Sew Darn Tired

Well it's been a busy summer holiday season what with ageing parents and young children. It's been that 'busy but relaxed' sort of time - many activities, like the day at the big rambling park with lots of friends and cousins and the kids with their bikes and scooters and long picnic table with food. It made for a really fun day and the bonus was that it was so cool at the park despite the 34 deg celsius.  I actually made this a couple of months ago and have worn this to death. I have spoken of it but had no pictures with me wearing it. It's a Simplicity Jiffy Plus pattern - what's the plus mean? I don't know... maybe a bit more complex? Anyway it was quick and easy.  A couple of things to note about the pattern. See the ties? They are just threaded through channels on the right side of the dress and the back is one piece but the front is made of the top bodice and the skirt part. I omitted the pockets so the pattern would be seen. I also didn't...

I'm not that much into stats, but reading others reviews made me wonder again about how many items I made and of what. It's actually really pleasing to see how much I do get done in a year. So, to the details.... Total number of items made = 49 - most were clothes (5 of 'other') Total patterns used   = 37  of those... vintage = 8 (!!) Review of the 'other'. Costumes - can you forget the pies....? Here's a reminder ... I had such fun making these. I really enjoyed working out the process of how to construct the costume so that anyone could use it, being inventive with materials to fit a budget and not to forget my sister's surprise at P1 and P2. ( Bananas in Pyjamas  reference). I also made a dog coat... unfortunately my sister's dog died this year also :( RIP Hercules! Also I made a Finn jumper/hoodie for my boy. I am so pleased with this with the bonus that Alex still loves it and I will add a band along the bottom so ...

These are the last (unless I get some spare time this arvo) of the sewn things of 2015. I used Kwik Sew 3674, a pattern I got at the 2nd hand shop a while ago. Quite a useful little pattern if you have a young girl around, with two different looks and the puff sleeve dress without sleeves (like I've made below) makes it three looks. The dress above is made from remnants, both I got at Spotlight in separate purchases for minimal money. The owls are so cute I couldn't resist and my friend's daughter just loves getting me made dresses! She's only 5 but very tall (think 7 or 8 year old) so it's nice to make her something her age that fits. She has seen the fabric on their last trip down from Yeppoon and I promised a dress from it. They are moving back in a number of weeks and so she will open it with her other presents. When I made the dress below, I just leave the sleeves off, overlock and turn over the armholes and then make a casing for the straps... this ...

These are the fab four... a charcoal one, a purple (one of her colours) with coral/orangey back (not her colour), the rust red one and the taupe one. I thought I'd show the four singlet tops I made for my niece in more detail. They were made from scraps of merino knit that was from the fabric sale I went to a few weeks ago. It is a lovely slubby merino and behaved very well. I traced the pattern - pretty easy for a singlet - front and back. The original has bindings on the armholes and neckline but I didn't have enough fabric for binding for the armholes. In the photo above I cut two fronts or backs at a time. You can also see the leftovers were not much - I had to cut the neck bindings out of those tiny scraps. The fabric was also about 5 cm shorter than the original top (and serendipitously just wide enough). The original tip was very long on Zoe's body (she's a stage manager and does a lot of bending and stretching so for work wear it needs the length)...

My niece loves very basic but quality "adventure" type clothing. She has a basic merino singlet in black fine merino that she loves but it has been discontinued by the adventure clothing company. My mind went 'ding' and I remembered the scraps of merino I bought at the fabric sale for $2 for the lot. I  got the singlet from her yesterday and cut out a pattern this afternoon and sewed one up in three hours. The colours above are not very representative, but they are her colours. There is enough for three more singlets. I made the pattern a bit shorter in between the armhole as she is short bodied like me. I think for $2 I can take a chance. She said she wouldn't like the red one but it's more a rust than the red it appears here and I think she'll like it. If not it will be a good trial of the pattern and if she still doesn't want it, I can use it. The black one is the bought one. I literally had enough to cut the front and back out and piece ...

I'm making some trousers... Burda 7441. I bought this pattern at Make It Fabrics at Logan  about 6 months ago for $5. Not an op shop price but good for a Burda pattern. They are a lovely pair of trousers... welt pockets at the back and slant pockets at the front with a curved waistband, a lovely looking leg and a single large pleat at each side. (A lot like the Papercut Patterns Guise Pants  without the elastic back). I'm not sure I need a couple of big pleats at my pot belly but I'm making them out of that .50c piece of cotton fabric I got at the fabric sale last fortnight, so nothing lost but a number of hours if they don't work out. When I say don't work out... of course I mean "won't fit".  I think I've made a size 16 (or 18) for my well endowed rear and tum, but the legs are looking a little narrow. I'm using a remnant of cotton quilting fabric I bought at Spotlight for a few dollars. Perfect for contrast fancy pockets, particularly wh...