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Working with tiered fabric can bring you undone. The fabric has some give but not as much as you need – just look at the picture above. It’s stretch over my chest and that’s not the look I was after.
The pattern is a basic top that I’ve done before so I used it as a template but I added 2cms to the side seams and went for 3/4 length sleeves so it’s now a little black dress. 
The black fabric was a bargain from Pitt Trading – one of my favourite haunts.
Tip: if the tiers won’t stay in place when you’re sewing the seams. stay stitch them in place. The green/grey fabric was a cinch to sew together but the black fabric was not co-operative.
I did buy the pink version of the black fabric and as it’s more a colour that would suit my 4yr old niece, she might get a groovy hoodie jacket for her birthday next month. She loves pink
Month: April 2009
McCalls 8557 – tunic to dress
Being short is always a design challenge. This season there are some great prints out there and I just love them when the fabric quality is also available.
We (the girls) recently went on a fabric shopping trip to Melbourne and we had a jam-packed three and a half days of scouring the fabric stores in and around the CBD. With so much great quality fabric, how could a girl resist.
The challenge now is to create these fabric into this season’s wardrobe because there’s always nothing to wear…
This pattern has a dress, tunic top and pants pattern and it’s now out of print. The pattern is an early overlocker/serger sized pattern that I’ve made up in a grey jersey sans spandex.
This pattern has both centre back and centre front seams.
This pattern has a dress, tunic top and pants pattern and it’s now out of print. The pattern is an early overlocker/serger sized pattern that I’ve made up in a grey jersey sans spandex.
This pattern has both centre back and centre front seams.
This feature makes the pattern easy to fit for instance, I have a sway back so this was easy to fit.I will use an all-in-one facing at the neck opening because it’s a bit tricky for young players. I increased the hip width and straightened the hem width so it wouldn’t add too much bulk around my hips and thighs. I took the fullness out of the sleeve so that pattern wouldn’t engulf me.I did a rolled shoulder adjustment so the collar would sit nicely.
I will sew this again as it’s very similar to Leona Edmiston’s latest dress design.
This fabric is from The Cloth Shop and it’s great to wear. Just ask them for a piece.
I will sew this again as it’s very similar to Leona Edmiston’s latest dress design.
This fabric is from The Cloth Shop and it’s great to wear. Just ask them for a piece.
Vogue 8379 – $4 dress
This year my aim is to use my unused patterns. Last year I bought a few patterns because I felt I needed to update my style a bit. My height and weight dictates the type of styles I wear but I love colour. When I saw this wrap dress pattern, the diagram on the envelope hints that plain or small pattern fabric would suit the design.
Last year I visited The Fabric Store in Surry Hills and after spending time admiring the fabric, I bought a 2m jersey remnant for $4. Navy is one of my colours and the jersey stretch memory was really strong.
After assessing my true measurements (deep breath), I did my normal sway back adjustment, rolled shoulders, and increased the waist measurement (something I’m dealing with post Easter).
This pattern has a couple of pleats at the waistline that I left in to see how they helped the style line. After measuring the shoulder to waist measure, I elongated the bodice by adding 2 cm because the waistline seemed too high for me
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The other thing I changed was the skirt fullness. Again, my height and developed calves means I avoid skirts that are full near the ground. I took 5cm out of the skirt fullness.
The pattern is designed for 2.3m of fabric and I only had 2m, so the front wrap we replaced with a normal skirt front. I didn’t add a zipper because of the strength of the spandex in the jersey. I also left out the sleeve cuff because I avoid drawing attention to my hips.
I also added interfacing on both pieces of the collar to keep the collar in place. Now I need to decide which knit dress I enter in the Knit comp on Pattern Review.
Easter flaounes
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These are the first flauones I made this year for Greek Easter. There are 90 in total and I couldn’t have done this without my godparents and two aunties. Yes. Greek cooking is handed down from generation and making Easter foods is a tradition that takes lots of logistical planning, energy and a passion to achieve. But it’s so much fun if you have the right reason for taking on such a traditional task.
Flaounes are the Easter currency. You take these with you when you visit friends and relatives during this time of the year. I am officially on my ‘p’ licence when it comes to Greek Easter treats.
Here’s a simple recipe from my cuz:
Filling
3 1/2 blocks haloumi
1 kg tasty cheese
15 double yoke eggs if possible or 15 single
3/4 – 1 cup sultanas optional
fresh mint cinnamon
mehlepi and mastiha (check with your deli for these spices)
2-3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup semolina
15g (3 packets) beer yeast mixed with warm milk
add 3 eggs into yeast after 10 minutes
Mix dry stuff first then wet leave mixture for a couple of hours
Dough
3 kilos S/R flour
2 blocks unsalted butter,
mix together in 1/2 cup of milk
add 1 sachet of yeast,
mahlibi,
mastiha,
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
add to dough knead add warm water as needed
leave mixture for a few hours before making
kali orexi
kwik sew 3617 – dress version
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When I recently made up this pattern in the v-neck top, there were a few comments of how some sewers had overlooked this pattern.
I had also overlooked this pattern until I attended a knitwit showing last year and I fell for the version of this top that was part of the showing.
Spot the belt…
I’ve now trialled the round-neck version to create a dress using fabric from The Fabric Store.
The neckline instructions suggest interfacing the inside neckline but I wanted a clean neckline finish, so I interfaced the outer neckline piece. The neckline sit very nicely and I used lettuce edge on the sleeve and hemlines with a basic red overlocker thread. That’s the nice thing when you’re using an all over print. You don’t have too be too prescriptive with your thread or finish choice.
I’ve trimmed the waistline so that it sits better on me. I realised this adjustment would be necessary after I made the neck version recently.
I also added extra room around my hips, but then trimmed it off once I sewed the side seams together.
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Excuse the mess in my sewing room. I’ll clean the mess at some point. 27/4 – My room pic has now been replaced with these new photos.
Vogue 7610 – Jeans jacket
One of my very experienced sewing buddies discovered this jacket pattern a few years ago and made it in a pink denim. It looked great. She put lots of effort into choosing the notions and the features to include/exclude from her jacket.
On my first attempt I used size 12 pattern and only adjusted the hem length to suit my lack of height.
The fabric is a non-stretch woven so eventhough this first attempt is big around the shoulders (not good), I was able to see that the 10 size would be a better fit with stretch woven fabric. The skirt is made from scraps that I bought at my first Akira fabric sale. I had to sew the pieces together before I could use them for the skirt and you’ll notice that no patchwork skills were used.
Then I made the next version in a blue/brown stretch cord fabric and it turned out to be a handy layer to have during the cooler months. I wear dark denim jeans with this jacket and I avoid the mistake of denim jacket and jeans, that we the go in the ’70’s.
Finally I went nuts for the stretch woven cord and bought the brown version and did it all again.
If you’re into the details, I used large press studs with long prongs, to get through the layers of fabric.
The next time I try this pattern, I’ll make the shirt dress version but without the pockets on the chest and I’ll need to think through the type of pockets to add.
More stash catchup pieces
With blue skies above, I made up this dress with matching fold over elastic. I can’t remember where I got the elastic from or when, but a most sewers, when you see fabric trims that you think could be useful, you buy them, knowing that you’ll use it one day..JPG)
I tightened up the neckline so that it wouldn’t flip open and instead, it’s formed some pull lines from below the bustline. When I wear this, I stretch it over my frame and the pull lines become less obvious.
I use ‘seams great’ to reinforce the shoulder seams with every knit top I make. The neckline shape holds really well, so this product is one that I rely on.
