Jacket love

I've been dreaming of jacket patterns lately... which may be due to thoughts of autumn, even though the weather is still pretty hot here. But more likely just that I love jackets and am almost dress and skirted out!! Here are some of the top contenders:

Love the shape and detailing of Burdastyle's Desert Moto Jacket 02/2014 #128


Next, a classic jacket, exactly the sort of basic I need, Burdastyle cropped jacket 01/2011



And now a pattern that I already own and is all cut out and ready to sew, if I could only get over my fear of the scant instructions, Burdastyle Assymetric Jacket 03/2012  Please disregard the bizarre pose/expression - why do they do that?!!
 

And possibly this one, Burdastyle Crossover Blazer 06/2012... though not with this styling! Again, why?!! Best to go look at a real one like this.



And, last but not least (the only non-Burdastyle, for some reason) Vogue V8601 riding jacket. I saw and tried on a beautiful version of this pattern at a lovely little sewing shop in my very own suburb (unusual!) that unfortunately didn't survive :-( The owner wouldn't sell me the pattern or the jacket unfortunately, and when I search for this pattern online it has the dreaded OOP (out of print) after it... I have looked high and low for a good while now for this lovely classic pattern with a twist, but alas have yet to find a copy... It looks a bit weird in this drawing (don't they always) but you can see one of the lovely versions here. If anyone knows where I can get a copy please put me out of my misery and let me know.


Do you have any jacket patterns on your 'to do' list? Of course I could always try another Minoru, it's still my all-time favourite make, but the opportunity for something different is urging me along :-)

Horsey Moss Mini

Sometimes it takes me ages to think of a good pairing of fabric and pattern (I'm looking at you, Anna dress!) but other times they just seem to find each other almost by themselves, without any help or thought from me :-) That's what happened with this horse print fabric and the Grainline Studio Moss Mini recently.



I'm a recent convert to Grainline Studios patterns. I wasn't that interested in the Moss Mini when it first came out but then I started to see all the great versions around (as you do) and started thinking about how I could use some basics in my wardrobe. I had a rather sedate dark toned drill cotton in mind when suddenly this horse print duck cotton from Spotlight jumped out at me.



The Moss mini was a joy to sew, such a well drafted pattern with such well written instructions. I made just a couple of alterations. I had to take in the back centre seam a little to make the waist sit better but this was easy to do. I tried the skirt on after inserting the zip and before I put the waistband on. The waist was gaping a bit and I knew from past experience that if I didn't fix this the skirt would never sit right and keep twisting around as I walked. There's nothing more annoying! I fixed it by just taking the back yoke seam in a little, tapering down to the centre back, and also taking the side seams in slightly too.

I didn't bother to try to match the horse print as I thought it wouldn't really matter and I thought I may run out of fabric (and I'm lazy). Consequently I have ended up with a two-headed horse and also a bottomless horse at the front seam - oh well :-)



 I really love the details of this skirt:
: : the pockets are a generous size, and they are anchored to the centre seam so they don't move around annoyingly
: : The pockets are desinged to sit out a little to give your hands space (as pictured above)
: : The back yoke allows for a really nice fit. With a simple shape like this fit is so important
: : The fly and waistband are constructed really nicely. This was only my second time inserting a fly and it turned out well despite my slight case of nerves (and yes, the instructions for this are as straightforward as everyone says they are)

I'm really happy with my horsey mini, I've already worn it several times since making it in the new year. And I like occassionally making something a bit quirky and fun! My kids remark on my 'horsey skirt' each time I wear it :-) Having said that, I also have another Moss Mini in the works, this time the original plain drill fabric I had in mind when I bought the pattern. It will be good to have a basic too.

- - - -

Pattern Grainline Studio Moss Mini
Size 6
Fabric Cotton duck (mid weight) from Spotlight

Top Self-made Papercut Patterns Sloppy Josephine
Cuff Self-made

- - - -

Next up I want to show you another Grainline project. Can you guess which? Are you a Grainline fan too?

Sewing plans for 2014

OK, it's confession time... Last year I bought a lot of patterns. So many in fact that I don't want to count them for fear of the total! (closes eyes tightly). I do feel good about supporting indie designers (all but 1 are from them). I bought patterns from Sewaholic, Victory, Deer & Doe, Grainline Studio, Figgy's, Papercut Patterns, Green Bee, Jamie Christina and Leisel & Co. Some of them reasonably expensive, others very reasonable... BUT, I don't want to keep buying in 2014, or at least only in special circumstances*.

So my goal for this year is to reuse my patterns. Most of them I would definitely like to make again - I think I'm getting better at choosing for my style, shape and lifestyle rather than what looks good on others. And I like the thought that each time a pattern is used you get more value from it ;-)

A couple of the patterns I bought last year I haven't made up yet, so these are on the top of my summer sewing list:

A Sewaholic Saltspring:


Grainline Studio Lakeside Pajamas:



And By Hand London Anna Dress:



And at the moment I'm also thinking:

: : I need some summer arm covering tops, maybe using my Make it Perfect Shearwater Kaftan pattern

: : Another Simplicity 2226 skirt, these are such great staples

: : And for cooler weather a couple of Moss Minis in velveteen or Corduroy ( I have my first Moss Mini to show you next up that I made just after new year).


* Now if I am good and reuse patterns and use stash fabric where possible, I may grant myself this lovely shorts pattern by Deer & Doe for winter as it is sooo lovely and I have some grey wool that they'd look fantastic in, so really it would just be the cost of the pattern :-) (sounding like a true addict).



Now please tell me you bought a lot of patterns too in 2013 (or not!)

Top 5 of 2013

I thought about doing a full review of what i made last year (as in previous years) but the thought of all that Photoshop work compiling everything was giving me a headache! So I'm following others' lead and doing a Top 5 of 2013' post. Much more sensible, methinks - there's sewing to be done tonight!!

OK, in no particular order, my favourite sews of 2013...

Deer & Doe Belladone dress
I made 3.5 of these dresses (the .5 was a fail), this one is my favourite.



Megan Neilsen Briar tops
Such a simple design but such a lovely fit. Good in plain old jersey or merino wool. I also adapted the pattern to a cardigan (unblogged) and made a bright magenta version (seen here during Me Made May).



Victory Patterns Ava tops
I looove my silk version (on the left), though haven't had much opportunity to wear it. The muslin, though (on the right), has had plenty of wear, even though it's not perfect. I just love the shape and feel of it.



Wiksten tanks
I have several of these now and all get worn to death.



'A Day in the park' bag
Such a satisfying project and such a useful bag.



Next up I'm hoping to outline my ideas and challenges for 2014. After I finish my latest sewing project of course :-)

By Hand London Polly top and summer sewing list

Have you seen By Hand London's newest pattern, the Polly top? It's lovely and it's also free! When I saw it I instantly knew what I'd like to make it in, a fabric I've been saving forever, but thought I'd better make a muslin first...

But I ended up liking the scrap fabric muslin, so I finished it off and it's now a wearable muslin :-)


The fit is a little off so I'm adjusting it for the proper version, though I will still wear this.

- - - -

More on the Polly top later but for now, before Kids Clothes Week starts tomorrow I thought I'd share my thoughts on summer selfish sewing, for us here in the Southern Hemisphere.

I'm considering these patterns:

By Hand London's Anna dress. This pattern is taking the online sewing world by storm, if you haven't noticed already. I fell in love with the Anna instantly thought the shape would suit my figure. I particularly like this and this version.

 

Sewaholic's Saltspring dress. The only pattern I've sewn of Tasia's is the Minoru, which is my sewing pride and joy :-) But apart from that I find Sewaholic patterns a little girly for me. When I first saw the Saltspring I wasn't tempted at all, but, as often happens with us sewing fanatics, all it's taken to convince me otherwise is seeing a few amazing versions, like this one and this one. I love the thought of the maxi version in a lightweight silk like this one or jersey like this one (complete with beautiful plaited straps). And I think keeping it in a solid will make it less girly.

Victory Patterns Simone top. I love all the details on this top. If my patience could hold out and I chose great fabrics I can picture it looking good. I love my Ava tops, so I'm thinking this would be a winner too.

Grainline Studio's Maritime shorts. Shorts. Hmm, I've not been a fan of shorts in the past. I find them not very flattering at all to my leg shape (shapeless, and I have lots of post-pregnancy spider veins, def not my best feature). BUT I can see how practical they are. So maybe if I make them a little longer and in a chambray or light weight denim to keep them low-key. I like this and this version.

What's on your list for summer sewing? Or if you're on the opposite side of the world, what were your favourites last summer? I'd love to know.

Denim Belladone

My 4th version of Deer & Doe's Belladone Robe had been sitting in my UFO pile for a few months when I decided recently to reduce the size of the pile (it's still big unfortunately!!). Plus, as we were going away for a week I really wanted something new to wear and knew it would be much quicker to finish this rather than start something new with limited time available.



All those months ago I set out to make a simple denim version of the Belladone to wear as a plain base - I often find myself sewing with prints and bright colours which can be nice but I end up lacking some basics. Still, I couldn't resist embellishing it by adding some colourful piping to the waistband. I made the piping using leftover pieces from this belladone.

Adjustments I made to the patterns were to take out the pleats at the front (I think overall I prefer a flat front to my dresses) and I just turned up the hem rather than using the hem band from the pattern (laziness). I also used a metal exposed zip at the back (see 1st pic, and BTW I'm wearing the dress here with a short sleeved t-shirt underneath, though it looks a bit like the sleeves are part of the dress here).

And can you see the glaring error I made on this one? The back is crossed the wrong way - the shoulder pieces should go over the pieces below. I realised the mistake as I was about to hem the dress and just laughed... no way was I going back to correct it!



Well I'm not sure if I achieved what I set out to do with this dress, and I'm not even sure if I like it but I think I'll keep wearing it and see if it grows on me. I have no idea how to style it at the moment (not great in these pics), but maybe it will come to me, or maybe it will be a better warm weather dress sans t-shirts, tights and boots.

Hmm, I'm going to pack this pattern away now unless I get a sudden urge to use it again - there are things that frustrate me about it, like never quite getting the fit right (my fault for not persevering) and I don't think the armhole and neckline cut really suits me (I keep thinking about adding cap sleeves to see if the balance is better). OK, I am getting picky now... I think it's just a case of 'the honeymoon is over' for me and this pattern ;-)

How about you - do you fall in and out of love with patterns or are you loyal til the end?

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 ;-)

Me Made May week 1

1. Tova  2. Colour blocked Briar  3. Wiksten tank & no-sew scarf  4. Cropped Briar, 2 piece t-shirt, no-sew scarf  5. self-drafted merino top, nani iro fabric scarf  6. self-drafted merino cowl neck top  7. Simplicity 3835 tunic & jersey infinity scarf

I'm through the first week of Me Made May 2013 and have observed a few things:

- It's quite confronting having to take a photo of myself each day! But I feel if I'm going to do the challenge then I should document it.

- Mostly I reach for something handmade each day regardless of the challenge. It was day 5 when I would not have chosen handmade without the prompt of the challenge.

- Some of my handmades are getting tatty (day 7's tunic) and I really should throw them out, but I think it's going to be harder to do than with RTW clothes!

- I'm not into dresses and skirts at the moment. I think it's the cooler weather and my lack of imagination. Hence all the boring jeans. To remedy this I shall strive to finish off the denim Belladone I've had on the go for weeks and also maybe make a Moss Mini Skirt - the pattern has been sitting in my stash for a while now.

- being a stay at home mum at the moment there's not a lot of need to dress up, which I miss, but I would equally feel silly wearing anything elaborate or restrictive while chasing around after kids. Or it could be that I'm just lazy ;-)

- From the pics it looks like all I sew are tops! I'm sure this is not the case? See the point above re skirts, and also maybe I should get that Thurlow pattern out, gather my courage up and give it a go.

Hack-up colour blocked Briar

I've been making more Briar tops. The first one is in high rotation which has got to be a sign of a good pattern, I think! First I made my mum one for her birthday recently in a lovely deep orangey/red. The fabric is quite thin but has some merino wool content and a lovely drape. I took a chance and guessed at her size and the length, and she tells me it fits - yay!

I also made myself another, this time the longer length, with a pinkish jersey type of fabric from my stash. I think it's all synthetic - need to remember to wear deodorant with this one, which is a sure sign it's synthetic in my experience!! (sorry if that was too much detail ;-)



Anyway, it came together OK but I wore it a couple of times and it just wasn't working for me... maybe the drape of the fabric is wrong for the length or something but it just didn't sit right. See in the pic above I'm trying to distract myself from this by adding one of my pretty Elk beaded necklaces ;-)

So yesterday I hacked into it and added a panel of colour to the base. I could have just left it as a cropped length version, but I was curious to see how my mental vision would work out. I used a piece of equally weird fabric from the stash, but in a very pretty deep blue/purple colour.



It doesn't photograph so well, but it's sitting much better now and I'm much happier with it. You can see below that it's lost the weird thing going on from the back and is just not so ho-hum anymore. It's a bit dodgy and wonky, and that fabric really isn't great, so I'm treating this as a wearable muslin and will definitely make another in nice fabric next.



It was really easy to make this adjustment, I just cut off the bottom section of the top at crop length (taken from the original pattern), then made new pattern pieces for the back and front by tracing from the pattern the gap between the cropped and long versions (see pics below). Then I sewed these pieces on and re-sewed the side seams. Megan has some great posts on her blog about how you can alter the Briar pattern to get different looks. I'd love to try the elbow patches next.



I love a good hack-up, so cathartic :-) Do you like hacking up?

Belatedly linking up with My Creative Space today. Click here for lots of inspiration.

Linen Belladone dress

I made another version of the Deer & Doe's Belladone Robe a while ago but have just gotten around to taking some photos of it. It's definitely my most successful one yet, and has been worn several times already.

I used a printed linen that I found at Spotlight and made the same changes as last time: grading up a size at the waist and hips and moving the bust darts down a bit. This time I didn't pipe the edges and I put the binding on the inside so it wasn't visible as I thought there was enough personality already in the print.

The back detail is definitely my favourite in this dress.

But the pockets were fun too. I used a cute little mini pom pom trim between the top skirt piece and pocket lining, sandwiching it between the two. I'm pretty fond of this little trim and have also used it as trim on a cushion cover recently.

I'm hoping this dress will take me through a few seasons. So far I've worn it in hot weather with thongs and floppy hat...

Hat: Amy Butler Blue Sky pattern

And as a tunic with jeans...

Scarf: No sew jersey scarf - my tutorial here

But I'm thinking it could also go well with a cardigan and boots when the weather cools down.

Cardigan: Metalicus

I have yet another Belladone on the go, but after that I think I'll give it a ret for a while - there are other patterns calling me ;-)

How about you, are you addicted to a particular sewing pattern at the moment?

 

Posted with Blogsy

Wiksten tank no. 2

The hot weather we've been having has spurred me on to make a few more clothes for myself (you can never have too many - right? ;-). And my latest favourite is this Wiksten tank top.

I've been wearing no. 1 to death. To quote my little girl: "oh mum, you're wearing that again!!" So I thought I'd use this pretty piece of voile from my stash (from Spotlight) for another. I'd originally bought it to use for a pair of harem pants for my big girl but had changed my mind (harem pants post to come).

As with the last top this one came together pretty quickly: fabric cut in one session, sewing seams in another and then the neck and armhole binding in another. In fact the binding is the thing that takes me the longest. All that pinning and pressing is worth it though as it makes for such a lovely finish.

I really like the style and fit of this pattern. It's comfortable and easy to wear. And even though voile is notorious for not lasting too long (it's so fine that it starts to fall apart after wearing and laundering many times) it drapes so beautifully that I think it's worth it.

I made a couple of small alterations to the pattern this time: I added a little ease in the bust as the previous one was a little tight but I liked the fit everywhere else. And I also lengthened the hemline by about an inch at the front and by about 2 at the back. I wanted to wear this top with my Black Spinal trousers and as they're tight like leggings I like to wear a top with them where the hemline falls at least to the crotch.

I'm sure there will be a Wiksten tank no. 3, it's just a matter of allocating some more fabric, preferably from the stash. Which, ahem, doesn't seem to be decreasing, even though that was one of my sewing goals for 2012, sigh...

Pop over to my creative space for lots of creative goodness.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Simplicity 2226 no. 2

Thank you for your comments on my last post regarding crazy crafting, I'm glad I'm not alone in my frenzied creative pursuits!

Recently I made another version of the popular skirt pattern Simplicity 2226 (see the last one here), this time in denim. 

I'd been picturing this pattern in denim for ages but the denim I used was a bit too heavy for the design, resulting in a very 'pouffy' kind of look (and quite uncooperative gathers in the sewing process!). I'm hoping as it's washed over and over this will settle a bit. But overall I'm pretty happy with this skirt and have worn it quite a bit already. It's got a bit of attitude and personality, which I like, but is also simple enough to pair with strong colour and accessories.
 
A little feature I had fun with was putting in an exposed zip, which I did partly because I wanted to use a nice chunky metal zip and also because I lazily thought it would be easier than setting it in properly, which it was ;-). And being dark, a lot of imperfections like wonky stitching are hidden.

My enthusiasm for blue and red is still going strong, as you can see and I thought I'd show you my favourite accessories at the moment: A ring with bamboo on the base and resin on the top (don't know the brand unfortunately) and a set of beaded bracelets from the talented people at Elk. And my top is an old favourite from Metalicus, just in case you were wondering :-)

Pattern ponderings

We had a couple of unseasonably warm days in Sydney last week and that's all it's taken to get me daydreaming of summer sewing patterns. There's not much structure to it really, just thoughts of lots of dresses...

Maybe the very popular Cambie dress from Sewaholic (though strictly only the A-line skirt version)

 Pic: Sewaholic

The 'Simone' from Victory patterns is very cute...


Pic: Victory

and I've wondered about their 'Chloe' too...

Pic: Victory

 Or maybe the Jamie Christina Mission Maxi?

Pic: Jamie Christina

And I'm planning to scour this list of independent pattern designers from A Good Wardrobe for further ideas.

How about you - any plans for new season sewing? Do you have any suggestions for dress patterns? I'd love to hear.

Tova top #3

Yes, it had to be done... just one more Tova.

 After this one and this one I just couldn't get the idea of another version out of my head.

I had earmarked the remaining fabric from my girls dress for it and there was just enough, thank goodness. I really like the Ikat design and the fabric feels lovely. I wanted to wear it as a winter tunic over long sleeved tops, so I modified the pattern to make it hip length (good to wear with jeans and knee-high boots), with side splits for ease of movement, and sleeveless.

And to finish it, instead of making the standard mandarin style collar I bound the neckline with bias binding I'd made from the ikat fabric, leaving the ends long to create ties (which are left loose). When I was pondering how to finish the armholes I looked at pics of the Wiksten tank top (a pattern I'm trying hard not to buy) to try to work out how the edges are finished. It looks like they use bias binding for those too so that's what I tried and it worked! So I'm happy that I have another hemming technique to add to my mental list.

I've worn this tunic a few times now and am enjoying it, largely I think because the fabric is so lovely to wear. It sits well and feels substantial.Which is a nice lesson to me to really be careful about the fabrics I use - there's no point in spending time sewing something that then falls apart in the wash or doesn't feel great to wear. But that's another post, one day...

Oh, and by the way my girl and I actually wore our outfits on the same day together recently... I was about to go and change when I realised, but then I saw her face and how excited she was to be 'matching mum' that I decided to just wear it and get on with the day. Sod the embarrassment, and who cares anyway :-)

It was just a matter of time...

... until I gave in and bought the Tova pattern from Wiksten.

Since my fellow craft-addict and I saw the blog post on Sunday night (over red wine and chocolate) announcing that Wiksten patterns were now available as pdf downloads I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. I've always loved the pattern, but at the printed version's price (which I'm sure is fair) plus postage to Australia on top it was not going to happen :-( But $10 for the pdf, now that's "practically free!" as a friend used to say. And I'm going to be using stash fabric - for the first one at least! So that counts for something, right?!

Check out this hopeless chatter that's been going on in my head for the last 5 days:

You have enough patterns! Yeah, but most of them are for kids.

OK, but what about the Schoolhouse Tunic? And the Shearwater Kaftan? Both tunic styles, front opening, adaptable to dress length, blah blah. Yeah, but this is different, it's special.

Isn't that just because it's popular at the moment? They're turning up all over the craft & sewing blogs. Well, there is that, but I've always loved that style, with the yoke and stuff.

Well, you could adapt an old pattern or make one yourself you know, you've got that Cal Patch book just waiting to be used again. Yeah, but this is already designed, Wiksten have sorted out all the issues and created a lovely pattern. And I may never get around to doing it myself.

You shouldn't really be spending more money on sewing you know. Oh shut up, I'm going to buy it, OK.

And there it ended.

So tonight, when the kids are asleep (hopefully!)  I shall sit watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on TV with my printed pdfs, a roll of sticky tape (if the kids haven't used it all) and maybe a glass of wine, and stick to my heart's content. Ah, bliss ;-)

- - - - - - -

By the way, thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my Minoru Jacket. What a fabulous thing it is to have such wonderfully supportive bloggy friends. And hey, you save me from boring the ears off my non-crafty offline friends ;-)