went downhill very fast.According to the vets everything was failing except her heart.That was a strong as ever.
So typical of Felicity.All heart and brains.Even near the end, when she didn’t want even her favourite treats and could barely walk, she was trying to drag herself to me because I was crying, and it was her job to comfort me when I was upset.
Felicity will keep appearing in posts, because I’ve got such a backlog of photos.
Enjoy a little tour through her life, from tiny kitten, to naughty teenager, to maximum floofage, to little old lady.
There’s less than 36 hours left in the Seatoun Skirt & Tara Skirt and Pinafore launch sale, so it’s time for you to buy your patterns if you want to take advantage of the sale!
It’s also time for me to show you all the beautiful Seatoun Skirt tester makes!
The Seatoun skirt has enough elements in common with the Kilbirnie Skirt that I knew most things would work and fit well, so I didn’t need a huge test group for the pattern. It does have some major changes though, so I needed some testers.
What I ended up with was a small but perfect group of 7 testers who provided detailed and thorough feedback that has made the pattern so much better!
Enjoy the gorgeous makes they made as part of the testing process.
I am so in love with Madeline’s leaf green corduroy Seatoun Skirt, and the Selina Blouse she’s paired it with!
It’s the perfect blend of texture, pattern, and simplicity.
Oh, and there’s a secret to the fine wale cotton corduroy she used for the skirt. It’s a recycled curtain! Fabulous fabric re-use ftw!
Her thoughts on the pattern? “As usual, an excellently researched and executed pattern. It’s elegant and easy to style, and I’m looking forward to making another version down the road with different pockets. I also want to mix and match pockets between this pattern and the Kilbirnie skirt pattern! ”
Yessss! I’m so excited about people mixing and matching between patterns!
She made View B in Size 32 and is 5’5″. She raised the pockets 3/8”/1cm to fit her arm length.
Nina is both a good friend, my pattern editor, and a perpetual tester. She tests almost every pattern which ensures I’m consistent in sizing and instructions.
As soon as I showed her the line drawings for the Seatoun Skirt she said “Ooooh, I have the perfect fabric for View A!” And she did! And it goes splendidly with the gorgeous silk Selina Blouse she made.
I love how the diamond patterns of the fabric interact with the triangle pockets!
The fabric has enough weight to show off the shape of the skirt while still draping beautifully in the back gathers.
Nina made the Seatoun View A in Size 46. She is 5’2”.
I didn’t ask the Seatoun pattern testers to pair their skirts with Selina Blouses, but it was a popular choice!
I love Johanna’s choice of crisp black and white Seatoun with soft dotted Selina. Her hat is equally gorgeous: a great refashion of a hat with the right Edwardian shape from a high-street shop.So clever!
Johanna’s feedback, was just as clear and elegant as her outfit. Most of it made it into the final pattern, and the rest will reveal itself in tutorials here and on instagram.
Johanna made her Seatoun in Size 42, View B. Her skirt is made from a cotton herringbone twill.
Silk taffeta is included in the fabric suggestions for the Seatoun Skirt if you want to make a version for formal afternoon or informal evening wear, and I’m so delighted that a tester tried it out!
Doesn’t it look stunning?
Lilah had the best feedback on this pattern:
“I really like this pattern and will DEFINITELY be making view B too for my friend! I love how although it is still a historical pattern a I feel like I could wear it normally too. I love the pockets and the supported waistband and gathers at the back.
I really like the name and enjoyed reading where the name came from. One thing I love from your patterns is how much extra information you give. The historical context etc.. I ended up googling and reading some of the deliniator as I found it really interesting.”
The Seatoun may be a historical pattern, but it can also be worn for modern wear – as beautifully demonstrated by Klára.
I’m immediately transported back to Czechia looking at her photos, and want to go strolling through the meadows and mushroom picking in the woods.
Isn’t it the perfect outfit for looking elegantly outdoorsy?
Klara made her Seatoun out of what was advertised as a firm midweight linen – and proved to be a floppy linen viscose when it arrived (oh my do I have feelings about fabrics sellers like that!).
Because of that she used the pocket construction from the Tara pattern, as it worked better with her fabric – that’s the beauty of being able to mix and match between the patterns!
Klara liked the boned interior waistband of the Seatoun so much she’s going to be using it on other garments:
“I really like way the belt is made and I will make it on other skirts I already have in my ufo pile waiting for belt.”
She also provided some more historically inspired photos of her skirt, so you can see it as modern and historical versions!
Here’s another fabulous example of the Seatoun Skirt worn as modern clothes.
It was too hot to wear a corset and all the historical accoutrements when Bethany finished her skirt so she styled it as a modern outfit with a little 1970s twist.I love it!
She decided she preferred the View B pockets as flat front patch pockets, rather than side bucket pockets, which is a really easy change to make to your pattern.
“I really enjoy it! I love the simplicity of these skirts and how even the historical version can be styled modernly.”
She made View B in Size 50 – taken in to a 48 at the waist
From too-hot-for-historical, to the most autumnal photoshoot possible, with Cela’s beautiful take on the View B Seatoun:
I love the way they styled it as modern meets historical – with those boots (I have such boot envy…) The choice of the olive green wool gabardine fabric, which gives a nod to the military influence so prevalent during WWI, is perfect.
Cela says of the pattern: “I like it! It’s a great entry to teens era sewing, and basic enough to be a wonderful base for experimentation.”
They made Size 40, View B, and are 5’4″ (but with long legs, because they have the same 40″ waist to floor measure I have – lucky duck!)
Thank you, thank you!
All my gratitude to all the wonderful testers who helped make this pattern perfect. I so appreciate your time and effort and loved working with you!
The Tara Skirt & Pinafore is out (and on sale for just two days more) and now I get to show you all the wonderful versions that the pattern testers made!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate pattern testers. By the time I have a pattern fully written I’ve made it so many times that everything makes perfect, absolute sense in my head. Testers catch all the places where it’s only in my head!
They also let you, the (hopefully!) buyer see what it looks like in a wider range of fabrics and on a wider range of bodies than I can afford to do in official pattern samples.
I absolutely love seeing the different ways testers envision a pattern. I hope you do too!
Nelleke’s Tara skirt outfit is pretty much the definition of cozy sophistication. It’s the clothes equivalent of very nice loose-leaf tea in an elegant teapot. With your favourite biscuits on the side!
The pointed pockets of View A work perfectly with the small check of the wool blend she used, and I love how they echo the sunrays on her jumper. The fabric is also perfect for showing off the slight extra fullness the elastic back waist gives the skirt.
Nelleke’s overall feedback was “It’s a verrrrry nice addition to the Scroop patterns library!”
She made View A in Size 46 and made no alterations at all to the pattern.
I wish I’d made one of the Tara samples in corduroy, because some of the testers did, and they look SO GOOD!
Case in point: Brianne’s utterly adorable Tara Pinafore made from cat patterned corduroy!
It’s so delightful I would immediately break my ban on no-cat-patterned-fabric (lest I become the crazy cat lady who only ever gets given cat themed things) to make myself one exactly like it if I could get the fabric.
She even did perfect little cat buttons! 💛
The lightweight fine wale cord is perfect for this pattern. It has enough structure to support the shape of the bodice and show off the lines of the skirt, without being too bulky for the waistband.
Brienne made the Tara View A (pinafore) with View B length and pockets, in Size 34. She is 5’6”.
I’m very grateful for Brianne’s very thoughtful feedback – she helped me make the waistband construction much clearer, and the pinafore bodice pattern piece is now the exact length she adjusted her bodice to.
From adorable cat buttons, to adorable bat buttons!
Yes!
When I created the Tara pattern I thought how fantastic it would look in plaid – particularly the pinafore version.Sam’s make proves that is absolutely the case!
I love her styling with dark tights and boots and a black turtleneck + a camera and fabulous hat.Classic autumn chic with a touch of whimsy. Plus, you know, bat buttons!
Her thoughts on the pattern: “I really enjoyed this! I have been looking for a pinafore pattern to use with this fabric and the cool pockets really sold me on this one!”
Her fabric is a vintage wool suiting.Sam made View A with the View B pockets and skirt length in Size 50.She’s 5’1”.
Based on Sam’s & the other testers helpful feedback the final Tara pattern has a shorter and narrower pinafore front than is shown in the tester photos.
And completing our Hallowe’en trio, a Tara Skirt in pumpkin orange:
Orange is such an under-rated colour.Julia’s orange linen is both autumn and summer appropriate, and utterly perfect for the Hallowe’en season.If Halloween-bounding is a thing, it’s (in the best possible way!) a Jack-o-Lantern skirt.An extremely chic and elegant Jack-o-Lantern skirt! 🎃
Julia provided super helpful feedback on clarifying both the pocket and the clever-but-tricky elastic back waistband installation.
Her overall thoughts on the pattern:
“Fantastic! It’s a quick and easy make with enough unique details to keep it interesting, and I can see it becoming a wardrobe staple.”
If Jessi looks familiar, it’s because I love having her as a pattern tester. She provides thorough, thoughtful feedback, and always does fantastic creative photos.
She also often tests her makes in re-purposed fabric, in this case, sheets. I am a huge fan of creative fabric use, and she does it beautifully.
Jessi says “This is definitely something I will make in more colors (and maybe add some pocket embroidery!) for my cottagecore wardrobe! “
Jessi made a View A in Size 48. She is 5’1″ but kept the full length for a long swishy skirt.
Speaking of creative fabric re-use, I am in LOVE with the way Loren used this duvet cover which had reversible colourways for her Tara Pinafore:
Is that not the perfect way to use a fabric like that! I’m now haunting the op-shops for bedding I can use in the same way.
I also love her fairy styling! Fits in perfectly with the slightly Hallowe’en autumn theme that accidentally happened in the test group, without being traditional autumn colours.
Loren’s take on the Tara? “I really enjoyed making the pattern and learning new techniques and I love how it turned out!”
I love Hanna’s historical sewing, so it was a bit of a surprise to me when she applied to make the modern Tara – but of course it makes sense that someone who loves historical dress would like something a bit historically inspired for their modern wardrobe!
And this is such a lovely history-meet-modern look. I adore the way she coordinated her pocket facings with her blouse. I’m going to have to copy that!
Hanna says “I really like it, will make more with different pockets. Its going to be a staple piece in my historybounding wardrobe”
Hanna made a View B in Size 46 with 6cm added to the length of the skirt. She is 182cm tall.
I’m not a big youtube watcher, but I love Casca’s channel because 1) she makes fabulous things (umm, hello, Sandworm draught excluder!?!) 2) her channel is really low key and approachable and 3) she sounds a bit like one of my favourite people in the whole world, so just listening to her makes me happy!
I would say her Tara pinafore is just like her channel – fabulous and approachable, with some unexpected hidden fun secrets, like her Lord of the Rings pockets, and some beautiful finishing, like the pattern matching from her pinafore front to her straps.
Casca actually made two versions and says “I really like it, the pinafore is super cute and both of the ones I’ve made/am making will become regular parts of my wardrobe.”
Just what I hope for as a pattern maker!
Her Tara is Size 38, and she is 5’2”. Her fabric is a wool blend.
The final Tara tester make is the version that made me fall in love with the pattern all over again, and gave me the push to carry on when I was at the point of the testing and patternmaking process where I was just completely over it (it happens!).
Isn’t the printed needlecord just divine, especially with that top?
Steph gave some very helpful feedback on how the Tara fits at the smaller end of the size range, helping me to achieve a perfect fit there.
She says “the skirt is easily adjusted to accommodate for any fit issues and is both comfortable and stylish. It’s a simple shape but with added complexity for statement pockets.”
She made a Size 30, View B.
Thank you!
A huge, huge thank you to all the Tara Skirt & Pinafore testers for their incredibly helpful feedback.
