A Dress From A Duvet: That's Sew George

I have finally handed in my Masters' dissertation! I can now no longer describe myself as a student (although part of me will continue to be in denial until I get confirmation that I am actually graduating and my student card expires). Now I have a little more time to catch up all things blogging and today I wanted to share a crafty post, with the help of George at Asda:

Dress: DIY from George at Asda duvet* Heels: Primark. Belt: Primark. Necklace: George at Asda*

George at Asda offered me a new duvet cover from their amazing homeware range to update my bedroom with a fresh new set of bedding. Then, they explained the twist; I was challenged to use this bedding to sew into something completely new. Using a duvet cover as a fabric for a dress is a concept which I had come across on Pinterest before and I immediately knew this was what I wanted to try and do. It's such a cheap way to get your hands on some interesting cotton fabric rather than buying by the metre. George at Asda have an amazing range of duvet covers with brilliant patterns and colours, so I eventually settled on this cute fox print for the basis of my dress.

I decided to make a simple shift dress, without the need to include a zip or buttons. I say 'simple' but it wasn't quite as easy as I thought. With the help of my Mum and after recutting a couple of sections so the foxes weren't upside down, we managed to sew something that resembled a dress. Now, I must admit, that I feel a little like Dobby in his pillowcase as the measurements somehow came up much bigger than we expected. However, for today's photos I cinched in my waist with a tan belt and added some heels to lengthen my legs. Hopefully, it's only because I know it's a duvet that I'm a little self-conscious and nobody else can tell! What do you think?

I also have some amazing unicorn patterned fabric from Asda which I am dying to turn into clothing, but I think I need to practice before I try again. I can't risk ruining the incredible unicorn pattern! Have you got any sewing tips for new sewers like me? Have you ever made a dress from a duvet cover?

Jess

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Fitness Friday: It's the Rugby World Cup!

It's been so long since I posted a Fitness Friday so today I wanted to bring it back for a very good reason; the Rugby World Cup! I have been a fan of rugby all my life, as I have spent my fair share of Saturdays cheering on my brother's team on a freezing cold rugby pitch somewhere in Suffolk and as a family, we love sitting down to watch the rugby on TV at the weekend together. Obviously, I am really excited for one of the most nail-biting world tournaments to begin:

As much as I enjoy watching local teams or friendlies on TV, the Rugby World Cup is my absolute favourite tournament to watch. England has my heart every year and I was kindly sent an England Rugby Shirt* so I could support my team in style. Fashion is not the focus whilst I'm sat on my sofa but I couldn't resist adding some patriotic red lippie. I will watch the games in my leggings, this shirt and my Harry Potter slippers - although as much as JK Rowling might wish, I won't be supporting Scotland!

I love shouting on the players on the sofa with my family and Snapchatting reactions to friends who are also watching across the country. My dog is always miserable in any blog photos I attempt to take but she'll be watching with us too! I'll drink some gin and tonic instead of beer and stuff myself on nachos and dip. I keep desperately entering competitions as I would love to be able to attend a live match, but I think realistically I'm going to be doing my watching from the sofa. I'm so excited for the next six weeks and cannot wait to spend my weekends watching plenty of sport; let's hope England do well!

Are you a rugby fan? How will you be watching the game tonight and the rest of the tournament?

Jess

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Snapshots of Paris

Bonjour! I recently blogged about why we need to think about what we photograph and why. Despite some of the comments I made about the hyper-tourism I experienced in Paris, I of course took a few snaps myself which I wanted to share today alongside my thoughts on the city. Wow, it was a while ago I went to Paris! This dissertation has completely taken over my life and I can't wait to be back blogging properly soon!

Paris … I had visited once before on a school trip but I was excited to return as an adult and explore the city with my Mum and Aunty. It was my Aunty's first visit outside of England ever - she even had to get her first ever passport for the trip - so we wanted the holiday to be perfect. We had a lot of touristy places planned but I’d also left us some free time to explore the city and eat some wonderful French food.

However, we were really disappointed by the lack of anything ‘Parisian.’ Perhaps my Instagram obsession had set the bar too high, but I was half-expecting to be swimming in macarons, eating perfectly cooked steak and having pastries for breakfast. Instead, we found it almost impossible to find any local patisseries or restaurants as the only options appeared to be burgers, chips or hot dogs - not exactly what I'd expected. There were obviously huge hoardes of tourists, which I can't really complain about since I was one of them, but I just found the city to be generally not what I have envisaged.

I still enjoyed Paris and don’t regret the trip but there are many other European cities which I have preferred and am more excited to visit in the future. What did you think of Paris? Most people I know love the city, so I’d love to hear your thoughts! Am I simply wrong?

Jess

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