Love a Laurel Tunic

I love a tunic. I have been dying to make the Laurel Tunic by Greenstyle for ages but hadn't got around to it. I decided one night I needed to try this pattern. So many other sewers had had amazing success with this pattern so I gave it a shot. I actually made this when the weather was still cooler in Sydney but  as luck would have it, the weather warmed up when I had finished the tunic but it will keep till next Autumn.

I made the 2XL without any alterations. I did a really dumb thing, I sewed the cowl on the wrong way the first time, then had to unpick and sew it on the right way, so I think the neckline is a bit smaller than it should be. Sometimes I worry myself.

I love the pleats in the skirt. I really like this pattern. It sewed together very well.

The fabric was from my stash a blue and beige knit. It was quite easy to sew and it feels lovely to wear.
I will definitely be making this again. I think I may lengthen the bodice next time. Also I didn't put the pockets in, I just don't like pockets in dresses. The only thing I don't like is I feel a bit too busty but I can live with that. A super comfortable tunic.

                           

Amazing Sunrise

 

 

                                                   

                                                      Happy Sewing !

Better late than never !

This jacket was supposed to be my jacket for my son's wedding in June but I didn't quite finish it for that event.

The pattern is Simplicity 1719, a swing coat that I just had to make . I love a swing jacket.

I love the shawl collar on this jacket. It was very easy to sew. The only issue I have is the sleeve opening is too wide so I will take some tucks in the sleeve so that it forms a closer fitting sleeve.
The fabric is a gorgeous stretch jacquard that I bought from Tessuti's last year. I love this fabric.

I'm sure i will get plenty of wear out of this jacket next winter. It is a good weight for our mild winters.
I also made a pair of Style Arc Elle pants in some navy fabric. This is my TNT pattern for straight  pants. Super easy and good for me because I don't tuck anything in, so the less detail the better.

A nice practical pair of pants. The fabric was from The Fabric Store, a nice plain navy.

                                                Happy Sewing !

Simple top

I am a bit behind in my blogging so this week I hope to catch up.

I made this top a little while ago when the weather was still a bit cooler.


The pattern is  New Look  6323. I made the XL with no pattern alterations. I love the back on this pattern.

      
       It's a bit  hard to see but the pattern has gathers across the back.

The fabric is from my stash. I think I bought it from Spotlight but I have no idea when. It is a polyester jersey. It made up beautifully. It is very comfortable to wear.

                        I really like this pattern I love how it falls. I will be making this again possibly shortening the back so that there is not such a hi low effect. A good basic top.

Happy Sewing!

Winter Blues

My how time flies. I decided to make a dress/ tunic from the Japanese plus size book Pocchari Girl's book.

 OH my goodness. I pulled out the pattern , all those lines. It took me a while, but I did work it out eventually , I hope. I think I cut out the right size. I decided to make the tunic on the front cover. This has certainly been out of my comfort zone.

I traced it over in black texta otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see it at all.
Yesterday I cut the tunic out in the blue fabric.  This is going to be a lovely cool comfortable tunic or a large ugly sack. We shall see.

                                                Happy Sewing!

Late Summer Blooming

I finished this dress quite a while ago but didn't get around to posting about it. This is a vintage pattern Mc Calls 8395.

I'm not too sure about this dress. It doesn't fit all that well. I should have done a full bust adjustment but I thought it would be loose enough. It pulls a bit under the arm and isn't quite as full as I wanted.

The fabric is a beautiful cotton that I bought from Tessuti's last year or even the year before and the sleeves are a very pretty pink cotton lace. I bound the edge of the sleeves and the neck with the cotton fabric. I just doubled it over the edge. It worked well.
The dress will be fine when the weather warms up but it didn't quite live up to the image I had in my mind.

                                                    Happy Sewing !

My Betsy

I finished my first Betsy by Blue GingerDoll quite a while ago but didn't have any photos , so last weekend I managed to get my handsome photographer to take some photos.

I am very happy with the skirt. It fits well and is comfortable. Probably will be better in spring but its lovely and floral for winter.

The vent in the back worked well. My biggest problem was the lining. I had a very blonde moment. I attached the lining to the waistband and it was going in beautifully then I realised i needed to put in the invisible zipper Doh! I had to use the seam as if it wasn't lined. I could have undone the whole lot but I know if I did that it would never resurface out of the  long lost garment basket, so I just left it. I am the only one who knows and I can live with it. I am sure there is a way to do the lining properly, I must admit I don't line garments very often.

So this is view A without the button loops. I made the waistband a little large and I think next time I wouldn't add a waistband. It fits well and I love the fabric. I will definitely be making more of these  Betsy skirts.

                                              Happy Sewing!

Mother of the Groom dress

 I have been sewing like crazy. I started making a dress for my sons wedding and it looked boring and like a sack, so at the last minute, ( a week before the wedding, CRAZY) I dashed down to Tessuti's and fell in love with a silk floral fabric.  I love silk but find it difficult to sew. I took out Simplicity 2549 and decided to use this pattern.  Luckily I have started my  holidays but of course had house guests and my daughters boyfriend from Canada decided to move out here, I was pretty stressed but I was really happy how the dress turned out.

The top part is a navy lace over a plain navy that I bought at The Fabric store. The bodice is lined and the sleeves are unlined.

The bottom half of the dress is the most beautiful silk. I just fell in love with it.

 Adjustments
I did a 2inch full bust adjustment and lengthened the bodice by a couple of inches. This meant the back was a bit long but I did need it at the front. Then I extended the pattern for the cap sleeve to create 3/4 sleeves. I didn't quite know how to do this but it turned out. I wanted to use as much of the silk as possible so I did pleats from the band under the bust. These were a huge pain but I'm glad I made that change. I also lined the lower skirt,  this gave it body. The end result made me quite proud of myself. I felt good and more importantly I felt comfortable. The lace was a pain to sew because it was corded and the silk was slippery but I love a challenge.

With my gorgeous man.

The happy couple, my handsome son and his beautiful new wife. It was a wonderful wedding so full of love and happiness.

                                                      Happy Sewing!