Sew, I've Been Thinking ...

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