Scrap Sewing - Winners and Wadders .

  I might have mentioned I do not like waste and might be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to fabric scraps . Sometimes Mum also gives me little pieces like the blue patterned  cotton voile  fabric above. There was only 80 cms and I accidentally found an even smaller  piece of blue in my scrap bag which matched really well when I was searching for something else  . It was left over stretch cotton from making my husband a shirt for Christmas 2 or 3 years ago .

I really wanted to make New Look 6187 after seeing some versions on the internet and was able to squeeze this  top out using the two scraps . I used the plain blue for the yoke and tunic back and the pattern for the front yoke and sleeves.

I altered the pattern slightly - 3/4 sleeves because I did not have enough material for the full length and I extended the yoke pattern so I could make a button placket instead of a button/ loop closure. Also instead of using a facing for the yoke and tunic back I managed to eke out some bias binding to finish off the neckline.

Always times for pats in our house.

OK onto the next scrap busting project.  One late insomnia filled night I was perusing Pinterest ( not very good for actually helping one to get back to sleep BTW ) and saw a picture of a sewing machine pocket pad . Brilliant ! If I had a dollar for every time I have knocked my tape measure behind my sewing table then I would  have lots of dollars . I was seriously considering making another scrap top with this checked / little Japanese girl fabric but again only had 80 cms . Well for this project I had plenty of material and I also managed to save myself from making a dubiously appropriate shirt and I have a place for my errant tape measure ( and quick unpick /  little scissors/ glasses /secret chocolate stash ) . I was pretty happy with the result so I sewed two more for my Mum and a friend using all stash fabric, wool wadding and bias binding .

Well they are the winners :)
Now for the wadder :(
I had lots of black based scraps ranging in age from just last year to 10 years old . I wanted to use my Knipmode magazines and found a windcheater where the fronts and backs  consist of  3 pieces each  . I had enough of the various scraps but did not have a good feeling from the start of the sewing . I got the point of the hems and adding a neck band but OH in capitals . Gosh seriously ugly.  Too many fabrics  ,  too many differing textures and thicknesses  , too big , sleeves too dropped .  Most of the failure is my fault but the sweater is seriously oversized and the sleeves very low .

This photo does not do justice to how ugly the top is . Oh well  , I gave it a try and no big loss. However Bruna I do think you are right and these scraps should have been in the bin long ago.
I am off to lick my wounds now and have cut out a Kwik Sew camisole pattern - quick , easy, needed  and made before so I know it will be a success .
Happy Sewing Janine. Costings : Fabric remnants free in stash. Pattern - $3.00 . Buttons and thread in stash. Total - $ 3.00

Birds and Blossoms Tunic - Knipmode March 2012.

I managed to sew one more garment before 2015 ends !

Here comes a dog !

This one is more like me - I am definitely a print girl and I love sewing button shirts especially with those front insert yokes .
The pattern is from another knipmode -the bonus magazine  to  the main March 2012 issue  . I could see myself sewing everything in this great little supplement .

Yes you can have a pat . 

I used a rayon print from Spotlight - I saw a top made up in an instagram picture ( no idea who because I get really sucked down into the abyss of instagram ) from this fabric and loved it but I was even more delighted when the owner said it was a recent purchase from Spotlight . I have wanted to sew a bird print garment for myself for ages but  have  never found anything suitable.
Again I found the knipmode  pattern well drafted.  It is a tunic with raglan sleeves and shoulder darts , lined front button up inset , long sleeves with slits and cuffs , sleeve tabs so you can roll up the sleeves and a curved hem. The neckline is finished with a narrow self fabric bias binding strip.  I made size 38 and this fitted well BUT the tunic was so long - almost a dress and I did NOT add the hem allowances.

Terrible photo  which is meant to show the details of the tunic. 

A better close up photo - still hard to see anything though.  I tried to match that upside bird . 

Using the markings on the patterns and closely looking at the garment line drawing and pattern layout I was able to work out how to sew this . I used instructions from a Burda envelope pattern and a Kwik Sew pattern to make sure I was on track with the insert yoke and sleeve slit . I removed about 13cm in length and it is arguably still a bit too long . I am 170cm or 5 foot 7 so the models wearing this tunic must be 6 foot tall !

Looking a bit nightiesque prior to cuffs , hems and neckline finishing. 

Knipmode biljage ( supplement ) March 2012.  Blouse 107. 

I was going to just use cream buttons but they looked insipid . Luckily I  found some buttons where the reverse side matched the blue blossoms and there was just enough !
I love my new tunic although it is too hot to wear it just now  . A great way to finish off 2015. I am not going to bloody miss you 2015 .
Here`s to a content , healthy and peaceful 2016 !

Thank you to my photographer who took an unwitting selfie !

Vintage Simplicity 7601 - Blah Humbug .

I have managed to make another blah garment - the last for the year .
I liked the look of the pattern Simplicity 7601 from the 70s - dropped short kimono sleeves , open neck , fine pintucks on both the front and back , pullover style .

However it ended up being huge both in width and length and  had giant wings sticking up at the ends of the sleeves . I chopped off about 20cm in length and took in the sides by several cms which made a big difference . I resewed the sleeve hems which helped a little  but they still stick up .
The end result is perfectly wearable - a sombre top  suitable  for work which will match unoffensively with other plain skirts and pants but it doesn`t really ring any bells for me.
The one saving grace is the fabric is a lovely sand washed silk - a remnant from Rathdowne Remnants.

I am hoping my first sew of 2016 will be a happier one - a tunic from a Knipmode magazine using a pretty japanese themed bird/ floral rayon print from Spotlight. I have traced the pattern , cut out the fabric and made a start on the sewing.
I hope everyone has the Christmas that they are wishing for  and a happy and healthy New Year.

New Look 6009 - Simply Navy.

I sewed this pattern for my mother's birthday a couple of years ago I think and loved the  neckline  and the casual relaxed fit so  I have wanted to make one for me as well. The pattern is very easy . The front is sewn from two  pieces and a gap left  near at the top. A narrow loop is then wrapped around the gap and the top of the neckline creating a gathered bow appearance. So simple! The pattern is designed for wovens but I used a navy bamboo knit remnant from Clegs and eliminated the back button/loop closure. I was able to easily put this on without the back opening. I will definitely sew this pattern again but for now I better return it to its rightful owner since it has been a couple of years since I ahem borrowed it. 

    

Snakes And Flounces and Peplums and New Buttons - Simplicity 2501

I have combined four things in this blouse that I don't normally do such is the pull  of this great pattern. I have sewn  this once before years ago in what is my favourite fabric EVER - cream vintage silk with a self pattern of scattered bamboo, blossoms ,irises and chrysanthemums combined with a circular asian symbol. Seriously beautiful fabric but I treat the shirt with the respect it deserves and only wear it for special occasions ( by the way I bought the material at the op shop for $1 - crazy ! ).
So I have always wanted to make this again in a less special fabric and when I saw Marec's version this project pushed itself to the top of the list.

The snake print started off as a scarf so there was only  just enough to sew the sleeveless top. I have avoided snake prints because where I used to live we saw a few  snakes each summer with at least one next to our house. Now we have shifted I have only seen one in the last two years and it was dead! So the nightmarish memories of snakes are fading .Also I  am not usually a frilly/ flouncy kind of person but this flounce is understated and I think makes the blouse elegant. Same with peplums - I think they are hard to wear and carrying my weight around the middle I didn't think peplums would like me but this one being split in the centre seems to drape nicely and not protrude. Finally I had to buy buttons for this top . I can not remember the last time I had to do this  - it must be many , many years.
The end result is worth it though. This pattern has many lovely features apart from the peplum and flounce. It also has pleats giving  a relaxed blouson feel and a mid riff band. I love the tie neck and there are a couple of interesting sleeve variations too.

I would highly recommend this pattern but I think it is a more recent OOP.

Why You Should Not Stash Fabrics !

  
I have had this piece of light weight denim for about  20 years now . It has been either stored in a covered basket ( when my stash was small ) or in various cupboards ( as my collection grew ) . It has always been kept away from the light . 
Check out that serious fabric foldline fading ! 
This was leftover from making a shirt that well never made it to a shirt. I  kept on sewing the patch pockets unevenly and was so totally frustrated I threw the project out . I remember that so well such was the frustration ! However I kept the large scraps and the sleeves which are in pieces ( I don`t know why ) because it is lovely soft smooth fabric and I paid a decent price for it. 

I was going to sew a knipmode tunic out of this . The tunic is made up of lots of pieces - the sleeves and back are from two pieces and the front from three pieces so I was hopeful that I could juggle all these small pieces onto my irregular scrap. Alas despite my best efforts I could not get those pieces to fit the fabric. Sigh. So again laziness made me turn to an  old pattern that I have made many times and I knew did not take much material. 

I may be trying to reduce my fabrics but I keep hold of old patterns. I bought this one about 10 years ago because I loved the white lace version on the front . Of course I have not recreated that look but I have now made this pattern up three times and I still do intend to make the white lace top. 

To get all the pieces on I had to cut the back from two pieces of material and I barely had any seam allowance. Trying to overlock that seam nicely was impossible so I used a fancy stitch and matching embroidery thread to sew down those seams. 
Then I repeated the stitching along the front neckline and bodice seams. 

I know some people would think why bother sewing with such faded fabric but it really is lovely and soft and as I have probably written before  I do not like waste . I am just calling this my shabby chic top :).
So this is just about the last of my really old fabric I have now . 
But please learn a lesson from me - do not stash fabrics ( well at least not for 20 years ) .

When Cynthia Rowley Meets Missoni. Simplicity 2472.

Mum gave me this interesting zigzag knit ( I do sometimes buy my own fabric ! ) . It is a textured knit but has very little stretch.  I admit  my choice of pattern was based purely on laziness . The pattern is Simplicity 2472 a Cynthia Rowley pattern for a top/ tunic/ dress  using woven fabric which has cut on sleeves. I was worried about pattern matching those zigzags so was attracted to that sleeve feature.

This is a deceptive pattern. The pieces look large and shapeless and likewise so does  the finished garment .
However wearing it is a different matter . I felt quite pleasantly trendy for a change !
It is incredibly easy to sew with just a front and back and narrow bands for the neck and sleeves. I was considering bias binding for the neck but having recently made a nightie with a very narrow neck band and liking the effect I stuck with the pattern .

I had to sew a centre seam in the back instead of cutting on the fold because of restricted amounts of fabric. However I need not have worried about pattern matching because the zigzags and colours are so irregular .
I should mention that I made the shortest version but would love to make the  dress one day . I would highly recommend this pattern but it is probably OOP like most of the patterns I seem to sew.

I have tried to capture the lovely woven texture of the fabric but as per usual the photography is the hardest thing to do here .
Happy Sewing Janine.

The Essential LRS - New Look 6896.

LRS being The Little Red Skirt.
Earlier this year I sewed up a really old stash inhabitant , the pink and blue plaid , and I love the end result. This got me thinking about other similarly elderly pieces of fabric. I do not subscribe to the theory that she who dies with the most fabric wins . I think about the lost opportunities , unfulfilled sewing dreams and not to mention the plain waste of resources . So I feel a bit ashamed to admit that I have  more 20 + year old fabric  languishing in my cupboard.
 This red crepe was actually a two metre  remnant ! I originally bought 5 metres to make a 3/4 length dress with multiple gores - very much a look at me dress - so not me ! I ditched that plan and  sewed another dress up but it was what I now know to be a wadder . I did wear it but  my sewing was less than stellar so I  turfed it after just a few uses.

I was skimming through pattern review a few weeks ago and saw a really lovely looking skirt . I then googled more images of the same pattern made up and the cogs started slowly turning until bingo I realised this would be a great way to use my red crepe . However after accumulating sewing treasures for 30 years I  knew I would have a similar pattern in my collection.

I found New Look 6896 in my French pattern magazine which was very much what I wanted . I really like this magazine because although I do not know the french language all the patterns have clear construction diagrams which are helpful in trickier areas.
The skirt is a simple wide yoked semi-circle style with belt carriers and pockets . The zip is on the side which was the only real difficulty because I added pockets from another view to my skirt .
I used some tips I found in a Vogue magazine to hem the skirt - first sewing a long gathering stitch to gently bring in some of the fullness of the hem before hand sewing the hem in place . I then removed the gathering stitches , gave the hem a press and it looks pretty invisible to me ! I added some cotton tape to the top of the yoke to stabilise this area and I think this does help a lot .

I have so many tops that coordinate with this skirt that it is a wonder that I never thought before  this was an essential garment to have !

I have worn my new skirt with a new top as well using  a long narrow remnant that Mum gave me . I used Kwik Sew 2695 which has become a favourite pattern to use up small pieces of fabric . It is so quick and easy but I managed to make more than one mistake in sewing this up . And now I have just realised looking at these photos that I have achieved the dreaded bulls eye effect so I don`t know if I will keep it or not now.
As I was sewing up my red crepe I felt quite pleased to be using up all my really old fabric until I realised that no there are still a couple of pieces left that are 20+ years ! So I predict a denim tunic coming into my life in the near future but the other piece is only good for night wear so that will probably reach its silver anniversary.

Happy sewing , Janine.

A Bloggy Catch Up and Ramblings about Fabric .

It is a lovely Sunday morning here - the rain has stopped ( our sheep at one stage had their own personal olympic sized swimming pool with a Murray River run off in their paddock  - I put a stop to their backstroke lessons when I unclogged the roadside drain ) and it is sunny.
I have had my breakfast carefully supervised by my food taster . If he does not drop dead one millisecond after eating my toast ( multigrain BTW )  prepared for me by my husband then I proceed to enjoy. My fitness instructor has taken me for a walk. The fitness involved depends entirely on how many fitness instructors have preceded us. Sometimes we need to inspect every single blade of grass and other times a quick sniff of some select trees and fence posts will suffice. Now my bodyguard will allow me to sew whilst he pretends to curl up and sleep . However I see him opening a single eye now and again to check for any potential assassins .

This year I was making a concerted effort to really sew down my fabric stash/ collection / hoard or whatever you want to call it. I made a policy that if I bought fabric then I would HAVE to sew it up straight away.

This policy works really well. I bought the mesh knit for my knipmode scarf top  from my previous post .
I bought this cream cable rib knit above  for my practice run for my black lace bonded knit . The bust darts are too low and the sleeves are too short but I was happy otherwise.

I bought this border print from an op shop - a bare one metre and sewed up Simplicity 4368 again . This is such a nifty little pattern - to be able to get a top with sleeves from such little fabric ( I use size 12 )  . However it seems the fabric buying policy expired in late July.
My excuse is my daughter had an exam in a regional town a couple of hours away. I rarely go there and I had 3  1/2 hours to spare . So I went and looked at an op shop . And found a mother lode of fabric . In the end I limited it to just under 20 metres - taupe  tropical wool, cream rayon, floral dotted swiss , cream rib stretch, cotton-silk ( I think ) floral , lemon and rust coloured crepe de chines and a pale grey mystery . Yes so in one swell swoop I bought the amount of fabric it has taken me to sew for the year . Sigh - there is always next year yes ?

I will finish with a word about my  food taster / fitness instructor / bodyguard. Just in case you are jealous or think he is perfect , well he is not . I have given him several dissertations on how to make the perfect cup of tea. He knows the theory well but has yet to put it to practice.

Happy Sewing Janine.

Knipmode Scarf Top -October 2010.

This top really matches our rammed earth wall !

 I have been gradually getting through my unused magazine patterns . This is the scarf top from the supplementary magazine included with Knipmode October 2010. One of the delightful surprises I received when I first bought my Knipmodes was that sometimes they came with an extra small magazine with lots more patterns . I can imagine myself making every pattern in this booklet .
I was attracted to this pattern because I really liked the scarf neckline , the blouson shape and hip hem bands.

I used a mesh knit in purples and browns - the pattern states you need 1.7 metres but I only had 1.5 metres. I was just able to cut this pattern out but the scarf is slightly narrower than designed. The top was very easy to make except I was not exactly sure where to start the scarf attachment at the neckline . Initially I attached it at the right  shoulder but this meant the loose hanging end was too short so I had to unpick all my overlocking and stitching and  start again at the left shoulder. This was much better but I think I may have stretched the neckline because mine looks much lower than what is shown on the models. Ah well I am still overall happy with the top but it means I will always have to wear a camisole with it  and it  reveals more of  my bony chest than I would like  .

I have tried to capture a closer photo of the scarf . It is kept in place by a little loop of fabric sewn to the left side of the front. I discovered this top matches quite well with my faux suede skirt that I sewed over 10 years ago and have not worn !  The skirt was cut from leftovers of a suit I made that I did wear heaps and wore out but for some reason I have never worn this but also never took it to the opshop . So this is a double sewing win .
Happy sewing Janine.

241

Just updating my personal sewing diary.

One of the things I really enjoy about having a blog is being able to document my sewing endeavours.  Most of my sewing has long disappeared and exists only in my mind. Not that it was spectacular or special just that I sewed it and and can see that I am getting better even if I still know just about zilch on fitting and totally nothing about drafting.
Another thing about having a blog is actually having a photo of myself wearing the clothes which sometimes even includes a back view. There are very few photos of me except on this blog. That doesn't  matter to me at all but it has been interesting to me to see what  clothes , colours  and styles might suit or not. Because that is another thing I am relatively clueless on -style etc.  And until this blog I didn't actually know what my back view looked like ( and perhaps that is information that was better that way ) .

Last month I finished sewing another burda style henley T.
This was a sewing project that I needed ,  not just wanted. A basic cream T .
The fabric is a fine ribbed knit bought on a lovely fabric buying day in November 2013 with the lovely girls from the monthly sewing group ( sadly this year it has been an annual sewing group for me ) . The month before had been a stashbusting sewing month - pure genius ! The fabric was from Rathdowne Remnants and the first piece I have made up from that day ! I thought it would be difficult fabric to handle because it is so fine  but it sewed up quite easily and I was delighted there was just enough to make  another kwik sew singlet as well - hence the two for one blog title .

Kwik Sew 3026 or How Not To Sew Plaid.

Pattern used - Kwik Sew 3026. I love this pattern having now made it 5 times. It is a great basic pattern for either a button up or placket shirt. It has separate pattern pieces for the under and outer collar pieces and a gently curved hem.
Fabric used - pink and blue textured plaid cotton. This has been in my stash for 20 years ! It feels  sturdy and soft  and I had trouble working out which were the wrong and right sides . Overall a great quality fabric which is hard to find these days.

 From memory I have  not sewn a plaid shirt before. I did make a plaid dress  20+ years ago and I am certain there were no thoughts about pattern placing going on then  This time there were plenty of thoughts but I still managed to muck up!

1. The front placket is not cut on the true bias - I thought it was but I must have been wearing my foggy glasses .
2. The front main plaid is cut slightly off centre .
3. I cut the pocket pieces on the bias and the pocket flaps on the straight grain. I carefully matched  the pocket flaps to the shirt front and then sewed them on the wrong sides so the pockets are lower and closer to the placket than intended. Annoying but the end result is fine .
4. The back of the collar plaid pattern is meant to align with the main back piece. Mine doesn't because I didn`t know .

No back view of the shirt because. 

Much loved and much used Kwik Sew 3026. 

However I did manage to cut the cuffs and yokes on the true bias and matched my side seams really well. I used larger buttons than originally intended on the placket to cover up my mistake :).

The Verdict - I love my new shirt !