Tuesday 26 March 2013

Wrapping up

Well nearly at the end of my posts from the beach photos shoot.  This one is a wrap top from November 12 Burda and a pleated skirt from September 12.



I'll start with the skirt.  It was a spur of the moment make, made it an evening as I was waiting for my husband to drive back home from Perth.  The timing was perfect as I finished just as he walked in.  I had had a big tunic style denim maternity top, originally from Vinnies, and really nice but I had had enough of it and so even though it looked OK  as a top post maternity I was over the 'bigness' of it.  Loved the soft dark denim though, the big pleat down the front and the big wide hem. I had a recollection of a pleat skirt in Burda, found the super simple pattern, did a quick trace and a cut out and got to sewing.

Reminds me I need to reinforce the top of the pleat!
It came together super easily, I stole a zip out of an old pair of David's work trousers.  The only small hiccup was that I thought I had made it too small so stole some seam allowance at the sides and didn't leave enough for my zip to sit properly.  Hey ho, I've worn it lots and it hasn't bothered me.  Its practical and goes with lots of stuff, easy to move around in and makes a nice change from shorts for casual wear.  Infact it got worn the weekend after I made it on a camping trip. 


I really liked the collection of 'loungy' patterns in the November Burda and already made the tank.  I had had the red marl jersey for a few months and this one seemed like a good bet.  I lengthened the pattern 4 cm.  



























A funny one this can't really work out how I feel about it (not the biggest existential crisis the world has ever faced or anything). I like how it turned out but its not perfect.  The waist band has no stretch, and I keep having to pull it down.  I cut it out long ways as directed so not sure why this surprised me.  The neck too is very low and feels like it doesn't wrap over enough.  Thinking about it its obvious that if I lengthened it but didn't increase the wrap then neckline would go lower.  Keep wondering if I should unpick it and just sew it further round.  I haven't yet but might do.  I've worn it a few times, wore it today in fact with my skinny jeans, the bright red cheering me up on a blustery day and the over long sleeves feeling cosy.  Its also goes really well as a cardi over a dress (and then don't have to worry about pulling it down and showing mid-drift either.)  So its not perfect but it is getting used really quite a lot. 

Making the decision to make more practical, comfy and jersey stuff has been really good. Yey for that.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Romantic Refashion

A trip to the op shop turned up exactly what I was looking for.  A stretchy lace top in a colour that would go with grey.  When I got it out at home my husband looked visibly shocked and exclaimed that it was 'hideous' hoping, I assume, to put me off wearing it out of the house the next day.  It was a sort of pink stain gathered strappy number with black lace overlay and an exposed black zip down the front.  Very trendy I'm sure but luckily for him I was in total agreement as presumably had been the lady that took it to the oppy!  Anyway it was exactly what I needed!!!  I had a long visocse maxi dress I had got at a garage sale, it had pretty greek style stop but was in fact too big, and too fiddly to adjust.  They would go together perfectly.

Our new French Au pair Estelle had appeared a few days earlier in a dusty blue jersey dress with beige lace on the top.  It was super pretty but not a thing I would have normally considered to make/wear myself but it stuck in my head.  I asked to try it on, it was a bit tight but the idea was good so I traced the shape around the bust and cut out the top just a bit larger, it needed a seam down the back but all good.  Then cut off the maxi dress below the bust, cut out the inverse shape on the front of this, sewed the front and the back on, with a gathered bit in the back, and then serged the sides to make it fit the lace bit. Then I sewed some elastic inside using a zig zag stich to give it a drop waist.  The original had a higher one but really doesn't suit me so much and the heavy drape of this fabric makes the drop waitst really nice. 

Result a lovely stylish, romantic and super comfy dress and a look of surprise from David that something with such unpromising beginnings had turned out so nicely!  I'm imagining it in Autumn with my long tan boots.  I think it will be a really versatile dress, easy to dress up or down.


Please ignore my strange shaped boobs despite taking 3 pairs of shoes in my basket to the beach (none of which i used) I omitted to take appropriate undergarments as i had it in my head I was wearing a black bra.  Rather than have the white straps showing I opted to take the straps off which turned it into a very weird shape. hmm one of those things you may not have noticed but now you will...anyway you get the idea.





Tuesday 19 March 2013

Fancy Raglan T Shirt


I couldn't think of a fancy name for this post, so I put the word fancy in hoping it would make it well..'fancy'.  This T shirt is pretty damn fancy as T shirts go.  I did not buy the material in the op shop and I did not get it on the reduced rack in Spotlight..oh no.

It was snaffled on a brief visit to Perth in January at Potter's textiles.  I don't get to Perth often and very, very rarely on a weekday (when they are open) so it was probably a once in a 5 year thing.  Great little shop which you have to look on a map to find, or an iphone.  They supply material wholesale to designers, manufactures etc. and, quite recently I think, opened up a little shop for people like us attached to their warehouse/offices.

This knit is a mix of viscose, wool, spandex, maybe a bit of polyester?? can't remember exactly.  It is incredibly fine and lightweight and I brought 1 meter of it for about $15.  (and of course a heavily reduced 2m of white jersey with some minor imperfection on it).  I had planned to buy some nice jersey and to make myself more practical every day things, so it all went pretty well to plan.


I made this.  A gathered raglan T shirt, from...you guessed it...Burda Style.  This is from feb 13.  I test sewed a bit of the fabric on my overlocker and it promptly chewed it to bits.  Its pretty ancient and doesn't have a knit setting or anything and I couldn't be bothered to fiddle around.  Impatient and undeterred I decided to just sew it on my normal machine.  This actually seemed to work ok with a narrow zig zag.  I had a couple of slipped stiches but not many considering how fine and slippy the fabric is.

it was almost as long as a dress though, albeit a short one, so I was wondering what to do and whether to cut some off when I kind of gathered it around my waist.  This looked like a good solution so I just sewed some elastic into the sides at the bottom to pull it up.  I could have done with a bit of a longer bit of elastic to go to nearer my waist but it works.  I left the hem raw.



Pluses:
  • Sewed it up in a night.
  • I really like the gathered raglan sleeve detail.
  • The material is so comfortable.  Light, stretchy - definitely worth the money!
  • My husband really likes it and couldn't believe I made it.
  • It goes great with my skinny jeans and I have worn it lots.
Minuses:
  • Its longer than I would normally wear, and a bit clingy meaning that, after too many cakes at christmas, I feel better wearing it with a belt.  It gives me a reason to wear my nice belt though. I would make a shorter one next time.
  • Because it looks like I could have brought it from a fancy t shirt shop no one imagines I might have made it.  So no compliments.  Then again that might just be because.... really.... its just a grey t shirt!


Random attempt at Yoga, showing versatility of denim skirt which I will write about tomorrow.



Sunday 17 March 2013

Spot On

Crazy 2 months - lots of relatives and friends staying, managed to sneak in some sewing but no photos.  So today a trip to the beach with a basket of clothes and a husband with  a camera for a small photo shoot.  More to follow over the next few days.

Little bit crinkly due to one day at work!

These shorts were were not what I envisaged making from this fabric and are really a bit of a departure for me style wise but I'm really pleased with them.  They are this 'Pleated Shorts' pattern from Burda 02/13.  I had been eyeing the fabric up in Spotlight for ages (its a japanese seersucker apparently- stretchy woven, strange weave but not like seersucker).  They had it in a few colours- green, orange, yellow - very 70's.  Anyway I managed to get to Spotlight in Bunbury just before christmas, my 1st visit since moving from Albany in August.  Needless to say I got in a bit of a sweat running around with fabric under my arms, trying to put lots back .. I think I had a felt holly garland fabric thing going on at the same time.  Happy days this fabric was now less than half price and I splashed out $18 on 3 meters.  Still planning to make the tunic from September Burda with the rest..and Skye has requested some shorts for her too.. think I have enough.

So the shorts - cut out a 12, serged, interfaced the waist (left this step out on the last and only other pair of shorts I have made and it rendered them unwearable) sewed, let them out a bit around the waist, congratulated myself at their good fit and my insertion of an invisible zip.  Wore them to work the next day - not really the best move due to torrential rain but I had finished them the day before so you have to don't you.

Good things:
  • the funky stretchy material.
  • Its a nice cut, I was worried the pleats would just make them too big but they don't.
  • The pockets - super easy to slip your hand in, much better than inseam ones.
Less good:
  • Well I still haven't made any bottom half things with a front fly and I kind of want to (but don't which is why I haven't).
  • The side invisible zip is really fine but I have to breathe in and yank carefully to get it onto the waist band.
  •  Maybe summers nearly over and I won't get the chance to wear them too much.
The top  - I made this one about a year ago but never wrote about it so thought I would kill 2 birds with one of those proverbial stones and get them together.

 



 

Its great I really like it and have worn it lots.  Not brilliantly made but its heavyweight cotton spandex - stretchy but holds you in place.  I only had enough material for 3/4 sleeves but I think they make it more versatile.  if you are making this I would definitely recommend using a spandex knit as with all the wraps around I think it could all go saggy in a strange way if you didn't.  Its this pattern again from Burda.

The sea without me in the way!