Category: print

Gertie and a remnant

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This dress is pieced together with remnants from fabric I bought from Pitt Trading.

Here’s the original dress I made from this remnant so you can see the original print.

I decided to use this print to test the bodice fit and construction of Butterick 6453.
I’ve used my basic pencil skirt pattern with the pockets from Deer and Doe Belladone skirt.

When I tackled these remnants, it took some time to decide on what pattern to use across the dress.

Looking at the bodice, I wasn’t sure this would work.
I didn’t have enough of the print to have it run the full width of the bodice.
These are the pencil skirt pieces I used.
Again I wasn’t sure how this would balance with the bodice.
At this point I sewed up the dress and did an initial bodice fit.
This was the moment I felt this dress might actually be a goer.
The pattern Butterick 6453 offers bodice facings. I’ve used calico to fully line the bodice.
The lining has plenty of boning in the seams so that it sits smoothly against my body sans bra.
See how it fits across the back bodice?
The side seams don’t match but they do fit snugly.

If you’re into detailing, you can see I’ve used a gold bias trim on the hem so the hemline looks consistent.

What you won’t be able to see are the bronze metal bra notions on the dress straps.

When Summer holidays kick in this year I think I’ll get a bit of wear from this dress.
Now to buy some fake tan spray.

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The beauty of Beatrice

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Beatrice was Laura’s Sew Chic dresses that I really wanted to make. That was before Fifth Avenue was released. So I’m very lucky Laura was generous to send me both dresses to make. Thank you Laura.

Beatrice is a stylish fitted dress with a lace overlay.

If you’ve used Sew Chic patterns before, you might find the paper used is wonderful. It’s so crisp and white. And the sound it makes me want to just get stuck into making her dresses.

The neckline is a bit different. The pattern has neckline facings but I love a fully lined dress and that’s what I did.

I originally thought this fabric would work and decided to buy some lace too so I could have a lace version and a brocade version.

Above is my test version of the bodice using cotton stretch woven print, just to be less predictable and add a bit of fun to the testing stage.

Adjustments:
Roll shoulder adjustment to the bodice pieces and the sleeve head.
I’ve raised the bodice up so that it sits at my waistline.

The peplum isn’t part of the pattern. It’s a piece I thought would balance well with the fit of the skirt and top. I’ve used the waistline trim from the Beatrice pattern.

Now I’m happy with the bodice fit. The side seam zipper instructions are Ace!

Now to make the lace or brocade version.
PS: You do know that I’m testing Beatrice for nix?
PPS: Laura is about to be a Craftsy presenter. Have a look at her latest blog post.

zebra print – m5752

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View A is the cap sleeve version and I’ve used this zebra print in a poly knit fabric.

The key pieces to get this pattern to sit right are the midriff panels.

Before I attempted making this dress I had to face up to the my actually sizing, take a deep breath of reality and adjust the midriff. The adjustment lines are on the pattern with an additional instruction sheet to help adjust the pattern to fit your shape.

The midriff facing is a nude colour knit and I think if you really want to have some support, use a power knit that you would use for swimwear, as an option. I’ve also used seams great on the shoulder seams for long term stability.

This is definitely going to be a social dress and not one that I wear to work, although I’m tempted to put the zebra amongst the pidgeons 🙂

Upside down maxi dress

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Here’s my first attempt at recycling a RTW garment.


I love shirring and we’ve had our end of summer sales. At Tightrope they had stacks of shirred maxi dresses for $10. I wanted a top that had shirring on the hips so I bought a maxi dress that had shirring around the bust, cut it in half, turned it upside down and then created the neckline and armholes.


The shirring is now on my hips.


I played with the armholes a bit to make sure you couldn’t get a side view of what’s beneath the top. My cousin’s who know I’m a dag, found it amusing. Maybe I’ve now got some design cred? The left over fabric will be used for a top shortly.
Tomorrow I’m cycling training so that’s it for now.

colour break – Kwik Sew 2683

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As you can see, I’m taking a colour break.


This was the first top I made today. There’s no science in the pattern placement and the neckling on the pattern was tight around my neck, so I’ve dropped it a bit.


When I sewed on the FOE on the neckline, that’s when I had used the one step process with a ‘few tears’ when I had to resew the FOE on the back neckline.
This pattern has my usual adjustments. I got this knit last month when Pitt Trading had their 50% off sale.
By the way, this is a really comfortable top to wear to work with my purple skirt. My work mates have been very supportive as they usually see me in greys and blacks around the office..

Winter warmth – Kwik Sew 3617

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Here’s the fabric that I bought at The Fabric Store in March. I liked the colour, fabric print, fabric feel and level of spandex in the fabric. Spandex ensures that the fabric doesn’t bag to quickly. The downside, is it can make the fabric feel harsh or cold.

I enjoyed making this pattern up earlier this year as a dress and this fabric gave me the opportunity to build a brown knit top to go with the layers I wear in the winter.

As you can see, the fit is very relaxed and it’s comfortable to wear.
After attending an Industry day, I’m still not interested in quilting or patchwork. What I did do with this pattern and fabric was to use another brown knit fabric to embellish the neckline.
With the amount of sewing gadets I have, it seemed wasteful not to use the cutting board, blade and ruler to prepare the bias piping. I used some webbing to iron the piping in half so it was easy to use on the neckline.

Fabric stash #7 – Kwik sew 2683

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This fabric piece was one that I thought would be a good pattern for one-piece swimmers. The background is dark so I’ve now made it into a basic top that I can wear with jeans or brown work clothes.
The fabric is a light-weight poly jersey. I didn’t have enough for long sleeves so I used short sleeves.
Since wearing this top in our humid summer, it’s comfortable but could be nipped in a bit to hug my waistline better.