Sew Darn Tired

This is the Donna Karan Vogue 1250 I made for my friend. I'd had this fabric for a while but knew it was never for me. It's pretty accurate in the colour on my screen. I remember it was a remnant fabric at Spotlight years ago and I figure I wouldn't have paid too much for it because I probably thought I would make a costume or something from it. When I was doing my stash stocktake (of which this fabric wasn't counted) I saw it and knew it was for my friend. It is so her! Sorry these are really bad photos she just sent me from her phone that was new to her and so they are blurry but they are in the process of moving so the best we will get for a while. When I made her dress I adjusted the cowl to be longer and more curved; the draft for this is a very square and I felt it wouldn't  sit well so I changed it. I did the same for the sausage dress. I don't think this photo needs to be increased in size! When I made Maree's dress, I realised that ...

Fabric sale is on again. I just got the notice - don't miss out! Yes, the ants have taken over the photocopier! Help..anyone know how to get rid of them?

 I made this dress a few years ago. It's a Burda magazine one - sorry haven't got the details handy - and I really loved it. From memory I only wore it once, then I put on weight. I can't do the back zip up at the bodice (but you can't really tell in the photo...I am spilling out of it though - thanks menopause). The skirt part was a piece a friend gave me from her stash, just a polyester satin (thanks Marian) and the bodice part was a remnant of duchess satin from Gardams for $3 from memory. The hem is rolled on the overlocker. I really love the colours and feel of this dress and I'm aiming to get back into this. It's a great summer dress that looks smart but doesn't need a lot of care.  This top is also a Burda magazine make from about the same time ago. This is the second iteration of this top. I loved the first one so much and wore it to death but it faded and pilled. I made it out of this lovely polished cotton from Spotlight a few years ago - it ...

The dress is finished and I wore it to the wedding on Saturday. I started Thursday. There was a few hiccups but not unmanageable. I made the slip but in the end I made a full lining. This is my first fully lined dress and I had to work out the best way. I did this because the pattern calls for the lace to be a scalloped edge and I couldn't work out a nice finish to just make the lace dress so I decided it would be best for a full lining. Close up of fabric I ended up bagging out the top and if you notice, I attempted to give it some turn of cloth so the lining wouldn't show at all. It wasn't a well thought out plan as I added a couple of millimetres all around but I don't think that is the ideal but it worked out ok. Then I had to work out how to make the dress part so I just made a lining and attached the skirt part (lining and dress) to the bagged out top and then to finish made a nice bias strip and finished it like this. I put a hook and eye on the back b...

I didn't get any tips about fitting in the post about the 1st toile so I just dived in and had a go. Good sway back adjustment this was about 2cm. I kept the side seam as before (hanging straight - I'm pleased with that). As the back centre seam isn't straight I added some extra there as well and it makes a nice skirt now. I made a petite adjustment on the bodice (about 5cm) but now it looks bigger width wise. Maybe it's the cotton/linen like fabric doing this? I will take some off the shoulder but I need to work out how to not mess up the collar part which is cut on the front bodice but you pivot and sew it to the back bodice. I need to take some off the back neckline too. I have to work out how to finish it too as my lace isn't a scalloped edge. The shoulder is too wide too and I don't think I will make the sleeve. I have to wear this on Saturday! Arrgh! Well at least the skirt part is ok. Maybe I'll go back to the original bodice. Interestin...

This is the Rosie Top. I love this top. It is drafted so well. The sloping shoulders, the curved princess seams the pleat in the back - everything. Plus it is SO easy to sew - you don't even have to have the button opening on the back (I didn't).  This took me maybe 2 hours to layout, cut fabric and sew. Very easy and really lovely. I got the fabric at the Brisbane meet up recently and it's a great cotton - about the same weave and weight as quilting cotton. It looks like it was a special print. The purple/grey leaves look like it was an earring as it has the hook on the end and the blobs are just blobs I think. I used this as a test garment. I need to do a sway back adjustment but otherwise it fits really well. I have some cotton lace that I will make it up with and hopefully some black straight pants. I have to work on the dress for the wedding next... sewing the Rosie top was probably me procrastinating. I really love the Style Arc patterns. They just go toge...

I have made a toile of the Alisha dress. It's a terrible fabric... actually the fabric looks gorgeous but is so thin and moves around a lot and FRAYS like nobody's business but I used it because the butter yellow is not my colour. Plus there is about 6 metres of it as it is a sari made from synthetic fabric. I got it at the meet up last month and decided it was good to use to see how the borders would work like the lace scallops (but my lace doesn't have nice scallops!). Firstly I have to say how everything went together very smoothly.  This is rated 'Challenging' by Style Arc but other than the pivot (at the neck where the front goes around to the back and joins the  and the zip there isn't too much that is challenging.  The front edge goes around and joins the back neckline to make a kind of mandarin collar. That's the pivot point below and the following photo is  how it looks. It was easy to do and with the industry sized seam allowances made it ...