Simplicity 9915- A Trip Down Memory lane.

Standing in front of our new rammed earth wall in our straw bale/ rammed earth home !

My favourite project of the year has been this little white top.
I was given this white/ off white seersucker . I had 1.5 metres ( 1.6 yards )  but is was only 90 cm ( 35 inches ) wide . I initially wanted to make a top along the lines of Louise Cutting`s Ebb design. In my dreams ! I was really short of fabric . Then I tried Simplicity 5683 because I have made it twice before and it doesn`t take much fabric. Again I was way off the mark. I was getting a bit desperate now because I had also set my heart on using  these 4 vintage buttons which in my mind matched my vintage fabric perfectly  .
So it was quite fitting that I found this vintage pattern which matched my fabric allowance .

 Simplicity 9915 - It is dated 1981 and dusting off my memories this is the third pattern I ever sewed . And it is also the most made pattern I own ( apart from PJs ) . I love this pattern but it has been well and truly over a decade since I visited it. I think I have made it at least 8 times using all views in fabrics from pink butterflies, black and white gingham , coloured dotted swiss cotton , terracotta silk and taupe dots.
Once I made the little bow tie version in fabric that Princess Diana had a shirt from ( hers was black and white and mine was red but it was the exact same pattern ! )

photo courtesy  from Diana`s jewels website  - photo taken in 1983.

This is also my best sewn version of this particular view. According to the pattern description it has a funnel neck line and shoulder tucks and getting those right was tricky- the shoulder tucks are adjacent to the neck line . Apart from that the top is simple . The big difference this time ( apart from 20-30 years literally ! ) was thread tracing the shoulder tuck marks . This then allowed absolute sewing accuracy and everything came together really nicely . Because there has been a fair bit of chocolate , cakes and three children since my teenage years I also  did not add the waist darts ! The top has simple dropped shoulders and has just the right amount of ease.

A close up of the neckline, shoulder tucks  , fantastic textured seersucker and my vintage buttons. 

 This top will go with just about everything and since my favourite handsewn  white tunic has bitten the dust this is a much needed replacement . I have worn it several times already and my friend`s daughter commented that it was just like a burda style pattern she had recently downloaded .
Have a good day , Janine.

Butterick 4299 - More Remnant Stash Busting.

I told you that I really ran with the itty bitty remnant stash busting this year .
With only one ( holey ) windcheater and another ( even holier ) rugby top I really did need ( rather than my usual want ) a new windcheater.
I had a small piece of  french terry type fabric - only 80cm but very wide  - and a smaller  scrap of pale blue fleece fabric . Just enough to eek out my new windcheater. I used some piping type trim to cover the arm seams and make look like a ` design feature ` .

I used Butterick 4299 - a very OOP `Lifestyle Wardrobe ` pattern . As with all raglan sleeved garments this was a very easy sew. However I am not happy with the upper sleeves - they are quite voluminous . I have saved one of my daughter`s discarded raglan sleeved windcheater and one day ( those famous well intentioned words ) I will unpick this and compare the pattern pieces.
This is a very unexciting garment but I sew for  my real life and not my imagined life - so no pretty garden party dresses ( at least for now ) . This top has been worn heaps already.

I did sew some more itty bitty remnant stash busting projects but if you  get my drift I will not be posting photos. However I will say they are more comfortable than RTW and stay up ( a bonus !) . I will also say sewing un-die grun-dies are harder than they look .

This just about covers my remnant sewing for now . Cheers Janine.

Kwik Sew 2694 -Happy Families.

Continuing on from my small remnants stash buster I sewed another Kwik Sew 2694.

I love the grey and black print knit left over from making a totoro hat .What you don`t know what a totoro hat is ? Let me explain . On my eldest DD`s last day of school in 2012 she wanted to dress up as totoro - a Japanese anime comic  character . We needed dark grey fabric and the reverse side of this fabric was the closest we could find in the one and only fabric shop in town ( well I did have some dark grey/silver/ black shot dupioni look silk in my stash but I am not that nice a mother ) . So I only had 50cm of this minus all the hat pieces already cut out - that is not much fabric at all !
Hence Kwik Sew 2694 was about my best option . I combined the print with black bamboo knit ( I love this fabric too! ) remnant from Cleggs famous Boxing Day Remnants Sale . That event is a whole nother story as well - imagine scores of women three deep rumaging through a long table covered in 100s of remnants.  I lived to tell the tale and scored this beautiful knit - it is so soft . Once I pawed this I did not let go !
Truth be told I have probably overdone this pattern. This is now my fourth rendition .

Nuclear Happy Family of Kwik Sew 2694 

This pattern is still available and it is easy and a little more interesting than a plain Tee and it has certainly allowed me to make the most of remnants stash.
Here`s to happy healthy families.
PS I would love to show a photo of totoro daughter but she would probably kill me.

Tee for Two or Three ?

I have been informally sewing along with a group of ` Stashbusters `this year  . Each month was a different theme and February`s was using small pieces of fabric . I embraced this idea and ran with throughout February and then just kept on going .

I started with sewing two T shirts using four pieces of fabric that has been festering in my stash for years .

Using Simplicity 7692 - a very old basic T shirt pattern I slashed, cut and re- taped the pattern to recreate the above tops. 

Top one has an asymmetrical neckline with a matching asymmetrical two pieced front. I used three pieces of material to complete it - a small remnant of maple leaf print poly knit in the colours of navy, black, teal, violet  and  gray and matching teal mesh and navy cotton lycra . There was not much of the maple leaf print left and I absolutely loved it . I was determined to use it but it did take some thought on what to do . This project was certainly stretching my creative side and in the flush of success - yes I can do something a little different ! - I went and melted the top of the front while ironing it -duh . ( Oh well it was just going to be a wear around the house top anyway ) 

 Top two is a shameless knockoff of a vogue pattern released last year I think. Well it is just a variation of a simple T and for $25 plus for a vogue pattern  why not? I used a remnant knit of a blue/black/ gray/ white stripey soft knit  given to me from Mum and the remainder of the navy cotton lycra from Top one. Again there was not much of the stripey knit so some care was required.  I also took more care with the ironing !

This was a fun project. Using an old pattern and remnants ( the exception being the navy cotton lycra ) I had nothing to lose so I just kind of went for it . I ended up with two wearable tops from fabric too small to do anything else with. I would recommend others to have a go at this as well. 

And then as mentioned I kept on going with the remnant stashbusting . I sewed more short PJ bottoms for my middle daughter using material left over from her Kwiksew circle skirt. And then I made another Kwik Sew top from more remnants but that can be another blogpost for another day. 

Happy 80th Birthday Mum! -- New Look 6009 Top.

After doing a suck-up - I mean some sewing for  my MIL I needed to be fair and do the same for  my own Mum. She has just turned 80 years young and still sews most days - most of her own clothes and  patchwork and machine embroidered quilts. She can also do that thing with knitting where she knits really fast without even looking and doesn`t make a mistake - totally jealous and hate that but then again I am not a knitter so there.

Just when I was wondering what am I going to make Mum this year  I found 3.6 metres of Thai hand woven  silk in the op shop for $8.00!  In a background colour of mauvey, browny I don`t know what with blue and brown diamonds it was perfect . Talk about lucky - I just wish I could find that winning tattslotto ticket .

So I nicked - well borrowed - a pattern from my Mum`s stash - which is only fair really since it was for her ( and I promise I gave it back too - except I might nick it again to sew up for me ) -New Look 6009.
It is a simple drop shouldered top . The cute part of this pattern is the keyhole in the front with a loop of fabric above which gathers the  material into a sort of a bow look. The back is done up with one button / loop  .

It is a REALLY easy pattern - with only the front , back and facing pieces and a small rectangle for the loop.
The only tricky bit was because I used fabric with such an obvious pattern it just took a bit of  care to match the diamonds . I found some matching bias binding to finish the facings and a cool vintage button for the back from  my stash ( bummer that I only had one ) .

End result - one happy Mum who loves receiving ( and giving ) home made gifts. ( And the other best bit is that there is heaps of material left over for me .)

As Jen S said in her blog - yesterday was sewing group. One lady was doing a toile for a red lace dress for a wedding, someone else was sewing a self drafted dress , another was completing a chanel style jacket  impeccably  fitted mind you, another perfecting a toile for a shirt which already looked  well  perfect , another was making a lined coat , Jen cut out her houndstooth jacket and what was I sewing - a plastic fold up shopping bag - I am all class I tell you. Our new group is called From Tshirts to Couture - but perhaps it could be changed from plastic bags to couture :)  .

Cheers . Janine.

A Touch of Lace Top - Burda WOF 04/05- 106.

I have been loving the lace trend and in the past have had some lace shirts/tops which I  adored  but are long gone. I was going to buy some lace but then remembered that I had a small remnant left over from a lined lace dress my oldest daughter sewed about 3 years ago - sometimes  my stash surprises even me . I also love white shirts - they are my most used and practical garments but I like them to be a little different and interesting rather than just plain. So enter .......

This Burda model looks so self assured, relaxed and chic - of course I want to sew this.

Burda WOF - Pattern 106 from April 2005 - one I have been wanting to make since well 2005 . It is a dropped shoulder almost kimono looking top with a waist band  . I used a scrap of white soft poly to interline the lace pieces . The main part of the top was cut from a fabric which looks like a light weight silk dupioni  . The top was easy to construct but I did not completely follow the instructions because they made the sewing the top harder than it should be . I only sewed up the side seams once I had completely constructed the top and then added the waist band.

 

The lace panel continues around the back and I added lace to the arm bands.

Overall this is a terrific little pattern - really great for using small pieces of scrap  fabric and the main part of the top took only 70cm  . I am thinking of trying this pattern again using some scraps of satin and experimenting with colour blocking but who know when that will happen - probably when that trend has totally passed and looks out of place :).

But for now my middle DD has announced that she does want to buy any new summer clothes but wants to me to sew her a pair of shorts and a dress - patterns and fabric have been chosen after a marathon 2 hour trip to Spotlight - I am sure this will keep me out of trouble for a while.

Cheers Janine.

Simplicity 5197 - Embellished Tunic.

 I  have been sewing in dribs and drabs and finished up this tunic a couple of weeks ago. I have managed to wear this a few times now even though my sewing is topsy turvy - sewing a winter tunic when the weather is definitely warming up - blame it on hormones or whatever good excuse us females have.

Pattern - Simplicity 5197 - dated 2004 . A simple and plain tunic with side splits and sleeve, collar and neckline variations. I have used this once before just as is - using the V neck view with a collar and 3/4 sleeves with the split - no changes at all.
This time I wanted to be a little more ` creative` inspired by so many other bloggers .

Material - crinkled semi-sheer georgette - I love the rich rust coloured swirls on the black background .

I made several changes to the pattern - I reversed the front neck line facing so it is  on  the outside instead of inside and used a contrasting scrap of black satin. I then embellished this facing - hand stitched some narrow black ribbed trim to the outer edge and then using a simple cross stitch and machine embroidery thread stitched over the trim. I thought about adding another fancy stitch using bronze metallic thread but this seemed too much but it still wasn`t quite right so I added three bronzed looking buttons down the front. I also lengthened and flared the sleeves so they could be full length and elasticised. I used french seams everywhere including the sleeves. Talking about french seams on the sleeves - I googled this and alot  of the sites said it can`t be done. The other sites said it is really easy ! Well I had nothing to lose ( except lots of unpicking and narrower seams )  so I gave it a try and it all worked out fine .

Here is a close up the neck line - the satin looks a little puckered but I am loving this tunic so it just doesn`t matter.

I would highly recommend this pattern - it is a relaxed fit without being too voluminous and there are so many different design possibilities. It is also very simple to sew . I am sure I will be making this one again.

Happy Sewing , Cheers Janine.

Topkids No. 23 - Birds of a Feather Flock Together Shirt .

Birds of a feather flock together - having made tops for my youngest and eldest daughters out of the same hummingbird fabric. However I think they would rather be plucked , quartered and roasted before they were seen together in them !

My daughter wanted a simple sleeveless button up collared blouse - we saw heaps of this style on our school holiday shopping trip and lots of bird prints too .

I pulled out all of my old Topkids pattern books and found a pattern I could convert to what she wanted.  

This one is issue 26 from Spring 1993 ! I used to absolutely love my topkids pattern books . They are like burda magazines ( with the same kind of instructions and no diagrams ) but the patterns are almost exclusively for children. I made dozens and dozens of the patterns and had only a handful of the Big 4 patterns for my children. I loved the magazines so much they were a part of my fire plan ( after grabbing children, pets, important documents, etc etc if there was time I would take my magazines- that is a bit sad but hopefully other sewing fanatics would  understand .)

I have always wanted to sew this pattern but my daughter did not want the interesting parts of the pattern - the shaped hem and added flaps with the extra buttons.

The pattern has you finish the neckline and armholes  with single fold bias binding ( made of self fabric ) . I also was able to do french seams everywhere  so I think my youngest daughter was pleasantly surprised by the end result . She certainly wore it right away when we went to friends for tea  and she was quite happy to pose for the blog  ( I didn`t even have to twist her arm or anything else for that matter.) If anyone has young children and babies I would  recommend getting old copies of these if you see them. The baby clothes are seriously cute .

I can now also say that having sewn more chiffon I am no longer afraid of it .

Well now my blog is starting to look like an Alfred Hitchcock movie I must leave the last word to Bob the Second.

Honestly while the girls got on with the serious business of pecking and scratching Bob POSED for the camera.

Cheers Janine. P.S My family are back from France and it is wonderful.

Simplicity 3786-Hummingbirds for a Honey Top .

 

   Last school holidays my eldest daughter spotted this bird printed chiffon at Spotlight and loved it  and since then has been reminding me to sew this up. This school holidays I have been trying to do 'nice` things for my eldest and youngest daughters as my middle DD is in France with my DH.
So I finally sewed up this tunic - hmmm , top homemade by Mum , trip to France with Dad  - yep that just about balances things up !
   Just to ' quickly ` explain about the trip - my eldest DD went to Japan for three months a couple of years ago on an exchange programme and since then our other daughters have been muttering that this is  not fair . Then my middle DD said ` Just give me the money .` and my eldest DD said ` That`s not fair ` and I said `I am most certainly not just  giving you the money ` and then my husband said he could go to France with middle DD and I said ` That`s not fair ` ( only joking about the last bit ) .

Simplicity 3786.

   Anyway I have now sewn Simplicity 3786 four times so I have it down pat although I have not sewn it in chiffon before. However, soaking the fabric in a gelantine mixture that I previously blogged about , using a walking foot, lots of sharp pins and  lots of pressing ended up helping alot . Once the little pintucks and the mandarin collar are sewn this is a very easy top to sew. I used french seams where I could but otherwise sewed the side seams and armscye with double row of close stitching and then trimmed the excess fabric very closely ( and carefully ) to the stitching. I took in the side seams by several cms and added narrow ties because this is a loose fitting top and she wanted it to be slim fitting .  We added some non - functional buttons to the front which match much closer in real life than the pictures  show  . In case you can not tell I highly recommend this pattern.

Anyway the end result is that my eldest DD loves her new top. While I was cutting this out my youngest DD said that is pretty fabric and luckily there was a sizeable remnant that is already cut out for another ( different ) top for  her.

Cheers Janine.

Kwik Sew 2694/2900 -Remnant of a Remnant Top.

It feels good to be back on the bandwagon so to speak- selfishly sewing for me !
I have been doing some boring sewing - sheets, pillowcases and a swing seat roof cover.
This was very good for stashbusting but not so good for my sewing psyche.
However I did manage to use the OLDEST piece of fabric from my stash in doing so  - 2 and 1/2 metres of garbadine in exactly the same grey that primary school boys have their pants made of - see why it was in the stash for so long . When I got married I inherited this fabric from my new husband - see my husband came with a dowry - free fabric - how could I have not married him. Pity the fabric was ugly but beggars can not be choosers -lol. ( If you want to know I have been married 22 years and the fabric was at least 6 years old when I received it . )

So I have eventually gotten around to sewing the remnant knit from my daughters knit top( from my last post )  that in itself was a remnant from my eldest DD`s knit skirt !

My tatty Kwik Sew Pattern - 2694.

I used Kwik Sew 2694 but added in the long sleeves from Kwik Sew 2900 and also added a band around the front/back pieces . I choose KS 2694 because the front upper and lower bodice pieces are only small - perfectly  suited for my scraps. I only had enough fabric to cut one sleeve and the lower front  bodice and one upper front and the band . I really liked this fabric and was determined that I should get a garment out of it somehow ! A few weeks ago my Mum took me to Darn Cheap Fabrics in Heidelberg , Melbourne. I didn`t have my remnant material with me so I had to make a guess as to what would match  relying on my memory ( that can be dodgy sometimes ). I bought some dark teal mesh and although it doesn`t match perfectly I think it blends in quite well.

This pattern is very simple to sew - I made this top over the course of a week in about 6 easy sewing sessions including cutting out. I doubled the mesh where used for the back, one sleeve and one upper front - this eliminates the see -through factor and makes the top a bit more snuggly warm. Before sewing the garment I stitched the mesh together at the tops and bottoms of the pattern pieces and then just treated them as one piece of material.
I have previously sewn Kwik Sew 2694 twice before - the upper front is a bit revealing - I have to wear those tops with a camisole underneath . Adding the front band has eliminated this need. I simply cut out two long rectangles 5cm wide and sewed them together. Then this long rectangular piece is folded together - wrong sides together - and attached to the garment ( after you have sewn the upper fronts to the back ) right sides together. I then zigzagged the raw edge , ironed this and top stitched the band on the main garment pieces. Also as I was attaching the band I stretched this fabric slightly to snug up the front bodices.
I would highly recommend this pattern although it is getting pretty old now.

Now here is my ` happy` problem` - I used up all my remnant knit but in buying the  teal mesh I asked for 1 1/2 metres but the sales assistant was very generous and gave me what was left on the roll - over 3 metres ! So now I have a remnant of the teal mesh and now I will have to buy more fabric to use up this remnant ! I know - lucky these are the `problems` I face.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Cheers Janine.

Simplicity 4076 - Wild Horses ......and Mushrooms.

Wild Horses will not drag my daughter into modelling this top for my blog. Nor will love nor money. I have tried threats, bribes, cajoling and even down right begging.  I have ( eventually ) learnt not to bother asking anymore. Daffy is so much more obliging so she will be modelling again.

Last year my eldest DD came home from a day in the city saying she wanted to sew a maxi skirt. After I picked myself up off the floor and I showed her my only pattern for such a skirt - a lovely Issey Miyake design. We toddled off to Spotlight and my daughter found this lovely Sorrento dry knit . Usually when I visit Spotlight I only find kacky prints in garish colours . The maxi skirt was a fabric hog so there were large remnants which I wanted to sew into a top for myself. 

However in a fit of motherly madness I offered to make the remaining fabric into a top for my daughter and she said yes !

This is Simplicity 4076 , arguably the most reviewed pattern on Pattern Review. I have made this four times now but this is the first time making this view. I had been put off by reviewers saying the ease was excessive for the draped front but I did not find this at all. I changed the sleeves from the long bell shaped ones to tapered sleeves and also added little loops and buttons to the gathered side.

In the end there were remnants of the remnants - enough to make into partial top using some co-ordinating mesh to fill in the missing bits - I will try to sew this next . So I get to have my cake and eat it too. Talking about food  ....... I discovered the above ah , um unusual mushrooms on my daily doggy walk . I wonder if they are edible - perhaps I could make cream of mushroom soup ! I just thought I would add in that last photo for a laugh. Cheers Janine.

Kwik Sew 3422 - Ebony and Ivory Silver Anniversary Shirt.

A spruced up post title for a black and white striped shirt !
Good in some ways and bad in others , my wardrobe has reached saturation point. I have a handful of summer clothes I have not even worn and it seems that our summer weather is now truly over with all the rain and sadly flooding that is going on . That means I have turned my sewing attention to others and I completed a shirt for my husband.
The last time I sewed anything for my husband ( apart from repairs and hems ) was 25 years ago - hence the silver anniversary shirt. I was  about 19 at the time so had only been sewing occasionally ( during long school/ uni holidays ) for a a few years . He was only my boyfriend at the time but I sewed him a similar button front , collared striped cotton  shirt .However he told me it wasn`t very professional so he never really wore it.
Just to prove that I don`t hold onto grudges :) I decided to have another go at sewing for my now husband ! Now either my sewing skills have improved somewhat or my husband`s diplomacy skills have been refined but this time he said it looked professional and that he liked it and he wore it to work the very next day . ( I suspect that both the sewing and diplomacy skills have improved by the way ) .

I used Kwik Sew 3422 - a pattern for both long and short sleeved shirts with the option of either a one piece or two piece collar. It was printed in 2006 but is still in the current catalogue.
I really like how the front band is cut on - you turn the front band inside and then fold this under creating a self interfaced band with three layers of fabric - so easy -no separate interfacing involved here ( but you do interface the collar and collar stand ) . Also this pattern has a really neat yoke - I took pictures of the process and hopefully will be able to explain more next week  . The seam allowance is only 6mm which is really helpful in applying the collar nicely but I was not able to do flat felled seams with this small allowance so I used a mock flat felled seams instead when you just top stitch the seams on the outside. I was very careful to match up stripes with the pocket placement and where the yoke meets the sleeves. ( Ironically the yokes and sleeves stripes are slightly out despite trying very hard and using my unpicker three time but where I sewed the under and top collar the stripes match perfectly even though I didn`t try and no-one sees this bit .)
I used some shirting cotton that I bought while on holidays in Cairns 18 months ago ( see I had honorable intentions way before the quarter of a century was up ) that was really good  quality - it sewed easily and ironed up nice and crisp which really helps to improve the whole sewing experience.
I was quite chuffed that my husband really liked his shirt so I won`t wait another 25 years to make another one .The other good thing about man sewing is that I will only need the one shirt pattern to satisfy his shirt needs.  I really have to thank Karen of Kbenco because she inspired me to sew this - she makes divine shirts for her husband with really special extra touches .

Also  big shoutout to the Rosedale ASG ( Australian Sewing Guild) . Bruna thankyou so much for inviting me - I had alot of fun being around others who also love sewing and amazingly sewing was done amongst the chatter ! You are all an amazing talented bunch of sewists ( Bruna , Anne, Sue, Lorna and Barbara ) and I look forward to improving my skills and knowledge as well as your camaraderie.
My next project is a nightie for my mother-in-law so until then Cheers .

Kwik Sew 3670 - To Be or Not To Be.

That is the question and I just do not know the answer.
I am unsure if it is the pattern or the fabric or just both  that is not quite jelling with me. Here is the pattern below. 

Pattern front KS 3670 .

Pattern back showing up details.

KS 3670 is a tunic /top where the front and back yokes extend into slightly gathered sleeves with a narrow band. The front of the tunic extends up in a small rectangle which is gathered and sewn to the bottom inside edge of the front yoke forming a pleat. Because of that front pleat this patterns needs a very drapy fabric or else. I have too much grey hair now to be asked if I am expecting but I want to avoid the Irritable Bowel/ bloated look. The back neck is finished with self fabric bias binding. It looked quite an interesting pattern and I had nothing else like it in my wardrobe.

A close up of the front yoke , pleat and back bias binding.

   The fabric is a georgette - rectangles of yellow, black, fawn , olive green and white. I bought it from an Australian Ebay fabric store and I had thought the olive green was going to be grey although it is really hard to tell really. I was a bit disappointed when it arrived because of the colour discrepancies between computer moniters and real life. However it was one of those I don`t  have anything to lose  fabrics so it was perfect for trialling my new pattern. The fabric was moderately slippery but by using lots of pins and cutting carefully with sharp scissors it wasn`t too bad.
  The front yoke pattern piece is very interesting and confusing but of course by following the excellent instructions it all works out at the end. I doubled my fabric for the front and back yokes since my fabric is so sheer but this did nothing to aid in modesty as the yoke finishes above the bust line .However it did mean that I had no remnants left to feed that scrap bag ( which has a life of its own I am sure )  :) . 8 cms are allowed for this hem so I turned up the hem 4 cms and then another 4 cms and stitched. Overall the pattern is well drafted and the instructions are excellent as per usual with Kwik Sew.
 The tunic is relatively long and could even be worn as a short dress . I have only one suitable bottom piece of clothing to wear with this which is part of reason why I am unsure about this top although I have possible plans to make some slim fitting olive green linen pants . The photos look OK though so I think I will put this in that magic wardrobe made famous  by Mary Nanna and stew on it for a bit.
Any opinions good or bad  ( I won`t sulk - I think ) or styling suggestions would be welcomed.
Until next time , Cheers Janine.

Kwik Sew 3573 - My Sewing Bucket List.

I have been procrasting sewing my Liberty fabric as I am not entirely sure I want to make a dress. So instead I pulled out this pattern above  I bought last month and cut into some fabric I purchased  when we visited China in 2008. I was told it was silk at the time but having just bought some `genuine` Gucci handbags for my daughters for a few dollars I was quite cynical about this. However I loved the print and didn`t really care  . I bought some black  `satin` from Darn Cheap Fabrics in Melbourne recently to complete this top and as I was cutting into the fake satin I realised there was quite a difference between this and the satin from China. Shame on me! - it was real silk satin and I had just unknowingly ticked off one of my bucket list wishes - to sew a real silk satin piece of clothing. It was just as well I didn`t realise it was silk as this would still be folded up in my cupboard!

As per usual the Kwik Sew pattern was drafted beautifully and the instructions were so easy you could be half asleep and still do a really good job. It is a kimono styled top with a contrast sleeve and waist bands. There is some gentle gathering of the front and back pieces into the waist band and the neckline is finished with their wonderful bias binding / instructions. I am really happy with the result and I would highly recommend this pattern .  It just goes to show I shouldn`t be scared  to use my too precious fabric in case something goes wrong. Perhaps now I should look at that Liberty lawn and treat it  just as some cheap quilting cotton from Spotlight.

Back view showing the kimono type sleeves. I love how the wideness of the shoulders makes my waist and hips look small - it is not like that in real life .

There is something that amuses me about the last two patterns I have sewn. Usually burda necklines go down to your navel and Kwik Sew is quite demure. However the last Burda dress neckline was  conservative and this Kwik Sew Top does show alot ! Perhaps there were some pattern maker spooks who infiltrated Burda/ Kwik Sew camp . Anyway here`s to sewing our good stuff. Cheers Janine.

Simplicity 9877 or The Zombies Ate My Brains.



I included a shot of the clothes line in honour of Mary Nana ( sorry no rubbish bins though )

How else can I explain the fact that I made another bandaid top or shirt to be precise.
My youngest DDs  play a computer game called Plants vs Zombies - they have installed it on my computer and therefore I get to watch it sometimes while I wait to get back my rightful property.
It looked fun so I played it as well but I am not as good as them and therefore on several occasions the zombies have eaten my brains ( my girls if they are losing just click out of the game and start again - wimps -whereas I allow the zombies to eat my brains - it doesn`t hurt at all ).

The real reason I sewed this shirt is procrastination .I pulled this beige ribbed cotton out of my stash to sew a dress muslin before I cut into my lovely Liberty lawn . The muslin needs two alterations - a sway back adjustment and for me to get rid of some of my christmas, birthday, New Years eating binges that has settled in comfortably  on my lower abdomen .

Instead of putting the remnants of this fabric back I decided to sew it all up - it has been in my stash for about 16 years - I have no idea how it got into my cupboard and it has only survived stash culls because it is a decent quality fabric. I find it hard to get rid of such serviceable fabric even when obviously ugly or boring or whatever. I had never had any idea what I was going to do with the  fabric which is why it has been around for so long but then had the idea to use it to practice flat felled seams inspired by the lovely Carolyn of Handmade by Carolyn.

I sewed Simplicity 9877 an OOP pattern dated 2001. It is a basic button blouse with cowboy shirt variations . I have another similar pattern but from Butterick. ( In fact I counted up that I had 13 patterns for variations of button blouses !)
I am very proud of my flat felled seams although not perfect . I did these seams everywhere - shoulders, sleeves, sideseams . They were tricky on the long sleeve seams and also at the armscye  but just really needed some slow and careful pinning and  sewing . These seams look very professional and I am definitely going to be incorporating these seams into future shirts .

I really like the fit of this shirt - it is not too baggy and not too tight - it is just right ! The front darts are really long slits sewn together - easier than marking and sewing darts . It also has back darts but I eliminated these since this will just be a around the house shirt. There are no bust darts included.   It has a separate pattern  for the front band but the collar is only one piece- it  doesn`t have a separate stand . There are cuffs with a continuous bound placket. The hem is curved . Just a basic tailored shirt really.

All in all I enjoyed experimenting with a new pattern and a new technique with this less than stellar fabric. I am sure that the dog and the garden and dishes and housework will not mind my beige boring button bandaid shirt.
I am happy to report that my next project will NOT be a bandaid top .
Cheers Janine.

Vogue 2033 - The Geoffrey Beene Designer Band-aid Top.

I reckon it is pretty important to have a good sense of humour - it helps to  get  you through the tricky bits in life and there are lots of those and to not take yourself too seriously. I think I have a healthy sense of humour hence why I am posting this top I made.

I was given quite a few patterns back in the early 90s and through successive culls only a couple remain including this Vogue 2033 - a Geoffrey Beene designer pattern for three quite different and classical styled tops / shirts including the dropped shoulder loose fitting version . Lately I have seen tops around like this and delved into my pattern stash and thought it was time to give it a try - I mean
I have only had it for about 17 years.
 The fabric is a soft gold paisley jacquard with small white polka dots . It looks and feels like silk but it is not - I will not lie. I very pleased with this fabric and imagined wearing this top out to romantic dinners  and other such soirees .  I altered the pattern to add in bias cut bands for the sleeves  and added store bought white satin bias binding for the neck. I used french seams twice ( I took a too big a bite the first time and the top was too small for my liking ) and added a self fabric belt  .
Once finished,  with great excitement I tried on the finished garment and looked in the mirror and then A GREAT BIG OHH moment . - I`d just sewn a really large bandaid. The soft gold colour suddenly looked like a  flesh / beige tone and even the little white polka dots resembled  those tiny perforations you see on bandaids.

So learn from my mistakes - Do Not sew flesh coloured fabrics unless you are in need of bandaids.
PS - I quite like the pattern - I will use it again - perhaps in bright green or blue or pink  or anything but beige. Cheers Janine

Simplicity 3786- Third Time Lucky .

simplicity 3786 and cotton voile fabric 

close up of pintucks

inside seams of simplicity tunic 

Not really third time lucky , just the third time I have made this pattern but the first time it has ended up in my wardrobe having previously sewn a muslin and a version for my Mum.
I have been wanting to sew this for 2 years now - but you know how it is - too much to sew and too little time.
I am glad I finally did though. I love the little pintucks and the gently gathered  lower sleeves. The material is a cotton voile that just called out to me - I think it is the yellow colour and the smaller flowers outlined in taupe look vaguely native.
The pattern was easy once the pintucks were made - I just carefully mark and pin them - I do not have a pintuck foot.
THe only change I made was to shorten the tunic a few centimetres as I found it too long for my personal taste and I added some lace between the upper and lower sleeves.
I will definitely sew this pattern again - in a solid colour and want to try the other view as well.
Cheers for now , Janine.