Autumn Dresses and Giveaways...

In an attempt to break up all the Afternoon Blouse spam on my blog lately, I thought I should show off a newly finished sewing project and perhaps do a little sneaky giveaway while I was at it.

It has officially started getting cold here - the days are shorter, the leaves are turning, I've pulled out my knitting again and I can feel myself leaning towards darker colours and snuggly, comfortable outfits that work well with tights and a cardigan. Cue, Winifred (and my smurf legs!).

Winifred is Abby's newest pattern - a cute variation on a shirt waist dress, except that this one is probably way faster to make up than any shirtwaist dress I've ever seen. I do love the classic button-up version, but they can take a while, what with all them buttons. Winifred however, has no fastenings what so ever, you just pop her on over your head, throw on your favourite coloured tights and you're ready to go play in the autumn leaves.

So, what's the trick? She has a comfortable elasticated waist at the back. Perfect for expanding tummies around lunch and dinner time (and Easter time, let's be honest here. I've probably already eaten my fair share of chocolate eggs over the last few weeks).

I made my Winnie (as Caitlan and I have affectionately called her) from a chocolate brown suiting cotton I picked up from my favourite charity haunt a few weeks ago (I got a huge roll of it for about $5). The fabric drapes beautifully but has a lovely weight which makes it the perfect fabric for my autumn version of Winnie.

There are two things I'd watch out for with this pattern though, both of which tripped me up when I was making it. The first are the sizings on the back. I really had no idea what size waist I should be cutting out because the sizings listed are big. I ended up cutting out a straight size 8 because that was my bust size (and I figured that my waist is really nowhere near 34 inches which is the size that corresponds to the 35inch bust, even after all those easter eggs).

Erm, wrong! The dress fit, but only because of the bigger back piece (due to the elastic). Instead of having side seams though, the front was so small around my waist and hips that I had front/hip seams! I gather the 34 inch waist is actually the finished garment waist size (?), sans elastic, but not taking into account that the front is fitted and doesn't have any elastic... So, I ended up cutting a second front and graded out one size at the waist and two at the hips to accomodate my big ol' lower half.

Even now, the skirt side seams are sitting forward a bit but not nearly as much as they were in my previous attempt. With the drape of the skirt, I kinda think they look like extra pleats, so I'm going with it. And I actually quite like it.

So, the lesson here? Measure your pattern pieces, and email Abby if you're not sure (as I didn't!!).

The second thing I'd point out is the collar instructions. I found them a tiny bit confusing at the end when it comes time to finishing the inside raw edges of the collar. Basically it's up to you how you finish it, but if you've never attached a collar before, it could leave you feeling a little puzzled. I would consider myself reasonably okay at sewing, but even then, I muddled through a bit (I've never actually inserted a collar before though). I still don't know if it's quite right quite, I inspected one of David's shirts to see how it was done and I've given mine a grade of 'passable'. I ended up folding the bottom raw edges of the back of the collar under and hand stitched them in place for a clean inside finish.

But even with these things, I'll definitely still be wearing my Winnie a tonne over winter.

Other small changes I made were to use a smaller width elastic and binding on the back (13mm binding and 7mm elastic), lower the placement of the back elastic by an inch and leave off the faux belt, lower the bottom of the darts by 1/4inch and lengthen the darts by about 1/2inch all up. I top stitched around the entire collar and neckline and opted to sew in my sleeve hems flat before sewing up the side seams. I also took my hem up by about 2 inches to a length I prefer to wear and for my next Winnie, I'll lower the neckline opening as well, as it's a tiny bit hard to get my head through as it currently is (it's no biggie though, I just can't do my hair before I get dressed!).

*Thank you all so much for entering, the competition is now closed*

Win your own Winnie!

I'll definitely be making another Winnie soon, and you can too! To celebrate the release of Winifred, Indie Stitches and I are giving away a copy of the pattern to one of you lucky folk! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment below and you're entered.

The competition is open world wide and will be drawn at random in two weeks time (Monday 28th April NZ time). The winner will be contacted by email.

Stay tuned this week for more Afternoon Blouse fun :)

xx
Jen

Flora...

Well folks, here she is, my version of the By Hand London Flora Dress!

When the BHL ladies contacted me a few months ago to see if I wanted to test their newest pattern, well, it was kind of a no-brainer. After my love affair with the Anna bodice (of which I have 2 more finished projects to show you!!), it would have been dumb of me to say no, right? Also, luckily for me, this was just before the 'Very First House Purchase' storm!

I opted to make version 2 of the dress, though version 1 has a lovely faux wrap bodice, which I might need to try once autumn/winter has left our fair isles.

I cut out a straight size 8/12 in the bodice and could have probably taken in the waist a tiny smidge (or it's the perfect dress to wear out where large amounts of food may be consumed!).

I also cut out a size 8/12 in the skirt, but lowered the front of the skirt by cutting it 2 sizes longer (just because I prefer my skirts longer). I then also lengthened the back of the skirt by the same amount so that it would keep its dramatic high-low hem.

The dress came together exceptionally easily and as the bodice is lined, it looks just as beautiful inside as it does out. I also love the pleats they've added to both the front and back of the skirt (making it even bigger and more dramatic!), it's a style that is super flattering on all shapes and sizes.

The gorgeous fabric I used was sent to me courtesy of Tessuti Fabrics in Australia and is a beautiful poly/rayon blend called Tea Party in Mauve (best name for a fabric ever! Unfortunately it's now sold out). The fabric is so soft and has the perfect amount of drape for the skirt with just enough hold for the structured bodice and a tiny bit of stretch for comfort. I also love the textured plaid design running through it - a subtle amount of pattern without being too much.

The circle skirt does take  up a lot of fabric, so you will need to take special care when selecting the width of fabric you opt for. But, in saying that, if a small corner of the skirt went off your fabric, you could either a) just make the skirt a little less full than it is, or b) you could add a little triangle of the same fabric, or a contrasting fabric, to fill in the gap. You would have a little seam line where you had added the extra fabric, but wouldn't a contrasting section look AWESOME??!! I kind of wish I had done that!

As I've found with all the BHL patterns I've made, the instructions are friendly, talkative and informative. Sewing can be such a solitary act, but I always feel like I'm having a conversation with a very knowledgable sewing buddy when reading BHL instructions.  Is that weird? Does anybody else feel this way? (After writing and reading that, I feel a little like Shirley Valentine, though instead of talking to a wall, I talk to my sewing patterns!! Eeep!).

The only thing I was a little worried about with this dress is that sometimes the straps don't quite cover my bra straps. This is easily solved by either adding bra carriers to the straps or wearing a strapless bra.

Righto, time for some Instagram selfies... cause that's how I roll.

xx
J

PS) Blank sewing room walls and a large window for indoor photo-taking FOR THE WIN! Pity a rather large cutting table will be landing in that very exact spot in a few days...

The 40's Travel Dress - Part Deux

Way back in May I made Vogue 8728, a 40's reproduction knit dress, and it was pretty safe to say that I luuurved this dress. Comfy, cute and easy to wash and wear. So, I made 2 more (this version and a beautiful green wool knit version, post to come) and bought fabric for a fourth. While I still love this dress, I'm starting to wonder if I should branch out of my 40's knit dresses and possibly try something else? Well, maybe, we'll see... Any suggestions?

I won't go into the construction details because I did all that in my original post and did pretty much the exact same things with this version.

The knit I used is a lovely medium weight 98% cotton with a tiny bit of spandex for stretch and up close, is actually a navy and maroon marle. I still have quite a bit of this fabric left and am hopeful I might be able to squeeze a Lady Skater dress out of it (I'm pretty sure this will probably be my next knit dress after seeing this cute version).

These photos are the last set we took in our favourite photo location in Sydney... sigh.

Anyway, thanks so much for all the comments on my Miette cardigan. I've now nearly finished the bodice and will then be starting on the sleeves. So, I guess it's nearly done (well, not really...) and I can start thinking about my next knitted project!

Which brings me to this Pike Place pattern. As I am obviously not cool enough to live in the States, they won't let me buy it. How come you 'Mericans only get access to cool patterns? I really only want a download of the cardigan and not the actual pattern booklet, but it doesn't seem to be available as a digital download (I mean really?!? In this day and age?). Does any body know where I might be able to source a copy all the way down here on the bottom of the planet?

Oh well, at least while I plot how to get my hands on this pattern, there are plenty of other cardigans to be knit.

xx
Jen

PS) As some of you saw on Instagram the other day, I've gone cut all ma hur off. It was time...

Lightning Stripes Belladone

I managed to make a few things to show off before my sewing machine hopped aboard a ship and this Belladone is one of them. I made this almost straight after I had finished my Airelle Blouse because I was on a Deer&Doe kick, and because you know, new patterns are exciting! Especially when they are of the birthday present variety.

I used some amazing blue and black diagonal striped cotton, that actually has some one-way stretch in it that I hadn't realised until I went to wash it. I was kind of annoyed, but got my Tim Gunn on and made it work!! Also, I really like the diagonal stripe. I think it's quite unusual for fabrics these days who seem to prefer a vertical or horizontal stripe. Those fabrics are so missing out!

I made the dress almost straight out of the packet, except for a few minor things. I narrowed the shoulders, made the join at the top of the back bigger (I was worried about it possibly stretching out a little due to the stretch in the fabric), made the skirt longer and omitted the skirt hem facing, instead doing a simple rolled hem. I've never actually come across a skirt hem facing before, have you? Due to my time restrictions I opted to leave it off, but I think I'll give it a go with my next Belladone (as there will be a next!).

So, why is it called the Lightning Stripes Belladone?

Well, I thought it would be fun to cut the waistband with the stripe going the other way, making a small lightning strike across the dress (well, I think it looks like a lightning strike...). Also, to break up all that diagonal stripey goodness, I think it needed it, otherwise there would be the possibility of too much stripe (can there be too much stripe?).  And no, I didn't bother lining up the stripes in the waistband, but having looked at these photos, I could have probably tried to line up the main black stripe.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

And, there are pockets. A love affair that the modern day seamstress cannot get enough of. Put a pocket on something and it's guaranteed love. Who cares about a ring!

Just put a pocket on it!

So, it's only natural that I love the little diagonal pockets on the skirt, but I some how managed to make mine almost completely invisible by matching up the stripes in the fabric on both sides, very much unintentionally. They are now my magical disappearing pockets. 

 

Overall, another winner from Deer&Doe. I think this will get a lot of wear this summer, if it ever decides to warm up :)

xx
Jen

One Pattern Seven Bloggers - The Big Reveal

We've come to the end of the second One Pattern Seven Bloggers challenge and it's now time to reveal our finished Macarons.

First off, can we talk about the pockets? In-pleat pockets are officially my favourite kind of pocket! My mind is blown as to why I have never used them before, as it is, I'm quite sure I see a few Macaron skirts in my future. As some of the other challenge participants noted, the skirt is much more of a tulip shape than the pattern pictures make out and to be honest, that's why I love it. The soft pleats are very flattering across your tummy when you've had a big lunch and they hide the deep pockets so well, you could keep all number of curiosities in them and no one would know.

For this version, I moved the side zip to the centre back - something I tend to do for almost everything if I can get away with it. I'm one of these people who does their hair before they get dressed and prefer to step into a dress as opposed to pull it on over my head. I also inserted it using my preferred zip insertion method, the lapped zipper.

I underlined the yolk/sleeve fabric with a plain white cotton to stop it being as see through and replaced the neck facing with white bias binding that I hand stitched to the underlining.

I also chose to omit the bodice waist band as I tend to wear belts with almost everything. Though before I had even thought of doing that, I had to quite drastically lengthen the main bodice piece (even if I was going to keep the waist band!). I'm now officially confused as to whether I'm long waisted, short waisted or just average waisted as with almost every pattern I've made, I have to make one of the above mentioned alterations to my waist length. Any one care to fill me in on how I decide whether I'm short, long or average in the waist-length department?

Overall, I found this pattern lovely to work with. The combination of fabrics you could choose for the dress are endless as well as the number of different changes you could make (Kat made a peplum top from hers!!). The instructions are easy to follow and the dress doesn't use a lot of fabric. In fact, I loved making this pattern so much that I hopped straight back to it and made a second Macaron for the Sew Weekly Reunion Challenge right after I was done with this first version.

But, let's not forget that amazing giveaway we promised when we first announced the Challenge. The prizes have been drawn but firstly, a huge Thank You to our fabulous sponsors who donated the amazing prizes to us.

And the winners are...

Lill - 1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to Colette Patterns

Josephine - 1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to Guthrie & Ghani

MaciNic - 1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to Stitch 56

Elizabeth - 1 x Pattern of your choice thanks to Sew Squirrel

Kathleen S - 1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to Indie Stitches

Joanne - 1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to The Haby Goddess

Amy - 1 x $20 gift voucher thanks to Fabric Worm

Sew Charleston - 1 x $30 gift voucher thanks to A Fashionable Stitch

All winners will be receiving an email from one of us shortly!!

Make sure you head on over to visit everyone else involved in the challenge, they've made some amazing creations. While I've gone the more casual route, there are some stunning evening versions in there which really does show how versatile this pattern can be -

Marie from A Stitching Odyssey

Reana Louise from Reana Louise

Kat from Petticoats and Peplums

Rachel from My Messings

Amy from Sewing Through the Motions

Sam from Buckingham Road

As I was editing these photos, it occurred to me that this looks a little like a modern version of Dorothy's dress from The Wizard of Oz and that I really should have worn red shoes for this photo shoot. Oh well, now I know what I'm going as to my next costume party, I just need to borrow a Toto from someone (can a black cat play Toto? We picked them up today, hooray!!)...

xx
Jen