Merino(ish) Coco dress

This winter I am sooo loving using and wearing wool. It is such a fantastic fibre, I could go on about it all day ;-) I have a blog post in mind based on my little experiments using wool, but for now I thought I'd show you my very latest project involving wool, this Tilly and the Buttons Coco dress...

I first found this fabric in a dark grey/khaki colour last year at The Fabric Store (my mecca for all fabrics merino) and used it to make a pair of Black Spinel pants. The fabric has 2 way stretch, making it great for pants, and I have worn them to death over winter, they're so soft, warm and comfy and a little edgy too. They don't bag at the knee and wash and wear beautifully. It's hard to describe the fabric - it's like a ponte (or 'sharkskin?') on the right side, very smooth and with a slight sheen, but then a loopy terry on the reverse. I guess the terry is the merino and the right side is something synthetic, as surely you can't get that finish with wool?!

So when I found some more of it in the recent sale I snapped it up. And at only $8 per metre (and 150cm wide) it was a bargain! The only problem was that the colour was a little crazy - it's sort of a deep teal blue with that sheen. I thought it would be OK for another pair of pants... but I got cold feet and decided to try it for the Coco. I reasoned that the simple lines and shape of the dress would balance the crazy colour.

I decided the dress would benefit from some subtle detail to keep it from looking too basic (it's a fine balance in my opinion!) and I knew from the Black Spinels that the fabric top stitched beautifully, so I added a decorative seam horizontally on the chest and also two seams on the sleeves. I considered pockets but am still deciding on that, it's a detail that can be added later I think.

The only other change I made to the pattern was to take in the side seams from the wrist right down to the hip to give it a more fitted look. Which maybe means I should have used a different size, but with knit fabrics I like being able to tailor the final fit around my curves and also each fabric behaves differently depending on stretch.

I'm pretty happy with the dress. I need to think about how to style it (don't think I've done the best job here), but again thinking of balance I'm inclined to team it with natural fibres - here with wool tights, cotton scarf and wool cardigan - to offset the synthetic sheen of the fabric's finish.

Have you come across any crazy fabrics lately? And are you a wool addict too?

Basic Briar

Just a quick post as I know I've raved on and on about how much I like Megan Nielsen's Briar top pattern. I think this is my 6th version (including one for my mum and one that I haven't blogged) and I'm nowhere near sick of this pattern he yet ;-)

I made this longer length version a few weeks ago as a winter basic, out of a navy blue merino wool (on sale from The Fabric Store). For a bit of interest I added shoulder patches (tutorial here on Megan's fab blog) made from some upcycled scraps of  suede that I keep for making soles for my felted slippers. And by the way I haven't had to hand wash this or treat it delicately - the suede washes up really well. Which is what I was hoping for - a garment that needs handwashing in this household is one that doesn't get worn very often!



And speaking of Megan, who probably thinks I'm stalking her, poor woman (hee hee), imagine my surprise when I saw her recent blog post on her latest Briar and it looked very similar to this. Hey, great minds think alike ;-)

Me Made May 2013 week 3

15. Magenta merino cropped briar (unblogged)  16. Cropped Briar  17.  self-drafted merino cowl neck top , Minoru jacket 18. Burdastyle bag 19. self-drafted merino top, simple belt made with fabric remnant (not blogged)  20. Gingham schoolhouse tunic  21.  Magenta merino cropped briar (unblogged), Cap sleeve Tova , Black Spinal trousers and no-sew scarf 

Here's week 3 of the challenge. What I found in week 3 was that:

- I infatuated with my Briars (days 15, 16 & 21), and so they are in high rotation (the lovely pattern designer Megan Nielsen even commented on my frequent wearing of them on my Flickr page - slightly embarrassed ;-)

- Its been so lovely to get out and wear the Minoru jacket (day 17) that I made last winter. This is probably my proudest sewing achievement and I love wearing it.

- my workhorse merino tops (days 17 & 19) are great fall backs when I'm not feeling inspired or when I'm feeling chilly. The cowl neck top is particularly snuggly.

- Day 18 was pretty much a fail, but I did use the bag that I made from the Burdastyle Handbook. I'm not into changing bags regularly: I tend to make one, use it til it dies then make another. So this one gets used every single day at the moment.

- There are quite a few garments in my wardrobe that I'm just not  into anymore (or maybe just at the moment?). It feels like a shame and a waste, but then I take comfort in the fact that some pieces, like the Black Spinal trousers and Schoolhouse tunic, have been worn over and over.

- Day 21 was all me-made except my boots and underwear - yay! It was a bit of a crazy outfit but I still felt good in it.

Little girl merino wool cardigans

I've realised lately that some of my sewing endevours seem to be emotionally driven. A recent example: my big girl was due to go on a sleepover party. I'm happy for her that she enjoys going to sleepovers, but I have to admit that I don't much like having her away from me overnight... it just makes me feel slightly anxious. I know that one day the ties will need to be cut, but for now stretching them can be a little hard for a sook like me.  So... with just hours until she left I decided that my girl might get cold and that she definitely needed a new cardigan to take with her. It was a race against time, but I thought I might just be able to do it. Of course what I was doing was distracting myself and also making something from me for her to take with her.


I'd recently bought a metre of beautiful fuchsia coloured merino wool from The Fabric Store to make myself another Briar, and as it was very wide I figured I could also get a cardigan for my girl from it. The wool would be super warm (she feels the cold) but lightweight and easy to stow away in her bag when not in use.

When I'd finished it she loved the cardigan, the sewing had distracted me and I'd got to use more of the merino wool. Win! Of course her little sister then wanted one :-) Luckily I happened to have a small amount of another merino wool in the stash, this one a deep orange colour. This time around I was not under so much time pressure and got to do a better job.


I used the popular Flashback Skinny Tee pattern as a base shape to adapt. First I slashed the front pattern piece down the centre, then rounded the corners off. I wanted a clean, simple look so bound the edges in the same fabric. I had intended to add a button closure but as they sat so well I didn't bother.


These were such a satisfying sew (aside from the emotional stuff ;-), pretty easy to sew and quite quick too. And I can't rave enough about merino wool and how much I love to use it: it cuts well, sews well, is warm and soft and lovely to wear.



Here's my little girl wearing her cardigan on Mothers Day, doing some dance moves for the camera ;-)