Quilt, Sew, Sew Sue

Strippy quilt - finally

2012-02-05T15:17:00.000+10:00

Started March 2008... Finished January 2012.

This quilt was started at a fun day (called a strip party) at Toowoomba Quilters in March 2008. The intention of the day is that everyone contributed strips of fabrics and we were to assemble them into blocks, not taking colour or fabric into account. So there are a lot of fabrics I would not normally favour in this quilt, but once it is made, it all works!

The blocks are assembled as quilt as you go and the sewing of the strips acts as the quilting. Once the quilt blocks are finished and trimmed to size, then they are butted together, zig-zagged and cover strips applied. This shows the cover strips on the back.

I used narrow strips in a contrasting fabric to the backing fabric, mainly as I didn't have enough backing fabric. As some of the intersections were a bit 'off' I put yo-yos to cover them ... I mean as a design feature!

22 years ago I gave birth to my first child. This is him at his first Christmas wearing an outfit I had made for him. I have sewn for quite a while!!

Sorbetto tops

2012-01-28T14:29:00.002+10:00

The next two items for the Fabric Stash contest. Collete patterns Sorbetto top. A free pattern available for download and very popular in sewing land. I made a few alterations to this top and I would recommend tissue fitting or a toile before you make this one up.

My first top is made from a piece of left-over fabric purchased in 2008. This is a good pattern for using those small pieces of fabric. This fabric is a Japanese quilting cotton with the most exquisite cherry blossom print. To play up the subtle pink I added a few pink buttons to this top. I have made the front pleat on this pattern slightly smaller as I was restricted by the narrow width of the cotton.

The back..

The alterations I made to the pattern were to adjust the bust dart (angle and shorten it), add about 5cm to the length and scooped out the bottom of the armholes. As I was short of fabric I didn't make bias from the same fabric but used a bias binding but turned to the inside.

The second was is a gorgeous piece of silk found in a remnant bin in January 2009. Beautiful fabric but a PITA to work with. I used french seams and also bound the armholes and neck edge to the inside using the method found in Threads magazine #145 (Thanks Belinda for pointing this out!) This time the pleat is as per the pattern.

I am not overly happy with the hem on this top and tried it twice. However I see this one being a layering piece (and so hopefully the hem won't be seen) and pictured below is the fabric for the next top I plan to make.

This is also a stash fabric, perfect for the contest but I am not sure I will get it completed this week-end to review before the contest finishes. Let's see how I go....

DKNY Vogue 1250

2012-01-21T11:37:00.002+10:00

Vogue 1250, the DKNY dress that everyone loves, including me now! I don't have a lot to say about this pattern as I think it has all been said before. I made a size 12 based on finished size for hips. I f I wanted to be really particular I could probably size the top down slightly and widen slightly at the hips for my measurements, but knit fabrics are so forgiving that I didn't bother. I am happy with the result.

This is another entry for the fabric stash contest. This was bought from Gorgeous Fabrics and was called Pointillist Chevron. I purchased it in September 2010. It is a polyester lycra blend.

As usual when I haven't much to say - I put up lots of piccies! (winking at you in the one above showing the cowl detail).

One of my buddies on Pattern Review Down Under wondered what this dress would look like on a shorty. I don't consider myself short but measured my height and I am 162cm or nearly 5'4" tall.

My Strippy quilt is finished and washed (was very dusty) so I will be showing that soon as well as the Sorbetto top.... Ciao!

What I wore yesterday.. Simplicity 2599

2012-01-19T17:14:00.003+10:00

Back in October last year I made two versions of Simplicity 2599. The first a wearable muslin, the second one in silk. At the time, I was over the silk version by the time I finished it and it has sat in my wardrobe since then. Finally yesterday I got it out to wear to work and really liked it (why I did wait so long?)

I have matched it with Simplicity 2451, which I made back in February last year.

Both patterns featured in the Pattern Review best patterns of 2010.

I enjoyed wearing this top so much, that I have decided to make some more shell tops. The top I have decided to make is the Sorbetto Top. A pattern which should be on the top 2011 pattern list. Many successful versions have been made, the latest one I have seen here.

Now to finish my Vogue 1250 and then to find the sticky tape to prepare that pattern... Ciao!

Sweet Dreams ...Ottobre 05-2011-2

2012-01-17T12:19:00.000+10:00

Next cab off the rank for the fabric stash contest. This fabric was bought in approximately March 2009. However the top I planned to make from it didn't eventuate (probably lucky as this fabric is too busy for my taste to wear as I top - what was I thinking?). However I finally worked out a use for it. Pyjama pants - what I call girly boxers. I have wanted to make myself a pair since I made some for my boys.

The pattern I used is from Ottobre magazine 05-2011, pattern No. 2 Sweet Dreams. I cut a size 40 as I prefer pj's to be on the loose side (I am between 38 and 40 since Christmas... darn it!). The fabric is a stretch satin (polyester) bought from Lincraft. I needed more than they state (I think they assume wide fabric). I used about 75 cm.

I made a few changes to the pattern. I cut the waistband facing off as I wanted to attach the elastic like boxers. I am not keen on using casing as I hate the elastic twisting and I think this looks more RTW. Well, from the outside anyway where you don't notice the wonky stitches that happen when you are sewing while stretching the elastic.

I also hemmed the pants instead of using picot-edged lace. I did use a fancy stitch though - pj's are one of the few places you can play with stitches!

This is how I plan to wear them - with a singlet tee, not tucked in though.

Sweet dreams - can't wait to try them when the weather decides to warm up again... Ciao!

McCall's 6347... bubbles, bubbles, bubbles dress

2012-01-16T13:54:00.000+10:00

McCall's 6347 view A makes a lovely cool, summery, casual dress. This is a snap to make - two pieces for the main dress plus the tie piece. Sew the seams, finish the neck and armhole edges, hem, make tie - so simple. I need to make another one of these.

The fabric used is from Gorgeous Fabrics. I bought this fabric in November 2010 and so this dress is my first entry in the fabric stash contest. It is a polyester and was called Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. Loved it when I saw it, but didn't know what I was going to make from it when it arrived. I think it works perfectly in this dress.

The photo above shows the back tied as per the pattern and below without the tie. I plan to wear it with the tie - I think it is cute.

One more shot of the front- spot the cat...

And for a laugh I had to show my muscles off for the photographer - he said I was scary!

I have another half finished project for the stash contest but was waiting for elastic to finish it. In the meantime I got busy finishing a UFO. A strippy quilt-as-you-go started many years ago.

Until next time... Ciao kittens!

Another shirtdress... Burdastyle 05-2011-117

2012-01-14T19:42:00.001+10:00

Another shirtdress (and my last sewing for 2011). This is a very different dress to the last one. Burdastyle 05-2011-117. This time in a rayon shirting from fabric.com. Hopefully this will be a nice cool summer dress. The fabric was quite bright and I was wondering what I would make from it when it arrived, but I think this dress suits it well. It may be a little brighter in real life to these photos but they are not too far off. I think the dress has a real 1940's vibe.

The description states A classic shirtwaist dress with romantic styling. Front darts fit it to the figure, while the small notched collar and sophisticated back add a touch of class.

Now I love the collar and the blouson back, but it doesn't look like Burda's photos where there is no hint of how blousy the back really is.

The pockets are a nice feature and are top-stitched (not noticeable on this busy fabric) and I like how they suggest doing it by using the pocket pattern to give you a guide to the stitching line.

The blousy back - I like it and I think it does add a quirky design feature as well as making the hips look slim, but it does show from the front (unlike Burdastyle's photos in the magazine).

I used a seam allowance guide to cut the SA of this pattern - quite like it. It is perhaps not as accurate as drawing your own SA but so much quicker and perfectly satisfactory result for this sewist :)

I was very lucky to receive this as a blog give away from Jorth, and will be using it a lot as I hope to sew a lot more from my Burda and Ottobre magazines this year.

My only negative comment about this pattern is that when I raise my arms the whole dress comes with it. Any clues as to what I need to do, to alleviate this?? Is it to do with sleeve width or armhole size??

Anyway it is too late for this dress, I like it and will still wear it. It will just be a lady's lunching dress not a putting things away on high shelves dress.

Nearly caught up with my blogging. I have joined the pattern review fabric stash contest so have made two small items for that before getting totally distracted by finishing a quilt started years ago... Ciao for now kittens!

2012... when did that start?

2012-01-07T15:26:00.003+10:00

My blogging has been more and more infrequent lately, so I thank you readers who have stuck with me through these breaks. I don't think I will be doing a 2011 recap as I still have some 2011 sewing to show you.

These are some shots of my finished McCalls 6116, which I showed you last post.

McCalls 6116

Photos were taken in December when we went to Brisbane for a night away and entertained ourselves by visiting the Matisse exhibition in the Art Gallery.


On the Brisbane River

The dress made in linen wore very well on a warm summer day and I am extremely pleased with the fit. I had hoped to show you a back shot to show my broad back alteration, but the photographer did not quite understand my request and the photo is mainly of the back of my head and shoulders - not exactly what I wanted - you will just have to take my word for it that it worked really well.

Other sewing from last year I have not blogged about is the Strawberry bag from the Burdastyle website.I made these as some little gifts for some of the women in my family. I recommend this pattern if you you are looking for something like this. The best thing is I used all fabrics I had in my stash. Quilting cottons for the strawberry and a poly-cotton for the main bag (not shown open - sorry!) The only thing I had to purchase was the toggles. They have been very attractively photographed here by my photographer in our strawberry patch.

Strawberry bag

Also in 2011, I crocheted an amineko cat. I bought the pattern in Lincraft but the pattern is available for free on Ravelry. Don't know why I crocheted this cat - but I love it!

Animeko

I also love my Lulubelle - pictured here, stalking the garden on Xmas Day.

Lulubelle

I have one more dress to show you that I made in 2011. Hope to get back to you soon... Ciao!

The Perfect Shirtdress - McCall's 6116

2011-12-11T17:53:00.000+10:00

McCall's 6116 the Perfect Shirtdress is, well, pretty close to perfect. I love this so much I had to rush these pictures to show you. When I get it washed and pressed I will get some better shots for you, but in the mean time I couldn't wait for that to show and tell my latest and, I think, one of the best things I have sewn! Well at least lately!

It is made from linen (linda linen from Kerryn's Fabric world for the aussies reading this). I took the end of the roll in this colour so I was limited as to which options I could make. I did not want the self-tie and planned to wear it with a purchased belt, but really prefer it worn without a belt.

The pattern runs through tissue-fitting the pattern and options to adjust it. The only adjustment I made was a broad back adjustment. I am soooo happy with the result. It looks too big on Diana, but believe me it fits my back beautifully! Very happy about that!

I was planning to add the top pockets with flaps, but got cold feet after trialling them by pinning them on. they looked a bit too bulky and as I wanted to use contrasting buttons, I wasn't comfortable with how they were going to look. I think in a lighter fabric I would try this pocket option again.

This is the detail of the button - lovely brass-look with a green sheen. I was really pleased with the ones chosen after much trialling of every button option in the shop. I had great service and the shop assistant was very patient sorting through all the options - all for 70c buttons!

My only negative is that I marked the buttonhole placement in blue chaco liner (you can probably see it in the photo above) and it is not coming off as easily as the white one has in the past. I am hoping that washing it will remove it (keep your fingers crossed for me).

I will post better photos soon that should show you how pleased I am with my alteration and the fit of this pattern.

By the way, for those who asked in the comments from my last post - I find the Tanga panties are comfortable to wear and I like that there is no VPL.

I am so excited by this dress, that I plan to make another shirtdress - the next one from Burdastyle magazine in a very different fabric to this one.... Ciao - see you soon with more piccies! :)

Back to our regular scheduled programming... sewing for ME!

2011-11-22T08:29:00.004+10:00

After making togs for the boys I was in the mood to make some for me - Kwik Sew 3330. I had a fabric bought at Spotlight but marked as Seafolly which had a border print running along each edge (selvage). I made View B (without the applique) and cut the contrast band for the pants and the straps for the top out of the border print and the rest from the body of the fabric. It did mean I was cutting some pieces the 'wrong' way but there seemed to be little difference in the stretch either way and it does not seem to have affected the wearability of the swimsuit.

I am happy with how these have come out and particularly love the pants. They are fully lined and fit really well, holding everything in they should. In fact, so comfortable that I considered taking a photo to share of me wearing them, then good sense prevailed!

I did have some trouble with my machine skipping stitches when I was making the top so changed the needle. This made no difference so I went through the whole thing, cleaning, re-threading and another new needle and it did seem to resolve after that. Sometimes it is the simple things that help. :)

The review is here for those interested.

Next up on the list was some lace knickers. I had bought the stretch lace ages ago and decided it had aged enough in the stash. After seeing a good review for the Burdastyle Tanga pants I used this pattern. I found the video demonstrating how they are made - here.

I am very happy with them. My only negative comment is that they are sized XS-S-M-L, but there is no reference to indicate what size they correspond to. I made the small size but could have made XS after comparing them to some RTW I had.

I made the first pair from the apricot lace and managed to muff the CF seam so it wasn't nice and even. To hide it I sewed a little lace flower to cover it.

The mint green pair came out much better, but I like the idea of easily recognising the back from the front so I sewed a little bow to the front CF seam of this pair.

Now you know more about me that you wanted to know... it is all in the interests of sewing... Ciao!

Sewing for others...

2011-11-14T20:01:00.000+10:00

I have sort of taken a leaf out of Mary Nanna's book (blog?) and have done a little sewing for others this month. I only made one dress last month trying to follow the Frocktober theme, but I did enjoy following the theme :)

I have made two pair of trunks from Kwik Sew 2881. Trunks is what KS call them, we have many other names for them in Australia, I shall refer to them as Speedos.

I made a pair for DH and one as Xmas gift for my youngest son. He likes to wear them under his boardies, DH is old enough that he wears them as is in public. That's what happens when you grow up with them!

Also in the interests of modesty I have only got pictures of them lying on a table. Did you like how I styled the picture? This is the first one I took

It actually shows it quite well. I haven't got much to say as it is a pretty straightforward pattern to sew and the instructions were good. I did read the general KS tips on how to sew togs and found it quite helpful. I followed the instruction on sewing the front of the leg without stretching the elastic and then stretching the rest of the elastic to fit the back of the leg.

DH has tried his on and declared them comfortable. He did say the elastic was snug, but I believe that is because the old pair he has been using are cactus and the elastic is totally shot in them! It probably felt quite different to the old ones. They looked very similar to the old RTW ones (but not stretched out of shape and worn out!)

Not much else to say on the pattern - I recommend it if you are wanting to make a pair for one of the men in your life.

And to make this post a little more interesting I leave you with a photo from when we went camping last month. This possum was very cheeky and broke into our rubbish bag while we were sitting around the fire. We would normally hide the rubbish over night, but weren't thinking one would come up while we were about. It is licking out a used headache tablet sleeve that had been doused in oil from a dip we threw away.

Ciao possums!

V1224 Tracy Reese dress

2011-10-15T16:52:00.003+10:00

Well it was my turn to try the Tracy reese dress Vogue 1224. I used a fabric I bought from fabric.com. When it was sent I got heaps more than I ordered and wondered why but when I lay it out to cut it I could see why. There was a regular fault in the fabric print. However this pattern has not got very large pieces so I was able to cut the pieces in between the faults. Generous they sent more, but if I had wanted to make a dress that required larger pieces I would not have been able to cut it out without having the print fault showing.

I read all the reviews of this dress and saw that most people recommeded lengthening the bodice (and the skirt) but I decided I wanted it to look just like the pattern and so went on my own head-strong path and used the pattern as it stood.... I should have at least lengthened the bodice. The bodice feels too short and it tends to pull the neck down, so I think it would have been more comfortable to wear with maybe another 2 inches in length in the bodice.

I do think however it does resemble the cover pic, even though I am not shaped like the long legged lovely in the pic.

I had some turqouise beads (which I have had for probably 30 years) and used them on the tie ends.

This photo shows the dress more front-on and I think it makes me look very round from the waist down. Not loving the shape it gives me...

I will just have to make sure I always stand slightly angled on to everyone to make it look more flattering...

The review is here for those interested. Ciao or is that Meow for now...

Finally finished...

2011-10-08T16:17:00.000+10:00

I have been working on or should I say looking at my unfinished Simplicity 2599 for weeks and now that I have finally had some time to finish it, I am a bit mehhh about it. I am hoping I will grow to love it as it was a very expensive piece of fabric. This is my second top from this pattern and I do love the first one I made... in a very cheap fabric! Ah well, I am sure after a bit of hanging time in the cupboard this one will get used too.

The other thing that is finally finished is our house extension/renovation. This one I am enjoying immensely and we are slowly settling in to our new surroundings. We have plenty to do as yet - curtains, gardens and some more furniture, but I am afraid I am going to start boring you with pictures of it now.

Today I present the kitchen and dining room... ta da!...

I am enjoying the new kitchen very much and last week-end when my DH's family visited we had plenty of room for everyone at the dining table!

Next up Vogue 1224 and probably more house piccies...Ciao

No sewing - celebrating Spring!

2011-09-27T07:51:00.001+10:00

We have been enjoying the Spring weather and participating in our town's Carnival of Flowers.

The Food, Wine and Flowers tent...

With wandering entertainment...

Beautiful gardens...

and textiles on show - this from the Toowoomba Quilters Quilt show, but I also enjoyed the Spinners and Weavers display...

Some answers to questions ...

2011-09-14T18:19:00.004+10:00

I have had some questions lately in my Comments and have been very lax in answering them - I hope you still want to know! :)

From my post on Boxer for the boys

Kelley said...

They look great, Sue, very professional. My DH has been after me for years to make some for him, but I think I must be channeling my inner Selfish Seamstress. LOL. In the event that I finally do cave, where did you find the boxer elastic? It looks like that is the way to go.

August 28, 2011 4:09 PM

katherine h said...

These look good. where did you get the boxer elastic? I just bought pants using that elastic and it is very comfortable.

The boxer elastic came from Lincraft - but don't look for any in the Toowoomba store - I bought the last of the roll! I think I may have seen some online at Crafty Mamas. I have bought magazines from there but not elastic, so far the service has been excellent.

From the post about 05-2011-107 gym top

katherine h said...: I cut my shirts with extra width at the underarms on the back only, grading back to a size or 2 smaller at the waist. This seems to accommodate those lat muscles. You will need to add the same amount to sleeves, if your top has them. Looks good. I'm sure you;ll make plenty more of these. What is the composition of your technical fabrics?
This fabric is a poly/nylon - it will be interesting to see how it wears in high Summer - it is still coping ok in the cooler weather.
Summer Flies said... Your last two tops look great .. both colours look great on you. Where do you get that vilene tape from - around here?
I got the vilene tape at Lincraft again (it is amazing what you can find in there). However I remember it was very expensive. I have found it on-line here and have been planning to buy some but haven't as yet and have not used this on-line shop so cannot comment on them.
So this post does not have any pictures, I have snapped a picture of my WIP - my second Simplicity 2599 top in a luscious silk... ruffles to be added....

Another one of the top 10 made.. Simplicity 2599

2011-09-10T17:33:00.001+10:00

I was so excited to finish this top, I have done the thing I don't normally do - the mirror self-portrait!

This is Simplicity 2599. This top is also another one of the top 10 patterns of 2010. If you read my blog, you may know that I have set the challenge to make all top 10 outfits (a follower I am!)

This version is my trial version made in a polyester chiffon (yoru?) which cost all of $5 m and seemed perfect for this top. It is Version B with cap sleeves and vertical ruffles.

I was concerned when I first tried it on after inserting sleeves that it would be too tight across the shoulders. I need to get a photo of the back and try wearing it for a day to see how it goes on that score.

As you can see, it fits Diana very well across the back, but my shoulders are a little broader.

This is a great little top. It has different cup sizes and I am the b-cup as my high bust is very similar to my full bust (that's those pecs I have worked on so hard ;) )

Even with the cup sizes I found I had to go down a few sizes as the ease is massive in this top. I am a 34" bust which corresponds to a size 12 but it had something like 5 1/2" ease across the bust - too much for me. I went down to the size 8, which has 3" ease.

The other things I did were to leave off the button closure at the back as it slipped on very easily without this, so even though I think it looks cute, I know I will never undo the button.

I also left off the facing and used rayon seam binding to finish the neck edge. I did as others have done with this too and used a roll-edge hem to finish the ruffle edge.

The only tip (which I hope will work through the wash!) is that the ruffles are attached with two rows of stitching 3mm apart and the edge is raw. As this fabric ravels terribly, I made the second row of stitching a narrow zigzag and then trimmed close to the stitching. I am hoping that it will keep it tidy as well as hold it through washing. I used my duck-bill scissors to trim the excess fabric. I love these scissors - you don't want to be cutting a hole in your top at this stage!

Lulu was my sewing helper today and as you can see gave my top the seal of approval...

I am now washing my very expensive piece of silk to make another version of this cute top... Ciao!

Butterick 5566 - denim skirt.

2011-09-05T13:43:00.000+10:00

I am trying to begin some sewing for the change of seasons. We are officially in Spring now and the days are slowly warming up. I am so over my winter outfit which always included pants, that I had to sew for my first piece, a new skirt. I made Butterick 5566.

I made View E as a few other sewing bloggers have done in a denim. This denim was bought at the Fabric Collection at Sumner Park.

My most favorite part of this skirt is the facing (only a sewist would say that!). I used a scrap of Japanese quilting cotton. I did not have a large piece of denim and thought it would be too thick anyway, so used this quilting fabric which I fused with a lightweight interfacing. I finished the edge of the yoke with rayon binding tape and added my tab on the inside at the zipper to avoid using a hook and eye at the top of the zip.

From the back...

These photos are taken at the end of the work day, but I think the skirt stood up pretty well. It wasn't the warmest day that day so I paired it with my Burdastyle Turtleneck top in black bamboo (so soft and comfy!) and my Phoebe Jane vest.

Full disclosure here in the interests of Self-Stitched September. I am not an official participant but I do enjoy seeing what others are wearing and I do try and wear something I have made myself, most days. This day I got the full deck of cards! :)

Boxers for the boys... Jalie 2326

2011-08-28T14:54:00.001+10:00

I am trying to get organised for Xmas early this year and have decided to make as many gifts as I can. I usually give my boys satiny boxers which they like to sleep in, but they don't like the ones with silly sayings and pictures on them, so by making them I am able to get some nice fabrics and patterns. The fabric I used is a poly satin bought when Lincraft had a 1/2 price sale. I have actually made 3 of these, but one pair is already in use by my DH as he was the crash test dummy in regard to fitting. His fit well apart from some feedback about the elastic length and so I made two more - one for each of my sons.

A silver/grey pair for my eldest (the same size as DH) so I only had to cut two pattern sizes. I chose the pattern sizes based on hip size.

They are photographed here on Diana and they hang a little crooked as Diana's stand has to go through one leg so that distorts them a bit. I am sure they will look a little different on the boys too as they do not have hips! However after seeing these on Diana I am thinking I could make myself a pair as summer jammies too :)

This pair is for DS the younger.

For the elastic I found 'boxer elastic' and sewed it multiple times on the lines and I think it gives it a very RTW look. The pattern only has you sew it at the top and bottom of the elastic. This elastic is also soft next to the skin.

I love this pattern as it details how to do a fly.

My only complaint about the pattern would be that the elastic size for the waistband is not specified and as I was sewing them as gifts and can't try them on the recipients I would have liked to have this information (even just as a guide). That is why I had to give DH his as I needed to work out how to size the elastic and it seemed silly to take them back to wrap for Xmas after he had worn them!

Overall I love this pattern and my DH seems to like wearing his set. Now if I could out what size to make for my Dad I could knock over another gift!

I have made a skirt but because of the cool weather haven't worn it yet so haven't got a photo.. maybe next post...Ciao!

Some photos of finished projects...

2011-08-14T20:13:00.002+10:00

I have made a couple of more things I have not reviewed and do not intend to review. However I did get some photos last time my camera man was available.

The top is a Marcy Tilton pattern 8636. This pattern was gifted by a mate - thanks Lynn! I made it with a knitwit mesh called Italian Animal Fantasy Mesh ( no 4 in this link.) I backed the main body pieces in a chocolate brown jersey I bought on sale once and wondered how I would use. I like this top - Have not been able to wear it yet, with the cold weather but look forward to the chance! :)

The skirt is a lovely black matt rayon jersey bought from Gorgeous Fabrics. The pattern is from Style Arc - the Fay pattern. Very simple - easy to make, could be a little shorter for me - maybe next time. It has an interesting 'bag-out' hem - fabric doubled over to create the hem. This works as it means you can make the skirt from a light weight fabric as it is doubled over.

Then crochet - a beanie made for my Dad... ravelry link here.

And another beret - this time for my Mum in an alpaca blend...

Ciao for now - next up skirts for Spring...

Gym Top! Burdastyle 07-2010-115

2011-08-09T13:25:00.001+10:00

Another gym top - this time, one I do actually wear to the gym!

Burdastyle 07-2010-115 - not intended as a gym top, but I thought it might work (and it does!)

The fabric is a technical jersey from Gorgeous fabrics . A really pretty blue and has a self stripe with little vented holes so comfortable to wear in a workout. Again I have my dark blue crop underneath so it shows it is quite low at the front, but echoes the crop top's lines so I like the way it layers.

The back is cute but fits my dressmaking dummy better than me - too much weight training???

Anyway I am wondering how I could alter this to lose the creases under the arms. Perhaps a wedge added to the top at each side?

This top, while not intended as work-out wear suits me well for this purpose. It is quite comfortable to wear to the gym. I have worn it to boxing classes as well as to weight train in. I wouldn't mind adding a little to the length if I made another one and I may see if I can work out how to get rid of the creases caused by the broadness of my back at arm height.

I followed the pattern and found the use of the vilene bias tape on the upper edges of the top and straps to make the construction quick and painless. I was lucky to find I had some, but it did use up the roll so I will have to get more before I try this top again.

I am going to review this pattern and link it here. Does anyone have any favorite patterns for workout wear?? I would love to hear about them... Ciao for now!

Gym top?? Burdastyle 05-2011-107

2011-08-04T19:01:00.001+10:00

I wanted to make some gym tops from some technical fabric I had stashed away. I went through my Burdastyle mags and 05-2011-107 struck me as a cute top that might work for the gym.

My blue crop top is layered underneath the Burdastyle top and this is how it came out...

I actually really like this pattern and I am loving the buttercup yellow colour...

But will it work for the gym??? Not sure... I may just chose to use it as a casual week-end top with shorts or jeans.

Well, I love this pattern and I love this yellow top but it may not be used as the gym top I had planned. What is for sure is that I will be making this pattern up again in a nice rayon jersey ready for summer!

Review link is here.

Ciao!... another gym top soon.

Another pair of pants Burdastyle 04-2011-117 again

2011-08-03T18:29:00.002+10:00

I made my first pair of Burda 04-21011-117 in this post. They were essentially a wearable muslin, and they work so I made another pair. This time in a wool tweed from Gorgeous Fabrics. I wear these pants a lot as they are warm and comfortable.

These photos are taken after a day at work so please excuse wrinkles.

The obligatory back shot. I do get some wrinkles, but am not sure it means anything. Anyone better at fitting pants please chime in!

The pocket I forgot to show last time. This time I used a rayon lining fabric to make the pocket bag and the pocket has no 'line' that shows through.

The petersham waistband. This is easy to apply and comfortable to wear but it does assume you wear tops over the top (not tucked).

Overall a good pattern, if you like the narrow leg style. I do believe I need to make one adjustment if I make these again - a front muscular thigh adjustment, which basically splits the front pattern and adds some width at the thigh. It does feel like it pulls a little here and I will be interested to see how it affects pair no 3. when (if) I get around to making them. Review link is here.

Parting shot ... Lulu inspecting the work done in the new kitchen...

Tops, tops & some thermal tops

2011-07-24T15:10:00.005+10:00

My sewing has been pretty basic lately but good for the wardrobe. :)

Even though I have my sewing studio now, the renovation continues so I do find it difficult to concentrate on more time-consuming projects. My lighting has not been updated yet either (hopefully next week) so I hope when that is done it will motivate me to take on some more complicated projects.

First up, it has been cold here lately and I have been feeling it, so decided to use some thermal fabric I bought to make some thermal layers.

The fabric I used is from the Bamboo Store and is called Bamboo & Sorona Thermal.

The sorona is derived from corn and the fabric is lovely and silky smooth. It is very wide and from 1 metre I cut three things:

This Jalie 2564 camisole...

A long sleeved top (modified from Kwik sew 3740)

I used foe (fold over elastic) on the neckline and for those in Australia, I actually found this in Spotlight marked as 'lingerie elastic'. It is very similar to the foe I have bought from o/s. Not many colours available at Spotties, but I was happy to be able to source it locally.

This is a close-up of how I finished the foe. I attach it to one side first, with the fold (centre) of the foe lined up with the edge of the fabric with a zig-zag and then folded it to the front and used a triple stitch to attach this side.

The photo shows the bamboo/sorona fabric close-up as well.

I did not want to waste one piece of this lovely fabric and made a little beanie from the scraps...

Then I seemed to tackle some fabrics I wasn't sure how to handle, in terms of the print on the fabrics.

This one was purchased at Gorgeous Fabrics ages ago and I love it but had ordered it thinking I would make a dress and then decided it was too busy and the motif too large to work well in a dress for me. So I bit the bullet and cut out another Kwiksew 3740 being careful of motif placement and ended up with this pleasant little top.

This next fabric is also from GF and I loved the idea of it. It was described as a rich, metallic toned abstract print (rayon/lycra) and I loved the sound of it. It arrived and it is very shiny - dOH! it said metallic why was I surprised? The 'abstract' print turned out to more resemble really, really large flower motifs, so I also had to figure out how to place them on the garment.

I used the fantastic Burdastyle turtleneck pattern (again) 09-2010-121. This is the magic pattern and I think makes any fabric turn into a great top....

The colours in this fabric are great for my colouring and now I believe I will get a lot of wear out of this fabric. I didn't want to waste the scraps so used the last little bit to make a cami (from Jalie 2564 again). I think this little gold cami will work really well as a layering piece under those tops/dresses that need a cami...

And the next Turtleneck top (that's four all up!) was made with another great fabric from the Bamboo Store. It is a Bamboo/organic cotton/lycra blend and is divine. Now black fabric cannot be described as a difficult to use fabric but I made this top as I have an orphan RTW skirt in my wardrobe. This black top should coordinate well with it , so I am planning to put it into use by pairing it with the orphan skirt.

Black is probably not the best colour near my face but it will be worth it as I will get use out of the orphan skirt and I think it will be a versatile layering piece. I can also wear a scarf or whatever close to my face to detract from the black.

Well I still have more to show you - a different top (about time!), two new gym tops and a Stylearc skirt.

Ciao for now - more blogging when the photographer is available again...

Kwik sew 3693 - instant gratification in a cardi!

2011-07-09T18:44:00.012+10:00

I have been really feeling the cold lately. We are having a cold Winter and our house is particularly cold while our renovation is happening. Instant warmth in a cardigan is available in Kwik sew 3693. I bought this pattern at the Knitwit roadshow as I was impressed with the sample they had on show. I have been looking for a suitable fabric to make it up in and, wonder of wonders, I found one in my stash when I sorted my fabric out into the new sewing studio.

I made View A in a lovely suede jersey I bought from Gorgeous Fabrics. This is a great fabric for this pattern. It has the right weight for the cardigan but still soft enough to drape nicely.

It is a brown colour and coordinates well with other pieces I have made recently.

The style of this jacket is probably a little boxy for my taste but this is out-weighed for me, by the ease and speed of making this cardigan. Sooper easy and satisfying...

My only other slight gripe is that like some other Kwik sew patterns, it is drafted with a slightly dropped shoulder. I like a nice crisp shoulder line - but I can live with it.

It is a good enough pattern that I am planning to make View B with the hood and pockets in a polar fleece hanging out in the stash cupboard. Review here for those interested.

While the reno has been happening I have been re-inspired to start crocheting again. At the Art Textiles show I bought a pattern for a beret and some lovely purple mink/merino/silk wool to make it up. I had a heap of trouble getting it going, so frogged it and started again in some left-over DK wool from the Phoebe Jane vest.

It was sooo easy to make in this wool and I knocked it up in one night!

So I went back and tried again and got my purple beret...

My only changes where to use a crochet hook heaps bigger than recommended. I love the Jenny King designs but I am a bit disappointed that they are written for people who crochet extremely loosely... anyway, now I know...

More cold weather sewing happening... when the photos happen, the blog posts will happen.. Ciao!

McCalls 5974 - Best Pattern 2010

2011-06-28T21:57:00.003+10:00

McCalls 5974 was voted Best Pattern for 2010 on Patternreview.com. For very good reason... it is a fabulous pattern, easy to make and very flattering to wear. I am not sure if I will review this - see these reviews if you want to read more on the sewing of this pattern. Not that there is too much you need to know... pretty much make it (wait for the weather to warm up enough) and then wear it! ... and feel great in it!

I made this as part of my quest to make all top 10 patterns... I think I may only have 4 left to get to that goal!

Another photo opportunity

2011-06-16T19:28:00.010+10:00

DS the elder is still home this week, so I grabbed the chance to get some photos taken of my outfit yesterday. These are taken at the end of the work day so please excuse that end-of-the-day-look!

Two new items in these photos. The top - my second version of Burdastyle 09-2010-121 (Turtleneck top). This one is made from a 70% bamboo and 30% hemp jersey. It behaves very differently to the last top in a poly jersey. It is looser, the sleeves hang further over your hands (because it's looser), however I still like it and I feel it looks a little funkier (and it certainly gets a little funkier around the sleeve edges by the end of the day of having sleeve ends in everything!)

The second item is the pants - Burdastyle 04-2011-117. Shannon from Mushywear is the only other review I have seen of these pants. I made mine from an inexpensive stretch woven purchased from Gardams a few years back. The fabric seems perfect for these pants but I am yet to find an equivalent of RTW pants fabric that has that little extra beefiness, however I was told this fabric would work for pants. Even though I don't think the weight is quite heavy enough I love this fabric - super-comfortable but did not stretch out too much on wearing. I made no changes to the pattern as this is my 'trial' version. If you have very long legs you may want to lengthen the leg length. Other than that I am very happy - comfortable, easy to wear and (hopefully) smart pants. This is a different style leg to what I usually wear but I do like them.

This pic is as I wore it with my Vogue jacket and spotty scarf (bought in Estonia of all places!).

Without the jacket...

From the back...

This is a waistband shot to show you the Petersham ribbon waist. I only had black or white Petersham and I didn't want them to show through clothing, so I tea-dyed the white so it wasn't so glaringly white (it sort of went a pink-skintone colour). It is also high-waisted - good for wearing under clothes (no tummy-peek) but if you can't handle high waisted pants it may not be the pattern for you.

My invisible side zip. Is it invisible enough or did I not quite get it??

The instructions tell you to leave the ends of the zip long at the top and tuck them into the waistband. It looks tidy enough but when you do the zip up it 'locks' into the end where they turn and it is very hard to get it started to undo... not good when you are in a hurry... I will try and fix that by making a faux stop at the ends by stitching over them. The next pair I make I will leave the zip stop at the top of the waistband and fold over only the very ends of the zip (hope that makes sense).

My review is here . However I can say I like these pants enough to make them again and actually have another pair cut in a wool-lycra tweed (needed for this cold weather!)

I plan to wear my McCalls 5974 dress this Saturday night (office dinner) so will take the opportunity to get another round of photos ... I am on a roll...

Burdastyle 09-2010-121... the turtleneck top.

2011-06-14T18:20:00.004+10:00

OK - two posts in two days after a month with none, but I take my opportunities to get photos when I can.

I wore my Burdastyle 09-2010-121 Turtleneck top today to work and when I got home DS the elder took these shots for me.

The fabric is from Gorgeous Fabrics and is lovely to wear. The print is a little strong for me but I was determined to get use out of this top as the colours are great I think.

The sleeves are long, but if you don't like that style, it is easily changed. However I think it helps with the keeping warm thing as well as being cute.

The collar is a comfortable height (even on my short neck) and the one thing you must know about this top if you make it, is to use Summerset's tip on sewing the collar - posted here.

This is how I wore it today - lots of brown and a little red. Does it work??

If you follow Summerset's tip (above) and perhaps lower the sleeve cap by 1 cm and sew the sleeves in flat, you have the easiest-ever top to make and a great wardrobe filler.

Here is version number 2 in a bamboo/hemp blend...

Ciao for now....

Sewing room ...woo-hoo!

2011-06-13T15:46:00.003+10:00

Well, the renovations are not over yet but we have had a lull where we have been able to move into some of the new spaces. DH & I are installed in our new bedroom, which means the old bedroom is now known as my Sewing Studio (or Sanity Studio). It is a work in progress, but this is it as it stands so far....

The room needs painting desperately but for now it is clean and I am moved in - Woo-hoo!

My sewing spirit has had a huge resurgence and I am having trouble controlling myself to not start too many projects at once. Now I have my clothes installed in a new spacious wardrobe (dressing room really) and the weather has become really cold here, it has really highlighted where I have holes in my wardrobe. Namely cold weather clothes. My staple at the moment is pants, long sleeved tees worn with a cardi or jacket and then dressed up with a scarf or a big chunky necklace.

So as part of filling this need for tops, I have tried the Turtleneck top from Burda 09-2010-121.

This is my 'trial'. The fabric is from Gorgeous Fabrics - a lovely quality jersey, but the pattern is not really doing it for me. Perfect to trial this first cut.

It is a great pattern as everyone says on Pattern Review. The sleeves are long but I like that, the neck is high and not my best look but necessary in this cold. I will cut the sleeve cap down a bit for my next version, but apart from that nothing to dislike about this pattern. There are some great reviews written already, so I am not sure if I need to review it.

I have also trialled Burda 04-2011-117. I used a stretch woven cheapie bought from Gardams probably 2 years ago. Even though it was inexpensive it is quite a nice fabric and I think will get worn a bit. Only a hanger shot at the moment, but I will try and get better photos.

The waistband is made form Petersham ribbon. I only had black or white in my stash, so I tea-dyed the white Petersham to take the edge of the brightness. These pants will have tops over the top of the waistband (not tucked in) and I didn't want the white waistband to show through my clothes. I am really happy with these and have a piece of stretch wool twill cut to make a second pair (from Gorgeous Fabrics).

And while my sewing machine was unavailable I did finish some crochet...

The Frilly Enchante scarf - on Ravelry here. So pleased to have a project finished and somehow I have managed to pick up two more crochet projects to take it's place (why do I do that??)

Well I haven't blogged much lately and still haven't shown you my McCalls 6974 dress in a 'proper' photo-shoot but I hope life will start settling back to a more normal pace soon, so regular blogging can resume. However we still have the kitchen and old bathroom to go... *sigh*

Sewing odds & bobs...

2011-05-15T18:26:00.006+10:00

My blogging is still intermittent - blame it on the renovation?

Some sewing has happened this week-end. My eldest son is attending Uni studying Contemporary Art. For an art installation he is putting on soon, he needed a flag & asked me. to sew one... no Mum can resist sewing for their boys when they ask. So a flag was made... (flags got legs!)...

This week-end I also finally got around to making up some cami's in Jalie 2564. The fabric is (I think) a merino jersey purchased last year from the Fabric Store (for this purpose). The only changes I made was to leave off the shelf bra and the bra strap sliders (for adjustable strap length). This made it a very quick & easy make and I am very happy with the result.

I made two of these and I am looking forward to having these to wear next week as the weather has turned to Winter before it is officially Winter here! The review is here

On the shopping for sewing front... these fabrics...

The first three came in the mail and were ordered at the Knitwit Roadshow. The first is Bianca - a lovely (expensive...ouch) mercerised cotton knit in a turquoise colour. The second a mesh called Italian Animal Fantasy Mesh and the third, I am not sure of the content (I think cotton, maybe rayon??) Japanese style print. The fourth fabric was purchased the same day - another mesh on a fabulous green/khaki print from the Fabric Collection. (Hi - Vanessa - I will make it up soon!)

And on that subject, some gorgeous jersey bought previously from the Fabric Collection, made up into McCalls 5974.

This is part of my goal to make all ten patterns up from the top 10 on Pattern Review for 2010.
I will get photos modelled by me, so that I can review this great pattern (soon!)

And on the renovation front, my big excitement is that this week-end I got to move my washing machine into the house into my new laundry... bliss!

Kwik Sew 3153 ... Swimmers

2011-04-30T16:49:00.005+10:00

I wanted to learn to make swimwear as we are getting a swim spa as part of our renovation/extension. Swimwear is horribly expensive to buy and I figure I will need more (when the Spa actually gets filled) and I am wearing them regularly. I made KwikSew 3239 which contains patterns for a variety of mix and match pieces. Mine worked fine, but I am not going to subject you to pictures of my very white body in a very purple two-piece. Suffice to say it will probably only be worn at home. However it did give me some practice sewing with swimsuit Lycra and rubber elastic.

For the next set I decided I needed more sensible togs, so chose to make Kwik sew 3153.

I made them in black and made the high cut leg option. I also made the wrap in a polyester yoru chiffon fabric, picked up on the clearance table at Spotlight.

This piccie shows the back so you can see the nice secure back.

The only change I made to the pattern was to add an additional layer of lining to the shelf bra. I sewed two rows of stitching down the middle and left the sides open. I inserted bra cups into the pockets. It doesn't add heaps of support but feels a bit more secure and more modest. I copied this off my gym wear tops and crop tops. This piccie shows the inside. You can see (if you look closely) that my machine missed a few stitches sewing the rubber elastic, but this wide elastic is tough and I think it did pretty well. I did not have this issue with the narrow elastic (probably not as thick as the wider elastic I imagine).

I haven't had a chance to try them in the water yet, but hope to soon!

I really enjoyed sewing these - more than I thought I would. Nothing was terribly difficult but sewing the elastic is probably the trickiest part. Overall I am very happy, but I suppose the proof will be when I get them wet!

My review of the pattern is here.

Butterick 5562 - a variety of tops!

2011-04-26T14:57:00.007+10:00

Butterick 5562 is a lovely set of top patterns. I was very taken with it. A few people have made View D which I loved so I bought this pattern and think I could get a lot of use from it.

As well as View D, I made View A with the shorter gathered sleeves. The fabric I used is a cotton elastane mix (I think) which has very strong recovery. It is actually a lovely quality fabric but a bit of a strange colour that looks different in different lights.

The top is very long and I have made it as per the pattern length but it is nice for the cooler days as it keeps my hips warm! The only alteration I made was to bring it in the waist seam ( you can see the alteration detailed in Mushywear's review of her delicious version).

I didn't notice those gathers across the back before - interesting what a photo shows up...

A photo to show the sleeve detail...

I also made View D while I was at it. This fabric is from Gorgeous fabrics and is called uber soft rayon blend jersey. A poly/rayon/lycra blend that lives up to its name - it is gorgeous and soft and cuddly to wear. I love it heaps and I had bought another piece but during this reno I haven't been able to find it. If I can't find it soon I may have to buy more!!

This was made exactly as per the instructions with the only alteration being to bring it in at the waist again.

Review is here.

I have one more lot of photos to show you of my new Kwik-sew swimmers - see you next post!

Ottobre Lana 05-2010-10 and leggings

2011-04-25T10:20:00.006+10:00

This Winter, I want some comfortable, warm clothes to wear at home that are not tracky-daks. So my plan was to make some leggings and tunic dresses to layer.

I made the tunic from the Ottobre magazine 5-2010 which is No 10. Lana. The leggings worn in those photo are from Ottobre 2-2011 and are No 6 Treviso.

The fabric used for the tunic was a lovely wool jersey which I am sure I bought mail order from The Fabric Store. The leggings are in a beautiful rayon jersey bought from Gorgeous Fabrics.

This is the detail of the pintucks on the yoke and the sleeve gather. I enjoyed sewing these little details, as they provide a little interest to a simple tunic and allowed me to play with different feet on my machine.

I didn't fully understand the instructions to bind the armholes, but I used rayon tape instead of cutting bias pieces and sort of made it up and think I achieved the intended finish. Inside out piccie so you can see the rayon tape binding.

I also made a second pair of leggings in a denim coloured stretch fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics using the Ottobre 2-2008 No. 16 pattern. I find the rayon jersey ones more comfortable to wear but think I will get use out of these leggings too.

I plan to layer the tunic over long sleeved tees when it gets colder. This outfit certainly is comfy, but I am not planning on making any more tunics at this stage as I bought a couple of little knitted dress/tunics when they were marked down at out local Rivers.

Review for the Lana dress can be found here.

Obi Belt BurdaWOF 06-2009-151

2011-04-22T18:25:00.006+10:00

When I made my Navy Blue wrap dress, I decided it really needed a belt so I sourced some leather (Nappa leather) from eBay and purchased a roller foot for my Bernina ($$$) and tried out Burda wof 06-2009-151 the Obi Belt. I have wanted to make this since I saw it in the magazine and a few good versions have been made in blog land so I decided it was now my turn.

I am not going to review it, as a couple of good reviews are already out there. I basically followed Dawn's review and made similar alterations.

More piccies....

Interesting this dress gaped last time I wore it - not so bad for this photo shoot as I had the sooper-dooper brassiere on - you know the one girls...

The back view...

Lots of posts will be coming in one on top of the other after this posting drought, as even though it doesn't look like it, sewing has been happening, but what hasn't been happening is the photography sessions. So we had a big-un this afternoon and I have a lot to show you.

Big day out

2011-04-02T12:53:00.005+10:00

Friday week ago (the 25th of March) I travelled to Brisbane to visit the Craft Expo with some great sewing buddies. We had a brilliant day out!

The expo itself was OK (not great) with only one real display which was the Qld Quilters Challenge Quilts. Other than that it was mainly stalls but at least some of the good ones you want to see were there.

This is part of my bounty. A kit to crochet a rug from the most gorgeous alpaca wool and some pretty roses trim.

This is the rug pattern by Prudence Mapstone for those crocheters reading this:

A point of interest was that there was not much parking available as a lot of the carparks are still out of action since the Brisbane River flooded. The Exhibition centre is located at Southbank a precinct just next to the river. This must have impacted on the number of visitors to the Expo.

After the morning at the Expo we had lunch at West End at a great Greek Restaraunt and really enjoyed the dips, pita bread and meze plate... yum!

These are my companions for the day... Anna, Lynn and Ros. Sadly Lynn has left to return to the USA and then onto new adventures. I hope we get the chance to get together again sometime.

On our way home we stopped at the Fabric Collection at Sumner Park, where we got a very warm welcome and some great buys!

L to R. denim (for another little skirt - I wear my denim skirt all the time), top-weight linen in green and tangerine (already washed, but not ironed yet), Cotton sateen (with some stretch for pants probably the Jalie classic trouser) and a beautiful olive jersey which I am going to make into the No 1 pattern as voted in the top 10 on pattern Review for 2010...

I have made 5 out of the top 10 patterns and own 3 more of the patterns. I am considering purchasing the other two patterns and setting myself the challenge of having an item out of all top 10 patterns in my wardrobe!

Plenty of sewing has been happening, if not much blogging! When I get photos I will start a round of posts to catch up with the things I have made (including swimmers!)

Happy sewing...

Embellishment explained...

2011-03-19T10:07:00.006+10:00

As a follow-up to my previous post, I am going to try and bettter describe how I sewed the embellishment on my Sunshine top.

The rolleau (hope I have that word right??) is sewn from a 1" strip of fabric cut parallel to the selvedge. I cut 4 or 5 lengths as long as the fabric allowed. Fold the fabric RS together and sew a seam along the long edge and then turn them trough to get long tubes of fabric.

The buttons are simply the ones you cover yourself. I fused interfacing to a scrap of fabric and used that to cover the buttons (the fabric was too light by itself). Then I simple put the top on my dressmakers dummy and played with the arrangement of rolleau and buttons until I was happy with the placement (lots of pins)!

The next step is to set yourself up in front of the TV and start hand sewing it all. It took me a few evenings to get it all done, as I kept stopping to see if it looked right and I needed to unpick it the first time. - pure experimentation, but fun!

Note - I left the ends of the rolleau raw.

If I do something like this again, I will try and remember to take some photos along the way. I was a little surprised at the amount of interest at how it was done - I do appreciate your positive comments - thanks!

Next up is some 'casual week-ender for the cooler days clothes'..

Hot Patterns Weekender Sunshine Top ... with embellishment!

2011-03-18T13:40:00.005+10:00

My last summery top for this season. I chose to make the Hot Patterns Weekender Sunshine top in the shorter length and sleeveless.

The fabric I used is a beautiful rayon jersey bought from Bargain Box in Ipswich in July last year. I decided to embellish it after seeing this top in the window at Jacqui E.

After watching the videos that HP produced on the top and on embellishment, I decided to use rolleau and buttons covered in self-fabric instead of beads. This photo shows the detail - you can see the metal shine on some of these buttons, but it is only the flash that has caused that - they do not shine normally!

Trudy from Hot Patterns describes this top as suiting everyone, whether you have a small or a large bust and I think she is right!

I am really happy with how this top turned out and am only sorry that the weather is cooling off and I may not get a chance to wear it much until next Summer (maybe I should try it layered - could work??)

Link to my review here.

And as a parting shot(s), I have now got laundry benches in my new laundry but they have strange marks all over them...

Oh that's why...

A great tip for the Ottobre Katherine top.

2011-03-17T18:57:00.005+10:00

This is not my tip, but a tip from one of my blog readers which I thought should be shared. The Ottobre Katherine top has been very popular and I get a comment on it every time I wear it. One of my lovely blog readers Sandra (aka Dilliander) has been in touch with me and I really wanted to share this great tip for marking the ruffle placement on the sleeves. I traced mine on with carbon paper, but it was not a perfect solution. This is Sandra's method:

The template is simply a manila divider and I used a spiky tracing wheel to mark the stitching lines, including the notch at the top so I could position it accurately. The weight of the board made it easy to chalk the guidelines.

Fabulous solution - and here is a photo of the finished top - don't you love it!

Next post - I have finally managed photos of my finished Sunshine Weekender top...

Questions & answers

2011-03-05T19:04:00.012+10:00

I have had some questions lately so thought I should answer them as best I can in this post.

My post on Simplicity 2451 skirts had the following queries:

Imaan said...: Looks like a great pattern Sue! Very nice. I have a question about the facing on the second skirt, which you did with the rayon tape. Is that the same as Petersham? And if so, where did you buy it? Is it available in Australia, or did you source it from O/S?

Imaan - it is not the same as Petersham, it is much lighter in weight and not woven in the same way. I bought mine from this ebay seller. It is called Hug Snug. Belinda is the one who got me interested in using Rayon tape and who recommended this seller to me.

Gail said...: I love the grey skirt. Do you know where I can buy some of that hand top stitching measuring tape? Also the tab for the invisible is a great innovation - Could you do a tutorial?

Gail, I received that tape as a gift in my quilting days. I would try quilt shops. Good luck! On the tab, you can get more info and piccies on how it is done in this post. I have this on my side bar under 'My skirt sewing tips'. HTH!

Julia said...: these skirts look great on you! Has Queensland dried out yet?

The water has gone but the clean-up continues. Sadly I think there is still about 3 people missing locally and they are continuing the search for them.

From the post on the Ottobre Katherine top:

Sewingelle said...: love, love, love these tops! Green suits you too.

Did you finish the edges of the ruffles or just let them curl under?

I considered leaving the edges un-finished, but the instructions say to roll-hem the edges, so I used it as an opportunity to make better friends with my Overlocker (we have an un-easy, volatile relationship). Leaving the edges raw would be cute, but the roll-edge gives you the opportunity to use a contrast thread or perhaps a shiny thread to add some more interest to the top.

and from the review on patternreview.com (not sure that o3b will see this, but I thought others may have wondered the same):

o3b said...
I love your tops. I can see the results of your other pasttime love - fitness. You look fabulous in both of them. Did you do an alternate neckline shape on the floral one?

The neckline does look slightly different in each top but it is the same. I think the different fabrics used has affected how the neckline sits.

And on the post on the Navy dress:

Carol said...

What, no picture of the dress styled with stationery? Only yesterday I styled my low wrap-front dress with a large red paperclip. Perhaps we can start a new trend? Navy is a nice colour on you. I always avoid it because it reminds me of uniforms, but I'm seeing so much of it these days I might have to make something navy.

Carol - I thought about showing the fold-back clip in the photo, but mine was a very dull black!

I also had some comments on the review about trying elastic on the neck edge. I do think this would help, but I am reluctant to un-pick two rows of stitching in dark navy jersey fabric, so will not be trying it on this version.

I also had some suggestions to try it with necklaces and those people will be very happy to know that they totally enabled me to go shopping at the Elk website - love the new necklaces, but I haven't tried them with the dress yet!

I have done some more sewing, finishing my Hot Patterns Sunshiner top and will try and get a photo this week-end. I am also moving onto Autumn sewing as the weather is definitely cooling down. First up are a few pieces to wear at home - comfortable & cute (I so hope!)

And so this post has a photo... who needs a cushion when you have a dog to lean on?

Vogue 8646 Navy dress

2011-02-28T15:40:00.004+10:00

I have just finished Vogue 8646 Wrap dress. This dress appealed to me as the skirt did not seem as full as some other wrap dresses and I liked it's simplicity. It also can be made from woven (lightweight broadcloth, lightweight crepe) or stretch fabric (lightweight jersey).

I chose a navy jersey I had in my stash (bought from Gardams Fabrics) and this was mainly influenced by Kate Middleton's engagement announcement dress - mine is much simpler, has no silk content and is made for a day at work, *sigh*.

I traced this pattern ages ago in a size 12 with cup size A (It is a custom fit pattern with different cup sizes - bonus). I do think I could have gone down a size. I took it in at the bust and also ended up wrapping the wrap from side seam to side seam whereas the pattern does not wrap so far. However with doing this, it still gapes at the neckline. I thought I had the problem solved and it would be fine for work but took it to gym this morning, changed and went to work to find myself flashing everyone. I ended up putting a fold-back clip on the front to stop the flash! :)

Next time I wear it will be with a cami!

However all that said I still like this dress enough to persevere with it. A cami will be found and I have plans to make an obi belt to wear with it. The skirt swishes nicely when I walk and, apart from the flashing, it is highly suitable for work.

However I don't think I would bother making this again with other good wrap dress patterns around. I may put this skirt onto another pattern sometime though. The pattern review is here for those interested.

Next up - more fun sewing - Hot Patterns Weekender sunshine top with fun embellishment!

Ottobre Katherine top

2011-02-20T20:27:00.008+10:00

Happiness is my new favorite top!

Ottobre magazine 02/2010 Katherine top. I have seen a few others make this top and recently in a fit of shopping in my pj's I bought the back issue form Crafty Mama's.

This is what makes this pattern so great - the ruffle detail on the sleeve makes for a touch of funkiness I love.

The top also fits great straight from the pattern. This fabric is a lovely rayon knit from Gorgeous fabrics.

I loved it so much that I made another in a bright ditzy floral print also from Gorgeous fabrics.

This top is warmer than the rayon version so I haven't had a chance to wear it yet. Probably my only comment on this top is that it is not very long. I am average length in the body if you are long in the body or prefer a longer top you may want to lengthen it.

Pattern review link here!

Simplicity 2451 Skirts

2011-02-08T17:14:00.008+10:00

Simplicity 2451 has been a very popular pattern on PatternReview.com and with good reason. It is a lovely skirt to make - well drafted, better than usual instructions (as it is 'easy-to-sew') and a good variety in the one pattern envelope.

I have made two skirts which have taken me more time than usual, while trying to cope with the renovation as well.

The first is View C and is made in a french crepe (polyester) bought from Gardams. I bought this fabric specifically to make this skirt. As it is black it is of course, difficult to photograph but very useful in the wardrobe.

The second version I made was in a stretch woven like a RPL (also bought from Gardams but has been in the stash a while). The stretch in the fabric makes it very comfortable. It is an unusual blue colour which reminds me of a uniform a bit but it has worked out fine and I am hoping it will work well with my work shirt (light blue chambray with navy/black logo). This one was version B. I added the stitching detail to the yoke but not the tabs.

Close-up of the stitching detail on the yoke and pocket edges. (Colour not true in this photo - it is not this bright).

To do the stitching and keep the stitches even and straight I used some tape gifted to me in my quilting days. It is about 1/4" wide and has markings to follow to make your stitches even. I put the tape on the edges I wanted to stitch against. You only need one piece that you move on as you stitch. I chose to stitch it in the same colour thread as the fabric, as opposed to making it contrast as I had seen this on RTW clothing.

The only changes to the pattern was to edge the inside facing with rayon tape (instead of turning it up) and this makes it more like RTW plus means less bulk in this seam. I also added my usual tab at the top of the zip (invisible zip as usual) on the inside with a snap. It looks bulky here but doesn't sit bulky when worn the right way.

I am now onto swimwear sewing. I have bought three Kwik-sew patterns, swimwear fabric and notions. Hopefully something to post soon!

The reno is moving along. The extension is at lock-up so the nasty temporary tin wall is gone and new and old are open to each other. This is great for many reasons - we know have a back door, windows, etc, but the dust from the building work is getting overwhelming and I am now at the stage that I am getting used to chatting to builders as they work while I am still in my jammies preparing breakfast!

Renovations and sewing...

2011-02-03T15:27:00.006+10:00

Well, renovations and sewing do not make a good mix. So very little sewing has been happening as you can probably tell from my non-existent posting rate.

The house was built originally in the early 50's and has had a few ordinary add-ons done to it. We have had the back of the house and carport demolished and are adding a new front deck, carport and extending waaa..aay out the back. I get a new bedroom and this means I get to have the old bedroom as my new sewing studio!! Much sewing will be happening soon as it is finished!!

Pictures of the reno as it is now...

Front deck...

Front deck showing new undercover link to carport...

The back half which has been added on...
The back deck...
View of the extension from the back.
A more complete set of photos of the house can be see here for anyone interested.

I did manage to make two new skirts for work from Simplicity 2451. Photos next post. I have also been reading up on sewing swimwear as there is a swim spa in the back deck so I am determined to add swimwear to my repertoire now!

We're fine.

2011-01-11T13:17:00.004+10:00

I am sure some of you have heard that we had a flash flood through my town yesterday. So I just wanted to assure you that my family is all safe and well, though in shock, I think! This is a link to a video and some photos that shows the flash flood as it happened in town.

I took a walk today to the park and waterway which are at the bottom of my street. You can see in these photos how high and fast the water was (as the railings were straight and upright yesterday morning).

My thoughts are with the towns and communities downstream from us who are now suffering from these floods and for the families who have lost loved ones.

2010 year in review

2011-01-04T13:52:00.008+10:00

Everyone is looking at what they have achieved in the last year and I hadn't planned to do this, but had the time, so sat down and worked out what I made this year.

First up I made a grand total of 50 sewn items and 3 crochet. Pretty happy with that! It can be broken down by category to:

Tops - 14
Dresses - 9
Skirts - 8
Pants - 7
Cardigans - 3
Active wear - 2
PJ pants - 1
Men's/boy's t-shirts - 4
Dog coat -1
Scarf (hand sewn rolled edge) - 1

2 crochet scarves
1 crochet vest

I obviously love sewing tops most and much watch I don't make too many! I also enjoy dresses and skirts. Pants - not so much and it was my least successful category as only 3 of those 7 pants still hang in the wardrobe. That is mostly due to the fact I have lost weight and changed shape this year and pants are the first thing that show that changes have happened. A few skirts have also gone that way! The good side is that I gave them to a friend, who gave them to her daughter's playgroup and a few of the girls were very happy to get some new clothes (as they mostly shop for second-hand).

I did have one major flop which is Burda 7580, however I still have this outfit and when the weather cools I will pull it out and see what I can do to make me happier to wear it.

In terms of success, these have been my favorites this year:

Jalie 2796 - the skort. I made two of these and they get a lot of wear.

Burda 09 2008 120 - skirt. I made two of these as well.

The brown skirt is pictured with my favorite blouse McCalls 5522. I wear this one a lot and always feel good when I do.
Dresses - the pick would have to be Jalie 3024

I love the Jalie cardigan I made to go with it, but haven't worn it much as yet as the weather has warmed up, but I am hoping to get lots of wear from it this year (and plan to make another).

I had a couple of others I loved as well - Kwik sew 3740 - cowl neck top - I made 4 of those!

Overall I think I had a good year. This coming year I am planning to try a few different things - lingerie and swim-wear. I also plan to finish some jackets, including the lined jacket I cut out at the end of Winter.

Stash-wise I plan to sew as much as I can from stash and only purchase when I have a fabric need that cannot be found in the stash (for an immediate project). The stash build-up bothers me as we started renovating our house at the beginning of November last year and as I packed all my fabrics away, I was quite mortified at how much I had!

2011 will bring things to look forward to - when the renovation is finished I will have my own sewing studio - a dedicated space for craftingness and sewing fun!

I hope everyone had a great 2010 but an even better sewing 2011!

In reply to a few questions I have had on my posts,

Gail the orange top pictured above with the floral skirt is RTW.

Alison & Janine The yellow top in my previous post about the crochet vest is Jalie 2788.

Phoebe Jane Vest - Crochet project

2011-01-01T13:06:00.002+10:00

I have finished another crochet project - cause for celebration as this is the first garment item I can remember crocheting. It is the Phoebe Jane Vest from Jenny King Designs. If you are a Ravelry member you can find it here, or scroll down this page if you are not.

I had to frog my first effort and start again with a much larger hook size and it still looks smaller than the one in the pattern picture. To get it this well shaped, I washed it, rinsed in vinegar and then left it to dry on my dressmaking dummy. I put a garbage bag on the dummy first as she is bright red and I could just see the red running onto the damp vest. This worked really well and I suspect it will maybe stretch out a little more in time.

I am very happy with it but as I used wool it is too warm to wear now. Up until the day I finished it, the weather was cool enough to wear it, but too hot and sticky now! I am going to try and finish some other projects before I start a new one (hopeful, aren't I?) I have some wool left and am thinking a little hat would be good.

All the best to everyone for 2011 and this is my last official project for 2010 to blog about. I started a skirt last year which I hope to finish today, so I am counting it toward my 2011 quota of finished items.

Another Burda skirt love...

2010-12-15T20:39:00.009+10:00

Burda 09-2008-120. A lovely simple skirt that I remember wondering when I first saw the pattern how it would go, but of course Burda had it made in some sooper-dooper fabric that made you wonder how it would work in translation to a 'regular' fabric. I saw Dawn's blog post on using this patten first and now there are more reviews up about it.

I have made it previously here. I love this skirt! It is narrow in the leg and you have to be very lady-like scooting into car's etc but I think the shorter length makes it more summery and 'fun'-looking. I have made it again in an over-the-top floral fabric purchased from Kerryn's Fabric world but I have seen it at Gardams as well since then.

A new favorite when I want to shout 'Summer!'

Endless Combinations 2010 - Final post

2010-12-15T20:31:00.002+10:00

The photos for my composite entry into the Endless Combinations contest have been seen in the previous posts (for sure) but for completeness I have put this post to show the entry.

Composite photo...

If you wish to see the individual items (coordinated), then check this out.

Another post soon on a second burda pencil line skirt I made and love.

Endless Combinations 2010 - Kwik Sew 3740

2010-12-12T17:22:00.004+10:00

Again for the Endless Combinations Contest, the cowl neck top one more time...

Review can be found here.

Endless Combinations 2010 - Jalie 3024

2010-12-12T17:17:00.006+10:00

Next for Endless Combinations - Jalie 3024 - the new dress. Love it! More detail on construction can be found in the review. Link to review.

Endless Combinations 2010 - Jalie 2919

2010-12-12T17:12:00.006+10:00

Jalie 2919 - Cardigan made for the Endless Combinations Contest. No details are provided here but can found in the review. Back... Detail of shoulder pleats... Review can be found here.

Endless Combinations 2010 - Kwik Sew 3384

2010-12-12T16:58:00.005+10:00

My next item in the Endless Combinations contest are the Kwik-sew pants 3384. Again, no detail here. Please see the review to find out more about these pants.

Front showing waistband/yoke...

Back...
Link to review - here.

Endless Combinations 2010 - McCalls 5802

2010-12-12T16:22:00.004+10:00

I am posting photos of each of the items for my Endless Combinations entry for 2010. I will not be putting much detail about the items in these posts, but will provide a link to the review if you would like to know more about the sewing of any particular item.

First up McCalls 5802 - Hilary Duff halter neck top (think it is now OOP)

Review is here.

Still sewing....

2010-12-04T13:47:00.008+10:00

Well it has been a while since I blogged last, but I have been sewing a little. The renovation has started and it is difficult to sew but I have managed to find a temporary spot for my machine and I have been cutting out patterns at work on the conference table (amazing the solutions you can find when sewing is involved!)

Some of the reason I got so keen to sew is that the Endless Combinations contest started on Pattern Review and I love the idea behind this contest, so thought I might sew along and see if I can manage to get an entry together.

The inspiration for my entry is clothes for cruising as we are going on a cruise next year and it is nice to daydream about it (anticipation is half the fun I think!).

Drum roll please ... well maybe not, I have three pieces done so far but have not had a chance to do a photo shoot as we are experiencing the worst weather here (one way to break a drought - start a home renovation!) We have a sea of mud outside so the 'proper' photos will be put off until it is possible to step outside without sinking up to your ankles in red mud.

The first article I made is Jalie 3024 - dress:

I am sooo happy with how this has turned out. The fabrics are from Knitwit (for any Australians reading this) and are beautiful.

I will review this pattern properly once the photos happen - my opinion on this pattern - fabulous as all the Jalies I have tried.

The second item is the long version of Kwik Sew 3384. Made in black fabric from Knitwit also - no piccie as yet.

And the third item is McCalls 5802 which may be OOP.

I was concerned it would be too young for me but I decided to try it in a cheaper fabric. I made the top in a polyester I picked up on the sale table at our local Gardams. I love this top also...

I did have to pull the top up around the neckline, so that it pulls it high enough to conceal my bra strap at the back, but haven't tried it on properly since I sewed the hooks to the neck piece and I am a bit concerned it may be a little too tight, so may still need to alter that. (Diana looks a bit lopsided in this shot, but be assured I don't think Diana or the top have any problems).

My last piece planned is the Cardigan Jalie 2919.

This will be in black also. I wish I had more of the Knitwit fabric I made the pants in, but have a dry knit from Spotlight which will have to do.

And if I have time I will make another Kwiksew 3740 also...
Sleeveless in a pretty blue print.

A girl can dream...

Sewing one last time.

2010-11-01T20:14:00.006+10:00

Here is my latest sewing - a lovely simple skirt which I hope will become a TNT.

Burda 09-2008-120. Made in a brown cotton with a bit of stretch picked up in the remnant bin. Lined with a rayon (leftover from another project).

The only silly thing I did (gee, only one - I must be getting better at this sewing thing!) was to cut the back of the skirt on the fold, so I had to put the zip into the side seam. It worked fine but I will cut the next one with two back pieces and have a center back zip.

I will be making another one of these in a gorgeous over the top floral cotton I bought recently - an ideal fun summer skirt. This brown skirt is a great addition to my work wardrobe and this colour combo of teal and brown is my current absolute favorite.

Now this blog post is called sewing one last time as I have had to pack my machine away for awhile. This is good and bad. Bad because I have to live through a renovation and good because when it is finished I will have my own sewing room!

When the builder cuts a door into the back room I hope to start sewing again but in the meantime I have reverted to crochet to keep me sane!

When two hobbies collide...

2010-10-16T14:55:00.006+10:00

OK - I first saw the reference to hobbies colliding on Cidell's blog and it must have stuck in my head.

My two hobbies have now done that as I have successfully sewn a skort to wear to gym. In fact two!

It is Jalie 2796.

The first one I made in a fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics. It is the Swiss 4-way stretch and it is perfect for this skort. I made a brown one and wore it to the gym to trial it. The fabric is beefy enough, but so soft and stretchy and even though it is not a wicking fabric, the sweating/perspiring/glow was not a real issue. Perhaps as it is on the bottom half and not over a large area. I will have to buy more of this delicious fabric! I would love to make some yoga pants form it too.

Anyway I did not get a photo of my first effort, but was so excited I made a second one which is photographed for your viewing pleasure??

This time I used the brown 4-way Swiss stretch on the side panels and waistband and a lovely thick cotton/lycra blend for the skirt front & back and shorts underneath.

Piccie of the side panel to show the detail - it has pockets, which is a nice touch...

And a sneaky peek at the compression shorts underneath. I did,the same as a lot of pattern reviewers mentioned and shortened the leg by about 4 cm (1 1/4") as I felt they were longer than was necessary and this length is now very similar to a RTW skort I have.

So comfy to wear to the gym! I have tried it in BodyStep and BodyAttack and it suits these kinds of classes very well.

Love it!

Finished objects

2010-10-13T19:02:00.004+10:00

I had a surprisingly good finishing/sewing week-end. First up I attended a day at Lake Perseverance to go to our local quilt club's retreat. I only went for a day and loved catching up with old friends. I took some crochet as it was so portable and suitable for chatting while working on my scarf. And with this extra time on it, I managed to get it finished this week-end. It is the bobble scarf made from wool purchased from the Spinners & Weavers group - home spun & dyed!

As well as finishing the scarf, I managed to finish a top made from Kwik-sew 3740. I have made a couple of these before. Now I have made my first sleeveless version.

Much adversity was hit making this top. First up the pattern pieces for the sleeveless top were missing (from my downloaded pattern) and I had lost the second page of instructions. Then on top of that I found a large gash in one of the collar pieces... What tha???... So I made the best of it and cut the collar smaller and made up the rest of the top construction. It worked out well enough, my DH commented on what a nice top this was... :)

The fabric is on of the mesh-type ones purchased the previous Tuesday from Kerryn's Fabric World. Had a great shopping day at the Coast with a couple of sewing budds and got this fabric then.

I had more success than this, which I will share with you next post...

Burda 7580 Nahhh...

2010-10-10T15:08:00.007+10:00

I had such high hopes for this pattern. It looked so simple to make (and it was) and cute and trendy - nahhh... not on me anyway!

I purchased the most beautiful soft rayon jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics. The fabric is rreversible to make the look similar to the photo on the pattern cover. However, I am not sure if it is the fabric but it is very soft and perhaps too soft for this ensemble. The colour is also not really working for me.

Here is the dress on it's own. The only alteration I made to the pattern was to take the side seams in a bit.

And now with the jacket...

Any ideas anyone???

Do I need to change the jacket somehow?

Can I style it to brighten it up a bit more?

Or should it just be relegated to the back of the wardrobe, not to be seen for a long time?

McCalls 6069 - colourful dress success

2010-10-07T19:29:00.004+10:00

I love McCalls 6069 as do a lot of others. I used a fabric I wasn't sure would work on me and (to me) it really works in this pattern.
I have been a little busy lately as evidenced by my lack of blogging, but I finally have managed photos of this dress as modelled by me. However I have decided not to review it on PatternReview.com as I am still too time poor to want to think about it, so I will try and remember any details here about the pattern.

I used a pucci-print jersey fabric and made no alterations to the pattern. The only difficulty I had was in sewing the back strap on. I didn't get the instructions fully, so ended up unpicking it a couple of times and even when I finally sewed it, I twisted the strap! I have not tried to fix it as it is so difficult to unpick this fabric and I am hoping I can live with the twist. Now my tip if you are sewing this pattern and don't understand this bit of the instruction is to follow them blindly but baste until you see how it works. After you have it sorted, then machine-sew.

I do highly recommend this pattern and would love to make another in a plain colour. I have a holiday cruise booked for next year and think this dress will be perfect for that.

Anyway onto the pictures. I will point out, I added a belt as I think it looked better, but the belt I am wearing is a little big on me now so it doesn't give me as much waist definition as I would like (note to self - buy a new belt). The next note to self - spray tan - my Toowoomba tan is glaringly white!!

Burda dress/cardi photos up next...

Some bright, some not so bright!

2010-09-19T17:46:00.007+10:00

I have been sewing but the weather has turned cold, wet and miserable, so I haven't managed a photo-shoot with my latest dress. McCalls 6069. This dress has been very popular in sewing blog land and I can see why. I used this Pucci-bright fabric I showed earlier when I asked if I could wear it and what to make of it.

I think it works in this dress and I lurve the back...

I will review this pattern fully when I manage to get a photo on me (I haven't even tried it on since I finished as it is too cold!)

Now you can take your sunglasses off for this next dress. It is the dress from Burda 7580. The fabric is the most gorgeous soft rayon jersey. I probably should have pressed it before taking this photo...

I am also wondering if I should have hand stitched the hem instead of using a twin needle. It seems to have tunneled more than I realised when I was sewing it.

I am using the other side of the fabric for the jacket and it has a graphic pattern on it so it will spice up the look of it. Again, once the jacket is finished and I can get photos I will review this fully.

Even though the weather has turned foul, we went to the local Flower festival yesterday and enjoyed the Food & Wine tent, sampling lots of delicious local produce. I meant to get a picture of the food, but forgot until the plates were empty. However I can show a photo of the roses my DH bought me there. Aren't they gorgeous?

McCalls 5978 Cardigan

2010-09-16T15:37:00.008+10:00

I finished the cardigan form McCalls 5978. I sewed it in an organic cotton knit and chose pretty buttons so this cardigan goes to show I don't sew to save money but I do think I have a nice cardi which I will (hopefully) get a lot of wear out of.

Finished cardi buttoned up...

Serious looking face plus cardi unbuttoned...

This is the cardi inside out, showing the facing. I have finished the edge of the facing off with rayon seam binding and I love the great finish it has made.

The back facing with my label sewn in...

And a greyed out shot trying to show the pretty buttons.

The buttons provided much angst and added expense (or should I say Lulu did). One of my buttons went missing halfway through making the buttonholes. Normally I buy a spare button but must have forgotten. I turned the house upside-down looking for that button! In the end I gave in and ordered some more to be posted from the store I bought them from (of course it wasn't local!)

However the minute the shop would have shut at five, I found Lulu playing with the button which she had stashed under the fridge! So now I have spare buttons (they turned up in the mail today!)

Pattern review is here.

Mary Nanna - did you notice my blinged up singlet under the cardi? I didn't take your advice and wear them with denim hot pants (Daisy Dukes?) but will keep it in mind for Summer.

Sewing for others... this time the dog...

2010-09-12T13:54:00.004+10:00

As I have participated in a couple of contests on PatternReview.com, I decided it was time to return the favor and I volunteered to manage one. The one I scored was a fun one - Sewing for your pet!

I decided to sew along and join in the fun, so my dog Cosmo now has a new coat. This is good timing as I just had him clipped and it is not real warm yet.

The coat is based on one that I bought for him previously and the only real change I made was to lengthen the coat for his long body.

I asked the family what colour I should make for him and was told 'black leather with studs at the neckline'. Well if I sew leather it will be for me not the dog, so he had to settle for black cotton drill. I was going to embellish it with some studs but when I tried them on the jacket, the look was more gay dog (not that there is anything wrong with that) rather than the look I was going for which was tough biker dog, so I left them off.

This is the coat laid flat - you can see it is a very simple shape with a belt attached and velcro attached at the belt and neckline.

I put green fleecy inside the coat to make it snuggly and the velcro is attached so that the soft fuzzy side is the only one that will ever come into contact with the dog.

He had enough of posing for the camera and decided it was time for dogginess like watering the flowers.

Photoshoot of the cardi to come next...

McCall's 5978

2010-09-11T16:40:00.009+10:00

Had to do a quick post to show that I am still alive and occasionally sewing. I have just finished McCalls 5978. I will post a full review and more pictures when my DH is home and able to take them for me. (He is visiting his Mum who had another strange turn and is on hospital again - she is getting better but the Doctors don't know what is going on, oh and it is a 2 1/2 hour drive away!)

I love this cardi - it is made from a beautiful organic black cotton knit (which was quite expensive) and I found really cute buttons (which were also expensive), so I obviously do not sew to save money! And to throw some more money away, I have lost a button (or two as I thought I bought one more than I needed). I suspect the cat has eaten them as I couldn't possible have absent-mindedly placed them somewhere I can't find them...

Here is a photo on Diana (sans one button - more buttons are in the mail!)

And this is the button thief (or the one blamed for it anyway), sitting in a Spotlight bag (our chain fabric/craft store).

Spotlight bag ... 60 cents, cat's happiness ... priceless!

Another Deco Vibe Flippy Skirt

2010-08-31T08:51:00.005+10:00

This is my third Deco Vibe skirt (fourth if you count the muslin). One no longer fits and was passed to a friend (who has now also lost weight!). One in Brown and I planned another black one but was unable to easily find some black DK locally, so I ended up with the Charcoal Marle Ponte de Roma from Spotlight. At least it goes well with the top I recently made.

Fuzzy phone picture of the inside back yoke, showing the scrap of Rayon lining I used for the yoke facing and my new label sewn in. It is a pretty blue, which I liked against the grey of the skirt.

Not much else to show for the moment...

Butterick 5495 - the start of Spring!

2010-08-16T14:34:00.007+10:00

Well, after the singlet tops, I am still making more Spring/Summer tops. Not sure why really as it is still too cold to wear them, but they seem to be helping me get back to the sewing machine, so it is not all bad.

This is Butterick 5495. I made the sleeveless version at the shorter length. The fabric was on sale at Spotlight. Down from $17 to $10 per meter and I picked up a meter and still had fabric left over!

This shows the detail of the gathered front, which is a bit difficult to see in this busy fabric.

And the back...

The only variations I made was to cut a size 10 at top and taper to a 12 at the hips and like a lot of other people I raised the neckline a bit. I think I may have raised it too much, but this fabric is a bear to unpick, so I think it will stay that way.

I love this fabric and I really like this top. The review is here and I will have to keep hoping the weather will warm up enough soon to wear this.

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling...

2010-08-14T16:16:00.004+10:00

Well however it goes, I haven't been sewing but I have been crafting...

I bought some hot fix studs at the Textile Arts festival and ages ago I bought an iron-on blingy arrangement at another Craft Fair. I went and bought a couple of singlet tees at an outlet shop and viola...

An afternoon of fun!

Now I have to wait for the weather to warm up enough to wear them!

There was movement at the station...

2010-08-10T17:02:00.003+10:00

Boy, oh boy! Talk about procrastinate!

I finished the muslin for the jacket and the only alteration I am making is to shorten the sleeve length by 1". However moving from that stage to cutting the fabric has taken me forever. I think I am a little scared of making something so involved! Anyway after much scrubbing, cooking, reading other blogs, watching Midday movies I finally got my act together and started cutting the fabric!

I am also distracted, I think, as I have chosen the project to follow this and have ordered the fabric. More on that, after the jacket!

How to make a jumper for an Ompa-Lompa

2010-07-31T16:18:00.007+10:00

First up before that almighty important lesson I want to show you my muslin (so far) for Burda 7579. I only need to add the sleeves (or sleeve as it only a muslin).

So far I am very happy with the fit straight out of the packet. I will probably need to shorten the sleeve but I will see after I get around to making it.

The funny part of this was that I made the muslin, tried it on (over my clothing) and it fit... put it on Diana - it didn't fit. Diana hasn't been keeping up with the program! I needed to drop her hip size and bust size to match mine. Funny how these things sneak up on you!

About the ompa-lompa jumper...

When I was in Warwick for the Jumpers & Jazz festival, I saw some bags made from felted jumpers and had to try one myself. So I purchased this lovely 100% wool jumper from the op shop.

I like the cream colour but it is not very practical for a fabric bag (for me) so decided to dye it olive green at the same time I was putting it through a hot wash to felt it.

Well, olive green it ain't and shrink! ...eek!... I expected it to shrink but not this much...

DH commented that I had made a jumper for an ompa-lompa...

Now I hope I have fabric left to make a bag. It is also very thick so I am not sure how it is going to go. Maybe it should be a hat?

Oh - and for anyone who may be interested I have resurrected my fitness blog - Fit & Forty *mumble*.

Pants and jackets

2010-07-25T18:58:00.005+10:00

I have been working on making some simple double knit elastic waist pants. I want these pants mainly to wear under long slim-line tops. Well so far I have made 4 (one muslin - now PJ pants, one already packed off to Vinnies and two 'not so great' but 'will do' versions) and have now thrown my hands up in horror! This should be simple but obviously not!

Here is #3 version in black DK.

They are made from Vogue 1020. I bought this pattern mainly for the top, dress & skirt but decided to use it when I decided I needed DK knit pants in my wardrobe.

Well I think the front looks fine but I have all sort of issues at the back and I am so over it I won't go into it here. I have learnt:

all knit fabrics behave totally differently so give up on muslin-ing a knit pattern!
the Vogue crotch line does not work for me
Pattern Reviewer's can give great advice on fit issues but go in with a thick skin...ouch!

Anyway I have a black and a dark brown pair in the wardrobe that are not a brilliant fit but no worse than a lot of RTW, so I will wear them for the moment until I feel brave enough to go down the pants-fit road again.

My next major project is a black jacket which I need for work. I have bought a bargain priced piece of 100% black wool from Bargain Box in Ipswich and this pattern with Alison's help.

I think this pattern fits the bill - for a work jacket - long enough to fit over the new uniform shirt top. Casual but still dressy enough with enough cute features to keep me happy.

I have the muslin cut, the silk lining prepared and the the wool is fused to a lightweight quality interfacing. This pattern has 20 pieces (more when you realise that some are cut from the main fabric as well as the lining) so is going to be quite a challenge, but I am looking forward to it.

Here is the silk charmeuse from Gorgeous fabrics that I plan to use as the lining.

It feels beautiful, has no black in it and probably cost more than the outer fabric but I love it and am looking forward to using it for this jacket. Keep your fingers crossed that the muslin fits without too much heart-ache!

Jumpers and Jazz

2010-07-20T19:11:00.005+10:00

I went with a couple of quilting buddies to the Warwick Jumpers & Jazz festival on the week-end. We had a lovely day attending a quilt airing and then wondering the main street of Warwick to look at the trees decorated for the cold weather.

Pictures of some of my favorites ....

This one was done by the Spinners & Weavers Association - a fabulous rain-forest tree transposed to a cold climate...

The Spinners & Weavers had a store and Vicki tried on this great felted vest made by Helen Stumkat.

I couldn't resist buying this hand spun and dyed yarn to make another scarf!

The jelly fish tree...

Even the statues were rugged up against the cold...

More trees in jumpers...

This cactus was a particular favorite...

Interesting buttons on the back of the cactus jumper...

Hopefully more sewing soon...

Bobble Scarf

2010-07-11T13:07:00.004+10:00

I have finished crocheting my bobble scarf. I bought the kit from the Art Textiles Show - so I am pretty happy to have made up 2 of the three items I bought on the day. I need to try the hot-fix studs next.

It was a bit shorter than the one pictured but that one may be from slightly different yarn. However I am still very pleased with it. The colours are gorgeous and the bobbles were fun to make and to wear. This top is not the right one for this scarf but I wanted to show it to you (and I wasn't going to change my outfit for a scarf!)

Jenny King paraded her designs at the show and they used nice wooden stick pins to hold the scarfs together. I looked on the web to see if I could buy one but the ones I found were much more complicated than the ones they used so DH volunteered to make me one.

Wasn't that nice of him?