Polka dot pencil skirt

I've been eyeing off some lovely skirts around town lately - there's something so very stylish about pencil skirts, but they can also be a lot of fun. I have baulked at the prices, however, not to mention felt a little guilty at all the wonderful fabric sitting in my stash just waiting to be made into something wearable. So I decided to get me a pattern and have a bit of a crack at one myself.

I wanted my skirt to be fitted and lined with a back zip and kick pleat, so I hunted down a great (read: easy) pattern from Vogue (it's on sale!) and went to work using some left over Michael Miller spots (grey on black) I used as backing for my Allan's Lagoon quilt.

I am pretty pleased with my effort - only one mistake (that I've noticed so far) and that was sewing one of my darts the wrong side on the lining (and no one will ever see it!). I did sew the zip a bit too 'high', but it turned out fine and meant I could omit the hook and eye (fiddly little buggers). I also omitted the faux welt pockets and tabs - maybe I'll tackle them another day, but I didn't want to over-complicate what is my first skirt in a couple of years. I lined the skirt with some pale blue acetate - it looks lovely through the kick pleat at the back. And best of all? The skirt fits fantastically. Woot!

I have another couple planned, but it's unlikely I'll get to them before October. I have so much work on and will likely be travelling for most of September. However, my stash has waited for me this long and it's not going anywhere, so I am not worried. Oh, and I also started another proejct! (V1303 which is also now on sale!! I paid full price for the pattern. Wah!) It's good to have one on the go, no?

More Ottobre pants

I made Tristan some more pants based on the Ottobre 'Aqua shorts' pattern I blogged about in Robopants. Elastic-waisted? Check. Lot of pockets? Check. Easy peasy? Check, check, check!

These ones are made from some red babywale corduroy I bought a couple of years ago - yes, I am making a concerted effort to use up some of my copious stash!

 Tristan loves them and I do too. I love seeing little fellas in brights.

Sew It Together 2012 - Canberra

I had a great day and night yesterday with the delightful crafty ladies who came to Canberra for Sew It Together. Organised by Sheridan (Chaletgirl), with a bevy of helpers - Cass (Snailblazer), Gillian (Silly Gilly), Donna (Creative Controller) and Cath (Bungalow Babble), who transported all the goody bags and associated delights from Sydney to Canberra - the event brings together crafty bloggers from around Australia for one weekend a year.

It was great to leave the family responsibilities behind for just one day and indulge in some swapping of crafty gifts, a spot of sewing, fabric petting and even a dash of buying. There were workshops for those who wanted to learn some new skills as well as prizes throughout the day - I was lucky enough to be one of the prize winners and I scored a Polly Pratt dress. So gorgeous!!

I also got to meet and catch up with some bloggers I've been chatting with on the Internet for about the past five years, including Karen, Leah and Becky, as well as meet some other lovely ladies, including heaps of Canberra crafters - loads of new blogs to explore!

Here are just a few of them:
Karen - And So I Sew
Bec - Beckyetal
Leah - Pugglelogic
Kelli - Not Quite Crafty
Michelle - Happenstance
Wendy - hARTylittlepeaces
Renae - Suzyhausfrau
Bronwyn - Whippet Good
Caroline and Maryanne - Sew Together
Alex - Mooncat

Here are some photos from the day - sorry for the crappy blurry images. Damned smart phones!

 

 

 

And so many others - and let me tell you, nothing gets a room full of fabulous crafters going crazier than a sample swap. Organised by the indomitable Cass, the swap involves groups of six, who each make five samples of their work and then, in a crazy dance, swaps are snapped up, the spoils are revealed and much oohing and ahhhing over the craft goodness ensues.

I made some mini art quilts, inspired by a similar design from Silly Boodilly, and I hope the girls liked them as much as I enjoyed making them. I received two covered notebooks, some ace zipped bags, a bunch of magnets, pendants and hair clips and some quilted pot holders/coaster. It was nice to come home with so much handmade love.

Here are some photos I nicked from Cass:

 

We had a lot of fun at the dinner at Tongue and Groove too, pigging out on shared yummy things, a glass or two of wine and nearly exploding from eating the dessert (which should be called 'death by giant chocolate cookie' or 'death by giant peanut cookie with icecream and caramel drizzle').

A little bit of stitching followed dinner, although I was so full from my dinner I really needed a nap! After another hour or so of really bad crafting (on my part), I decided to call it quits and say goodnight to my new crafty friends.

What a great day and night! I hope to join the gang for Sew It Together in 2013, although I think Sheridan deserves a well earned break before starting to think about next year's craftapalooza :)

A boy needs a book bag

I made a book bag for Romily when she started pre-school and it's been great - I made it oversize so it would accommodate all kinds of large format picture books and the bag hasn't yet met a book it couldn't fit.

Tristan starts preschool (kindergarten) next year and so I decided the time was right to make one for him too. Things are always so much easier the second time around, aren't they? Especially when your clever husband helps you work out that it's right sides together when you're making a bag with lining. When you turn the bag and its lining inside out after stitching them together they're the right way around the first time!

(Note this bag has the same button as Romily's!)

If you knew how many times I had to redo Romily's version, you would know this is a breakthrough. Of course, all you clever sewers out there knew this already, but I am a bit hopeless when it comes to space/logic/maths ;)

So, back to the bag. I ordered some cute 2D Zoo and matching green fabric from Jody at Fabric Shoppe, which arrived super-speedily (as always) and went at it on Saturday evening while the kids were in the bath (in the adjacent room). I finished it off after I put them to bed. Time spent all up: 1 hour. I even remembered to sew in one of my 'Handmade by Cascade Lily' tags!

RoboPants

Someone has outgrown all his long pants...who might that be? Yes, it's Tristan, who is now 108cm tall. While I bought him one pair of pants, I really wanted to make a couple of pairs for him - let's face it: in a few more years neither child is likely to want to wear 'homemade pants'! I am also determined to use up as much of my stash as I can - it's quite embarrassing how much fabric I have parked in tubs!

So I pulled out some robot Kokka fabric I've had tucked away for a couple of years. I didn't have quite enough for the yoke, so I used some contrasting fabric (also from stash!). The pants are based on the Aqua Shorts pattern from Ottobre 3/2008, which I've made several times. It was easy to lengthen them and I just added a little width around the waist/yoke, as the Aqua Shorts pattern only goes up to size 98cm - Tristan is very slim around the waist, so it was really only length that needed to be changed! The pants are a little long, but at least they'll last him through winter. And when they turn into ankle flappers, I can convert them into shorts :)

I am very happy with how the pants turned out - I didn't make any mistakes! I think this is the first time I've sewn pants without having to unpick something. Tristan seems well pleased with them too!

Perhaps I might actually be learning a thing or two after the past five years of practice :) I have two more pairs cut and one is half-sewn. I'll potter away on them in between working, mothering, studying and whatever else takes up my waking hours.

I've also been quilting! My Christmas Baubles handquilting is coming along very nicely and I've just finished making five mini-quilts for the sample swap that's being run as part of this year's Sew It Together. I'll show you what I've been making once the swap's complete.

A little flapper style

I'm attending a 1929-themed banquet dinner in two weeks' time (the highlight, I'm told, of the Conflux writers conference) and have nothing suitable to wear. So, I thought, why not make something? I Googled "1929 flapper dresses" and got lots of image inspiration. I let my subconscious work on it overnight and today sketched a design. I'll work on the pattern tonight, but it should be fairly straightforward - the dress will feature a drop waist, angled hemline, be fully lined and wide enough to slip on/off over the head. Nothing puts me off dressmaking more than zips and other closures!
I have a pair of taupe shoes that won't be authentic but will be 'close enough'.I'll head to Spotlight at lunch time tomorrow in search of some navy blue chiffon or georgette and matching trim. I'd like some beading and some fringing to complete the outfit. I may even make a matching headband, depending on how the dress turns out.
I'll be sure to post a photo of the finished product!

She sews!

This blog has been going for about five years and it's never been so neglected as now. I blame my job! I've never worked so hard, been so busy nor been so challenged. I'm absolutely buggered by the time I get home, with no energy left for crafty pursuits, hence the lean pickings around here.

So, surprisingly, I got the urge to sew on Sunday! I rustled up a bit of energy and busted out a pattern I've used before. Fortunately, I made these pants in the same size (3) nearly four years ago for my nephews, so the pattern pieces were already cut. All I had to do was cut new fabric and sew, sew, sew. The inset fabric is left over from this project. The denim I had in my stash. These pants were completed within three hours of starting - the joys of little boys' elastic-waisted pants!

It felt good to be making something again :) I now have an 'order' from Romily for next weekend!

Ciao, ciao 2010

Before we ring the bells to see out another year, I thought I'd do up a mosaic of my crafty efforts this year. It's pretty light on, but given the high-octane pace of 2010, I guess it's not too bad!

1. Poppy skirt with applique tee, 2. Panel skirt, 3. Too-whit too-whoo, 4. Book bag, 5. Butterfly applique top and matching skirt, 6. Dot's Bouquet, 7. Susan's Stars, 8. Tristan's Hungry Caterpillar, 9. The House That Jack Built, 10. Abigail's pram quilt- front, 11. Walk in the Park, 12. PIF gifts, 13. Rom's spooky new skirt, 14. AH skirt, 15. Allan's Lagoon

Wishing you and your families a happy, safe and prosperous 2011.

Goodbye 2010

Poor, poor, neglected blog. Poor, poor, neglected readers! You want reasons? I got 'em:

• First, I got too busy (work, schmerk).
• Second, this is my 500th post and I wanted to run a give-away (sorry about that).
• Third, I haven't really been crafting (sad, but true).

Since my last post (IN SEPTEMBER WHAT THE?), I have made one dress (that fits!), started quilting my father-in-law's quilt (that I am supposed to be gifting to him on Christmas Day - whoops), fixed Romily's scratchy Tinkerbell costume waistband (with a strip of batting/wadding!) in time for her last day at Preschool (it was dress-up day), and finally made Tristan's Santa stocking (which I started before LAST Christmas). He now has a matching pair to Romily's, which I made back in 2007.Dire, dire, dire effort! In my defence, I have been ultra-busy at work, so much so that I am exhausted each evening and have no energy to study, craft or write anything much at all.

I did, however, manage to turn out a Christmas story, which will be published at 3pm on Christmas Day (Australian time). You can read it here, with a bunch of other Christmas-themed stories (but not in the cheesy, Xmas kind of way!): Mixed Tapes Volume 1, Deck the Halls. Make sure you become a 'fan' of the page so you get all the links to the stories :)

I hope you are all well and looking forward to spending some time with your families over Christmas. I am looking forward to 2011 - this has been a tough year for so many people in so many ways. Onwards!

It's spring! Need a skirt?

Well, yes, don't mind if I do! My lovely and generous colleagues gave me the best farewell present when I changed jobs recently: a rather large gift voucher for my favourite fabric shop - Addicted to Fabric (great name isn't it?!). I went and spent it last week and came home with some gorgeous dressmaking fabric, including some Alexander Henry Mocca Floral in black, white and yellow. It screamed skirt to me - what do you think?
It's lined and has a zip, as well as two tiny pleats/darts. I used the skirt part from a dress pattern I bought as part of my haul and modified it, created a self-facing waistband, added some lining and a zip and voila! A dress is next!

Spring is nearly here - time to do some sewing!

The blossoms are out, the bees are abuzz and the days are warming ever so slightly. And thank goodness! We can now take the kids outside without layering them in so many clothes they can barely move. All this excitement was inspiration enough to see me drag out my poor, neglected machine on the weekend and whip up a skirt for Romily and a pair of pants (or very long shorts) for Tristan. Two old faithful Ottobre magazines were found (after only a little searching). Otto 3/2008 for some more #7 'Aqua pants' for Tristan in some lovely, soft aqua babywale cord. I love this pattern and have made it a couple of times now. Lots of pocket detailing and top-stitching make them look so cute.

And 4/2007 - the #20 'Corduroy Skirt' for Romily using some very cool printed corduroy from Michael Miller (Cool Cords), which I bought a while back from Crafty Mamas. The skirt has real insert pockets (the first time I've ever tried that and it was pretty easy really!) and lots of top-stitching. I love the cute skulls (who knew that was a possibility?) and so does Rom. She wants to wear the skirt next time she sees her far-away cousins, 'cause she knows they like skulls. (Arrr!)

Glacial crafting

Or, crafting at the speed of a glacier. Pffft work is seriously cramping my creativity! I am just so tired after each work day that the thought of dragging my machine up onto the table and having to go through my stash is just too much.

Anway, nothing like a deadline to get me moving - yet another birthday party today saw me make another cute skirt with matching applique top.

From the birthday girl (5): 'Oh I just love it!'

Another very happy 'customer'. I think maybe I should make up four or five sets to have in reserve for the undoubted birthday parties Romily will be invited to this year!

Another drag on my crafting time is starting on Monday - classes resume for uni. I thought I had finished formal classes, with the next two years to be devoted to a research paper, but sadly, I was wrong! I have to do one more unit: 'Introduction to research methods'. Urgh! Ah well, it will help with defining my question, researching the problem and writing the paper (when I get to it in about 18 months time!).

No rest for the wicked, I suppose!

A preschooler needs a book bag!

Yes she does! I've been hoarding a half yard of gorgeous Michael Miller 'Pet Deer' fabric, not quite knowing what I'd do with it. When we were asked to ensure our new preschoolers came with a book bag I knew!

I wanted the bag to be fairly large, to accommodate the giant picture books little kids seem to prefer, so I used the entire half yard to make the bag. I sliced off the selvage and then two 1 1/2" strips for handles. The remaining fabric formed the outer shell of the bag. I lined it with some purple homespun.
The bag has a little green button on one side and a loop stitched into the top seam on the other for the closure. I even sewed one of my new labels onto one of the handles. Rom loves it, so I guess it's another successful craft project :) She starts preschool (kindergarten) on Thursday; we had an 'interview' with her new teachers last Friday. She loved the idea of preschool, but she's not so keen on reality, although she's been going to 'playschool' for over a year, so I think she'll be fine once she gets there. Nerves are normal - I remember having 'collywobbles' when I was young too :)

Here's the link to the company that made my woven labels, if you're keen: Apparel Labels. They cost around AUD$40 for 100.I can't quite believe I have a preschooler! What's next? Finishing high school and leaving home? Aiyee!

Two-whit two-whoo

A lovely friend of mine (aren't you all) who's posted to the US with her husband for three years had a lovely baby boy (and aren't they all) last November. I've been meaning to make something for him since then, but Christmas kind of got in the way. I finally pulled my finger out this week and sewed up some cute shorts (Otto 3/2008 'aqua pants') and made an appliqued onesie to match, using an owl design from Ottobre 4/2007. The duck-egg blue and chocolate fabric is Michele D'Amor.I think this may be my best sewing effort yet - I made no mistakes (this may be a first) and I used an overedge stitch to finish the seam edges, as opposed to zigzag, which I find doesn't look very professional. The overedge stitch takes longer and uses more thread, but it looks so much better. It will have to do till I buy an overlocker at some stage in my future. The owl's pupils and branch are drawn on with a chocolate brown fabric marker. I sewed one of my new 'Cascade Lily' labels into the back waist casing to finish it off.

I've packed up the outfit and will send it off to the US with a couple of treasured items of Tristan's that sadly no longer fit. I hope Thomas can wear them but I've told Kath to gift them on if she doesn't want them :)

Next up is another comfort quilt, this time for Carl's only auntie, who's had a dreadful run of health over the past 12 months. She's in rehab at the moment, recovering from a middle ear imbalance, the poor thing. I hope a quilt will cheer her up.

A skirt that fits

Well I did it! I made a skirt that fits and that looks good. It even has a zip. (Mum, you can get up off the floor now!). And a hook and eye for that professional finish :) Of course the process wasn't without its mistakes, challenges and improvisation. It wouldn't be one of my sewing projects if it didn't!

I used the principles contained in Sew What! Skirts, which I blogged about here and drafted an interfacing template by roughly tracing around a skirt I already have, folded in half lengthwise. (I use a big roll of sew-in interfacing for drafting all my patterns - it's great because it's cheap, clings to the cotton and folds up easily for storage. It also doesn't tear like tracing paper, etc.)

Then I laid the pattern onto the fabric I chose for the skirt - an Anna Griffin Circles Light Green 100% cotton. Unfortunately the fabric wasn't wide enough - even though it was a 150cm bolt. The hazards of a spare tyre! So, this is where the improvisation came in. I cut a reduced front and back on the fold and then sewed up the side seams with a basting stitch. I held the 'skirt' against my waist and worked out how much extra fabric I'd need to insert as panels to get a good fit. I then cut two strips of white (Kona solid cotton - snow), matched the curve of the front and back skirt pieces by laying them over the strips and trimming the strips along the gently curved edge.
I pulled out the basting stitches from the seams (one at a time) and sewed the panel seams. On the front left seam, I sewed up to where the bottom of the zip (placket) would be and basted to the top. At this stage I held the skirt up to my waist again to check the fit. It was still slightly too small, so I cut about three inches off the top of the skirt to increase the waist circumference. This meant I had to adjust the top left seam to ensure there was enough depth for the zip. I followed the zip sewing instructions in my Janome manual and it worked!

I then folded over the waist twice and sewed it down, as well as sewing a double-fold hem. I'd chosed a gently scalloped hem, so I sewed the curve very carefully - I didn't clip the inside fold, as the curve was so gentle. Then I tried the skirt on - it was a good fit around the hips and bum and it was the right length. My belly, however, is still a bit rounder than I'd like, so the fit wasn't so good around the waist. I followed the Sew What! Skirts instructions on making darts (so easy! who knew!) and put two in the front and two in the back. Voila! A perfect fit.
The upside of putting the darts in after I'd sewn the waist is that when my belly shrinks (which it will do over the coming months!), I can unpick the darts, increase their size and resew them. Too easy. I'm very happy with how this skirt turned out - I even wore it work on Thursday. I think I'm just about ready to cut into my much-prized Saffron Craig Nest fabric.

Speaking of work, it's going fine. Four days a week is good, although I'm still getting used to saying bye to everyone on a Thursday afternoon. Things are really busy, so the first two weeks have absolutely flown. It'll be Christmas again before I know it. I have also started my new exercise regime, going for two runs this week. Sadly though, my tired old back didn't like that rude shock very much and when I bent over to pick up Tristan yesterday, it 'went'. I am now in complete back spasm and can't do anything except lay flat on my back reading. I can spend a little time sitting upright, but I don't want to push my luck. No doubt it'll be fine by Monday, just in time for me to go back to work, of course :)

The crafting begins!

So I promised to post something crafty, didn't I? Here's a little something I whipped up over the weekend for a friend of Romily's who was turning four.
A cute applique tee - the design is from Ottobre 1/2008.
And a skirt of my own design, based on a similar skirt I made for Romily a while back, which was based on a tutorial from O+S. The skirt I made on Saturday is shaped and has a softer waist than the O+S design. Of course the birthday girl was more interested in the butterfly stickers we got for her, but her grandmother was most impressed with the handmade gift :)

Work is going well. Today was day #2. Things are slowly coming back to me. I know by the end of next week I'll feel like I was never gone. Tristan is handling the change pretty well so far, although I doubt I'll be able to put him down on Friday - he'll be doing his best impersonation of a koala bear. Rom will be her usual, crazy self!

A big day out

The Christmas rush is well and truly here, although none of the things we did today actually qualify as Christmas-related!

Carl took Rom to her swimming lesson this morning, brought her home for lunch and a nap before heading out with her again to a fifth birthday party. The theme was 'princess or pirate' and, despite my best persuasive efforts, Romily decided that she'd like to go as a princess (naturally). She was happy to wear her new skirt, as well as the applique tee I finished last night. And the tiara we bought for her at Angelina Ballerina. She looked very sweet. Like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth!The birthday girl was very pleased to receive the matching set, as was her mum, who told Carl that if I ever open a shop she'll be my best customer! If only :)

Meanwhile, Tristan and I headed out this morning for a family fun day in Queanbeyan, ostensibly to meet up with Xena and her family, who made the long trip down from the Blue Mountains for a fun day out in the sun. The venue, Queanbeyan Park, was perfect for that - there were kids rides, face painting, a petting zoo and lots of other things - all for free. It was lovely in the park, the grass was lush and green and some beautiful big trees provided lots of shade for the kids. Tristan had a wonderful time wandering around here and there. He even got to have a look inside the cabin of the fire truck that was there. He's into trucks and cars already!I even let him 'drive' my car when I'm unpacking it at the end of an outing. He loves it. Such a boy.