The Chelsea Collection has just been released as part of the Wardrobe Builder collection of patterns. I made the blouse and skirt last summer and completely love them.

This was the first time I had tried several techniques:

– shirring elastic

– flat fell seams

– neck facing

– key hole neckline

Whilst this is not a perfect execution of all of these, I have to say I’m very pleased with the result! I love the flat fell seams of the skirt and wish I had had some topstitching thread so that this was more of a feature.

I used a very slippery fabric for the facing and it would have been easier to use a light weight cotton lawn, similar to the main fabric.

One thing to note is that the blouse comes up quite short. I think it works perfectly with the skirt as it can be tucked in without too much bulk. I made the skirt out of a really small amount of fabric because it is panelled, so I could squeeze the pattern pieces together when I was cutting out. I really like the style of both pieces and have plans for loads more. I think a denim version of the skirt with contrast topstitching and jeans buttons down the front would be great!

Jenny blogs at http://thewardrobearchitect.blogspot.co.uk/