Sew, I've Been Thinking ...

I don't usually make a fuss about birthdays, but I like the idea that Trena has of making herself a birthday dress every year, so I decided to make one for myself. I wasn't expecting anyone to be whisking me off for a nice meal or anything, I just fancied the idea of having something special for myself, even if no one else noticed or even knew. My dress had inspiration in this picture. I like the 50's feel, but shirt dresses don't seem to work on me, I suspect they are better suited to ladies with a more straight up and down figure than mine. After searching and searching I ended up with Vogue 8667 . I can't recall which view this is, but it looks better on me than Vera. Now that I have gotten FAT my garments don't look quite the same on her. This has ended up more 60's, which I actually think is where my personal style is leaning. This is a wonderful cotton that I bought at Fantazia Fabricland in Tweed Heads ages ago and couldn't figure out what t...

I've been fairly busy recently, both at work and at home. Although the rain has stopped we have had a few storms and quite high winds. The sea is really big at the moment and last weekend I was totally knocked off my feet by a wave that came out of nowhere. I got up in time to see Molly tackled by the another wave, all arms and legs waving above the foam. It didn't stop her wanting to play. We've had power outages twice with big trees coming down all over the place. I guess that's to be expected when big winds come on the tail of lots of rain. But there has been sewing. First is this skirt, which comes from the V1127 Badgley Mischka pattern, which has been in my collection for some time. I've hesitated to make this suit because of the fit problems most sewers reported with the jacket. I chose to make the skirt because I wanted a bandless skirt that sat just below my natural waist. With the ridiculously high temperatures at this time of year and the ultra ...

This is the other item I made from the swirly green chiffon. It's the dress from Vogue 1100 wardrobe pattern. I didn't pay attention to the pattern so I folded my pleats the wrong way, but I still like the way they look. I underlined this whole dress in a cream coloured voile and used french seams throughout. I even got a near perfect finish on the zipper and facing at the back. I used a slightly different technique than I've used before and it sits much better. Here is the BWOF top on me, for kbenco . The plunge is typically Burda in that it actually drops about 2 inches lower than you can see in this picture (bad self picture taken at 6am). It's worked out OK because the ruffles cover up my cleavage, but if you make this and are at all worried I would recommend raising the neckline a bit. I am considering making this without the ruffles because I like the shape of the top. In that case I will definitely raise the neckline! You can't see in this pictur...

But unlike kbenco , I have ample tea making supplies. I have sufficient food (human and dog) and my house is high and dry. Then there's the sewing. I had the good sense to stock up on all the threads and zips I might need for the SWAP garments I have cut out. First up is BWOF 04-10-105 blouse (I think). I bought this cute chiffon at Fantazia Fabricland in Tweed Heads and I think it was a whole $5.99 a metre. I love the print and I love the colours, but I'm not in love with chiffon (you'll see more of this fabric). Suprisingly, however, I love this blouse. The rules of SWAP say that each garment must have a new or unmastered skill. This blouse has several. First of all there is sewing with chiffon, then there is the rolled hem on the ruffles. Now I know how to use my overlocker properly, I had to find an excuse to roll a hem. I also underlined with butter coloured batiste (a piece I bought at op shop and it had the price $1 written on the corner in permanent ma...

This is BWOF 04-10-111 tulip skirt. I don't love it, but I don't hate it and it is perfect for this too humid weather. I wore it work yesterday and it was cool and comfortable. This is made from a stretch cotton I bought at Tweed Heads a few months ago and never really knew what to do with. I cut a straight size 38, but it's a little loose in the waist, which suprised me as I have gotten FAT since my holiday (and an injury that has kept me from training for 6 weeks, but I won't bore you with that). I also won't bore you with end of year wrap up; suffice it to say that I was surprised to find that I had made 59 garments in 2010 (why don't I have anything to wear?). I was also surprised to find that I got a Credit for my first semester of study when I handed in a less than stellar essay, didn't complete three full essays in my exam and struggled to keep up with the weekly MCQs. I thought I'd be lucky to get a Pass. Maybe 2011 will be a better year ...

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy. 2010 ended in a flurry of activity and 2011 is starting out the same way. Too much to do in too little time. So that's why I've added to it and joined the Vintage Sewalong , see the button to the right. I'm making a dress from 1965, Simplicity 6218 in a red burn-out cotton. In addition to this, I have joined SWAP 2011 and committed to the usual 11 garments Here is the pile of fabric I pulled from my stash as inspiration. Some of this has already been cut out and may or may not make it into my SWAP, as I have no real plan as yet. I have ordered more fabric and I have more than enough garments planned, so it remains to be seen which ones end up in the collection and indeed, which version I am making. I haven't even decided on whether to do all separates, mostly dresses or a mix. I guess my plan is that I have no plan. We'll see how that turns out. In the meantime, Happy New Year to you all.