I’m feeling a bit of a last minute Lucy at the moment, I’m usually really organised with Christmas but this year it seems to have sneaked up awfully quickly!

My daughter Helen asked me to make her a Luna Lapin for Christmas, she wanted a Liberty print so she sent me two quarter yards of pretty Liberty tana lawn. I used one with a pretty ditsy pink flower design for the ears and feet…

Yesterday I set about making an outfit for her. I couldn’t decide which fabric to use so I had an idea, I used them both…I made a reversible sailor dress! I’m well chuffed with it! The basic pattern for the sailor dress is from one of Sarah Peel’s Luna Lapin books, I basically lined the top and the skirt with the second fabric. In many ways it made it simpler as I had no faffy facings, I didn’t even need to hem the dress as I stitched them together along the hem line before gathering the waist as one and attaching it to the bodice. The only bit I had to be careful on is stitching the inner bodice over the waist seam very neatly so it doesn’t look like an inside out dress.

I found some buttons in my stash, pale pink for the ditsy flower dress and more of a red for what I call the berry dress. I made five buttonholes down the front and stitched the buttons back to back. I tried to stitch them securely but not too tightly by making a bit of a thread shank on each side. Hopefully it just gives that bit of ease between the buttons.

The coat pattern is from the original Luna Lapin coat. I made it from some lovely wool felt from Cool Crafting (Cool Crafting in Kendal is the home of Luna Lapin) It’s a beautiful deep teal colour. I picked the blue as the pink or red felts either went with the flowery one or with the berry dress, not with both I love the details in these patterns, I think that’s what makes them special. The main seams are all edge stitched so it looks like a flat felled seam, there’s mock welt pockets and a button tab on each sleeve. I stitched the buttonholes – about the smallest my sewing machine would do. I decided not to cut them so they are purely decorative. The buttons came from my stash and were a perfect match, size and colourwise.

I was surprised just how quick the coat went together – I didn’t cut it out until just before tea last night and I stitched most of it last night…and I went to bed at a reasonable time! The instructions are nice and clear, you just have to methodically go through them.

She just needs a pair of knickers now, the pieces are cut out but I think it will wait till Christmas is over as Helen is coming up to stay tomorrow morning. I think she looks very smart in her Liberty dress and wool coat.

I do enjoy making these rabbits, Sarah’s written patterns for lots of different animals, I think the otter and the polar bear are particularly nice, I’ve got a kit somewhere to make a sheep so I really must get on with it.