Tag: sewing

Laurel Dress

Don't tell anyone in CorporateLand, but I'm wearing a self-made dress today! #laurel @saraiatcolettepatternsDon’t tell anyone in CorporateLand, but I’m wearing a self-made dress today! #laurel @saraiatcolettepatterns

So yeah, I finished another dress! This is Laurel from Colette Patterns. It’s a very versatile shift dress, and I opted to make a sleeveless version (since I didn’t have much fabric). The fabric itself is a stretch cotton that I got at Fabric-a-brac last year. I actually cut it too large at first, not realising how much ease it had in it. I then went back and took in the side seams, which helped it fit a lot better. I did have an issue with the back neck gaping, which I’m not sure is attributable to the fit or whether I stretched it out when applying the bias binding. Miss Fee was kind enough to pin out the excess for me, so I then added a few darts there to take it in. I’ll know enough to make lots of changes for my next one! It’s a very simple and quick pattern, and I think I’ll be able to use it for work wear – in a more somber print, of course. 🙂

Plush Hobbes

HobbesPlush Hobbes
I was just updating my Crafts page and realised that I’d neglected to document the creation of Hobbes. This was my Christmas gift to my nephew Penn. He recently discovered Calvin & Hobbes books, so I thought he would love his very own Hobbes. I’d seen and bookmarked the Instructables tutorial a long time ago. The hardest part was finding the fleece! I was calling all over Sydney with no luck. Then Issy sent me a message that she’d found some in a remnant bag she’d just bought! She brought it over and TOTALLY SAVED CHRISTMAS. Anyhoo, I used the sewing machine for most of the basic tube construction. Then it was all hand sewing: assembling the tubes, sewing on the stripes, and sewing on his face. It took ages, and I had quite a blister on my finger! (I never did get the hang of using a thimble.) It was all worth it when Penn opened it on Christmas morning though. Within 24 hours I had to do emergency surgery on a split that had opened in his tail, but that’s what Aunts do, right? Tigers are meant to Have Adventures, not sit on a shelf. We should also have such a best friend!

Some construction photos:

Fleece and thread   Pieces   Basic assembly done

Sewing on stripes   Stripes finished

The w-g Oscar Contest 2013

The w-g Oscar Contest 2013

My ELEVENTH annual Oscar Contest is now open! If you pick the most correct answers, you’ll win a set of FOUR super-powered Avenger Monkeys! You get Captain America (with shield), Iron Monkey, Thor (with Mjölnir), and the Incredible Hulk Monkey. No, I didn’t do any of the lame human characters. If you want a monkey with an eyepatch or a bow and arrow, you can make your own. 🙂

And remember, in the event of a tie, the person that entered earlier wins. So don’t wait too long! Read on for more photos, or go here to enter.Here’s a body shot of Captain America Monkey. As you can see, he comes with a really sweet shield (painted by Mr. Snook himself!).

Captain America Monkey

A close-up of Cap’n’s face.

Captain America Monkey

Here’s Iron Monkey. (If you’re handy with electronics, you could make his Arc Reactor light up!)

Iron Monkey

And here’s his face. Sorry, Robert Downey Jr. not included.

Iron Monkey

Here’s Norse god Thor himself. He’s got a long red cape, flowing blonde locks, and a mystical hammer. (But don’t squish it too hard because it was sculpted out of clay, again by Mr. Snook.)

Thor Monkey

And here’s Thor’s close-up.

Thor Monkey

And lastly – HULK MONKEY SMASH!

Hulk Monkey

You can’t tell from the photos, but he really is bigger than the other 3. (Unfortunately socks don’t really allow for a lot of muscle definition, so I had to embroider his pecs on.)

Hulk Monkey

A-line Skirt

Brown skirtA-line Skirt
Another finished thing for Sewvember! I made this last weekend based on the hand-drawn pattern I used for my previous A-line skirts. The fabric was a remnant that I bought at Publisher Textiles when my Mom was visiting last winter. I believe it’s a thick cotton. Instead of a waist facing, I drafted my own waistband using this Colette tutorial. Somehow I got muddled and put the zipper on the right instead of the left, but that was the only snag in an otherwise quick and rewarding project.

Colette Hazel

Colette Hazel

Frocktober #12 - this is @ColettePatterns Hazel I sewed last weekend! #ifeelpretty
Frocktober #12 – this is @ColettePatterns Hazel I sewed last weekend! #ifeelpretty

Edited to add: And here’s my third finished dress! I actually managed the whole thing – from cutting to finished – in a single day. The pattern is Hazel by Colette. The fabric is some cotton that I picked up at Lincraft during their sale. (No matter how much I iron it, it looks wrinkly. I think it just wants to be wrinkly.) I didn’t bother with a muslin; I just went for the size based on my bust. Unfortunately I think that was a bit too big, as I ended up having to go back and take in the bodice side seams a bit. Next time I’ll do a smaller size. I had been nervous about the diagonal bodice seams, but they turned out pretty easy. The zipper insertion was fairly painless too. Pretty cute, huh? The only negative is that the strap placement made it difficult to find a bra to wear with it. I ended up going with one with “clear” straps so they’re less visible. Still, I think I’ll definitely make another of these. I’ve got a border print calling to me…

Washi Dress

Frocktober #7. This is the Washi Dress I made this past weekend!

Frocktober #7. This is the Washi Dress I made this past weekend!

For those who are interested, this is the Washi Dress. I made mine out of cotton voile. When I went to cut, it occurred to me that the voile was rather sheer. So I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to “underline” it (i.e. use a double-thickness of fabric). I’ve never done that before, so I had to figure it out as I went. It doesn’t help that I’m completely shite at cutting so two pieces never match up perfectly. And of course, I didn’t have quite enough fabric to cut two of every piece so I had to go back to Lincraft for more. It still turned out pretty well! I also got to have my first attempt at shirring, which is like magic. Overall it’s a bit “baby doll” on me, but I think it’s a nice summer dress. Oh, and POCKETS!