Sew Darn Tired

I have wanted an autumn dressing gown for a while. Not a summer one because it's just too hot to wear a dressing gown in summer here. It's still too hot at the moment but for once I'm ahead of the game! I used some cotton I have had for a number of years from when I used to make kindy sheet sets for sale. I've always love the colours green and pink together and I just couldn't see this as anything other than a dressing gown. The contrast trim is what was sold as rayon from an online vendor for only $2 per metre but it's not a rayon as it melts with the burn test. I thought maybe it was a rayon/synthetic blend as the 'print' is kind of heat stamped on, but it's not, it is definitely synthetic. It has a nice drape though so you may see it again. (A note about the fabrics and online vendors: I also bought a slightly more purple with a different 'print' for the same money, but it too was sold as a rayon and it's not.... it's an Aust...

Yes, that's right... free! One day when driving my son to school I saw the unmistakable shape of the sewing machine cover on the footpath. It was an old one....I dropped him off and hastily made my way back to the main road I saw it on. Phew... still there... I waited for the traffic and crossed and picked up this Singer 201P.   It looks in excellent condition but the electrical foot pedal needs to be rewired ... it's not going because of this so technically, I'm not sure it works but I'm confident! Interestingly, I looked it up on a  a Singer info site in the UK  interestingly called Singer Sewing Info, and this is what it said about the 201P's.... 201P models were the same as 201K23’s but they were assembled in Penrith, Australia from parts made in the Kilbowie factory in the UK. The bases and cases for 201P models were made locally in Australia and are different to those for UK built machines. A few weeks before that, I was driving up a stree...

Kwik Sew 1607, McCall's 7653 and Jalie 3134 I've made three pairs of togs in as many weeks. I am so pleased with all of them despite the Kwik Sew and the McCall's being too small for me.  I love the back of the McCall's one.. it's really comfortable (I mean I can get them on but it isn't something I'd let anyone see!) and very flattering with a nice open back. The shelf bra I put in is really supportive and adds another layer for lining in an area that calls for modesty. They are all fully lined and all good shapes. I'm really happy to have this monkey off my back. What I've learned is sewing swimwear is not hard particularly if you sew a lot already. Once your hands get the 'feel' of the elastic insertion then you are just about there. You don't need to be particularly pedantic with it even. I've also learned that sewing these two or three piece suits is so much quicker than the many pieced ones like the Jalie. It is just ...

I have been sewing. I seem to have a sewing mojo of sorts. I've needed a white top for a long while. I used the   Ottobre top  pattern I traced and changed late last year. I cut the arm holes out a little bit more too. I pinched out a dart size wedge out of the back neckline too. I used some fabric from the fabric sale last year... this piece was .50 cents so it was a very small investment. This is with a floor length tiered skirt I bought in Cyprus in 2009. It's made of beautiful soft cotton voile... I say it's floor length but that's when it's sitting under my armpits... I used to wear it as a strapless dress... you can see how high it its high on my body. Sorry about the bra... it is a terrible bra in quality and shape or lack thereof. Lucky I bought two (not)... they deteriorated in just a number of weeks but I realised when I was wearing the white shirt, I had no other white bra. I also traced the Ottobre skirt pattern from the current issue. I know I ...

I finished my togs yesterday at 5.30pm... great, that gave me 30 minutes to get to the pool before it closed at 6pm and have a swim to test them out. They are great. I didn't 'feel' them at all. I'm still surprised to see that I MADE TOGS!  Truth be told they are a little big.. not noticeably so if you see me in them but they need to be a little tighter - there isn't enough negative ease for my size. I made a size Y which was a 40. All the measurements except the body length, where I'm 5 cm shorter than the size Y. There isn't any markings on the pattern to shorten the body and I couldn't find any  instructions or help on the website with shortening either.  Maybe there is but I couldn't find it.  As I have a tiny back I cut the back band out a couple of sizes smaller but I could have cut it smaller, but I think with one size smaller overall, a slightly smaller back band would be needed still.  Because I was using smaller pieces of th...

This is where my togs are at still.... I wanted to finish them to do aqua on Friday but I didn't have the right elastic, what I had was too wide. I went to Trad's on Thursday night to get some and my son wanted sushi for dinner and that was ticking two boxes with one trip. I parked at the shopping centre and luckily I checked for something in my bag before I sat down to eat and realised I left my wallet at home... sigh! So we went back home, got the wallet and I said to my son, I'm getting the elastic before we eat, but of course he closed at 7pm and it was 7.04pm.  Sigh! So instead of avoiding one trip in the car, I added an extra one because I had to go back yesterday after  aqua aerobics and coffee. I hope to finish them today and swim in them this afternoon. This is a close up of the topstitching on the panels. Two things to note. I realised after finishing that I should have made the stitch length longer. Confession - I rarely think to change the stitch length...

This is the second start at this. The first time was too long and detailed. The short version: - son started high school... busy.. buses... piano... homework club etc - old parents getting older - house clear out (took forever... did every room) - guests stay - sewing room clean out. I haven't finished the Burda pants still.. just the waistband and hem to do but I need togs before I need pants. To tell the truth, it has been so hot and humid here, I couldn't bear to think about trying them on to check the waistband size. I do need togs for aqua aerobics and lap swimming, my year round exercises of choice. I was so desperate, I bought a pair at Aldi (that are pretty nice actually for a really reasonable price) but they are not good for active swim sports, more for swanning about.  I'm using Jalie 3134 . There's a story to the pattern but I'll tell you about that another post. This fabric I got from a  Brisbane Arcade,  shop sale, where the shop...