Kantha and Denim Dress

The Jury (my husband and I!) was out on this dress until I had added the facing to the bottom.  I tried it on and really was convinced I had just created a denim sack.  And, as you can see, it wasn't so  different with a hem but nonetheless I love it.  A lady also stopped me in the street to say how much she loved it which is always good! The hem is slightly shaped which is a nice detail and whilst oversized (I made a 38, would normally make a 40 at the moment) it does have a cocoon shape which is pretty trendy at the moment.  It also hides all your lumps and bumps, hangs away from the body so is cool to wear in summer and with the pockets is super comfortable and relaxed.

I have had the idea of combining some kantha stitched patchwork fabric I have with denim for an absolute age and finally I have.  The pattern appeared on Burda Style here and Spotlight opened in Busselton so I bustled in on opening weekend and nabbed a couple of meters of light weight denim.  The kantha quilted fabric is beautiful and I also lined the sleeves and faced the hem in it.  Its made from recycled saris and covered in fine running stitch.  It was also my 1st go at piping since I made a a Laura Ashley log cabin patchwork cushion in school needlework aged 15 but it seemed to go OK.  I omitted the back seam and sewed the zip in after a margarita or two hence, like I was, it's a bit squiffy.

My only complaint is that the sleeve design doesn't allow a huge range of arm movement but maybe that just means you have to hang your washing on the line another day!  I photographed this dress after wearing it for about 3 days, a bit creased but not too bad so maybe I can avoid the washing for a while.

Ink Splats Cut Out Dress

Hello Hello,

Its been over a year I know...  I haven't stopped sewing, in fact I've made lots of things that I am really pleased with and wear A LOT.  I've even taken some photos but somehow they haven't made it to here.  But yesterday I found myself at the beach in a relatively recent make, so here we are.

This is the hole back dress 116 from Burda Style 08/14.  I had this viscose that I had brought in Spotlight in the sale about 3 years ago and it had been waiting for a project with the required amount of drape.  Luckily I washed it before as it shrank LOTS and I had to do a bit of figuring out to get all the pattern pieces on.

I absolutely love the skirt on this, its full at the back and swishes about beautifully and blows in the wind but the front is shorter flattering length.  I am just not so sure about the bodice.  The neckline is a bit too square.  The shoulders give quite a nice cap sleeve type effect.  I decided to lengthen the bodice 5 cm as I prefer a slightly lower waist.  I should also have lowered the darts as they are almost exactly 5cm too high and create a bit of a pull across my upper bust.  Not sure I would lengthen it so much if I made it again as it sits strangely at the front but hey ho.  It also probably made the hole at the back smaller but that seems ok to me.

The other major excitement is that I discovered my machine's rolled hem foot and used it to sew the long hem.  It worked a treat and was really very easy and much much quicker than it would have been otherwise.  It made it a bit wavy (not sure how to adjust this) but that was perfect with the style of skirt.

Its not my most successful dress but it is easy to pull on and wear and has a nice summery relaxed feel.  I really love the fabric and would like to find some other nice printed rayon/viscose but have not found anything similar in spotty since.

The bodice is all a bit wrong but more than made up for by the skirt.

See you again a bit sooner!

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.

Painting the town red (and blue and yellow)

Its been about 40 degrees in these parts since Christmas day.  I was feeling seriously in need of a light, cool, easy to pull on dress.  I managed to sneak a visit to Spotlight a couple of weeks ago.  Its an hour away and it was my 1st fabric buying trip in over 3 months.  I found this lovely painted cotton voile in the clearance rolls.  I really don't have much in thse sorts of colours but I loved its boldness, and was looking for some voile so $12.50 later I had 2 1/2 meters of it.  Its by an Australian company called Wenzel. Most importantly it also matches my new red salties.

 This dress from the cover of Burda 11/2012 looked like it would fit the bill.  I liked the ruffles and the dropped waist and its pull on comfy easyness.

In the background you can see hordes of people trying to cool off at our usually quiet beach.

My lovely new shoes!

 I really like it and have worn it 3 times already since I finished it just after Christmas.  I made a few changes to the pattern.  Infact the top part is the same as the tank I made just cut a bit shorter.

Changes:

• I didn't twist the shoulders as my fabric didn't have 2 good sides.
• I took the sides in at the waist.  The pattern flares here and I tried it on before I added the elastic and it just gave me an extra kind of roll around the middle that I just didn't need.
• I accidentally cut the top without a seam allowance at the bottom so its a bit shorter than it was meant to be.  I also forgot to prewash my fabric so i'm hoping it won't shrink too much.  Fingers crossed.

 Thats about it.  It was easy to make.  I did french seams and bound the neck and arms with bias binding.  I've started under-stitching it and it make it sit much better.

Happily its just started to rain.  All that heat was getting a bit too intense for me.  Still a pom at heart.

Blue Checks

I made this one over a year ago but I've only just started wearing it. 

Its from Burda 04/11.

 I made this one from an old duvet cover.  I really like the colours and the check, its nice and casual and just my colours (I have too many blue things really but if only had to wear one colour then it would have to be it).

There are a few reasons why I only just started wearing it.

• I made this when I was pregnant.  It went over my head but I couldn't get it on over my bump so it was pretty hard really to amke an assessment of what it was like or how long it should be.
• After that I was breastfeeding which also made it completely impractical as to do this I would need to pull the whole dress up under my armpits...not really the best look, even with people you know well!!!
• It was the wrong length.  Once I was no longer pregnant or breastfeeding I still didn't wear it and it took me a while to work out why as I liked the fabric and the style of the top.  It was just too long, about 5 inches below the knee.  I had never really been in to short dresses and would l way wear dresses this length but with this straignt style it just made it very boring and it just looked wrong.

So emboldened after making my short Lola, and probably still with the navy blue in my overlocker, I hacked about a foot off the bottom.  And it worked. I like it.  Its a nice easy dress to wear to the beach or just relaxing when I don't want a dress up dress or one that is too fiddly.  It just pulls on nice and easy.

I did put the elastic lower than the pattern called for.  About 5 cm probably.  I had the idea that I have a long torso.  I'm not sure anymore if this is true and think that it was just that as a very straight up and down person I never really liked to wear things on my real waist as it just made me look wide??  I've got a bit slimmer now (strangely after 2 babies) and have a bit more waist and realise that styles that do have waists actually work better if the waist is on my waist.....obvious really....but strange how your hang ups make you think things like this.

Having said all that I like the low waist on this one. 

 I also made a top from the same patter, a couple of pics below.

Vintage Sheet Victory

I've not been here.  Not because I've not been sewing...I've made loads.
I've even got a new camera, but no tripod so not so good at doing photos of myself.
Well that's my excuse  but lets get going.  We'll go one by one

BUT be warned this blog will appear to turn into a bit of a Victory patterns love in.  But hey, I love things I've made from them, so here goes.

1st up my Chloe.

I do love it really, just squinting at the sun!

I dug up the sheet in one of those op shops which you know don't get visited all that often.  I've got a lot of vintage sheets but this one was total love, beautiful design and soft colours. I immediately had this dress in my mind and happily I was able to find this light coloured lightweight denim in Spotlight and away I went.

My 1st lined dress.  Yey.  All went well.

My 1st time using my invisible zipper foot.  The zip has about 10 lines of stitching down each side tring to get it right and attach the lining well.  Luckily as there is a lining you can't see any of this.  Yey.

I initially cut out the sleeves in the floral but realised it would work much better with the denim and the floral as binding. 

Think maybe I should have graded down to a 6 for the bottom half but really no big thing, nice to have space to move. 

My 1st mini dress (mini-er than my Lola, which after all grows as I wear it - see post for details).  getting good at doing that bending down thing by bending from the knees and not the waist so I don't show my knickers off too many times a day.  (haven't yet made a matching pair!).

I considered sewing on 4 big blue buttons on at the neck, like it suggests in the pattern, but in the end I decided maybe it made it look a bit childish / crafty so decided to keep it simple.  

Its good for visiting waterfalls in too. 

Love my Lola

I totally love this dress and I loved making it too.  

Its the Lola by Victory Patterns.  Making it involved many 1sts for me.

• My 1st downloadable PDF pattern.  What a great way to buy one.  Just press a button (and fill in your credit card details of course), and PING.... there it is in your inbox. Yey.  It was easy to print out and I just stuck it together and cut it out infront of the TV.

• My 1st time finding that all the pattern pieces matched up perfectly and I paid proper attention to my seam allowances (I mostly sew burda mag patterns and just eyeball it) and it all came together really neatly.  I nearly got caught out with the pockets as I couldn't work out why the tops of the sides didn't match up with the side panels as I knew I had cut it right, then luckily realised they were meant to be bigger so the top of the pocket hung out a bit.  

• My 1st time totally stuffing up my cutting out and managing to cut it on the cross grain!!!  It was dark, the material was dark, the TV was on again.  I did think the back of the material looked like it was the wrong way round (its sweatshirty type stuff) and that it was very wide but I remembered that the woman in the shop had commented on how wide the material was and so I ignored all these things and just cut it out.  Luckily for me the material is 2 way stretch cotton with spandex so it still works. Iit gets a bit longer as i wear it, probably no bad thing?!!

• My 1st short dress, all my others are just below the knee. I like it.

• Probably one of the 1st things I've sewn which just feels totally me.  Yey for that too.

I totally love the cut, its so clever, and original, and flattering and comfy.  I had had the material for a while, (in the spotlight clearance, so nice...wish I had got some red too) and when I read on the Victory website that it would be enough for this pattern I brought it (it would be really helpful if this could be included for all the patterns rather than just in comments where someone asked... I have lots of material and often looking for patterns for it), and so glad I did.  I sewed a size 8 which I think corresponds to a UK/Aus 12 and it fits just perfectly.

I have already cut out to a fleece version, shorter with long sleeves, a front pouch pocket and hopefully a cowl neck if I can get what's left of my material into one. 

p.s. sorry the photos are a bit weird, using the flash inside in sunlight or something but think its the best i'll manage for a bit.

I'm Back

I've been sewing like a lunatic.  In fact I feel like I've made so many things for myself that I've started to feel guilty about it, like I've got too many clothes and really don't need another dress (which along with the odd top is what I nearly always seem to make, no inspiration for skirts or trousers??).  So selfish sewing has given way to a short burst of sewing for others.  Well my mum and my daughter.  My Ma is pretty much the same size as me but a bit shorter so before I made her dress I (obviously) had to make a sample one for me just to see where it could be made better. Not so selfless after all.

Despite all this muslin talk that goes on everywhere I have to say that I've never actually done one before.  So mine was a wearable muslin.  Very wearable as it turns out.  A simple sunny beach dress with a kangaroo pocket.  I was inspired (as always) by Bec at Naughty Shorts and her new design dress although the welt pockets made my head boggle, someday when I have more time...

I found quite a few things to change, even on such a simple dress.

• First off that I need my head looking at as I cut out a size 42 instead of a 40, no wonder it looked a bit better when I took in about 1cm on each side!  
• Second that my boobs hang low.  Is breastfeeding an excuse?  Working on the assumption that my ma will have similar issues (she also had 2 children, has a few years on me and is genetically similar) I lowered the dart.
• 3rd that turning the sleeves hems under as the pattern says really doesn't work as they are not straight and so it won't lie flat.  Faced it with a bias strip on my mums.
• I like my kangaroo pocket but it was added after I felt a bit empty without the side pockets.  Side pockets are just good for slouching around with.  On the other hand the kanga is good for cameras, keys and David says tennis balls as he thinks it looks like a tennis dress.
• I thought I would need to change the facing around the neck, I'm never sure about facing and would normally bias bind but it sits really well so I've left it the same in my Ma's.

So here are the 2 dresses.  Both made of lovely old  sheets that I got in the op shop.

My dress and my big 'tennis' knickers!

My Ma's dress (and her new knickers too!)

The tennis thing got me thinking as did the fact that I have 2 large bags of knicker elastic that I got for $5 at the auctions.  Random I know, the local sewing shop closed down, shame but it was very granny.  I also bid on some bags of threads and more obviously useful things but not enough and so I ended up with the knicker elastic, about which I was actually really pleased.

So it had to be big matching tennis knickers.  Helpfully the very same copy of Burda (05/11) had a pattern for some big knickers in it.  They are a bit like the ones I used to have to wear at school for gym and athletics which put off sport until I was old enough to choose what I wore.  They are not bottle green though, that wouldn't be matching would it?   I am also stupidly pleased with these too and have been wearing them today with my dress and have managed to resist the temptation to bend over just so everyone can see my matching knickers.  And I don't really want to be hit by a bus either should I be, I would be proud to be found in my own hand made knickers!  I'll see what I can do for a photo of these, don't worry I'll wash them 1st.  Just about to make a pair to match my Ma's dress, just for fun.

Cheeky knicker shot!

I totally failed to get a picture of me in either of the dresses.  It wasn't for lack of trying but I can't find a good place to stick my camera to do a self portrait.  Sometime soon I'll get David to get me out and about in my dress.

I also made a little on for the bigger small person in the same fabric she loves.  A wanted to put it on before it was finished and kept saying dress, dress...the first time she has said these words.  Sweet.  I adapted it from the sew liberated blossom blouse pattern... lengthened it and shortened the sleeves and gathered it.... a super simple raglan dress.  Here's it and a top I made with the original pattern.