Yes the cinema dress is nice but it is surprisingly fabric hungry. Have you been to Mandors yet? I'm sure they will have a sale after Christmas.

You might see a copy of the Sew Today mag in one of the bigger fabric shops (Mandors?) or a big WH Smith then you can see whether I've been too harsh!

The only sewing magazine where I've had a sub lately was 3 months of Knipmode which has patterns to trace like Burda. On the plus side it waa a cheap subscription, free postage, nice styles and ALL the patterns go right through the size range (unlike Burda). On the negative side I don't speak Dutch so understanding it all is a bit of hard work!

Ah yes, Sew Today. I was once a subscriber but cancelled my sub a few years back when what they offered got poorer and the mag got poorer. And they put up my DD without telling me  Although there are some sewing articles in it, most of it is taken up by photos of the outfits in the patterns. Some of the articles were good, others less so. I even saw the exact same article in 2 different editions. I suspect it is redited on a shoestring for the UK market. Athough you get 40% off their patterns you pay postage unless the order is over £20. I prefer to wait for half price pattern sales or I buy 3 Vogues at a time in sales in the US site and that works out at about £7.50 per pattern all in and doesn't incur customs charges.
Of course, others may love Sew Today and maybe it has massively improved!

Oh dear I hope I wasn't the only one as it wouldn't be a competition then! I've finished my buttonholes since the pics. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to make my top as I probably wouldn't have got it done otherwise. So my 'prize' was definitely  to get it finished. Yes Fran was looking after this one but I haven't seen here on TSP for a few days. She was really busy with helping her grandparents move so maybe that's why she hasn't been about.

At £7 the postage could seem expensive but you do get it the next day which is great especially at this time of year where you could be waiting a week or more. The fabric is easily as nice as Liberty. Hope you enjoy planning how to use it.

Good for you, Ellabella. You should get your parcel tomorrow. It will keep you out of mischief over Christmas   

I think the back pleat is a nice feature. I don't think it would be uncomfortable to sit on unless you used a very heavy fabric in which case other bits, like the collar, would seem bulky too. Are there any reviews of this pattern on pattern review? Always a good place to check especially for patterns that have been around a while and therefore are likely to have been reviewed.