Dartless, sleeved New Look 3668

The title says it all, really!

When I cut out my teal 3668, I decided I may as well cut one out of some lawn that I bought specifically to make another 3668. 

Due to the drapiness of the lawn, I decided to omit the back and waist darts to give it a more 'blousey' look. I kept the bust darts and added the adorable little sleeves from New Look 6000.

Derpy derp face. "I can't move my arms".

I'm very happy with the result. This one is going to get a lot of wear!

The Japanese lawn was $8/m and the buttons were $1.50.

This is the third one I've made so it came together very easily.

Recent purchases

I have made a few sewing related purchases lately and thought I'd share them.

First up is this lovely vintage re-issue pattern. How gorgeous is it? I'll be making one in winter.

 

I also purchased two books from The Book Depository. This one, which is so full of solutions to fit problems that I really got confused:

 

And I decided to buy Gertie's book. I must confess to feeling slightly underwhelmed by it. There were only a couple of things that I would make- nothing screamed out 'MAKE ME!!!' I do like these two though.

I was a bit disappointed by some of the projects in the book. Most of all, this one. The fit is terrible (hey, I know I probably can't do better, but I didn't write a sewing book) and the darts don't match up! 

 

Having said that, there are a lot of useful tips and techniques in the book and I do like it.

What have you bought lately?

A quick one

I haven't blogged in a while but I have been sewing!

My band had a gig on what was probably the hottest day of the year (many of you have probably heard of the hot weather we've been having Down Under this summer) and it was OUTDOORS! I knew that our regular uniform of long black pants, black shirt and orange tie would be unbearable for a 3-hour gig, so a week before the gig we all had a chat and decided to wear black pants/ skirts with a solid-coloured top.

Of course, I have many a solid-colour top in my wardrobe, but I wanted to make something sleeveless so I didn't end up with massive, unattractive sweat stains on the sleeves.

So I used some lovely teal gorgette from my stash and whipped up another KwikSew 3668.

I haven't taken any proper photos of it yet, but here is an action shot from the gig- which was super fun, despite the heat. We gained a bunch of new fans.

I've also been maintaining my resolution of sewing for other people. My daughter Elizabeth turns 3 in a few weeks and I'm making her a softie. I let her look through this book and choose whichever softie she wanted.


 

She chose this unicorn/ pegasus. Unigus? Pegacorn? 


 

So far, mine is looking underwhelming. I've never made a proper sofite before. Did I mention that I HATE hand sewing? Gah, sewing on the horn and ear was a nightmare! I say 'ear', singular, because I made two ears then promptly lost one! 

 

I just need to make and put on the other ear, wings, mane and tail. I think she'll like it, no matter how demented it looks.

Oh, and you may notice that the one in the book has hand-embroidered eyes. I think I may have mentioned that I hate hand sewing, so I bought some sew-on googly eyes.

 

Before and After

We went to a local attraction today - Natural Bridge, a really cool rock formation in the rainforest up in the Gold Coast hinterland. The last time we went there was two years ago. I went looking for the pictures we took the last time we went and had to have a laugh. Here's a couple of shots from the last time:

 

And here's one from today.

 

No wonder none of my clothes fit me any more! I feel so much stronger, healthier and more confident with some meat on my bones .

Helloooooo 2013!

Wow, 2013! I can't believe it. It was only 13 years ago that we were welcoming the new millenium. I feel so old! Wahhhh!

So, what are my sewing goals for this year?

I don't want to feel that I need to make a certain amount of items per month like I did last year. Instead, I am going to learn to TAKE MY TIME on projects instead of rushing through and ending up with something dodgy. 

Resolution #1: Quality, not quantity!

When I first started sewing, I only made stuff for my kids. Then last year I decided to be selfish and concentrate on making clothes for myself. I've just realised that Jimmy is still wearing pants that I made him two years ago, so I'm going to start sewing for my kids again. I also want to start making gifts again. I'm ashamed to admit that I only have one handmade present this Christmas, and that was a pair of shorts for a 9-month old that took about 40 minutes!

Resolution #2: Sew for people other than myself!

I've made quite a variety of garments for myself, and looking back over the projects I made last year, there are definitely some styles that suit me and some that don't. That goes for colours as well. So now I want to stick to garments that suit me.

Resolution #3: Figure out what styles and colours suit me best and stick to them!

Like many sewists, I have an enormous stash of fabric. I don't know if there are actually people out there who ONLY buy fabric for a specific project, but I'm not one of them. If I see fabric I like, I will buy 2 or 3 metres of it, mostly with no idea what I'll use it for. So now I have a massive stash of fabric waiting to be used.

Resolution #4: Use fabric from my stash and only buy if necessary for a specific project!

Bring it on!!!!

I've already done #2 today- I made a library bag for Jimmy, who starts school in a month. I will post a pic soon.

Here's my last project for 2012 that I squeezed in on the 30th of December. It started off as a $2 dress from an op shop. I loved the skirt but it was clearly made for a teenaged girl as the bodice was too tight even for my tiny bosom. So I turned it into a deliciously twirly skirt. 

I drew in a slip for modesty's sake...

The madness is over!

...the madness that is Christmas, of course! 

We had a great day, full of food, laughter, and presents. 

My children got thoroughly spoiled by our extended family, and so did I. 

My favourite gifts were my first-ever Colette pattern from my sister-in-law (I have the sewing handbook, but that doesn't count) and a book called The Dressmakers' Bible from my mother-in-law. Although I already have three or four sewing books, this one is great as it concentrates solely on dressmaking techniques.

I'm looking forward to making up the Lily dress in the new year.

Also, I may have treated myself to a dress or two...or three! Teehee. Every single day I go to Modcloth and drool over all the loveliness there, and in November when 3 dresses I loved were on sale, I bit the bullet and placed an order. They arrived last week and I wore this baby on Christmas day. I also got this and the same one in red.

I'm always in charge of desserts on Christmas day, and as usual, I didn't disappoint. This is a spiced Buche de Noel (Christmas log) with maple marscapone cream and toffee shards. YUMMMMM. 

I'm a pretty crappy cook, but when it comes to desserts, I rock!

 Here's a pic of the kids and I. They are all still in their jammies.

At the moment I am working on Colette Pastille, from the Sewing Handbook. After I traced and cut my pattern, I did some research and it seems the general opinion of this pattern is that it's a bitch to fit!!! Gah! I will give it a red hot go, though. I will sew up my muslin tomorrow and see how bad it is!

2012 sewing round-up

My main sewing goal at the start of this year was to make two garments a month. That doesn't sound like a very ambitious goal, I know, but I have two small children and it is really difficult to find the time for sewing. Anyway, it's time to see if I managed to attain that goal. I haven't even counted them all up yet so I have no idea!

So here they are, in no particular order.

 Hawaiian skirt/dress

 Springtime Watermelon Dress

 Fitted sheet top and easy gathered skirt

 New Look 6078

 Two skirts for my little girl

 Red floral Kwiksew 3521

 New Look 6000

 Good Enough To Eat Dress

 Butterfly Dress 

 New Look 6808

 New Look 6873

 Butterick B5711

 Kwiksew 3521

 Backwards Birdie Blouse

 Winter New Look 6078

 Pinafore dress for little one

 New Look 6078

 Self-drafted cot quilt cover

 Two reversible, appliqued pinafores for little one

 Shitted feet dress

 New Look 6808

Anna Maria Horner Study Hall skirt

So, it does seem that I pretty much reached my goal of two items per month! I probably cheated though, since there are a few tiny person's clothes and some items that are technically muslins, and a few that are not that wearable.

So what were my hits and misses?

Misses:

New Look 6808- it doesn't fit all that great.

Blue Kwiksew 3521- it was the first dress I made and boy, is it obvious! I've probably worn it 3 times.

Study Hall skirt- even though it looks fabulous and took me ages, I just don't like the length. I'll try to give it more of a chance in 2013.

Hits:

Hawaiian shirt/dress- I love it and can't wait to wear it again!

Red Kwiksew 3521- gets worn once a week in summer

Winter New Look 6078- I just love it!

Springtime Watermelon dress- always gets comments!

Easy gathered skirt- it gets worn a few times a week and is easy to dress up or down.

So there you have it! 

If you are reading, please leave a comment...do you have any tips for me? Which kind of dress/ outfit do you think I should stick to making and which ones should I steer clear of?