Sew, I've Been Thinking ...

These shorts are made from a Kwik Sew jeans pattern KS3504 . I've made this pattern before so I know it fits. This time I've made shorts, so I just cut the pattern off. When DH gets home I'll get him to try them on so I can where to hem them. This is lovely chocolate brown denim from Gorgeous Fabrics and you will see full length jeans in the same fabric later on in the SWAP. I topstitched in the gold I used to make yesterdays shirt because it seemed to match. What I forgot to photograph is the pockets and fly shield which are in the same fabric as yesterdays shirt also. There was no design on the pockets so I made one up. I'm sure he'll find something about these pants he doesn't like ... he always does. I'm rather pleased, though. I even used my second machine today. I had one loaded with the twin needle and topstitch thread and the other with the sewing up thread. It worked well, but I think I'll have to leave a pin holder and clippers at ea...

I started on DH's SWAP yesterday and was off to a rollicking start with a wadder. This is KS3250 in some crappy fabric that has been lurking in my stash for many years. I'm not even going to hem it. The sack like shape of the shirt makes him look fat and short. I refuse to make this style again. This shirt is awful. I had better luck today with this shirt. It's the TNT shirt pattern which started its life as BWOF 03-2009-132. I chopped the sleeves down and made them short as well as leaving off the collar and just using the stand. It's a quilting cotton that sewed up wonderfully. Buttons and thread from stash. A men's shirt somehow doesn't sit right on a female dress form. Last up today I made this shirt for a colleague who leaves this week. She has admired a dress I made in the same fabric. I didn't have enough to make a dress so I made the fabric into a pattern that she has also admired. It's my favourite KS blouse at the moment and of course I can...

Wishing everyone a safe and happy christmas and a wonderful 2010

Here's some more of my christmas gift sewing. This is a small clutch from a free pattern I downloaded from the Kwik Sew website this afternoon. It's so easy and quick to make. It goes with this bag which I made up in a hurry to fit these handles and hoped it would work out. It's not great, but it's OK. This is very hard to press curtain fabric. This is a halter top made from a Kwik Sew pattern I've had for a long time. Can't remember the number. This is all made from leftovers. This is a slightly larger version of the same Kwik Sew clutch. I should've photographed the inside as it's lined with a really nice red satin. This vintage pattern just happens to perfectly fit my brother-in-law, he of the unfortunate crotch placement fame. So I made this vest for him. This is the only gift that is actually a request. He wanted a yellow vest, so he got a yellow vest. The piece of fantastic wool cost me 50c at the op shop about 5 years ago, the dark grey...

The completed dress. A pair of pants I made for DH - I'm very pleased with the pockets. It's his TNT pants pattern developed from a Kwik Sew front with slant pockets, a morphed BWOF back and BWOF slim legs. This is the inside of the waistband using a technique shown by Martyn Smith in Australian Stitches. It is a RTW method made easy for home sewing and makes a really wonderfully firm and neat waistband. I also made the pocket bags from the same fabric. This is the first of many christmas gifts. A bag from a McCalls pattern which I don't have to hand to tell you the number. The pattern is for quilted fabric but I used canvas interfaced with a very stiff fusible. I'm still trying to get the wretched chalk marks off! This is the interior with a cute, loud lining I had leftover from a dress from many years ago. Another christmas bag, one again made from the free Hot Patterns Sumatra bag. I will never make this again - trying to jam those *&%^# handles into my sewing m...

I have been sewing and I did make my dress - only just. I am so frantically busy and quite close to a nervous breakdown. Until I get it together to photograph what I've made (and there's a lot) I will show you the pictures of my staff Christmas party last weekend. As I mentioned last post, we took the Magic Bus to the Gold Coast races. Here is the first picture of the day, when everyone still looked tidy. Here is me in the middle with all the girls. This is the only shot I have of my dress at present and at this distance you can barely see the pink in it. In fact, it looks like a rather insipid brown. Here is all the boy staff. There were nine people who couldn't make it, so we were only a small group this day. Yes, we do have more female dentists than male. We've got a great team here and since this picture was taken I've employed another three staff this week. Here's a shot enroute. Just below the people in this picture is a large esky full of champagne th...

This is version one This is version two Can you see the difference? If you can, which do you prefer? It's going to become this dress. I know it's hard to tell from a photo and your monitor may show a very different colour. The fabric is silk chiffon that I bought about 7 years ago purely because I love the colours. At that time I never actually thought I would sew in chiffon, so I never expected to actually use this fabric. Faced with my staff christmas function, which is a visit to the races at the Gold Coast, travelling on this bus from Mullumbimby (yes I live in the hippy capital of Australia), I knew I needed a bright new dress to wear. The pink is a dark crimson and the green a deep olive. Here is the lining used in the first shot This is the lining used in the second shot. I'm unsure which I prefer and I'm unsure about accessories. I have found a good match for the pink , but I think maybe I'm a little old to dress like a lolly. I've seen a few olive shoe...

It's nine squillion degrees here today and I officially TOO FAT to fit into any summer dresses, so I decided to make a new one. This is Vogue 8386 and the fabric is a lovely rayon jersey I bought at Fabric Fantazia in Nerang last year. I love the print, but never really knew what to make with it, but I like the way this has turned out. I cut a straight 10, but should have cut an 8. I left out the zip and cut the back on the fold so I thought I might need the extra room. Consequently it's a little loose, but it's OK with the sash. I can't say I love the dress, but it's a good addition to my wardrobe and it will be comfortable to wear tonight to the final evening on the Mullum Music Festival . It's only the second year this has been running and it's a great success. It's a bit like the Blues Festival used to be fifteen years ago before they started booking acts like REM and attracting a different audience and turning me off. (Having said that, I ju...

He's getting his own SWAP.

I got it into my head this weekend that I wanted to make a bag from a free pattern I downloaded and fix the fit on a Vogue pattern. I shoved aside the tops I had cut out to sew this weekend and made this. It's the Hot Patterns Sumatra Shopper. I downloaded the pattern free from fabric.com ages ago with a view to making these for christmas presents. This fabric is a gorgeous cherry red canvas from Gorgeous Fabrics . The pattern calls for the pleated bit to be mounted onto canvas or the like, which I did. As my canvas was very sturdy I did not interface it, although I bought a roll of very stiff fusible interfacing for the purpose. The end result is a little softer than I would have liked. The bag is very easy to make, although wrestling the bamboo rings into place was a nightmare. Saturday afternoon I walked away while I was still sane and during the night came up with an alternative method to sew it all together. Today I've had this sucker jammed into both of my sewi...

The same Kwik Sew from last weekend. I made this from a scrap of fabric I bought at the op shop for $2. The bias binding I bought at the op shop for 35c and the buttons came from my stash, probably once purchased from the op shop although I can't remember for sure. I didn't do much else this weekend, although I have cut out two dresses, traced two patterns and drafted another Enid Gilchrist pattern for my SWAP. I'm back to the drawing board now ...

With Saturday spent making a family lunch, I've only had one day of sewing this weekend. I had planned three tops, but I've only managed two as my indecisiveness stopped me from cutting out. The first on is KS3668 made from a cotton with spots of orange, tan and chocolate brown, although it's hard to tell from the picture. I bought this fabric to go with my choc vanilla orange wardrobe earlier in the year. When I had the fabric laid out I very nearly made the version with the sleeves, but this is definitely a cool summer cotton and needs to be sleeveless. I haven't sewn the buttons on or pressed it properly, but I quite like this so far. I lengthened it a little, but next time I will take it back to the pattern length. Next up is a blouse I made from a vintage McCalls pattern I bought at the op shop a while ago. I bought this fabric to co-orodinate with my June Capsule but never got around to actually making it. I've always wanted a floaty tie neck blouse and I made...

I've joined Faye's November Month of Tops Sewalong. As coincidence would have it, I read Faye's post about sewing tops the very day I had just removed at least 15 unwanted blouses and tops from my wardrobe, leaving a plethora of empty hangers and a dearth of things to wear. I've been shuffling fabrics and patterns around, trying to sort out things to make for SWAP this year. I came across a lovely piece of black linen that I have no recollection of buying, although I think I know where I got it from. It's a beautiful weight and absolutely perfect for the subtropics. I did have a different pattern in mind, but then I discovered this one, which really appeals to me. Considering that I don't actually like ruffles, that's a bit of a surprise to me. I've decided to make the sleeveless version, but add the ruffle. I've decided to put the black linen aside for SWAP and make this out of a light cotton with orange and brown spots. I think this will be ...

During the August Wardrobe in a Week competition I made this dress. It was from a pattern drafted from this book, which I bought at an op shop for 20c last year. For more information about who Enid Gilchrist is and the range of books she wrote, take a look at Tracy's blog, Inspired by Enid . Although I found it interesting at the time, I didn't actually ever think I would draft a pattern from these instructions. But I did and it was easy! From this shot you can see the dress that inspired mine. Rather than sewing, this weekend I have drafted four patterns from this book from scratch. I've even muslined one of them. I won't bore you with pictures of my patterns or the ugly muslin, but I am rather proud of my achievements. One pattern will be my Chanel inspired jacket. I am dedicating the next week to that project in a vague attempt to make the November 15 deadline. I will also use a lengthened version of the jacket for my SWAP. I also traced two dresses. For th...