Category Archives: Uncategorized

Check-mate

09/12/2012 11:00 pm \ 45 Comments \

… because I’ve made something in a check, and I’m accompanied by my best-est mate  🙂  The former, a rarity; the latter, far less so!
So, the searing-est of searing hot scorchers are but just around the corner, and like a war-wife stocking her air-raid shelter before the blitz, I am laying in supplies… I have made a new pair of shorts using Burda 7723, altered by lengthening and flaring the legs slightly, and adding a zip placket.
This is the eighth thing I’ve made using this pattern… yeah, so I’ve come to the conclusion that this pattern is one totally cruddy pattern which does not work for me at all… hehe, joking!  Just seeing if you were paying attention.  Obviously, this has been one of my favourite and most used patterns.
The green gingham was given to me by my friend C from her late mother’s stash.  I can tell it is a really old old fabric, a cotton gingham of a solidly satisfying quality you just don’t see very often anymore.  Seriously, I don’t want to come across all “oh-all-modern-stuff-is-crap-compared-to-the-good-old-days” since I think that is not true at all: but; a Case in Isolation…  like the proverbial man; good gingham is hard to find now.  This is a very good gingham; crisp, strong, thick and tightly woven.  The white has slightly yellowed to a pale-ly creamy ivory through age, but as this suits my colouring I consider it a plus.
Now.
There is actually something  rather special about my new shorts….  🙂
this is the very first garment fully made on my baby sewing machine; my tiny elna Opal, that lives in our beach house!  YES!  

I have used it for hemming curtains, but I really wanted to make a proper and complete “something” entirely using this weeny little machine while we were at the beach house, so took down everything I thought I might need.  Of course, I get started and quickly realise I did NOT have everything that I needed!  I remembered after the fact that I usually finish off a few internal raw edges in this pattern on my overlocker, which of course I did not have with me.  However, I did have a piece of white voile with me, which I had taken down just in case, like for pocket lining or something.  I did not use it for pocket lining, but it was sliced into bias strips and I finished off all the raw edges inside my new shorts with HongKong seaming.  This is a kinda high-end finish I would not normally bother with in a casual pair of shorts, so my overlocker’s absence really forced me to lift my game here!

Also, I also belatedly realised that my baby machine does not have a zip foot, meaning I had to insert the zip using its one and only foot, a regular wide one.  So the front fly top-stitching around the zip turned out a wee bit wonky… but that’s OK.  Seeing those sweetly crooked stitches on my machine’s very first garment is like looking at my child’s very first piece of kindergarten art.  
Likewise, the baby machine does not do buttonholes, that I can work out anyway: so instead I handstitched a keyhole buttonhole using embroidery thread in a tight blanket stitch.  Another example of a maybe higher quality finish than I would otherwise have employed!  Maybe I should make more things while I am away from my “real” sewing machines  😀

Just for fun, and “why not?” I added strips of bias-cut gingham in the pocket opening edges.  I was planning to put some welt pockets in the back with bias-cut welts too; but the unheard of happened, and disaster struck… I ran out of thread!  
(heard in Perth, all the way from Dunsborough)  “Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

Oh well.  It’s not like one ever uses rear pockets… they’re just for show and I guess there’s already plenty of visual interest happening with the check and all.  But once something is in my head and I haven’t been able to see it through; it’s Unfinished Business and niggles at me.  Hate that.  Maybe I’ll bring these shorts down again the next time and put those welt pockets in… maybe.  We’ll see.  🙂

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, green cotton gingham; my review of this pattern here
Top; the ponytail top from Pattern Magic 3 by Tomoko Nakamichi, green jersey, details here
Shoes; bensimon, from seed
Hat; Country Road

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , , ,

A fluttery cloudy thing

04/12/2012 11:00 pm \ 32 Comments \

This wasn’t actually supposed to be a real dress.  I was playing about.  I have to confess to a few struggles
with my fabric… that had a mind of its own and a recalcitrant disposition.  If fabrics can be anthropomorphised;
this fabric would be a will o’ the wisp, absent-minded girl with a head full of
poems and fairy tales and dreams, given to wandering barefoot on sunkissed
white beaches and forgetting that her library books were due back.
But it has been coaxed into a coolly flitter-y
flutter-y dress, which I think it wanted to be all along in its heart of hearts.
This is the Loose Flare Drape Dress; pattern no.11 from the
Japanese pattern book Drape Drape by Hisako Sato.
The fabric is a very lightweight, very soft, pale grey
marle jersey knit, part of a massive quantity I bought from the Morrison
remnants sale.  A fabric I picked
up because I liked the soft cloudy-grey colour and the slightly fuzzy texture,
but was actually extraordinarily flimsy and difficult to work with.  It clings and flutters and slips all at
the same time, it is very drape-y and almost sheer.  It likes to curl up tightly on itself, and the sketchy “stripe”
in the fabric is whimsically slanted at a slight diagonal.
But happily ever after et cetera; the thin floatiness
of the fabric is a near perfect match for this pattern… I’m thinking of
rustling up a halter-neck bra to wear with it, but in the meantime it’s being stoushed
in the beach-bag to do duty as a cover up.  
It may even stay there if I don’t get around to the
halter bra, since it is just the right shape and style to go over my
bathers.   And it is so ethereally summery; a
flattering and exceptionally easy-to-wear dress, edgily short and cute-ly
flippy.
The dress is an A-line halter neck dress with a wide
and swing-y skirt; and a full length, full skirted lining for which I used the
same fabric.  The loose flare piece
referred to in its title is a separate piece attached in with the halter neck
at the left side and sewn into the armhole, to flow free and loose across the
front of the dress.
This piece is what makes the whole dress, of
course.  The extra piece is a very
simple idea, and it swishes and flutters so prettily against the dress.
The only adjustment I made to the pattern was to
leave off the zip and just to sew up the side seam.  Well, it’s stretch fabric.  I’m currently of the opinion that zips in a stretch garment
are a complete waste of money, time and effort. 
Naturally I reserve the right to change that opinion
any time it suits me. 
The fabric isn’t the only one here subject to
whimsy.
Details:

Dress; the loose flare drape dress, pattern no.11 from
Drape Drape by Hisako Sato, made of lightweight grey marle jersey knit

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , ,

Melbourne; a travel wardrobe

02/12/2012 11:00 pm \ 25 Comments \

I’m a bit late with this post, but a week ago my mother, Cassie and I returned from a uber-fun and girly, long weekend away  😀
Time away: 
5 days
Where to:
Melbourne
Season:
the last days of spring.  Cool nights, daytime highs from 19C right up to 29C
Expected activities: walking n’ talking, tonnes of window shopping and a smattering of real shopping, tea-ing, consuming pre-dinner sparkling, and tapas-ing.  One visit to the theatre; A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Colour scheme: calm and peaceful coffee and cream, with rich ‘n spicy sunset hues.   Accents of black, and just one cool splash of the palest blue

What I packed: (click on each garment name to link to its original construction post)

(left to right; top to bottom)
pale gold handbag
black thongs/sandals, Misano
black flats, Enrico Antinori

high-heeled, black suede wedges, Misano
Not pictured, but I also took assorted underwear, pyjamas and my red Havaianas to wear when going to the sauna and spa.
Verdict:
Well I packed in a hurry and forgot my wide black emu-leather belt (pictured belting the pale blue tunic top here), which was to be an essential visual component of the two outfits with the black shirt and the pale blue top, doh!!…  That was pretty darn annoying… so I felt I looked less pulled together on each of those days than I wanted.  Mum and Cassie assured me the outfits looked OK sans belt, but y’know when you have this image in your mind of exactly how you want to look and then it it is not to be, because of the absence of one flipping thing??  Apart from that…!  Overall I was pretty pleased with the selection, it was both comfortable and workable; and I loved loved loved my colour scheme.  It’s very pleasing when your makes mix and match and turn out to complement each other in just the way you hoped.
I was particularly thrilled to be recognised by another lady while shopping in Tessuti’s; thank you Yvonne for those lovely compliments about my “precision” in sewing; your kind words totally made my day  🙂
The outfits I chose for each of the five days are pictured below, and my pale gold bag co-ordinated with all my outfits for both the daytime and the evening.

Below at left, I wore my Guy Laroche dress every evening out to dinner; and at right, every night we baked in the sauna and tumbled into the pool… bliss!
pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged:

Spammy spam spam spam

30/11/2012 11:00 pm \ 30 Comments \

Rachel of My Messings recently awarded to me the One Lovely Blog award, thank you so much Rachel!
Now I know we are supposed to write seven things about ourselves, but honestly.  Aren’t people’s entire blogs pretty much stuff about themselves anyway?   So I thought it would be more fun to let some of my favourite spam comments have a moment in the sun.   

Spam.  Sometimes I feel sorry for spammers.  They have a tough life, daily facing an uphill battle.  Their hard work is often unappreciated.  Hours: tapping away on keyboards, hacking their little hearts out, frequently in a language that, let’s face it, it’s pretty obvious doesn’t come easily to them… all that effort, for what? 
*delete*
How often do we take a moment to really consider the Soul of Spam?  
Some are pure gems of angst-ridden, strangled prose; others are little bon mots, distilled works of word art… like reading an ee cummings poem.
Some could even be thought of as an e-haiku; a small thought to ponder and reflect in a quiet moment.   
Consider this; could these be the cutting-edge, the new face of modern literature?

(oh, and btw, please do not think I’m poking fun at genuine commenters whose first language is not English, I have absolutely the highest respect for bloggers and commenters who communicate in a second language.  These following comments are not from genuine commenters.  I have removed the website names, but they all without exception came from sales websites just trying to score a return hit…)

Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told was a entertainment account it. Look complex to far delivered agreeable from you! By the way, how could we be in contact?

Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a twenty five foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!

obviously like your website however you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very troublesome to inform the truth then again I will definitely come again again.

What a data of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable knowledge regarding unexpected emotions. 

Magnificent website. A lot of useful info here. I am sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks in your sweat!

It’s enormous that you are getting thoughts from this paragraph as well as from our dialogue made at this place. 

You really make it seem so easy together with your presentation but I in finding this matter to be actually one thing that I feel I’d by no means understand. It sort of feels too complex and extremely large for me. I am looking ahead on your subsequent put up, I will try to get the cling of it!

Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice at the same time as you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I have been a little bit familiar of this your broadcast provided brilliant transparent idea 

well kevin if your still hanging around i think this is the contact filling address , there very helpfull ,tell them miss m wintek gift him out   
Asking questions are in fact nice thing if you are not understanding anything fully, however this post presents fastidious understanding yet.
magnificent points altogether, you simply gained a brand new reader. What may you recommend about your submit that you just made some days in the past? Any sure?

Good advertisement by added visitors,its accordance adventitious to allocation acclimatized knowledge.i am so afflicted by this blog accumulated information.
Lots of beneficial in a row. I give rise to bookmarked your place.
Short and sweet,  I think this last one is my favourite  🙂
I am passing the One Lovely Blog award on to:

And, in closing…
Very occasionally, one is treated to a novella in one’s spam box.  The product links are cunningly concealed within the unfolding drama, sneaking up on the reader without warning.  Such masterpieces are rare treasures indeed.  If you have the time, these are well worth the reading  🙂

“I’m from near? Again nearly did not the Fu Huang climb up my bed near distance, right? How, not out in July? Fu Huang intend to move back? Are not you afraid? Still find new embolden you candidates? “palace banquet scene came out, hastily sent a ghd the north face sale flapping back Chuxiu did not find gas this will all spread out, but for seven drive past looking for him, he simply put harem lifting and remember him timid, who think he’ll be back Zhengyang Palace of Beaulieu temple! Qin Ge stared at her for a while, say, by angle, punching the words you, [url=http://www.thenorthfaceoutletk.com/]north face backpack[/url] give you a reward.A seven digit check.Qin Ge said, with face, north than you seem fit for me.She and Qin Ge together for three years, before her, Qin Ge had a lot of women, she is it right? That he dropped the identity with her for three years, after all, she is only a common cannot again ordinary girl. Compared to the excitement of the people, Wang Mang look calm, 
“That will not do! [url=http://www.ghdhairstraightenerad.com/]ghd mini[/url] Xiangyebuxiang rejected,” you’ll be my wife, how can you continue to do security work? Too hard! Others will say that I abuse you! “    “Let me do the security is abuse? Then others? Others to do the security is not? Unfair it?” Ghd Pieliaopiezui, he says quite views. how cruel war that the [url=http://www.ghdhairstraightenerad.com/]ghd straightener[/url] can not imagine harem no smoke, heard prime chaise year but set thousands of pet in a ah, jealousy, hatred ghd With.Who can guarantee the ghd’s dead, is not a conspiracy?”You blame ghd? Ghd then do not help you Dangxia the arrow, Xuanming Palace gang woman will not ghd killed.” Rupu black hair messy sprinkled on behind his eyes firmly watching people in front of children, eyes flashed a touch of remorse light. See she did not speak, [url=http://www.ghdhairstraightenerad.com/]ghd pink[/url] somewhat tense, with great care to request: “vice president, 
“? [url=http://www.cheapfashionshoesaf.com/]cheap nike air max 90[/url] holding the steering wheel hand unconsciously tightened, he does not know why they would ask such a obviously a lot more than the question,” No wonder he is so polite face when even said with a smile! “    This time, nike finally listening to the wrong place, the reigning curiously turned around and looked at nike: “Mu always say what? Do I usually express myself distasteful? [url=http://www.cheapfashionshoesaf.com/]cheap air max[/url] took a deep breath, walk two steps on the Nike said: “cloud miss, can I make a request?”Nike wry smile said: “you know the spike is listening to my orders to do, so although she hurt you, but I should be the real culprit!So, you can not put the river spike involved?All the consequences, I own is!Can you promise me?” Mu light he Wenyan, not by looking up a river river spike, spike did not shy away from his eyes, mouth has smiled: “he always says what!What does the candle candle!
pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged:

here’s a thought…

30/11/2012 8:00 am \ 10 Comments \

Details:
Top; from Pattern Magic 3, of grey marle jersey knit, details here
Shorts; Burda 7723 modified, of grey/beige corduroy, details here
Thongs; Havaiiana

The last day of the month, the time of reckoning is at hand; and verily, an unexpected snag has raised its ugly head…  
You see, while I, of free will and sound mind (ha!), elected for this year to account for how much I spend on sewing my wardrobe and on everything sewing-related really, including all the random bits and bobs for Craig and my children; I’m shy when it comes to personal gifts.  Like, the birthday pressies I made for Mum and Dad this month, and Christmas is coming up, and since my family do read my blog…  and yeah, seeing a price tag on a pressie is so so tacky, don’t you think? and all the love and the care and the thought, and the hours of sewing, ahem that go into a handmade gift are not accounted for, but become somehow negated when a number is placed upon it.
I didn’t think of this in the beginning, since everyone’s birthdays and Christmas are at the end of the year it has taken me this long to twig that this might happen…
SO I have decided on a plan.  I am still going to tally and publish the costs of my sewing habit but there is going to be an addendum for this and next month.. a Secret Tally.  I’ve already made things for my children and for Craig that I have tallied separately throughout the year, and I will add the costs of everyone’s birthday and Christmas pressies into that at the final tally next month.  So, those costs will still be accounted for and published, but as part of a separate, whole and unitemised sum.  
My own personal clothing expenditure will continue to be itemised… does that sound fair and open and honest?
I hope so, because whatever; that is how it is going to be!

So behold, the noble n’ neat, nitty-gritty for November…

Blood Orange top
Fabric;
previously accounted for
Patterns;
Vogue 1247, used previously
Lingerie holders;
gift
Total
cost: free
Seafoam and sand set
Fabric, hook and eye closure, bra cups;
all leftovers and recycled from previous set
Blue chiffon and white lace for the new crotch; $10.87
Patterns;
used previously
Elastic; $3.49
Underwires; $2.49
Total
cost: $16.85
All laced up skirt
Fabric; after using a birthday gift voucher from friends, $4.98
Zip; $2.30
Total
cost: $7.28
Miscellaneous purchases
no miscellaneous purchases this month
Total costs for November:  $24.13
the Secret Tally, to be accounted for next month:
Dad’s “cement” birthday shirt and Mum’s “pomegranate” birthday shirt
A random thought for the day…
from Truth Theory
pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , ,

Red velveteen skirt; 6 different ways

28/11/2012 8:20 am \ 26 Comments \

 

A big
fashion trend around about these parts currently is the red jeans trend.
It is HUGE-o-rama!  I do like it too..  however since my
husband bought a pair of bright red jeans for himself while in Milan and my daughter
has since bought a pair for herself too; so now I cannot possibly
follow along literally myself without us running the risk of
bobbing about the house looking like a little flock of Santa’s
helpers… but luckily I already have my ombre-dyed red velveteen skirt in the wardrobe; mwahaha.   Trend box ticked!  Well sorta.  It is to my
satisfaction, anyway.
In
Milan I noticed the most successful red jeans combos were with a very neutral,
or at least a very conservative top; the better to tone down the woa!-ness of
those eye-catching legs and avoid clown territory, and I think mixing and
matching an in-your-face colour or print skirt follows the same principles.  I tend to pair the red skirt with very
bland or classic garments, or just very occasionally with a colourful top if
I’m in that sort of mood.
Below:
at left; a classic boat-neck navy and white striped Tshirt is without a doubt
the most popular pairing with red jeans I have seen here in Perth.  That combo is sooooo hot right
now.  Rather French I think with little white
sand shoes, and fortunately I happen to have red leggings too… At right;
a men’s styled denim shirt is another perennial classic, which works well with the red skirt peeping out under, and smartened up with chunky high-heeled caramel wedges.
redskirt1
Below:
at left; a flash of crimson from under a long-line cardigan adds a spot
of cheer to an all-charcoal winter-y outfit, and at right; on a day when one is
feeling particularly bubbly, a bright tunic top and ballet flats matches the strength of primary colour in the skirt
redskirt2
Below: at
left; the freshness of white, the rumpled crispness of linen and unusual
styling of this shirt is a total counterpoint to the rich colour, plush velveteen
texture and very simple silhouette of the skirt.  I really love all the contrasts in this outfit here… and at
right; I hope you’re not bored with this orange top, since I do tend to wear it a lot!!  I guess maybe it deserves its own 6-way post one of these days… except it’s been seen a tonne of times already, maybe I’ve run out of fresh combos!  Obviously it is another very versatile player in my wardrobe!
redskirt3

Traditionally I’ve considered red to be a primadonna colour that is quite difficult to mix and match, but I have enjoyed playing with this little red skirt.  Which way would you be wearing it?

pinterestmail
Posted in: fashion, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , ,

Pomegranate

23/11/2012 11:00 pm \ 32 Comments \

Don’t worry if you don’t “get” the title of this post; that’s an in-house joke…  😉
I have made another birthday shirt, this one for Mum.
The pattern is Vogue 1247.  Yup.  This is the seventh butterfly to emerge from this particular pattern and wing gracefully away from my sewing machine.  Yowzer.  This could be a record, even for Miss Repetitive (ie. me)….
Man.  I need to traverse fresh paddocks.
But in the meantime, Mum had mentioned she really like this top, so …  🙂
Mum tried on the two versions of this top I had made for myself and decided she liked the fit so I just made the same size and lengthened it by about 2.5cm at her request.
The fabric is is Rowan’s shot cotton in Granite, with a pink warp and a periwinkle blue weft.

All the seams are French seams, and I did the lower hem differently this time… the way it is explained in the pattern is just slightly on the unnecessarily-difficult side in my opinion, when it needn’t be.  Instead of the stay-stiching and the trimming, I just folded a narrow hem under twice, pressed, pinned and stitched.  So much more simple, and yes, it was a heck of a lot easier to turn under too!
Mum made her own white trousers, and her scarf is Metalicus.

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , ,

Cement worker

21/11/2012 11:00 pm \ 41 Comments \

I made a shirt for Dad’s birthday  🙂

I used Burda 7767 custom-fit to his size that I fine-tuned with last year’s shirt, and a fine-grade linen from Spotlight in a shade called “cement”.  Very appropriate for a man like my Dad who is the handiest handyman you could ever hope to find!  Srsly.  He is.  Cementing would be an absolute doddle to Dad, I’m sure  🙂
Last year’s birthday shirt was a sort of “nice” short-sleeved shirt to wear out to smartish events, and this new one is more casual, more suitable to Dad’s usual daytime activities; like working in the shed building stuff like The Chicken-Plucker (don’t ask) and his own lathe, tinkering with the ute and trekking out through the bush to tend to his hives and chop wood.  And fire-fighting, although I kinda hope not!  
Being linen it will be a good cool shirt to wear all summer, and this one has long sleeves to protect Dad’s arms from the sun.  He can roll them up if he desires without fear of embarrassment caused by tatty interior finishes: since the side and sleeve seams are French seams, and the armscye seams are flat felled seams.  I used my own tutorial for flat-felling a curved seam to achieve this neatly.

The pockets are bellowed and pointed at the nadir, and button closed with arrowhead flaps.  The buttons are from Fabulous Fabrics.  The lower hemline is curved, and as always I sewed a spare button inside to the side seam.

After I had finished sewing it; it was all nicely pressed, with the creases ironed into non-existence and all perfectly smooth and neat, like a newly sewn garment always is.  I looked at it askance.  It looked so … pristine.  A bit immaculate.  It didn’t look like a “Dad” sort of a shirt at all.  My Dad is very much a low-maintenance sort of a man.  So I gave it a second wash, a good shake-out and hung it out on the line to dry in the sun.  It came up with a very satisfyingly lived-in look; comfy, rumpled and crumpled.  I did not allow the iron anywhere near it.  Now it looks very “Dad”.

A little tip; when you trim off the seam allowances and points off of the interfaced pieces of collars and cuff and the like before turning out, it can be handy to keep the larger trimmings.  They can be cut down into small squares, which since they are already pre-interfaced are useful for stabilising buttons sewn in areas which have no facing, such as the cuff split button…

and yes, this was the secret thing I have made recently…. I used a small strip of the leftover linen for the waistband on my lace skirt.

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , ,
Switch to mobile version
↓