Category Archives: Uncategorized

Lichen shot-cotton shirt

28/12/2010 2:45 am \ 10 Comments \

This is a shirt I made for Craig for his Christmas present, cut out and made up in lots of super secret cloak-and-dagger sewing sessions… although he did help choose the fabric a year ago, so perhaps he might have had some inkling…
But he was nice enough to act satisfyingly surprised and delighted when he opened his present.
The fabric is Kaffe Fasset shot cotton, bought online from purlsoho.com, only the second time I’ve bought fabric in this way.  Usually I prefer to feel the fabric myself with my own two hands to weigh up its suitability to the project I have in mind before purchasing.  Actually “prefer” is too soft a word; I consider this a non-negotiable essential rule for buying fabric…  But I’m familiar with Kaffe Fasset cotton, having come across it before in a local shop (Calico and Ivy), so I knew it would be a good choice for lightweight summer mens’ shirts.
This fabric is a dream to work with, and as the word “shot” implies, has a bright cobalt blue warp combined with an intense acidic yellow weft, to give the fabric this deceptively subdued mossy green hue.  I chose thread exactly matched to the yellow of the weft, for all the topstitching.
Same old same old Burda 7767 again, with his custom fitting modifications, plus two breast pockets with shaped flaps and a longer curved hem.  Well, with the shorter sleeves as well obviously, and also I added a little decorative button detail to the sleeve hems for fun.

Very easy; here is a quick how-to…
Before sewing the sleeve and side seams, measure the desired length of sleeve from the top of the sleeve cap and mark with a pin

Turn back the seam allowance, right sides together and mark centre point.  Also mark with pins points 1cm each side of centre point, and 1cm into the seam allowance, creating a little right-angled triangle on the sleeve edge.
Sew along the two short sides of this little triangle, trim and clip into the corners.
Turn the seam allowance to the inside of the sleeve, wrong sides together and press.
Now sew the sleeve and side seams as usual…
and turn up, press and sew the sleeve hem allowance as normal.  I topstitched along the hem edge to help hold those little peaks in place.
And finally, sewed some smaller (4mm) buttons on the peaks.  A side note; it took me ages to find the two different sized but matching buttons for this shirt…  got these from Fabulous Fabrics.  I used these smaller buttons for the collar button-down too.  (Is there a correct term for that?)
Cute, no?  I think this would look even cuter with an acute angle… haha.  
See, I made a little joke.  
Hmmm.
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Vogue 8555; a pattern review

27/12/2010 5:34 am \ 14 Comments \

(shamefaced) I took some more photos of the dress; inside because the ones Craig took on Christmas Day were a tad blustery.  Yeees, don’t know if you can tell or not but I was being windblasted about mercilessly and those photos are the only ones in which my hair did not look like wild animal on top of my head… so I took some more civilised ones to accompany my pattern review!
High winds, and 40C (104F) and an overnight low of 23C (74F); this is perfect bushfire weather so we are all keeping our fingers crossed for no disasters, please…
Without further ado…

Pattern Description:
Dresses A, B, C, D, E, F have lined bodice, front pleats, front gathers, back darts, self-faced midriff, back zipper and skirt variation.  A. B, C: lined, slim skirt in two lengths with front and back darts, bbac k slit.  D, E, F: skirt in two lengths with front and back pleats, pleat underlay and side seam pockets.  A, D: gathered sleeves with sleeve bands.  A, B, D, E: mid-knee length.  C, F: below mid-calf
Pattern Sizing:
8-22 altogether, I bought the 8-14 option and cut size 10
Did it look like the drawing/photo on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
I sewed view F but made up a completely different bodice front; otherwise yes.  My personal feeling is that the fabric used for the sample in the pattern photograph does not do it any favours… but that’s just my opinion…
Were the instructions easy to follow?
yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about this pattern?
I didn’t like the bodice, thought it would be too bouffant for my figure so drafted my own more fitted version.  I LOVE the big big skirt of view F!!  
Fabric used:
Printed cotton, with cotton voile for a lining and petticoat
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I constructed a completely different bodice front, details here.  I did this both to get a more fitted bodice, as well as to inject some interest to what is otherwise a pretty basic design…  I also added a waist tie, to tie in a bow at the back and to nip in the waist more.  Also added an attached petticoat to “boof” up that skirt even more, and used an invisible zip in lieu of a dress zip.
Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?
I will probably sew it again, if not this view then one of the slimline skirt looks.  It is a very easy pattern, with nice variations.   Highly recommend it to sewers of all levels; with this proviso: if you are not buxom then look closely at that gathered bodice front before using it.  You may wish to either modify it, or substitute a different more fitted bodice as I did.
Conclusion:
I love this dress, and anticipate wearing it a lot.  It is super comfortable as well as beautifully feminine with that big twirly skirt, and big deep pockets to shove one’s hands in.  Big pockets on a dress are such a bonus.  However I am also glad I went with a fitted bodice.  In my opinion a more slimline bodice sets off a big skirt better, provides a well proportioned silhouette.

Details:
Dress; Vogue 8555 view F, with bodice of my own design details here, waist tie and added petticoat, printed cotton
Shoes; Sandler, had for donkey’s years

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Merry Christmas!

25/12/2010 2:36 pm \ 14 Comments \

Merry Christmas, all!  Wishing you a wonderfully happy and peaceful day together with your families and friends!

Details: 
Dress; Vogue 8555, with a bodice front of my own design, and added petticoat and waist tie,  printed cotton
Shoes; Sandler, had for many years

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Dressing for a road trip

24/12/2010 2:58 pm \ 6 Comments \

What to wear for a very long hot drive down into the country; joining the entire clan for a massive Christmas celebration en famille…?  Exhibit A.
Comfortable.
Cool.
But vaguely halfway stylish and not tooooo casual; for the dropping off of a few prezzies and returning an overdue video on the way, and a short interval hopping out of the car at the halfway point petrol station, the only times the general public will view my person and possibly judge the book by its cover.   Er, that’s me, the book, natch, being judged by my clothing by the way, in case you missed the tenuous reference…
Not that I had to worry, the standard of dress amongst drivers hanging out at the middle-of-nowhere petrol station today was… well, low, to be blunt.  But I still like to make some effort.  After all, I’m with my family, and I still care that they see I have some self respect, and make the effort to look nice.  That matters.
I’m sure they will still love me all the same.
But that’s not to say I won’t be going all out tomorrow; steppin’ out in my new dress.  Yaas, managed to finish it and I’m dying to show it off.  Never too weary to get excited about a new party dress…
One sleep to go…

Details:
Top; my own design, refashioned from an old pair of linen pants, here
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen
Thongs; Mountain Designs

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New life for an old polo Tshirt

23/12/2010 4:42 am \ 25 Comments \

Dipping into the ol’ bag of toss-outs I took out an old polo Tshirt of my husband’s.  He never wears it anymore, but the fabric is quite OK if not super duper beautiful or anything…  It is made of a type of sport’s fabric which is really cool to wear in summer so I thought of turning it into a little summer dress.

First thing, it had an embroidered logo.  Obviously that was not going to do…
So I unpicked the pocket and moved it up and over the logo to hide it.  I also unpicked the neck facing and seam holding the collar in place and removed the collar, and cut off the sleeves.

Using an old favourite pattern Burda 8071, I cut out a dress body, keeping as much length as possible and keeping the original hemline intact to become the new hemline of the dress (hey, every bit helps).  In lieu of the body darts stipulated in this pattern which would not have worked with this kind of stretchy jersey fabric, I simply removed a slice from each of the side edges that would have been the dart allowance…
I re-used the sleeves to cut out pocket pieces, constructed these and inserted them in the side seams.
Now as polo shirts button up at the centre front I was aiming to keep this feature and use it for the dress’s closure, rather than putting in a zip.  With the very last leftovers from Craig’s striped shirt, I managed to get out the pieces for the bodice, cutting the back in one piece and the front with a button and buttonhole band for a centre front opening.  I used a little scrap of piping cut on the bias to add some interest to the front opening.  The lining was the last leftovers from my most recent white shirt…

The shoulder straps are just some cotton banding I had in my stash, and on the bodice I used little white shirt buttons matched in size to the navy blue buttons already on the polo shirt…
The inside seams of the dress are finished with overlocking, and the bodice lining is invisibly slipstitched in place.
Et voila!  Not glamourous, but I think quite cute enough, and will be a very useful little knockabout dress for a hot working day around the house.
Which is what is on the agenda for today…

Details:
Dress; partly Burda 8071, partly my own design, refashioned from an old polo shirt and some scraps
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, Hobbs shoes

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Summer armour II

22/12/2010 6:21 am \ 10 Comments \

Who said I’m a colourless dresser?  Sometimes I do don brights.  And when one has made the decision to go cheerful, well one may as well go overboard, no?  Well, to fully compensate for all the neutral days in between, that is.   As in, when I cast my eye back over the days here in which I have made the effort to take a photo they roll past neutral, colourless, quietly tasteful, a bit dull, then all of a sudden, whammy!  A bright day.  So today is one of those days.  A makeup day.
Did some more final Christmas shopping today.  You know, you think you’ve finished, a full range of prezzies for all in our fambly’s lives has been purchased and/or made and tucked away in secret hiding places about the house… then all of a sudden you remember some more people.  You know, peripheral people, that are not a huge part, but still there, and you would feel bad if you didn’t get them a little something.  So off I toddled, back to the shoppies yet again, and braved the crowds.  Although the crowds were still orderly and manageable.   I didn’t come home exhausted and barely able to cope with taking my shoes off before collapsing on the sofa, a usual symptom of Christmas shopping…  so I guess dressing to boost my self-confidence must be working some!  Right?
Now today is my husband’s birthday.  So we are having a quiet family celebration this evening and I am baking a decadently rich and stodgy chocolate cake for afters… just because we, er, haven’t been having enough chocolate in our lives lately?
Haha.

Details:
Skirt; modified Vogue 7303, raw silk
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus, birthday gift from my friends
Necklace; made by me, tutorial here
Sandals; Pedro Miralles, from Soletta shoes
Sunnies; RayBan
Bag; Gucci

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Summer armour

21/12/2010 8:10 am \ 11 Comments \

The summer solstice is today, isn’t it?  I think so.  Astrologically the day in which the sun reaches it’s southernmost point, and so the longest day of the year…
And am feeling the lethargy that starts to set in with the heat..  Some days I have a desire to step out looking all smart ‘n smooth ‘n super stylin’, but the need to be cool, that is, cool as in temperature-wise and not as in “hey, maaaaaan”, kind of a cool; wins out.   And just getting my daily chores done.  
Not sure which category this outfit fits into.  I do feel kind of coooool, in my kind-of-newish trench skirt and super-minimalist-chic cami.  But also feel pretty comfy and capable of facing some more Christmas shopping…
Today visited a few BIG chain stores to do a bit more shopping.  Was dreading it.  But, pleasant surprise; wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Maybe the crowds are more organised than me, and have finished their preparations already, or maybe everyone is holding back for a terrific onslaught over the next few days.  Maybe I was just lucky.  Or just maybe the hip dark toughness of my outfit gave me the confidence to deal…
Anyhoo, got in, found what I wanted quick and got out, with pretty much no attendant queuing.  
Win!

Details:
Skirt; Burda magazine 08-2009-107, khaki cotton
Camisole; Country Road
Belt; had since teenage years
Shoes; akiel, from an op shop
Sunnies; RayBan
Bag; Gucci

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Topkids? little tartan dress

20/12/2010 10:05 am \ 11 Comments \

Another blast from the past…
This is a picture of our niece at her first birthday party wearing a dress that I had made for her for the occasion; I hasten to mention that she is now 21 years old so she has changed quite a bit since.  Quite the sophisticated and beautiful young lady nowadays… I really enjoyed her company at our family Christmas lunch yesterday.  It’s still a bit shocking to me how quickly the years have passed, of course I don’t feel any older today than since I took this photo of her and my sister-in-law together, but obviously this is a sad self-delusion…  sigh…
Re the cute little dress; I don’t have any memory of the pattern I used to make this; but it’s highly possible it was a Topkids pattern.  Does anyone else remember these excellent magazines?  They were like Burda, but for kiddies; stuffed full of cute and very stylish designs.  It was an Australian publication and the instructions were in English, but I’m 99% certain the all the designs and all the photography inside the magazine were Dutch in origin.  I’m basing my theory on the following; apart from the fact that there was a line of rather cryptic and unenlightening very fine print, something about Amsterdam, on the title page; all the styling and clothing had a distinctly European air about them, that was very patently not Australian… this is my highly analytical summary.  Hehe…
Does anyone else have more specific information about TopKids, and can enlighten me further?
The Dutch acknowledgement I’m referring to (and here I toddle off to haul out an old copy from the dusty archives…) was:

De Geillustreerde Pers BV Amsterdam

Thanks for your thoughts!

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