Shirt A Month! Is it possible SAM I AM???

What have I gone and done now??? Signed myself up to make a Shirt a Month in the coming year. blue mooney from Unzipped has started everyone off on this challenge and lots are joining in quickly. Probably the popularity on this one is that blue mooney has stated:

I think we should be inclusive rather than restrictive. We have to be able to go wherever the shirt muse takes us!  

So, when is a shirt not a shirt???? When it is a SAM, of course!!! Time for you to pop over to the Stitches Guild and sign up for this - don't wait until this time next year to discover you are short on shirts...

This really will be a fun, tricky challenge. Imagine having this problem in 12 months time - which shirt will I choose today???

My first thoughts are to divide the shirt making up into seasons ... break the 12 down into smaller more manageable sized chunks of sewing. Give me the illusion that really, this is an achievable goal. Also, it will make me look at what is needed in my wardrobe that can be worn now.

So, Down Under we are in the midst of our Summer. Read hot, humid, sticky, tropical, steamy...will stop there!! Starting this challenge in January 2012 will see me needing  summer shirts, same as for February. My first two shirts will (fingers crossed) reflect my need for short sleeved shirts using  light-wieght fabrics. Simple!!!

Using my trusty Shirt Worm I will be able to track along at how 'on target' I am, month to month. At this stage the little worm is on a big fat ZERO ... 

But, it is still 2011 and I have but 2 quick days to get my act together. The New Years Eve fireworks in Brisbane will signal my start...

How many of these hangers do you think will be filled with shirts in exactly 12 months from now???

Anyone else going to join in on this one??? Go on, we all need at least one new little white classic shirt in our repertoire - the versatility factor is with the shirt...

Scared to say...Cynthia Rowley 2250

Well I am nearly too scared to say that I have finished hemming Cynthia Rowley 2250. Yes, it did make the Top 20 at PatternReview, amongst much controversy. But I did begin it long before it was elected into the Hall of Hallabaloo.

I have already blogged about it here, but this is my final wrap-up on this dress. Daughter returned home and stood still long enough for me to hem and photograph the dress.

and as a dressier look using black.

In hindsight (aahhh!!!) probably not the wisest fabric choice for her pale skin, but a well fitted dress never-the-less. Just soooo incredibly hard to find RTW dresses that are long enough to hide her never regions from public display. No wonder the poor girl prefers pants and shorts. 

Best Patterns 2011 - Can you pick them???

PatternReview have just started their voting for Best Pattern of 2011. 

Pop over and check out what patterns came in the Top 20 for 2011. A couple of surprises, and not everyone is happy. 

Out of the 20 choices I have 4 - 

Number 3 - Vogue 2497 - have made this up twice and love it.

Number 4 - Simplicity 2443 - cut out and waiting it's turn in line!!!

Number 11 - Simplicity 2250 - hanging around waiting to be hemmed!!!

Number 20 - Collete Patterns 3 Sorbetto - sitting around with pins holding her together!!!

Have a read of the comments flowing in - not one positive comment among them. Many are electing to not vote due to the obvious absence of pants and jackets. There are 14 dresses and 6 tops, with a few variations amongst this lot. 

Was 2011 the year of the dresses and tops for you??? I did tend to make up quite a few dresses and tops this past year, but equally so skirts and jackets. And no pants!!! Am I fitting the PatternReview trend of the distinct lack of pants (trousers, britches, strides)...

How disappointing for PatternReview not to have the support of their friends. Feedback is one thing, but as Deepika (who is very bummed out by the feedback) points out these patterns are chosen based on the number of reviews members wrote in 2011.  

To try and appease everyone, Deepika has now added in 2 extra categories ...

Member's Favourite of the Big 4 and 

Member's Favourite of the Independent patterns

... so you can suggest your favourite pattern from one of the Big 4 companies as well as one from the many great Independent pattern companies. How is this for trying to pacify the masses???

So are you voting, or not? Happy with the selection, or disappointed? I am sure PatternReview will continue to have a great debate over the Year That Was...

Change of Pace!!!

Just how easy is it to be influenced by others??? It doesn't take much at all...


For me, it all started by way of DidYouMakeThat and her Snuggly Snood...

She made the mistake of linking to a free pattern over at The Guardian and that literally set the ball rolling in Snood-land...

Then SuzySewing swapped her fabric for the knitting needles to whip up a winner to wear with her summer dresses...

Barbara from Sewing on the Edge used 5 needles at once to create a cardigan for her lucky son...

And even Gertie (cheated) and sewed up a sweater...

BUT,  the final killer (in the nicest way) -
How Knitting Can Improve Your Sewing from the clever Sewaholic Tasia...

She asks the almighty questions...Can it??? Can knitting improve your sewing??? Is it realllyyyyy that simple???

So call me crazy, or just one to try anything. But although it is the middle of an Aussie Summer I too have now pulled out and dusted of my old trusty needles and have started on a scarf. You know what the feeling is like in the fabric stores, feeling the fabric, wanting it all - well the same can apply to wool. Who can resist just buying a few balls of wool to tuck away into a cupboard, just to wait for a rainy day project. Mind you, knitting projects do tend to go a bit over the top time wise.
But not this one. This scarf is one of those 'make-it-in-minute' type things...

Not great photos, will have to wait until it is finished (this evening???) Lovely colouring to this scarf, so I will be looking forward to wearing it next winter.

Now I am of the era (yes, sadly, the years are ticking by) when knitting was dependent on your ability to transcribe a pattern, and not the  ability of the wool. 

Source

Mind you, these little numbers use to keep many a Nana knitting for months on end 'back in the time'. Might just dig deep to the back of my wardrobe and pull out the ones I knitted up back in my hay-day. Just how much did the models get paid back in the 80's????


So check out the above sites and see if those of you 'Over the Pond' who are in their cooler months of the year can also be influenced to knit one, purl one, for a quick change to sewing...


Ooohhhh!!! Just had to edit this and add in Handmade by Carolyn... knitting in Summer...crazy...

Do not start anything NEW!!!

OK, my first goal of my summer holidays (5 1/2 long luxury weeks) is to finish up all the bits and pieces I have started during the year. Time to either finish, fix or dispose of. No longer will they be sitting staring at me each time I start a new project.


First off is a summery dress for my daughter. 

What a fun little number this dress was to make! With the strangely shaped bodice piece and the other multiple pattern pieces that would somehow make up the bodice it was certainly going to be one of the more unusual patterns I have worked with. The pattern envelope really doesn't do it any justice. On the photographed model it is just way too difficult to see the pleats and darts that are intrinsic to the design of the bodice. For the amount of work that goes into the bodice alone, you do want the details to be noticed.

Now like most garments sewn, I started off prowling around at PR researching how others had tackled this dress. I read all of the reviews in detail and everyone said the same thing; the bodice lining was short. And this was the best thing I could have done. Basically there are a few little tweaks that need to be seen to in this pattern.

First major tweak is to lengthen the bodice lining pieces - they are definitely too short. This has been noted by nearly every maker of the dress to date.

I will write a full review of this pattern once it is finished. So, what is left to do???? Well, I added on a fair bit of length to this dress, as daughter is a fairly tall girl, so it needs to be hemmed yet. And the straps need to be sewn into place at the last try on. So, can I finish it today???? Sadly, no. Daughter is down in Bendigo for a week, so this poor little dress can't be hung with its friends in the wardrobe just yet - back to the unfinished hanger for it!!!

OK, project number 2 to attack. Yet another dress for daughter (lucky thing). This time it is a recreation project and not a pattern. Ashlee found a pretty little singlet top that was fairly unusual in its design, but naturally it was a tad tooo short for her. So turn it into a dress was the solution...

Basically just added extra wide elastic around the waistline, attached 3 buttons to break it up a bit, and attached a gathered skirt. Then there is a wearable dress. So why is this one not finished??? Yes, that hemline yet again. 

And to the last unfinished hanging project. Can you guess??? Yes, a third dress. And another one that started with a singlet top that someone 'just loved'...

Now this one started life off as a plain fronted grey racer back singlet with a lace insert at the top. Fairly plain as a top from the front, but the back is a little different. To this I added a gathered waist skirt, using the selvedge along the gathering line for a little effect. Then the back was cut to insert the zipper. The dark grey zipper was chosen as there is a dark grey thread running through the skirt fabric, and up close it actually looks OK.  And by looking at the threads hanging from the bottom, no, it isn't hemmed yet either. We certainly are going to have a long hemming day ahead of us on her return.

Common theme to all these dresses are the exposed zipper - easy to do but not my favourite style. This look is quite in with the 18 year olds at the moment. All 3 are cool and summery, and ideal for our long hot summer ahead. But back to the unfinished hangers they go...

So that leaves me with no unfinished projects in my books. I tried, but can't finish any of them. Time to move onto the first holiday project for me...

Last work outfits for 2011!!!

It is that time ... the last week of work for the year!!! 

2011 Work Year virtually ticked off. 

One more week and then 6 glorious weeks of rest and relaxation -

read sewing, sewing, sewing

Usually at this time of year I am ultra busy at school -  testing, writing reports, tidying up loose ends, but for some reason this year school life is well and truly under control. So under control I actually had plenty of time this weekend to sew. 

Even though I have more than enough mix and match outfits to see me out for 1 more week, I naturally want to wear something 'new' to the class party, and also for the last day of school. Mind you it is a bit silly to be wearing something new on the last day - clean-up day - so will probably wear it on the second last day. Last day is typically 'daggy old day', filled with scrubbing desks and tidy trays.

Back to the latest outfits. Have had 2 beautiful pieces of fabric watching me for most of the year, just enough in each to make a couple of quick skirts. Nothing exciting or creative, but just good solid skirts that will see me through for a few years to come. And small bonus that the same pattern will serve both pieces of fabric - different styles, different fabrics.

Pattern is an oldie pushed to the back of the pattern boxes...Butterick 4686, six sew easy skirts in one packet. Must have picked this one up back in the 2005/ 06/ 07 era. 13 reviews on PR all seem to put this one in the 'easy & great for beginners' and 'great wardrobe builder' categories so it should be ideal for my needs this time. 

First skirt off the rack - I followed View B, a pleated skirt with side zipper. No rocket science moments to report in the making of this one. No muslin needed as with all the pleats it is super easy to tweak it to your shape.

The sewing of the pleats around the yoke certainly have a slimming effect on the flabby mid-drift area. EveS from PR noted in her brilliant rendition of this skirt that the pleats all faced the same way, and I agree with her totally on this. Though decided after pinning that with my fabric this didn't show up, so I left the pleats as per the pattern. But I think this needs to be considered depending on your fabric choice.

Only two minor changes to the pattern...

I used an invisible zipper so that the left hip area lay as flat as the right hip area - purely for aesthetic reasons.

Lengthened the skirt to fall just below my calves. Not much else to bore you with over this skirt - quite simply a great easy to wear skirt!!!

Second whip-up of this pattern was using View E - flared below mid-knee skirt, back zipper and trim.

The wind blew and made the hemline wonky!!!

A few little tweeks to this version as well -

First off I used the selvedge of the fabric for the trim between yoke and skirt. It had a lovely woolly look and feel to it and I just couldn't throw it away.

Next I fully interlined my skirt in white to give it a little more body.

Yet again, another invisible zipper popped in - think I should look at taking out market shares in the invisible zipper company. I certainly am supporting this niche in the sewing industry big time!!!

So that is all there is to this pattern - so quick and easy it is embarrassing. At least I know, as usual, that what I won't see the same thing in the staffroom at lunchtime. And yes, it has happened several times this year to others. Two people in the same dresses on the same day - and neither will ever wear their dresses again. So not only have they spent money on a store purchased dress, it now sits in their wardrobes in shame. Who said sewing was a waste of money???