My sewcation and robes of saffron thread

I recently had the pleasure of a weekend away at Stanwell Tops sewing with fellow Australian Sewing Guild members.  I completed three garments and made quite a bit of progress on the blouse that I'm working on in the picture above.  

One of the garments I've decided is a wadder, an orange merino wool version of Vogue 8669.  There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the pattern but it is so under engineered that it doesn't flatter.  I'm in the process of salvaging the fabric to make another version of the Ensis T-shirt by Papercut Papers.  

The skirt and top (my saffron robes!) pictured above were completed at Stanwell and I'm very pleased indeed.  The skirt is my standard self drafted pencil made up unlined in ponte purchased from Clegs in Melbourne.  My only misgiving is that I didn't centre the pattern repeat.  It isn't noticable when worn but screams from the photo!

The top is my first attempt at McCalls 6513.  It is a lovely fit and the only alteration I'll make for next time is to taper the sleeves more.  I'm considering a little reverse sewing on this one too - I love it, so why not take some extra time to make it perfect!

I'm focusing on the top half at the moment - casual t-shirts, blouses and jackets - and have a number of garments in various stages of completion. I'm usually much more regimented with my sewing and drafting.  You know finish one garment at a time, make things that add value to the existing wardrobe rather than create the need for new items to match.  But I'm having rather a lot of fun...and that is what counts.

Meanwhile happy sewing!