Collette Pastille Dress

I bought the Collette Pattern book purely for chapter 2: developing a thoughtful plan. I was not disappointed: it had just the right kind of advice I needed to hear.

She talks in her book about being curious and how that might lead you to make useful discoveries. Well I was curious, and my questions were, "am I too old to be wearing Collette patterns?" and "am I too fat to be wearing a sheath dress? (US size 14, European 44)"

Collette patterns have a lovely, youthful aesthetic. I thought perhaps I might be able to pull off the Pastille dress, if I could mutton it up a little. First off I broke up the neckline by pivoting out the FBA as gathers. Secondly, I lengthened the skirt, removed the knife pleats, converted it to an A-line and added some pockets.

The front bust gathers: the fabric is a vintage black and white polka-dot seersucker.



I then made my first running pass at the fitting.

Here is the first version, with some of the fitting issues resolved, but a few more adjustments required. The waistline came out and in - the more fitted I made it, the more unflattering it became. If I take in the waist, you can just see exactly where the Christmas cake went. Still, it does not hang correctly with the skirt so I need to do something.

Verdict? I think this dress has potential. The fitting is very difficult for me, and I do not know if I can achieve the perfection that they did with their model. However, I feel that if I can get into the same ballpark, I'll be happy.



Now excuse me, I'll just go and wear it for a few days before having another crack at it.

On things being perfect for Christmas

For reasons too personal to divulge on the Internet, we do not celebrate Christmas. Until now.

The slippery slope started at Kindy, where my son made xmas decorations and wanted a tree for them to go on. And after a tree, the realisation of presents dawned, and before we knew it we had a stack under a tinsel (borrowed) tree and even some lights I picked up at an op shop.

And then the guilt and obligation began. For some reason I felt compelled to make my husband something (the most precious thing I can give him being my sewing time) and I bit off one way more than I had time to chew. My husband has everything he wants and needs - is not materialistic and wants nothing more than he already has, so I decided I'd make him a bag to carry his scrabble board and dictionary in for when he goes out for scrabble nights.

It was way more complicated than I imagined, and required much measuring and cutting. While my son was still at kindy it was manageable, but the whole thing turned into the biggest nightmare when kindy stopped and I dumped him in front of the TV hoping to grab some uninterrupted time to finish the job. While at the ironing board, I turned around to find him trying to prise open my overlocker with a knitting needle because he was trying to fish out the money from my purse that he had pushed down through the slots in the side of the machine. You could probably have heard the shouting from your place.

So far, so very not christmas.

That's when I gave up. 3 seams from the end, I was ready to bin it because I hated and resented it. The seams and finish are - to my eye - not something I can take pride in.

And that's when I remembered the Zen expression, "everything is perfect as it is."

The wonky zipper insertion, the pointy corners, the lumpy bias finish, all perfect as it is. While my husband took out our son for an hour, I finished it and wrapped it.



And then I made a perfect-as-it-is trifle with a gluten free sponge cake that stuck to the bottom of the pan and curdled custard.

Happy holiday season to everyone out there, may you enjoy all that you have, in its own perfection.

Putting the shirt into "tee shirt"

Ottobre 05-2007-08 Jersey shirt blouse

(you can back order any Ottobre magazine by going to their website and selecting the "single issue" button.)



This is the Ottobre tee "shirt" pattern. It's made of cotton lycra, in hyacinth blue.

This shirt fought me every step of the way. I unpicked nearly every seam (no exaggeration). Maybe I just had too many "shoulds" - I should sew something for summer, I should use a pattern I've tried before, I should sew it in comfy wash and wear fabric, I should sew something in a good colour for me, and I should make it a bit funky.

The thing about "shoulds" is that they just grind all the fun out of things. Jung had a theory about inanimate objects taking on the vibe of their owners. Perhaps the sewing machine and fabric were conspiring to let me know just how much they didn't feel like making this. (Actually, the fabric told me later that it would have prefered matching thread and clear buttons, so perhaps that was the source of its grudge).

At any rate, it's done! And I like it! Phew.

I used white thread and white retro buttons. I sewed a "gimp" buttonhole, this is the first time I've used this function on my machine. The buttonholer zig-zags over a piece of thick thread to strengthen the buttonhole on knits and stop them distorting. And look how well it holds its shape!



I converted the long sleeve into a standard tee short sleeve by splicing it and then gathering it onto elastic.



I learned an important lesson from this project. Without inspiration, there is no motivation. I need to find a way to sew those day to day basics in a way that is more creative.

Because like diets, discipline alone does not work.

a little bit of whimsy

Harumph! My son published my last post (push the orange button) before I could get my photos up and now I find it has been deleted. Double harumph!

Here in essence is how it went ... liked Karl Lagerfeld's designer pattern for Burda (10-2010-136) - wondered if I was too old/fat to wear it - smirked at the 6 inch front zipper (really) so juvenile! so childish! - completely smitten by the elasticated waistaband (just in time for Christmas)




- made skirt, lengthened it by an eternity, and now so really enjoying the fact that I sneaked in a piece of whimsy before December's austerity regime begins.



I haven't quite decided on the hem finish yet - still umming and erring about whether I should add the cuff or just a narrow hem as is. My preference is for the narrow hem. There's enough going on already.

The Amy Butler Weekender bag

The mother Theresa of sewing for others has to be the Amy Butler Weekender bag. There is rather a lot of sewing in it, more if you count how many times you have to unpick and resew those tricky corners. (on average, 6 attempts per corner).

It's an easy bag, except the corners, so that makes it 95% easy, 5% tricky and if you get all Zen about it and accept that you have to unpick each corner at some point you could even say the whole thing is really rather manageable, albeit time consuming.

I added 2 internal pockets: one with a bias finished edge that is open with 2 channels.



The second is one that zippers shut, for all those things you really don't want to fall out if you have to open it in public.



The fabric outer is vintage upholstery I bought on Trademe. The inner is a medium bodied dress cotton which I got from the deceased estate sale. It's actually not stiff enough for the job, requiring additional stitching to hold it firm internally, and had I realised, I would have interfaced it to give it better hold.



This is an early birthday present for one of my sisters. I had to make it this month, my month of saintly generosity to others or she would never get it. Better early than never, huh?

If I was making this for me, I would have made it differently. I would have used the inside lining fabric for the piping, thus tipping it more towards 'whimsy' in style than pure retro. I'm glad I used the black though - it does look better and I thus proved to myself that I could show some restraint and keep to a tight aesthetic if need be.

When it comes to personal style I fall into 2 traps - being carried away by whimsy and refusing to adhere to the constraints of my colouring and figure. I know something is not a good colour but I persist - I know something will not show off my best features and yet I insist on making it. My downfall is not my lack of vision but my lack of discipline.

Oh well, you say, not a big deal, it's just a hobby. Yes, but it's a hobby that I have to wear every day of my life.

Just a couple more aprons to polish off for the rest of the month - and then it's time to say hello to "disciplined December" where I only make things according to the RULES.

Sewing FOPs (for other people)

I have been true to my word. I have been sewing for others all November.

I have

1) hemmed 2 pairs of trousers for my husband

2) made 3 aprons. A word about the aprons. Aprons make great gifts, I've discovered. Like socks and underpants, everyone needs them but they never get around to buying them often enough. Aprons are all occasion gifts, saying "I care" from birthdays to bereavements. Aprons require no fitting, can be made in under an hour and can be made from offcuts making them very cost effective.

I have made just one change to Simplicity 2824 - removed the D-rings and added a slider. The D rings mean that the strap hung awkwardly upside down but the slider enables it to drape itself gracefully.



3) Made a bolster for our cleaner. This shows how I've matured as a person. 3 years ago, I told her "no way" when she asked me to do some alterations for her. Now 3 more years of selfishness has been drained out of me by a child.

This was not an easy project - the fabric, a synthetic upholstery grade polyester was left over from her curtains. It did not want to ease and could not be folded. It hugs the lumps of the bolster like lycra on an overweight gym enthusiast. The ends then had to be fitted, which is difficult with circles even with easy fabric, and even more tricky when you factor in the piping. I hope she likes it because it was about as far from fun to make as, well, any of the other projects above.

And if she asks me for another forget it. Maturer, yes, an idiot, no.



And finally some GF/DF cooking. I have been experimenting with the best way to present my findings - I tried an extra page but it's not easy to update since you can't make separate posts. In the end I decided I would just tack it on at the end of a post and those who are interested can read on.

This is the best recipe for GF/DF bread I have found so far.

I have tried 5 internet recipes - 3 of them were inedible, and immediately binned. Absolutely vile. If a recipe goes on about its health content you know you are in trouble.

To make this bread in a bread maker you have to reduce the water content. Instead of 3/4 cup, I found 1/2 cup with 2 extra tablespoons of water to be just right. I also add 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. It tastes really nice and keeps well.



Righty ho, we are only half way through the month, so half a month more of FOPs to go!

Nerd alert!

Ottobre 05-2007-08 Jersey shirt blouse

I have a confession to make. Part of the appeal of Ottobre to me is that the designs are often a little on the frumpy side. And since frumpy is a little ugly, a little ungainly, a little anti-fashion and extremely comfortable I rather like it.



The compulsory hand on hip, grimace at the camera nerd shot. I am only sorry I don't have a rubbish bin in the back ground to complement the look. Sigh, weeds will just have to do. (respectful sly wink to you Carolyn)



I added shirring elastic to pull in the back as it was very big on me.



This was supposed to be a shirt to go under the v neck tee to complete my "look" for October. But as you know, the neckline was ridiculously high and I haven't got back to the tee yet, so they're mix and match separates for the time being.

The colours are dreadful on me I know. I probably won't wear this shirt except under a cardy or pullover in a more sympathetic colour way. Or save it for Halloween, might be handy to look really pale sometimes. Come to think of it, it could be a good one to put away for when I go back to work and need to pull a sickie.

The real lesson for me though, is that this top does have great potential. It would be good in a dark colour, short sleeved, and some of the fit issues refined. Now, I've recognised this to be true. I have identified that I could be on to a winner here. But will I follow through, or will I get distracted before I really get a chance to make something I really enjoy wearing?

You see, in the past I have made test garments, identified potential, but never made the final garment. I have done that many times. I am very easily distracted by the latest thing. This is not a good thing if you actually HAVE TO wear the garments you sew because you have nothing else.

This month's theme is "not for me November" - yes boring xmas gifts, mending for husband, birthday presents for a couple of people etc etc. But I might just see if I can make this shirt again, just to show that I can learn from my mistakes after all.

A couple of quickies.

Here is the next part of my outfit. The humble tee - none other than the basic tee pattern from Ottobre, 02-2006-01. It has a simple v neck..



.. which is so very modest. I can't help but think of my Burda and their plunging necklines and think that although geographically so close, (Finland and Germany) the magazines could not be further apart in aesthetic. Ottobre excels in the quotidian, whereas Burda is fashion forward. Ottobre is modest but if its a Burda pattern I know to lengthen the skirt and raise the neckline.



I also managed to whip up this apron as a thank you gift for a stranger who returned my car keys. I liked the idea of Simplicity 2824 because it allows you to alter the neck strap. This is handy if you have no idea what proportions the person you are making this gift for has. As you can see, the neck can be lengthened or shortened via D-rngs.



The pattern is from their "sewing for dummies" range. (cut your fabric using scissors, thread your machine before sewing, that kind of thing). It was so amusing to read something where NOTHING is taken for granted.

I was going to complete my outfit with a nice'n'nerdy cardigan. Then I saw it made up elsewhere and realised it was horrid. There's a very fine line with ugly - just get it slightly wrong and it doesn't work. So now I'm a little unsure about what my next step will be. Corduroy jacket? A spring parka? Waistcoat? Pullover?

Hmmmm.

Outfit October

Well hello again! I have just come back from a lovely holiday in Central Otago, where one of my sisters live. Before then, I had set my sewing goal for October to sew a complete outfit. The first part of the outfit I had in mind didn't work out. That's a short sentence without a long story behind it, maybe for another post.

In the meantime, using 2 purchases from my holiday down south as my inspiration, I came up with the first part of an alternate outfit. I bought this *cool* tooled leather bag for $3 from the Ranfurly women's Catholic league, open Wednesdays and Fridays only and closed for a generous lunch break on those days to boot.



The second part of my inspiration was a hilarious pair of arm warmers - something I had never seen before but I've been wearing them ever since. They solve the problem of how to breach the seasons with short sleeve wool knits - you use detachable sleeves! I bought these from the Naseby craft shop.



Well tooled leather and arm warmers are begging for super snuggly fabric. I immediately thought of corduroy, mainly because it is so much nicer to put on than denim. The nights down south were still cold, with frosts, and the inside temperature of the crib (holiday house) dropped to zero (celcius) when the sun went down. The only way to heat the house was with a log burner and the hot water was on a coal range wet back so we had to light that too if we wanted any warm water.

I haven't been so cold for many years, the northern climate totally softening me up. Thank goodness we came in spring.

The pattern is one I've made before Burda 09-2009-113. It's the pair of cords with the interesting slanted pocket design, which you can see in the corner here.



I put binding round the pockets



and used the same fabric for the waistband inner, fly extension and front pocket lining



Put it all together and you get the first variation of Outfit October





I leave you with this shop display from the Maniototo ceramics club. Someone down there really loves china ducks. I just love the way they have been festooned with ribbons.

Here's where we started - Kwik sew 3463. A lovely heavy merino (wool) knit. Fabric too heavy for this design, and too much stretch. I think if the fabric were lighter and drapier the loose style would be fine, but this is not the kind of knit that wants to be made up with room to spare. It's a touchy feely huggy kind of fabric.



Oh how I wish I could take the time to get a decent photo at the right time of day. I know there are other bloggers in my position (young children chomping at the bit) who would wait several days to get a good shot because they wouldn't sully their beauty spot with crap photography. I am not one of those bloggers. I take my moments when I find them and sometimes they are just a few seconds before dusk.




To the back, I added a elastic casing and pulled in the waist. I reduced the whole tunic one size. I added a bottom band, which I made a little smaller so I could gather in the a-line slightly. The tie you can see is what I attached to the ends of the elastic I threaded trough the neck band so I could pull in the upper torso.



A more detailed shot of the front - I added the tie pockets to match the back tie and you can see the effects of the gathering on the front neckline. I tried to make the top dress length, because I don't wear a lot of tunics, but I can see proportionally it's not working for me - the whole dress is too heavy and it needs something solid to ground it - some boots would work, or some skinny jeans underneath. And here's another thing to consider - if it's cool enough to wear wool, it's too cool for short sleeves.

Learning, learning, always learning.



Still I am much happier with this incarnation and some restyling could just make it.

Well I had another 2 things to work on in my "remix" box which I never got a chance to for my September challenge. One month self-challenges work really well for me. Long enough to keep me focussed, not too long to become arduous, and every month I get to come up with a new naff title!

Tell me, who could resist?

Tartan jacket

Burda 05-2009-112



The back, with the box pleat and the elasticated sleeve band, are really nice features I think.



Although I really liked my twist bubble skirt I could see it wasn't working for me. Fortunately the pleats used a lot of fabric which was easy to repurpose.




I saw a very funky outfit in a cafe recently - a simple skirt and top with a gorgeous plaid jacket and a hand crocheted scarf and suddenly I really wanted a plaid jacket.

I was a little hesitant about the style on me since the line under the bust and the bold fabric are what my husband calls "brave design decisions."

I liked this pattern because it was made of lots of small pieces so I could use the skirt pieces running with the grain and I had enough scraps left to cut out the bottom half and match the side check too. I couldn't do anything really clever with the other bits because I didn't have enough fabric, and I am a little relieved about that because plaid matching is something that makes me cross-eyed.

And who can argue with those "eat all you like" tummy pleats? Definitely a jacket for a night out.



I made some important "learning experiences" with this jacket which I want to share with you so you too can *learn*.

I put in one of the welts back to front, ripped it out, and then reinserted it upside down! Third time I got it right, but I had damaged the fabric quite a lot with all the unpicking and resewing. The golden rule of welt sewing should be "interface under the pocket before you cut to the corner" for such eventualities - it really helps to hold the fabric together.

All in all - considering I cut and resewed it three times it doesn't look too bad:



The other mistake is that I didn't read the instructions carefully enough for the front zipper. I am still kicking myself for rushing ahead without double checking - I wanted to make sure the lines across the jacket matched when the zipper was up, so I used 'steam a seam' to secure the front zipper in place. As you know, that stuff sets like concrete. Once I had steamed it in, there is no moving that zipper. Imagine my horror on realising that by attaching the front 1 cm back from the teeth that I had inadvertently increased the front by a size!

The whole point was to make it so fitted through and under the bust to avoid that 'puppies in a sack' look!

And no way to fix it! In the end, I took in the side seams which in itself was no easy task since the under bust bias strip is attached over the top, meaning I had to resew it as well.

But I am really pleased with the end result. I really like my jacket - while not the most flattering shape for me, I think it works well enough. It also adds a nice layer of warmth for our blustery spring days.



I hope to manage one more "selvage/salvage" (thank you Carolyn) project for September, and then it's time to welcome "outfits October!"

Selvage September

Alliterative September themes are popular in blogworld and I thought I'd add one of my own. I want to rework some duds - things where I was quite invested because I made a good job of them, or I loved the fabric, or I just couldn't quite admit defeat just yet.

These jeans - the madras pants ( 06-2011-109 ) are a case in point. From a technical point of view they look like they could be made into jeans - but in reality they are designed for a SOFTLY DRAPING FABRIC. Way too much ease for denim. That is my mistake entirely and I still see great potential for this pattern.




However, I had made a nice job with the topstiching and following KBenco's lead, had finished the waistband with bias (made from Liberty fabric). In short, I was too invested in these to let them go. So I reworked them.




Here's what I did - on the front I sewed straight down from the zipper and cut off the hem just as the bootleg started to flare out again, creating a mermaid type hem.



On the back, 8 1/2 inches down (20 cms) I inserted a godet, and sloped out the hem to create a mermaid tail, adding a few lines of ruffles to suggest scales. The godet was cut from the bottom half of the pant leg, it was a little short, so the ruffles are on a separate panel. I was able to resew this skirt using pieces entirely from the original jeans, so it bodes well with other pants in my wardrobe needing a little rethinking. The godet is the only essential design feature, as you need to remove the crotch, but I imagine there are endlessly possibilities for incorporating it, so I might try a few different looks.



Eh voila! One dud now creatively reworked into my wardrobe. I will wear this skirt, as I am very fond of the quirk factor in clothing. I wouldn't have worn the jeans - not just because they were a little baggy, but they were "butt munchers" - you know the type where you can feel the crotch seam gnawing at your knickers. I tried scooping more out but it didn't work - something else is wrong so I might need to get a lesson or two from a private teacher to sort that out. (good to know when you just don't know enough to fix it yourself).

The selfless seamstress

Hot Patterns 1040 Bowling bag



Yes, I'm still here! Yes, I have been sick and on holiday. I have also being doing all that cooking by day. Most of it has been inedible. I'm sorry to say it but it's true. Firstly, because I take a recipe and try to make it more nutritious by the surreptitious adding of nuts, seeds, high protein flours, and at the same time, I try to "healthify" it by reducing fat and sugar contents. The results are rarely edible, except by me, my Scott's ancestry forbidding me to throw them out. (now please note, I consider this frugality to be a very good thing, a virtue-but I only wish we had some chickens I could send all that healthy food to instead.)

Still, things have much improved chez nous with regards to the special diet even if the food has been revolting. (mea culpa! Chocolate chip cookies were not designed to be vehicles for cauliflower, coconut loaf will not hide zucchini,) My son's pre school teachers have said they have never seen a child change so dramatically, so quickly. "Gluten" I said "is the work of the devil." Maybe, maybe not. I don't know if the diet is responsible for the improvement.

On to the sewing! Yes indeed this a birthday present for a friend. Of course it was the dreaded Hot Pattern's 1040 Viviene Westwood *inspired* bag that was so difficult first time round and no easier the second. At least the first time round I was making it for me, this time my act of altruism didn't spur me to completion. I want to keep it for myself, actually, because it was a pain to make, because it's totally my style, and there is no guarantees she will actually like it.

However, my son personally picked the fabric for this person, so now I feel committed to giving it to her, which is as good a reason to be generous as any. ( If I find it dumped in the local Sally Army I will feel no ill will in having to buy it back. A student once made me a set of ducks out of paper mache which I donated to our local thrift shop. I bumped into him in that thrift shop where the ducks were clearly on display. He was kind enough to pretend not to notice. Treasure in heaven for him, lord)

Now let's turn to details. This time, in accordance with my own advice, I rotated the bag straps on d-rings.



I made my own "bag feet" by sewing 2 vintage buttons to the bottom:



This is more Nick's liquidation skippy leather, which I topstitched in silver. The fabric is from that deceased estate - that one where the family ran a 3 day sale and still couldn't clear it all:



This is bag interfacing from Smart Dress Fabrics. It's very cheap but it isn't fusible, which means you have to zig zag it to an interlining after you have trimmed off the seam allowances.



Now let's talk bag handles. The best rope to stuff them with is the type with the woven exterior - it feels lovely on the hands. You have to bind it with tape first, then cut in the middle of the tape, otherwise it unravels something wicked:



I used a light denim for the lining and trimmed the pockets with bias strips of the outer fabric:



At the end of the day, I'll say this for the bag - it's interesting, very useful, and lends itself to a really funky look. But make no mistake: it is no walk in the park to sew.