Notions Of Fabric

Hiya all! Now that I have posted all my catching up makes, I am up to the most current makes! I have developed a new strategy - spend the half term (or part of the holidays) cutting out things and then I have lots of projects set up for the term time, when I can actually only get a half hour or so of sewing time in and I don't have time to cut things out! I cut out 6 things for the last half term and all but two are finished (I have one dress which isn't even started, but also a bomber which only needs a zipper which is almost finished!), so I'm currently at the point where I'm thinking about the next set of things. Add to that the fact that I finally got a hair cut (thanks to lockdown easing!), so I thought I'd snap a few pictures of my most recent batch of makes. This dress is potentially the most successful thing I've ever made - definitely the best toile! I've worn it at least once a week since I made it - sometimes 3 times in a week, when I'm at hom...

 In the lead up to last summer, I made 2 pairs of what I considered 'essential' summer shorts. This is the second pair I made (the Landers have already been blogged!). And of course, they have become essential. I wore them all summer long and once it got too cold I popped a pair of tights on and a warm jumper on my top and kept wearing them! Both of these pairs will be looking after my wardrobe for years to come. This is the Maritime pattern by Grainline. I have made these shorts twice before, once in star print stretch denim, and once in heavy blue linen. They are my favourite shorts pattern so why mess with a classic? I think this also officially makes it a TNT (3 makes does that, right?)For fabric, I used a perwinkle twill I bought from the Village Haberdashery which I dyed black and added to some black remnants I already had from a (very old) Chardon skirt. That made sure I had enough fabric for both these Maritimes and also the Landers I made too. I cut a size 8 same as la...

I had a vision in my head in early spring of what I thought would be my perfect Summer 2020 look. It was black Landers (in a previous post), a white tank, and a breezy cover-up in some kind of sheer material. I knew it would be perfect for me in summer - the sheer nature of it would make sure I didn't overheat, but the sleeves would make sure I didn't get sunburnt. Despite the fact I'm Australian, I have one very English quality - my skin is so pale I can get sunburnt on a cloudy day! Literally has happened several times. So I set out to make the Sew Over It Sylvia Robe for the summer. I picked a lovely sheer black crinkle chiffon from Minerva with a vintage-style floral print on it. I figured the black base would mean it went with other things if I wore it outside of the one outfit in my head! I picked the short length for outdoors, and made it a size down from my measurements (M). I feel like this is just pleasantly oversized, and the sleeves are the perfect length for no...

I realised as we were approaching last summer that I had denim shorts, and navy blue shorts, but no shorts in black - which was clearly an oversight. So I made 2 pairs! This pair is by far my favourite and I have worn it loads. I am really pleased with the fit on it too! This is the Lander shorts pattern, which I have made once before. I really like the fit on these. I made a size 8, as last time I cut and made a size 10, but then ended up taking it in at the waist. I also made the hem of the shorts a smaller hem this time to give me just a little extra length. For fabric, I used a perwinkle twill I bought from the Village Haberdashery which I dyed black and added to some black remnants I already had from a (very old) Chardon skirt. That made sure I had enough fabric for both these Landers and also the Maritimes I made too (blog post incoming). As these shorts were going to get a lot of wear (and I knew that they would ahead of time due to their versatility), I put extra care into them...

It's another New Look 6048! As you can probably tell by now, I love this pattern and feel very comfortable wearing it. The fabric for this dress was another Village Haberdashery purchase. This was my first Rifle Paper Co. fabric purchase, and it is the 'Wonderland Alice Tea Party' in black. I have always loved the story of Alice in Wonderland and when I saw this tea party themed print, knew I had to have it. The colour palette is very me and it's fun but not too excessive. Choosing this pattern for this print was easy, as the fabric is a cotton, but more of a quilting cotton in terms of weight and drape. I find NL 6048 good for this kind of fabric as I like when the skirt has some shape to it. I remember being in the store and messaging the husband with a question: 'Would a whole dress in this print be too much?' The answer was a resounding yes, so I bought enough for the skirt and picked up some plain black cotton sateen and a complementary sky blue zipper...

This dress is truly and oldie but a goodie. It's another Ruby dress! My usual size, this was the first one I did with the full bodice lining rather than just a facing. If I'm totally honest, most facings I just find super annoying, especially on a dress like this. You might as well might make it a full lining and have more clean finishes as well! This Ruby in particular has become my favourite. It's a cooler weather staple which I wear all autumn and winter long, usually with tights. I added a couple of inches to the length of the skirt to make it a little dressier (and a bit better for work), and with the pretty but subdued print. This dress has become my good luck dress! I wear it regularly around once a week in the cooler seasons, but it also gets washed in time for every important occasion. I wear it for the first parent teacher night, I wore it to multiple job interviews last year (and I got offered the two that I wore it to!) and it really ...

This is a dress which, while I don't regret making at all, I do wish I had done slightly differently. It was a real adventure though... I was coming up to Christmas, thinking about what to wear to both mine and the Husband's work parties (I get to go to his, but he doesn't get to go to mine!). His is always easy - it's black tie, and I only see the people once a year, so I have a few very fancy dresses that are RTW which I rotate through. In all honesty, I don't have much interest in sewing a dress for a black tie party, given I only have one a year - but that may change in the future, I guess. When it comes to my party, as a teacher it is a much more chilled affair. I do need an outfit, of course, but it doesn't need to be black tie. So, I made the super decision on a Saturday to sew a new dress! The party was on the following Friday, which was also the last week of school before the holiday. So on top on prepping for the end of the term, and my Christma...

Today I have a double post - both patterns which you have seen on the blog before. Let's go from the top down! The top is another  True Bias Ogden Cami ... I think I've made 5 at this point? I wear a lot of this style top (and did before I discovered the pattern), so I am now in the process of updating my original Primark tops in this style with Ogdens. I have also found that every time I find a print I like but am not sure if it will work as a dress, I am tempted to get a metre and make a top. Maybe I need to start making some for others! This fabric though is pretty special. It's the first ever silk I've seen with! It's a sandwashed silk, which I purchased on Goldhawk Rd while in a meet up with Claire of  Claire Sews   What I actually had planned for sandwashed silk is to make an underdressed in black to go with an embroidered tulle fabric I have in my stash, but given I'd never sewed with silk before I thought it would be a good idea to test it first to make ...

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I love being a part of fandom and talking about my favourite books, TV shows and films. I love Pokemon (as evidenced in my last post by my Pikachu tee), Doctor Who (see wayyy back in the archives for my exploding Tardis dress), but my one true fandom love is Harry Potter. I read the books over and over throughout my life, they really helped me through tough times growing up. Now, I am a proud Hufflepuff (represent!) who, honestly, is a little shocked that I don't own any me made Harry Potter things! I have owned many a tee throughout the years, and currently wear almost exclusively HP socks, but I never found the right fabric for a themed dress until the Knitting and Stitching show last October, where I found this amazing HP newsprint fabric! While I have been trying to steer away from quilting cotton (which this is), I am not averse to using it when the design is so relevant to my interests! I made a NL6048, a pattern which I have made m...

Hey all! Hope you're having a lovely week. Despite being on holidays, I am keeping busy - between school prep, wedding prep, my TAFE course, learning to ride a motorcycle, and generally being an adult who does adult things... I have been busy! Getting a little knitting done (mostly when I'm on public transport), but not a whole lot of sewing, unfortunately. So I have dredged the photo archives for some more which were taken way back in July to show you today. I wear this top all the time (I have 4 incarnations of this pattern), and yet it has never made it to the blog! I really need to work on that, actually. This is the Deer and Doe Datura top, and I love it. In fact, out of all the ones that I've made, this is my favourite. I've got this pattern down to a fine art now, and can whip one out in a few hours. I make a size 44, with a slight tweaking to the side seams to decrease the flare a little. As this was my first version, the length is as per the patte...