I should receive a medal for speed as this time the Paola took just 45 minutes from start of cutting out to completion.

However this version made using a Leopard print Ponte Roma bought from eBay (£5.95/m) has thrown up a couple of issues. Firstly, there is not as much stretch in this fabric as there was in my other makes and secondly, this fabric has a very ‘synthetic’ feel to it. Had I seen this fabric ‘live’ rather than on the internet, I am not sure that I would have bought it.

As stated above, this Paola was sewn very quickly. I had made just one further alteration to the pattern and that was to reduce the depth of the collar by 1 inch as there is a lot to fold over and my neck is not that long!

There were no problems with stitching, the completed garment has a professional look and initially I was pleased with the make. But, I had not allowed for the reduced stretch and therefore although the body fits fine, the arms are quite tight – especially on the biceps. Not a problem that I usually encounter. I don’t know if it was due to the fabric but this time the sleeves are also a little longer than I like. Having checked with the paper pattern I have reduced their length by another 1 inch.

In future I shall be more circumspect when buying fabrics on the internet and also take a little more care when to check their ‘stretchability’ before merrily stitching even more Paolas.