Hello! just a few quick items for today… I’ve actually been sewing a few things for other people! Scary stuff, huh. I mean, it’s one thing that I can see all my own flaws in things I make for myself, and on a daily basis! but that’s kinda the rough with the smooth, you accept that because it’s all your own doing, all your own fault and you can tell yourself you’re “learning” and going to do better next time haha…. but to subject another person to those flaws … well that’s really exposing yourself. ok, you know what I mean…
Anyway, you just do it; and only partly because you have more than enough clothes for yourself yet still have the desire to MAKE. Ok, then, mostly because of that 😉
Fortunately, everyone in my life is kind and sweet and appreciative, and usually only murmur kind, sweet and appreciative things about the clothing I force bestow upon them. I’m so lucky to have such polite people in my life!
Anyway, item number one above; a skirt for Cassie. Pattern is Butterick 5488, a pattern she’s used for herself several times already. It’s a great little pattern, with nine variations. Yep, NINE. 
Sure, they’re all near identical, but still. What’s not to love about that.
Fabric; the small portion of leftover paisley jacquard leftover from my paisley shoes, here; I only had a teeny amount left, so I paired it with some rather nice, black pleather that has a realistically distressed texture and a nice dull sheen to it. Also an exposed jeans zip, this is also a leftover of sorts, when buying the zips for my recent khaki army jacket I bought one too many. So ta da! and it feels good for it to find a home so quickly and harmoniously blending in so nicely with the deluxe and somewhat opulent feel of the fabrics together. I love I love how it all comes together in this skirt! heavy-duty brass, the richness of paisley, the edginess of leather.
This is the first time I’ve put an exposed zip in a skirt with lining, and wasn’t totally sure how to do it; I put the zip in similarly to how you’d do a welt pocket, and then hand-stitched the lining to the zip tape on the inside. I cut the bottom edge of the pleather clean and straight with my rotary cutter and left it unhemmed; and hemmed the paisley portions in a deep 4cm hem by hand. The skirt is fully lined with raspberry polyacetate, itself a leftover from my toasty autumn dress here. So this skirt is nearly all from scraps and leftovers! yay!!
When lining a skirt that doesn’t come with lining pattern pieces, I usually use the shell pattern pieces; splicing them together and cutting them a bit oversized for some ease in there. I omit stitching darts, instead folding the excess in a pleat as pictured here. Also nearly always zooming the side seams up on the machine at a million miles an hour like a rabid bat out of hell… whoops, of course I meant to say; slowly and sedately and ever so carefully #NOT *blush*
Item number two; a hoodie for my son’s girlfriend. I had made this striped hoodie for Tim last Christmas; and intended for Kelly’s hoodie to sorta match his; there were some leftovers and I bought some co-ordinating striped fabric to go with the small amount I had leftover from his hoodie.
I was very pleased with how it turned out, and almost wanted to keep it! hehe just kidding… of course I made it for her, she looks great in the navy blue, and the stripes; and I think it suits her beautifully. Also, don’t they look really nice together?
awwwwww
Pattern is KwikSew 3667. This really is a lovely pattern; I’ve used the hood pattern multiple times to add a hood to things that didn’t have a hood, and wanted one. And I also had my own once upon a time; my Hoodie McCloud that I really loved wearing for a long time. Cassie borrowed it once and… yeah, so pretty much it’s been hers ever since. You know, when your daughter wears something of yours, and of course she looks a thousand times better in it than you? So of course you just give it to her… *sigh* I really should make myself a replacement…
Hello!
I just adore jackets with tonnes of hardware and detailing, like zips and lots of different bits and bobs and interesting pockets. So set about planning for this one to be chockablock with loads of that sort of thing. I considered using the same Burda pattern I used for the previous one, but I had to make lots of additions/adjustments to that in order to make it the complex, feature-laden army-style jacket that I wanted, which is fine! but since making that one, lots of great patterns have popped up with all those features already incorporated into the pattern. Eventually I settled upon the 
There is tonnes of topstitching all over, so satisfied that part of me that adores precision sewing. I’m that weirdo that LOVES topstitching! and am pretty much totally and blissfully happy when I’m hunched over the machine, chugging along; churning out lines upon lines of precise, neatly and evenly spaced, stitching. The wonderful thing about this ripstop is that the little squares in the weave of the fabric make precision stitching and lining up pieces to be perfectly square very very easy.
So; like, we were going to this 80’s themed party, and, like, EVERYONE in this particular group always dresses up to the max! Not dressing the part would be heinous! and of course I had to be fully self-made, ‘cos of my challenge. Also, like, I had to be warm. It’s like the middle of flipping’ winter! Like, duh!
I’ve made another dress. Just right now, I’m fully into dress/skirt wearing, tending to pluck them from the wardrobe with barely scant regard to the several nice pairs of jeans in there. I dunno why, since it’s winter, and you’d think I would want to be wearing jeans, but that’s just the way it is. Of course I reserve the right to become a jeans fanatic again without notice, anytime down the track.
Well, for now I’m just going to enjoy mixing and matching this new one into the current wardrobe repertoire. The warm toasty colours are going to go with lots of things I currently have, I think.
hello! I’ve made some new shoes!
This is actually a shoe version of a muslin, whatever you would call that… I’m working up to making some shoes using some of the Icelandic fish leather that I bought when we visited there a few years ago and I’m trialling a new pattern. The pattern looks almost identical to the pattern I’ve been using previously, to make my previous pairs of oxford shoes, but since I made that pattern prior to getting my lasts I decided it would be prudent to make a new pattern tailored specifically to the lasts.
Details above: the top pieces are edged with close-spaced zig-zag stitch in black, and the shoes are fully lined with pale yellow faux suedette from Spotlight. The paisley fabric is from Spotlight too. Foam shoe liners from Coles for added comfort are covered with the pale yellow suedette which gives a co-ordinating, neat and tidy look inside. 
Craig and Cassie both separately and spontaneously, and without my asking, mentioned that they thought this is my best finish yet. The shoes are quite sturdy and I don’t think I’d even be embarrassed should they be subject to a close inspection. Hehe, I cannot say the same thing for some of my previous efforts!
I was thrilled when 
Did I dive right into that invitingly turquoise water for a frolicsome dip? NO!!!! Since I’m the wussiest wuss that ever wussed I just got my pictures super fast and then threw on my jeans and thick woollen cardi again pretty quick! You can see that turbulent water and my crazy hair, it was blowing a freaking gale and the waves were booming and thundering onto the sand like the proverbial white stallions. I do love the beach in any and all weather, including wintery and wild; I love the sparkle of sunlight on the water, the swirling foamy shallows, and the crashing of the surf. Well, perhaps more so when I’m warmly rugged up snug as a bug in a rug, of course. Sienna loves the beach too, but it’s alright for her, in her thick fur coat! hehe, the things we do…
It’s funny; when I finished the pink/black one I almost immediately took a violent dislike to the colours I’d chosen… It seemed a bit… I dunno, young and sporty? or something. Then I made the charcoal version. Which I really adore. When I took out the pink/black one again, to take photos in it, of course, you know the story, it didn’t look quite so hideous after all. I actually took quite a shine to it again. The pink seemed a bit warmer and less Barbie than I’d remembered it. I decided I might even like it better than the charcoal one. I don’t know. Oooh, I’m torn! Either way, I expect both are going to get worn this summer 🙂
Heather has introduced her own sizing chart for the pattern, which I think is a pretty good idea. You know, when you’re making something and you sometimes get too lazy or too cold to disrobe for proper measurements, and go with the same size you always take, or worse; what you think you are. I do find that when faced with an unfamiliar sizing chart, you’re more inclined to get out the tape measure and do a properly slow and careful remeasure, to determine your correct size. Which I did. So saying that, how do I feel the cups fit? well they both fit pretty good. Though I do feel like the cup on my charcoal one, while it fits me; is just a smidge on the scant side for my tastes, if that makes any sense. I believe Heather has upsized them on the final version, which I reckon is a good call. I am small up top but I still kinda like to have lots of coverage there, for personal preference. I might remake the charcoal bikini top, following the new sizing of the final version of the pattern. But maybe not ’til summer!
Fabrics and bits and bobs: the fabrics are from Fabulous Fabrics; who do get some very nice swimwear fabrics in stock during the season. I bought all these fabrics in previous summers, stocking up during sales. Stashing strategically, as you do 😉 Other supplies from my fast dwindling MakeBra basic kits; the underwires, under wiring channeling and the foam for the cups. The swimwear elastic, plastic swimwear hooks for the straps and back closures are from Spotlight.
