Simplicity 4698= A wadder saved .

I was really enjoying sewing this jacket . The shell came together nicely and fitted well. So I progressed to the semi-lining and collar. I thought this is a really weird collar and then it hit ! I had really oopsed . I was almost ready to throw this away  and then was inspired by LisaLaree of SewRandom who goes to all lengths to avoid wadders. After one hour of unpicking and sewing I saved this jacket . I was so pleased that I have proceeded to HongKong finish all the exposed seams . All I have left now are the sleeves, hems , buttons and buttonholes. I may even do bound button holes as this jacket only has 3 buttons ( no promises though ! )

Style Jacket styled.

Here is a promised photo of my Style Jacket worn with my only yellow top although I do really love certain variations of this colour. It does match the colour of our mudbricks though !See you later. Janine

Simplicity 4349-a different kind of evening wear.

When the designers of simplicity created this pattern what they had in mind was glamorous evening wear - fur, satin, brocade capes, scarves and bags. When I saw this pattern I thought of my large scrap of polar fleece and a different kind of evening wear ! I have certainly downgraded  Simplicity 4349. This is the dirtiest and quickest piece of sewing ever. I did not finish any seams . The only trouble I took was to tear off a small piece of stabilizer and use this making the button hole. However if success can be measured by the wearings then this is a hit. I have worn it  every night since sewing it . It is warm, soft, lightweight and not restricting. Perfect for reading in bed at night  . I said to my husband is this the daggiest thing I have ever sewn and he nodded yes bravely . So there you go I have reached the pit of daggidom. My sewing and this blog can only go upwards now. Cheers Janine

An interruption to the scheduled programme.

We have been having a real winter here for the first time in ages. We only have one wood heater for the living areas so it gets pretty cold in the bedrooms. I had  sizeable leftover pieces of soft fluffy polar fleeces from dressing gowns for 2 of my DDs back from 2008. Simplicity  4349 has a pattern for various capes and I thought this will make a good `bed jacket`. So I am taking a break from my blue simplicity jacket and going to make this instead . Now off to vacuum the floor - boy does this fleece  make a mess. Cheers Janine.

The Everlasting Fabric.

I managed to cut out the Simplicity Jacket which was a marathon ( which is why cutting out is my least favourite sewing job ) .
This royal blue crepe just keeps on going and going ! So far I have sewn a dress - Simplicity 2896 a sleeveless . yoked A line dress and also Kwik Sew 3287  a skirt with little flippy sides and now cut out the above jacket. And still I have a large chunk left !
This jacket patterns calls for 70cm of fabric for this kind of strange incomplete lining - I do not think I have seen a back lining like this . I managed to get all the  2 lining pieces out of a small scrap of polyester satin left over from some PJs ! Which just goes to show that those scraps which sometimes cause angst really are  very useful ( even if  it is many many years later ) .

I also completed my vogue Issey Miyake skirt but yet again there will not be a photo . I did not finish the waist , seams and hems as it really was only a quick and dirty muslin ( and boy was it a quick skirt pattern ) . I am happy to report that you definitely do not need to add a zipper to this knit skirt. I didnt really think this was the case but I did not want to question Vogue who undeniably have much more knowledge and experience in these matters. Also this skirt definitely reaches my ankles. I was questioning whether this look might be dated however while waiting for my daughter to have her braces removed ( yay !) I read a WHO magazine that had a fashion spread on long skirts ! It seemed like fate to read this magazine so soon after whipping up this skirt so I think I will try source some `real` fabric.
Cheers Janine

Pattern Haul. Completed Object and other mutterings.

Firstly I completed the rainbow striped cotton twill Butterick pants from the last post . However I will not post a photo to save myself public humiliation . I will say that they fit nicely  , are not too baggy , the twill is soft and thus will be a good pair of PJ pants. But I will continue to search for another pants pattern for my grey herringbone fabric which is too nice for this pattern . I have some older BWOF magazines with some good looking pants  patterns so I will try those but not for now.  Secondly I have cut out the Issey Miyake Vogue 2796 skirt so slowly my ugly fabric and pattern pile goes down. I needed the full amount of my 2metre 150cm wide material for this skirt. ( so no scraps - yay ! like other seamstresses I have a large scrap stash and sometimes wonder what to do with them ) .
Thirdly I want to show my pattern haul. Yes, just one pattern ! I really wanted Butterick 5523 - a cowl neck knit dress but Spotlight did not have my size. I have to say I am jealous of those amazing one dollar pattern sales in North America - I would probably own many more patterns if I had access to those but alas down under we do not. I  have  never bought an Its so easy pattern line from Simplicity before so I will be interested to see if there are any differences from the more expensive pattern lines . I have loved the versions I have seen of this bias cut top and I don`t own any similar patterns.
Hmmm , I think this concludes my mutterings.
Cheers Janine.

Phew 2

Phew - 2 posts in one day.
However this is a momentous milestone for me. I have finished cutting out my `muslin` butterick pants and by doing so I have reduced my STASH to under 200metres.
Before I discovered sewing blogland I thought I must have the most material in the whole world. Boy was I wrong. I then actually measured and documented what I had and this amounted to over 200metres. Not alot for some people but overwhelming for me. So like alot of other people I too have a resolution to sew this down to at least 1/2. Don`t get me wrong I enjoy having a stash just not a large one. There is also a practical reason for this as we are building a new house and I have elected not to have a sewing room as realistically someone will be moving out in the next 2-3 years ( sob ) .I have been told emphatically that I am CRAZY not to have a sewing room but I want to downsize and have less fullstop.
Anyway I am quietly celebrating my material milestone, happy to  watch my ugly fabric pile go down and use previously unloved patterns. These butterick pants should sew up alot quicker than my previous jacket effort so hopefully I will be back soon.
Cheers Janine. PS The weather is still too horrible to garden - what a pity.