Make it Smirk

.. now in shiny.

2012-01-11T18:51:00.005+13:00

Burda 10-2011-129, now in silk dupioni, the grandmother of silks.

This silk was for sale in Nick's - and it being cheap and silk I couldn't resist, even though I find silk dupioni tremendously difficult to use, it being so closely linked in my mind to mother-of-the-bride outfits. (especially this shade and fuchsia).

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears" so the expression goes. I was totally ready to take on the advice of the Collette sewing book which is to reduce your failure rate by working with a pattern that has proven to be successful for you and incrementally modifying it to produce a variety of garments.

This is contrary to my usual practice, which is to make a test garment, identify potential, and become distracted. This is the danger of having so much exposure to so much variety - without clarity of vision, and commitment to producing a cohesive look, it's really easy to rush on.

It's funny, that was something that was identified in my year 2 school reports - I've been doing it since I was 6!

It has taken a long time for this student to be ready.

For this variation, I added bows to the pockets. They are just lined strips with a band in the middle.

The band is constructed by zig zagging the raw edges together and then turning out.

I would like to try one more version of this skirt before retiring it. I have 2 goals for this year: to sew more of the same pattern (TNT's), and to sew more outfits (tops and bottoms specifically planned to go together.)

Although I sew things nicely, they don't always look that nice on me. At the moment, I suspect I look quite frumpy a lot of the time. Now there is something a little endearing about that aesthetic but I want to take it up a notch, so this year I'm aiming for "elegant frump."

..something a little more sedate

2012-01-03T17:06:00.007+13:00

Well hello again! Off the starting blocks nice and early with this number from Burdastyle magazine (10-2011-119) hot off the ship in this little part of the world.

The fabric is vintage corduroy, and I'm afraid the lovely details are lost in the whirl and swirl of activity but there is a pocket and a lovely button in there, I swear:

But here's the technical view so you can see what you are missing:

Aren't those pockets just adorable? At any rate I realised early in that I would probably be more likely to wear this skirt with boots and tights for the other 8 months of the year when things are a little cool, so I popped in a lining.

For those of you who need to see the scale of the thing altogether, the fool nerdy monty:

and a little photo of our Hebe in bloom. I am a shocking gardener, neglect and death roam our garden unchecked, so it's nice to see something survive, even thrive.

What happened to the Pastille dress, you might be asking? Well I had bad dreams about it all night, living a 41 year old's life trapped with a 21 year old's life experience and maturity. I woke up relieved to be living the life I have, despite its big challenges. I then neatly folded the pattern and put it away, at peace with my "inner mutton," quite content to be wearing less nubile garb and looking the age I am.

Awards for 2011

2012-01-01T16:25:00.009+13:00

Well people, I simply love roundup posts and so should you because you can get a year's worth of blog reading in a single viewing. Now that's economy.

So here they are, the awards for 2011.

The "this goes straight to the pool room" award for most sophisticated item goes to this Burda sheath in Zambesi fabric

The "we're going to the circus and here's your costume" flop of the year sewing award goes to this Simplicity coat:

The "life's a bitch and so is this to sew" award goes to the Amy Butler Weekender bag:

Visible panty line (VPL) took on a whole new meaning with these jeans from Burda, bringing us the "most interesting detail" award:

The "flog the working horse" award for most worn item goes to this Ottobre top:

Award for the least satisfying to sew but most enjoyable to wear goes to this Ottobre tee "shirt".

The "most expensive never sewn from subscription award" went to La Mia Boutique for 2 muslins in 12 issues:

The "you are only as old as your fabric" award for vintage sewing went to this number from Collette patterns:

Fabric score of the year could well have gone to these $1 a metre vintage finds from a deceased estate,

...but how can you beat free! Yes, Valerie gave me some beautiful Liberty tana lawn, simply because I wanted it. So, the "if only the rest of my life could be this easy" award goes to blogger Valerie for her generosity.

Best wishes to everyone for a satisfying sewing New Year.

Collette Pastille Dress

2011-12-29T11:13:00.006+13:00

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

2011-12-24T11:33:00.006+13:00

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"

2011-12-14T13:40:00.005+13:00

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

2011-12-02T17:12:00.004+13:00

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

2011-11-24T14:27:00.000+13:00

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)

2011-11-13T15:19:00.006+13:00

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!

2011-11-01T13:01:00.004+13:00

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.

2011-10-23T09:19:00.004+13:00

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

2011-10-20T16:28:00.000+13:00

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.

2011-09-29T18:39:00.004+13:00

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

2011-09-26T14:54:00.001+13:00

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

2011-09-14T13:57:00.004+12:00

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

2011-08-27T18:29:00.001+12:00

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.

The twist bubble skirt

2011-08-16T18:21:00.010+12:00

I made this skirt (Burda 09-2010-104) last week.

I did 4 photo shoots and ended up with crap photos every time. Each crap photo taught me something useful though. It really showed me what was working with this skirt and what wasn't.

Posting your photos on line is a little like clothing therapy. You are faced with the honest consequences of your work and there's nowhere to hide. It might look OK when you are staring down on it, or in the mirror but the camera says, "this is how it really looks."

The best look was this one - where the yoke was hidden by layers above. Then the pleats and the twist bottom sit quite nicely and there's no weird distortion of lines where my big tummy pulls everything off line.

I like it with the tartan bag (blogged here)

Instead of using a double layer of outer fabric I used a combination of outer fabric and lining. The lining is a very pretty acetate. Although my fabric had good drape it was heavier than the recommended ones so the twist part doesn't really show. It kind of just looks like a messy rumpled pulled-straight-off-the-floor skirt. Just like a school uniform in fact!

The tartan is the "black watch" tartan which I picked up from Nick's. It feels like a cotton-wool blend. I'm not sure if it's exactly the same material as the St Cuthbert's school uniform but a busload of boys whistled at me (not sure if in a good or bad way - there could be a fair bit of mocking involved) as I walked past so I'm guessing it's close enough.

velour allure

2011-08-04T18:18:00.005+12:00

I picked up this grovey 70's pattern from an op shop in Nelson for 10c. I then took it to a cafe and read it, as you do. When I got off my seat to put my son's shoes back on, a couple came and sat at the seats we had vacated. Then they shifted to another table, and when I went back to get my coat and things, the pattern had gone.

Heart racing, I went over to the table. "you've got my pattern, that's my pattern."
Not gracious under pressure, and certainly have been living in Auckland for too long.
"sorry," said the woman, handing it back, "I thought it belonged to the cafe."

Now isn't that a lovely thought, a cafe that supplied patterns for its customers to read instead of magazines?

View B, v neck with collar:

Collar in detail:

Fabric, sports merino from Nick's, but it has the richness and feel of velour - great colour but the fit needs tweaking, maybe a bit longer, hip needs to come in, bust needs darts instead of side gathers. For this version, will probably not unpick overlocked side seams but will consider hem band instead.

Orginally I had planned to make some tartan trousers to go with it but I am yet to see a pair of tartan trousers that looks good on anyone, so instead I'm thinking of some kind of kilt variation. You have been warned.

Pillows

2011-07-28T16:26:00.007+12:00

In terms of loving generous sewing for others I score pretty low. I don't make anything for my son, and charge my husband to take up his trousers (in child free time, the best kind of payment).

So I'll keep this brief: I made these for a friend for her birthday because I knew she'd love the print - it's original 1950's linen from the deceased estate sale that I made you all envious about. Want to hear more to be envious about? 6 metres for $5. I split the fabric with my sister though, because she also loved it.

The pillows are very simple - piping on the outside, one grey the other red/black, invisible zipper on the back.

You have got to love the speed of a craft project don't you? I made these in 2 afternoons while I supervised my son on some highly educational computer programs. Not even evil TV babysitting! Smugger and smugger!

Explorations in the ugly aesthetic: the brocade bomber

2011-07-26T15:24:00.002+12:00

Post editing note - added some clearer photos - and yes Neighbourhood gal - it's super comfy, and yes Audrey you are so right - I am going to flog this jacket till it's threadbare.

Burda 10-2009-129

Here I am in my latest creation, the brocade bomber. In case you think I whipped this up in the last 24 hours, rest assured, I had 95% finished it before I went on holiday last week.

I didn't consult my inner taste guide for this one. I knew it would say, "no way" and I SO wanted to make it.

The fabric came from Nick's. I managed to talk my son into going to a fabric shop. Normally he says, "no fabric shop, no thank you." The power of food bribes has dimished considerably since his diet regime began because there's not much incentive in a carob tofu ball. However this time I bought out the big guns and offered him a preservative sugar free fruit juice in exchange for 5 minutes in the shop. I also told him he could choose some fabric.

He picked up a bolt off the table and lugged it to the counter.
"This one" he said.
"What is it I'm buying", I asked Jamie, the store manager. He cut a strip and burned it. He cut another strip and burned and smelled it some more.
"well it's not polyester rubbish," he said, "I don't know what it is."

What it turned out to be was Donna Karan Viscose/wool/acetate/polyester and it retails for $48 a metre at Global Fabrics. You can go and buy yourself some now, if you want. Sadly Nick's has run out of it at $4 a metre, otherwise I'd be letting you all in on it.

Nice one son, very classy.

Anyway, I felt since the fabric was so cheap that it wouldn't hurt to take a few risks, since I would lose nothing but my time and I was sure to have fun on the way.

I wanted to keep the fabric as whole as possible, and to make something that allowed it to drape. I also felt something this decorative would need a fairly casual style otherwise it would be too formal for everyday wear. Hence the bomber jacket. My only real concern was the lack of shaping which is not the most flattering look for curves.

How casual? Casual enough for the zipper just to be plonked down on top of the front:

And here we have it! It's nice to make things once and a while that are not your "colour" and not for your "body shape" - it beaks the monotony of dressing by numbers. It's also good to do it only once a while, otherwise you have a wardrobe of things you feel slightly leary of.

Close up of fabric and welt pockets - these ones are quite easy.

For me, the secret to pulling off "nana chic" sucessfully will be to restrain it so that the reference is clear but the look is not too aging.

Here's the back - that's where the blouson really comes into its own:

As fresh as a summer's day, in the middle of winter.

2011-07-24T13:18:00.005+12:00

As you know, I am a huge fan of shirt dresses. This one from Burda (04-2011-108) is everything I ask from a shirt dress, except the season. I had hoped that I could kind of pull this off as a winter look because I was too impatient to wait for summer.

The fabric is a vintage sateen and come summer, come sandals and tan, it'll be just the picture.

Meanwhile I still have hopes for this pattern as winter wear in a fabric that looks, well, more wintery.

With cardy and coat:

The weather? oh windy and grey today, again:

Close up of fabric and vintage buttons:

And here are my fabric puchases from a vintage sale in sunny Nelson, where we were on holiday last week. Melissa (of Tiny Happy fame) sent my sister an email telling her of a private vintage fabric sale. Wasn't that nice of her, me, I might keep that kind of information pretty tight. As it was, there was plenty for everyone, so much so, I even considered going back. But that would be greedy. Such restraint, only 10 happy pieces came to their new home.

On a side note, I have to say, the private sale was a deceased estate and this woman had stash like you would not have believed. It would break my heart to go to my grave with all that fabric unused. She had collected enough for her executors to run a 3 day sale. Unbelievable. Thousands of metres of fabric.

It's now my duty to allow these fabrics to fulfill their destiny.

Tweed Trousers

2011-07-09T09:43:00.005+12:00

Burda 04-2011-104

Well hello there again. I have been sewing blog friends and family, but I have not had an Internet connection because our new provider had some problems establishing a connection.

It was good to be without the Internet - the amount of time I waste on it was highlighted by its absence when I couldn't. I must be more judicious in the future. Exposure to more things just creates a desire to possess more things. It's no wonder I have a long sewing list and a pile of fabric calling me to action. Every time I log on, I see something I must sew! An idea I must explore! A technique to be tried! And no time to do it.

We have just had the final of Project Runway season 8 here, and I know most people reading this probably watched it about a year ago but we are very far behind with TV down under.

I was really inspired by it, despite its controversial conclusion, because the designers were so true to their aesthetic and it really came as an expression and commitment to their taste and creativity.

The challenge for me as a dedicated home sewer is to create clothes that really explore my own aesthetic, which is loosely called "nana chic" - a little old fashioned, a little ugly. I love that look. It's funny and it's intriguing.

The trousers are a wool tweed, which I think you'll agree is a very nana fabric. They are too scratchy even when fully lined. I will buy some fabric conditioner next time I'm at the supermarket to see if I can tame the fibres. I had a lot of trouble constructing the front welt pockets. I read and reread and triple read and read back to front and in the mirror and still it didn't make any sense. The confusion came from the different words used to translate the different German technical terms. This pattern has obviously been flogged before (and let's face it Burda recycle their patterns frequently, very "green" of them) and so an older term "piping line" is used on the pattern, but in the magazine they use the word "welt" - so all the lines that are supposed to match up don't correspond from pattern to instructions.

Here is a construction photo to help anyone wishing to make these trousers. You sew the welt on upside down, 2 cms from the folded edge, and sew the pocket on upside down along the top edge. Then you cut down the middle and turn them both inside. Clear as mud?

4 attempts later I got what they were on about, and produced a good welt. I have a theory that the 'goats and sheep' distinction for home sewers could be welt pockets. Any reasonable sewer can produce a good welt, but only a great sewer can produce a great welt. Mine are pretty good, but there's a grand canyon between pretty good and great.

I like the cut of the trousers and am happy with them but I have struggled to style them - they seem to make everything very formal, despite the absurdity of my accessories.

The belt too silly for most tastes as it was reduced to a quarter of its original price:

And this delightful hand crocheted butterfly form Variety Handcrafts in Princess Street, Dunedin. Isn't it lovely that there are still some shops that sell this kind of stuff?

Any ideas how to funk up this look? Just a little mind, we don't want to cross the line into good taste territory.

The opportunities in crisis

2011-06-20T14:11:00.002+12:00

Simplicty 4076. I know, you were thinking it must be Burda with a neckline that plunging. I'm thinking this will always be a layering piece.

Thank you to every one of you who have left messages of support or sent me recipes. I appreciate the effort you have gone to and am touched by your kindness.

The most important lesson, and the one I have found to be most comforting, is the need to let go, and allow things to unfold as they do. Every parent at some point has to stand back to accept their children as they are and respect the journey their life is taking. My time has come earlier than most.

My disappointments with my last 2 projects have also provided plenty of fodder for reflection. I made them on a whim, and they ended up whimsical. Actually, I really don't like things to be that obvious.

This time I listened to the fabric. It told me quite clearly that it really liked all the twist tops that were going round blogworld and this is how it would like to be made up.

So I agreed. The fabric also told me that I should buy myself a spare twin needle because I was going to break the current one before this project was out.

Now twin needles are about $20 each so I wasn't in a big hurry to oblige. I thought to myself, OK, I'll just be extra super careful with the one I've got, I'm just being paranoid, it'll be OK.

What happened ? Before I had even taken ONE stitch I broke the needle. I couldn't believe it.

But I choose to look on the bright side, this isn't so much the loss of the ability to sew a hem with a twin needle so much as an opportunity to buy a cover-stitch. Which I shall do, next week. I'm thinking a Baby lock, because I'm a sucker for jet-of-air threading.

And lo! More opportunities in crisis - the timer on my machine is out so I can only sew half a buttonhole before it thinks it's finished. What a great time to visit two velco numbers in a back issue of Burda that I borrowed from the ASG.

Here is what the FBA looks like. You have to make sure to match the extra you added on the top piece to the bottom piece so that both sides of the underbust piece match and can be sewn together.

The trashy jacket

2011-06-13T14:09:00.008+12:00

I have been doing a lot of cooking. Seriously, a lot of cooking - baking once in the morning and then making a full dinner. I never realised before how much I relied on purchased food: yoghurt, bread, plain biscuits, crackers - always purchased. Now everything has to be made from scratch because B is not allowed preservatives.

Truly it's like going back in time 100 years.

In the evening I've been doing a bit of sewing. I remade the Palmer/Pletsch perfect jean jacket in faux fur (McCalls 5860). I'm not sure why but it seemed a good idea at the time.

Now it seems a bit of a crazy idea as fur is a bit bulky and it's so hard and shiny. Feeling a little like I'm working the aging rocker look.

The good news is now that I've made it I've realised that the denim one was quite good after all and I'm actually enjoying wearing that. This would be the first time I've preferred the muslin over the final product but hey at least something's wearable.

I really love the touch of the silky fur (it's a beautiful cotton/viscose mix) but I think that may be female specific. My husband's verdict was that the jacket was trashy looking and the idea of a hirsute female had no appeal whatsoever.

So it's off to the magic wardrobe with this one too!

The quite good perfect jean jacket

2011-05-31T18:24:00.000+12:00

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments - I really appreciate them. It feels like we have turned a significant corner now and although there is a long road ahead, it feels a more hopeful one.

Roimata I'd love your Gluten free recipes, and that goes for anyone else who has some winners tucked away. So far I have made some really disgusting bread that got binned, and a passable banana rice loaf. My email address is in my profile - many thanks!

I had this denim for a while and suddenly had this whim to make the Palmer/Pletsch perfect jean jacket (McCalls 5860). The denim was a heavy sample fabric ordered in by Liz Mitchell. She had a factory sale 2 weeks before she went into liquidation and I bought it from the designer herself. Was very sad to learn she closed up that arm of her business such a short time later.

This is a test garment, and there will be changes, for sure. The light is very poor today so I haven't been able to get good pictures, but you get the idea.

I shifted the breast pocket to the hip. I need pockets for keys and tissues and the idea of wadding up my bust line with a bunch of kleenex seemed a bad idea.

Now here's an oddity about this pattern - despite there being 54 illustrated steps, picture 30 shows the under collar being sewn onto the outside of the jacket and there is nothing about turning and finishing the collar stand. Far be it from me to question the perfection of the Palmer/Pletsch perfect jean jacket pattern instructions so if anyone has the answer to this mystery let me know. Haven't been losing sleep over it, but there was a lot of swearing when I realised I had cut and attached the WRONG COLLAR.

So I hope to show you an new an improved version of this jacket soon. This one will probably go to the Sally Army for being a bit snug through the bust - although denim does loosen up in mysterious ways so perhaps I won't be too hasty. At any rate you can see that despite all the cooking of revolting foods I have been doing recently I still found time to sew.

I think we always find time for things we really need to.

Magic closets, magic pantries.

2011-05-24T13:12:00.001+12:00

Thank you for your encouragement about the polka dot coat. it is now out of the recycle pile and has been rehoused in the 'magic closet' you know that place when you put things, pull them out a month later and wonder what on earth you were unhappy about.

Actually, the real disappointment with the coat (apart from the poor fit) was I chose a light hearted and whimsical design with the hope that it would make me feel that way when I put it on. If anyone doubts the power of coats to transform a mood, just think about how Joseph's technicolor coat turned his brothers into psychopathic murderers. But the coat failed to make me less of a grump, which is a pity really.

A little sewing has happened around here - I procrastinated on the tee shirts and opted for another merino top - it's a hybrid of the body of the tee shirt from Ottobre 02- 2007-04 and the sleeve from Ottobre 05-2010- 04. I like the way the gather of the band at the front is matched by the gather on the sleeve.

For the next couple of months I don't imagine there will be a lot of sewing or blogging going on here. We have started a serious allergen elimination diet - no diary, no gluten, no peanuts on the recommendation of a specialist pediatrician. That means a lot of cooking from scratch.

So far the signs have been hopeful.
"mummy"
"yes"
"glasses too big, too dirty, take off"
I took off my sunglasses and put on my ordinary glasses.

That my friends, is a small but very special dialogue. It is the very first conversation I have ever had with my son, who is nearly 4.

2011-05-14T07:47:00.002+12:00

It was an unbidden and unwelcome thought, straight from my unconcious mind that leapt in before it could be censured or justified away.

"that coat looks ridiculous"

The polka dot coat has already gone to the recycle pile, fabric to be recycled in some way.

Then I got out the Regretsy book and so many passages spoke to me of homemade folly. The key point though, was the story the author told when she and a friend got dressed to impress at at play they were going to. In the pre drinks melee a pair of women were staring at her. Not glancing, but outright staring. Then she overheard one of them say to her friend, "no, Halloween is tomorrow night."

At that point, she knew she was too old for whimsy dressing.

This skirt (Ottobre 05-2007-09) however is part of a more disciplined regime to make more clothes that are suitable for my lifestyle. The requirements are as follows:

- fabrics must be comfortable and durable, easy to launder and easy to care for
- styles must allow movement
- clothes must represent personal style, a little interesting, a little quirky, a little ugly, a little old fashioned, a little home made looking, a little fun but ONLY A LITTLE. Smirk, not guffaw

and I think this skirt nicely ticks the boxes, don't you?

back pocket, indearingly wonky:

front pocket, could be lifted from one of their children's editions:

.. and some very cute vintage cotton drill. Very happy with this skirt. Now I really do have to knuckle under and sew those tee shirts. In theory I have nothing against going out and purchasing them. In practice it would be like asking a vegetarian to go to a steak house and only eat off the salad bar. Could be done, in theory.

The bold coat

2011-05-08T13:40:00.008+12:00

Well, as you can see, I had a change of mind when it came to my RTW project. I chose another coat (now there's a surprise) and made it more climate and lifestyle friendly by making it in denim.

I liked the idea of this denim very much - polka dots, woven, not printed.

The pattern is Simplicity 2311, which I loved on Elizabeth. I had some doubts about the wisdom of the lapel size on me though. Something Gok said about not adding more to an already generously proportioned area. Mostly though I am concerned by the fit which typically for me with Simplicity is very small on the front (before alterations) and very big on the back.

I really enjoy wearing this coat because it's a lot of fun. When the weather gets greyer it'll come into its own.

The waist band is a bit of a mystery - it doesn't really add any shaping at all but seems to just want to lounge about snuggled into its enormous carrier.

Happy mother's day to all the mums out there. Thank you to Sherry for 'parenting' her sewing babies through this complicated journey!

Housekeeping

2011-05-02T11:48:00.000+12:00

It's time for some (blog) housekeeping - not the real kind of course, that never gets done around here..

I've been tagged for a me-me and an award so thank you all for thinking of me! ( I mean you, EmilyKate, Big in Japan and Katie)

It is lovely to be included in this wonderful blog community even if saying so sounds such a cliche.

Now I'm going to combine the meme and award together and answer some of the questions of both:

1) shoe size - 38.

2) kissed anyone I shouldn't have?
Of course. I imagine a life of regret otherwise.

3) 30's or 60's

Oh definitely 60's - the time of hope and freedom and the desire to make difference. The 30's were characterised by the Great Depression and the lead up to WW11.

4) Ever been poisoned
Food poisoned many many times. When I first moved up North I got it quite frequently. I think it was because in my home town you don't need to worry about food hygiene so much because of the cold.

5) Famous people you'd like to meet?
This question surprises me and it's simply because it assumed that I thought famous people were - per se - worth meeting. The people I enjoy meeting are kind and funny and you don't have to be famous to be either of those so I have to say "pass." (you know how only 2 billion people watched the royal wedding - I was one of the other 3 billion).

6) There are 3 periods of my life I would describe as extremely challenging. I am in the middle of one of them right now. I do believe it is making me a better person though. Oh yes nothing like fire for refining. I have to say, what keeps me sane is sewing. Having something else to focus on, something enjoyable and useful, is very therapeutic.

7) I recently won a copy of the "Dress Circle" - a wonderful book about the history of fashion in New Zealand. I was amazed to learn that the biggest competition for early designers in this country were home sewers. Apparently New Zealand women were excellent seamstresses - a skill handed down from mother to daughter. I have to say that the only thing I would have learned about sewing from my mother was swearing. (no disrespect intended dear mama)

Anyway, the authors of the Dress Circle are giving a talk in about a month's time - to which I have already purchased tickets and I feel I shall have to put an excellent home sewn outfit together to mark the occasion. If I am brave enough when they ask for questions at the end, I shall ask, "do you ever think home sewers will be a threat to designers in this country again?"

At any rate, I am embarrassed to admit I am almost finished another coat which is the basis of the outfit I shall wear to this talk. It's very bold people, very bold.

At this stage I'm not imagining any New Zealand designers are going to feel under a great deal of pressure.

We have just come back from a holiday in Rotorua - I popped into the local fabric shop and the woman was wearing a home sewn outfit from top to toe - she looked really nice but you could tell it was homesewn. Not because it was unprofessional or weird looking - it was just not ready to wear. There's always a little something that makes homesewn things stand apart. Maybe professional designers need never fear the home sewer - the product is as different and unique as the seamstress who conjured them up.

..and more jeans.

2011-04-23T11:05:00.000+12:00

Burda 7738 with the bottom flare narrowed by 5/8 inch each piece, each side:

Front, make no mistake these are definitely your daughter's jeans - rise is an inch below belly button:

My sister calls me the fabric whisper after my habit of asking the fabric how it wants to be made up. I know this is a successful way of working with fabric for me, because what it necessitates is choosing the pattern on the basis of the qualities of the fabric.

When I made the last pair of jeans, it was because I liked the Ottobre pattern and wanted to try it, so I used some denim I had on hand. What I have since learned about denim, though, is that it varies tremendously both in look and feel. The thing about the denim I used is that it was slightly stretchy, thin, and a little shiny. That meant that every wrinkle was going to be very obvious. In short, this denim did not want to be made into mom-jeans. No ho ho. And let's face it - with its high waist and easy fit leg, that Ottobre jean is as mom-jean as they come.

I had enough to make another pair of jeans, and this time me and the demin had a good chat. Closer fitting, bootleg with a burnt orange top stitching detail. That is what is said. It also requested something cute for the pocket.

Burda 7738, fifth attempt, and good enough, but still not pants perfection. (if there is such a thing)

When I went to the Bernina shop to pick up the thread, I couldn't find anything even close to what I had imagined. Carol, the shop manager, told me to buy 2 spools of ordinary thread but thread the machine twice. You put the second spool on the back spool, thread as usual and because denim needles have a big eye, you can thread it with two threads. Amazingly it worked, with no tension issues, and suddenly a whole new world of top stitching has been opened to me.

I started off with two hearts but it was too strong a motif, so I made one a standard jean pocket and then curved off the second to form the heart. The top part was sewn first, before applying, so that the pocket is functional.

I would like to revisit the Ottobre jeans at some point. When I laid the Burda and Ottobre jeans patterns on top of each other, I found the backs were identical but there was a 3 cm variance in the front - Burda was a whole size smaller at the front. So there we go, what I suspected was true, but in rather a surprising way.

The Jalie jeans are not for me - they have negative ease and rely on your body filling out the fabric to eliminate wrinkles. This technique is refered to as "the sausage casing" effect. Whether you suit this looks depends on the nature and arrangement of your stuffing.

Righty ho, next up I'm going to belt out a couple of tee shirts and then I'll try and play catch up on the jacket sewalong.

Jeans

2011-04-18T13:56:00.003+12:00

"I cannot imagine myself as a designer of clothes that imitate catwalk trends. It would probably also be boring: who wants to design clothes only for young, slim and beautiful people - anything suits them."

I'm quoting from the head designer from Ottobre magazine. It makes me laugh at her design philosophy because what she's saying - in effect - is that she enjoys designing for old, fat and ugly people. Hey and I applaud her for it.

I didn't go to too much effort with these jeans (05-2007-10) - because I was pretty sure, this being my first run through them and my first real attempt at Ottobre trousers, that they would fit badly and end up in the recycle bin. I absolutely prefer to make test garments to muslins, because the proof of the fit is in the wearing. I have twice made jeans that look fantastic (standing up) but by the end of the day I have tingly lady bits. And you know, that can become a real hygiene issue in a humid climate. Just saying.

I have since developed the philosophy that the perfect fit is not that perfect. Without back baggies you don't have enough ease to bend, and without a little sag there is not enough length to enable you to sit in comfort. Some wrinkles are definitely worth having.

Having said that, these are too big. Comfy yes, flattering, not really.

So from this, I know that Ottobre jeans have more ease than Burda ones and that I can probably go down a size in Ottobre, something I wouldn't dare in Burda. I think my fabric choice had a bit to play in this as well - I used a medium denim with 2% elastane. A sturdier fabric would look and feel quite different.

I used a lining fabric on the pockets and rolled it slightly to the outside to create a piping finish:

I'm a little unsure where to go next - down to Jeans West for the "curve embracer" or another crack at this pattern, a size smaller.

Nerdy, but noice*

2011-04-10T11:58:00.008+12:00

Post editing note: after seeing yesterday's pictures I managed to let out the side seams enough to let off a little pressure. Here I am after my morning's shopping with son. I did full geek chic look with cord skirt and retro hand bag. I needed all the help I could get because we went shoe shopping, which for a little boy, is the equivalent of shopping HELL. For his mother, it is shopping hell with extra brimstone and sulphur on the side.

*noice = nice, spoken with a NZ accent.

Ottobre 05-2010-04 (renee top)

After I saw my sister's nerdy 'bots yesterday, I got nerd envy really bad. I really wanted to make myself a pair of civil servant shorts but I did manage enough of a grip on reality to tame it back.

And lo! Look at all the restraint I showed. First up, I bypassed a lilac knit for a mottled blue. I ignored the overwhelming desire to pile on the rosettes but made the puff sleeves instead.

The fabric is high performance merino sportswear, purchased for a few bucks at a liquidation sale. It's nylon waffle weave on the back and merino on the front. (The closest this thing will get to high performance is trying to drag my 3 year old out of the ice cream shop.)

In theory it's probably not the most flattering look for me, mainly because this knit has a firmer hand, clinging to every lump and bumb with a little more vigour than I'd prefer. Still, I lurve it because it brings a smile to my face. Some clothes can really make you feel like royalty, and me, I'm chanelling the Queen in this one.

The puffed sleeve in more detail:

Simple Sewing

2011-04-09T10:43:00.000+12:00

If - as in the Buddhist tradition - difficult and challenging people are our best teachers, then I am being taught by pros at the moment. What this means is that I do not have the head space to complete a tailored jacket this month. I go into the sewing room, feel overwhelmed, and go to bed early.

I decided the only remedy was some very simple quick gratification projects, the kind that you wear to death and whip up in a couple of evenings. In short, knits.

This is Ottobre, 05-2007-12. Ottobre make it far too easy to back order copies, and what I was really after was the jeans pattern, but I got distracted with the promise of some easy sewing.

Ottobre knits fit me very well, and I love the fact that they use simple styles with small details to make them a little more special. This scoop neck top has balloon sleeves and side gathers. Here I am using up a piece of honeycomb merino I picked up last year at Global. You may even be secretly thrilled to learn I paid full price for it.

Balloon sleeve

Side gathers

I was going to make two of these actually - another in some black merino, which I picked up for a bargain price at Nicks (sorry about that) but one is enough. The final length of this top, which is quite long, actually limits what it can be worn with. Still, a top that can be worn with jeans is a mighty useful thing to have in this mum's wardrobe.

The Jacket Sewalong

2011-03-29T14:06:00.000+13:00

Well, I've joined the jacket sewalong hosted by Sherry (see the button in the side bar for the link)- and this oldish dog is looking forward to learning some new tricks.

I have been hunting for a while for the right pattern - I learned a long time ago that I only like to wear stretch on the top and will only wear a jacket if it is required out of doors to keep me warm while walking somewhere. For this reason, it had to be a warm but casual affair.

The fabric was some vintage wool I scored off Trade-me (NZ's ebay) - I was so paranoid about it having moth holes I asked the seller twice to check for them! No worries, he said, it's been stored in moth balls for the past 50 years.

He was not wrong. When it first arrived it stank so badly I had to store it in an isolation unit - a plastic box far away from anything else. Then I read up about how to get rid of the smell of moth balls. I read somewhere that sunlight and a fresh breeze will do the trick. They don't. I then decided to throw it through the washing machine with some wool wash and on a wool cycle. I figured if the fabric was too delicate for the washing machine it was too delicate for me.

After the first wash and line dry it smelled a lot better. I then threw it in a second time and after that it now just smells a little like soured perfume.

The fabric is so unusual - beautiful colours that you could not find now.

For the pattern, by a twist of fate, I ended up choosing the Jorinde pattern from the BurdaStyle downloadable section. It is free, which warmed the cockles of my thrifty heart.

The model picture I find a little curious - exactly why is she hovering in the doorway of the men's toilets? Or is it a gentleman's club? Either way, hanging round a men's only area wearing velvet and cheap lace gives the impression she might be on the job, if you know what I mean.

(Karin, did you notice the blue button - they repeated it in the sleeve buttons and the same colour is in the lining, I'm really liking that surprise of the offbeat colour)

It also has the worst instructions ever, straight from google translate. There is a lot of talk about piping and piping straps. I think they mean welt pockets, but since there are no directions for cutting welt strips anywhere on the pattern that's just an educated guess.

I spent Saturday night piecing the paper together and then cutting out the pieces - because of the paper I can't tissue fit it, so I cut and pinned a quick muslin.

It was an enjoyable evening's work because I could do it in front of the TV - which I never normally watch- and found the Aussie programme " the farmer wants a wife" strangely compelling. It is a reality show following 6 farmers whose rural location and social isolation makes it difficult for them to find a partner. The reality show sets them up on a whole lot of dates, and they have to choose one to partner up with. Although I find myself wishing the men the best of luck, I want to shout at the women, "don't go there! you do not want to spend your life in the middle of nowhere where you have nothing in common with any of the people you never get to see!"

(if anyone reading this lives in a farming district in Australia, tell me, is it as lonely and tough for the women as I fear?)

So now I'm ready to sewalong, but because of my advanced rated jacket with front pockets set into piping straps I think it may well turn into a swear-a-long.

The dress that decided itself.

2011-03-24T14:54:00.003+13:00

I bought this fabric at the Zambesi sale last year - I had 5 minutes to grab some stuff as I was parked on restricted parking and I had no way of paying for the ticket. There were some beautiful fabrics there, and I wish I'd had a chance to fully acquaint myself with them. I would have come back with many new friends.

As it was I had time for this this fabric, a wool remnant, and some beautiful lining fabric. The fabric was sold to me by the designer for Zambesi herself so I had a chance to ask her what they used it for - a pencil skirt, apparently, but she also suggested it would look good as a simple sheath or shift dress.

Front:

Back:

I immediately thought of this pattern (Burda 05-2010-108) and it was like it just wanted to be made this way. I found myself going down to the Bernina shop to buy the zip, and hunting down the pattern before I'd even consciously decided to make it. I read in the New Scientist recently that before we consciously tell our bodies to do something, a brain signal has already been sent to the appropriate limb. In other words, we decide something and then we have the conscious thought, and this dress was an embodiment of that principle.

This dress was made to wear out to dinner this week. Our Thursday night supper club is going posh this week to celebrate a birthday, and I thought it would be good to wear something simple, but with pedigree.

Now if I could get a bag and shoes with some pedigree we'd be sorted - I once dated a guy who sold very expensive jewellery to the Parnell set. He told me never judge a woman's financial status by her clothes - the money was always in her accessories.

The denim dress.

2011-03-16T12:45:00.001+13:00

I am fond of a good denim dress. With the stiff fabric they tend not to cling and who can argue with their wash'n'wear laundry 'tude.

As soon as I saw this design in Ottobre (02-2011-14) I knew I would be making it in denim but had to cast around for a sleeve option - it's a little past sleeveless season now (for those who need to know, I subbed in Burda 05-2010- 112).

Just one word of warning about this dress - I am short and I lengthened it 4 cms. It is still above my knee. That's totally OK for someone who likes to show their thigh spread when they sit down, or who enjoys flashing the playground with their underpants when they bend over. Not so great for those more modesty inclined -henceforth I believe some dreaded mamma leggings will be out in force.

At any rate, I still love this dress, and see myself making it a few times over, although slightly longer.

Vintage buttons on the front:

Left off the breast pockets and eventually the hip pockets will have buttons too but it may take a while to find a compatible button:

Front view:

Back view:

.. and many thanks to gMarie for my Stylish blogger award!

(Aucklanders may be interested to know that I purchased this denim at Global Fabrics but I see that Nick's has just got it in for $4 a metre)

The strands of life

2011-03-06T15:41:00.001+13:00

Simplicity 2403

I've been thinking a lot this last week about the stands of life - when I bought this fabric, I bought it solely because it reminded me of the colour my hair used to be. I then teamed it with some fur on the collar to what my hair is becoming.

Another reason I thought about the strands of life is how sometimes echos from the past can come into the present. One of the women I started my very first craft club with died in the Canterbury quake. This was more than 20 years ago, and I may never have even thought of her again had her death not been the result of such a catastrophic event. We worked together in a resort town, in the far backwaters of the South Island, and we were both working our student vacation cleaning hotel rooms. We were immediately set apart from the rest of the staff because we were students - further aggravated by the fact we didn't drink and were saving all our money! If word had got around that we also met to sew patchwork, do embroidery and knit we would have been mocked out of town.

I spent a year of my life in Christchurch and ended up in Auckland through the twists and turns of fate that all of us encounter in our lives - a decision to go here, do this work, date this person and marry that one. We are often blissfully unaware of what might have happened on the road not taken, the precariousness of life sheltered from us.

Such were the thoughts going through my head as I was making this dress, thinking about the things that have happened in my life from when my hair was one colour and what it is becoming as it changes to the next.

The other thing about it that reminds me a bit of life's journey is the huge number of mistakes, false steps, unpicking and recutting I had to do on it. Let me list them for you here

- recut front facing (forgot to lengthen after FBA)]
- sewed collar stand and collar and made a dreadful job of it, unpicked whole thing
- recut collar stand, threw out old collar and decided to use fur instead,
- recut and sewed new collar.
- recut front waistband - forgot that a 2 inch FBA is only for one side so had to add 4 inches to waist, grrr.
- let out one set of front pleats because miscalculated the difference between the top and bottom
- resewed invisible zipper as had twisted one side round the wrong way. grrr.
- recut one sleeve, lost it somewhere
- resewed one sleeve, put it in inside out
- ran out of thread and had to finish with black
- stuffed up the buttonholes, mercifully hidden by the buttons

Well, as you know, we do have to suffer for our art.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to wash the dress because the fur collar is attached, but then I though, "hey, it's BROWN, not like anyone's going to know."

I am in two minds about the fate of this dress - as is, I can tell you it does not look good. I am tossing up whether to literally cut my losses and severe it at the bodice to make a plain skirt or just to donate the whole thing to the Sally Army. At this stage I'm probably leaning towards the former so I can reuse the cute leather buttons.

Well, after all that work and all that frustration, a wadder.

That, as they say, is life.

Pillows

2011-02-27T09:00:00.000+13:00

It is impossible to write this post without mentioning the Canterbury earthquake - the loss and trauma of the event has rocked the country. Still up here where I live, it could be another world - life carries on as usual and yet for so many life will never be the same again. My thoughts are with all effected.

I have to admit I was somewhat preoccupied by the events of this week and other personal disappointments which meant sewing wise it was not a particularly productive week. I managed to crank out two pillows and you would think I was making a wedding dress of silk chiffon with all the headache it caused me. Over pillows. Yes, pillows. (the piping, getting the measurements right, the single lapped zippers etc)

Pillow inners from the Sally Army, fabric from the Red Cross and zippers from St Vincent de Paul. That makes the whole thing not just thrifted, but worthily thrifted.

A little embroidery stitching..

I have never shown these pillows on the blog, but they are also wholesome charity shop creations. I used an old blanket and various bric a brac picked up on my op shop travels - a framed embroidered picture, now framed with piping, a piece of fillet crochet, some old buttons, some scraps of upholstery fabric.

Accumluating these 'treasures' takes a lot of rummaging. For every successful trip to the op shop, I would leave 5 times empty handed. It also takes a bit of faith - can this 65 cm red jacket zipper really be used somehow, somewhere - after all, I don't want to turn my own home into a vestibule for the detritus that lines most charity shops.

And yes, the things I end up with are absolute bargains. Each pillow cost $4 to make (US $3) and there will be enough fabric leftover to make a couple of shopping bags which I'll probably stash away as gifts to give my son's teachers at preschool. Last year I gave them each a box of chocolates and a card that read, "here's 2 kgs for Christmas."

My obsession with thrifting bargains is in part genetic but also I must confess I love the thrill of the chase - the opportunity to realise something quite new and unexpected from such unpromising beginnings. It's a lot of fun, even when you do end up unpicking and resewing over a stupid zipper.

The pea pod linen purse

2011-02-19T13:42:00.001+13:00

It was my mother in law's birthday recently and I made her a bag. I am feeling very virtuous about this, and I have a little fantasy that she may say proudly to her friends, "oh you like it? my daughter in law made it for me, so sweet. Does your daughter make anything for you? No? Never mind, I'm sure she's a lovely person anyway" (my own mother at this point may be saying, 'hey then where's MY bag).

Like most fantasies it is probably far removed from reality, probably about as far from reality as the deep darkest depths of the wardrobe where this little bag will end up.

At least it was fun to make. I used this free pattern from Ottobre and lined it with fabric given to me by my mother in law (which was the inspiration for this piece.)

And would you believe it, but I actually purchased the proper interfacing and bought proper linen for the outer. For once I didn't swap out for something cheaper, so the whole thing came in around $40 (US $30).

There are 2 myths about homemade bags that I immediately wish to dispel: that they are cheap to make (see above) and that they are quick to whip up. This bag, with its 4 pockets and padding and bias tape finish took as long to make as a pair of jeans. What's more it was even harder as the base is very hard to manipulate through the machine.

Surprising isn't it? Homemade bags just look like they should be cheap'n'easy.

This blog post wouldn't be complete without the compulsory scowl shot, but actually I want to show you the proportions against a human body because although it's called a purse, it must be one designed for Imelda Marcos and several pairs of shoes.

Let me now talk a little about fabric graffiti as several of you expressed interest in this idea. It is not my idea at all, I got it from a book I am reading called "Alchemy arts" - here on the front cover you can see her taking to her petticoat with a felt tip. (She's putting BIRDS on it pa ha ha aaaaaahhh).

I had to google around to find the setting instructions. The general consensus is to heat treat the pen first (good dry press on the hottest temperature your fabric will tolerate) then soak in a solution 1 litre of water to 1/2 cup salt. Some recipes also include 1 cup of white vinegar.

After the first wash, it looks pretty good. There is some bleeding in some places, minor only, so my guess is that the heat setting part of the process is crucial to the overall 'take' of the pen.

And now I am going to confess something to you, this skirt is going to the deepest darkest depths of my wardrobe, because I don't like it.

Strange isn't it? Things that should work, don't, things that shouldn't work, do. A pencil skirt should work, sausage dogs having fun are my favourite motif. It should all work, but it doesn't. I don't regret for a second giving it a go though, that's the only way to know for sure. What's more you never know where this experiment might lead.

Put a dog on it*

2011-02-13T12:54:00.009+13:00

I am really enjoying my subscription to La Mia Boutique. I haven't been able to sew much from it yet, because of the seasonal differences, but the patterns are both simple and unusual, a combination that I really enjoy.

As part of my month of "make do and mend" - I decided to use up some scraps to make a test garment for LMB 12-2010-18.

The lovely thing about a test garment is you can test all kinds of things, so I thought why not try out some fabric graffiti?

Fabric graffiti is where you take your trusty sharpy and have some fun doodling on the fabric. To permanently set the sharpie thereafter, you need to heat set it with a hot dry iron, then soak in a salt solution, then forever after wash in cold water.

I decided I would go with my favourite motif: the fun loving daschund, here involved in some smelling activity, some of it more savoury than others.

I wore this out this morning and received no comments either good or bad, which probably reflects my feelings on it. Truth be told it was fun to do, but I would probably have preferred the skirt left plain. The effect is a little over the top for me, I prefer things to be subtlety silly.

At any rate, making the skirt from scraps has enabled me to assess it as a pattern and it has great promise.

This skirt will be back in my wardrobe soon, in something more sedate.

*the title of this post refers to this fantastic youtube clip (thank you Amy for telling me about it!)

Fix it February

2011-02-06T12:28:00.001+13:00

Thank you for all you lovely comments on the Macaron dress. Yes, I see it in my future too, because having parted 40 bucks for the pattern (I can hear your sharp intake of breath from here) I want to get value for money out of it. Besides, how much easier will it be second time when all the alterations have been done already? (oh and yes, that was piping you saw, I put a line of piping in between upper and lower bodice to soften the transition between the fabrics).

I decided that this month I wanted to spend some quality time going through all my "almost nearly right" projects to see if I could make them "I really rather like this."

First up, the "frump" dress - a Simplicity one (sorry can't find the number now) which was the culmination of many bad choices. I still liked the fabric though, and decided it would benefit from some "less is more" treatment.

I got rid of the collar - which is a combined stand and collar number and never sat properly, shortened the sleeves and the hem and added a belt to give is some much needed waist shaping. A big improvement - I wore it today and got a compliment, always a good sign, because when people don't like something I make they say, "did you make that?" followed by "oh."

Next up, I had to fix the Amy Butler weekender bag. I broke the zip trying to stuff some fabric I bought at the op shop in. I don't know about you but replacing zips is not my favourite form of sewing so this time I invested in some heavy metal.

If you are thinking of sewing this bag, be warned about the fate of plastic zippers:

And look how nicely the new zip matches the lining:

Finally, I had to do something about this coat (Burda 11-2008- 107). Double breasted knee length wool coats are too hot for this climate and I will never make another. I can wear this about a week a year without overheating. The problem is that the front overlap adds considerable warmth, and has to be worn closed in order to hang nicely.

The design was always a bit of a risk. I loved the pleats and waist shaping but the collar and collar stand are totally out of proportion and have a propensity to sit flat, giving rise to the nickname, "the jester jacket."

I think the real problem for me with this coat is that it would be better on a bigger person. By bigger I mean taller and broader. All the details are so large scale that I feel a bit swamped in it.

here's another view - all in all, I didn't do too bad a job with this, but at the time it was actually beyond my skill level - my hands were shaking with fear as I finished the hems!

To fix this was going to take considerably more effort than the other two projects. I wanted to reduce the size of the collar and stand, take up the pleats at the bottom, put in some side inset pockets and convert it to a single breasted button through.

To do this, I had to get out my old pattern drafting books, because one thing I've learned about sewing, when you wing it, it shows.

Full length view so you can see the new proportions (and my white as white pants - the day is yet young):

I left the shoulder tab on as a reminder of what it had once been:

The vintage buttons I used on the front:

I really enjoyed all of these refashioning projects as they required me to be more creative than usual. What's more, all the pieces of fabric came from the Sally Army, which also made me be more creative than usual.

There are several reasons why I am "making do and mending" this month. One is because we are planning a major renovation on our house but I'm not sure when, or where we'll be living while the roof's off. I'm mentally starting some of the clean up process now. Secondly, it's easy to get into the mentality of "what's next" when you're sewing. More patterns, more fabric, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things to make. This process has enabled me to take a few steps back and it's very satisfying to bring the potential of these garments out.

So now it's back to the wardrobe to find other things that would benefit from a little attention. There is no shortage of worthy projects.

The Macaron Dress

2011-01-31T13:11:00.009+13:00

This dress is the result of my growing interest in what I call "having a dialogue with the fabric."

I say, "how do you want me to make you up?"
It said, "Macaron dress please."
I said, "well you've sure got expensive tastes coz that's gonna cost me a bomb to import."
It said, "but I'm worth it."

And it was.

Pockets in action:

Details follow of FBA for Macaron Dress if you need to add more fullness to both upper and lower bodice pieces:

1. Overlap upper and lower bodice pieces 3 cms centre front (to remove the seam allowance, this will be an approximation because of the curved pieces) Trace the new piece ready for manipulation.

2. Do your FBA, mark your bust apex and shift darts accordingly.

3. Mark where the front upper bodice must meet the back so that the pieces match at the side seam (here you can see how the pieces meet under the arm)

4. Use your french curve to mark the new cutting line.

5. Cut and add new seam allowances to the cut pieces.

6. Make sure to alter the waistband piece and skirt pieces the same amount so that all pieces fit together.

7. Compare your pieces with original and sigh the sigh of she who must always spend hours altering patterns.

Edited to add a better picture of the fabric:

On Op shops and tank tops

2011-01-19T13:32:00.001+13:00

I love op shopping (charity or thrift stores) and there's nothing I like better than a fabric bargain, so you can imagine the thrill I got the other day when I was in the op shop and the assistant said to me, "oh we've got a new lot of fabric out the back that I haven't had a chance to sort yet, would you like to have a look through?"

Would I like to have a look through? Pa ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

I got seven marvellous pieces that cost me all of $9, but I felt a bit guilty and made a donation on top because buying them that cheap felt like one step removed from shop lifting.

And here's another funny op shop story for you. I had just finished going through the fabric box when a woman approached me and said, "I don't know what the etiquette of this is, but I read your blog." Way hey hey, my 15 seconds of fame. I milked it for all it was worth when I got home. "I'm too famous to do the dishes." And when my son pushed me out of the room so he could have his Dad all to himself I said, "mobbed by fans."

That's NZ for you though - it's really just one big village.

Now some of you are bound to find this very silly but the new pair of white trousers features underpants on the pockets. I got to thinking about how one reason people don't wear white jeans is the knicker show through - then I thought, why not make a feature of that and pretend like you can see my nanna knickers on the back. So I designed these full briefs with low cut legs and decorative elastic. No need to worry about visible panty line now. The great thing is that to a casual observer they'll just look like a series of decorative lines, but once you know what they are, that's all you can see.

One of my sisters was curious to know why I didn't go whole hog and put a thong or y fronts on, but that would cross the line from smirkery to mockery. Keep it smart, keep it subtle.

I also thought the whole white dirt thing is no big deal either. It's just like linen that never looks ironed, white never looks clean.
"oh gosh, look at all those marks, so dirty already" and that could be 5 days later. Truth be told they are filthy in 20 seconds flat. What's more white doesn't even stay white in the wash. If you think these look light blue, guess which idiot put them in with a non colourfast blue tee? That's right, that idiot was ME.

Next to blue, they still look white though, but Gail was right - that 2% elastane has taken these pants up a half size. I now have to wear them with a belt! Still, when I sit down, I am loving that extra room.

(top: Burda 07-2010-121, jeans Burda 7738).

I am working on the navy tank and in theory it should be an evening's work but it's taking forever. Sewing two jackets and two pairs of jeans in 3 weeks has knocked it out of me. So here I am struggling to the end of this outfit over a simple tank top.

Them's the breaks.

The white jean - Burda 7738

2011-01-13T16:54:00.002+13:00

This gives you a better idea of the leg shape:

I love these white jeans but they have one fault. Christmas has been and gone and left its 'adieu' on my waistline. They are fine for everyday use but boderline comfortable after a meal and sitting down. Considering I made these to wear to a wedding, where there will be a lot of sitting, and some rather immoderate eating, I am going to have to make these again a size larger at the waist.
Harumph!

Still I had fun and that's all I ask when sewing. Do you like my back pockets? I thought I was very clever until I did some online shopping and found every designer in the country is flogging these motifs. (NZers will instantly recognise them as being Kowhai and a fantail, ...um, you did, didn't you? Mothers the world over will recognise the nutella stain next the pocket, sigh, already yes only a day into wearing)

I love the idea of the Stitcher's Guild wardrobe competition which requires every item to have a technique to master. I thought I'd try the RTW technique of neatening the edge and stitching in the ditch on the outside to catch the inside facing. I am hooked. It is THE way to sew fly fronted waistbands.

So I went back to buy some more white jean fabric this time some with 2% elastane. The shop I bought it from was advertising it as $19.90 a metre down from $49.90. Yeah right, like someone would pay $50 a metre for denim! I felt like saying to the woman, "who do you think it going to fall for this outrageous piece of false advertising," but probably they think anyone wanting to sew white denim had a few brain cells missing anyway. Besides, best not bite the hand that sells you fabric.

Righty ho - back to the sewing machine. Choppity chop, just a week now to sew another pair of jeans and make the sleeveless navy tank.

PS my Queensland sewing buddies - I am shocked and appalled by what is happening in your state. My thoughts are with you.

Second time lucky (no really, this time)

2011-01-10T15:38:00.005+13:00

Burda 06 -2010- 114

Back

The buttons and lining - the buttons are vintage and the lining is viscose from the Zambesi fabric sale ($2 a metre, read it and weep).

Well this is my second attempt at this post, the first I took down because of technical difficulties, so it really is second time lucky on all fronts!

After wearing my "test garment" (thank you Gail) for a day I was able to adjust the fit. The shoulders formed creases where my shoulder was narrower than the pattern, and so I just creased them out! The front kept sliding off, so I increased the FBA on the side part with the hope the deeper cut would make it stay put. It doesn't. Hmm. More to learn.

I then wanted to make another test garment, to see if these changes were enough, and then I remembered the story of Borana. My brother was really into horse racing as a teenager and one year he predicted a rank outsider, called Borana, would win the trotting cup. He talked of nothing else the week before, but at the last minute, when he saw the odds were 76-1 he lost faith and put his money on the favourite. Coming into the last lap Borana was last, but put on a brave sprint to win the cup. It still stands as one of the highest payouts to win on the trotting cup and my brother was guttered.

Although I remember feeling upset for him at the time I think the biggest killer was losing faith in his own judgement in the face of a strong consensus believing differently.

The moral of the story for me is that sometimes you have to trust what you believe and take a chance, and so I took a deep breath and cut into the silk dupioni.

Because it was silk I had a go at underlining the fabric instead of interfacing. I used cotton batiste, cut out all the outside shell pieces, put them together with the silk, rolled them over a magazine along the grain line for turn of cloth and pinned out the excess. I then handbasted all the pieces together, after removing the hems to avoid a double layer at the bottom.

It was long and it was tedious. Was it any better than interfacing? No idea, but it took twice the time.

I am making this jacket as part of an ensemble to wear to a family wedding. The really nice thing about this wedding is that it is not the first marriage of either party. Whatever the reasons people marry again, either through death or divorce, you can be sure that between the first and subsequent marriages there has been a lot of heartache. For this reason I find these kinds of weddings even more sweet that first time affairs, because it speaks of resilience and hope and life going on.

I was so pleased to be able to use this silk. I bought it in a closing down sale, because I loved the colour but silk dupioni has to be made very carefully because it's another fabric that can be very aging if the pattern is too conservative or expected. I thought this pattern was edgy enough to take the dentures out of the fabric and reveal its pearly lustre.

So now it's on to the other parts of this wedding outfit ensemble - the white flares and navy tank. I have the white fabric ready and its a rich buttery off white. It will be soon made into a flared jeans. Women who wear white jeans have a certain rep in this country but I'm sure no-one will be thinking anything untoward when it is paired with silk dowageroni.

I have styled this with a navy tee and some jeans so you can get the idea of where I'm heading with this. You may have doubts about this concept and frankly so do I. There's just one word that keeps me going, "Borana".

The art of the wearable muslin

2011-01-03T17:59:00.002+13:00

Happy New Year everyone! May your sewing be fun and your work wearable. Now how's that for a sewing blessing?

I have loved this jacket (BurdaStyle 06-2010-114) for quite some time, and while I was in sunny Nelson, far from Internet access and a sewing machine, I kept thinking how I'd love to make it in silk dupioni, and wear it with white flares and a navy blue tank top. I could not get the image out of my head, and so the quest to make the whole outfit as I see it in my mind's eye was born.

I wanted to muslin it first, as there are a number of areas I thought might get me into trouble and I was right. My preference is for wearable muslins, because I don't like wasting my time or my resources and a jacket is pretty big time investment to go straight to the bin.

The secret to a wearable muslin is to choose fabric with a similar hand so it will behave in similar ways to your final fabric but to create a different mood to it by using fabric which makes a different statement.

I therefore decided to make this muslin a relaxed summer jacket by making it unlined, unbuttoned, and using some more of the cotton linen blend I used for my cargo pocket skirt.

I used Gigi's Hong Kong finish tutorial to finish the facings and hems, but overlocked all the princess and side seams as they were too curved to take a binding treatment, and I needed to be able to alter them for fit at a later stage.

The instructions on this jacket were as clever as they were indecipherable. When I finally understood what they were telling me to do I felt so smug. For example, in order to get the front lapel to sit flat they get you to pin the roll line....

...then roll the roll line and then pin the edges and sew using the outer edge as the guide. isn't that a clever way for a hobby seamstress to master the art of turn of cloth without having to draft anything?

The shoulders and raglan sleeve are dramatically curved which makes fitting difficult - the pattern calls for raglan shoulder pads to support the area so leaving them out was problematic.

So here is my first item for 2011. I am very happy with it!

P.S.
I have been falling behind in my commenting - like many other bloggers I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with what everyone is doing! Please know that I still love what you are making and read with interest - if I don't leave a comment it's not because your post or sewing is undeserving and I hope you feel free to do the same with my blog.

2010-12-23T14:23:00.001+13:00

According to Karl Largerfeld (as quoted in October BurdaStyle which has ONLY JUST arrived here), you are either born with style or you are not. I can almost imagine him sighing whistfully as he added, "it's unfair."

I think style is on a cline. Some people have oodles of it and are way down one end, some have next to none and are down the other. All the rest (of which I include myself) are somewhere in the middle - good days, bad days, successes and failures some great looks, some not so great.

Although I admire stylish people tremendously I do not feel great envy that I am not in their camp. I am much more interested in following ideas though, and as I have said before, I have a soft spot for ugliness and frumpiness that will never see me looking sharp and chic. That's the way I like it. I would never in a million years pay a consultant to tell me how to dress.

All of this is a long winded way of saying that I was drawn to this fabric, a silk crepe, because of its ugliness. The colours I knew would suit me, but this fabric had an unpleasant nannerish quality that repelled a lot of people (hence on the sale rack) but suckered me in.

While I was flicking through some summer back issues of Burda I kept coming back to this dress, although I had a lot of doubts about the pattern, my instinct was to give it a shot.

Burda 06-2010-106

Because silk crepe is very slippery I had to take a lot of care on what would otherwise be a very straightforward pattern. I stabilised the neckline with bias strips of interfacing cut from the pattern measurements to hold the neckline and stop any gaping, and I interfaced where the zipper was going in to firm it up. I also did some hand basting, which is the most effective way I know to tame slithery fabric. I didn't even toy with the idea of french seams, because I didn't make a muslin and so wanted to be able to alter the seams quickly and easily.....there, I've relieved you of the torture of impeccable finish but an overlocker (serger) is plenty good enough for me.

Front view

Back view

The one regret I have is that I didn't hand baste the sleeves. Because they were set in the round I was lulled into a false sense of security that there was not too much easing required but they are not sitting flat which means there was far more curve in them than I thought. Never mind - who's looking at my shoulders with a neckline that low?

This pattern was designed to be an apres beach cover up and its relaxed style meant I felt no guilt at all at using a rolled hem finish on the sleeves and hem. (rolled hem: right needle 4, top looper 4, bottom looper 6.75, width medium, rolled hem setting length 1.25) Yes very low end ready to wear but once I'd decided to neaten the edges on the overlocker I was well on the way of that slippery slope called nice'n'easy construction.

So that's my very last sewing achievement for this year. I am off to Nelson for Christmas to bully my sister into letting me help her sew a dress. She wants to sew it herself blog friends, and she doesn't want to do a FBA but insists on making everything 2 sizes too big instead. I cannot allow that to happen, especially if beautiful fabric is going to be harmed in its making.

The "shapris" pant

2010-12-18T13:23:00.001+13:00

Capris can be modern and sharp or they can be terribly aging. I saw a young girl in a beige pair yesterday that would be too old for an 80 year old.

In the shops here I saw a really nice pair of light denim capris that the stylist had rolled up to the knee. I thought that was a fresh way to wear them, 17 or 70 and have knicknamed them the "shapris" - the short capris.

I used Ottobre magazine, 02-2007-14 , but hemmed them without adding the cuff so I could roll them up. I also used the pattern for the bird styling, but because it is only for one pocket I decided to make a little story and add something else to the other pocket.

I followed their instructions and traced the pattern onto soluable stabiler which I pinned to the fabric and top stitched over. This is what it looked like before I ran it under the tap. That stuff is amazing - with a bit of water it breaks down and washes away.

I showed them to my husband and said, "can you make a story out of these 2 pictures?"

"hmm, is it a ball and a bird - a Christmas direction?"
"no"
can you give me hint?"
"freedom"
"huh?"
"let me spell it out to you - c - a -g -e + c - a - n- a- r- y"
"Oh I see now."

I'm not sure he did. Doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure the pockets will be mostly covered by light tunic tops anyway.

I wasn't able to get the back crotch right - the length is good, but there's both a smidgin of "pouf" and "wedgie" which I could not remove by scooping out the curve more, taking in the back or side seams, so I throw up my hands and say, "good enough".
I'm going to get out my favourite best fitting Burda pants and draft the back off them next time.

Burda are famous for their fit and I've totally worked out how they fit me now, but I do have a little more work on my hands sorting out the Otttobre - the amount of wearable ease added to base measurements seems greater if this pattern is anything to go by.

At any rate, with the heat and high humidity we've been experiencing recently (temperatures in the mid to high 20's (high 70's) and humidity in the 90% range) a smart short that is not too short is just the ticket. I can see me running these to the ground over the next couple of months, that is if pre-school holidays and an adventurous toddler at home doesn't beat me to it.

Summer time, and the sewing is easy.

2010-12-11T19:19:00.001+13:00

Wow this summer sewing business is so easy. I feel like I just look at my sewing machine and a garment is completed. Good thing too it means I can get quite a bit accomplished between tanties (life with a 3 year old, said between rolling eyes and gritted teeth).

So here we have another Ottobre tee (02-2010-09), this time in a plain fabric and smaller in strategic places. Much happier with this version, less happier with the linen skirt (02-2010-15). If there was any wisdom to adding large pockets to my generous thighs it'd be the same variety as adding breast pockets to my fulsome bust.

However, the thing I love about linen is no matter when you've ironed it, it always looks creased. This basically gives me permission to never iron it, but pretend that I have: "goodness look at those creases in my skirt, that's linen for you, you'd think this skirt had never been ironed in its life." Pa ha ha

The pockets are just enormous. I'm thinking I'd have no trouble packing a picnic lunch in these:

The back view - there was supposed to be a back vent, but I sewed it into a concealed pleat. Think about it for a moment, you bend over to pick up a child, there's a gust of wind, and you are not wearing your "what happens if I get hit by a bus" underpants. I think you'll agree that making these into slits would be a bad idea:

I have been having strong urges to make another coat so like the dieter who chooses the low fat version I'm going to make a summer jacket instead.

That'll keep me out of trouble for a while.

PS - getting back copies to Ottobre is too too easy - just go to their website, scroll through the editions at the bottom of the page and order one. Yes, it really is that simple.

It's as easy as 1-2-3 with an Ottobre tee

2010-12-02T08:10:00.009+13:00

December 1 rolled around and I did not start sewing a coat. I'm cured!

I did however, like the idea of sewing the ruffle crazy tee in a plain colour so that the ruffles just add texture. I went out and bought some fabric, and while I was laundering it ready for sewing I decided to have a go at another Ottobre tee, using up this knit that had been loitering in my ahem *stash* - you know I hate having stash but these days my purchasing has been outdoing my speed in making things up and unfortunately there has been some accumulation.

It's hard to see from the photo, but the fabric is a pale blue grey with white polka dots. Cute!

One day I'm going to surprise you all by doing hair and make up. Next time I hope to surprise you with a bottom to match the top. Baby styling steps people, baby styling steps.

I used the famous Ottobre 02-2007-04 tee, this was best pattern on Pattern Review some years back. I sewed a 40 back, neck shoulders grading out to a 42 at the side, and a FBA which I pivoted out into the gathers at the front and side of the tee. This means my tee has more front gathers than most, but they are such a charming feature I consider it a bonus. Although technically a little tight through the bust I am much happier with the fit overall with this tee.

Now I am sure you have noticed I've been playing around with my blog template again. It features coffee beans, who could resist?

Applying some discipline

2010-11-29T08:31:00.012+13:00

I have been having an internal war. It goes something like this:
"I need some summer clothing."
"So go out and buy it."
"I can't."
"Why not."
"It would be expensive and professionally sewn and it would look nice. I don't like "nice", I like odd and kooky and home sewn looking."
"that's just as well then. But you still don't have any summer clothes."
"I'll make some."
"no you won't."
"well if I won't go shopping then I'll just have to, won't I?"

And on it goes. I have decided that the only way to resolve this little battle is to set myself a task, and a deadline. The task is to sew myself some summer clothes before Christmas. If I have not done so, then I will let my sister take me shopping and force me to buy something lovely from the shops.

So then, the challenge was to find things that had a little bit of kook, but were wearable and summery. For wearable styles you can't beat Ottobre magazine, and if you have never checked them out before, let me be your enabler.

They publish only twice a year for women, and you can get a "women's" only subscription by scrolling down the subscription bar on the site. Once you have subscribed they roll it forever but at only twice a year it's hardly a huge outlay. They use ordinary women, nicely made up, in easy to wear every day styles and - my personal favourite - they complete the look with sensible shoes. Those shoes were made for walking - hardly a heel in sight. (on a side note, on the first date I had with my husband, he looked at my Kumfs trainer and said, "those look like good shoes for walking." I knew then that the relationship had potential.)

They also give their patterns adorably old fashioned names, like "vera," "lucinda" "Bertie" "Ethel" "Nanette" which makes me wonder about what's going on in Finland these days. The English translations are excellent, fluent and full, no talk of "front slits" and "abuttment lines" these instructions actually make sense.

The drafting - so far- is as I would expect. I cut this at a 44 with a 3 cm FBA and it's just right through the bust, too big in the back neck and shoulders which is exactly what I'd expect from a 44. I do enjoy the fact that it grazes over my lumps rather than committing them to the camera for all to see, but I will experiment with sizing a bit to see if I can bring in the upper chest area. The hip is also too big, and so the tee doesn't hold to the sides. Still, who's going to be looking at that? I bet you're all just rivetted to that crazy sleeve:

Righty ho, a piece of summer sewing completed. We are on our way! The big challenge will be December 1 when the winter sewing Pattern Review contest starts. If I can get past that little piece of temptation without sewing a coat, we know we are on the road to recovery.

Ottobre 02-2010- 9 "Katherine" top

Ta Da!

2010-11-27T17:53:00.001+13:00

BurdaStyle 09-2010#113

The welt pockets are set into the front dart. I added a second dart from the waist to add a little more room to the bust:

The back has a large pleat that emerges from the storm flap - the storm flap is flared to allow for a generous front reach:

Lining with vintage viscose:

Well, it did take me 3 weeks to make this coat, so I was right about that. These days sewing for me happens between 7:30- 8:30pm with the last vestiges of energy remaining to me from the day. So I potter about on the machine, making bite sized progress. An hour a day, most days, gives me a coat in 3 weeks.

I really enjoyed the first part of this coat, got bogged down in the middle, and coasted through to the end. Surely the middle part of a long project is the time when most projects languish, when the first flush of energy is gone and the end is nowhere in sight.

This coat was very easy for me to make, but it is without question the most detailed, of all detailed Burda projects, that I have ever made. We have 1) collar with stand 2) decorative top stitching 3) storm flap 4) belt 5) wrist bands with 2 length settings 6) gun flap 7) 18 buttons 8) epaulets with carriers 9) lining 10) welt pockets set into front darts.

That is a lot of detail, blog friends. Funnily enough the details made it easier for me to sew because I could break my sewing sessions into completing a single detail. This is not a coat for people who want the smell of victory after a minor skirmish.

On me, yes I know, leggings and Birkenstocks .... but need I remind you it is the middle of summer here, and I refuse to boil for the sake of a photo shoot:

I am now really desperate for some summer clothing and if I was wise I'd make some. I hate shopping and like to make my own clothes, but at the end of the day I am a hobby seamstress first and foremost, which means I must make whatever I feel like, without reference to when and how it will be worn. That's just the way it is. I've tried fighting it but it's no good: for me it's all about the journey, and the destination is forever a mystery.

I will have to force myself to do something: some shopping or some summer sewing. Hmmm, I wonder which will win?

A bit of this, and a lot of that.

2010-11-18T12:11:00.005+13:00

I have been busy sewing blog friends, but I have been sewing a big project and so it will be a while before I will have a "ta da" moment.

First off, I did a Palmer/Pletsch knit weekend course with the lovely Carol Mill, which is always a treat, not the least because it involves spending quality sewing time with fellow enthusiasts, child free time and Carol's delicious lunches. I do have some things to show from that, but not today because the knits I chose to work with were wool, and it is very humid today.

Following on from that with some more inappropriate seasonal sewing choices, I am in the midst of sewing the Trench from the September issue of Burda (09-2010-113). I have mostly finished the outer, with lining to cut and sew and buttons and belt to finish. It has details for Africa, some of which are partially finished and I can show you here:

collar with stand and top stitching detail, epaulet with carrier and top stitching detail etc etc ...

I have also been trying to de-clutter my sewing room with better storage solutions. Instead of lumping everything in together, I have been collecting beautiful containers from the Sally Army to house each notion individually, thus making it easier for me to find things, once they are labelled.

For safety pins:

For my sets of retro buttons on cards, this biscuit tin:

Threads with ends taped down and stored thus:

To house my needle selection:

And this holds all my elastic:

Well, I have lots to get on with, so I'd best get back to it - see you in another week or two with a new trench!

Shirt dress by night.

2010-11-08T16:42:00.001+13:00

Today the sun is so impossibly bright I have resorted to deep shadow, and lo! I caught a breeze:

Burda 06-2008-108

I fell in love with this piece of silk satin when I saw it at Centrepoint. Originally I thought 'tunic' but the thing about tunics is that they do shorten your legs, which is not so good when you are short already. So then I thought, "it's just got that nerd appeal of a shirt dress, but it would have to be one without too many seams, because I don't fancy matching that check."

Because I purchased the fabric first, and counted on making a tunic, I did not have enough to make the dress and match the check at the side seams. That's when I said to myself, "this will be a lesson in "good enough" sewing, because even now, even before I cut it, I know that with mismatched side seams it can never be perfect."

It's not just mismatched side seams - it's mismatched everything - I didn't even have enough fabric to single cut the facings - they are all joined by a centre back seam.

We'll call this "considered rebellion" - a mis-confluence of lines and patterns. It adds to the nerd appeal by being slightly disconcerting.

Despite the mismatch of lines, I did make this rather carefully - I hand sewed bias strips, hems, and collar stand. I hand basted sleeves and collar into position. I used tissue to stabilise the buttonholes and very carefully placed the buttons to ensure the front lines met.

Making sure the front lines meet:

hand sewing all the hems and edges:

( I figured in the long run hand basting would save me time - think of all that unpicking I avoided when I got impossibly wonky seams from such slippery slithery fabric.)

I used buttons from my box of a thousand buttons that I bought online. I never thought I'd have occasion to use these ochre ones, not being a colour I usually use, but they look just right with both this and the previous dress.

And so now my imperfect dress is done, and I'm perfectly happy with it. To quote Voltaire, the enemy of the good is the best.

2010-10-31T15:29:00.001+13:00

Have you seen 'Eat, Pray, Fall asleep' or whatever it's called? (I dragged my poor husband to it who would have walked out if he could, "vacuous self indulgent nonsense.") I did enjoy it, I have to confess, in a vacuous self indulgent kind of way and I did like her shirt dress with thin belt, large earthy hessian sack looking bag and roman sandles in her Italian stage, and decided that was a look I could easily replicate. Me, I do love a good shirt dress.

Burda 06-2008-108

The sleeve is simply adorable:

The technical view - I left off the elastic frankly there was no spare fabric under the bust to pull back in!

This is, in fact, another muslin. I have been making a lot of wearable muslins recently, because I've realised it's such a good idea to wear something for a day to find out not only how it looks, but how it functions. There are 2 immediate changes I would make to this - I forgot that a full bust takes up both width and length, and I have to shorten back the front tucks by an inch. Also, I'd add some side pockets - I always need to carry a tissue and keys. I'd also consider putting the elastic at waist level, instead of empire line level.

This is my incentive to make a muslin: this beautiful silk satin, it's quite heavy, with a lot of body, almost twill like in its weight, but without the diagonal weave.

So hopefully soon we will have shirt dress by day, and shirt dress by night.

Getting acquainted with La Mia Boutique

2010-10-25T15:46:00.002+13:00

Dress (LMB 10-2010 #37 )with hood has gathered shoulder seams, elongated arms and ruched lower side seams:

Well it's Labour Weekend here where people all over the country celebrate the 40 hour working week. Parents will drool at the idea. I have had some more sewing time though so here's my weekend's effort.

Another muslin. The tricky thing about sewing in opposite seasons is that you are dying to make something but can't reasonably expect to wear it for another half year. Because my LMB is air freighted it is exactly 6 months ahead. Burda is shipped to NZ, which takes 2 months, and so by the time you actually get round to making anything you are pretty much ready to wear it.

I decided I did want to break the ice with my LMB and thought I'd give this easy knit a crack in a light polycotton knit, instead of a winter wool. I thought I might try it as a sporty summer look - a knit dress with a tee and leggings underneath and birkenstocks.

As always, there are challenges to surmount:

First of all, there was the small matter of translating the instructions. I faithfully typed them in to Google translate.

Google translate: curl your shoulders behind the front with a running stitch, petit point, to match those of the back.

Translation of the translation: gather the front shoulder with gathering stitches until it measures the same length as the back shoulder.

Google translate: sewing the two sides of the cap along the center line, press the edges together to the right and hit back on the right with two stitching needles.

Translation of the translation: Sew the two sides of the hood along the centre line, press the edges to the right and topstitch down with a twin needle on the right side of the garment.

So you get the gist. Obviously Google translate's sewing vocabulary isn't that hot, but it's actually not too hard to figure out the basic idea.

I am teaching myself sewing Italian. I can now read about a quarter of the instructions without a dictionary, so I'm confident within about 6 months I'll have it mostly sussed. (I did a year of Italian at university, so the basic grammar and structure of the language is familiar to me, it's really just a matter of picking up the specialist vocabulary)

I have to say the designs have grown on me a great deal. It's definitely a magazine aiming to appeal to the hip and cool. I'd say it's marketed at the 20 -30 year old fashion aesthetic but that's OK by me, I know how to nanna things up.

My husband gave this dress the thumbs up. "It's modern." My husband is no fashion expert, in fact sartorially speaking he's a pretty simple guy. That's why his opinion is so useful. He thinks it either looks good, or bad, and it's really that simple.

Oh and thank you for all your advice on my last dress. I'll give your suggestions a try.

All's well that ends better

2010-10-19T14:10:00.001+13:00

Hot Patterns 1080

A number of you asked about the ending of the last post and I did elaborate in comments, but if you missed the end of the story, it went like this: I told the woman my name, watched her face fall as she joined the dots and smirked to myself as she made a hasty exit. Obviously the episode unnerved me, but not overly, because actually her actions set in motion a series of events that lead me to the man I eventually married. So all is well that ends better.

Which is what can also be said of this bag. It's taken me forever to make it. If you'll forgive the pun, the instructions on this Hot Pattern left me real cold. I nearly ditched it half way through it was not coming together in a way I was liking, but I was using more of the leather from Nick's and I'd hate for Skippy to have died in vain. (There is something about sewing leather that brings you so much closer to its origins than say, just buying a leather handbag; it also makes it impossible to throw a bad project out.)

In fact, the perfectionist in me sat down and wrote 2 pages of edits to send to the designer, but all I'll probably end up doing is sending them an email that says, "did you ever get anyone to trial these instructions?"

At any rate, I totally love the bag, as I am huge fan of Vivienne Westwood.

The original:

The Hot Patterns' hommage:

Shall we now have a good look at what they did right? I love the internal pockets, the shape and style of the bag, and its size. It's handy it can be hand carried or over the shoulder. I love that they used the cool parts of the original bag - the shaped handle pieces, and the corner protectors.

Really useful internal pockets:

On the other hand, the handles are awkward and would be much better rotated on D-rings. This construction technique doesn't work so well on such a light bag where the cording is not well supported, and the handles are so big.

The weight of these handles really pulls the front out and they sit awkwardly when the bag is put down:

Also they have you bind the inside with bias tape rather than attach a separate lining. Much harder, much messier. Avoid if possible. Those are my big gripes, but I have lots of smaller ones too - cough cough 2 pages worth, to be precise.

For those of you who have sewed the Amy Butler Weekender bag, it is a much harder bag to sew than that, and frankly it needn't have been. That's the sad part, I could be making more Hot Patterns stylish bags, but I'm too scared to, if this bag is anything to go by.

This bag is my first foray into Spring/Summer sewing, gingham and beige say warmer weather to me. They also say "boring" so I have to find a way to spice this bag up a little. When I first showed this to my husband, he said, "oh it's lovely, it's about time you got yourself your own toilet bag."

Perspective

2010-10-02T12:11:00.001+13:00

Skirt for Aunty (Burda 07-2010-126)

Dress for niece: (Burda 11-2008-139)

I had always hoped to have a little girl to sew dresses for. Now that I have actually sewed a little girl's dress for my niece I am supremely grateful I had a boy. I made so many mistakes on this dress - in too much of a hurry - to have it finished on time, and frankly, to have it finished so I could go back to sewing for me me me.

First of all, I mistook centre front for the side front and cut the pleats the wrong way round. That was no big deal, what was a big deal is I sewed the bodice front to the back, and vice versa, so that the zipper did up on the front! There was just no ignoring that error. That's when I gave myself a good talking too, slowed down, recut and resewed the bodice pieces, and thanked god for my little boy.

For those of you who love to see a smug sewer get their come-uppance:

Once I finished that little piece of sewing I liked the idea of giving myself a "project runway" type challenge. Make something for a little girl; using little girl's pattern and fabric as inspiration, sew something for a big girl. I decided I liked the idea of the sewn down pleats, and would use the leftover pieces of fabric to sew myself a spring skirt.

Burda 07-2010-126

The wind is blowing out the back pleats here, but you get the idea:

From the front:

The welt pockets are cut on the bias and set into the side seam, inserted hard up against the invisible zip. A pain to sew and you don't really every get to see them, so let's call them, "the why bother welt?"

Yes, there is a pocket behind that welt:

Sometimes we moan about things only to have something worse happen and realise our former gripes were so small and petty. Whatever I have complained about Burda instructions in the past (and their welt pocket instructions on this skirt are as incomprehensible as ever), it pales in comparison to working with instructions in Italian. It's all about perspective.

And how's this for perspective. Yesterday I took my son to a park to play. I bumped into an old work colleague there who had had a drunken fling with my boyfriend at that time. She looked at me and said, "I know you from somewhere, what's your name again?"

See, it's all about perspective.

Housekeeping

2010-09-27T14:20:00.003+13:00

Thanks to Michelle for this award. So sweet of you to think of me!

Now I am supposed to write 10 things about myself that you wouldn't otherwise know.
1 I was raised as one of nine children.
2 I have a strong dislike of second hand clothing. For the reason why, see 1 above. (I was 8th position).
3 My undergraduate degree is in Classical languages.
4 If you start a sentence, "the amount of people that" and someone corrects you with "the number of people who" and you want to know who is right, I am your woman. I taught English grammar for years.
5 I have always loved crafts, long before they were popular. The moniker "Mary Nanna" was given to me by a friend who was mocking my love of these old fashioned arts.
6 I still meet my friends for dinner on Thursday, as I have done every Thursday for the last 7 years. It's a good ritual to have - then you don't have to get over the inertia of "let's catch up" - you've got a catch up automatically programmed into your life (and a child free evening out once a week).
7 I have one child.
8 I don't like driving.
9. I don't like my husband's driving. (He's an Aucklander, which makes him an Auckland driver)
10. I lurve deeply - and with all of my being - coffee.

And now I am supposed to pass this on to 5 people, but I always find these things hard to do. That would show favouritism, and as middle child, every thing has to be FAIR. So if you would like to run with this, pick it up and off you go!

In other news, just when I had given up hope of my La Mia Boutique ever turning up, it turned up! First impressions mixed. For a start, I was really surprised by the fit and construction. Very home sewn, and I don't mean that in a good way. The patterns are a mix of modern youth, European high fashion (ie kook) factor, and sweet. There are about 40 patterns per issue, with a sprinkling of children and plus size in the mix. There are about 4 sizes per pattern 38,40,42,44 or variations on that theme. It appears to be an all round "women's" magazine, with horoscopes, beauty advice and recipes added to the mix. Also, like Ottobre magazine, all clothes are 'wardrobe' ensembles - in other words, you can make every part of the outfit - the skirt, the top, the jacket all will be patterns within the magazine.

Some of the patterns really intrigue and I can absolutely see this adorable jean jacket in my future:

Here's the first page of the technical drawings:

Some fairly wonky decorative tape application. I actually find this quite affirming:

No one say "unmatched plaid":

And this is just crying out for a broad/square shoulder alteration and a high chest alteration:

I can see I am going to get a lot of entertainment out of this magazine, one way or another. It does go to show how much Burda is in a class of its own when it comes to finishing, fabrics and styling.

I may flirt with other European magazines, but I can see that Burda will be my one true love.

The mop top

2010-09-23T17:41:00.000+12:00

My life is fairly constrained at the moment. The only place that I can really run free is the sewing room, so it's no wonder the styles I'm choosing from Burda just keep getting more unusual. The more limiting my external circumstances become, the greater the risks I like to take with sewing.

Take this blouse for instance (Burda 07-2010-121). I think the shoulder ruffles and the line across the fullest part of the bust would have had me running scared in a previous life, and for good reason. This time they sang sweetly like a Siren to a sailor. I have nicknamed this top, "the mop top" because the ruffles remind me of, well, a mop.

I made a few adjustments to the pattern and sewed it up - it's a very fast and easy sew too might I add. I used some vintage buttons - I bought a box of them off Trademe (NZ's answer to Ebay) and ended up with over a thousand of them, mostly white.

Some might say "fashion forward" but I say "kooky, but in a good way." That's Burda for you. It never ceases to amaze me when a new issue of Burda arrives what I end up sewing. The first time I look though I usually say, "nothing for me this month, too weird" and then, as they say, "the eye adjusts" and before you know it, the style starts to look interesting.

My intention with this blouse was to use it as a kind of wearable muslin - if it looked any good I'd take it further with better fabric, but I made a good job of this one in case this is as far as it got.

I think this is as far as it will get.

The "otagaroo" bag.

2010-09-18T14:57:00.000+12:00

This bag is a great "pick-me-up" in every sense of the phrase - it lifts the spirits and being a carry bag it needs to be, well, picked up.

We have moved from cold grey wet days to warm wet grey days so a little colour is just what the doctor ordered.

I made it with the last scraps of my Otago tartan (my hometowm province) and some leather I got from Nicks. Australian readers may wish to skip the rest of this paragraph. When I got the leather I was super impressed by its thick even skin and evenly tanned hide. I looked at the skins a few times, and I know this sounds macarbre, I couldn't work out what animal it had once been by looking at the shape. (I don't look at meat in the supermarket the same way, you'll be pleased to know, but I have been inured to the origins of meat and I am still somewhat hesitant (guilty?) about the origins of leather). It turns out my piece of leather had once been a kangaroo. I find this a little disconcerting. Any Aussie friends who read this far may share this unease. I'll say one thing for it though- it sews up a dream and is great to work with.

I made up the bag in this Burda pattern (Burda 7684). It has some really nice features but I did change construction somewhat since their bag is not strong enough to hold its own weight and I wanted it to be self-supporting. This meant that I interfaced it with bag interfacing and then interlined it with canvas, before sewing in super strong nylon lining. I was grateful that I'd sewed my Amy Butler weekender bag earlier because I stole a lot of her construction techniques in favour of the Burda ones. Burda is still great on detail, not always so hot on instructions.

Speaking of great detail I put on the tab as instructed but I have no idea if I put in on the right end or even the right place. I couldn't figure out its function still being rather innocent in the ways of bag making. The way I've put it on makes it look like a tail hiding a butt hole.

I'm not really an accessory gal and about bags I am especially lazy since it means shifting everything out of one bag and into another. This bag will either get used to death or never at all. I managed to get one shot in before the rain started again harumph! So here it is debuting as wet weather stalwart:

A happy day

2010-09-13T14:43:00.001+12:00

I had a lurvely day yesterday. We had a family outing in the morning, and then my husband dropped me off at the Vintage textile fair at the racecourse in Greenlane. I got off to a fabulous start, scoring 3 yards of cotton drill and 2 and 1/2 yards of wool rich paisley (I think it's a wool/cotton mix) for $15 the lot (that's around $10 US). Then I got another 2 yards of wool rich print for $10 (US $6) and stocked up on some vintage buttons. I scored myself a cute little bag, which I have been coveting ever since I saw one at a friend's house and was quite content with my haul. On the way out I bought a 3 1/2 yards of pinwale needlecord for $35 (US $20) - that was a fair price for vintage cord. Printed pinwale cord is IMPOSSIBLE to buy here, so I allowed myself to pay the going rate for it. Not often you'll see a sentence like that on this blog, so savour the moment all ye so jealous of my bargains.

Some of my finds:

Of course, being vintage fabric they are all only a yard (90cms) wide - which limits how they can be made up. I will have to have a long serious talk with these fabrics and listen very very carefully.

In the evening I worked on that skirt, you know the one that everyone has made. (Burda 04-2009-101)

My sister asked me to trace it for her ages ago, and I finally found the motivation I needed when I realised I could make it for myself and then send her the pattern afterwards. Boy the instructions on this pattern are crazy, the worst maybe ever. I didn't use them, something I am trying to do more and more now as I prepare myself for La Mia Boutique whose instructions I have no chance of understanding.

My poor sister, this will be her first Burda pattern, and everything I have ever complained about with their instructions will have a new meaning for her. I am expecting a lot of phone calls. Still it's a very cute skirt.

I haven't been very vigilant with my costings recently so let me treat you once again to my bargain hunting skills. Denim, $4 Nicks, vintage buttons $4, zipper 70 cents, tracing paper $1. Thread and needles $2, facings, scraps. Top stitching thread left over from another project. Shall we call that a round $12 ? (US $8).

Aah, yesterday was a very happy day indeed.

The 'trench' cardy

2010-09-10T16:05:00.002+12:00

Burda 04-2010-117

This cardy has sat on my dress form all week, awaiting buttons - that's all that was required to finish it. I've always said that sewing takes free energy, not free time, and my spare time is more "energy free" than "free energy".

At any rate, here it is. I've been playing with the idea of working with how the fabric wants to be made. I sit with the fabric in my hand and close my eyes and say "fabric, speak to me, how do you wish to be sewn."Actually I don't, the truth is worse than that. I hold it to my forehead and let it talk straight to my third eye. Pa ha ha had you for a second, no it's just more of a gut feeling thing.

I had a gut feeling to make this into a 'man cardy' - it's the shade of green, I think. My original idea was to use leather buttons but once I'd worked out how to draft a self fabric band I realised that my buttons were the wrong size for it, so I decided to turn into a 'trench style' cardy with a belt, wrist band and epaulets as nods to the trench, as well as some trench style buttons I scored at a second hand shop.

To make the self band I borrowed the instructions from this 1986 Vogue pattern, which I picked up from the Red Cross shop. Funny how those big shoulders are back again, personally I think they should have stayed in the 80's where they belonged.

Still, the pattern had its uses.

Ever wondered who makes those really kooky Burda patterns?

2010-09-03T15:49:00.007+12:00

Burda 04-2010-104:

Wonder no more:

This pattern is super kooky, even by Burda standards. Big ruffle, check. Small mandarin collar, check. Boufy skirt, check. Lacy shoulder decoration, check. There's a whole lot of look going on here. I did exercise some restraint and ditched the ruffles.

Verdict: I love it. Husband's verdict: matronly. Gathers at the waist are not everyone's best look. Actually even the uber slender Burda model looks dorky in this. No matter. When the weather heats up I can see me getting some decent wear out of this, although I can JUST imagine some smart kid at the playground whispering, "Mum, why does that woman have a doily on her shoulder?"

Something old, something new, something boring, something true.

2010-08-30T08:20:00.003+12:00

Well, I did it. Last week, following the advice on this blog, I managed to score myself a subscription for La Mia Boutique, and thanks to this blog, I saved myself $100 US dollars by ordering direct from the publisher rather than through the only English speaking magazine site that will ship LMB to NZ. (sewers down under, make sure you choose the "Oceania" option and then you have to muddle through in Italian, I had google translate open in a separate window) Oh how that warmed the cockles of my thrifty heart!

And then once I had my reward for completing the competition I actually found some inspiration to do it.

It would be fair to say none of the pieces turned out as planned, because none of the pieces were planned. This resulted in some great disasters, some great successes and a lot of inbetween stuff. Once again, I proved to myself the 3-5-2 proportion of home sewn success to be true (3 items to love, 5 to use ambivalently, and 2 to hate.)

The 2 to hate need no introduction as I have already bemoaned them a plenty, the 3 items I really enjoy wearing are the velour coat, the green ruched top and the grey flannel pants. The rest are OK - I wear them, happily enough, but I can say about each of them, "next time I would .." which suggests a little dissatisfaction or maybe a lot of what my sister calls, "I-sewed-it-itis."

I learned lots from doing this competition. Making 10 pieces to work together is blimmin hard. I mean really hard, especially if you refuse to plan any of it. Since I relied totally on luck, and luck is a fickle friend, it's not surprising I had my share of bad luck too. However, in the end, it was trust and intuition that bought this collection to fruition since it was an unconscious longing for completion that took me to the end.

Although I have finished the competition I have decided not to enter it. Writing all the reviews and taking all the composite pictures takes more time than I want to spend. In addition, while everything goes with something in my existing wardrobe, they don't all go with each other, which is a central tenet to the competition! However, here is a photo of one complete outfit, just so you know that a lot of the things do work very well together.

Here is the top that I made to finish the competition: another round of Kwik sew 3338. Yawn, It's so boring isn't it? I twin-needled around the neck facing and hems to give a mock coverstitch look, and also to add more stretchiness. The fabric is more liquidation merino from Nicks. I wish I bought more of it. This is a really thick warm snuggly wool knit.

And lastly, look what my mother in law gifted me for my 40th. This is swiss lace, at least 60 years old, hand loomed and half a yard wide. It comes from my husband's grandparent's factory - they were clothing manufacturers. I wrote the full story about it here - and it is worth a read if you want to read something uplifting in these harsh economic times.

This fabric is so precious. Style gurus out there, what would you do with it? I have 7 metres (8 yards) but remember it is very narrow. I am thinking of having it professionally dyed and then maybe a modern jacket like Burda did Feb last year?

Fabric love and fabric loathing

2010-08-25T14:00:00.003+12:00

Simplicity 2594

Tell me, do you ever get fabric crushes? I mean, you see some fabric and you just HAVE To have it. I sometimes see fabric I fall in love with, and the fabric this top is made out of was one of those fabrics. I love the colours, and the gothic quality of the birds against a heart shaped moon.

But here's something about it I really did not love, and that was the moth holes I discovered in it after purchase. Harumph!
It's a vintage crepe - from the 40's - and although it was a 4 yard piece not all of it was usuable - that coupled with the fact that it was in a vintage width and suddenly my options narrowed right down to enough yardage for a short sleeve top!

I have since learned a lot about buying vintage fabric and here's what I can tell you (via Kay and Joy who used to run Salvage, a vintage fabric store here in Auckland):

1 Liberty and Viyella are trademarks and the fabric is usually clearly marked in the selvage with the trademark. Beware fabrics sold under these names without the branding.
2 Fabric that has been stored in moth balls stinks. The smell does not always come out either, not even after a month on the washing line.
3 Always hold vintage fabrics to the light to check for holes. Moth holes can be hard to detect, but as soon as you wash it you'll know about it.
4 Vintage fabric was milled on narrow widths (a yard or slightly bigger) - if a piece of fabric is very wide then it's probably not vintage. (my mother has just emailed to correct me that wool/tweed was milled at 54 inches - a fact I know to be true because I have some 50 year wool 54 inches wide that REEKS of moth balls and because it is a natural fibre it has absorbed the smell- see 2 above)
5 Get good at knowing a fabric by feel and follow it up with a burn test. Many vintage fabrics are synthetic or synthetic blends. Vintage or not, a cheap nasty fabric is still a cheap nasty fabric. Beware Internet sellers who can't tell you the fabric composition - do you really want to pay top dollar for polyester?

I love vintage fabrics but I've been caught out a few times by poor quality - this time at least it has a happy ending.

Are you surprised I sewed a big 4 pattern? Yeah, me too. I did use Burda construction though. I made bias strips for the armholes which is their favourite finishing method.

I used Kbenco's yoke tutorial for the machine sewn yoke. Well, almost: I did on my muslin but on the finished garment I slip stitched the final seam down. It was pretty nerve wracking rolling up the front and bottom into a 4 cm wide yoke let me tell you. (actually, mission virtually impossible, Tom Cruise I'd love to see you sew that!)

The back, perhaps you can make out the tiny yoke?

In other news I turned 40 last week, after a year of saying, "I'm in my fortieth year, 40 next birthday etc" now it's real. I got lots of lovely presents but I'm sure my regular readers will enjoy this hand made card: It reads "more coats for MAS" (my initials). I won't spell it out for non-regular readers because I want my loyal long suffering blog friends to feel smugly-in-the-know.

Speaking of coats, I tried to give away ugly trench and NOONE would take it. I almost considered taking up Ginny's double dare of making a gold top and mauve harem pants to match but that still wouldn't make me wear the trench. I put it on and my heart sinks.

There is fabric love, and then there is fabric loathing.

The phwoar top Burda 06-2010 #139

2010-08-16T18:42:00.002+12:00

Ok, I admit defeat - thanks to ugly jacket that doesn't go with ANY of my wardrobe items I am not going to make the deadline to finish my 10 garments.

My sister and I were discussing whether it could be saved in our weekly phone catch-up.
I suggested an outfit I thought might work with ugly trench.
"Maw maw maw you just cannot get reliable tradespeople these days."
I suggested another outfit that I thought it might work with.
"oh that was Lady Pen on the phone confirming her attendance at luncheon on Friday, the dear man at the bank got us a booking at Alfridges."
So I gave up, and suggested it might match quite well with the inside of the rubbish bin.

When the going gets tough, the wise re-evaluate their options and MOVE ON.

And what a pleasant little move on number this is.

When I saw this Burda plus size pattern I knew it was for me, but I also knew I was going to have to work hard on the pattern. For a start, when Burda says something has a "plunging neckline" you know that it must be exceedingly low. Out of curiousity I thought I'd make the muslin up in a straight 44 (with narrow neck/back alteration) to see how low it would go. I don't have a photo of it and even if I did I'd consider putting an R rating on it. Tell me, do you know who actually feels comfortable with 2 inches of cleavage on display?

It has the most adorable balloon sleeve which is created by elastic casing inside the sleeve hem.

I also perfected making my own vilene bias tape. The secret is to use top quality interfacing and a super sharp fine needle (something like a brand new 70/10, I used a microtex) and go slow. The interfacing can be light to medium weight but no heavier unless you really want cardboard in your seams. The needle has to be light and sharp so that it can easily pierce the fine weave of the interfacing without pushing it through where it can bet tangled up in the bobbin (ask me how etc). You need to sew slowly otherwise the thread tangles and breaks. All you do is cut bias strips half an inch wide of interfacing and sew a normal stitch down the middle. Then you centre the stitch of your tape over the seam line and press it into place. It stops the fabric from stretching out when you sew it and helps the garment to hold its shape. It works in a similar way to clear elastic but because it is interfacing you can attach it to areas where clear elastic might not work, such as armholes etc.

Here is mine. This is not the best quality interfacing and in time, the edges will lift. No matter, the chain stitch is now sewn into the seams so it will still hold its shape.

In our household we have nicknamed this top the "phwoar" top because just as Burda promises, "the gathered centre front seam nicely emphaiszes your feminine curves." And a few other feminine shapes as well, some of them not quite so nice. Shapewear is the order of the day, ladies.

Burda trench jacket 03-2009-114

2010-08-08T14:43:00.000+12:00

Back details - storm flap, and belt tied at the back to pull in the back waist.

Sometimes I just don't know if a style is too old or too young until I've made it. In the case of this trench jacket, it's not that the style is too old or too young, it's the fabric. I never thought about fabric being age appropriate but this is simply too mature for my early middle years.

Despite this jacket being Not Quite Right I've got a soft spot for it: I'm fond of a little "frump" strange as it may seem. But more importantly, it is the living embodiment of my philosophy that it is a good thing for a home sewer to experiment and take risks with their sewing. It's perfectly OK to make stuff you would never dream of buying, let alone try on if you saw it in a shop - you are taking a risk with your vision.

The story of how I came by the fabric is a funny one. I got an email from my Sewing Guild buddies to say that Jane Daniels was having a fabric sale. Jane Daniels is an upmarket designer who designs for conservative older women, the type who have "investment" wardrobes. I took my son along with me and he wreaked havoc through the bolts of delicate silk and voiles. In the end I just grabbed a few things, whatever caught my eye. In amoungst the silks was this, and as soon as I lay my paw on it I thought, "this isn't silk." But no matter - at that stage my son was lying on the floor with flailing arms and legs pulling the most spectacular paddy so I just bought it. When I got home and did a burn test I was dismayed to find I'd bought polyester. Polyester in a humid climate is very very unpleasant, what's more I'd paid $20 for it - which wasn't even a bargain. It's a dense fabric with a lot of body, probably a taffeta, so I decided to cut my losses and make a jacket. I could line it with something more breathable and the stiff hand of the fabric would suit itself to a structured shape. What's more, it wouldn't be ruined in a downpour, which is a real consideration in this climate.

Still at the end of the day, this is a matriarch's jacket trench. It says to me, "maori hill/fendalton/wadestown/remuera/insert conservative-old-money-suburb-of-your-choice/ lady."

This is my free choice option for the wardrobe contest - I am limping to the finish line, determined to finish for reasons I can't even justify to myself. I can honestly say that sewing whatever you feel like produces a wardrobe that looks like you sewed whatever you felt like.

And that's OK with me too.

Details: the front gun flap, rolled sleeve, pleated pocket and mature fabric:

Branching out

2010-08-06T15:09:00.001+12:00

burda 05-2010-109 (Please forgive crap styling and iron aversion but I am grabbing a precious free moment)

My sister and I were chatting the other day about whether we could do "tasteful" or not. We both insisted that we could, but that we found ourselves liking to edge our toe over the line into questionable territory so very much more.

I've been seeing a lot of chic sheath dresses in blogland and thought that was a safe place to start on something "tasteful". I got some navy blue cotton/wool mix fabric on sale and set about to create something.

I was glad I made a muslin because in typical Burda fashion that neckline wouldn't pass anyone's modesty meter. I raised front and back neckline 5/8 inch. Now here's something else about Burda patterns they like the princess seam to run smack bang down centre "girl" as the breast is discreetly referred to in sewing world. The big 4 have the line veer discreetly to the side of "girl" , which is much more tolerant of error. So I had to check that the line was in the correct position and that I added the right amount of FBA to both sides.

Then I wore it to the symphony on Thursday (which was the occasion that prompted the making of dull dress) and realised something very important. This dress is ALL about the bust. It's just a wide frame for the enhancement and display of splendiforous decollete.

This dress says "well heeeeeelo boys, let me introduce you to my girls." And if I had to bend over, I could do it personally.

Not for the faint hearted, this dress.

F is for Fun, Flirt item #5

2010-07-25T16:14:00.002+12:00

And here we have another outfit! Cardy is Burda 04-2010-117.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions in comments. (especially Sue and Carol, thank you for sharing your experiences now I don't see feel such a wuss).

I realised that the reason I was struggling with my entries is that I had stopped having fun. I remembered the words from my sister, "if you are not having fun, you're not having anything."

When I stopped to think about it, fun was the only reason I was entering this competition!

So why had it stopped being fun? Because I got taken over by "have to's" and "shoulds" - what I call my "wardrobe entry myths."

Wardrobe entry myths that kill all sense of fun:

1. Everything has to be my best effort if I am going to put my name to it.
Wrong. A competition is a great incentive to raise the bar but it doesn't have to be perfect.

2. Everything has to match.
Wrong. Things that don't match can be really interesting. Use this as an opportunity to experiment with different proportions and interesting styling.

3. Everything has to be carefully thought through.
Wrong. Thinking is the enemy of fun. Intuition is a much better guide.

4. I can't explore and play with the patterns if I want to finish on time.
Sigh. Right. No myth here, it's the time limit that is the really hard part. So will I finish it on time? I don't know. One thing I do know, I have some beautiful fabrics that were inexpensive but not cheap, and I want them to have the best chance to be made up beautifully. Sigh. I will have to make muslins. If that means finishing late that's just going to have to be the way it is.

Now about this cardy.

Things really started to come unstuck with this cardy because I over-thought it. I decided that because my clothes featured a lot of pleats, that to make the outfits match I should put pleats in the tops as well. The pleats on the pockets are cute, The pleats in the shoulders are not. But it's a minor misdemeanour and I've learned my lesson. No more matchy matchy match.

Other than that, I love this cardy. It was Burda's illustrated section but I have to say, I was more confused with their instructions than I have been for a long, long time. But we got there in the end!

The fabric is Marc Jacobs Merino that ended up in Nicks (outlet store) how - I do not know. The band is silk from the Sally Army. Now I often buy "silk" from Sally Army that ends up being polyester after an inquisition. I have even bought fabric labelled "R Cavali 100% seta" which was polyester and the most convincing fake silk I have ever encounterd. Under trial by fire though it proved its counterfeit identity. Good thing it was only a couple of bucks.

But I digress - this fabric, looked like silk, felt like silk, and when burned, much to my surprise, was silk! Hooray!

Well, choppity chop, no time to tarry, back to my next muslin, a dress this time, whose success lies in perfect fit. I am hopeful of pulling this one off.

Acknowledgements - I made the alterations to this cardy after seeing the gorgeous suit made by Sherry.

2010-07-22T16:16:00.003+12:00

Burda 10-2008-113

It's nice to see these friends reunited at last because last time they were together was when they shared an aisle at the Red Cross shop. The top is another $1.50 remnant and was intended to be a wearable muslin - once I'd checked construction and fit the idea was to remake it in my Karen Walker navy blue silk lycra - the gorgeous beautiful stunning fabric that accidentally got delivered to the outlet store instead of the designer store where I got it for a tenth of its intended retail price. Woopsie!

However, I need some help and encouragement blog friends. I am starting to tire, yes, tire of this 10 piece wardrobe business. Firstly, I don't give a rat's behind whether I have 10 interchangeable items of clothing. I don't even care if a single outfit matches. I don't care about the prizes, and frankly, now that spring is around the corner I just want to make cardys and dresses which would be verboten under the rules ( I would be allowed a single cardy or a single dress but not both).

In other words, then only thing that is keeping me on track is the promise to myself to have a subscription to La Mia Boutique if I finish it. And that my friends is a little silly because I could just buy it for myself anyway, whether I finish it or not.

In short, is there a single good reason to continue with this regime? At the moment I am only sticking with it for reasons of pigheadness and stubbornness. I suppose that is as good a reason as any.

Still, I'm open to words of wisdom from anyone who has been crazy enough to commit to this act of sewing stupidity before.

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT TO THE END?

Flirt item #4 .. again.

2010-07-19T03:57:00.002+12:00

I wasn't happy with the back wedgie in my last pair of pants, so I went to work again on the pattern (Burda Style 9175). I envisioned these pants made in grey civil servant flannel with perfectly pressed creases and a sensible no nonsense button. So I made them again.

I love these pants. I love them because they are warm and comfortable and a little bit nerdy and a little bit ugly. In French there is a word "beau laid" meaning "beautifully ugly" and I really love that aesthetic - its so much more intriguing and beguiling than beauty.

I have also finished my merino wool knit top - all that's left to do is the hems, for which I am awaiting my replacement part for my machine. More soon.

Oh and yes, of course the fabric was bargain. 40% off at Global Fabrics end of season sale. Naturally.

Flirt item #5

2010-07-11T13:40:00.000+12:00

Burda 05-2010-130

The back is strictly business as usual without the welts:

I sewed this in a record 4 hours - from seeing the pattern to tracing it to fitting it to finishing it. That's pretty good. That's because 4 hours in a week is all I have these days. My son being at the stage and age he is (exhausting demanding etc), I have no energy at the end of the day. And it's not going to get any better any time soon, the secret to enjoying your children may well be excellent child care but in this city that comes with fearsome waiting lists.

Anyway, let me quit moaning, let me extol the virtues of this pattern. It is a 3 dot Burda number only because it has back welt pockets but I just did not have the time or inclination to be bothered with those. I never use back pockets if there are decent front ones and the front ones are super cute, don't you agree? They have this cute little pleat that comes off them, turning the pencil skirt into a quasi tulip number. It also has an extended front lap piece that turns into a mock belt that buttons on the other side of the belt loop. Well you know me, I love a little mockin' in my wardrobe.

The fabric was from the Red cross shop $1.50. It was clearly a leftover from another project with big bits cut out along the side.

I only had enough to do a small hem and I couldn't lengthen it at all meaning I was going to have to wear it Burda model length (short). In this way I was forced to be a little bit trendy and modern and hip which is not my bag at all, but I dare say dressing younger than my years will not kill me.

I wanted to sew my first merino top this week but when I got to my sewing machine I discovered that my son had pulled off and hidden the back vertical spool making twin-needling impossible. And do you know what I did find behind my sewing machine instead? The back windscreen wiper. Yes he pulled the whole thing off the car and posted it behind my machine. I wasn't too peeved about that because now both my husband and me have had our dearest possessions trashed and so there will be no sanctimonaneous exhortations to accept the reality of having a toddler in the house.

Instead there were lots of sympathetic noises on both sides.

This skirt is officially the cheapest item I have ever sewn - I got everything, zipper, thread, even tracing paper at a really good price from Smart Dress Fabrics, and the button and interfacing were more charity shop finds: bringing the total to something less than $4. (about US $2.50). (I never count my Burda subscription when I price things because for me it's just pure entertainment - however, I do count paper patterns purchased specifically)

Flirt item #4

2010-07-03T11:35:00.000+12:00

Ladies may I present the - nerdy but I totally love it - BurdaStyle Nichola #9175:

Back view: Not bad, not bad, considering I've been wearing these for 2 days, a little wedgie and a small wrinkle is quite good compared to some of my pant attempts.

Now, how more flirtish can you get with these pants? Buttons, zipper: Sally Army; fabric: leftover from another project; Pattern : free download from BurdaStyle

I was put on to this pattern by Arnysews who quite helpfully pointed out this was $3 US on the English language site but free on the German site. Armed with nothing but my school girl German and some good guesses I managed to enrol on the site and download the pattern for free. I skipped the instructions as they were in German but I later came to regret that as the pictures would have been useful and at the very least I could have been saved trying to work out the dimensions of the self measured pieces myself.

I tried to re download the instructions to no avail - I simply couldn't guess my way back.

No matter, I have made enough Burda patterns to know how these things go. I love the little belt loops and the curved front, the back pocket is cute too.

However, those of you with with a low geek tolerance will have to be on "nerd alert." Firstly, there is that crime against big bottoms, namely "tapered front leg piece", followed by ankle flapping crimes "final leg length is too short" followed by the mother of all ironing crimes, the pressed front and back leg crease.

Me, I love a little nerd in my look so wasn't too shy to iron my creases but I do object to flapping my ankles so I only did a 2 cm (6/8") hem allowance instead of 7.5 (3 inches). If the patten did not have such a deep hem allowance I would have been in big trouble. I also removed the front leg taper by grading out from the knee a total of 1.5 cms (5/8 inch) each side to the hem, to produce a straight leg. If I didn't do that, the phrase, "house on stilts" may have been aptly applied.

I am assuming these pants were made to appeal to the young and hip, because they are also about 2 inches below waist, meaning that anyone passing by gets a good view of your underpants should you bend over, which means best nickers everyone.

So, my wardrobe colours now are set - green, purple and navy blue with grey as the neutral. I love those colour combinations so I'm pretty happy about that.

Next up I'm going to make a top with some of my merino (which is a high grade wool knit) so I'll actually have some finished outfits soon. How exciting!

2010-06-30T16:38:00.006+12:00

The first noble truth of the Buddha: life is suffering.

Fortunately, one has some lucky breaks along the way which would have me alter that truth to, "life is not unmitigated suffering thanks to the Sally Army and Nick's."

Those of you with children will sympathise that I have had a hard hard week with my 2 1/2 year old son. Is he in training with Al Quaeda? Sometimes I suspect he is. So instead of sitting down to my beloved sewing machine this week I have been sitting down with a stiff drink every night. But enough, let me show you my lovely fabric finds that gives me faith that I will find the strength and will to finish my competition entries before the September deadline.

Exhibit number 1: Merino from Nick's - another liquidation sale - these lovely sports Merino in a variety of colours available from his temporary outlet store in Barry's Point Rd. Machine washable with a nylon layer for stability and breathability.

Exhibit number 2: Sally Army fabric box: 1 metre of silk dupioni and 3 pashmina (handmade in Nepal, the softest cashmere I have ever encoutered)

OK, sometimes life is kind.

Keeping it real.

2010-06-24T15:32:00.000+12:00

I didn't want to show you this dress, because just looking at it makes my blood pressure rise. The sewing, simplicity itself. The fit, excruciating. Without question, this is the most unpicked and resewn item of clothing in my entire wardrobe. Even now I can see I shaved too much off the bust apex causing a ripple through the upper chest. it's too late, I am too over it. If my son was still having afternoon sleeps, if I wasn't sewing with the very last vestiges of energy late at night, yeah, I could have made this work.

I have a hard time with retro patterns, the line between retro chic and retro chit gets narrower with every passing year. I just feel, well, a little ridiculous in this dress, despite my attempts to modernise it and make it lifestyle friendly in a cuddly chambray.

The dress has this little pleat on the bodice where the princess seams join, and little bows on the top. The skirt is a tulip skirt, and the pleats are supported by netting. The secret to this dress is excellent fit, so that the pleat on the bodice falls off the apex correctly. I failed.

So yes, now I can answer Sherry's first question in the game of tag.

1 What retro pattern are you thinking about?
Vogue 199. Baaaaaaaaad thoughts. I have nicknamed this dress the "gay Paree" dress because it is a Vogue couturerie design. I bought the belt from Vanilla Ink (designer dress store in Auckland - nice clothes, high prices) - it was 75% off. The shop assistant said to me, "it's pure leather, excellent quality, I just can't understand why it hasn't sold." Well, you don't have to be a freudian analyst to work it out. It appealed to my sense of humour though and I can't believe such a conservative shop did not notice what they were selling. It's a little annoying though, because when you have it on the tightest setting it's a little, shall we say, flaccid.

So unless I run out of time for the competition, I will not be submitting this dress. That's OK, I totally accept that not all sewing journeys take you to paradise.

2) One place I want to visit?
Actually Paris. You see I have this PERFECT dress for it.

3) How do I relax?
With a glass of wine.

4) What is your favourite holiday?
Many favourites, can't choose.

5) One sewing skill I'd like to try?
I'd really love to learn industrial sewing for that perfect finish.

6) Can you knit, crochet, any other crafting talents?
Knit, yes, crochet, yes, quilt, yes, cook, yes, bake, yes, garden NO NO NO.

7) What garment do you wear the most.
Pass. I wear all my clothes, all the time. I am one of those people who opens their wardrobe and says, "what haven't I worn for a while?" and if I can't make it work, I move it on to a charity shop pronto.

8) How much time do you spend reading blogs?
More now that I have less time. If you can't create much yourself, it's nice to share other's journeys.

9) Your motto, mantra?
It ain't over till it's over.

Now if you would like to play along, pick up this tag and run with it. And if you haven't visited Sherry's blog, then you are missing a treat. Not only is she a professional with beautiful photographs, she sews Burda.

Flirt item #3

2010-06-17T12:53:00.000+12:00

The technical view:

Burda 05-2009-116

A theme is emerging. Tulip skirts. None of it planned, just based on what the fabric wanted to do. This wool is so light and so drapey, and I loved the idea of keeping the original design (pleated at the waist) but modernising it. And the fact the fabric actually features tulips made it perfect.

Also I loved the bow on this design. I have a big tummy so I usually shy away from waist detail, but on this skirt, it absolutely makes it. I used the hem of the lining fabric to make the bow. It's cut on a slight curve because it's all I had left, which is why the seams are not true, and there is a big seam running across the middle. I put the bow on hooks and sewed my own little "eye" onto the front in thread. That way I can un-hook the bow when I want to wear a long top over the top and not worry about the bulk underneath.

I also lengthened the skirt 2 inches. As you know, Burda models like to sport a lot of leg. They also have fabulous gazelle like legs to sport. With a tulip skirt you have to alter the final length very carefully. You can't just whack off or extend the bottom, you have to redraw the entire side seam to preserve the final circumference. Otherwise you cannot walk: the angle gets too narrow if you follow the slanting trajectory.

Other than that, it was an extremely easy sew and a relatively painless refashion - not too much unpicking, lots of fabric, not too many seams etc.

Now, may I be smug for a moment? In addition to reusing the outer fabric, I also re-used the original lining (resewing it to fit the new shape of the skirt, and using the hem for the bow) and zipper. I left the original tags in the lining to make me feel thin. I used thread I had lying around and I used interfacing I got from the Sally Army, absolute top quality interfacing, 3 metres for $1. Don't hate me because I know how to find a bargain.

All in all, a happy refashion, and for the grand total of $15.50.

Flirt item #2.

2010-06-13T15:45:00.004+12:00

Pattern: Burda 01-2009-105

With the creation of this item, my wardrobe is now committed. By this I mean that now the proportions and the colour of the skirt have been set, everything now must follow. The 4 tops must all go with this skirt, and they must all go with the other 3 bottoms. By choosing a patterned bottom, I will probably have to make all plain tops, by choosing knee length I am committed to tops that suit that proportion.

Not that I should really let this bother me. Am I the only one who looks at the wardrobe contest entries and thinks, "yes it goes really nicely with that skirt you've put it with for the photo, but there's no way it would go with those pants?" In other words, people do whatever suits them and their needs and I say all power to them.

This skirt was a true test of the "flirt" concept. Just in case you think I contorted a whole lot of initials to come up with something cute, let me assure you this was not the case. With this skirt, I needed every single one of these principles (faith, luck, intuition, risk, trust).

The vintage fabric was from Salvage, the second hand fabric shop in siren's hearing of my house. I often get sucked in their for a purchase. I have loved this fabric for so long, but each time put it back because it is pure polyester. Humid climate + polyester = sweaty mess. Last time we were in there my son trashed the store so quickly and so thoroughly that I had no time to think, I just grabbed it and said, "this time you're mine."

When I got home I remembered why I had always resisted. The challenge was to turn polyester into something comfortable, and for that I turned to Nick's for some linen. This is where the luck came in.

If you don't know Nick's, it's a clearance store on Dominion rd, which gets most of its fabric from things that don't shift at its upmarket parent store, Global fabrics (Australians will know this as "the fabric store'). It is home to what Nick himself calls " some real dogs." Personally, I'd call them mongrels. However, amongst a lot of trash there is pure treasure. If you know what you are looking at, you can pick up some real bargains.

This striped linen is one of them, and it came to the store via a clean out at Global. As they were loading up the truck, the guys said, "put something nice in there for our customers. Give them a treat." So this pure linen, which was too summery for winter sewing, got loaded up.

Before I went to bed that night, I thought to myself, "how can I put these two fabrics together."

And this skirt is what I literally dreamed up. The pattern, how to put the fabrics together, even the construction, it all came to me in a dream. In the morning I awoke and thought, "noooooooooo, not quilting."

But then I remembered the promise to follow my intuition and so I did it, and it does a good job of keeping the overskirt and underskirt together.

If I had sat down to plan a wardrobe, I would never have planned this.

And I wouldn't have planned this either: what tight-wad wardrobe is complete without a refashion? Let's see what I can do with this pleated mid calf length pure wool challis skirt from the Red Cross.

2010-06-09T13:49:00.006+12:00

Thank you all for your lovely comments, you are too kind (except you, Miss Smith, you are too funny). When I saw how the coat looked in the photos I knew I really had a pressing issue with the puckers. When I solicited help from the PR board, I loved Em Summer's response - "unpick it and redo it, I wouldn't wear it out like that." It was exactly what I was thinking too. I certainly didn't want to enter it into a competition under my name, even one I was counting on losing.

Thank goodness for the wonder of a google search then, when I found the cure was simply a thickly tufted towel away. You can steam press velveteen on a towel, whose tufting protects the fibres from being flattened by the iron. I then covered my pressing ham with a thick tea towel, likewise the sleeve board and voila, the worst of the puckering has been dealt too. For a really good finish, I should have nicked the seam allowances every three inches to allow the fabric to lie completely flat. But I do not have time to resew a coat.

I have 10 weeks and nine garments.

Doesn't the back look so much better? (I forgot to do up the button again, it's there under the flap)

Now you can see the flowers on the button better:

Ok I'll put my name to this:

Crack! Crack ! The sound of the whip telling me to move onto the next project,

Pattern: Simplicity 2508

Flirt item #1

2010-06-08T16:17:00.002+12:00

Well seeing as though I'm not actually sewing a SWAP I thought I'd better come up with my own acronym.

I am sewing a FLIRT.

F for faith because you have to believe in your own creative capabilities when working with such restrictions; Luck, because stumbling across beautiful bargain price fabrics and finding just the right pattern requires it; I for intuition - because this kind of wardrobe relies on gut feeling alone; R for risk, you have to take a chance on things and T for trust - trust that in the end, the whole thing will come together.

Let me present you with Flirt item 1. The fabric is another Sally Army special - some cotton velveteen I picked up for $4. I wasn't overly keen on it but I thought it would make a good muslin for a suede jacket I was going to make. Instead I turned it into Simplicity 2508 . The fabric is horrible to press and I had to do it delicately under a press cloth and on the wrong side to avoid crushing the thin pile into a matte mess. The back in particular looks like it needs a long hot loving encounter with the iron. I think before I submit this for the competition I will have to get it drycleaned - and hand pick the hem as I bagged the lining and pressing alone will not support the turn up. (harumph!) However, I think you will agree with me that the back storm flap is a cute detail.

The lining is special though and I won't for a minute pretend it was a bargain I picked up after beating off other hopefuls. I got this from Salvage, where I paid a respectable price for a piece of vintage rayon. It is second hand though, so that's good enough for me.

The buttons were another Salvage find, $12 for a card of twelve, and I have been longing to use them ever since I first saw them. With this project I thought they would lift the garment and they match the lining too. I also love the feminine flowers on the trench styling - something so fragile and delicate on a military inspired design.

Well now my coverall is over and done with. I'm quite pleased about it because it can take me several weeks to make a coat and I banged out this one in just on a week, thanks in part to Queen's Birthday weekend and a husband on child minding detail, but mostly because this coat is very simple and I had already done all the fitting on the last version.

This version - gun flaps on the front, storm flap on the back, pleated cuff on bracelet length sleeve,aqua buttons, aqua top stitching.

There are so many ideas pushing around my head about what to make next. Who would have thought a wardrobe competition could be so much fun?

It's a good thing I'm enjoying myself because first prize is a an online class and a pattern, second prize is a pattern. For not winning, I thought I'd console myself with a subscription to La Mia Boutique - which at about $300 - will definitely be worth losing for.

post editing note: I have found out how to remove the puckers from the velveteen - press wrong side in the direction of the nap with a steam iron on top of a thick towel. Thank god for that - because if I'd had to take it to the dry cleaners I would have spent more on laundering than I did on the coat.

2010-06-03T16:38:00.002+12:00

The thing about saying, "I would never.." is that sometimes you do. Like me and SWAP's (sewing with a plan) - I hate having a list of things to sew. I feel pressured and harried. But the time is right - I feel like a challenge - and the challenge I have opted for is to sew the 10 piece wardrobe for the Pattern Review wardrobe contest. Nothing like jumping in at the deep end.

HOWEVER, knowing myself, I am going to do it my way. That means NO PLANNING. It's going to be a Sewing Without a Plan SWAP. I am going to make one garment at a time. At the end of each garment I am going to decide what to sew next based on what I feel like sewing and how well it fits with the last item. The process will be organic and responsive to whatever inspires me.

My theme is based around my love of a bargain. I am going to only use second hand, thrift store items, sale items, end of season sale fabrics and manufacturers clearance. That goes for patterns too - whatever's in stash, or I can download for free, trace out of Burda or buy on sale.

I am thinking of a title and here are my thoughts, please let me know if any of these appeal:

- Serendipity chic
- Shoestring style
- Second to none
- Leftover love
- Your trash, my treasure.

Here's what my husband said, "It's not going to work. You have no control over your input but you will be judged on your output."
I laughed, "I am not young. I am not thin. Granny chic does not have universal appeal and I take a crap photo. It's a done deal I won't win, the point is to participate and have fun. If I'm lucky I might have a nice outfit at the end."

My first garment is the coverall - a coat, of course. And as it happens to co-incide with the Trench sewalong, I'd thought I'd sign up for that too.

Now please excuse me, I have a lot of garments to sew.

ps. Kbenco, see what you've started!!!

Disclaimer
- if my son starts sleeping badly again all bets are off
- I reserve the right to lame out

Thank God for the Sallies

2010-05-28T13:05:00.001+12:00

Of all 36 pattern reviews written about this bag, the Amy Butler weekender bag, not one of them said, "this bag costs an absolute fortune to make."

We start with a $30 pattern and then we add several metres of bag interfacing (Fast 2 Fuse) at $42 a metre and finish with lining priced out at $35 per metre. I worked out if you used the recommended Amy Butler home decorator fabric with the recommended bag stabilising interfacing you would spend upwards of $300. I did not, of course, do that.

Actually how I came by the fabric is a cautionary tale for anyone who likes op-shopping (that'd be goodwill shopping to my American friends). I sorted through a box of the usual debris at the local Sally Army and sorted two possible contenders - this, a piece of vintage bark cloth and another piece of hand beaded silk sari. I put the fabrics on a chair next to me as I was rifling through the box. A woman approached the chair picked up the fabrics and said, "ooh lovely fabrics."
"Put. the. fabrics. down. Step. away. from. the. fabrics." No of course I didn't say that, but I gave her a look that said it for me.
"oh? Are these yours?"
"grrrrrr."

This flurry of bag activity was set about by the decision to have a weekend away in my hometown this weekend. It is very satisfying to return to the city of my youth with the skills of the last two decades away in evidence about me. Such a simple thing - to make your own clothes, such a big satisfaction to create something totally unique.

The piping is made with the lining lurex, not the easiest fabric to work with:

Credits:
Fabric outer: Sally Army, from their litter bin mascarading as fabric box $10
Lining: Nick's upholstery weight lurex $20
Notions: Smart Dress Fabrics - 1 and half metres bag weight interfacing $18, 4 and 1/2 metres piping $7, Thread $3, Jeans needles $4.50 Bernina shop: Interfacing, 1 metre wisperweft, $12, 1 patchwork template plastic $7
Pattern: purchased on line $30 from All Things Patchwork - Cheryl the owner delivered the pattern personally because she knew I wanted to finish it this week .. is that service or is that service?

Grand total: $112 (that's around $75 US), and that people, was making it on the cheap.

Pussy bow blouse

2010-05-21T15:46:00.006+12:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you have a full bust you generally do not want to be drawing attention to it. However, there is another truth that says that pussy bow blouses are simply adorable and no matter what the state of your decollete you will want to make yourself one, especially one as easy as New look 6831.

The bow:

The buttons - clear, thought it best to keep it simple as I think you'll agree there is an AWFUL lot going on.

The back:

This blouse is fitted and cap sleeved, made of vintage fabric and buttons. I'm not sure what type of fabric it is but it feels like a cotton/wool blend of the Viyella persuasion. It is super comfy and super fun.

Toned down a little with a plain cardy and a dorky smile:

Game, set, matchy matchy match

2010-05-18T15:39:00.010+12:00

I made these jeans (Burda 7738) to match my merino top - since I bought the fabric at the same time it seemed like a good idea and the closest I would ever get to wardrobe planning.

I feel better about wearing the merino top now (Burda 7760). I did a bit of "mall therapy" - where I looked at the other badly dressed people with ill fitting clothes at the shopping centre and didn't feel too bad. It just goes to prove the theory that if you are going to compare yourself with others, you'll feel a lot happier if you choose someone worse off than yourself.

The light is fading so these photos are the best I can do.

I sorted out most, but not all, of the problems with the back. In the case of my cords, I "over-fitted" - meaning I did one erroneous adjustment that threw everything else out. Normally I have to lengthen the back crotch by 2 cms, is there a worse feeling that having your pants ride your butt? There are things worse than watching people pick there knickers out of their back wedgies but bad as it looks, if feels much much worse. At any rate, the short answer is that I did not need to lengthen the back crotch at all - it was already quite long by Burda standards.

There is still something wrong happening on the yoke - can you see that pull. What am I doing wrong people? Is it because I pulled in the top of the yoke for a minor sway back - should I have left it completely alone ? There will be an expert reading this - go on, sign in as anonymous and tell me all about it.

But let's now look at what's going right. For these jeans I took in the bottom 1.5 cms on all sides, front and back, tapering at nothing at the knee to create a bootleg rather than flare. The denim was so heavy and thick I thought it wouldn't suit the bell bottom shape of the original design.

Then this is the treatment for the back baggies. If you are familiar with "Fit for Real People" you'll know there is a full bicep alteration. The same method can be applied to the back to collapse out a large wedge. It does add width, so you need to take that out through the side seam. Here's how the pattern piece looks.

So basically I did virtually nothing to alter these pants - they fit really well straight out of the packet and I love love love them. I have got my denim pre washed and ready for my next version where I get to do ALL the top stitching -this time I had to leave off the stitching on any seam that may require re-fitting.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Carol for sharing the information about the back baggy alteration and to Jackie for sharing her jeans making expertise.

From "nice" to "interesting" - Burda 7760

2010-05-13T12:10:00.000+12:00

When I have a sewing disaster I remember some of the things my sister has told me "if you're not making mistakes, you're not making anything," and "sewing is a journey," and "every garment is a learning experience."

And all of the above applies to Burda's version of the Jalie sweet heart top. I made a full muslin in viscose, which has similar properties to merino wool - it's spongey and slips around a bit and doesn't have great recovery. Only I did not bother finishing my hems, which proved to be my undoing.

The most important alteration with Burda: raising the neckline. They would have us sport a whole lot of cleavage. I take a tuck at the neckline reducing to nothing at the armhole and do the same to the facing.

After a number of other small alterations, I made what was supposed to be my final version in a rib knit merino. All was going beautifully - I used vilene bias tape to secure the edges, used a walking foot and a ball point needle, used a very narrow zigzag stitch for the seam to hold their elasticity and sewed it all up beautifully. When I got to the hems I decided I would use hemming web to secure the hem, and the super stretchy stitch. Well, the hem super stretchyied out - until I had a huge wavering mess. In a panic I took in the side seams, but this only contorted the fabric further, pulling the whole front further and further off grain.

When I tried it on, and looked in the mirror I said to myself, "no, not even for the Sally Army."

If you've ever tried to unpick the super stretchy stitch you'll know that is an exercise in vanity, and because I had to cut in to the fabric to take in the side seams there wasn't much left for me to fix.

I went out and bought some more merino, this time with some lycra to aid recovery. Oh yes that lycra sure does bounce back, it stretches and hugs every curve... and every bulge. Now the fabric was too tight, clinging ungraciously to every fault. I used a twin needle on the hems, as the pattern insisted, and it came out as planned, only I will never be comfortable sporting this degree of anatomical detail to the world.

At this point I considered my options: a fourth attempt, in merino without lycra and praying to the twin needle gods? Could I cut off the worst of the hemming mess on the second top and add a band? Could I wear the third top with a cardigan over the top and shapewear underneath? Should I take a "back fat be damned" attitude and wear it anyway? Or should I remove the bow and turn it into underwear given that this merino is a super soft and snuggly baby weight?

I decided I'd try the middle options. And that is what we have: Burda 7760 with hip band and Burda 7760 sweetheart top with back fat.

Overall I've learned a lot about sewing merino, and stretch, and fitting stretch, but I think the two previous reviewers on Pattern Review who said, "the Jalie one is better" are probably right.

However, there are two advantages to the Burda one: because it is constructed with a front facing instead of small bands to finish the neckline it works well with unstable knits, like merino. Secondly, the bow is super adorable. It's sweet and a little provocative - at the end of the day, it's the details on Burda that keep me coming back. They just know how to take a garment and add a little spice. And spice is what takes a garment from "nice" to "interesting."

The inside of the sleeve is gathered:

Burda 7738.

2010-05-05T16:22:00.005+12:00

They are supposedly low rise but does that look low to you??? They are also both fitted and flared, which gives them a distinct retro feel.

From Jackie, jeans guru of the Auckland branch of the Australian sewing guild, I heard about this pattern. This is my first version, aka wearable muslin, in cord. I love love love it.

But I totally stuffed up the back. I am almost too embarrassed to show you the enormous back wedgie. However, in the interests of sewing honesty I am braving my backside.

It's not all bad news though- I got rid of the back baggies by following the method suggested to me by Carol, who runs the ASG. You cut and collapse a wedge out at the bottom of the crotch. I'll show you the pattern piece when I've sorted out the other problems in my next version of these.

It's Me- Made - May and call me perverse, but I've been out shopping and buying lots of new clothes. For me it's way more of a challenge to stop wearing the things I make and go out and buy myself some basics.

I need to shop for clothes though, it's no good me having 'sewing shoulds' - I have to face the facts that with a life regimented by family demands, my sewing time must remain unfettered.

It has been a great thrill to see everyone else's MMM efforts, and to see all the mini wardrobes unfolding - thank you all for sharing. It just goes to show though, what's one person's challenge is another person's TORTURE.

Fabric: wide wale cord from Smart Dress $25, zipper +thread = $6 = $31

Grey days ahead: Burda 09-2009-123

2010-04-25T10:32:00.006+12:00

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful suggestions last post. Some great ideas that I will explore further.

My neighbour Jenni was right - I really DID want to make myself a faux fur waistcoat. For me, sewing is a hobby - I make pretty much anything I feel like. I can't bring myself to sew anything that doesn't intrigue me in some way: hey, that's what shops are for. Of course, I need to remind myself of this frequently. Because frequently I go shopping and think, "what! a hundred bucks for a merino top, I could make myself one of these for $20." That's when I need to take myself firmly in hand and say, "yes, but you won't make yourself one for $20. You'll make yourself another coat. Just you wait and see." So far I have been right. So far, I have a coat for every day of the week and am steadily progressing towards one for every day of the month.

You know, fun fur is a bit of a misnomer for this kind of fabric, because so far I'd put it top of my list of things not to sew when you're tired and frazzled. The presser foot gets stuck on the bulk and slides all over the show, it also drags on the faux suede side. I had better luck with movement when I switched to a walking foot but I still had a hard time sewing a straight seam.

If I wasn't so proud I'd show you the mess under the collar but I like to maintain the illusion that I am a sewer in control.

I am going to put some rivets to attach the ties to hold it closed. It's just still a little too warm so I'm wearing it open, but the thick fabric doesn't want to lie flat on the body. Here's the technical view which shows the ties: (courtesy of their website)

This is a really fun little waist coat. I can see myself getting lots of wear out of it - at first I was worried that with all the grey in my hair, and my skin which is also losing pigment, that it would pale me out too much. But there's a kind of resonance in repeating the colours of the body, so I think it looks OK.

I did have trouble sourcing the fabric, because although there is a lot of faux fur on the market this time of year, there's not much that also has the faux suede backing, which is necessary for this style.

You can see I diverted the FBA to a dart in the shoulder. I didn't want a side dart, because I wanted to preserve the vertical lines of fur. I thought about converting to princess seams, but as anyone who ever has to make 2 darts because of an FBA will sympathise, sometimes you really just want to make up the pattern as close to the original as possible. I shortened them as much as I could without causing a ridge.

The back: all I needed to do was shorten the darts.

Costings: Faux fur with faux suede backing on special at Smart Dress Fabrics $25, tracing paper $1, thread 50c = $26.50

Make it Smirk

.. now in shiny.

..something a little more sedate

Awards for 2011

Collette Pastille Dress

On things being perfect for Christmas

Putting the shirt into "tee shirt"

a little bit of whimsy

The Amy Butler Weekender bag

Sewing FOPs (for other people)

Nerd alert!

A couple of quickies.

Outfit October

Tartan jacket

Selvage September

The selfless seamstress

The twist bubble skirt

velour allure

Pillows

Explorations in the ugly aesthetic: the brocade bomber

As fresh as a summer's day, in the middle of winter.

Tweed Trousers

The opportunities in crisis

The trashy jacket

The quite good perfect jean jacket

Magic closets, magic pantries.

The bold coat

Housekeeping

..and more jeans.

Jeans

Nerdy, but noice*

Simple Sewing

The Jacket Sewalong

The dress that decided itself.

The denim dress.

The strands of life

Pillows

The pea pod linen purse

Put a dog on it*

Fix it February

The Macaron Dress

On Op shops and tank tops

The white jean - Burda 7738

Second time lucky (no really, this time)

The art of the wearable muslin

The "shapris" pant

Summer time, and the sewing is easy.

It's as easy as 1-2-3 with an Ottobre tee

Applying some discipline

Ta Da!

A bit of this, and a lot of that.

Shirt dress by night.

Getting acquainted with La Mia Boutique

All's well that ends better

Perspective

Housekeeping

The mop top

The "otagaroo" bag.

A happy day

The 'trench' cardy

Ever wondered who makes those really kooky Burda patterns?

Something old, something new, something boring, something true.

Fabric love and fabric loathing

The *phwoar* top Burda 06-2010 #139

Burda trench jacket 03-2009-114

Branching out

F is for Fun, Flirt item #5

Flirt item #4 .. again.

Flirt item #5

Flirt item #4

Keeping it real.

Flirt item #3

Flirt item #2.

Flirt item #1

Thank God for the Sallies

Pussy bow blouse

Game, set, matchy matchy match

From "nice" to "interesting" - Burda 7760

Burda 7738.

Grey days ahead: Burda 09-2009-123

The phwoar top Burda 06-2010 #139