Month: October 2015

Spring smells so sweet

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Wearing less layers is how I like to welcome in Spring so a decent frock made from Liberty print fabric from Minerva Crafts UK and a Cynthia Rowley pattern is my October project of choice.

While this style is very contemporary, I did a ‘u-turn’ and applied the shirt collar to the dress, giving this dress a 50s ‘Roman holiday’ feel to it.
Now the Liberty fabric followers among us know Liberty fabric is lovely quality both the fabric, print and feel. Stop me from gushing about this fabric now.


To check the fit of the bodice, I made up the shirt version and loved it. The dress doesn’t come with the collar but I love a collared dress, hence I added it to this dress without checking the length of the collar to the bodice neck seamline.


I initially had heart palpitations about the collar not being long enough to reach the centre front and I was about to rip it out and add leftover fabric to lengthen the collar. Hmmm. Then I slept on that idea and in the morning, I left the collar the way it was.

I’ve lined the bodice with leftover blue lining from my earlier Minerva projects. The skirt is unlined and lovely to wear. The buttons were easy to find on their website.
Here’s a progress photo I took to check the fit of the dress before I sewed up the side seams. 


I’ve gotten into the habit of taking photos as I sew to give me a different perspective on my sewing projects. Sometime I’ll put these photos on instagram for feedback.


Then I’ll take photos to help me style up or learn to wear what I’ve made.


Either way, checking your work as you go helps make the finished project work. The last test I do is to wear it for a day and see how it feels. Once the weather warms up I’ll put my Winter boots away.

Xerea and Pitt Trading

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Paulinealice’s Xerea dress with Pitt Trading’s brocade fabric makes a great dinner dress.

You know how you get the Friday txt to say, ‘are you guys free for a birthday dinner tomorrow night?’ Well it’s rude to say no. 

The suggested venue was a French restaurant in the city so it was easy to choose the perfect dress to wear – this brocade Xerea (or 2.0).

Ok. So it wasn’t a formal occasion but it was a night out with friends so why not make a special effort?

It would have been very easy to simply use the ‘dark side’ of this brocade for the whole dress, but I decided to show off both sides of this lovely fabric.

I know I don’t need pockets on a such a gorgeous dress but they’re still there if I need them.

This dress has all the changes I made from the original dress and is lined. PS. I’ve worn the test dress – Xerea 1.0 – a few times now. I think it’s because it’s a great Spring style too.

Thanks Pitt Trading for indulging my current interest in brocade fabrics.

When you’re on a good thing…

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…stick to it. In the sewing world, when a pattern works for you make it again because you know you’ll love it. That’s what I’ve done this month using Minerva Crafts remnant fabrics. This type of post was bound to happen.



So you know that the Minerva Blogger Network has a tonne of creative bods who sew and create. And… you know I’ve been a Minerva blogger for a couple of years now. So a couple of us chose the same Liberty print so we decided to do a challenge post. You’ll read about it later this month.
Long story short, this blog post is about using the Minerva remnant fabrics I had in my stash to create Issey Miyake jeans (V1204) and a black knit top (Butterick 5497).


I know these jeans work. And the fabric is great. It’s firm yet soft and has an all-over print that is distracting.

Yes I did make these jeans last year in another great Minerva Crafts print. This pattern works just as well with a non-woven denim or drill as it does with a stretch woven. That’s why I’ve stuck to using this pattern again.


One idea I had as I was running out of fabric was to use a plain fabric for the back pockets.


Mr V voted against this idea so I managed to strategically find the same flower for the back pockets #2.


Each time I make up this pattern I check the centre back seam as each fabric stretches differently.
Getting the fit right at this stage is less of a hassle that making jeans that you need to wear a belt with.


Speaking of belts and waistbands, I did run out of fabric for the inter-waistband but I found enough for the belt loops.

There was just enough fabric left to ensure there was a flower on the front pockets.


Then Butterick 5497 was another well tested pattern that I wanted to use again. You can’t go wrong with a dark knit top. I went with View B this time. View A is the version I made before.
The beauty with this pattern is it gives you a waistline. That’s gotta be a good design.


This top uses elastic along the shoulder line and across your mid section. The gathers across the shoulders and under the bust means you have a lot of wiggle room. View C would be worth trying for trans-seasonal styling. I added a wide elastic lace piece on the hem to bring these pieces together.

About the fabrics:
Both fabrics wash well and feel comfortable. Yes they iron nicely but I avoid ironing weekend gear, where possible.

So what’s stopping you try making jeans or a simple tee. Ok, at least grab a knit fabricfor a simple tee. You’ll find plenty of new fabrics to peruse over.

Keep an eye out for our Liberty print post later this month.