Haaaaaa ...

... LOL!!! Says it all ... J

Un~adorne with fabric ...

... it really is a sad, sad view! My poor little body double has not even a skeric of fabric to cover herself up with. It is a NO~SEWING weekend, and possibly even longer (gasp!), thanks to end of year school reports which 'have-to' be written up and submitted by next Friday.  So sadly my little body double has been relegated to the spot of shame, she just stands and waits patiently for me to do what I have to ... 

... because she knows all too well that there is always something coming to cover and excite her! My next dress plan for the Make-A-Garment-A-Month Challenge involves this beautiful Japanese cotton fabric, and the ever popular Vogue 8766 ... 

My plan is to sew up View D ~ the short sleeved straight version (purple dress on packet). The fabric is washed, ready to go, but there is not a chance it will be cut into before December, which is only ONE WEEK AWAY!!! So this will be my December make. Fingers crossed that this week just flies by, and my scissors can cut into this fabric next weekend. Hope everyone enjoys the last week of Spring, or Fall if you live across the pond ... J

Just a HUGE shout-out ...

... to any Aussie bloggers who are in need up topping up their pattern stash! As if I have to shout-out twice! 

Good old Spotlight are starting (another) sale tomorrow, and look at what they are doing to their McCall's patterns ...

And with the extra 10% they so kindly give us, that takes each pattern down to just a measly $1.80!!! So I am afraid that at that price, I will be out of my classroom door faster than my class tomorrow afternoon, racing even the quickest of the kids to the carpark, and then heading straight to Spotlight to see if anything is left of McCall's. 

If any of the following manage to still be there, in my size, then I think a pre-Christmas treat might be in order ...

So, are there any other crazy pattern grabbing bloggers Down Under heading to this sale tomorrow? And if so, what patterns are tempting you as we head into summer ...

Valedictory ...

Last night was my son's Valedictory! The night was just beautiful, with the storms of the past evenings holding off for both the service, and the celebrations afterwards.

~ One happy family ~

Valedictory began for the 2013 Graduating Seniors in the School Chapel, on the school grounds, with the service led by Senior Chaplain Fr Bryan Gadd ...

~ Valedictory Service in Canon Jones Memorial Chapel ~

The 2013 Graduands  then proceeded to their Valedictory Ceremony, at which the Headmaster presented each Year 12 student with a Graduation Gift and Certificate ... 

~ Jason being presented by the Headmaster ~

And then the Reception commenced ...

~ the Boys after their final War Cry ~

Some proud family shots ...

~ One proud Mum (in her new dress!!!) ~

~ With one proud big sister (in her new dress!!!) ~

~ And one proud Dad ~

Now, because this is a sewing blog, I feel I really must focus in on the dresses. First off, my Butterick 5917 finally seeing the light of day after being completed a week ago. It is just 'THE BEST' dress ever ... 

~ and no, I am not short! Daughter is 6'2"!!! ~

And my daughter is wearing the ever-popular Vogue 8904 - AKA the Shingle Dress! 

~ Two brilliant dresses! A great reason to 'clink' glasses ~

Just a brilliant night all round! A great reason to 'frock-up' and celebrate ...

A new shirt for hubby is ...

... long overdue! He started up bike riding (seriously, the Lycra cladded, Tony Abbott type of bike riding) and has lost an enormous amount of weight. Which means that his shirts now wear him, instead of him wearing the shirt. So for a quick and easy make I decided on KwikSew 3422, view B, with no extra features. The fabric being a check was enough of a feature this time around.

But, due to his changed body shape (welcome to 'My World', hubby dear), and age (just had to get that one in as well) I made one major change to the pattern. From being hunched over the bike handles poor hubby now has slightly rounded forward sloping shoulders! Admittedly, he probably always had this, but it is just such a good feeling to point out body flaws that aren't one of my many body issues. One of the best on-line shoulder sloping adjustments I found was from Peter, of male pattern boldness fame. 

And other than that, all I did was add on 10cm to the overall length (hubby is 6'4" tall), and the shirt was done! 

Oh, I did add on 2cm to the front of the yoke, and take the equivalent 2cm off the front piece - I am not fussed on how this pattern has the yoke front finish right on the shoulder line. 

And I did use a plain navy for the inside yoke, and the under collar - sometimes I just think 'all-over' check is a little too much!

All in all a quick make, and definitely this won't be the last from this pattern. Summer is quickly approaching and the guys always are in need of cool shirts to wear. KwikSew 3422 will be a winner in this department ... J

Hope the bees ...

... don't chase me in this bright floral dress! Butterick 5917 is finished! And do you know it really didn't take me that long at all. This was just the perfect pattern to sew ~ who would have thought a dress could be this easy ... 

The main feature of this dress is the gorgeous ruffle hugging the chest and neck areas ...

It is double folded, and just ever so easy to gather and insert! And in between is a little modesty panel ~ but I am seeing great ideas to use a lace insert here for a night-time feature. I played around with this little piece of fabric till I was happy with where it fell on my chest ~ too high and it made me look old, too low and everything under was on display!

The ruffle goes around the neck, and joins in with the invisible centre back zipper ...

I, naturally, needed a new pair of fresh white shoes to wear, and a new bag ~ but I think the bag is a little big for me ... will just have to keep shopping ... 

That is my November dress in the Make a Garment A Month Challenge! 

So I am adding my dress into the Butterick 5917 Wall-of-Fame! Check out all the other versions of this pattern that have been beautifully sewn ... 

Dellia Laugh Out Loud (and her dress-of-tears!)

Danvillegirl (has made 2 versions)

PrincessLeah1 (used a knit fabric)

Toy from trinilove (made a very classy LBD)

The Winter Queen (mixed it up with colour-blocking)

GoodbyeValentino (another with 2 versions)

Trinicity (and her smashing LBD)

Llanogirl (with a great vent finishing idea)

Jstarr (and her fav summer dress)

Each and every reviewer of this pattern has some brilliant tips and tricks for finishing off this gorgeous dress. Unanimous vote appears to be that Butterick 5817 is a winner ... I planned to wear this dress to my son's Valedictory in a few weeks ~ picture of me wearing it then ... J

Time-saving Tip ...

... that I really must share. Probably something you all know, and I am last on the boat, but I will share it anyway.

In a recent issue of Dressmaking with Stitches, an Aussie sewing magazine ...

Vol 21 No 11

... there was this little tiny tip to help with keeping your sewing machine clean. Like all of you, I do the lint brushing thing, and de-fluff the bobbin etc. But when it comes to the sticky gunk that accumulates on the thread spool, well, it just seems to build up with each new spool of cotton. You know, that dreadful sticky label at the top of the thread spool, that when pushed onto the thread holder smears itself all over the stick!?! Here, let me share mine with you ...

... hard to see, but this is several layers of labels wrapped around each other. Totally YUK! Well, Stitches to the rescue ...

Light globe moment! And no joke, within one minute of doing this my faithful Janome was transformed to this ...

... all sparkling and sticky-free ready for a weekend of sewing! And the little thread holder actually fits back on the stick now! So thank-you  Stitches, thank-you Eucalyptus oil and on with the sewing ...

Just as a side note, today was World Teachers' Day! And my little lovely class had this delivered to me ...

... yes, there where chocies as well, but all gone now I'm afraid. So to all my fellow sewing-teaching-blogging friends - you will get this ... 

... which is only 7 more weeks for me ... J

Why am I ...

... such a shocker when it comes to completing a garment? For the first 90% of making something I am dedicated, enthusiastic, committed, to the stage you could call me fanatical towards sewing. It's always full steam ahead planning, cutting and sewing. I am totally engaged in what I am doing. But then the nonchalant fairy waves her cool laid back wand over the room and before I know it, the next garment is being planned cut and 90% sewn. All this whilst the first one is removed from my mind, lazily hung up on a hanger awaiting the last few stitches to make it wearable ...

Left: Butterick 5917     Right: Vogue 8904

First up, I started (and nearly finished) Butterick 5917 - its a brilliant pattern! I love it! I'll be making more of this dress for summer. WOW! It was an absolute pleasure to fit and sew .... 

This is the one for my son's Valedictory in a few weeks - look at those beautifully finished front ruffles .....

Just look at this invisible zipper, fully inserted and working ...

But wait, is that the hemline not finished??? Oh, well! I guess this dress isn't needed to be worn just yet ...

And since it isn't needed, lets just pop it on the hanger and move on ... to Vogue 8904 - another WOW dress in my books! Not for me, but for my daughter who would like a new dress for this Friday night. 
Just look at those lovely layers, yes, a bit hard to see in this fabric, but in real life this dress is just beautiful.  And it's a no-hem dress - unlike the poor dress hanging in the background, there is hope for this dress actually being finished before the next garment gets a look in ...

Oh, dear! Is that just a quick neckline that needs to be finished? Too easy, will get to that tomorrow night. Because ... I started to make a new shirt on the weekend ...

A quick sleeveless version of McCall's 6436 for work. An easy to wear shirt that I regularly turn to. But is that pins in the hemline I see! Guess that is an omen for this poor shirt now. That, and the buttons haven't been sewn on yet. 
Please tell me I am not the only one that has commitment issues. There is just way too many great things to get my pins and scissors into, and not enough time in the day ...

The first of my ...

... dress collection! My big plan is to pop a few more summer dresses into the wardrobe this year. Usually I am a skirts and top type of dresser. But after seeing so many wonderful dresses being whipped up around the globe I have succumbed to their charm. I am starting to wonder if their charm is all in the fact that you don't have to match the top to the bottom, you have an instant all-in-one outfit, and only have to worry about the shoes and accessories. Though, it does feel a little like lazy dressing. But I am looking for easy care and easy wear for this summer.

First dress off the hanger is be Simplicity 2247. It's one I have had in the stash since it first came out in 2010. It is an AmazingFit pattern, which is what I think first lured me to this pattern. 

This pattern has interesting instructions - you will either love them or hate them, depending on how you sew. Because it is an AmazingFit pattern they give you loads (and then some) of helpful instructions on how to get the fit just right for your body, but in order to do this you have to continually baste the sections together, make any needed adjustments or tweaks, then take it apart just to resew it again. I guess it is great if you need to be hand feed any fitting issues. But if you already know that your shoulders are round and sloping, your tummy is on the large side, and your boobs have headed south, then this is a bit of a time waster.

Inside bodice partially sewn

But I didn't make this dress for the AmazingFit, I was actually impressed by the simplistic and workable style. I like the close fitting bodice with the princess seams, and that the skirt continues these lines. So far I would recommend this pattern to beginners, and to those wanting to learn about the fitting process in a dress of this style. I am really pleased with how this casual dress is coming together, and want to finish it ... soon! 

All that is remaining is the finishing of the zipper (I have changed this to an invisible zipper), the armhole facing, and then hemming. I have elected to line the lower half, just for personal preference, but other than that this first time round dress is 'as-is', straight from the pattern. 

What I like so far - it has been a simple breeze to sew! Nearly so simple it is boring! I am getting the feeling that this dress will need an accessory to lift it. Not sure what I mean, but just have a feeling. The fit is spot on, so I guess Simplicity has scored a few bonus points in this area. Because of the pattern on the fabric you can't see the stitching detail at all (either that or I have matched my thread perfectly!!!) And it is the first in my Make a Garment A Month Challenge, so I am well pleased ... J

And here is the little beauty finished, and worn for the day to work (please excuse any finger paint or playdough stains - hazard of the job!!! and the end-of-day-hat-hair!!!)

Make A Garment A Month Challenge ...

... and they are all just for ME!!! That's right, the first rule of this challenge is that one garment, in every month, must be for ME! Not someone else. Now this is a challenge for me. 

Sarah Liz, from over at SarahLizSewStyle is hosting this challenge. It is a very easy-going  challenge, started this month, and has lots of great fellow sewers joining up.

So, for the month of October, I will aim to make not one, but two dresses just for ME! First off will be a new basic dress for work, Simplicity 2247 in a cotton fabric. 

But as well as this I would like to trial Butterick 5917 for a more formal look. My son has his Valedictory coming up in early November, and I would love a new dress to wear.

Fingers crossed all goes to plan ... J