I'm fairly shameless about my selfish sewing. Pretty much only sew for myself, or on a very rare occasion I'll sew for someone else I really care about. Yesterday I finished a formal dress for a friend's daughter, let's call her Salt. Her mum, (let's call her Pepper) was my first bellydance teacher, and I don't see her as much as I'd like now that I don't dance. Here's a link to me performing at the Mid North Coast Bellydance Festival's concert back in 2006. A duet with another long-time friend, and I was a badly dancing bloke who tried & failed to hit on her.
Anyways back on topic, Salt is recently 13, very very petite and loves the Miss Fisher tv show. I made a dress inspired by one of those dresses, though not in purple silk chiffon. I think I'm thankful she didn't want silk chiffon and instead went for a sparkle print knit (blue glitter on black). Foolishly I forgot to take a photo of the dress laying flat but there were 5 godets front & back (ie 10 in total) and I worked out that they made the hemline about 5metres (ie over 5 yards). That's 2x 50cm, 4x 40cm and 4 x 30cm godets. I made a mockup & posted it to her as they live in a city a couple hours up the coast. Pepper basted some changes to the seams (taking it in quite a bit) and marking the shoulder & neckline and posted that back to me. Cos Farrah had a rehearsal yesterday afternoon for a rehearsal I was able to take it over & deliver it in person. Salt came down with her mum so she could see the dress NOW as she was pretty excited about it.
I'm so relieved at how well it turned out, it fit (thank goodness) and she looks gorgeous. The school formal is tomorrow night and although I'll get a photo of her in it, I won't be sharing it online. I may share cropped details of the skirt though :D
Now that's done I can get on with finishing a UFO summer dress for myself. I think it was September when I started it. 3 months does = UFO in my sewing ledgers.
Monday, 8 December 2014
Thursday, 4 December 2014
a second vintage pattern in the mail ... plus patterns I already have
I couldn't resist buying another pattern - simple but that's what I'm really after! it's what happens after staying inside my work building while a big thunderstorm rolled over Sydney. The thunder started just as I was about to leave the office, so I thought I'd wait it out inside. So I trawled the interwebs looking at vintage patterns and new underwear.
Then, when I got home from work I looked in my vintage patterns to remind myself what I already have that I want to use very soon, and was a little gobsmacked to discover that I'd bought the same Home Journal pattern TWICE, in exactly the same size. The 2nd copy will have a home with Desir Brulant(assuming she likes it!).
I also have in my stash Marian Martin 9251 - but will need to add a photo to my album before I post a pic.
Then, when I got home from work I looked in my vintage patterns to remind myself what I already have that I want to use very soon, and was a little gobsmacked to discover that I'd bought the same Home Journal pattern TWICE, in exactly the same size. The 2nd copy will have a home with Desir Brulant(assuming she likes it!).
I also have in my stash Marian Martin 9251 - but will need to add a photo to my album before I post a pic.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
A [pattern] blast from the past
I frightened myself when I flashbacked to making this from dark green corduroy back in the 1970s. It was NOT slenderising, but I was asked about a teenage pregnancy!
pattern buying as a substitute for sewing
Well, sewing for myself that is. I'm making an evening dress for a friend's daughter, and a bit behind though it will be ready on time!
That mountain of laundry I had to to (or felt I had to do) to eradicate the flea has seemed to have a flow on effect. I've never quite caught up. Mount Washmore is a little relentless!
Anywho, today it's payday and I celebrated by buying a 1940s day dress pattern from VPLL via ebay. Mainly cos I was already in ebay so why not. I have fabric and can make it over my xmas/NY holidays if it arrives in time. I may need to fetch my pedestal fan from storage so that it's not too uncomfortable to sew.
I've worn my Wonder Woman inspired dress a few times lately and that has been a very strong reminder how much cooler a skimming soft cotton dress is than a skirt+knit top.
On the sunshine side of stashbusting, I'm down 50m from the beginning of the year. Always a nice place to be. 2-3 dresses and it'll be 60m+ for the year
That mountain of laundry I had to to (or felt I had to do) to eradicate the flea has seemed to have a flow on effect. I've never quite caught up. Mount Washmore is a little relentless!
Anywho, today it's payday and I celebrated by buying a 1940s day dress pattern from VPLL via ebay. Mainly cos I was already in ebay so why not. I have fabric and can make it over my xmas/NY holidays if it arrives in time. I may need to fetch my pedestal fan from storage so that it's not too uncomfortable to sew.
I've worn my Wonder Woman inspired dress a few times lately and that has been a very strong reminder how much cooler a skimming soft cotton dress is than a skirt+knit top.
On the sunshine side of stashbusting, I'm down 50m from the beginning of the year. Always a nice place to be. 2-3 dresses and it'll be 60m+ for the year
Thursday, 13 November 2014
9 Days of vermin eradication
I've not had a chance to sew in the past week or so. Tuesday last week I picked up a flea - either walking through Hyde Park, in the cinema or in the garden outside my building (to retrieve dropped mail). Anyway it (or them) thought I was a tasty, tasty treat to feast on. Finally I think that's all over, but with approx 40 bites (approx 17 per leg and 3-4 per arm) it was a relentless wee beastie/s.
Since then I've been in a pit of laundry & vacuuming to eradicate it. Vacuuming everything every 2nd day & immediately disposing of the vacuum bag in the outside bin. Plus the use of flea powder (from Bunnings).
I even got bitten while I stripped my bed of everything, including the clean laundry I'd done & dumped on the end of my bed on Monday evening but not put away yet. Plus fabric I'd brought upstairs to sew for summer & was next to my bed. And the winter blankets that I'd got back out of storage after the last cold snap. My winter underblanket and the summer one that I'd just got out to swap over. Everything got carefully tied up in heavy black garbage bags until I could get through the loads. Paranoidly adding Bosisto's dust mite wash to each load, cos while I'm on a death-to-fleas spree I might as well aim for any dust mites too.
Last Saturday was great for getting through most of the blankets - hot, enough wind to be useful, sunny and no showers!
More of the other tenants in my building now hang their laundry up to dry, rather than use the dryers. Previously it was only me an another couple of people who did, but what it's meant this week is that my rate of laundry washing/drying is slower than I'd like. I still have 1 wool blanket bagged up, it's one I crocheted about 20 years ago so pretty heavy, and hard to dry easily. I need a sunny/warm/windy day with no thunderstorm predicted in the afternoon to get it done. Not this weekend then! The price to pay for preferring wool, I guess.
It has felt like an overwhelming process, and I mumbled to myself about future-me putting laundry away immediately, and not getting out more fabric than I can use for the next 1-2 projects.
I still have some winter skirts to handwash (ziplock bagged up) and my UFO sewing projects to work through. Most of those were already in individual zip lock bags, so they're piled up demanding some attention.
On the positive side of things, I'd wanted to spring clean and definitely had enough motivation to get it done fast!
Since then I've been in a pit of laundry & vacuuming to eradicate it. Vacuuming everything every 2nd day & immediately disposing of the vacuum bag in the outside bin. Plus the use of flea powder (from Bunnings).
I even got bitten while I stripped my bed of everything, including the clean laundry I'd done & dumped on the end of my bed on Monday evening but not put away yet. Plus fabric I'd brought upstairs to sew for summer & was next to my bed. And the winter blankets that I'd got back out of storage after the last cold snap. My winter underblanket and the summer one that I'd just got out to swap over. Everything got carefully tied up in heavy black garbage bags until I could get through the loads. Paranoidly adding Bosisto's dust mite wash to each load, cos while I'm on a death-to-fleas spree I might as well aim for any dust mites too.
Last Saturday was great for getting through most of the blankets - hot, enough wind to be useful, sunny and no showers!
More of the other tenants in my building now hang their laundry up to dry, rather than use the dryers. Previously it was only me an another couple of people who did, but what it's meant this week is that my rate of laundry washing/drying is slower than I'd like. I still have 1 wool blanket bagged up, it's one I crocheted about 20 years ago so pretty heavy, and hard to dry easily. I need a sunny/warm/windy day with no thunderstorm predicted in the afternoon to get it done. Not this weekend then! The price to pay for preferring wool, I guess.
It has felt like an overwhelming process, and I mumbled to myself about future-me putting laundry away immediately, and not getting out more fabric than I can use for the next 1-2 projects.
I still have some winter skirts to handwash (ziplock bagged up) and my UFO sewing projects to work through. Most of those were already in individual zip lock bags, so they're piled up demanding some attention.
On the positive side of things, I'd wanted to spring clean and definitely had enough motivation to get it done fast!
Monday, 10 November 2014
Sleepwear patterns added to the stash.
I've added three sleepwear patterns to my stash, and only one was on sale. That's how committed I was to getting my hands on them.
Both the Burda vintage nightie #7109, and the Simplicity 1950s bra top #1426 I mentioned in my previous November MAGAM post are now near the top of my pattern pile, and I'm letting my subconscious ponder how to do an FBA on the Simplicity pattern. I may have to slash, spread, dart and then mock up for a fitting (wearing it over an actual bra). Possibly even 2 mock ups.
The unplanned addition is McCall's 6250, and I'm not even sure why I bought it for View D, except that I was on the hunt for sleepwear patterns and it managed to fit my criteria (and the pattern I really wanted S1426 was sold out in that store).
Both the Burda vintage nightie #7109, and the Simplicity 1950s bra top #1426 I mentioned in my previous November MAGAM post are now near the top of my pattern pile, and I'm letting my subconscious ponder how to do an FBA on the Simplicity pattern. I may have to slash, spread, dart and then mock up for a fitting (wearing it over an actual bra). Possibly even 2 mock ups.
The unplanned addition is McCall's 6250, and I'm not even sure why I bought it for View D, except that I was on the hunt for sleepwear patterns and it managed to fit my criteria (and the pattern I really wanted S1426 was sold out in that store).
Inspired to crochet 1930s hats
I've been watching the blog Advanced Style for a couple or more years now, though not obessively. So when I heard there was a documentary I knew it was on my Must See list.
I told my friend C about it & we saw it on Saturday morning. For a while I've been mumbling to any friend who'll listen that I want to upgrade my wardrobe to have a 1930s influence, and whining that everything is wearing out.
Seeing the documentary was either going to crush or inspire, and thankfully it's been inspiring. Although I'm already in the age group he photographes *whimpers*.
I loved the 90+ year old woman who hadn't been telling her art students what her age was. When asked she'd answer "somewhere between 50 and death". LOL
So, I need to actively do something about my clothes, but also my accessories. Cos I tend to forget them and I shouldn't. After watching the doco, we went up the road and looked in a charity shop where I bought a cotton beret. Wrong colour for me, but if it dyes that's great. And if it doesn't dye well at least it gives me something to aim for. To be worn on the back of my head, not the top/front.
Buying it conceived in me a passion for 1930s crochet hats, and thankfully etsy has a plethora of PDF patterns to buy/download. I think I need this set of jaunty 1930s hats, and this cloche (?).
I told my friend C about it & we saw it on Saturday morning. For a while I've been mumbling to any friend who'll listen that I want to upgrade my wardrobe to have a 1930s influence, and whining that everything is wearing out.
Seeing the documentary was either going to crush or inspire, and thankfully it's been inspiring. Although I'm already in the age group he photographes *whimpers*.
I loved the 90+ year old woman who hadn't been telling her art students what her age was. When asked she'd answer "somewhere between 50 and death". LOL
So, I need to actively do something about my clothes, but also my accessories. Cos I tend to forget them and I shouldn't. After watching the doco, we went up the road and looked in a charity shop where I bought a cotton beret. Wrong colour for me, but if it dyes that's great. And if it doesn't dye well at least it gives me something to aim for. To be worn on the back of my head, not the top/front.
Buying it conceived in me a passion for 1930s crochet hats, and thankfully etsy has a plethora of PDF patterns to buy/download. I think I need this set of jaunty 1930s hats, and this cloche (?).
Saturday, 1 November 2014
MAGAM theme for November - scanning my stash for ideas
MAGAM's theme for November is "November nights: make something for your November nights".
Hmmm, cos I've started looking for a summer nightie that I can make for weekends away/holidays. At home I can sleep in an old t-shirt or singlet but as I sleepwalk, I feel the need to wear something a little more covered. Lightweight, but coverage.
I have some cotton voiles and have been scoping out suitable patterns. Simplicity 1260 is sort of what I was trying to mock up last year using a tops pattern, but I bodgied it wrong so don't really want to look at it much. It's not yet available in Australia yet (new), so scratch that from my list.
Part of me wonders if I can get Simplicity 1426 and and a skirt section to View A, with criss cross back straps. No halterneck for me (acreage drag factor on my neck!). That appeals.
Also on my list of possibles is Burda 7109 - a shorter version of view A
Hmmm, cos I've started looking for a summer nightie that I can make for weekends away/holidays. At home I can sleep in an old t-shirt or singlet but as I sleepwalk, I feel the need to wear something a little more covered. Lightweight, but coverage.
I have some cotton voiles and have been scoping out suitable patterns. Simplicity 1260 is sort of what I was trying to mock up last year using a tops pattern, but I bodgied it wrong so don't really want to look at it much. It's not yet available in Australia yet (new), so scratch that from my list.
Part of me wonders if I can get Simplicity 1426 and and a skirt section to View A, with criss cross back straps. No halterneck for me (acreage drag factor on my neck!). That appeals.
Also on my list of possibles is Burda 7109 - a shorter version of view A
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