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