Simplicity 4520.Toddler's dress with matching handbag. Very Sex and the City.

A bit off topic, but made the cutest dress for a 2 year old whose Mum I used to work with and now lives in Dubai.

Thanks to Tanya for the pattern.  I love being able to share the love  -  pattern wise. 

We got so excited when we saw the handbag that matches the outfit!  Talk about an ensemble!

I pinned it to the dress for the picture (I am tragic)!

and although the pattern had a zipper down the back I changed this to buttons so I could bag the lining and finish off quickly.  Hey, still looks gorgeous.

Jacqueline, I miss you, and big kisses to Carmel.

Lore
xx

Strawberry very very. Butterick 4945 Apron.

Have you ever seen anything as divine as this in your entire life?

No.  I didn’t think so.  


For those who need words as well as pictures.   The pattern is Butterick 4945. 

My version is a hybrid of the top left and top right.  The main picture with the bias curly frill was what I got hooked on when I bought this pattern but after reading numerous reviews with pictures on pattern review, I got put off as it wasn’t nearly as frilly as it looks in the pic.  [If you have five minutes, my favourite review is here - amusing reviewer.]  But all was not lost, as, whilst reviewing the reviews, I noticed that the other apron designs were too damn cute for words.
 
It’s a bit of a fussy pattern and very high maintenance for an apron, what is it with me and high maintenance patterns lately?   But jeez.   Behold the cuteness.
 
I was conserving fabric as the strawberries was only 1 metre square and we didn’t need to be wasting extra yardage when not required, so I changed the style of the neck band, this was two separate bands that tie at the back – hassle.   I made one big loop to put my head through.  
 
My thriftiness ensured that I had an accessory to go with it too.

Time to start baking !

Lore
x

Red Beignet - budget style. This cost me $2.50 (and a day's work)

Pattern: Colette Beignet -  here

It takes a whole day to make this skirt.   Know how I know that ? Because I spent yesterday making it.  The final button was sewn on at about 6pm.

But its worth all the time and effort because its such a cute skirt.

I made it from thrifted fabric and wanted to use stash to keep the cost as low as I could.   I used some mauve/lilac lining from my stash.  How gorgeous is this?  I just wanted to hang it from my walls like artwork:

And then I searched through my stash for buttons.   I had 4 options.   I put it to the vote for my closest friends, and the vote was split half/half for the navy blue buttons and the black with white stitching buttons.  With the roman coin look a close third.  Luckily my personal favourite was the navy so that was easily decided. 

I did get an unsolicited recommendation to use large white heart shaped buttons.   Wow - that would look cool.   But that would have meant a purchase and that wasn't in my brief for this project.

Maybe the next one needs to be black with white heart buttons ?!

The finished product on a wintery Sydney day.   My first outing with opaque tights!

Frigging cheap fabric.   Creases like nobody's busness !

lore
x

Colette Beignet - and amortising advice

I made this skirt a couple of weeks ago out of purple corduroy with pink poplin lining.  It was my first Colette pattern, but will not be my last.  I made a size 6 as all the wisdom in blogland recommended to use your measurements.  On normal patterns I'd come down a size or two but this was exactly the right fit for me.   So I'll reinforce others' advice - measure yourself and trust the pattern to do the right thing!

I did make one adjustment, I cut the length longer, just used the cutting line for size 18 rather than size 6.  This gave me the perfect length. 

It came out gorgeous but I totted up how much it cost me.

$22 for the corduroy
$4.80 for the lining
$5 for the buttons
(and the pattern was $19 including postage - but we never count the cost of patterns, right?)

so lets say $30 because I'd prefer to round down rather than round up. Now that's kind of up there for a home made item, but still nowhere what you'd pay to buy it (even if you could) in the shops.   And its been crafted with love and supported an independent designer.

But now I want to do it on the cheap and make it again from thrifted materials.

I bought a few metres of some great vibrant red drill from a Vinnies in Rockdale   And buttons and lining from my stash.  Who knows where they came from or how much they cost.  But they've been there so long they have a nil value now.

So this one will cost me about $2.50

and if we amortise, that means two skirts for about $15 (if we round down again).

Now I'm happy !   I shall attempt to finish it today, as its a high maintenance pattern for such a simple look, but I've gone to the trouble of tracing the pattern etc already so its just a matter of cutting out and making.

Watch this space !

lore
x

Splitsville - lining dramas and a handy little tip

So I'm wearing my cute if boring pencil skirt to work. Its looking nice.   Nobody telling me I'm gorgeous or anything because its just like, you know, I bought it at Country Road or Armani or something, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

And I squat down to get something out of my bag when *yipes* I hear a tear and feel a bit of 'give' across my backside.  

Queue cold sweat.

Oh but its ok, i've just split my lining...

Anyway, after a bit of serendipitous blog following yesterday, I chanced upon sewveryprairie.  This was happened upon because the fabulous Zoe of MeMadeMay was commenting on one of her favourite patterns, Simplicity 3835.   I googled the pattern and found Very Prairie had made it and had a look what she had to say.

Anyway, she did a great job on it and made some beautiful dresses... but ... later on in the post she talks about the lining and she says that although intuitively you think the lining should be smaller because its inside, it should actually be bigger as there's no give in the fabric.   She cuts her lining the same size as the main fabric piece but gives it a smaller seam allowance.

So I'm going to be doing that from now on too.  Are you ?

Never again that dreadful sound of tearing fabric !

lore
x

Butterick 5032 finished

I finished my dress.   After doing the sway back adjustment I also lengthened the back darts.  When I cut out the pattern I shortened it as its a mid calf length.  I've obviously shortened it too much, but hey, its still ok.

Now its done and it fits like a glove.

Can't wait to wear it to work tomorrow.

Am doing headless shots because its Sunday and I look like a bag of sh*t!  And you know what?  I hate my elbows from behind.  Thank god I never have to look at them.

It's destined to become a wardrobe staple!

lore
x

Butterick 5032 square neck slim dress

I'm making a toile of this first, because I saw some pretty hit and miss reviews.

When I checked my measurements on the pattern back I would have been a size 14 but the pieces looked gigantic so I actually cut out a 10 and its going to be bang on the button.
Here's progress shots of my toile.  Back is buckled below the seam joining bodice to skirt, so I'm going to do a swayback adjustment of 1 inch on the skirt piece.   This will pull the skirt up and make it sit flat.

Its so hard to take pictures of the back !

This is the fabric I want to use, a cotton Sateen that I got at Spotlight for about $16 for a metre and a half.

That and the zip and lining.   The dress may end up costing about $25 all up!   The pattern was bought at the Vogue sale for a song.

How great is this dress going to look ?!

lore

My me made may outfits for the last few days

and my yoga pants were worn too.

I'm furiously working on a Colette Beignet skirt but man, that's a high maintenance pattern.  15 pieces.   It took me an entire day to trace, cut and sew the skirt.  At 10pm I'm like, ok still 12 buttonholes, handsew 12 buttons on, do 6 belt loops and hem the outer skirt.  Ah, well you know maybe this won't get done tonight.  A person's gotta sleep.

But this is what it looked like before I started:

Purple corduroy, hot pink lining.  Purple buttons with a high sheen.  It's gonna be a killer !


But the most exciting news of all is that my purchases from McCalls pattern sale in the US arrived today.   Purchased in the evening of 28 April they arrived (Sydney)  today 7th May.   That's not bad at all!!

Look at this pattern love :

Now if only I could get this lot happening before the end of May ...

lore
x

Me Made May - I am gorgeous, And I've only myself to thank for it!!

My first day at work in Me Made May.

I finished my blouse on the weekend. Its Asian inspired but a friend suggested politely that I looked like I was wearing a uniform.   You know,  as if I'm at the Air China check in counter saying 'may I see your e-ticket please' ?   She's harsh but fair, so I turned the collar down and it just looks like a cute blouse now.   Phew!

Will edit to add pattern numbers later, where are my freaking patterns when you need them?

As an aside, the shoes were bought from Myer on the weekend at a 30% off sale.  So, from $90 down to $63.   They are satin peep toe court shoes.  I plan to leave them at the office full time so that they will only ever be walked on carpet.  This should extend their working life.  I am seriously in love with them.  They're kind of 'normal' high heels, not those ridiculously mega high heels that seem to be making the rounds at the moment.

But back to Me Made May...   Today I have yoga at lunch, but hey, that's no problem, I have my hand made yoga pants.  I'm thinking two outfits in one day may give me a credit for another day when I have trouble making a handmade day on my meagre wardrobe!

I am so freaking proud of myself.


lore
x

Three skirts, a dress and a pair of yoga pants for the whole of May?

Better get cracking !

Thanks to this post on sew retro I now have 15 (yes that's right fifteen!) patterns to add to my wardrobe.

Plus because I got excited with all the money I saved, I bought the Colette Beignet skirt from modernretrotextiles.com.au.   Which I'm very excited about because everyone who's ever used a Colette pattern raves and raves about it.   And all the photos of the finished items on peoples blogs etc. always look great.

But funny really, because I need tops not bottoms. 

And if you havent joined Me Made May you should.   Talk about motivated.   Can't stop... must sew...

lore
x

I've joined Me Made May

Thanks to Zoe for kicking off a challenge on her blog here.

Its basically a push to create garments and try as best as you can to go hand made in May.   I'm riding on a high after my red dress, so getting all those patterns and fabrics out of my stash that have languished after the initial burst of enthusiasm.

This one isn't exciting at all.  Just a pencil skirt with a nice if corporate-dull fabric, but if successful is destined to become a work staple.  And for my personal indulgence a hot pink lining !   I can see it happening with boots / heels / flats.   I'm doing knee length as my mini skirt wearing days are over.   But I did have a successful version of the above knee version of this skirt many years ago.  The pattern is dated 1996 so it must have been then, I would have been 31, how long ago that seems. 

Simplicity 6171 shift dress circa 1965

Thank you so much to the generosity of Kaye who has been giving away patterns on the Sew Retro blog.

I picked up this great simple shift dress from her giveaway

 I decided to go with the sleeveless dress on the right.

The pattern offered fitting challenges.  It appeared originally that I was the right fit for this patten but I ended up bringing the sides in by another 3cms, extending the darts in the back to higher up on my shoulders and increasing and lowering them to to account for my swayback.  apart from that it was a good fit!
The fabric I used was one recently added to my stash from Spotlight.  A 1.5 metres of a 1.5 metre wide stretch polished cottonny looking thing.  Not sure of the composition.  Whole lot cost me about $12.

This is my side seam altered after many backwards and forwards to my mirror -  in 1.5 centimetre increments.  And the back dart increase by about double at this stage.  Further changes were made to this dart.

And the final look

Thanks so much Kaye for the pattern.

I hope to attack the others I got  from you next!

lore
x

New Look 6933 - Girls cape

My daughter has been invited to a ghost party at Quarantine Station.   What to wear?

hmm

After a bit of brainstorming we decided that any great costume may end up being covered up as its late at night and they have to wear something warm.  So how about a huge cape?  Black ?  With red lining ??

 

I posted this to pattern review:  

Pattern Description: Girls dress and cape. I made the cape.

Pattern Sizing: Multi size from 3 to 8. My daughter is 10 1/2 though, so I upsized and altered a little.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Its such a great cape - I couldnt have bought anything like it anywhere.

Fabric Used:Panne velvet. Lining is polyester.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I lengthened it as we were going for a floor length cape. I simply used 1/4 inch seams rather than the 1.5cm seams on the pattern. This upsized it big enough for my daughter. I stinged on the fabric and only bought 2.5 metres of velvet. I knew I was making it far longer than the pattern and even though I made a toile and measured it I got it a bit wrong. The inside facing is supposed to be the same fabric as the cape, but I just used black cotton from my stash.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?I'm sure I'll get a request to make it again from my happy customer (daughter)

Conclusion: Even though this pattern is out of print, I did find it still available on the internet. Its a great pattern for a fancy dress party.

We're loving twirling in it !

Isn't it a great cape?

Now I just have to hem it and finish off the armhole slits.   And make something nice for underneath!

l
x

PS This is the pattern:

Peanut butter chocolate pillows -Vegan cookies invade your cookie jar

I seriously love this book.  This is my best yet recipe.   And I thought my peanut/oatmeal ones were the best.

These have totally superceded them.

 

 Seriously the most yummy biscuit out there.   Straight from the oven.  Hot and delicious.

They have been kind enough to reproduce the recipe on the web here, but get yourself the book because you will become the best damned biscuit baker that ever lived.

These were a only a tiny bit fiddly - but the result!

roll the fondant into a ball and flatten out some cookie dough,  wrap the dough around the ball.

put on tray and bake

When they turn out PERFECT, scream with joy and share them with everyone saying, have one these are divine.