Category: Sewing Adventures

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Sewing Adventures: Baseball Singlet as pyjamas

bowbaseball_header

I really like pretty pyjamas, and yet I don’t own any? This hasn’t really bothered me until lately and I realised how bad my pj’s had gotten. I kept saying oh I’ll buy some and then never finding ones I liked or walking away from the store thinking I can make that. So I rummaged in the stash and found this cute knit I had picked up from The Remnant Warehouse.

In my quest for prettier nightwear I’m using the Baseball Singlet from the Basics Collection.

Basics collection_ baseball singlet

Made up as per the instructions. I experimented with a different kind of decorative stretch stitch my machine has. No reason other than I was curious to see how it would work and I thought it was fun.

Baseball singlet

For  the hem, armholes and neckline I didn’t overlock/serge the edges like I normally would as the fabric is quite fine. Instead I made sure the decorative stitch was catching the turned under amount and finishing it all for me in one go.

baseball singlet interior

It worked really well, especially on the curved hem. It’s a great way to finish fine knits, all you need to do is experiment with the stitch types and lengths. Oh and press the hem well before stitching so you can get the stitching in a nice straight line.

I love being able to make these simple things that honestly I used to buy and always felt bad because they were so cheap and after a few washes just look horrible. Now I can use up prints in the stash or keep an eye out for cute knits and have a bit of fun experimenting with them.

It would be a nice introduction to anyone wanting to sew knit fabrics as there are few seams and a variety of finishes to choose from. For more experienced sewers it’s a great quick make with loads of satisfaction in being able to whip something up and then move onto the next project.

I hope everyone else enjoys making them as much as I do.

Am already thinking a pair of The Mary Knickers in the same fabric would make an awesome matchy matchy set and perhaps the perfect summer pyjamas?

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Purple

purple

The colour of royalty, passion and Prince. Purple is unexpected, subtly sexy and eye catching. Wear it for maximum impact.

From lilac, through to purple and on to aubergine there is a shade of purple to suit you. I love it’s unexpectedness. It’s not available all the time and if you go looking for it, it can be elusive. It really is a statement, a pretty lilac can shine brighter than a sea full of pinks at a wedding, a purple dress clash magnificently with the red carpet, grapes and plums steal an unexpected limelight and match beautifully with silver.

While I sometimes lament that Purple is not more readily available, I’m secretly happy that it’s just a little bit hard to find. It stops it from being ordinary.

Our Pinterest board celebrates Purple in all it’s lush glory.

1- via Fashiondetails 2 – via Zanita 3 – via nestprettyThings 4 – via BracesandLaces

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2014 Sewing Goals – half year check in

2014 sewing goals

I cannot believe that it’s July already, talk about flying through the year. Seeing as how we are halfway through the year I thought I’d check back in with my sewing goals and see where I need to get my skates on and work a bit harder.

1: Sew from the stash. This is a work in progress, I feel like I’ve made some good progress using what I have and sold some of the stash at fabric-a-brac. Downside I have added to the stash too, but most of “added” pieces have been made up. I want to continue to stash bust for the remainder of the year and limit any additions to fabric that will not get made up immediately.

2: Release a range of patterns. Big YES on this one. It’s been really great to share my creations with all the wonderful sewists and am looking forward to sharing more for many years to come. A very huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has bought, tweeted, mentioned, liked or made up any of the patterns. I am profoundly grateful for all of your support. Plus expect some new patterns VERY SOON.

3: Sew for The Englishman. The Englishman is now the proud owner of more than one set of Japanese loungewear and I’m looking to make some more things for him too.

4: Make my own bras and knickers. Not only did I make my own knickers I got everyone else to make pretty knickers too! Making knickers is incredibly satisfying and I’m so grateful that so many of you are taking the chance to make your own.

Bra’s are a work in progress and something I’ve been really enjoying working on too.

5: Quilting. Work in progress. I have a wonderful Pinterest board set up to show all kinds of scrappy quilts. For me quilting is to use up scraps, so I’ll continue cutting up the scraps to sew together soon. I’m not yet done on the quilt for my sister but will try hard to finish it up soon.

6: Get photos of myself in my makes for the blog. I’m saying this one is attempted but not yet done. I’ve tried some but I’m not good at being regular with it so am determined to keep trying.

Other things that were on the wishlist

  • give more handmade presents – the Christmas box (there is an actual box in my filing system which is the present box, all year I make and add things to it so come December we have a box of goodies to give and I’ve spread the cost over the whole year) is filling up slowly so it should be an almost all handmade Christmas.
  • hopefully teach some classes – I’ve taught some knicker classes and hoping to have some more classes up soon!
  • make time to meet up with all the lovely sewists whose blogs I read and that I chat with on Twitter – regular meet ups with the Sydney Spoolettes has been a big highlight of the year so far. Am looking forward to continuing these.

Non sewing goals of 2014 include reducing my 10km run time, run a half marathon, ride my bike more and traveling – almost all of these have been non starters. After being sick I’m in the progress of rebuilding my running so I won’t be setting any new speed goals anytime soon. Pretty much the same story with riding my bike and traveling has taken a back seat while we do some saving.

So overall not going too bad, hopefully I can cross some more off the list soon!

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Sewing Adventures – disaster time

You know how sometimes you should just go back to bed and pull the cover over your head and hide? Yeah? well that was my week.

I managed to ruin an entire pot of quinoa (yes it’s water and a grain and yes it was really ruined). This was on top of a few cooking disasters earlier in the week.

Then I was merrily finishing off a dress when I realised I had upside down sleeves

upside down sleeve

So I packed up my machine, had a nap and then a cup of tea to contemplate what had happened.

I purchased my normal amount of fabric for a dress. This is Japanese Lawn from Spotlight which I use a lot, so I know exactly how much I need. But I normally don’t have sleeves and this is a directional print. Am sure when I was cutting it out I only just had room for the sleeves and had assumed that I had cut them so they were the right way round. Clearly I hadn’t.

So I can either try and put the sleeves in back to front, they are shaped so this may lead to some fit issues? Or cut the armholes and neck to be the same as my current sleeveless versions of this pattern and not have the higher neck and sleeves.

Either way am not rushing into anything because I really don’t want this to be a disaster dress, it’s too pretty a fabric for that.

So tell me, did you have a disaster weekend too or was it just me?

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Blue

blueFrom inky depths to clear blue skies these shades can ebb and flow like the sea.

I often think of blues as the colour of summer, but that’s for the cobalt, sky and azure shades. The ones that go so well in bright conditions, shows skin in it’s best summer light and make you dream of swimming in a perfect sea.

But the darker more seductive shades can transform a winters outfit into a richness that combines colour and depth. A deft addition of indigo adds a luxury to even the most mundane of outfits.

High on my life list is to see real indigo dying in Japan. To see a master who has dedicated their life to the inky hues, that I feel will add a new dimension to the way I see blues.

For more blue take a look at the Pinterest Board

1- via Stylesight 2- via BlondeEpisodes  3 – via The Sartorialist 4- Karen Walker via Vaunt

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Japanese Street Style

japanesestreet

This designer influence is less about a single design than an entire collective feeling and aesthetic.

Japanese designers like Miyake and Rei had been making a name for themselves and Japanese style for many years.

Then we started to hear more about how the kids in Japan wore wacky outrageous clothes.

When the photos emerged it was a hyper colour mix of traditional Japanese mixed with Manga, fantasy and fashion. There were groups and sub groups and elements that identified you with this character or that music style. It was it’s very own visual language that moved and morphed with all the influences they were collecting.

The first time I was in Tokyo and got to see it for myself I was blown away. Within 50 square metres there were b’boys practising their dancing, a group of what appeared to be gothic clowns, some mow hawked punks with a strong American Indian aesthetic, Lolita’s, skaters, BMXers, bikies on super tricked out Motorbikes that were all chrome and bling. Then above it all there was a band performing that we’re doing some serious channeling of early Mick Jagger.

It was overwhelming but also so great to see so many people taking fashion and interpreting it in different ways. I’m sure some of them went home and wiped off the make up and put on a suit and went to work Monday to Friday. But the fact that they had this ultra creative release had this almost transformative power.

Each time I have been to Japan the scene has changed and each time it seems as if the Japanese can create looks which translate across so many levels of fashion and that eventually trickle across to influence the entire globe. The last time I was in Tokyo was not long after the devastating Tsunami. The streetwear was more subdued, there was less of the CosPlay type elements and more stores like The Gap and Zara (it seemed like very street had a Zara). I hope that these influences are temporary and they don’t take on the homogeneous looks of The West. Hopefully in time as the country heals it will show a re emergence of their unique blend and character and once again they will show the world how to embrace genres and style.

1- via Fabsugar  2- via Styleinsight 3- via Styleinsight 4 – via YourUtopia

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Me Made May 2014 Round Up

So yeah I’m running late with my MMMay14 wrap up (notice that I’m sneaking it in before yet another month goes by).

This was my first year of participating in MMM and I loved it, though by the 3rd week I was thoroughly over having to take photos. I posted all of my photos on Instagram and half heartedly did some on Flickr. I find Flickr clunky and non user friendly and the new “have to have yet another password and log in” thing they have installed just bugs me. So I found Instagram much much more user friendly and in fact just downright friendly!

The interaction between participants totally made MMM a success for me. It was highly enjoyable, I made new friends, we gained new Spoolettes and it was just fantastic. That aspect alone would make me do it all over again next year.

Ok so onto the clothes. Thank goodness for a good shoe collection it helped hide the fact that I don’t have a full length mirror and so there was a lot of downward looking selfies being taken to show off at least the prints of what I was wearing. Also thank goodness for unseasonably warm weather. If the weather had actually been what it normally was I would not have fared very well at all.

MMMwholemonth

It seems I wear a lot of

  • colours
  • florals
  • pink
  • dresses
  • skirts

and I’m ok with that. Go with your strengths and what you love is my theory.

Since MMM I’ve thought about my wardrobe more and I possibly wear jeans and a top more often than May suggests, but I find the ease of a dress very appealing. There is a reason the Japanese refer to them as a onepiece. It’s just one item instead of many you need to co ordinate.

I learnt I was missing some basics, jumpers, hoodies, t-shirts. Just simple everyday casual wear that was comfortable and fits into my lifestyle. I own these items but they are not ones that I have made. By only taking one photo a day you miss out on seeing when you change to comfortable around the house type clothes, workout wear (not me made but some is me designed) and less dressed up type pieces. Only because I was more likely to snap a photo on my way to work or a meeting than I was just wandering about the house.

It was fun. I like MMM and I think I found it incredibly easy to wear something I made everyday as I tend to do that already. Did I sometimes choose something new (and not just pull something out of the clean washing pile) just to get a different photo, yeah for sure. It also gave me an excuse to wear more of my shoe collection and that’s always a good thing!

 

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Sewing Adventures – teaching and more knickers

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend? Our weather has continued to be stunning so I managed to fit in a run and I got out on the bike too! Am so so glad I’m finally on the mend after being sick.

My weekend started off with a blast on Friday night with a Spoolettes meet up, we got to see the lovely Carmen’s drawing exhibition at Since I left you. They are stunning and I highly recommend getting there for a look. Meeting up with the sewing ladies is always a pleasure and I left feeling inspired to know such a talented group.

Saturday I did some sewing that wasn’t knickers! shock horror I know. I haven’t finished that one yet though so you will have to wait a bit longer to see the finished garment.

Sunday I taught a make your own knicker class at Sew Make Create and after some no shows and last minute cancellations ended up with a one on one class. Was actually pretty fun to teach just one person.

sewmakecreateclass

So as to not leave you completely bereft of new sewing here are some knickers I finished up last week.

Two pairs of The Georgiana Knickers

Georgiana french fronts

Georgiana scissors

A pair of The Lizzie Knickers with a vintage lace trim

Lizzie lace

and a 2nd pair of The Lizzie Knickers where I am testing out a new way of attaching the lace. It looks super cute but I’m not happy with the topstitching technique yet so I’ll keep working on that.

lizzie frills

and a pair of The Darcy Boxers for a friend recovering from surgery and in much need of some cute shorts to wear. Don’t forget to pick up your FREE boxer short pattern, we’ve been seeing some fantastic versions of it being made up.

The Darcy Boxer short

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Brown

brownSometimes I feel like brown gets a bad rap because of the way it sounds. Brown. Harsh start and slightly wet ending, it’s not pleasant.

The colour itself is not too bad. Tans, taupes and mid shades of brown make for some good neutrals. It’s the solid mid to dark brown where it loses it for me. It has no life, it seems to suck light into and becomes flat and lifeless.

Or so I thought. I was proved wrong when it comes to wool. Wool excels in brown. The textures shine and shimmer and bring life to brown. Traditional tweeds with their flecks of golden yellow, cream and sometimes blue nestled in against the brown make my heart sing.

Certainly a case where the choice of fabric and texture, makes the colour come to life.

For more brown take a look at Pinterest

1 – via Need Supply 2 – via Need Supply 3 – via WhatareTheyWearingNow

 

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Tom Ford

Tom_Ford

When Tom Ford took over Gucci it was a total transformation.

Suddenly the catwalk shows weren’t just above the clothes but had this over hyped saturated cinematic quality that fairly oozed sex appeal.
While the styles were jaw dropping I always felt that they were best suited to the tall lean model types. So it wasn’t the styles I was after it was the branding.

Ford took one brand and made the whole thing cohesive. The shoes matched the dresses for sheer sexiness, the bags got names and became as desirable as the clothes. It was a master class in branding. It was so closely tied to his personna that when he left I wondered how it could continue. But continue it did and that’s when you noticed that the brand Tom Ford built around himself was himself. The impeccable clothes, the perfect 5 o clock shadow, all of it designed to showcase his personal style and ethos.

After Gucci he has created his own lines, directed a movie and headed up numerous other ventures all with unbeliveable style.

1 – via Now Fashion 

2 – via FashionMag