Heat beater

Sydney has experienced its hottest day since 1939 and Australia is sweltering from bush fires and off the gauge temperatures.  So my  sewing year has begun with a heat beating cotton tunic dress using my go to kaftan pattern Simplicity 2696.

After completing the machine sewing, the finished garment looked too much like a nightdress, so I gathered up some plastic beads that my daughters used to play with when they were younger and set to work on some Indian style beading.

Totally therapeutic and much quicker than you imagine.  I completed the beading over three nights of watching television.

I also have been working on a gorgeous lace mini skirt for my daughter which is waiting on zipper and hemming.  I've also finished a simple bamboo tshirt for my daughter and new black skirt for myself - an exact clone of one I sewed here, but this time will more sewing expertise.

I'm not sure that I'll get much more sewing done this month as I'm going down to Tasmania for a holiday and have booked my machines in for servicing while I'm away.

I plan to cut a knit top and piece together a muslin for a jacket to keep me occupied until the machines come home.  Thanks for all you encouragement about my huge to do list. 

This current offering is both a kaftan and a dress.  Do I deserve two ticks?!

Happy sewing.

Forward thinking

I once heard a song with the lyrics "time is a slippery fish, now".  Doesn't that perfectly describe the plight of the avid sewer who does not have enough nanoseconds in day to finish their projects? But I  have high hopes for sewing in 2013 and to have something to tick off at end of the year.

The two patterns that I'm putting on my 'why haven't I sewn this yet?' - get on with it list are Vogue 1090, a stunning Michael Kors tunic and a Burda jacket that I've admired since June 2008!

My aspiration list includes
• A chambray shirt

• A blue lace skirt

• An heirloom wool jacket

• A quality wool coat

• A trouser suit

• A tuxedo jacket

• A sporty parka

• Versatile lightweight or unlined jackets for work and play

• More knit tops

• More dresses, including a black dress

• More kaftan tunics

• Cargo pants

• Fancy pants

• A winter evening coat

• A few sweatshirts for early morning walks and winter exercise

I also have some special needs this year:

• Daughter’s 21 birthday party (DD & me)

• Nephew’s wedding

• Daughter’s valedictory dinner (DD & me)

• Daughter’s end of school cocktail party (DD & me)

• Daughter’s Year 12 Formal

If I can tick off half of this at the end of 2013, I'll be a happy seamstress.

2012 in Review

When I look back 2012 produced quality over quantity.  Transferring from a work from home consulting business to an executive role in the city certainly has dinted my productivity and influenced my wardrobe needs. What do you mean I can't work in my pyjamas anymore?

My top five for 2012 were (clockwise from top left)

• My polkadot Kay Unger dress Vogue 1303
• My paisley silk voile kaftan Simplicity 2696
• DD's white silk party dress, self-drafted
• My ponte art panel skirt Butterick 5566
• My ponte jacket and matching skirt (not shown) Burda 04/09 116

 



Spots are contagious!

There is something dotty going on in Blogland.  As I was in the final stages of finishing my new Kay Unger Vogue dress I noticed that several of my English friends had posted their spotted frocks.

The lovely Jane from Handmade Jane made a Ruby dress, while Tilly and Buttons posted an equally sensational New Look 6000.

I just love everything about this dress - the fit is great, the silky lining makes it extremely comfortable to wear and surprisingly crisp looking after 12 hours in the office.  I originally bought this fabric with wide legged casual pants in mind, but it has been in my stash for while and that trend came and went.  I'd glad I went ahead with dress - its classic and can be dressed up or down to suit the occasion.

My sewing productivity hasn't been so great lately. I've just completed a major assignment at work so hopefully will have more energy/motivation to stitch.  I'm not one for SWAPs but like Robin I am thinking small sets - a dress, a top, a bottom and a jacket, then sew something that is just for fun - perhaps a kaftan or a swim suit.  I've boxed together some fabrics and patterns for this purpose.  The current set includes this dress, a cream ponte jacket, a burnt orange knit top, a black ponte pencil skirt and for fun, a border print kaftan top.  Can you believe that I have six other sets outlined on my computer?

I have so much fabric and many many patterns, so I'll need to be more disciplined in 2013.  Work through the stash and buy no more until I do.  I've decided having a big stash is a bit of an impediment to a coordinated wardrobe.  I have bits of this and bits of that, all gorgeous and good quality but the colours and styles are eclectic. 

So I are my friends in cyberland is a stash a good idea?

Happy sewing, and all the best for the festive season.

The perfect summer blouse

Sewing has been a little slow here. I started on a Muse dress that had very promising beginnings but ended on the scrap heap.  I learnt a great lesson from that project - you are never too experienced to read the instructions and NEVER try to rectify you mistake with scissors until you have thought it through preferably overnight.

 

The sudden arrival of summer has forced me to ramp up my sewing productivity.  Having spent most of last summer in Europe, I have very few summer blouses or dresses suitable for the office.

 

 

 My delight with this blouse has made up for all the annoyance of the previous project.  I've not had much success with Project Runway patterns in the past, but Simplicity 2633 is an absolute winner for me.  I'll definitely make other versions of this blouse and I think the pleated sleeves might find their way onto a sheaf dress I'm planning.

 

I love the delicate orange and black Liberty print 100%cotton which I bought on Goldhawk Road in London back in January.  I added a black biased binding trim to the sleeve edge and lovely gold and black buttons.  I love the pleated sleeve detailing which I wasn't sure would suit me, but I find them extremely comfortable and quite flattering given my large upper arms. 

 

Not sure what to sew next.  I'm about to go to the sewing room and do a lucky dip from the box of fabrics and patterns I put together for summer sewing. That is as close to a sewing plan as I get!  Happy sewing!



I'm crushed

Made this Kay Unger design dress Vogue 1241 for a Melbourne Cup luncheon and I have to say I'm crushed  - literally and figurately speaking.  The combination of teal linen and black stretch lace is a definite winner, but the plain linen at the front is not that practical for a sit down occasion.  I look rumpled and please don't mention the barely modest neckline (the safety pin on the lining shot says it all). To be honest, I don't know how this happened.  I followed the rules, made the muslin, did the full bust adjustment, but obviously didn't take into account the seam allowances at centre front.  I do love the back, my new swayback adjustment worked well.

 

The Unger dress is interesting and clever from a construction point of view. If you are making this dress be sure to follow the instructions carefully or you won't be able to attach the lining. 

 

My other new dress is a knit maxi from some lovely jersey from Tessutis. I used Simplicity 2217 Amazing Fit dress as a base.  The main change I made was to fully line the bodice rather than use facings (I hate facings and always avoid them when I can!).  The skirt is not from the pattern, but a simple wrapped tube style.  I really like this for casual summer parties.

 

Next?  I'd love to sew my Issey Miyake Vogue 1309 in time for a party this Friday night, but somehow I think that is even less likely than winning the $100 million in Ozlotto tonight.  Meanwhile happy sewing.

Olé!

 

Been such a while since we've chatted and there is much to report.  After the little white dress I have been a veritable trouser factory churning out pants from the pattern I perfected in black linen.  I now have a white linen pair, including the front pockets so sadly missing from the black pair and the lovely grey wool pair pictured below.  This pair is fully lined and will be perfect when winter returns to Sydney town.  The fabric was purchased on my visit to the Goldhawk Road in London and I am so happy with the way they turned out.  I'll photograph the white pair when I finish a new blouse to wear with them.



After my trip to Spain I'm besotted by flamenco, so couldn't believe my eyes when I found this gorgeous cloth from the Australia designers Easton Pearson.  Thought for a long time that it was worthy of more than a skirt, but in the end, it seemed so obvious I went ahead.  I used New Look 0605 view D.  The pattern appears to be out of print, a shame as it includes a terrific, softly gathered faux wrap skirt in the options.  I overjoyed to discover that my fabulous flamenco perfectly matched 3 metres of Italian cotton shirting bought at a closing sale and sitting in my stash with no particular purpose.  Serendipity (the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful)!

My top is Vogue 8657 - a fabric hungry (the whole garment is self lined) but otherwise perfect pattern.  I cut a size 16 with a small FBA.  I'll definitely make this again, in a more drapey fabric.

Overall I love the outfit.  What to wear for business in a hot climate? Don't get me started.  This year I'm opting for this style of unstructured suits...so watch this space.

I was also inspired by Melbourne blogger Rachel to start my own balcony garden.  I have an unused sunny balcony 5 x 3 metres - a shameful waste of space.  I've planted spinach, lettuces, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, and a variety of herbs.  This photo was taken on the day of planting and I'm delighted to tell you that my tomatoes are pregnant and blooming.  All plants are doubled in size and the herbs have been harvested for variety recipes. 

So happy sewing ...and yeh to pregnant tomatoes.