Waiting!

Remember this skirt?  The poor thing has been sitting in my sewing room.  Waiting.  Yes, waiting!  Ohhh yeah, that's right... you're not the only one who would rather start sewing from scratch instead of altering an ill-fitting garment.  So... it's been waiting.  Waiting for about 18 months for me to decide that I really need to get a move on and fix it so I can be wearing it again.

Even when I first made this skirt back in 2011, I was never happy with the fit of it.  The design sits lower than the waist but isn't low on the hips either.  For me, this isn't a very comfortable design; it just seems to float around.  Because I have a small waist, it defies gravity and doesn't stay put resulting in a skirt I didn't wear.   I decided an alteration was necessary if I wanted to wear it again so into the sewing room it went to wait, and wait it did!

Fast forward to 2013 and I finally did it.  It was way too big all over so I removed the waistband and took it in 4cm (2cm doubled) on each side all the way to the hem.  I made two extra darts in the front to accommodate my small waist, reattached the waistband and here we  have the end result.  A skirt that fits, is comfortable and I will definitely wear.  Often!  It looks much better now, don't you think?

What about you?  Do you leave things this long, or maybe longer, before you actually get around to doing alterations?

Don't know what's going on with the frown!

Note to self:  Take more than one picture; straighten your clothes and make sure you're ready for the photo to be taken and stop frowning!!

Grey on a not so grey day

It's been so cold and wet here lately I've been waiting for some decent weather to wear my new hoodie and finally we got some last weekend.  I wanted something I could wear for those cooler days of Autumn, something that will wear well with layers or just on it's own and Kwik Sew 3667 was exactly what I was looking for.  Over the last couple of years I've been trying to add some colour to my clothes but this time I felt the need for something a little less interesting, a neutral.  The kind of colour I feel the most comfortable in and works with most everything else.  I didn't want a dark colour and thought a light grey fleece would be perfect but then I found this jersey knit which looks and feels very similar to a ponte knit, in this grey, kinda beige...let's call it a greige colour and I love it.

It was so quick and very, very easy to make up.  It took an afternoon of interrupted sewing to make.  The most difficult part was...oh, yes, that's right, there wasn't anything difficult about it unless you want to count threading up three machines difficult.  Well, yeah that was!  What is it with overlockers not wanting to play nicely?  I really like the loose and simple styling of this pattern and even though I like to dress casually I don't normally wear this kind of thing, I prefer something more fitted, however I can see myself wearing it often as it's so comfortable and will probably make it up again.  Don't worry though, I wont be getting into tracky dacks any time soon; they are definitely NOT my thing.  I can see myself wearing it with a straight skirt too.  That might be my next project...

Good old Aussie fly's; see the one on my arm, they stick to you like glue!

Details:
Hoodie; Kwik Sew 3667, view A
Top; Suzanne Grae 
Jeans; Just Jeans
Shoes; Nike



My review of this pattern:


Pattern Description:
Pullovers have a double wide waistband.  View A has wide three-quarter length sleeves, kangaroo pocket and hood.  View B has boat neckline, extended shoulders, deep armholes finished with narrow hems.

Pattern Sizing:
XS - XL.  I made size S.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, very easy. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I particularly like that this pattern was so quick and easy to sews.  The only dislike I had was the all over amount of ease and too much gathering at the waistband.

Fabric Used:
I used a double knit jersey, similar in weight and feel to a Ponte knit.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I shortened the length by 6cm and the sleeve length by 2.5cm.  Because I made a smaller size than I would normally make due to the amount of ease this pattern had I also added some width on the waistband to fit my hip which also reduced the amount of gathering.  After seeing the photos; the pocket comes up too high so if I make it again I would shorten the pocket as well.

Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?
It's not a style I usually wear so probably not but I would definitely recommend it for others.

Conclusion:
I found this top to be a super quick and easy pattern to sew.  It was very comfortable to wear even though I prefer more fitted styles so if it's a style you would wear I suggest you consider trying it.

Happy Mother's Day

 

...to all you yummy mummies out there!  I hope you've had a lovely day sharing good times with your families making new memories.
Did you enjoy breakky in bed this morning?
I didn't :(  Sadly, no kids living at home any more but I have spoken to them throughout the day :)

Then my daughter arrived to cook me dinner with these gorgeous flowers.  The most beautiful potted tulips and unlike cut flowers which die all to soon, I can enjoy them again and again as they continue to flower each year.  Thank you.

Enjoy your day!

Goodnight; sleep tight

After my last post, I must say I was really itching to get some sewing done.  Actually, I've been feeling this way for a while, but time has been a scarce commodity of late.  Anyhoo, I wanted a nice quick project to get me going and at the same time I wanted to work on my stash. 

With the weather cooling down quite a bit at night recently I found I was in desperate need of some new winter pj's, several pairs actually.  I found the perfect piece of fabric; a piece of flannelette I've had for around 12 months bought especially to make some pajamas.  I laid it out; placed my pattern on... oh no! Not enough fabric.  I know I'm short but what was I thinking when I bought it; must've been having a senior moment, duh!  Everyone does that don't they?  No?  Oh well...!  I couldn't be bothered trying to figure out how to make it work so back it goes and another search ensues resulting in more flannelette.  Now this fabric, also bought for pj's, has been in the stash for...I dunno, maybe 10 - 15 years.  I bought it back in a previous sewing life.  Will there be enough this time?  Oh I hope so, I really want to get sewing.  The fabric was so skinny I wasn't sure I could use this one either.   Luckily I could.  

The pattern I used is Simplicity 7071 and I've had it even longer than the fabric.  I didn't want just plain pj's, I wanted to do something a little different and I've got an old pair with a faux fly front so I copied the idea and just eyeballed the shape.  I didn't get it quite right but it's not bad.  It'll do, after all they're just pajamas, right?

They went together so quickly and easily I thought what the heck, I can make the other fabric work so out it came again and I ended up with this pair as well.  Pattern matching was a nightmare (no pun intended. He he!)  It's a printed pattern not a woven one and it wasn't straight so with the shortage of fabric I didn't get too fussy.   I added an unfilled piping and a band around the bottom of the leg to get the length I needed.  For the tops; what do you like?  I like the comfort of t-shirt tops and I'm just using some old ones that are being downgraded.

I'm pretty happy with that. Two items in one week - yay!  I also reckon this qualifies as my stashbusting for the month too, maybe even sewlutions.  Now I can sleep in warmth and comfort.

Good night; sleep tight!