Land Rover Owner International Show

小春日和な週末に、ランドローバーのカーショーに行ってきました。
日本車と言ったらトヨタ、英国車と言ったらランドローバー。

でもトヨタ車に乗ってる人と違って、ランドローバーオーナーのランドローバーにかける忠誠心はすいごいです。運転中にすれ違ったら見知らぬ人でも手を振りあうぐらい。

オットはスポーツカーも大好きだけど、実は結構ランドローバーファンで、アメリカでは1970年代に作られたシリーズというモデルも持ってたし、2000年代に作られたディスカバリーというモデルも持ってたし、イギリスに来てすぐにディフェンダーというモデルも買ったぐらい。そしてもちろんディフェンダーはアメリカに持って帰ると言い切ってるぐらい。（アメリカに持って帰っても輸入規制にひっかからないように、25年以上前のモデルを選んで買ってるし）

駐車場の入り口には「ランドローバー駐車場はこちら」な矢印があって、もちろんランドローバーに乗って行った私たちが着いた駐車場は、もう何千っていうランドローバーが並んでて、駐車場にいるだけでもうランドローバーショーなんじゃないか、っていう感じでした。駐車場だけじゃなくて、駐車場の回り一帯がキャンプ場になっていて、何百っていうランドローバーキャンパーでにぎわっていました。

本当に、どこ見てもランドローバーなんだけど、そのうちの大部分がディフェンダーか、もしくはその前のシリーズというモデル。私から見たら、見かけはいいけど、エアコンも、パワステも、パワーウィンドウもオートロックもないようなトラクターみたいな車にお金かける気持ちがわかりません。ちなみに私はオットのディフェンダーの運転ができません。近所を回って練習したけど、公道に出たら車の流れに乗れないし、円形交差点つらいし、あきらめました。

このショーは犬を連れてきてもいいイベントでした。（うちは置いていきました）ランドローバーに乗る人は、かなりの確率で犬を飼っています。そういうライフスタイルなのです、ランドローバーを持つということは。ランドローバーと同じ数だけ犬がいました。

オットはクラッチを、私はランドローバーTシャツをお土産に買って帰りました。

We went to Land Rover Owner International Show in Peterborough.
Though it is a "Land Rover" event, it's mostly the 2 particular models of Land Rovers that support the love of Land Rover: Defender and its predecessor, Series. The loyalty of the Defender owners are pretty big. I mean, Defender drivers waive at each other on the road even when they are total strangers.

The event was huge. Thousands (?) of Defenders and Serieses lined up in the parking lot. The parking lot alone could be a show of itself. There were also hundreds of Land Rovers camping around the parking lot. And hundreds of dogs (it was a dog friendly event). Yes, Land Rover, camping, and dogs: they are all part of the lifestyle package.

The Man of the House, while he would buy a Lamborghini in a heart beat if he could afford one,  is a Land Rover fan. He had 2 Series back in the day as old as I was:

Unfortunately, he was unable to complete this project because of the cross-country move.

And he had a Discovery, with a tent on top (and a Z car, of course):

I like the look of the Defender, but to be honest, I don't know why he would spend so much money on a tractor like truck that doesn't come with an A/C, power steering, power window, or auto lock.

Buy anyway. He bought a new clutch and I bought Land Rover T-shirts for souvenir.

Fall Sewing: Itch to Stitch Bellavista Top

イギリスは、もう結構涼しいです。砂漠暮らしが長すぎてあまり秋冬に適した服がないので、暖かめの服作ってみました。
ざっくりしたカウルネックのトップです。
型紙はItch to StitchというとこのBellavista Top。
Tシャツ系は型紙の数も少ないし、縫うのも早いので好きです。
布はポリエステルとレーヨンの混紡ニット。

It is getting noticeably cooler here in England and talking about weather all the time I feel like I'm a proper resident.

I have said this before, but having lived in the desert Southwest for 10 years, I really don't have much fall/winter clothes. In the desert, you only need a cardi over a cami. So I made one: a cozy cowl neck top.

The pattern is Bellavista Top from Itch to Stitch. I actually wanted to make more Renfrew top from Sewaholic, which also has a nice cowl, but my paper pattern is in the storage and did not want to pay for another hefty indie pattern price for a pattern I already own so I bought this pattern instead.

The pattern features a loose-fitting swingy shape bodice and a slightly bell-shaped sleeve, so it was different enough to justify my purchase, though not that I needed a justification.

The fabric is a poly/rayon jersey. This top, with the swingy shape, definitely needs a drapey fabric and rayon helped. One thing about fabric shopping in England is that for some reason the range of sweater knit is very limited, and sweater knit in general is just hard to find. It could be just the online shops that I browse, but I'm just having a hard time finding sweater knit...

I cut a size 2 based on my body measurements.

 The hem of my front bodice does rise up so I might have to do something there. FBA?

I bought 2 meters of fabric and I knew I had plenty to match pattern. So instead of checking the pattern placement for all the pieces, I started cutting the fabric, and I started with the back bodice... I don't know why I started with back bodice but it made it slightly complicating to decide the pattern placement for the front bodice. Front is made up of 3 panels so I had to check the horizontal pattern match at the side seam for the side front panel, then match the side panel to the center front panel.

I was lazy and cut the fabric on fold, and I had to pay the price of my laziness. The pattern matches pretty well on one side but not the other... Oh well.

I wasn't too sure about the swingy shape, but after wearing it all day, I really like it. Big-dinner friendly, and definitely very comfy. If I can find more sweater knit, I want to make more of these.

Late Summer Party in Simplicity 1916

隣に住んでる大家さんちで行われるパーティにお呼ばれしたので、ワンピースを作りました。ホームパーティとかいうものではなく、ガーデンパーティなんだけど、ウェイターがシャンペンをトレーにのせてまわるような、結婚式ですか、みたいなテントでケータリングのお料理が出て、生バンドがついてくるようなパーティなのです。去年もお呼ばれしたんだけど、毎年恒例のサマーパーティなんだって。
型紙は去年カットソーを作るのに使ったシンプリシティの1916番。裾の丈を伸ばしてワンピースにしました。
布はストレッチレース。1メートル350円という激安布です。透けるので肌色のメッシュを裏につけています。
パーティでは庭の花がとてもきれいに咲いていました。

We were invited to our landlord's garden party next door and I made a dress for this occasion. Our landlord's party is not quite a home party, but rather a party with wait staff walking around with a champagne trey and tables with white table cloth under a giant tent (imagine an outside wedding) with catered food kind of party. The weather was gorgeous and so were his garden flowers.

The pattern is Simplicity 1916. I used this pattern last year and made a View D. This time, I lengthened the hem to make it a dress.

The fabric is nylon stretch lace. The fabric had 2-way stretch along the grain line so I cut the pattern pieces on cross-grain.

Because it is lace, though it's dense, there are "holes" in the design, so I underlined the bodice with nude color mesh. The right half of the below photo has the nude mesh underneath the fabric and the left half doesn't.

I wanted to use the mesh as lining with free-floating hem, but I could not wrap my head around to line the front bodice overlap. So the neck line seam, shoulder seam, and the front bodice waist seam are hidden inside the mesh and the stretch lace, but from then on, I treated the two fabric as one to attach sleeve and sewed side seams together.

I cut a size 12, narrowed shoulder by 1/2", shortened above waist by 3/4", and shortened sleeves by 2".

The dress hack was pretty simple. I just extended the side seam straight down until I got the length I wanted.

All the sewing was done with my serger and the coverstitch machine. My work space is pretty tight when I have my coverstitch machine out.

The only regret I have with this dress is the flower pattern on the front bodice. There are two identical flowers right next to each other at the cross-over. It really bugs me.

But other than that, I'm really happy with the dress. With empire waist and loose fitting around the waist, it's definitely a big dinner friendly dress.