It must be time for a new blog post! We've had some fantastic projects turned into us recently, so this is the first of many wonderful makes and even better, it's from one of our fantastic guest bloggers Jane of Handmade Jane. We absolutely love this one and we're so pleased to share it with you. Over to Jane!

What's the scariest thing you can think of? For me it's clowns, dolls coming to life and ventriloquists dummies.... I also can't stand anything round my neck, or thinking I can't breath…. or one particular scene in The Woman in Black (the old BBC version, not the Daniel Radcliffe film). If you've seen it, you'll know exactly which bit I'm talking about - TERRIFYING.  I'm a bit of a wuss generally and news of this must have made its way across the ocean, as I was asked to be a participant in this year's Fear Fabric Challenge, hosted by Beth at 110 Creations.  WOOOOOOOOO!!

For the challenge I had to choose a scary fabric and conquer my fear of it by sewing something fabulous. Now there isn't actually a fabric that scares the bejesus out of me in the same way as a talking doll or The Woman in Black would, but there are a few I've managed to avoid like the plague. One of them is silk, which I'm still giving a wide berth, the other one is lace. Ah lace, lace, lacey, lacey, lace, so pretty, but with such a dreadful reputation, all those holes! It was only after seeing a Joseph dress worn by my lovely friend Rose that I was truly inspired to give lace a go myself.

I thought a whole dress would be a bit much to tackle on my first attempt, but liked the idea of a smart top that could be worn with fitted trousers. A bit like the Luxurious Lace Top from Boden. For fabric I used some All Over Flower Lace in navy from White Tree Fabrics. I recently joined their blogging team as an occasional guest blogger, so the lace, satin lining fabric and bias binding for finishing was kindly sent to me free of charge - thank you White Tree Fabrics! There was an almost overwhelmingly large selection of lace to choose from, so I ordered a few samples first. I'd highly recommend doing this as the samples are generously cut and you can drape them over your arm to see what they look like as sleeves.  I didn't want to go with a very expensive lace, just in case I totally bodged it, and although the lace I used was fine, with hindsight I should have taken the risk and gone for a higher quality fabric. I think it would have given the top more of a fancy finish.

The pattern I used was the Colette Laurel. What appealed to me about the pattern was the lack of zips or buttons - the top version can just be pulled over your head. Shaping is created with bust darts and back contour darts, which I was hoping would be enough. I actually made a muslin beforehand (gasp!) and cut a size 8 with a ½" FBA (full bust adjustment). Although it fitted well across the bust, it was still a little boxy for my liking, so I added contour darts to the front, checking I could still get it over my head before sewing them! I also took in the side seams a smidgen too. The only other change to the pattern was to extend the length of the sleeves from elbow length to wrist length (about six inches).

I didn't actually refer to the instructions much as I fully lined my top, which meant a lot of them were redundant (along with the bias binding). There's a lot more you can do with this pattern though: as well as the top, there are three dress options included in the pattern itself and the option to download an E-Booklet with a further nine variations.

So what's the verdict? Well, my verdict on working with lace is a pleasant surprise. Yes, it's time consuming to work with, but the fact that it's relatively easy to prepare and sew more than makes up for this. I'm still not convinced the shape of the Laurel pattern is that flattering for my shape - I made this before taking my pattern cutting course, so if I made it again, I would tweak it accordingly. I also think my decision to fully line it has made it a bit bulkier than I'd prefer. It's perfect for wearing with jeans and heels to the pub though, and in that respect, it's a super useful addition to my wardrobe. I would like to work with lace again, but I think next time I'll choose a different colour.

We think this is a stunning blouse, perfect for any occasion but it would work especially for the upcoming party season. Fancy having a go at this yourself? Here's your shopping list:

Get the lace ► here. 11 colours to choose from.
Lining fabric is ► here. 39 colours to choose from.
Find the perfect sewing pattern for your shape and figure ► here. 

WhiteTree fabrics are delighted to welcome Louise to the WhiteTree blogging team!

Louise is originally from the North of England but has lived in London, Brighton, San Francisco and now Liverpool. She works full time and has two children so sewing is squeezed in around the edges!

Louise learned to sew with her mum who used to make a lot of clothes for Louise and her brother and later, Louise took needlework at school - she has a grade C 'O' level!

When Louise was a student, she used to make a lot of her own clothes but after she started work, she had more money to buy clothes and gradually stopped sewing.

Many years later she came across the world of sewing blogs when Karen of Didyoumakethat was writing for the Guardian. Louise bought a second hand sewing machine, a pattern for a skirt and some fabric and got started. She's learned a lot over the last year and is aiming to make a wardrobe of handmade clothes that she loves!

Louise says; "When I started a year ago I didnt imagine anyone would  actually read my blog so I am really excited to be joining the White Tree blog team!"

You can follow Louise's sewing adventures over at her blog.

Following on from this post, Skye has successfully completed her 'trio of tees'. Here's the final one, as promised at the end of the first blog entry!

For my next White Tree Fabrics Project, I chose this incredible warm jersey in grey. I intended to make the long sleeved top from the V8879 pattern, but after making the blue version, I knew that this fabric needed something different. 

Enter the FREE Hemlock Tee from Grainline. This pattern has been sat in my downloads folder for far too long, and I knew its time had come. 
This pattern is amazing - I can't believe it's free! Jen clearly knows her stuff, and the hundreds of versions of the top you can find online by other sewers is testament to that. I can't wait to make tons more, especially proper tshirt versions and not jumpers! (If White Tree Fabrics start stocking stripy jerseys then I'm in real trouble!) 

Anyway, the fabric is amazing and exactly what I'm looking for in a knit fabric. It's soft, cosy, has a subtle marl effect and was so nice to work with. Basically, I can't sing its praises enough! 
I was a little worried about using a heavier knit for the hemlock pattern, but I love the finished result and it came together so quickly. 

All in all this has been a winning combination for me, and I'm pretty excited to see this jumper become a part of my everyday wardrobe; thank you White Tree Fabrics and Jen :)

Today we are thrilled to bring you an amazing make from Amanda at Sew Deputy. This dress was inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge's appearance at Wimbledon last month and is such a pretty, fresh Summer dress. What we really love about this dress is the way Amanda has used the scalloped edges for a hemline. She also attempted to use the scallops on the sleeves, but not everything went according to plan so this make is a great example of how you can still succeed even if things don't go right the first time. Amanda wore this dress during a day out and has named it The Leeds Lace Dress.  We love it! Here's the make in full.

This is the most beautiful dress I have EVER sewn. I think I could get married in it!!

The fabric is a Guipure lace from Whitetree Fabrics, which was complimentary as a member of the Blog team. It is just beautiful to sew with and so if you are thinking of having a go this is a good lace to start with.

I decided to use another of my favourite patterns The Navy Squiggle Dress as I thought it would really show off the lace, particularly the beautiful scalloped hem.

I cut the pieces out and rather than add a lining I bought myself an underskirt I could wear underneath. I used a normal sewing stitch on 1.5cm and then cut quite close to the seam and zig-zagged it.  I had been so careful with my cutting out that the pieces matched exactly! Which was a bonus at the hem line. I changed the skirt slightly and instead of gathering I added six pleats to the front and back. I completely made up the bodice before I did this and then made sure it was exactly the same size to sew on. I added a 7inch invisible zip and it has hidden so well into the seam line.

I really wanted to use the scallop hem for the edge of the sleeves but had to cut them smaller than the pattern as I did not have enough scalloping. I inserted them into the dress and tried it on. They looked great but I could not move my arms up or down! Seeing as I really loved the rest of the dress I felt it would perhaps make me not want to wear it, so I painstakingly took them out and cut new ones without the scallop.

This time I went the opposite way and cut the biggest size sleeve so they are too big now! However, I decided if anyone saw this dress they would not think for a minute I had made it because the fabric is just so beautiful , and so it must therefore be a design feature!

After wearing the dress today on a day out into Leeds I think maybe I need to bind the hem inside the sleeve as it does show when I move my arms. I used bias for the neck and the sleeve hems. We went for lunch in Leeds and decided the Town Hall and Civic Hall were good places to get some dress shots…..makes a change from the fuschia bush! (Note from WhiteTree - we like the fuchsia bush!!)

Pattern: New Look 6723

Fabric: 2metres of guipure lace from WhiteTree Fabrics

Notions: bias binding, 7inch concealed zip

Changes?? Next time I would make sure I had enough fabric for scalloped hem sleeves!