What's on my sewing table?

A sneak peak...

Just so you can see that I am actually doing some sewing.  I know there hasn't been much recently but I am doing something.

What's on your sewing table?

Wow, it's that time again.  Me-Made-May '12 is upon us already.  How fast did that come around?  Being a nosey parker I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is wearing over on the Flickr Group.  Not so sure I'm looking forward to taking photo's every day again though.  You know, I think it'll be a huge challenge for me this time as I don't want to bore you with the same things I wore in the last challenge but in reality I have not done a lot of sewing so fear you will see many things over again.  Having said that, I believe the purpose of  these challenges is to get us wearing the things we make instead of having them languish in the back of our wardrobes which means that I will be wearing previously seen garments.  So as not to bore you I think I will only post daily outfits when it's something new otherwise I will group a few days together.


Day 1

Ladies Day at the Races

 

Today was Ladies Day, the first day of the May Racing Carnival  and Jacqui (my daughter, in case you can't tell) and I are going to the Ladies Luncheon.  A day at the races requires a somewhat dressy outfit and I decided to try some colour blocking which I think worked quite well. My dress is made from  McCalls 7440, view C.  I've had this pattern since about 1998. (I found measurements for both of my DD's dated 1998 inside the envelope.)  I've made this dress before but this is the first time for myself. The pattern is designed for woven fabric but I chose to ignore this and used Ponte Roma, a knit fabric, as the weather is starting to turn cold and a thicker fabric was needed for warmth.  I don't think using a knit instead of a woven made any difference as I didn't want a skin tight fit anyway.  I didn't even reduce the amount of ease.  I made a few alterations raising the neckline and adding in the waist detail.  I also added a black detail with some frog closures on the front shoulder but my hair is covering it so it's not visible.  I can see now from the photo that I should have taken more time to check the fit as it looks a little large in the front shoulder area.  Mmmm... I guess it pays not to leave it to the last minute but I just couldn't decide on the colour for the middle panel.

A fascinator is also a major part of any outfit for the races.  Talk about leaving things to the last minute.  Again the dress colour choice delayed construction.  It's my own design and I put the finishing touches on it about an hour before leaving. Phew...made it just in time!

 

Two views of my fascinator worn to the May Races.  A very big three day racing carnival here.

Details:
Dress; McCalls 7440, view C modified to raise the neckline adding waist and shoulder details
Fascinator; My own design
Bag; A gift from Italy
Shoes; Bonbons from Faulls Shoes

Day 2

I've finally been forced to work out how the remote works on the camera.  I think I didn't do a bad job but I really need to find the tripod instead of using the furniture in spaces that aren't really suitable.  I had to crop the hell out of the photo to get rid of all the unwanted background. Nothing new here as far as the clothes go.  The red top is a favourite seen before.  Here I'm having a day of rest after the races and enjoying the sunset.

Details:
Top; Simplicity 4076 details here
Jacket; Suzanne Grae several years old
Jeans; Target also several years old

Day 3 - Nothing me made today.  I wore a uniform to work and them slummed around at home in old clothes.

Day 4

Another day just running some errands and doing not much else before heading off to work.  Mmm... I really need to find the tripod

Details:
Top; Kwik Sew 3617 details and my review of this pattern here
Cardigan; Tempt
Jeans; Target also several years old

A little inspiration

Spring Jonquils

Hello, how's your weekend been?  I know I haven't posted for a little while but I have been finishing off a few bits and pieces that I've been working on for a few weeks.  Over the weekend I've been busy trying to get some sewing done ready for a Spring luncheon next week and trying to catch up with all the blogs I read.

I've noticed over the short time I've been blogging that there are many sources of inspiration on the web.  I find lots of things I want to try or that interest me and bookmark them.  That way I can go back later when I have time or I'm ready to use them.  I've been doing this for a while and thought that maybe others might be interested as well and decided that I might start posting a weekly inspiration post.  These are a few I've found this week.

• Want to make your own bias why not try Portia's easy method
• Gertie shows us how easy it is to convert a skirt dart to a hem flare
• Portia gives us a easy tutorial showing how to draft a simple top .    I'll have to try this out for myself.
• Ever wanted to know how to grade your patterns.  I do and Megan gives us an easy method with this quick tutorial showing us how.
• Perhaps you would like to decorate your house with pictures.  Elsie shows us how to make our own canvas pictures using photos.
• I'm loving how Maria does her vintage style curls without heat.  I'm going to be trying this one.

Now I'm getting back to my sewing so I will have a dress to wear for the luncheon.