Italian Cotton

I am rather lucky to have at a location quite handy to where I live a rather wonderful fabric shop. My problem is that she stocks some truly beautiful fabrics but I just wish I could justify the price more often.

On the remnants rack (she hangs her remnants on pants hangers) I found this beautiful soft 100% Italian cotton hounds tooth, I thought about it for a while and left it there, reluctantly. I had to go a buy a zipper and some other odds and ends a while later and it was still there. I looked at the length and decided that there would be just enough for a straight skirt so $18 for the piece and I came home with some beautiful fabric.


I have an odd problem for a sewer, I am terrified of cutting my fabric. I really have to work up the courage to put the scissors to the fabric in abject terror that I will botch things up before I even start and I will have wasted all that wonderful fabric. Stupid, I know, but that's just how I am. After procrastinating for a few weeks I decided that my McCall's skirt was the right pattern for the fabric. I lined it with black cotton and this is how it looks.
The length is the length the remnant was, ideally I would have liked it to be a little longer, but that's all I had. I hits me just on the knee, so it'll be a winter skirt to wear with opaque tights and boots.

I am slightly disappointed with the back because for some reason I have managed to stretch the fabric beside the zipper on one side so the print in out of alignment. The fabric is very soft and very prone to unravel so didn't want to unpick and redo the zip. I ended up thinking that I can't see my own backside so I wouldn't worry too much.

Over all I am quite happy because for about $25 I have a skirt which would have cost over $100 for something fully lined and of a similar quality fabric.

Straight Skirt

From McCall's 2129.


I have discovered that an interesting source of very cheap patterns is second hand shops. It can be a little variable as to what you actually find, mostly they cost about 50 cents but contents are not always complete.

I grabbed this pattern on one of my hunts and with luck it was precut in my size (16). I searched through my fabric stash and found what was left of my printed cotton drill. So here it is another skirt for work.


Front:But I needed pockets. I could not put them in the side seams as it quite a close fit so decided to add patch pockets on the back. I simply copied the size of the patch pockets on the back of my jeans and stitched them on before I put the skirt together.

Back:
It was a very simple pattern to follow and I will probably try making something else from it.

Pinafore Dress Completed

Finished!


Well I finished the pinafore test dress. It actually looks much better on me. I will wear it normally with a black or chocolate long sleeve top , opaque tights and boots. As it is pure polyester it won't breath so it is a winter only garment.


Side Front:I put the zip in the side seam (not a very good job, but my arm will hide it most of the time) and left a small slit on one side seam.

I thought it was time I used some of the decorative stitches on my machine so added a row of decoration around the neckline.
I'll use this idea to make one in black cotton drill, I'll have to work out how I will add pockets to this design. I'm looking at all the other patterns I have to see if I can put together a design that I really like.

I might try to get DH to take a photo of me wearing it when I'm dressed properly.

Pinafore dress idea.

Pinafore Dress Idea.

I was browsing on ebay the other day and saw a 1940’s pinafore dress and felt that it held possibilities. I am always trying to think of ways to update my work wardrobe. I like to look neat, even though almost no one sees me except on my walk home in the morning. I need to have pockets to carry my work car keys and my work phone on me at all times. I need to be reasonably physically active, walking, lifting, carrying, getting in and out of cars and occasionally crawling around on the floor.

You would think that because of this I would avoid skirts like the plague, but no I don’t. I feel quite comfortable in them now and have realised that I can cope quite well. They just shouldn’t be too short or tight, given my body shape this is not a style I would normally choose.

So after going though my pattern stash and browsing many patterns online I decided to give it a go. I pulled out my Simplicity shirt dress pattern, which is my favourite redesign pattern. I then went through my stash and found a dark caramel polyester crepe. I folded it in a couple of different ways to see how to make it work, it was quite a small piece. I decided that I would put the zip in the side seam, keep the centre back seam but cut the front on the fold. I ended up cutting the neck facings from a pair of shorts I had started making from the same fabric but had destroyed before completion. I did not have a zip the right colour or length in my collection so the whole project got delayed for a week. I will do a lapped zipper in the side seam, finish the armholes with bias binding and am thinking of trying out the decorative stitches on my machine around the neckline.

Hopefully it will be done soon.

But I’ve forgotten the pockets! I didn’t have much of this remnant fabric left so decided that this would simply be a practice piece, a wearable muslin.

I have bought some black cotton drill to make the real dress, though if this works I’m thinking it would look fabulous in fine charcoal wool.

Chocolate Mock Wrap Top

As it is winter here now, I have decided that I need some more long sleeve tops. I also thought I would have another go at making something out of jersey.

So after a bit of thought I hit on using New Look 6515 again. This time I wanted to try the cross over style. So I did a quick alteration to the upper bodice and this is what I came up with.


Front:Close up of bodice top and sleeve:
(that is just a piece of white fabric stuffed in the top for modesty, all always have to wear a cami under this one)

Back:

I still have to decide how I want the sleeves and the hem finished. I was thinking of putting a band on the sleeves and simply hemming the bottom.


I cut it as a size 16 and made it out of two jerseys from my stash. It has taken about 2 hours to put together. The banding around the neck is far from perfect, I was figuring out the construction techniques as I went along. I would also consider making the upper part in a smaller size, overlapping the front sections further and increasing the size around my hips.


Overall I think it is wearable and the concept has merit. I am considering making a version of this for my pregnant sister in law. I will make the front panel wider and longer and gather it under the bust as well for a more bump friendly shape. Just need to find the right fabric now.

Football Dress

Last night was "State of Origin" and my DH was taking me to the cricket club to watch the game. As I'm a Queenslander I needed to wear something maroon and I didn't want to wear a footy jersey over jeans. I had previously thought it would be cute to have a special dress to wear to sporting events but had never actually gone though with it, so this was the perfect opportunity.


I used my vintage vogue pattern v2903 with some modifications.
I just wanted a simple top so I pined the yoke pattern pieces to the bodice pattern and cut it as one to eliminate the complex shoulder design. I also did not pleat the skirt.


I wanted something I could easily make in a day. So I raced out and bought 5 metres of maroon and white 1 inch gingham and this is what I came up with.


Front:

Back:


Side:


Close up:

I also bought maroon embroidery thread and have ideas of machine embroidering little Q's over the dress in random places. I figure it's a dress I can wear to any of my home states sporting events.





And by the way, Queensland Won!!!!!



The cane toads ate the cockroaches!

Buying Boots inOz!

Hi,
Time for another gripe.


I LOVE boots, but I have a slightly larger calf and apparently a slightly narrow ankle which makes finding boots that fit , look good and are comfortable some what of a challenging mission. Add to all of this my current place of residence is the Gold Coast and this limits my range even further (Who wears boots in a beach resort town?).


As I work overnight it gets just cool enough(during winter) to pull my boots out of the closet and wear them, it's too warm in the day.



I also like feminine shoes and I refuse to believe that comfortable shoes HAVE to be ugly. I recently saw a boot by Dr Martens which had a cute tapered heel and an elegant rounded toe which I feel in love with. The line is called Jenna, here it is in red.


They also do the same boot in an ankle boot and a Mary Jane style shoe. This is a good looking comfortable looking boot. But do you think I can find them in Oz!?! I finally found the Dr Martens shop in The Valley in Bris but they had sold the last pair in my size that morning and said they would not be able to order any more in. Damn! I really wanted black but I love this boot so much I would have bought the red. I also would have bought the ankle boot or the Mary Janes but they didn't have them and said they wouldn't be available until September or October.


So I have two options, take the risk that they fit and order online from the UK and pay a fortune in shipping or try very hard to be patient and wait until I get to the UK myself in August to try them and get them then.

I just have to keep telling myself "I can wait!".