left overs from the knit marathon

this is a bit of a collection of bit and pieces that were never big enough to warrant their own post thus got left behind a little.

It was my only UFO of the year 2014: a little night dress for my daughter, already cut out in March, but never got anywhere afterwards. It only took 2 hours and it was done. It is very similar to her birthday dress, except the front is a bit gathered.

It is lovely, especially with the gathered front. Maybe I should make some t-shirts from this pattern once she's outgrown her current size.

Now, for the past 2 years I have been trying to create my own perfect T pattern. It was based on an old worn out t-shirt and the muslin was great, but I never got around to making more. That was 2 years ago ... then ... this last year ... I got this idea 'WHAT IF ... I made it even better and make it cap sleeve and thus eliminate the need to set in sleeves ... wouldn't that be just AWESOME'. Hmm okay, except by then I couldn't remember whether I had added seam allowances to the pattern or not and the next muslin was made with a 'not as stretchy' jersey, so the result was quite tight.

Totally wearable under a jumper and a cardi, but not perfect. We are going to do more testing with this in March (after the next round of birthdays), but this is where we are now.

Finally, I thought I needed a knit mini skirt to wear with some of the more looser tops I own, so this bit of organic bamboo ribbing that feels a bit like ponte worked well. It's self-drafted, which is really a fancy way of saying I drew up a rough shape and because it stretches, it hides any imperfections that might be there.

It could be longer, looking at it critically, but it works for it's purpose and what I am really going to try this year is being less critical of myself :-)

the 5 shades of Lekala 4146

You know, every now and then, you come across a pattern that is perfect and you resolve to make at least 5 more right away, but for some reason or another it ends up not happening and a couple of years later you find it again and wonder why you didn't ... well, NOT THIS TIME ...

I bought this Lekala T-Shirt pattern a couple of years ago and never made it ... that's the life of most of my patterns actually. I really liked the detail in the front, but somehow I just never got there.

It is a really quick make. It took me about 2h which is, realistically, the quickest I'll ever be. The technical drawing makes it look as if it has a centre back seam, but mine don't. It's a little difficult to tell sometimes with Lekala patterns as the instructions are variable and it is a straight edge, so I just assumed it was to be cut on fold :-) It is really basic with Kimono sleeves and just the little detail on the neck line. I lowered the neckline on the majority of the shirt by about an inch to highlight the detail, because I felt that it got a bit lost on the black version from Wednesday.

Monday: it's a dark grey slinky jersey, either cotton or rayon, with lowered neck line. I was going on a fieldtrip with my son that required long pants, in 38 degree heat, traipsing around the bush and looking at bark. One girl fainted and when I tried half-heartedly to persuade my group to look at the final tree, they plain out refused since they had planted themselves down in a shady spot and weren't going to move.

Tuesday: royal blue plain cotton jersey ordered from fabric.com years ago with lowered neck line and moved the detail to the other side, cause, you know, variety is the spice of life.

Bonus Me-Made refashioned skirt from a man's t-shirt

Wednesday: black cotton jersey with original neckline and the skirt is my most successful me made item of all times: the not so mummy skirt. It's been worn every week at least once for the last 2 years and the fabric has held up fabulously.

Thursday: also from the black cotton jersey (left-overs from Wednesday) with lower neck line and the detail in the other side. The skirt started it's life as a man's t-shirt as well :-)

Friday: grey cotton jersey, a little bit more substantial than the other's thus holds it's shape better.

I think it might be my favourite summer t-shirt pattern yet. Also my next years resolution will be to take better pictures, because I think I committed about all the deadly sins of posting blog pictures in this post alone, but hey on the bright side I used 5 meters of fabric and done 2 refashions :-)

the Julia Cardi

Hmmm, it's 35 degrees in Brisbane and what do I sew? A cardigan. It's not a flimsy one either, oh no, it's made from a black double layered Jersey, so the shawl bit it not only double layered, it has in fact 4 layers.

The fabric was always destined to become a cardi and I love the Julia Cardigans that I have seen around, so there we are ... a black thick cardigan just as Brisbane starts to sweat :-)

I realise now as I am posting these pictures that wearing a black top under the black cardi really really didn't help 'showcase' the cardi ... sigh.

I chose the 3/4 length sleeve option with band and the double layered shawl and I just squeezed it out of 2m of fabric.

I made size M so that I have the option later to add a concealed button to the front to close it in winter. I followed the instructions mostly except for the shawl bit where I top stitched the seams down both at the edge and where the shawl gets attached to the main cardigan. It was necessary I think, because it is a double layered jersey and the seam where the shawl is attached to the main body is very thick (think 6 layers of jersey).

It's a lovely (relatively quick) make and the cardigan will come in handy ... when it cools down a little :-)

to the Max(i skirts)

I keep writing posts in my head, but never actually get around to posting them, instead I post rushed pictures of things I sewed with some waffling accompanying it :-)

Well, as part of managing the stash monster I thought I do an inventory, but realistically I am a little frightened of it, because it means facing the whole extend of my hoarding. Some self-help book that I browsed through years ago suggested breaking daunting tasks down into smaller tasks so I thought just inventory my knit fabrics ... well, I have a lot.

The inventory didn't go so well, as in I didn't actually do it (I realised I have over 20 meters of fabric there and nearly cried), but looking at the fabric was inspiring, so I whipped up - hah ... I never get to say that ... even super easy projects take me hours - 2 maxi skirts. All the Gabriola skirts around made me want to have a Maxi skirt too, but I am saving money to go to my sisters wedding in Germany, soooooooooooo ... instead of spending 16 dollars on a skirt pattern, I investigated free patterns around the interwebs.

Even though I started with blogs in the world of crafting I soon moved to sewing blogs once I started sewing simply in order to learn it better. As I entered the colourful and joyful world of the crafting blogs again, things like seam allowances, grain lines and seam finishes were a thing of the past. It is good for me to occasionally sew by the seat of my pants though, all too often I overthink each seam through to the max thus losing all joy, because my own perfectionism stops me from just getting on with it, dragging each project out for days or weeks.

Eventually I settled on the Mismatched Maxi as a starting point from iCandy. I took it in over the knee to be a bit more fitting, because I am rather short and I can easily be swamped under a lot of fabric. I absolutely love the result, not seriously, they are fabulous.

Each fabric was originally bought for something else, but as it always is, once it is in the stash I lost interest. The seagreen jersey above was actually bought as a muslin fabric really recently. The stripey fabric below has been in my stash for maybe 2 years and it was meant to be a top, but I was always worried about stripe matching, so I never made the top.

It has a yoga pants top / waistband bit, so it is really comfortable and nice to wear. The 1 meter I had just covered the skirt and recycled the waistband bit from a pair of pants that I haven't work in a long time.

Onwards and upwards ... Happy St Patrick's Day :-)

a birthday dress for the birthday girl

Happy Birthday little one :-)

We love you lots, my little one, in fact, your mummy loves you so much that she stayed up half the night to draft a quick little jersey dress for this piece of cotton interlock with owls that has been sitting in my stash for a while.

The fabric had a big 12in stripe running along one side, so I used that as the binding for the arms and neck. It's got kimono sleeves and a simple A-line shape, just right for dancing in it.

Hope you keep that joy, ickle one :-)

Lekala 4099 - ahoy there, mateys :-)

I am finally getting around to posting about my newest Lekala 4099. My husband has been occupying the computer lately with his desire to learn SQL.

I had originally planned for the jersey to be used for a Humming Bird top, but it is more of a cosy jersey that was asking to be made into a winter top. I had been thinking about making a long sleeved top like this for a while although as I finished it I realised that it might be a bit pirate costume like ... never mind though, everyone needs a bit of adventure in their life ... so ahoy there, me mateys. (I realised after I had taken the pictures that I had forgotten to press the shoulder seams, so ooops)

This version has a centre front seam as I couldn't fit is otherwise. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but it seems unobtrusive, so I'll see how I feel about it in a couple of weeks. I made it a little tighter then the black one, because the jersey relaxed and I need to resew that one as part of my next mending Monday maybe.

I am not very good at this taking pictures of myself business really. I am looking at my back thinking 'Why oh WHY, for goodness sake, didn't I smooth out THOSE wrinkles in the back"

Onwards to the cape ...

Audrey C in Raspberry

Finally back to Stashbustin'. It's been a longer break then I intended.

This dress had been waiting to be hemmed for some time. I am still unsure of whether I should shorten it a bit more. If I would wear it mostly with tights then yes, but in reality I am most likely to wear it without, it being Queensland and all, and then I probably don't want to shorten it, cause those little dimples on my thighs don't need to be shared liberally with the world at large.

This is the Audrey C Dress from Maria Denmark. I used a bamboo knit with 4% lycra from the Bamboo Fabric Store. I was under the impression I ordered the colour red, but after I washed it it looked definitely hot pink.

I have mixed feelings about this dress ... sigh.

It promised to be such an easy dress, essentially a long t-shirt. The printout of the pattern went together very well, although I had to trace my size with a colour pen as it printed out in light grey. The neckband didn't print out correctly and no matter what I did, it refused ... the joys of technology

However, the fabric was a 4 way stretch not a 2 way as the pattern asked for. I graded out for my larger hips, but it's still a bit tight around my hip/bottom. I made the skirt more A-line and I shortened the arms a little.

This is a rather unflattering picture of my back, but it probably illustrates all my problems with the dress.

It came out a little small. Either I got the sizes wrong (always a possibility) or the fabric stretched whilst I cut is or even a combination of both. Either way, combined with my least favourite bra and a pair of tights that digs in a little, it is not particularly flattering look on me. However I have a wide belt that I could wear with the dress and thus eliminate at least one of the rolls on the back.

You can't really tell from the picture, but the patterns has 2 back darts and there my fabric choice came back to bite me. I did the darts in a straight stitch, but because it is a 4 way stretch it didn't really work. I had to shorted them and resew them in a small zigzag stitch and then I struggled getting them to lay flat.

I don't know whether I like darts in knit fabric, but since this is the first time I came across them, I am keeping an open mind. My personal preference leans towards adding a back seam and omitting the darts if I make this pattern again.

Finally, after the issue with the darts, which only became apparent once I tried the dress on, I started on the neckband ... ohhh the neckband. I screwed up the neck band REPEATEDLY, no really, this is version 4 and it's staying, I don't care that it is not laying flat.

All of the issues are issues that arose with my lack of experience, so overall I think it is a wonderful pattern. I do like the idea of knit jersey dresses, but I mostly wear separates, so I've got to see how much I'll actually end up wearing the dress and see whether I should make anymore :-)

Lekala 4099

I wanted to thank everyone for the kind comments on the Pumpkin Scone Recipe.  In fact, the comment from velosewer about Greek pastries led me to the conclusion that Greek cuisine is mostly ... well ... Greek to me. Brisbane does have a wonderful Greek community and they just had their festival, but, alas, various Kindy fetes, birthday parties and sleep overs conspired against me actually attending it. Thus I have declared next weekend to be a Greek weekend ... I shall research the menu extensively (i.e. spend a leisurely hour surfing velosewers food blog when I really should be doing other things) and let you know how I get on with this. Hopefully we'll end up with something all children and adults will eat and maybe like to eat again :-)

Anyway, back to Lekala. I love them in theory, no seriously, the idea of having made to measure patterns for my measurements is great. Their website is like a candy store that offers new surprises every day. However, like a candy store, it has a few drawbacks. The biggest, I think, is the instructions. They are minimal, translated somewhat questionable from Russian. The PDF pattern fits together mostly, but that could very well be a printer issue. Over all the PDF is not onerous though. Having downloaded a skirt pattern from somewhere else and ended up with 60 odd pages, the Lekala patterns I have range from 17 pages for a T-Shirt top and 24 pages for a coat. The price is great. Once you register on their website you get a 10% discount on the pattern and you have to register to buy, so the pattern is like $2.10. I keep reading about the $0.99 US sales, but that never quite happens down here ... sigh ... it's probably a good thing as I have no self-control :-)

Lekala 4099 is a dolman sleeve jersey top with a gathered wide sleeve. I had intended to use Cation Design's free Dolman Sleeve top and modify it, but I thought it might be a good way to try out Lekala. I had read some bad reviews, about their sizes being too small (no ease etc), so I was a bit weary.

I used Spotlight's new brushed Jersey for that (yes, I know it was not in my stash), but I really wanted a black top and there was nothing in my stash. I lowered the neckline a bit and shortened the sleeves, but looking at the pictures now, I didn't actually need to shorten the sleeves as they ride up a bit.

This might well be the white sponge of cake sewing. It is perhaps the most useful thing I have sewn so far (except for the sleep masks that we use daily).

It's not as fitted as some of my other tops, which probably means I wear them too tight usually. However, Jersey and I am going to become best friends in the next few months, because I have started to exercise in the lost month of April. I can see some results already and I don't really want to go through the pain of fitting things that don't fit right a few months later. Overall, I was really happy with the pattern and the fit. I didn't need any instructions really and I imagine I will make many more tops from this pattern.

Ariadne Tunic by Tanit-Isis

I have lost all witty inspiration for a title ... perhaps something will come to me later.

Not so long ago I bought a Jersey bed sheet for my son, but after 2 washes it had shrank to the size of a cot sheet. What better to practise Jersey sewing skills on :-)

It is a thin 4 way stretch so the Ariadne Tunic by Tanit-Isis seemed perfect. I do feel I look a little pregnant in it, but when it is hot and humid it is nice to wear something loose.

I omitted the band around the bottom, because my hips are the largest bit of me and I felt that the band would draw extra attention to that bit. I also didn't do the keyhole in the back due to personal preferences.

My jersey hemming skills need to be improved, but I have no doubt that with time that'll come. Overall I am really happy with it and I am sure I'll wear it lots this summer. Thank you Tanit-Isis for providing this lovely pattern :-)

Dolman Sleeve Top

I did it ... I sewed a top with Jersey like material. I think it's actually interlock, but I am not sure. It was a mystery purchase from fabric-a-brac. I used the free Dolman Sleeve Top pattern from Cation Designs.

It came out alright, although the directions say that you should sew the sides with a straight stitch and the first time a did it and then tried it on the stitches ripped where the sleeve turns down the side. I just resewed it with a zigzag stitch and it was fine.

I might make one more version from it with a lower neckline, but it's getting warmer now so it's back to T-shirts.