French knickers.

Remember this book I wrote about a few weeks ago?

Here is my first creation from the book, these french knickers...

I had purchased this lace some time ago on Etsy, and it finally arrived. The lace is a cream and light green 6.5" wide stretch lace. I used the french knickers pattern supplied in the book and the result was great. The only change I am going to make is to adjust the shape of the crotch piece, but other than that the pattern was perfect!

And I think they go splendidly with the 1920's chemise-inspired top I made a while back using this tutorial.

Sam xox

Sweet nothings.

~ A very nice lingerie & unmentionables sewing pattern book ~

Hi friends,

Life has finally settled down and I am getting my sewing mojo back. It's amazing ins't it how when you're life becomes hectic and chaotic, things slip away? I let my sewing slip away for too long, and it has made me sad :-(

My machines spent one month packed in a box, another month trying to find their place in the great mess that was our spare room, and admittedly the last few weeks being mostly ignored. Last weekend we were reunited, and I think I have been forgiven.

On Friday I had the day off work and made a point of tidying up and putting away the last few bits and pieces in my sewing room. It is now organised and ready for sewing projects which will just mess it up again. I placed all my patterns on my shelves, and fabrics in their piles. It was a good reminder of all the projects that have been patiently waiting to be made for these past three months.

In the afternoon I went to the Newcastle Craft and Sewing Show. The tag line for this even was "it's sew you"... but it just wasn't! None of the stalls in the 8 aisles inspired me. To be honest about 15 seconds after entering I wanted to run, as it all really wasn't my taste. However, a little voice in my head grumbled "you've just paid $7 parking and $14 entry to be here. You ain't leavin' yet!".

Most of the stalls were focused on either scrap booking or pre-packed quilt kits. Not that there is anything wrong with these crafts, but there really wasn't any stalls that catered to the dressmaking sewer.

Thanks to the little voice though I didn't turn and run. Hiding up the back of the room sat a book stand that was selling more craft/sewing books than I have ever seen in one space, and they were really reasonably priced. I browsed a number of pattern/dressmaking books and decided upon this one...

"Sweet Nothings" by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader. A book about sewing unmentionables, complete with patterns galore. It was the first time I have found a sewing book dedicated to sewing unmentionable items that include patterns too! I am planning on making some French knickers and have purchased some wide stretch lace from Etsy which will hopefully arrive next week. I guess it is a little too early for me to be giving a book review as I have not yet sewn anything from it, but I have read it through word-for-word...

So this can be considered a pre-book review. And as any good book review (pre or not) wouldn't be complete without some sneak peaks inside the book, here are a couple of shots of whats under the cover (wow cheesy pun, I know)...

~ Some templates need to be enlarged using a photocopier ~

~ Pattern instructions come with detailed illustrations ~

~ Pyjama's made some a vintage sheet ~

~ Double sided paper patterns are supplied too.

You simply trace them onto paper to use ~

You can check it out here on Amazon too.

Sam xox

Sew and save.

I found this little gem tucked away in a book shop in Sydney. It is a reproduction of the original "Sew and Save"published in England in 1941. Written during war-time, this book promises to help its reader to:

* Transform old clothes into new with simple adjustments.

* Plan a family's wardrobe using a four year program.

* Make children's clothes from tired adult garments.

Written during a time when rations and coupons were all people lived off, this little book is a poignant reminder of what dressmaker of days gone by have lived through, an important reminder for those of us who sew clothes in the twenty-first century!

It really makes me appreciate that clothing is so readily available these days, and I am choosing dressmaking out of interest, a creative outlet, and stress management. These women had to rely on their dressmaking skills to clothes themselves and their families for the cold British winters, making do with whatever materials they could lay their hands on. It is quite honestly hard for me to put imagine myself in these women's shoes, when I live a comfortable life and have much (too much) choice in fabrics, trimmings, patterns, etc. Makes me very grateful indeed.

The book has a chapter on making undergarments, and gives detailed instructions on how to draft a pattern for and then sew together a brassier. I am seriously keen to give this a try, however, please do not expect to see photographs on here of me modelling my undergarments! hah- although I could always put it on Cindy my dressmaking mannequin, she never wears clothes.

This book truly has some timeless advice inside its pages, however, I think the page on knitted underwear really could have stayed in the 1940's... itchy!

Sam xox

Fashion design drawing course.

A while ago I read a positive review of the book Fashion Design Drawing Course (sadly I can't remember whose blog it was).

I went onto Amazon and had a look through the first couple of pages and liked what I read. The idea in the book of using something tangible in my environment to inspire my dressmaking I found really interesting. Currently I sew pretty safely, choosing patterns and fabric that are pretty conservative. The idea of beginning not with a pattern but with a colour, texture, or shape of something else entirely sounds quite liberating!

Whilst I may be jumping a little ahead of myself, as I have not yet purchased the book, I have identified my dressmaking inspiration! I am going to base my first piece on the acans corals my husband keeps in the fish tank in our living room...

At the moment I am thinking of working with plain cotton fabric and dye, with some embellishments too for shape... possibly making a skirt?

Sam xox

Prints Charming.

For anyone living in or near Sydney, listen up. Prints Charming is holding a Spring Fabric Sale!

Details as follows:

Saturday 4th September

9:30 - 2:00

2 Young Street, Annandale

Those of you not living near Sydney, do not dispair. You can get your Prints Charming fix hereby visiting their blog, and if you like what you see, consider buying their book:

Different countries have different book titles and covers...

In the US it is called Sew Charming --> click here to have a look on Amazon.

In most other countries the book is called Prints Charming --> click here to have a look on Amazon.

Just in case you were wondering, I am in no way affiliated with Prints Charming, I am just giving the recommendation because I love their style :-)

Sam xox

5 days down. 178 to go.

Almost reaching the first week of my no-clothes project, and I have to say I have had some reactions of surprise and encouragement from friends and family who I have told about my no-clothes project (I think the name is cute, if not a little on the nudist side?).

I have been looking for a good quality sewing tutorial book for a while now, and I think I have found it! After much researching and review reading online, I have decided to purchase "Sew U - the Built by Wendy guide to making your own wardrobe".

Sew U is written by Wendy Mullin - a New York fashion designer and the brains behind the Built by Wendy label, and you can visit the website here.

The book contains three basic Simplicity patterns: pants, button shirt, and skirt. There are also tutorials on how to alter patterns and create your own pieces.

I am super excited and can hardly wait for it to arrive in my mail box!

Psst! I am also very excited and encouraged by all your kind comments! I am looking forward to keeping you up to date on this little project!

Sam xox

Cross stitch.

I have been working on a sampler cross stitch these last few weeks, as it is so much easier to just pick it up and do a few stitches, then having to pull out all my sewing so I can sew or quilt.

I found this book at Boarders a fornight ago and fell in love with it.

It literally has 2001 diffrent cross stitch designs inside. It is really cool because you can pretty much design any cross stitch you want from this book. It has different themes, a section on boarders, and a variety of sampler patterns.

I chose this pattern because it only requires two different coloured threads. I have to admit, this thing I dont enjoy with cross stitching is when you have to keep changing your thread colour. I appreciate it is important to a design to have a variety of colours, as it looks so much better, especially in things like flowers. But this is a simple sampler, and I think only having the two colours makes it very striking.

So far I have finished the 'M' pannel and I am beginning the 'N' panel.

Sam xox