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!

Skirting

My son is getting married in 4 weeks OMG! I am so excited! He is marrying a gorgeous girl and they are so happy and in love, it fills your heart with joy BUT what do I wear to the wedding. I was going to buy something but finding something I like and that fits me has become a real issue.
When I was repacking my shelves I found a gorgeous bronze black fabric.

 Can I wear a skirt? Well I will try.

 

The Pattern I have been wanting to try is the Bluegingerdoll Betsy skirt. I think this will be a very useful pattern. The bronze fabric is hopefully for the wedding , lined with black plus a black top, not sure which top yet. I have seen this made by several people on Curvy Sewing Collective and they all look fabulous.

 The wearable muslin fabric is quite a thick cotton. I have no idea where it came from but I love it. I know I am going into winter but I'm sure it will be fine for here and what better way to brighten a dull day than wear a flowery skirt.
What I like about this pattern that is that I don't have to upgrade . As far as I can see if I make the 22 it should fit. Anyway I am quite excited to try this pattern.

 

Altogether I feel quite positive about this.

Happy Sewing!

Back in the Swing

My sewing room is up and running again. I have been trying to organise my sewing room but I just wanted to get all my fabric out and put on the shelves again.

A bit messy but at least its out where I can see it all. I had fabric in boxes and I decided fabric needed to be on display, otherwise I forgot about it. Stacking the fabric made me realise I really don't need to buy fabric ever again, ha ha, as if that will happen! I loved reconnecting with my stash. I found pieces of fabric I haven't seen for years.
 My other dilemma was trying to work out a way to store my patterns successfully rather than in boxes. Boxes made it difficult to locate patterns so I would often wind up buying 2 of the same pattern.  I bought a filing cabinet thinking that I would have plenty of space, ha ha again. Really, sometimes I surprise myself at my lack of intelligence.

I have filled this cabinet and have ordered a second one. I must say it is easy to find patterns. I feel this is a good solution for me who clearly over purchases patterns. I also got rid of 3 bags of patterns, well actually they are in my garage waiting for the next school holidays, when I will take them to the Fabric Cave. You can also see in the photo my beautiful new hardwood floors. I am so happy with the renovation it was all worth it, now all I need to do is sew, sew and sew.

                              Sunrise last week from my balcony, nothing to do with sewing but I loved the sky.

                                              Happy Sewing!

March Madness

My how time flies. It has been so long since I have posted, I can hardly believe it, its nearly April. I haven't sewn much , well actually at all. Work has been beyond hectic and every night I have fallen asleep exhausted. To add to all this, I am renovating and had to pack up my sewing room, very sad. My stash now looks like this

Another 2 weeks and I will be unpacking my house again, so exciting. I can't wait to unpack all my fabric. Although I do have a desire to destash. I may have to visit the Fabric Cave again.

Happy Sewing!