Simplicity 7032 progress.

I first decided to make this pattern in February 2011, can you believe that?! A year and a half ago? Talk about procrastination! The good news is that I am cruising along now and am getting close to finishing it.

I want to share with you some photos of where I am currently up to. Please be kind, this is the first jacket I have ever made. I know some of the seams are a bit dodgy, and the scallops are not perfect. But I am learning quite a lot from making this two piece suit, so for that I am grateful. I think a pink two-piece suit is a necessity for any vintage wardrobe.   :-)

Here are some photos of where I am up to with the jacket...

 ~ The back of the jacket has not yet been pressed ~

 ~ The Liberty Betsy fabric I intend to line the jacket with ~

 ~ Elbow dart ~

The skirt has been cut out and is ready to be sewn up. I am going to make it with an invisible zip because I like the look of these, even though the pattern asks for a side zip.

So, my question to you all is what is your preferred garment underlining method? I would love to get some tips/recommendations before I decide on how to underline the jacket and skirt. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Sam xox

Simplicity 7032 progress.

Do you sometimes have sewing projects that you over think and put of making? It might be that you have some expensive fabric that you're too scared to cut into. A project that feels insurmountable. Or a pattern that calls for a technique you have not yet tried. 

I have been procrastinating this jacket and skirt pattern for well over six months now and it needed to stop. Months ago I had overcome the hurdle that was the interfaced scallop collar and edges, with pleasing results. Now it was time to sew on the fitted sleeves and begin on the lining.

I am almost finished the sleeves and lining. Stay tuned for photos of this jacket finished in the coming week!

By the way... does anyone have any tips on lining a garment???

Sam xox

My latest patterns.

I hope these inspire you!

~ McCalls 4097 ~

~ Hollywood Pattern 1014, 1698, 1799, 1609 ~

Sam xox

Simplicity 5034 wrap dress in progress.

~ I am sewing view 4 ~

Do you ever embark on sewing projects that end up causing you more trouble than you anticipated??? 

I purchased this fabric with the intention of 'whipping up' this wrap dress. Boy was I wrong. This dress has now taken more that two weeks of intermittent sewing to get to this point...

Problems I have had thus far:
* I could not get the pleats and darts on the skirt right. I swear I followed the pattern correctly but the skirt ended up being much wider than the bodice. Also, when worn, all the pleats added a lot of weight to the hips, so I removed most of them.
* I lowered the neckline, because it was seriously choking me.
* It turns out my shoulder to waist measurement is quite short, or I have a high waist, and this is a problem when sewing a dress that wraps at the back. When first made up the back gaped terribly! I threw the dress in a ball in the corner of my sewing room for a week, then my mother-in-law suggested I raise the waist - duh of course! I raised the waist a couple of inches and good bye gaping back!

Simultaneous to this project I am making some summer pyjama shorts (or pajama if your in the US)... a quick project that is guaranteed to work.

All I have left to do on my dress is sew on the bias binding, attach the ties, and then hem. Hopefully I will get this done by the end of the weekend.

Sam xox

Etsy eye candy.

Sharing some images of patterns I am loving on Etsy at the moment.

~ From here ~

~ From here ~

~ From here ~

~ From here ~

~ From here ~

Hope you found these as inspiring as I did. Roll on summer I say!

Sam xox

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

Vintage pattern giveaway.

~ Simplicity 2154 ladies slip dress ~

I recently purchased a few vintage patterns on ebay (more on that later). One of the sellers was selling two of these vintage slip patterns in the one auction. The item description did not say whether the pattern had all the pieces, so I took the chance and bid hoping that with the two combined I would end up with a complete pattern.

Arriving home after work yesterday I found the package waiting for me on the door step. After tea I opened all the patterns to check all the pieces were there, and found that both the slip patterns were complete! I know that I have no need for two of the same pattern, so I am giving one away to a lucky reader!

The photo above shows an example of what the pattern looks like because I haven't yet found the cord to connect my scanner up yet. I have modified the pattern sizes to the correct size in the picture to prevent confusion (36B 39W). The pattern envelop is pretty tatty, or you could say well loved, but the instruction sheet and pattern pieces are in perfect condition.

I think this sized pattern is a good giveaway choice, because it could be easily scaled up or down depending on your size. Due to my 'pear shape' the bust is a little large for me, but it will fit my hips. This pattern would be perfect for underwear or even a summer dress.

Anyone anywhere can enter this giveaway simply by leaving a comment on this blog post.

The winner will be drawn at 8pm 4th September 2011 Sydney time.

Good luck!

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

My Walk Away dress - Butterick 6015.

As promised here are some photos I took this weekend of my Walk Away dress!

I whipped this dress up in a couple of hours last weekend, but had to wait for a sunny day to take some photos. This dress was very easy to make. I have the reproduction pattern so it has the various sizes on the pattern pieces, which was useful for me, as I have a pear-shaped body. I was able to cut the bust to one size, and then the waist and hips in a larger size.

There has been a lot of hating towards this pattern, the general consensus online seems to be that it has no shape and looks like a large apron/hospital gown. I totally disagree. I think (for my shape at least) that it turned out to be super cute and is a perfect dress for our warm Australian summers. I do think though that the success of the dress relies on good fabric pattern choice, and the correct contrast bias binding - otherwise I do see how it could end up looking like the wearer was disappearing beneath 4 meters of fabric!

I wore this dress out today, visiting a cafe and doing a bit of shopping, and three people complimented me on the dress! That never happens when I wear the clothes I make - so for me this dress was a success :-)

I teamed the dress with Casey's latest romantic Edwardian updo. This was my first attempt at the hairstyle and I think its a cute look.

Positives for this pattern:

* The pattern fitted my body perfectly and required no altering.

* The bias binding was very easy to do and finished off the sides nicely.

* Sewing in snaps and button fastenings was a nice change from the usual zipper insertion.

Negatives for this pattern:

* It requires 4 meters of fabric, so this is probably a pattern I will only make again if I find some fabric on sale.

Have any of you ever made this pattern? Would love a link to see your version :-)

Sam xox

Loving these.

Some of my favourite patterns for sale on Etsy at the moment (if only I had the time, fabric and money!).

~ Click Here ~

~ Click Here ~

~ Click Here ~

~ Click Here ~

~ Click Here ~

A girl can dream right?

Sam xox

My vintage Simplicity 1430 blouse.

I have been feeling in a bit of a sewing slump recently. As fellow blogger Amy put it, I think I lost my sew-jo. I was beginning to get a bit worried, as I really wasn't feeling in the mood to sew much at all. On Sunday morning I sat cross legged in the middle of my sewing room and laid out all my patterns on the floor. I stared blankly at them, trying to select one that I could make in a day and that wouldn't be too much in cost for the fabric.

I really feel like sometimes I am my own barrier, like I build up some of my patterns in my mind to be harder than what they actually are. I know I do it, and am thinking of taking up Tilly's challenge and journaling my sewing productivity.

I think that might give me a little insight into my sewing routine. You see, Sunday morning I was sitting deflated on my sewing room floor, and by that evening I had one blouse completed and three other projects lined up ready to sew. I think I definitely need a happy medium between apathetic and obsessive :-)

As promised, here are the photos of the blouse I made. I used the Simplicity 1430 pattern I purchased from Etsy a number of months ago. Why did I wait so long to sew it? Well, I purchased this pattern early on in my 'discovering vintage' stage and did not understand what "unprinted pattern" actually meant. You can guess my surprise when I opened the envelope to find a bunch of shaped tissue papers with nothing on them but holes of various sizes. It was like sewing Morse code! I was scared half to death and placed the envelope at the beck of the shelf.

After a few months, and much vintage sewing blog reading, I finally understood how to use an unprinted pattern. On Sunday morning I went to Spotlight and bought this black fabric plus a cute floral print for Tasia's Crescent Skirt pattern (more about this later this week).

Sunday afternoon was spent sewing and watching the Formula One Grand Prix. This pattern was an absolute breeze to sew! Seriously, the pattern has very clear instructions and the finished garment has a very polished look to it. The pattern suggested fastening the sleeves with snaps, but instead I made use of self cover buttons for the fastenings.

I also made a few other small changes.

- I removed one of the waist darts so that it better fit my pear-shaped body.

- I didn't include bias tape around the neck as the fabric was so sheer.

- I used buttons on the wrist of the sleeve instead of snaps.

This blouse took me around 4-5 hours from cutting to finish. Like I said, it was a very straight forward pattern, and my size only used 1.2 meters of fabric, which made it a very cost effective sewing project.

~ I am so happy with how this turned out ~

~ Side view - you can see how the waist darts give a more 'fitted' look ~

~ Button up at the wrist ~

~ Bow ~

I have this Liberty of London fabric on my shelf, and I think I will use it to make View 1 from next...

Thanks also everyone who left me comments on my last post. It was really nice to hear your good wishes, and thanks heaps to everyone who pointed me in the direction of gluten free help! You're all gems :-) I will let you know how I go.

Sam xox