Imagewear

This it the Imagewear top pattern I made. It looks like a wide neckline on the pattern and it is.
 This is my iteration of the top. It is a little wide and I need to adjust the shoulders slightly and take out a wedge - about 2 cm at the neckline to nothing at the sleeve head. You can just see that the neckline is also a little wobbly with the bias edging. I think I stretched it out when I was doing it but that should fix up when I fix the shoulders. I really only made this up as a wearable muslin... they put in elastic in the waist and the sleeves - I didn't want it pouffy around my waist (I have natural pouff) and I cut the sleeves short. They look tight but they aren't. I love the fabric... just an end of roll from Spotlight last year. I also love it with my white jeans ($3 at Kmart one day and the fabric is very nice - score). Sorry about the stupid look, odd angle and sloppy hair but the camera kept saying the battery was out and shut down. I was over it by this time.

I can't remember what size I made, as I had it mostly made before finishing the painting, but when my flight to Sydney was delayed by 4 hours, I decided to finish it and take it with me. The instructions are pretty basic but this is also a basic top. I put the sleeves in flat and then did the side seams. I seem to get better results like this. This was the third time I had done a binding on a neckline and it worked out well other than the stretching. It's a bit like a swing type top (or others may mistake it as a preggy top). It is comfortable and now I will decide if I make it in some other fabric. I really want to make the trousers too but tracing puts me off.

 While I was in Auckland I popped into The Fabric Store too. There was lots of nice fabrics there but I only bought a few remnant pieces of knit solids.. just cottons. There was lots of merino wools but they were still $20 or more per metre and I just don't need it right now. I did buy some knit solids at my favourite fabric shop Centrepoint Fabrics in Newmarket. They have a fabulous selection of fabrics and there is parking in the back. I have some plans for some of those knits.

Below I've added some more photos from our New Zealand trip. These are all from the Auckland Museum and War Memorial. It is a great museum and you must visit if you go to Auckland. They have some fantastic Maori displays, traditional shows etc and a great display of older times - there is a whole town including bar, shops, homes etc. There is a great display of war history and our favourite is the volcano display. They have a lounge room set up in a 'home'. When you go in the tv starts with a news report that volcano activity has been recorded and recommending Aucklanders leave. They show people leaving, the problems with mass evacuation and finally the 'house' shakes violently and the power goes out. On the screen door in front, which has shown a beautiful vista of one of the bays, shows activity and then the volcano erupts and in an instant you are overwhelmed by the ash. It is pretty dramatic and realistic and a bit shocking. Apparently Aucklanders are pretty casual about their volcano evacuation plans and the government is making a concerted effort to get people prepared. They estimate between a number of weeks and days notice should activity recorded turn to eruption.

This is inside the Maori Marae in the museum. 

This is the 'screen door' from the volcano display. This has just changed to the eruption view, then it just gets bigger and ash etc rushed up and everything goes black. Then they show the 'after' view.. which is same vista covered in ash.

Town view from other times... I've included the drapers!

This aircraft was erected in the museum before the room was finished so it would fit.