Ginger skirt in navy linen.

Here is my first project for 2013. A Colette Patterns Ginger skirt in a beautiful navy linen.

One of my new years resolutions (I know I haven't posted about these yet - I will soon I promise!) is to sew at least five different patterns from the Colette Patterns range. I pledged this resolution on Karen's blog post "Put your money where your mouth is". This goal is motivated by the fact I own too many a number of patterns from the Colette Pattern's range, plus the book, and all I have made from the brand to date has been a bunch of Sorbetto tops, and some Nutmeg knickers. That's all! Which is just so silly when these patterns are so cute!

You see, I have a weakness for small scale floral prints, and let's be honest, any Tana Lawn fabric from Liberty of London (Twitter and Instagram peeps you have surely worked this out by now!?). I usually turn these fabrics into dresses or tops. Whilst having lots of floral garments is nice, and quite pretty to look at in my wardrobe, I am in dire need of some wardrobe staples. Classic garments in basic colours to complement my floral addiction. For this Ginger skirt I knew I wanted a plain navy fabric. I went to Spotlight and found the most incredible navy linen.

I cut this Ginger as a Version 1 in a size 8. I didn't take any length off the hem as I like a knee length skirt. I used an invisible zipper and added some top stitching to the waistband.

And I have a confession to make. I just couldn't help myself. I may have added some Liberty to this skirt... see if you can spot where :-)

What I learnt from sewing this pattern:
- Linen feels divine.
- Linen creases easily.
- Waistbands lined with Liberty "Fairford" make me smile :-)

Sam xox

Finally, a Sorbetto in Liberty.

I am so blown away by all your nice comments and emails about my Cordova Jacket - I honestly couldn't have made it had it not been for Tasia's amazingly clear instruction sheet :-) Let me know if you give the jacket a try, I would love to see your versions too!

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This Liberty of London 'Lodden' has been in my fabric stash for a little while now, and I couldn't quite decide what to do with it, as I had only purchased 1 meter. When I saw the illustration of the Cordova Jacket, I knew a Sorbetto would sit nicely underneath a jacket of that style. The navy's match perfectly too!

I sewed a size 4 in the top, with the only adjustment being I added three inches to the hem line. The Sorbetto's I have made in the past all sit at a nice length when worn with a skirt, but when I wear them with jeans they just feel too short. The three extra inches on my Liberty version really makes a difference! I also added self made bias binding from the left over fabric. I will post a little tip on how I made the bias binding later this week.

I have been saving all the little scrap pieces of Liberty that is left over from every project I make. My dream  is to one day make an entire Dresden Quilt using my scraps of Liberty fabric, with the plates set against a plain white cotton. Sounds amazing doesn't it...?! Slowly slowly :-)

Sam xox

Cordova jacket.

After keeping this secret for almost two months I am so excited that I can finally show you my Cordova Jacket! To be honest I was a little nervous about sewing an intermediate jacket pattern, as I have never sewn a jacket before (though I do have one half completed). When I saw the pattern and read through the instructions the nerves completely settled. Tasia really does know how to write simple, easy to understand instructions without "dumbing down" the patten or techniques. This jacket had it all; lining, zipper, interfacing, princess seams, and a peplum.

I decided on navy for the colour and fortunately found the perfect Italian wool crepe in my local fabric store. I had promised Tasia a Liberty of London lining, but it just didn't seem to suit the drape of the crepe fabric. Instead, I opted for a soft lining fabric in a pinky/latte colour. I sewed a size 8 and did not have to make any changes. The jacket went together very easily thanks to the clear instructions. I am soooo happy with how it turned out. It looks dressy and casual at the same time, know what I mean? Also, my husbands comment was "you could buy that in a store".... always a nice compliment (do other people say that to you as a form of compliment when you make something?). And I did keep my promise to Tasia in a way, I made a Sorbetto top from a Liberty of London Tana Lawn to match the jacket!

So without further ado, here is my version of the Sewaholic's latest pattern, the Cordova jacket...

If you want to try making a Cordova jacket for yourself, visit the Sewaholic pattern store.

Sam xox

Chemise and knickers gift set.

Are any of you maintaining a long distance relationship with a dear friend? I am and I miss her so much! We aren't strangers to long distance friendship, having done it before. Mill lives in Zurich now and I haven't seen her for over a year. We still keep in touch through emails, texts, postcards and Skype dates, but none of it is the same as actually being face-to-face. I wanted to make her something special for her birthday this year, and knew a set of delicates would fit the bill nicely.

I followed Casey's 1920's Chemise tutorial for the top and used McCall's 2389 for the knickers. I had great success with this Chemise pattern last year when I made it for myself with a set of French knickers. For the Chemise I used a medium weight ivory satin that has a beautiful drape. I matched this with some ribbon for the straps and an ivory stretch lace. The top was constructed using French seams and a rolled hem. For the knickers I chose a Liberty of London Tana Lawn because, well, is there any cotton softer than a true Tana Lawn?! All the knickers needed were some thin pieces of elastic and a small piece of cotton jersey for inside of the crotch piece.

The pair were then wrapped in a vintage scarf, tied with ribbon, and posted to Switzerland. Mill loved them and the fit was perfect, much to my relief!

Sam xox

Liberty Sorbetto dress.

This dress is the result of cross-inspiration. 

A Liberty fabric dress.

And Alys Fowler.

Two years ago I came across an Ilana Kohn dress made from Liberty fabric, and knew one day I would try and make one for myself. Once I set up my Pintrest account I saved the dress there too just so I wouldn't forget about it. I loved the simplicity of the dress, the bias binding and the curved hemline. I imagined it would be so perfectly comfortable to wear during our hot summer months.

This year I was also inspired by the dresses Alys Fowler wears in her BBC series The Edible Garden. Her knowledge of permaculture and indubitable love for her garden inspired me on my gardening endeavours, while her offbeat gardening attire inspired my seamstress within.

I drafted the perfect gardening dress today using Colette Pattern's Sorbetto as my starting block. I deleted the centre front pleat and lengthened the top by about 14 inches, taking into account my hip measurements and adding width to the pattern accordingly. I also lowered the front neckline about an inch. I made a wearable muslin first using the brightly coloured floral fabric I blogged about yesterday. I discovered the wearable muslin had a few mistakes. I had not removed enough of the pleat section so my darts did not reach the right position on my bust. Also, I added three pin tucks to the centre front neck line which did not look that great. The first dress will be kept for sleepwear in the summer months, because it is cute, but a little shabby and not something I would be confident to wear out in public.

For the second pattern draft I removed more from the front pleat, added half an inch to either side hips, shortened the length to sit above my knees and decided not sew the pin tucks. I sewed this draft up in the blue mock Liberty and it turned out so much nicer!

~ It was 14oC and raining for these photos - so so cold! ~

I drafted the hem line slightly curved, which I think is a nice touch. The bias binding works well with Lawn fabrics because it gives the soft fabric some structure and shape. This dress took be no more than one hour to make!

This dress is going to look so cute in a Liberty Tana Lawn! The only trouble will be deciding what fabric to sew it up in.

Any suggestions Liberty fans???

Sam xox

Sewing plans afoot.

I have had visions of Spring sewing dancing around my head for almost two weeks now. Tasia recently launching her beautiful blouse and shorts patterns only increase my anticipation for the coming Spring. Almost two years ago I came across a dress made from Liberty fabric that looked simple enough to make. I plan on drafting one similar using the Sorbetto pattern as my starting block, then altering it to suit my vision.

Before I rushed off and ordered my Liberty fabric, I first needed to make a wearable muslin from substantially less pricey fabric, to ensure I have the fit just right. I knew that Spotlight sells imitation Liberty (Japanese lawn) for $15 per metre. Luckily for me, two of the three fabrics I ended up buying were on sale for $5 per meter, so I bought enough to make two dresses and a Sorbetto top for work. I also got some bias binding to match.

 It was interesting to see the change in this fabric when matched with various colours of bias binding.

In the end I chose the pale brown as I think it calms the fabric down.

 I paid full price for this Japanese Lawn, so this will be made into the 'proper' dress.

At $5 per meter, this will be my wearable muslin. Hopefully it won't look to gaudy when finished!

This is a style of print I don't often wear (I am a floral's girl at heart), but I think it should look good made into a Sorbetto and worn for work.

Now you know what I'll be doing tomorrow!

Sam xox

Handmade Liberty pin cushion.

Made from Liberty of London 'Wiltshire' fabric.

14 x 1" hexagon cardboard templates.

English paper piecing method.

Hand stitched together.

A little Christmas gift for me.

Sam xox

If you want to learn how to sew with the English paper piecing method, this video demonstrates it well.

Hand embroidered Christmas tree decoration.

After seeing these hand embroidered Christmas tree decorations on Etsy a few weeks ago, I was tempted to try and make my own. I gathered some calico, stuffing, a scrap of Liberty 'Wiltshire' fabric, and embroidery thread to match. I cut the square just over 3" in size and hand embroidered the pattern. I then hand stitched the two squares together, slipped in a little stuffing, and attached some thread to hang the decoration from a branch of my tree.

Why not have a try yourself?

Sam xox

The latest Liberty.

I'm falling in love with...

Emma & Georgina...

~ found here ~

~ found here ~

& Dora...

~ found here ~

~ found here ~

Sam xox

The teacher becomes the student.

Last weekend we had my sister-in-law Sarah and her partner to visit. Sarah and I spent Sunday afternoon sitting in the sun, drinking bubbles, and reading magazines as my chickens 'free-ranged' around our feet. About twenty minutes in Sarah asked me the magic question - "Could you teach me to sew?". A conversation rapidly followed that uncovered her plan to replicate a beautiful quilt she had found in an antique shop (the photos of said quilt were stunning!).

My brain clicked over as I thought of what sewing project she could embark on right there and then. I showed her the bikini I had made myself at the beginning of this year, and she was keen! We set ourselves up in the sewing room, and an evening and a morning later Sarah had her very own bikini. She did a seriously amazing job. There would not be many people who can sit at a sewing machine for the first time and manage to sew an elasticised garment using four way stretch fabric. She was thrilled to bits and I hope she has now been bitten by the sewing bug.

 ~ And sew it begins ~

 ~ Sewing elastic onto four way stretch fabric perfectly - and this was her first time sewing?!? ~

Monday evening I quickly changed from teacher to student as I began my 12 week sewing course at a local community centre. The course promised help with any sewing project I brought along. I decided on taking my scalloped jacket/skirt project as this little beauty has been taunting me for some time. I just have not had the confidence to tackle it yet. 

~ Light pink fabric is for the skirt lining, Liberty fabric is for the jacket lining, dark pink is the main fabric ~

~ The cutting tables were so roomy ~

During the class I was able to sew up a muslin of the skirt and have it checked by the teacher. The fit was perfect so I cut out my fabric. I was taught how to sew tailors tacks to mark the dart placement instead of using chalk. I have the skirt now all cut out and my homework this week is to sew it up to the point where the zipper is inserted, as I will do this in class next week.

Sam xox

Scalloped jacket and skirt progress.

I realised the other day that I haven't given much of an update on the progress of this pattern being sewn together...

I was planning on having this outfit sewn up ready to wear during my trip to Melbourne this weekend. Unfortunately, I procrastinated too long on the lining and it will just not be ready in time.

A month ago I made a muslin of both the jacket and skirt. The skirt fit perfectly, even though the pattern size was smaller than my measurements (does this ever happen to you when using vintage patterns?). The jacket muslin worked well, but I still need to perfect the scalloped edges (does anyone know of any good websites that give tutorials on sewing scallops neatly? Mine are just not sitting right).

This is the gabardine fabric I purchased to make View 1:

It is so luxuriously soft that I am sure it will break my heart a little to cut into it!

I have been waiting patiently for the perfect lining fabric to find me. As you know I love Liberty of London's Tana Lawn, and really preferred this for the lining. But after almost two months spent searching ebay I couldn't find the perfect fabric. That is, until I found this pink Betsy...

I was instantly in love, and just had to bide my time for the right amount to be listed on ebay for a reasonable price. I watched 4 auctions end before I finally won this fabric. My heart was set on it but I just wasn't prepared to pay too much for it, because it was lining after all.

Pink Betsy arrived in the post yesterday and it is perfect. I am hoping that there will be enough left over after lining the jacket to make a simple top to make the suit complete.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Sam xox