Monthly Archives: February 2020

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floral frikka with matching skirt

15/02/2020 1:13 pm \ 8 Comments \ Carolyn

… so here are a few things I made earlier! like; along with everything else that’s been going on I can barely remember when I made them. Honestly, I’m really missing writing for my blog lately, and “engaging” with other sewing folks on instagram – please note correct use of appropriate buzzword – with all the wedding sewing I’m doing it’s all I can do to keep up with just my daily outfit blog … and keep the pantry stocked … and some sort of food on the table each night… wait. Actually that is rarely happening nowadays, whoops…

Also, a pre-warning, after the wedding there’s going to be a veritable avalanche of sewn items popping up here. An avalanche I tell you!!

Anyway!! I’m just gonna go with stream of consciousness blogging again and see how we go.

This is the new Frikka hoodie pattern by Fibremood… funny thing; when the catalogue came out I immediately homed in on the Becky dress and was like, YES! that’s the one for me!! at that point noticed that it was for child’s size 2-14 … womp womp. So I chose the adult sized Frikka hoodie obviously. As it turned out, I had just enough fabric to cut out a little matching skirt, and so I’m pretty chuffed I ended up with a sort- Becky look after all. Win!

pseudo-Becky

My fabric is a surprisingly cosy cotton double gauze from Minerva. Suprising, because you wouldn’t ordinarily think cotton gauze would be warm. In my experience, it’s a lot warmer than you think! And so soft and cuddly, mmm.

note to self; wearing the hoodie up with a pony tail looks, um weird….

Some sewing notes; I added a kangaroo pocket on the front… #pocketho

I stitched the sleeve hem quite deep hem on the sleeves, a. because I really love a three quarter length sleeve, and b. so when cuffed/rolled up the right side of the fabric shows.

I didn’t have a matching cord on hand for a drawstring in the lower casing, and may not even bother actually. I think it’s fine just the way it is.

I really like the hood construction on this thing. It’s fully self-lined, in a very innovative (to me) yet intuitive and simple to construct way; with the two sides being cut on a fold, opening edge on the fold. Very clean and easy.

With the matching skirt; I didn’t have enough fabric for the waistband as well, so cut one from an old pair of jeans. The colour is a perfect match, and also denim is probably a better fabric for a waistband anyway.

I stitched on a, in retrospect rather insane daisy button, because it seemed appropriately fun and random at the time, but I may switch it out at some point. The petals are really knobbly so it’s kinda tricky pushing it through the buttonhole…

I also fully lined the skirt with ivory/grey polyacetate lining fabric, because the gauze is naturally quite “sticky” and I do plan on wearing it in winter, with tights.

Note to self; 40 minutes for a blog post.. not too bad! Now to get back to the wedding sewing!!

Details:

Hoodie; the Fibremood Frikka hoodie, made in this cotton double gauze
Skirt; kinda based upon Vogue 1247, except with no pockets or horizontal seams, same fabric, and lined
Poppy dress (only the skirt seen); Vogue 1351, poppy print silk chiffon, details here
Pink twist top; the Pattern Magic 1 twist top, thin pink stretch stuff, details here
Shoes; made by me and my own design, detail here

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: Clara, daily outfit, fibre mood, frikka sweater, hoodie, jumper, skirt

cute little love hearts

10/02/2020 9:01 pm \ 9 Comments \ Carolyn

So, I’m full on in the midst of a mad maelstrom of sewing for Cassie and D’s wedding right now, but managed to whip up another little something for myself… and this is the second of my nominated make-twelve fabrics that I want to sew up this year… yay! Just quietly, I have also made up a third one too but that one is a secret and I’m not going to reveal it just yet, mwahahahaaaaa!

This is made using my fave underwear pattern of course, the Watson pattern by cloth habit… I always love whipping up a few of these! such a quick and enjoyable project and with no attendant guilt trip either, since it’s a basic essential wardrobe item that is incidentally filling a desperate need at the moment too … I really need to make a few more actually!

I bought the pretty heart printed pink cotton jersey in Spotlight during last year some time, washed it immediately and it has been sitting beside my machine wrapped around the elastic and all the bits and bobs for the bra for probably eight or nine months, haha. I lined the bra with cream coloured poly stretch that I’ve had for yonks; using a method I developed so as to enclose the seams inside, details here.

Normally, I do not stitch the cup and its lining together along that central seam, haven’t found it necessary, but this time I decided to do it. I used a hand pick-stitch, stitching in the ditch of the seam, and I really like how the stitches form a series of very subtle spots along the seam.

Here is my updated make-~~nine~~ twelve graphic for the year so far!

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: cloth habit, lingerie, watson

rusty lace Cissy dress (Homer and Howells)

03/02/2020 9:11 pm \ 6 Comments \ Carolyn

I’ve made this rather awesome new dress, if I say so myself!! Paprika!! Rust!! Kinda… burnt orange/dark red/burgundy/wine!!! It has a strongly autumnal-flavour in colour and feel, but actually it’s beautifully cool and breezy enough for summer too. I wore it today and it was super comfortable in spite of the 38C heat. Phew!

The pattern is the Cissy dress pattern by new company Homer and Howells; I discovered and started following them on instagram a few months ago and was thrilled when they asked if I would like to try out this particular design… because I knew it would make a lovely summer frock 🙂

I had this glorious richly-coloured lace that’s been languishing in my stash for hmmm goodness knows how long … I can barely remember its purchase! I’m pretty sure I bought it at Tessuti’s in Melbourne on one of my holidays over there with Mum and Cassie. Like about 95% sure. #youknowthingsarebadwhen… It’s one of those fabrics I’ve taken out and petted every now and then, even laid out pattern pieces on it before having second thoughts, but finally I felt this particular project was just the right thing.

The pattern is an exceptionally easy thing to make. It does have pockets, beautiful great big pockets too, absolutely perfect; but in the spur of the moment I just couldn’t think of a way of inserting them nicely or invisibly enough into my underlined lace dress, so left them out this time. Who even am III????!! but really. I’m a little ashamed I didn’t think a bit harder, because right now I can think of two separate ways I could have made it work, hmmm. But I’m feeling too stressed out to unpick all that overlocking to put some in right now. Maybe later. After the wedding… 🙂

Of course I needed to underline, because it’s lace, and therefore completely see-through. I had a length of white cotton in my stash too, inherited from Mum’s stash; that was just the right sized piece, and I thought the white underneath would be really cool.

But you know what? it wasn’t … when the dress was finished, I decided the white cotton was actually really awful; just too harsh of a contrast. So I dunked the completed dress into a dyepot of mixed orange/red/brown/hot pink dyes. And now I think it’s lovely! the underlining is almost the same colour now, just a shade lighter than the lace, and I think absolutely perfect. I’m really going to enjoy wearing this chic thing!!

Notes; I shortened the sleeves by about 9cm, and the dress by about 17cm from the top edge. At full length, the dress was just a little too “granny-ish”, and yes I know I AM now an actual granny! but there’s granny-chic which is cool; and then there’s just “granny” but not in a chic way. The lace that I chose, combined with the long skirt tipped the original look into the latter but I do really love it at this slightly shorter length! I actually do have fabric in mind for this pattern at the designed-for longer length, but that will probably not happen until after Cassie and D’s wedding… ha! I have so much to do!!! #notevenlaughing #cryingjustabit #ineedaholiday

I managed to incorporate the natural scalloped lace edge into the hemline, which I think is super pretty! but sadly didn’t have enough lace do the same for the sleeves. They’re just hemmed.

Details:

Dress; Homer & Howells Cissy dress pattern, lace with dyed cotton underlining
Shoes; caramel/ivory clogs are made by me, and my own design, all details here. White shoes are also made by me, at a shoe camaraderie workshop, all details here