LBD

When I was in Melbourne last week, my friend S showed me an adorable little black dress she has. We hatched a plot to copy it. This is what I came up with, and - yay for the first project for my new sewing machine.

I used this pattern, view A, using a french thierry, which is like a very thick cotton jersey, almost trakky daks material. I left the zip out as it is stretch fabric and didn't need it. I left the back darts in by accident, but it turned out I needed them to give the 60s shift a little shape. I had to take the dress in quite a lot to get the fit I wanted. I also added little sleeves from another pattern. I changed the neckline gathers to four pleats, as per the inspiration dress.

I made the collar as the pattern dictated, but the close up shows it pinned to make an approximation of the bow thingy which is on the inspiration frock. I'm still deciding whether to tack it down like that permanently.

Sewist!

Someone got a new sewing machine for Christmas!
It was delivered today yay!
Here is a little photo essay of her arrival and, first one-step buttonhole! (and look! I made a styrofoam stonehenge!)

Frockus interuptus - furnishingks

The furniture came out of storage today, hoorah! I am still waiting for the new sofa, and will have to make a decision on which rug - I've decided the pattern, but will it be the black or the grey, and how big? Luckily the nice man in the rug shop said I can take a couple home and see how they look.


















And, finally, the gargoyles are happily outside where they are meant to be - can't wait to get some foliage around them...

Housedress of Representatives

Here is is, my interpretation of the new gubbermint in the form of a frock (I wore it today for the fifth time, then realised it was time to blog her).

1. She is green, as this is the colour of the House of Representatives, the winning of which determines who governs (at least as far as I understand it).
2. She is bound in red, the colour representing Labor on election night.
3. Bunches of flowers represent the ecological / green vote, which helped Labor to power (Go, Go, Kyoto!)
4. The midriff band represents the Middle Classes, who apparently came to their senses at last.
5. 100% cotton and sleeveless, just in case global warming happens despite action taken by the New Gubbermint.

I was going to trim her with all manner of red rickrack. But like many a pre-election promise, it isn't going to happen.

Made from New Look 6699.

So nice I made it twice

I had a great Christmas in Melbourne. Lots of shopping; 4 pairs of shoes, many patterns, much fabric and some tracing fun in Moggy's new fab sewing stoodio! Woo hoo.





Moggy whipped up a potential tripfit skirt in about half an hour on Saturday, in the blasting heat, so I stole, I mean traced the pattern and have made two of these eeeeasy pull on knit skirts since I returned home.

I've been all about the saucy secretary wiggle skirt lately, so I thought I'd give the shorter skirt a bit of a go again. It's more 'jump straight on the boss's knee' than the longer 'I'm not that sort of girl, Mr Jones' one, but you've got to let your hair down sometimes.

And, new suede wedges!