Saturday, January 26, 2013

Dartless, sleeved New Look 3668

The title says it all, really!

When I cut out my teal 3668, I decided I may as well cut one out of some lawn that I bought specifically to make another 3668. 


Due to the drapiness of the lawn, I decided to omit the back and waist darts to give it a more 'blousey' look. I kept the bust darts and added the adorable little sleeves from New Look 6000.

Derpy derp face. "I can't move my arms".

I'm very happy with the result. This one is going to get a lot of wear!

The Japanese lawn was $8/m and the buttons were $1.50.



This is the third one I've made so it came together very easily.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Recent purchases

I have made a few sewing related purchases lately and thought I'd share them.

First up is this lovely vintage re-issue pattern. How gorgeous is it? I'll be making one in winter.

 

I also purchased two books from The Book Depository. This one, which is so full of solutions to fit problems that I really got confused:


 

And I decided to buy Gertie's book. I must confess to feeling slightly underwhelmed by it. There were only a couple of things that I would make- nothing screamed out 'MAKE ME!!!' I do like these two though.



I was a bit disappointed by some of the projects in the book. Most of all, this one. The fit is terrible (hey, I know I probably can't do better, but I didn't write a sewing book) and the darts don't match up! 


 

Having said that, there are a lot of useful tips and techniques in the book and I do like it.

What have you bought lately?

Thursday, January 24, 2013

A quick one

I haven't blogged in a while but I have been sewing!

My band had a gig on what was probably the hottest day of the year (many of you have probably heard of the hot weather we've been having Down Under this summer) and it was OUTDOORS! I knew that our regular uniform of long black pants, black shirt and orange tie would be unbearable for a 3-hour gig, so a week before the gig we all had a chat and decided to wear black pants/ skirts with a solid-coloured top.
Of course, I have many a solid-colour top in my wardrobe, but I wanted to make something sleeveless so I didn't end up with massive, unattractive sweat stains on the sleeves.

So I used some lovely teal gorgette from my stash and whipped up another KwikSew 3668.




I haven't taken any proper photos of it yet, but here is an action shot from the gig- which was super fun, despite the heat. We gained a bunch of new fans.





I've also been maintaining my resolution of sewing for other people. My daughter Elizabeth turns 3 in a few weeks and I'm making her a softie. I let her look through this book and choose whichever softie she wanted.


 

She chose this unicorn/ pegasus. Unigus? Pegacorn? 


 

So far, mine is looking underwhelming. I've never made a proper sofite before. Did I mention that I HATE hand sewing? Gah, sewing on the horn and ear was a nightmare! I say 'ear', singular, because I made two ears then promptly lost one! 

 

I just need to make and put on the other ear, wings, mane and tail. I think she'll like it, no matter how demented it looks.

Oh, and you may notice that the one in the book has hand-embroidered eyes. I think I may have mentioned that I hate hand sewing, so I bought some sew-on googly eyes.

 









Sunday, January 6, 2013

Before and After



We went to a local attraction today - Natural Bridge, a really cool rock formation in the rainforest up in the Gold Coast hinterland. The last time we went there was two years ago. I went looking for the pictures we took the last time we went and had to have a laugh. Here's a couple of shots from the last time:


 


And here's one from today.


 


No wonder none of my clothes fit me any more! I feel so much stronger, healthier and more confident with some meat on my bones .








Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Helloooooo 2013!

Wow, 2013! I can't believe it. It was only 13 years ago that we were welcoming the new millenium. I feel so old! Wahhhh!

So, what are my sewing goals for this year?

I don't want to feel that I need to make a certain amount of items per month like I did last year. Instead, I am going to learn to TAKE MY TIME on projects instead of rushing through and ending up with something dodgy. 
Resolution #1: Quality, not quantity!

When I first started sewing, I only made stuff for my kids. Then last year I decided to be selfish and concentrate on making clothes for myself. I've just realised that Jimmy is still wearing pants that I made him two years ago, so I'm going to start sewing for my kids again. I also want to start making gifts again. I'm ashamed to admit that I only have one handmade present this Christmas, and that was a pair of shorts for a 9-month old that took about 40 minutes!
Resolution #2: Sew for people other than myself!

I've made quite a variety of garments for myself, and looking back over the projects I made last year, there are definitely some styles that suit me and some that don't. That goes for colours as well. So now I want to stick to garments that suit me.
Resolution #3: Figure out what styles and colours suit me best and stick to them!

Like many sewists, I have an enormous stash of fabric. I don't know if there are actually people out there who ONLY buy fabric for a specific project, but I'm not one of them. If I see fabric I like, I will buy 2 or 3 metres of it, mostly with no idea what I'll use it for. So now I have a massive stash of fabric waiting to be used.
Resolution #4: Use fabric from my stash and only buy if necessary for a specific project!

Bring it on!!!!

I've already done #2 today- I made a library bag for Jimmy, who starts school in a month. I will post a pic soon.

Here's my last project for 2012 that I squeezed in on the 30th of December. It started off as a $2 dress from an op shop. I loved the skirt but it was clearly made for a teenaged girl as the bodice was too tight even for my tiny bosom. So I turned it into a deliciously twirly skirt. 








I drew in a slip for modesty's sake...