Tag Archives: Theo

colour-blocked Mimi and golden chain-mail

23/08/2025 2:10 pm \ 1 Comment \

hello!  I’ve made a new/old blouse for myself… I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of using old textiles PLUS I’ve also always loved patchwork and mixed-prints in clothing so obviously this new blouse is certain to become a favourite!  why?  because the fabric is salvaged from three well-loved old shirts of my husband’s… I really liked each of these shirts when he was wearing them, so when he decided they were too worn to be worn any more (hehe) I packed them away to be refashioned one day.

I know it seems weird and silly to use three whole mens’ shirts to make just one woman’s shirt…  like an exceptionally inefficient use of resources really! however there really were so many bits of each shirt that could not be used because of holes, stains, or threadbare patches that I had no choice.  I was on a rescue mission!

The pattern is one of the newly release patterns from Fibremood, the Mimi blouse. Such a quick and simple thing to make!  Especially coming hot on the heels of two jackets, ahem.  It was nice to be an able to whip up something without having to think too much!

The pattern actually has the button and buttonhole bands cut on, so my use of the third contrasting fabric is an alteration really.  I did have to do a bit of calculation to get this to work out well.  I was seriously worried I wouldn’t have enough of the yellow fabric but thank goodness I did in the end.  Another issue was cutting the lower front panels… I had to join some pieces together to get a piece big enough you might be able to see the joining seams on both of those sections of my new shirt.  The sleeves also have joining seams that I did my best to make reasonably unobtrusive.

I’m wearing my new shirt in the above pictures with a pieced denim skirt I made last year using old jeans and our own Meelup skirt pattern, plus a number of superfluous pockets, making this outfit a wholly recycled-fabric ensemble.  I really love this skirt too! it used to be quite a bit paler in colour and I overdyed it blue while I was dying something else one day.  Oh, I remember it was this skirt...

Something else I’ve made recently was a “golden chain mail” tunic for my middle grandson T for his book week costume.  Doesn’t he look amazing?!  He wanted to be Tom of the Beast Quest series.  I was only commissioned to make the tunic, and my clever daughter Cassie made the rest of his costume including that amazing helmet.  Theo made his own shield!

I used the measurements from an oversized T-shirt he already had, and bought the golden sparkly remnant from Spotlight.  It was very cheap but is actually quite nice stuff … I have a little bit left over and am wondering what I can use this for?!

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“cool bunny” T-shirts

02/05/2025 4:57 pm \ 2 Comments \

Hello!  For the Easter just gone by I wanted to give something to my three little grandsons… chocolate has been ruled out by the parents and so I had to think of something else.  I decided upon this!  As a teen, my eldest Tim used to have a pink T-shirt with a “cool bunny” printed on it which he absolutely loved.  It was actually a very different print from this one, but with this in mind I googled “cool bunny” and something like this was one of the millions that came up.  I thought it was really cute!

The following is my process… I’d done a screen printing course years ago and so already had all the materials on hand.  Most of my old paints had dried up but fortunately the red and black were ok.  Phew!

I hand-drew the design on tracing paper in lead pencil, then transferred the designs to equally sized pieces of wrapping paper.

Why wrapping paper?  Well, because it’s a little stiff and “waxy” in texture I thought it would last a little longer in the printing process, and hopefully not disintegrate after a few prints.  Yes I could have gone out to buy proper printing paper but I’m still on a “use what I’ve got in the house already” kick.  I’d pre-cut the paper pieces to be the exact same size, in the hopes of being able to overlay the two colours as perfectly as possible.

Using a scalpel, from my shoemaking kit, I cut out the two designs.  I’d also cut out four pieces of white cotton jersey (from stash) big enough for a T-shirt front.  Four pieces? but I only have three grandsons?  well I was accounting for one possibly not working out well since I wasn’t going to easily be able to do all this a second time!  Screenprinting is quite involved!

To help line up the prints, I’d drawn the corners on the white cotton jersey in disappearing ink.  As it turned out, this didn’t work out well at all because the edges of the paper are stuck down to the screen with masking tape which then obviously also masks the corners drawn on the cotton jersey underneath.  So of course you can’t see them.  I mean, duh!  It was actually pretty difficult to line up the screen for the red print afterwards.  I’m going to have to put my thinking cap on for future multi-colour prints.

First print done!

I’d cut the black with little “bridges” to keep the design actually together, so after printing I went over with a paintbrush and carefully filled in the bridges.

Second print!

These are the three that worked pretty well…

and this one did not.  If you can’t see it straight away, just look at the red, inside-the-ears bit, and you can see how skewiff it is compared the the others.  I’ve still got this fabric, and may use it for something else in the future.

Heat set the prints, and then I sewed up the T-shirts.

I used Butterick 5510 for G’s T-shirt above, that I’d used for him previously…

and for A’s and T’s I’d traced around a child’s T-shirt and adapted it to their sizes as well as I could.  I deliberately made them all oversized so they could grow into them, but they did all turn out pretty big.  Fortunately all the boys seem to like them and have worn them, so I’m happy!

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water lily dress, a raincoat, and a stripey shirt

05/04/2025 9:19 am \ 2 Comments \

hello!

I’ve been making a few more things lately…

first up; a dress!  I bought this screen printed linen a few years ago from the Injalak Arts Centre, the design is Mandem (Water Lily)  by the indigenous artist Eva Nganjmirra.  The pattern I used is an old favourite by now, Vogue 2900.

 

Something charming about this screenprint, I discovered; was the designer’s “signature” of sorts…of course, I had to carefully cut around this and place it some where semi-prominent.

I decided the pieces had to be highlighted in some way more than just mere seamlines, and utilised a method I have written about previously here… namely this is a bias cut strip that is inlaid over the pieces before joining together.  I had a small length of mustard linen, leftover from this dress, that I used for this purpose.

Unfortunately there wasn’t enough to do every single seam and edge like I have done in previous examples of this method but I just did as many of the more prominent bodice seams before I ran out of it.

I know I’ve used this pattern quite frequently but it really is such a beautiful dress design that I don’t see myself every tiring of it any time soon.  Of course I really should branch out more and I’m resolving to try more new patterns this year and not fall back so often on the old favourites.  In the meantime though, some of my recent as yet unblogged projects have failed this resolution already whoops.

I think my only, somewhat trivial criticism of this design is its lack of shape in the waist area.  I have a pretty high waist to hip ratio that isn’t really suited to this drop-waist design however I still stubbornly persist in wearing it.  Sometimes I think I should try to modify it to look less “boxy” but the bodice pieces are so beautifully proportioned in themselves I’m not really game to fiddle about with it.

 

I wore this along with my me-made mustard clogs out to a meeting with friends recently and managed to grab a quick street shot.  I’ve always liked to get a real world photo the things I’ve made if possible, but it’s sometimes difficult.  If the coast is clear, like this time, I can quickly prop my phone up against my bag on the footpath and take a sneaky timed photo!

My little grandson G randomly ran up to join my while I was taking my more staged photos, which was happily fortuitous since he happened to be wearing a little T-shirt I made for him recently using leftovers from another, s yet unblogged, project to appear here soon.  Once I get my act together!

I used Butterick 5510, a great little pattern that I should probably buy in a bigger size now!  The blue and white striped jersey was tossed out by my friend N during her fabric purge recently.  It’s quite nice stuff, if you don’t mind the suffering that comes with matching stripes in cutting and piecing.  Fortunately I don’t mind this toooooo much.  Maybe just a little, but only if it’s just every now and then.

I lenthened the T-shirt considerably because it’s really way too short otherwise. I don’t know if all my kiddies are just super tall or not but I’ve always found commercial patterns to be ridiculously short and wide.

Please note careful stripe matching.  Oh, another problem with this pattern was the rather small neckline.  After cutting it and subsequently realising it was actually pretty tiny, I recut the neckline, cut some extra neckline edging and pieced it.  One join is pretty good, the other less so… I’m pointing the two out here.  Hopefully they’re not too terrible!  I’m pretty sure G doesn’t mind though, and at least it fits over his head!

I also some leftover raincoat fabric from when I made my sister in law Sandi’s Mundering raincoat, back here; so I drafted and ran up a new raincoat for T.  He’s grown out of his yellow one, blogged here, which will be passed on to G this year.  I lined it with the breathable sporting fabric, a length of which I bought for raincoat vents years ago.  The zip, cord and eyelets happened to be in my stash already too, hurrah.

 

The pockets are just patch pockets. All seams are sealed on the underside using seam sealing wax that I bought for this purpose years ago from the camping and outdoor outfitter store, BCF.

I think he likes it!  He looks pretty cute in it anyway, and I think it turned out a pretty good fit considering I drafted it just using one of his T-shirts.  Phew!

 

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little scrappy cardigan

29/02/2024 8:49 pm \ 5 Comments \

Phew!  My February knitting project was finished in the nick of time!  Honestly now, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep up with my resolution of one knitting project per month this year, my hands might not be able to cope… but I’m still going to give it my best shot!

This is a little cardigan destined for Theo; I bought this pattern online; the Sirda Denim Cardigan.  I made the second size and all yarns are scraps and leftovers from my still very large bag of scrap yarns.  The buttons are coconut shell buttons, also from stash.  I know, I know; sorry! the “stash” is becoming a tiresome mantra by now, but honestly I could keep working form my scraps and stash all year and may not still get through it!

I made this exactly to the pattern … except!  (there’s always an exception, hehe)  I knitted the body in one piece, as opposed to back, right front and left front; and then added in the sleeves and continued with the raglan seams in one piece; so essential it becomes a bottom-up, all-in-one knit.  The only seams are the sleeve seams and under the arms.  I felt rather clever about this. #undeservedSelfBackPat but have to admit that it made the underarms maybe a little looser than I would have liked, due to the natural stretching that occurs at this point when you join the body and two sleeves together to continue knitting above the underarms.  If I was going to do this again, which I most probably will, I will re-work the needle arrangement so as to alleviate the pressure on the underarm, and post some pictures. 🙂

I’m so pleased with how the colours and stripes worked out!!

Here are some fun links though; the yellow mustard is leftovers from my mustard cowl, here...

the navy blue is leftovers from my ghost horses jumper, here. It’s slightly frustrating that the navy blue looks so black in this photo, but I promise it does look more blue in real life!

all other yarns are inherited from my mother. A few were also featured in my January project for Gilbert, namely the mustard, and the deeper brown used in the borders of this cardigan.  Hehe, I know this all sounds rather pedantic to be documenting to this extent but it gives me joy to do so, so you know… 🙂

Oh! speaking of that, I finally have a picture of Gilbert wearing the baby jumper and beanie I made for his baby shower last year… how adorably cute is he?!!

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tie dyed lingerie, and bikkies

10/02/2024 1:26 pm \ Leave a Comment \

Hello!  I’m back with a few new things…

I had a length of raspberry cotton jersey that’s lovely quality and I wanted to make a new set of lingerie with it, but I somehow felt it boring just as it was… what do do of course but make it less boring.  I decided to try my hand at some tie-dyeing…

 

I cut the right amount of fabric to cut a Watson set of bra plus two pairs of knickers. btw, ages ago I made the undies pattern pieces full size, and added the crotch piece to the front piece to include it, as shown above.  This had made the pattern far better suited to me, and far easier to cut out and construct.  I hog-tied it securely before boiling it up in a pot of navy blue dye.  Definitely not boring now… in fact I’m so pleased with the pretty shapes that resulted.  I forgot to lay down the back band in the above picture but remembered to check I had enough for this too before cutting!

 

I’m happy to report nothing new at all was bought for this set… I still have enough elastic left in my stash for maybe one or two new sets of lingerie before I’ll need to buy more, and I have lately been recycling even the hook and eye closures; although I’m aware that happy state of affairs cannot last forever!  However for now it’s very satisfying to be able to make something new and pretty and functional using just what I have.

We’ve had a few birthdays in the family recently, and one little activity I did recently was to make chocolate biscuits with 3yr old Theo for his party.  This was of course a delightful way to spend time!  Cassie had pre-made the chocolate biscuit dough, and I helped him to roll it out and cut shapes.  A few days later I whipped up a batch of icing with him, and supervised the icing and decoration.  He pretty much did all this by himself.

He happened to be wearing the T-shirt I made for him late last year, so I took a quick picture of him assiduously cleaning the icing bowl… so cute and funny.  I’ve never seen a bowl/plate cleaned out so thoroughly as that icing bowl!

Also, I made this green Meelup skirt and pink Booragoon top last year for my niece Tiffany, but she was a little unwell at the time when we were taking pictures for our Meelup skirt listing.  We finally managed to get together for our photoshoot just recently, and here she is.  Doesn’t she look lovely?!  It gives both Cassie and I such joy to have family members and friends modelling our creations!

  

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an assortment of sewn things

11/12/2023 4:50 pm \ 6 Comments \

hello!  Once again I am presenting an odd assortment of disparate things made recently…

Items 1 and 2; two completely identical new Booragoon tops.  Both from a pink cotton jersey from stash, originally Spotlight from ages ago.  I’m wearing one above with my newly dyed Closet Clore patterns Mitchell trousers… the trousers used to be a paler pink and I felt like a colour change though I fear I overdid it a bit!  never mind…  the other pink Booragoon has gone to my niece T.  It really suits her!

Love this cute and yet chic little pattern!  I know it’s mine and I shouldn’t be too self-congratulatory, but I really really love it so I just have to gush occasionally.  I’ll stop now.

Items 3, 4 and 5, or should I just call this item 3?  I’m never quite sure…

anyway, I made a new set of one Watson bra plus two pairs of matching undies.  I used some of the leftover pink cotton jersey, from those aforementioned pink tops, and some striped jersey, that I’ve had for a long long time (actually made this striped shirt from it). And whipped up a mixed fabrics set… actually I want to make more things like this at the moment, mixing up different fabrics.

Fronts and back of the knickers are contrasting, the strap elastic, rings and sliders, and hook and eye closure are all recycled from an old bra.  The other elastics are all from the stash, by which I mean they’ve not been used before even if they’re not actually new.  A free set!  Yay!

Items 6 and 7 (or 4 and 5?). some matching clothes for Cassie’s two; T and G…  Oh, I’ve just realised I haven’t introduced my newest grandson here yet… I did over on instagram but this is his first appearance here…Cassie had baby Gilbert a few weeks ago, and here he is!

Isn’t he sweet!  This is the first thing I’ve made for him and I made a matching T-shirt for his older brother too.

I’m quite sad that this next one has zero hanger appeal, or should I say floor appeal, and even on the body it doesn’t look particularly chic; which is pity because the fabric is absolutely beautiful.

Mum wove this length of beautiful lilac/blue fabric with her own two hands many years ago, and had partially made a dress or tunic or something out of it.

I cut off the bottom, hemmed, and reattached the cut off portion as sleeves.  I’m wearing it as a summer dressing gown.  So that was item 8, for those keeping count, and now for number 9….

my new summer nightie!  So I really really love this and it feels so lovely to wear!  I used a short length of silk from Le Stash, originally from (I think) Tessuti fabrics of Melbourne, from years ago.  With some clever pattern placement I managed to cut a Closet Core Simone slip.  I French seamed the side seams, and was very careful to match stripes all around.  It feels incredibly luxe!  Why have I never made silk sleepwear before?!

 

 

Ok, I think that’s all for now!  See you later!

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Sunset Ocean check and Cornflower mini-check

21/10/2023 12:22 pm \ 2 Comments \

Hello!  I made all four of these summery new things featured here during the depths of winter actually, and took a whole lot of photos whilst also wearing thick tights and boots… but obviously the vibe was strange!  so here I am, the weather a little more appropriate.  I was maybe a little too optimistic for warm weather at the time.  Silly me.

These fabrics are both linens from Maai Design; in Sunset Ocean check and the co-ordinating blue is Cornflower mini check.  With careful cutting I managed to get four items from my lengths of fabric and use up every single scrap!  two tops, a hat and a skirt.  I absolutely love it when I can have no leftovers.

Item 1; a Yallingup top in the Sunset Ocean check.  This pattern is one of our own Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co designs…  I’m a big believer in this top, it’s truly a lovely design to wear in summer.  So comfy and breezy.

Item 2; a matching skirt.  This is a Burdastyle pattern, 03/2016; 101 (A-line skirt pattern). I thought this pattern would be perfect for the fabric but truthfully it really requires a slightly thicker and beefier fabric to hold up this welt pockets.  It’s fine though, really; I’m very happy with this skirt and am excited to wear it!  I really love how the checks look cut on the bias for the lower panels.  I was lucky to find a perfect, pale blue invisible zip already in the stash.

Item 3; a blouse in the Cornflower mini-check.  This is another of our own Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co designs, with shortened sleeves due to not quite enough fabric, and a big patch pocket just for fun.  Throughout I topstitched with a pink thread, also just for fun, although it barely shows up!  Button also from stash.

   

Item 4; a hat.  This is the Elbe Textiles Sorrento bucket hat, that I’ve made many many times before.  I made it reversible, with the ocean sunset one side and the cornflower mini check on the other side.  Now I just need bathers to match!  This photo makes me smile, this is one of about 100 identical trips to and from the ocean with Theo to fill up that little watering can.  He absolutely LOVES the beach and we spent hours there happily playing in the sand and wading in the shallows, Theo chortling like mad.  Such a joyful day, I hope this photo helps me to remember this time.

I’m also wearing these bathers, made using my favourite vintage McCalls pattern, and my beach cover up, made using the Closet Core patterns Charlie caftan pattern.

I’ve still got more unblogged things to share soon!  until then. 🙂

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dressing like a tomato

25/05/2023 2:23 pm \ 6 Comments \

Hello!

So, I’ve alluded to this ongoing project previously; the mission to “use up a rather large length of tomato-red jersey”  I am pleased and just a little lot relieved to report a successful completion of the mission, ahem…

I originally bought this “remnant” from a Morrison seconds sale… it was very cheap… when I had the chance to check it out properly I realised it was at least 6m in length, possibly more if I’m honest.  Phew!  Just a few weeks ago I dedicated myself to remove this from Le Stash.

Item 1; a dress for Cassie… this is the Ebony pattern by Closet Core patterns.  I don’t have any pictures of her wearing it, but it skims her knees and the sleeves are elbow length.  This will be a great little dress for winter for her; worn with tights and boots, over a turtleneck, and with her denim jacket, it looks super cute!

Item 2; a little T-shirt for Theo (previously posted)

yes, he looks cute

Items 3,4 and 5; a little T-shirt for Arthur, plus the sleeves for two more (previously posted)

here he is on Mothers Day.  Cassie is wearing this dress I made last year, and Tim is wearing a hoodie I made for him yeeeeears ago.  I’m thrilled he still loves it so much!  Also, yes, the dress is still mine but I’ve lent it to Cassie for a little while because she wanted some more work-appropriate dresses and I don’t have the time to make new ones for her just yet!

 

Item 6;

a cardigan for myself… I’m in the midst of planning to make a pattern for this design this year.  I’ve made multiples for myself and it’s such a useful little thing to have!

wearing it during me-made May

Item 7:

a little top for myself.  This is our most recent pattern the Booragoon top, available in our etsy store here  #shamelessplug

Item 8;

a little winter skirt for myself.  This is the Paprika patterns Jade pattern; one I make up usually once a year.  Well, I really like it!  Again, pictured during me-made May…


there’s even a failed Item 9!  I cut out a skirt for Cassie too, but as I was pinning it together for its first seam I noticed a fault, a few holes right across a line of the grain.  By this time I was well and truly over the tomato fabric so it was with some joy that it got tossed into the bin.  No regrets!

So wow, yes that’s still a lot of tomato!!

I may or may not wear all three of my own tomato items together like this; on the one hand I really love this colour.  On the other hand…. well actually there is no other hand really.  I love the colour, so I most like will!  btw, not pictured; but the three items I made for myself each has a “circa 2023” label on it.

Now; to be honest, there is a problem with all of these new makes, well more accurately there is a problem with the fabric… I realised that it was cheap and plentiful for a reason.  The fabric is super stretchy, as in it’s stretching out quite fast and it’s clearly not going to last very long.   Like, probably not longer than this year.  Beware a bargain!  You can see in my miniskirt how the folds do not look super stable and a little stretched out already.  Oh well, just gong to enjoy it while I can  🙂

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