Bec Stitches

My Sewing Hiatus

2014-12-22T10:15:00.000+10:30

Hello people, my gosh I feel like I haven’t blogged in freaken ages, probably because I haven’t.

My last post was back from flippin July when I made my Nettie and some Chataigne shorts. I made these to take and wear in Europe, which I did..but since then I haven’t really made anything else for me.

So this is what happened..it was August which is crazy birthday month, besties, mine, mums then we pretty much went to Europe for September/half of October. I have sewn some things since Nettie but nothing really exciting and nothing for me really.

I did make another portside bag, which I turned into a nappy bag for one of my best mates Hannah, who was due (and delivered) her beautiful baby Grace while we were away J

I also made her some bibs, a dress, and a cute little changing table packaway thingo (im real motherly)

Also the hubs and I were working on a secret project for our first nephew Mason, which turned out really cute.. but was a giant pain in the ass to sew. Fleece, that’s all I’m sayin..

Haha he looks so little on the giant hippo. (burda 9513)

I have a whole bunch of things I want to sew, the list is longggg.. and I just bought the Sutton blouse
AND the Alice dress by Tessuti.. Strong willpower I have.

I plan on sewing a lot more in the new year, but that is always my plan. Life tends to gets in the way.

Im hoping I can knock some projects out over my Xmas break, but I think my sew-jo has gone missing..

Any tips/tricks for getting her back?

Who wear short shorts...err not me?

2014-07-21T21:05:00.000+09:30

Nothing for 4 months then 2 in a night, BAM on fire.

So as promised here are Chataigne and Nettie in all their glory. Both made with the intention of travelling to Europe with me.
Now I have to tell you I don’t wear shorts, like ever, ever. So when I was making these up, much to the confusion of my husband and myself, I was in wonderment the whole time as to whether I would ever actually wear these.
Prepare yourself for some serious cropidge.

My friends being all cute and complimentary kind of convinced me they look ok, but then my legs convinced me I would only really ever wear these with tights. They do that. Damn legs.

Either way I think I will wear these in Europe if not for the love of them then for the simple fact that I am bound to run out of other clothes.

I actually really like the style and cut of the shorts, the pleat detail in the front and the high waist seam lines, I only omitted the pockets because I felt I didn’t need more fabric in ze butt region.

Great now my butt is on the internet.

All in all they were fairly easy to make, with the pointy waistband part being the fiddliest bit, and I would recommend making some for yourself, especially if you’re a shorts lover ;)

And now to the Nettie, this is my first Nettie in a Scuba knit with a funky little pattern that I loved. I am already planning another one in a warmer, possibly long sleeved version to take with me also, as I can see this being a great ‘layer’ top.

I decided to go with the scoop neck and medium back, which in hindsight I would probably change to a high back.. This was a quick make and came together easily, but it was my first knit.. so not sure if I need a lot more practice with stitches/needles/controlling the fabric or if I can blame my biatch of a machine for chewing the fabric and sewing sideways in some points.
I eventually gave up and used my overlocker everywhere I could, but those hems on the arms. Ouch.

What the heck is happening here, I'm like mid dance.

The only pattern issue being that I needed to take in a lot in the crotch area, as the back was bunching. I think this is due to a combination of the scoop back and me being a midget, so at least I’ll know for next time :)

Halfway through my ‘list’ making I came across Reanna’s list of things she wished she’s packed for her never-ending holiday she is currently on. I was looking for something like this, even RTW clothes for SO long that I almost cried when I came across it.
I am totally using it as a guide on what to pack, and she even has links to patterns to suit, Chris almost killed you for that one mate haha..

Eeeppp not long now, under 60 days till I am drinking champagne at 9am. Cant. Freaken. Wait.

What have you been sewing, I wanna know if I missed anything!

A Dotty kinda Style

2014-07-21T20:21:00.003+09:30

My gosh I haven’t blogged for like 4 months. Eep, what a stooge.

It’s probably because I have actually been trying to get through my ginormous list of things I wanted to sew before we go on holiday. Key word, wanted.

I have no hope of actually finishing everything and my husband informs me I don’t need to take all the things on my list anyway, I mean I thought 5 pairs of shoes for 5 weeks was doing well.. Come on people, back me up with this one.
I have still been following everyone else daily, commenting, becoming jealous of makes, ooohing and aahhing over controversial conversations.. you know what I’m talking about. Also Its way easier to lay on the couch and read about other people’s makes, than it is to get my ass up and take pictures of my own, anywho I made it off the couch…
Those of you that follow me on the Gram would know I have made some Chataigne shorts and the blogosphere go to at the moment, the Nettie. But today I am blogging a top I made awhile back, the Style Arc Dotty Blouse.

I probably made this about 4 months ago and wore it quite a lot. I love the way that this fabric falls at the front of the shirt, and I also love the sleeves (no idea what it is, I’m terrible with fabric but its some poly, silky feeling thingo) However everytime I wear it I think I should really maybe tack the front together. It tends to open up and show everyone, well everything, partly due to the slippery fabric, partly due to my boobs.

The only thing in the instructions that had me confused was the double yoke roll up pushy outtie turn around and inside out bit. But I figured it out, eventually.

I machine stitched the back hem and hand stitched the back neckline and didn’t bother with the inside cross over front as they fold under and are stitched this way on the side seams. (does that even make sense)

Since making this I have lost a little bit of weight, so it looks a little bigger on me now than it did 4 months ago, but when I made it to the measurements described on the pattern, it fit very well. As the patterns are only in one size if I made it again I would definitely alter it or use larger seam allowances in necessary areas.

I have seen a lot more Style Arc patterns out there now, and the feedback, apart from the vague instructions seems very good. The sizing is pretty spot on, and not many alterations need to be made from what I've read.
All in all I think I will make this top again in a less ‘going outy’ fabric, and something with a bit more body for wearing with jeans etc.
Something like my girl crush Sophie's.

Well that’s it for now but I will be back with Chataigne and Nettie, I promise.

This is the Bomb

2014-03-26T21:47:00.000+10:30

Woah, woah, woah, woah. I love this jacket.
I wanted the pattern for a very long time, and knew I wanted a silk version rather than a tracksuity looking one, mainly because I'm a bogan and therefore already have about 23 fleecy zip hoodies that are similar.

It is my first Papercut Patterns make and as loads of peeps have previously said, they have the cutest packaging ever!
Had so much fun putting the booklet together and I love the thicker brown paper.
I found the instructions easy to follow and the sizing was not so far off my measurements which I also love.
I almost fell over when I saw this silk remnant at a Lincraft sale.
1. Because I was looking for a bright floral Silk
2. Because it cost me like $7
(ps. thanks weekend husband, this 'Sale' cost me about $150, but I still love you for it)

I was scared I wasn't going to pull through with this bomber because it was my first time with welt pockets, underlining, self lining a jacket and any sort of hem ribbing and was pretty much all round shitting myself. But, I did it, go me, and I couldn't wait to post about it.

I love the loose but tight (er that doesn't make sense Bec) fitting nature of the jacket, and the all round comfyness of it. I was originally going to have the hem in a neutral colour, but opted for purple. Surprising I know.
I used a pink satin (also at the sale, $12) for the underlining as the silk was completely transparent. I used the same method for cutting the silk out as I did with my Anna Dress. Then hand stitched the silk to the satin pieces. UGH. Hand sewing. I then sewed the jacket together as instructed.
Welt pocket. Ahahah. Oh man. check this out. Errr not sure what is happening there..

I cut the seam alloance and pretended nothing happened, one pocket is smaller than the other but whatevs.
At this point I knew I needed a lining. I used a beautiful purple lining from Tessuti, which feels gorgeous against the skin.
I effectively made another jacket and joined it around the neckline/arms right sides together then flipped it in.
I left the ribbing till last and then overlocked the insides.

Also.. not sure what happened here, but I figure no one will see it.

(this is a lie, I always show people my c#*k ups first)

Should have probably kept the facing as well, and did some sort of shove the lining in there and stitch the hem on, does that make sense? Here.. kinda like Clare did, smart woman.

Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out.. I think I need to be a bit more 'Out there' with my outfit choices to pair it with, but hopefully I'll come around.

Also I wore my black Georgia to a friends Surprise 30th on the weekend. Here's some little piccies of the hubs and me :)

Oooh Attractive. Hmm I got some serious drunk eye happening there. My little hubs, what a cutie pants.

This ones my fav, naturally haha

Let me know what you think of the Rigel, and if you're planning on making one! :O

By Hand London Love

2014-03-10T20:04:00.000+10:30

Hey There,

Eep another long time with no post. There is a reason tho, not just my lazy ways.
Since I got back from Tas (the size of a hippo) I have been trying to lose weight, so decided to not sew anything for myself until it was worth my while.
It gave me a chance to hem some curtains *yawn*and sew some cushions to pass the time.. after about 34 cushions ending up on the couch I had lost some weight and decided I might sew something for myself.. the husband agreed..(he's currently suffocating in cushions)

So I decided on a 'Fat dress' if you will, something flowy and not tight that I could wear to work, casual outings etc.. since I've been wearing my Polly Top alot to work, I thought hey why not make it into a dress, so I did.

I used leftover cotton sateen from my New look 6124 dress, which I dont think I blogged, but looks along the lines of this one. The purple is a light linen which I only had about 1.5 mtrs of that I picked up from the local Op Shop Sewing Centre for $2 ;)

I wear it to work at least once a week, because its easy, colourful and much more fun than my boring black suits. Also it looks really cute with my Mel flats, that I totally bought after seeing them on Roisin's site that woman's shoes..*drool*

So once I started with the sewing and the fitting and the cutting out of fabric, I was like an addict.
This is where Georgia came in. Oh Georgia.
I have been madly following the #Georgiadress tag on Instagram for agessss, dying to make one. I love the shape, I love everyone's versions, and lets be honest I just love everything By Hand London do.
I swear every time I catch up, they bring another pattern out. You are killing me girls.

So I made one... then I made another one.. and I already want another.
GAH.. I couldn't help it. She was calling to me.

The dress itself comes together pretty quickly,
I made a muslin which I noted left my boobs a bit like HELLO THERE but whatevs.
The blue satin was my first and woah it tis a bit tight. (side note: put the pizza down)
I cut a size US12 and left all the seams at 5/8". I shouldn't have.
Also I'm not sure I am in love with the fabric/colour :/ But this may be because I am not used to the shinyness of satin?

So next up was my Black version, this fabric is like a cottony stretchy corduroy weird thing haha..

I still cut a size 12 but changed the seams to 3/4. This made the fit better, and more comfortable, also no zip needed ;)
Due to the fabric being so thick I had to top stitch the bodice to stop it from bloody moving around, oh and trying to handstitch the lining in was a Bitch.
I also tapered the skirt to make it more pencil style :)

I really REALLY want to make her in a Cotton Sateen, I just haven't found the right colour yet.. Dark Purple people. Keep your eyes peeled for me.

PS:
Ugh please excuse my disgusting hair, I am DYING to get in done soon, but due to the PPS it is rarer than normal.

PPS:
Totally unrelated to sewing, I am planning a Europe Trip with the Hubs in Sept.. Wooohooo!
I know the blogosphere is large, and would LOVE any advice/suggestions about where to go, what to see (where the fabric shops are) ;)
Apart from our Topdeck tour (eastern spirit if your interested or have done it before?) which is planned, we are visiting:
Rome, Munich, Barcelona, Paris, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Dubai. :D

PPPS: How do you stop yourself from feeling like a twit in pictures?

Would love to hear from you

SHIT BLOGGER AWARD GOES TO ME

2014-01-16T20:45:00.000+10:30

Hey Peeps,

Firstly Happy New Year!! Hope you all had a little break and spent time with loved ones:)
Sorry I haven't posted anything of value for like months.. I been a tad busy and a tad lazy.
Also I have been In Tasmania from the 21st of December, and without my little sewing machine.
It was my Hubbys 30th (orginally from Tas) and a whole bunch of us went down to celebrate. Here we are being all 'touristy'..

This week little miss and I reunited, but we are having a heat wave in little old Adelaide and I cant bring myself to sew in my 40+ degree room at the moment. I will be back on the wagon when it gets below 35..

I do however have some makes to share I finished last year..
First up, The Portside Travel Set!! Love, love, love this. I have made two sets.. one, technically a 'practice' for the second set which was a Christmas present for my mother-in-law (which obv I couldn't show on here)... which she loved.. and cried a little over.. which was a bad but good thing haha :) (her's is the bottom set)

This pattern came together quickly once all the pieces were cut and interfaced, and I really love the size and how the pouches turned out..she also promised to send me pics of it in action ;)

Second is the Cambie Dress..

I'm not really sure how I feel about this make (or my face.. what the), I love the fabric, so was a bit disappointed when I tried it on and wasn't really feeling it.. I don't think I like the lower waistband or the way the front sits so far out so you can see my boobs from 4 meters away (and normally I like that).. hard to explain, and too hot to take pics in the heat at the mo..PLUS it doesn't help that I gained like a gazillion kilos on holidays and now it zips but I look like a beached whale -_-

I reallllyyy want to make another one and try a little harder with the fit, but is the waistband supposed to be lower? maybe its just my guts? (highly likely)

Also while away I did some knitting, my MIL who is an avid knitter and has a cupboard full of kids toys (hint hint) showed me how to knit last time she was in Adelaide, and as soon as she left I cocked up whatever stitch I was doing and could no longer continue with my snood. Sad face.
So I started up again once I was back in Tas and Tada! Snood completed.. notice the mistakes knitters,oops

At this point I think I can only manage scarfs and to give you an idea, it's 46 degrees today.. so may just hold off on the knitting for awhile..

OOOOOOH WINNERS!!!

Also just realised I put the date for the giveaway down as 13th Dec, instead of 13th Jan (still late Bec) Err sorry about that..shocking I know.
Anyway the winners are:
BusyLizzie Happy blogiversary!! I really like V1230, not sure I need more patterns, but I love the sleeve detail in this one :) Looking forward to seeing your next make

AND

Gjeometry Happy Blogiversary Bec!! I really like the V1329 colour blocked dress. I also like how they put the white around the edges instead of a darker colour. Apparently there's this 'rule' where you have to make yourself look slimmer and/or curvier by putting the dark colour block on the outside, but I think this version looks terrific! I'm not sure if it is for knits or not, but I would like to make it up in a Ponte knit. I have never used Ponte before but I know it is supposed to be very stable and thick so the dress could be worn in the winter. And, colours? No idea, but probably I would put the lighter colour on the outside, same as this version.

Congrats!! I cant wait to see what you make :) Please contact me via email with your address and i'll get posting ;)

Every time I'm away I feel like I miss out on a million blog posts :( Mainly because when I have access to my computer I am like constantly reading them haha, so let me know what you've been up to in the comments if you like! and Link me to any makes you think I might have missed! ;)

Also completely unrelated, but LOOK at that face

DERP

Blogiversary + Giveaway

2013-11-26T11:56:00.000+10:30

Hi All,

On Friday it was my one year blogiversary weeee.. I feel like I should make some sort of resolutions about what I will try to do next year.. you know.. more posts, better content blah blah.. but I never keep resolutions so I figure I'll just skip past that...

Anyhow the Exciting bit, the giveaway!
I went trawling through my ever expanding stash and found these patterns, that I love, but will probably never get around to making

(V1329)

Cute yes?

So I'd like to know why you would like to own these/what fabric choices you would go with ..etc.. anything you want to tell me :)

I'll post anywhere, coz I love all my followers, not just the Ozzies ;)
I'll pick a winner on Friday the 13th... oooooohhhh..

Good Luck! :)

my little silk goddess

2013-11-10T18:40:00.003+10:30

This baby has got to be one of my favourite makes yet.
It is of course the Anna Dress in 100% Silk Habutai, from the lovely ladies at Tessuti.
It was $28 a metre and I bought 5 metres, I also bought beautiful lining which I didn't end up using at all, so it's gone to the stash..I only ended up using about 3ish metres.. so this dress ended up costing around $100 all up:)

I decided to wear a slip underneath and using bias binding on the neckline.
The neck binding and the zipper insertion took me about 3 hours, due to me constantly thinking I would screw it up, it was sewn at the pace of a snail... progress shots..

(luckily I have a large dining table)

(ooh yeah frenchies and zipper)

(right before heming)

God I was so worried about touching, cutting, sewing, pinning, zipper insertioning, french seaming, marking, hemming this gorgeous fabric that it took me about 3 months before I even took it out of the bag.
To the readers of my blog that dont sew, (i.e my mates and family that like to make me feel good about my sewing) you know that feeling you have when you have satin sheets on the bed, and your wearing boxer shorts/silky nightie and you jump on the bed and slide onto the ground. Imagine sewing that shit together.

I researched ALOT of different ways to pretty much do everything on this dress,

I had a beautiful email with alot of very helpful information from Lauren after I asked her some questions about how she was planning on going about her Silk Anna, which of course I took on board because she is a genius.
I used Jen's method for cutting the silk, found here, which worked perfectly, time consuming with a maxi yes, but well worth it...
I also used her easy roll hem tute, also well worth looking at :)
Oh and if you're wondering why some of my normally shithouse pictures look so different in this post, it's because my bro's wonderful photographer girlfriend Sal (Rollabilly Photgraphy) offered to take these for me :)

Very summertime, so it's perfect timing. I made this dress specifically to wear to my brother-in-laws wedding in Tassie in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping the weather holds out ;)
Let me know what you think:)

p.s this post totally made me remember to book my hair appointment, ouch

Long time no post

2013-11-04T19:58:00.001+10:30

Hello There,

Well my silk Anna only has the hem to be done and then she is completed:)
(sneak peaks on my Instagram, booyeah on the zip)
Will hopefully get some pics of her on the weekend.. until then here are some things I've been creating..

I made the above dress, New Look 6124 in version A this time, and I love the neckline. It seems I'm getting faster as this only took me about 5 hours to put together, but I have made it before.
It seems I must have sewn seams at 3/4 last time and didn't make notes.. ahh so cant breathe it in very well, but I'm sure ill kick on ;)

I also made this Elisalex skirt version with the cutest puppy fabric ever. SAUSAGE DOGS PEOPLE.

I started to make a.. get this.. stretch denim Anna. WTF. To be fair it was past midnight and I probably should have just gone to bed.

I am also in the process of making a Negroni for the hubs...

I still have this Anorak pattern from Style Arc, which I have been wanting to make up for agesssss, but haven't found an olive green in the right kind of fabric.. so I settled and bought this Lightweight Twill.

Now all I have to worry about are the vague (for me) instructions :| eeep. Does anyone know of any versions?

aaannnndd I just got these babies today. . *squeeeel*

Also completely unrelated to any of the above.. If any of you lovely ladies in blog land have suggestions for a great pants pattern I would love to hear it. In case you didn't notice I have more junk in the trunk than most, so a pattern to suit the err "Curvier" type butts would be great :)

Vintage meets Modern

2013-10-13T19:41:00.001+10:30

Hi All,

I am pleased to say I finally conquered this dress and am really happy with the results :)
If you follow me on Instagram, you would know the time it has taken and my struggles..
This is New look 6123, which I haven't really seen much of in blogland..
Of course I decided on version B which had everything goin on.. the sleeves, the ruffles, the flounce.. only jusssttt squeezed this one out of my fabric, was playing around with it for a while, but I'm glad I did, because I think this fabric suits it beautifully :)
It is a 1960-1970's poly sateen that I picked up for $12 at a vintage shop a while ago but was waiting for a pattern that had some drapyness to it.

Not really sure why it took me so long to fiddle around with the dress, but the main issue was the pleats/gathers on the side of the dress, they just weren't sitting right and took a while to get them to sit so it didn't look like a had a giant muffin top (I don't need to add to that)
Note this dress is wayyy boobylicious, so if your not into that thing (I am clearly) then you'll probably need to adjust the top/sew the middle together, but easy enough.
Also it turned out a bit shorter than I wanted, but that couldn't be helped due to ~~my fat arse~~ my lack of fabric. Okay onto the bombardness of pics..

I recommend this pattern, and I think I will make it again eventually, just making it slightly longer:)

Polly Break

2013-10-08T18:46:00.001+10:30

Hey All,

If you follow me on Instagram you would know that I been struggling with this ~~pain in the ass~~ lovely little dress..

New look 6123

..so to stop myself from hurting someone, I took a break and made the latest freebie going round from the girls I love at By Hand London the Polly top. Obviously the faces are to make me feel better too..

Go make it :)

ANNA ANNA wherefore art thou Anna

2013-09-14T15:25:00.001+09:30

Hey All,

Yewwww Anna, the final make from the complete set of the girls..

I'm a little slow on the bandwagon with the Anna, but I got there in the end.
As you've probably seen this is a fairly easy make, but takes a bit of time for all the french seaming/prep process.
I love the shape of the Anna, and the fit was pretty much spot on out of the packet. I saw Taracat didn't need a zip on her version, and prayed I wouldn't either.. MUHAHHA Success, No zip needed!

(this is Schnitzel, my little photobomber)

Errm mum, you realise dad is taking a picture of your behind?

I look so grumpy in these pics, but in reality I'm just being blinded by the sun..

Side view or dancing?

Neckline or boobs?

I have no idea what this fabric is (don't remember buying it) but it reminds me a little of sass & bide.. and Gosh it was slippery as hell to sew with, which is probably a good practice run as my next Anna will be with this baby...

SILK. AHHHH

for a wedding

DOUBLE AHHHH

in November

TRIPLE AHHHH

so many ahhh factors. You get me?

Lauren sent me a detailed lengthy email with pointers/tutes/suggestions on what/how/why to do everything which was really helpful/lovely of her :)

....So I pretty much stroke this fabric every couple of days, but don't have any actual plans to cut into it.. so may be hard to sew the actual dress im thinking.. hmmm. Eventually my friends. Eventually.

The cutest dress I've ever made

2013-08-25T13:39:00.001+09:30

I made this reversible version of Made by Rae's Itty Bitty Dress.. as inspired by Rachel from House of Pinheiro...
I made it for very special friends who are due in October with a little girl, after waiting a very long time for her to be ready to visit the world:)

If you haven't made this pattern for any little bubas you know, you should. It is ridiculously cute and simple to make :)
I think I'm going to be making a lot more..

Victoria Blazer orrrrrr tent?

2013-08-18T10:26:00.002+09:30

Hellooo there,

*sigh*.... So I loved the Victoria pattern, I loved making it. Really really couldn't wait to make a plain black one.. and found awesome lining for it too.
Which is why I'm so sad that I made it too big, like a spaz that I am
I know its supposed to be baggy boyish loosey etc.. but I'm pretty sure mine is past that stage..
Also hard to judge, as most people have made the cropped version and they look great a little loose..
I mean it looks ok in the top picture with my standing like that, but I'm fairly sure I can't have that stance/facial expression at all times. Although I do have my mouth open a lot..

So I cut a size 14US, going by my bust measurements.. but I'm thinking I should have gone a 12, or even 10!
I took some pics, so you guys could let me know what you think?

See how big it looks? and I'm not just talking about my ass.

I realise this is not the same shape, but took a pic of another jacket I have just to show you the shape on mwa..

Im thinking the only way I could fix it is to unpick the lining, unpick the pockets, unpick the side seams and take them in, and do the same with the sleeves..
UGH. I really don't want to have to do that, but I don't see any other way? :(
DO YOU?! :D

WAHHHHHHHH

Serious Addiction

2013-08-11T20:27:00.002+09:30

Turns out I have an addictive personality.. who would've thought.
So you already know about these two..

But I Maayyyyy have made number three...

and by three I mean four...

which of course means five.

(this one is different with a gathered skirt, so really it doesn't count?)

OK so I love Elisalex. Sue me.

ps.. I totally also made one for a friend

I made them all for specific occasions. Kinda.

I DID make number five to wear with these babies..

OOOH YEAH

for joint bestie birthday celebrations, which were last night, hence my terrible hungover/slept on hair and the serious lack of ironing in the above pics.

ps. my Birthday totally isn't until the 29th, but i pretty much milk the whole month, every year.

The night started with me being ~~tipsy~~ excited..

then a little of this happened..

and some of this..

and therefore it ended with a lot of faces like this.

DORKS

Silk Silk Baby

2013-08-06T19:09:00.003+09:30

Hi All,

Okay so I may have bought the last of this little baby today..
http://www.tessuti-shop.com/products/tight-fit
..and am already shitting myself about how to do anything with it..

I am planning an Anna dress for an upcoming wedding, and will be making up a test Anna closer to the date.. but I am after any advice or tips for sewing with silk.. the Anna dress..lining etc.. really any advice you want to give me. Hah

Thanking you an advance x

How sad..

2013-07-26T12:01:00.002+09:30

Hello lovelies,

Well currently I'm on a mini bus crammed with people from about 4 different states headed back from Albury to VIC.. I Have been travelling around the country all week for training in the factories and offices.. and therefore have been on a bus/plane for a majority of my time.
I have come to the realisation that I think about sewing about 70% of my day.. don't get me wrong I do this at work too, but the difference is I get to go home and sew/read blogs/generally waste hours researching/dreaming of outfits I could never really create...
But having sewing as a hobby is not really something you can take on the road. This being said I did spend a 2 hour training drawing sketches..oops. I know I have a 3 week holiday coming up in Tassie too, and will miss my little machino..
I guess I'm asking what else I could take up that is relatively 'travel friendly'... I'm thinking crochet or knitting but not sure how hard/long these take to pick up? :)

..anywho back to counting road signs

Vintage Patterns

2013-07-14T11:04:00.001+09:30

Hey guys,

So I made a dress for a mate (will post pics at a later date) and she thanked me by giving me these vintage patterns!

I have never sewn with vintage patterns before, so I would love any advice, tips or comments you have. Also any good links on how to adjust the pattern, because my bust measurements are a bit larger than the patterns.. I know I follow a lot of people who sew vintage, just unsure if they follow me haha..

Thinking I may make a blouse with this fabric..

and potentially a dress in this gorgeous find.. If I have enough

Let me know what you think :)

Oooh p.s... I have a wedding coming up in Nov and would love suggestions of formalish patterns..possibly long dresses? :)

Elisalexes

2013-06-17T19:44:00.002+09:30

Heyyyyyy have you made this dress yet!?
If not then you should... I'm a little bit in love, hence already making two :/

I love it so much!!! and it's relatively easy to put together too, which is great seems I'm a muppet sometimes
(also muppet worthy note the tryhard Elisalex pose)
...I think the only thing that made it difficult was that I cut out the wrong side and at first it was huge on me. Note for the next time tho hey ;)
So here are some constructions/finished piccies of the black version (when it was first ironed).. I think I did a pretty good job at matching the pleats to the princess seams too, which was good, as I firstly thought from all the taking in it wouldn't match :)
The colourful fabric is a 1920's cotton which I picked up from a vintage shop that was having a sale. Score. The black is just a plain thicker type cotton blend, and is the first black dress I have made so far! Also this is my first giant long metal zip.. which came out a little wonky, but practice will make sortof perfect ;)

I also tried to add in seam pockets to the black version, as you can see.. but they weren't sitting right and were kinda sticky outy not sitting right annoyingly half visible, but not in a way I can explain..sanely..

Anywho I decided to just get rid of them in the end. Another problem I had with the black version, was that I am a retard, and ~~hacked~~ trimmed off a lot of the length whilst it wasn't straight/on the floor, and realised when I turned it over and saw this. Moral of the story. I'm an Idiot.

But all the non-sewers can't tell hopefully, so it's all good :) Not as good as cleaning a shark tank, but still..
Also check this skirt I found at a vintage shop near me, 100% cotton and 100% adorable. $5. Freaken score.

annndddd I made this little Superhero cape for Ethan, my mates little man:)
(oops don't remember which tute I used, there are so many. My bad)
Obv this is not on him, but I thought I would show you.. annnddddd I got to use my blanket stitch:)

SOOO....
ELISALEX.. I Love love love the pattern, did I mention that?
So you should all totally make one. DO IT

Garden party anyone?

2013-06-16T21:03:00.000+09:30

Or as I like to call it 'The quick let's gone it done in time to wear it to Easter' dress..

FYI- I've been a shit blogger,and haven't posted anything for over a month.. but I have been really busy/about to transition into a new job....Soz. I have still been following everyone and keeping up to date on new patterns etc.. (Elisalex's to come) also homg on the bombshell swimsuits out there..
Anyway back to the Garden dress..

I gotta say this free pattern from Elise over at HonigDesigns is such a cute little dress:)
I used some sort of wool poly blend I got from a thrift store for $3 so turned out to be another great little bargain.. which is great seems I F*&%$d the back...

and didn't realise (idiot) until I had completely finished the dress and hand stitched the lining in, GGrrrr.. Nevermind..
When I get around to it I will hopefully fix it (erm probably never, so lazy)

Also I think my bust darts may be too high up on the bodice, and if I made it again I would make the sleeves a little larger (Elise has a tute on this)
I should have made it a little longer too, but only because I don't like my legs all out and about..
But all up the dress came together fairly quickly and apart from me being a retard was simple to piece together :)

OHHHH MYYY GOSSSHHHH

2013-05-06T11:03:00.000+09:30

LOOK at what my Hubby bought me on the weekend, I woke up from a mid morning nap to find this baby in my car:)

EEEEPPP.. I may have already made a little teeny buba dress (nooo not for me).. . and a Garden Party dress.. anddd planning on sewing when I get home... exciting much?

Advice

2013-05-02T12:14:00.000+09:30

Hi All,

I would like some advice on possibly starting an Etsy shop.. any advice you can offer really..
Thinking of selling..

- Cushions
- Baby clothes
- Homewares
- Hmm other things? Hah

Not really sure how/where to start, what I would need to know/do/have, if I should even consider it?
Any advice/comments would be great :)

Thanking you in advance x

My first Gertie

2013-04-21T21:07:00.000+09:30

This face pretty much sums up how I feel about this top....
It's the new Butterick pattern by Gertie, B5895..
I'm just not really sure if it's me, or if it's something I would (should) make again.. Hmm.
Don't get me wrong, I love the style and the overall look of the top, just maybe not on me?
For one thing it is extremely short, I mean look at that guts.. ahh sorry guys (ps..that scar is from naked ironing, idiot)

I knew it would be on the shortish side, just didn't realise it would show my entire stomach.
Sorry I didn't get many pics of it actually on me, I was in a rush...and then to drunk...
On the plus side it made me realise I need more high waisted items, which I why this Gorgeous Skirt is next on my to make list :)
I think relating to the construction of the top I effed it up somehow, because the collar at the back didn't end up matching as it should have, which also made the facing sit weirdly, so I had to kind of wing it and try to fix it the best I could.. hmmm..

Again the buttonholes are a bit dodgy, due to the fact I haven't done many, and I blame my machine..
Speaking of machines, the hubby and I went sussing on Saturday and got a 40 minute tutorial on this little beauty that I have since been dreaming about every hour... *sigh*

Let me know what you think, about the top and/or the machine if you've heard any reviews ;)

Disqus

2013-04-11T12:36:00.002+09:30

Eeep.. I tried to install Disqus so I can get back to people.. but not sure that it worked. It looks like you can't comment and my comments have disappeared? :( Whattt theee...

Sewing Machine Recommendations

2013-04-09T11:41:00.001+09:30

Hi there,

I am looking for any sewing machine recommendations.. I think it's getting to about that time for me to trade up.
But I'm not really sure what to look for? Good models/brands?
I currently work on a Singer 7105, which is fairly old and doesn't really have functions which I use, apart from straight stitch and occasionally zig zag :)
Also I live in Adelaide Australia, so I would need to research the servicing capabilities etc.. but would love any recommendations/suggestions on what to look out for, because I'm pretty clueless..

Thanking you in advance :)