Sew Darn Tired

So years ago I bought a second hand couch. It was quite new but I think the woman that owned it had dyed her hair and leaned back and it left a bleached spot on the back. I covered it with a throw but I really hated the colour and the spot. East Coast Fabrics had a half price sale for upholstery fabric in March and I decided I would cover the couch. Now the couch is an Ikea one that you can buy covers from a company that is in Hong Kong (Comfort something or other) and I looked them up years ago to buy new covers but it was about $1000 and as an stay at home single parent I couldn't afford them even if I wanted to spend that much money. Anyway, the couch has a frame on the base which has he legs attached and has velcro around the base where the cover attaches, then the frame holds it in place. So it was quite easy to get off and then I unpicked it all to get the pattern pieces.   I had a plan. I would take off one cover and have the other one for reference. The oth...

I've made a new rashie set again from McCall's 7417. Usually I've made the shorter rashie twice before and I add a band (I'm short waisted so it fits to my waist like this). I wasn't paying any notice and realised I cut the long one and then only had enough fabric for the shorter pants. I have just scraps left now... maybe enough for a kiddy bikini triangle top but not pants. I bought a metre of this fabric from East Coast Fabrics for $15. It's  a lovely lycra and one of the heavier ones. I bought two more at the same time (July school holidays) but they are a thinner lycra so I'll see how that sews up soon enough.  You can just see the seam lines above. I have some mint coloured lycra and thought I'd make some 'piping' but in the end I didn't have enough time. My last spotty rashie (did I even show that one? or take a photo of it even? Now it's faded and nearly dead). I always put bands on the sleeves and on the waist of the sho...

This is my latest sewing. Sorry it's so crumpled.. I've been out all day and also did some house jobs before thinking about photos.  I had planned to take them while I was out, but of course I forgot my phone today so I used my real camera. I think they are better although the colours aren't perfect. Finally something my $5 pink plastic watch matches! I had shoes on but ditched them when I got home for my trusty Birkis! Introducing my overgrown garden made worse by the heavy rain last week. The patterns are the Grain Field top from the current summer Ottobre 2/2015.  Sue, from Quilt, Sew, Sew Sue has also made this recently  and she has the line drawing there too, if you'd like to have a look. It's an easy pattern and made up in a couple of hours.  The fabric is a remnant piece I bought from Spotlight in Adelaide when I was there in 2011. It was only about 80cm long and 120cm wide. I shortened the top length about 6 cm as Ottobre is made for a taller ...

I found this shorts pattern recently at a Salvo's second hand shop... that was a great haul as I got about 20 patterns for $3! How could I leave them. I thought this was a bit more grown up style with the flat waistband at the front and the fly, as opposed to the Burda elastic waist shorts I usually make for Alex. I have always liked New Look patterns too but never made one for a boy before. The pieces were a different shape to the Burda but I though it wouldn't matter if they didn't fit really well as the time a boy wears clothes when growing isn't that long and this was an experiment in fit and pattern brand to see it this could be used in the next few years.  Bit poufy at the front, but I might superimpose the Burda crotch shape there and make this a go to pattern. Alex was impressed that he had a fly! You can see here that the stitching would have benefited being a bit longer... next time. Pretty good fly though! Pocket stitching I used ...