Baggage

Part of my trip preparation ritual is making a new bag. I like to have a bag to carry stuff on the plane and for wandering about the streets with a camera and cardigan and bottle of water and all that kind of thing.

So here's this trip's bag - I haven't road tested it yet, so it remains to be seen if it comes on holiday with me:

It converts from the big size (good for magazines and carrying bulkier stuff like the aforementioned cardigan) down to a smaller more handbag-size, by clipping the strap on to the middle d-rings rather than the top ones. The rings stick out a bit, but I don't mind that look.

I was inspired by the Timbuk2 Stowaway bag which is delightful but at US$50 for shipping (the bag is on sale at the mo for US$25) it's really not practical.

I also made the dress from Vogue 1020 yesterday, but it is NQR... I think I need to taper the sleeves. Will post when done, but once again it is black so a little hard to see!

Home sewing

Moving house has meant mostly home dec sewing for me lately. Busy busy busy!

I have 'prepared' curtains. Hemming and clipping them up, putting a bit of lining behind them is barely 'making' curtains. Fabric on the smaller window is vintage, the dandelion print is from ikea.





We bought an outdoor dining setting from ikea, and painted it white. I dipped into the stash to make some tropical cushions for it, and we used it when we had friends over for New Year's Eve.
It pleases me.


I've also finished the moderne baby blanket for friends whose baby may arrive anytime now. It's a bit wonky, due to the instructions saying to pick up stitches one for one to start the next block, even from the edge rows. There may be an errata somewhere, but I didn't see it when I started this months ago, so I started out doing that, before remembering that knit stitches are wider than they are tall, so that trick never works. Hence the wonk. I am choosing to see it as 'hand crafted charm'.

Tripfits Twenty-Ten

Now that the new year has ticked over, it is less than three months until my USA holiday so tripfits must be made!

It's been horribly hot and sticky lately which means I can just about make myself cut out things but don't feel much like actual sewing - luckily it is lovely and cool today so I took advantage of the weather to make a dress:
It's made from a mystery knit from the shop up the road - I did the burn test and got a sort of hair-paper smell and a bit of melty stuff so who knows! It has a nice drape, and doesn't crush - so good prospect for a travel frock. It's a teeny bit low for day wear, but I'll be making some nice straight-across slips so that should be fine.

Item #2 is a travel skirt from this Vogue Pattern, using the same fabric. I lengthened the skirt 15cm as the original was a bit short:

The annual Cleg's $5 pattern sale was on Boxing Day so I went and got a big bunch o'patterns. As well as the two above I also got:

Red Shirr-ley

I made another version of Shirr-ley, because I wear the first version a lot.

The fabric for this one is a cottony knit (I though it might be a poly cotton due to the weight, but having worn the frock a few times, I think the extra weight is maybe elastane not poly. I can tell because it's been stinking hot on a few occasions when I've worn this, and I haven't expired from the heat like I would with even the smallest bit of poly. Why this doesn't happen with elastane or lycra, I don't know.)

The knit is from Pitt Trading. I bought it with making another Shirr-ley in mind. I like the retro print.

I didn't bind the neckline or armholes this time, because I didn't have anything in quite the right colour. I would like to make a neckline flounce for this one, maybe a turquoise little something? Or a big brooch? The neckline feels quite plain. But maybe that's just because I'm used to fancy!

Olive surplus

Despite having a giant stash under my cutting table (12 x 55l boxes! eek!) I can't resist buying more when I see it. I went past Cleg's in the city last night and found some sludgy green poly-lycra crepish knit... it's one of my favourite colours at the moment so I couldn't resist. $5.95/m was also a bit irresistible.

I pondered what to make last night. I decided something wrappy-drapey would be good, so I thought of the very popular New Look 6429 (which I am wearing today for inspiration). Such a comfy dress and one that takes longer to cut out than sew...

However I decided to make a few changes. I put 5 cm through the torso since the other one sits a bit high.

I used clear elastic inside the turned-over neck so it wouldn't gape. I may have gone a bit overboard, but the gathers are in keeping with the side gathers and the back so I think that works OK (if I don't like it after a few wears I should be able to take some of the elastic out)

I also decided to square off the back bodice point and put on a straighter skirt with gathers:

It sits a bit lower than I planned, but I think the effect is rather 1940s which is just fine by me!

The colour doesn't come up too well in the pics - it's more like this text (note to self: learn some more html)

And I'm back

My stash of patterns and fabric has been in storage for nearly two months, boo! Mr M and I have moved house, so there has been a lot going on. It was worth it to get a sewing room. Well, hopefully I will have a sewing room once we get all of the junk sorted out.

I'm back on the sewing machine wagon now.

First up was my friend S coming up to stay at our new place for a weekend, so I could make her a frock for an awards night she's attending. It's difficult to see because it's black, but it's a v-neck, with tie gathered shoulders, and a shirred high waist. Made in a satiny polyester. It's what she wanted. No pattern, I just traced one of her dresses for size, then shirred away. Still loving the shirring obviously. Magic. The pic is the frock on me, it looks better on S. Darn. Well, it was made for her.

Today I made a shirred sunfrock for a friend's daughter's second birthday. I have used this fabric before for a little frock. No pattern necessary; I cut out a rectangle 50cm long and about 60cm wide, hemmed all around, shirred 10 rows, sewed the one seam (reinforcing the shirred bit of the seam a few times to catch all the shirring elastic. We don't want any pinging) and added straps. Easy. Just as well, because today was the last chance I had to make something before the big day. I hope it fits. Surely the magic shirring won't let me down!

By the way, the photo is taken on the huge rock face we have in our new back yard. Naturey!

Wiggle, robots, wiggle!

Is it really two months since our last posting? What a shocking state of affairs!

I've bought a fair chunk of fabric online in the last few weeks (woohoo for the strength of the Australian dollar!).
I heartily endorse buying quilting cottons online and getting them shipped from the USA. I usually search via Quiltshops.com, and most of the places seem to ship to Australia. A global priority envelope fits 7-9 yards (if they are really skilled envelope squeezers!) and costs $12.95 USD postage. I find they get here in about two weeks and I have never been disappointed with the fabric. NAYY, just a satisfied repeat customer.

So it seemed time to sew a couple of them up:

New Look 6789 from this irresistable "First Village" from Michael Miller:

This went together very easily - or it least it would have if I hadn't chucked in some extra seam allowance willynilly, which I then had to take out again... but anyway, a quick sew and a very comfortable frock:

Then we have the "Robots" from Michael Miller (what can I say, I love their work) which is a frankenstein of the Butterick 8149 bodice and the straight skirt from New Look 6699. I should've trawled our archives first and realised I used a different skirt with more hip room last time... this time resulted in a Robot Wiggle frock:

I am off to a party this evening, so I made a robot reversible pursible to go with

it (lined with green toy soldier fabric):

The other fabrics that I bought recently are:

Happy Camper (this and the two above are from Fabric Shack). This is destined for a shirtdress of some sort for the USA trip next year:

More robots (a shirt for the chap) plus a couple of halloween prints (frocks for me), from Beaver Creek quilts:

I've been most conscientious and prewashed all of these (note to self: don't forget to overlock the ends before chucking in the machine, saves a whole world of tangle).

Tomorrow I plan to either frockify one of the lengths, or maybe start the Great Bolero Experiment of Summer '09. This girl needs some cover ups for sunny days!

Oops, I forgot I made this skirt a few weeks ago too. It's from an old Style pattern, and I think I'll make another in wool jersey for the trip:

All the fun of the fair

Sorry about the break in transmission there. Life kind of got in the way. I was doodling along in my comfortable rut, which is where I do my best work, and then something happened and dragged me out of my lovely rut and left me in a huge paddock, running free! It's all good though, but not much sewing, knitting or blogging got done.

Darn paddocks.

Anyway, I'm back, and especially for Livebird, here is the fifties fair update!

Um, we didn't take any photos at the fair. I admit it. I wanted to take my vintage handbag and my camera didn't fit in it, so no photos.

I didn't buy much at the fair either. I had put in an absentee bid at an auction the day before (not eBay, an actual physical auction house) on four boxes of vintage patterns, most in my size and mostly gorgeous! My natural optimism meant I was sure I would get them. Erm, I didn't, but the auction wasn't until the next day, and on fifties fair day it meant I wasn't motivated to pay $8+ for patterns. I was going to get over a hundred just the next day at a bargain price of course! Erm, no.

Back to the fair.

I wore this frock:
I didn't make this one, it's gen-yoo-wine vintage. I may have even bought it at the fifties fair one year, the memory's a little hazy.
I did buy a few little things, such as this hat:


and a half slip (no photo, have already mislaid said slip)

and three budgie pins, also mislaid, but maybe Moggy will post a photo of hers.

Of course, with Miss Moggy here for a weekend, we had to do some fabric shops.

This is my haul:

(Left to right: pink stretch silk seersuckery stuff from Just Remnants; navy cotton voile floral; and a floral mystery knit, probably cotton/poly by the feel...I bought it to make another Shirr-ley, the two fabrics on the right were from the website-less Pitt Trading)

I also bought some 100% wool jersey and some wool interlock from The Remnant Warehouse, but they are black so they photograph pretty much as a black blob. Be assured when I make them up into frocks you will see them. We also went to the Fabric Store in Surry Hills, where Moggy bought something but I didn't. I'll let Moggy fill you in on that if she so desires.

I was on a bit of a quest that weekend to find fold-over elastic, and success! Here (from the top); red and navy FOE, some black lingerie elastic (not fold over) and a divine black fold-over elastic with a little picot edge surprise.
Elastics from Pitt Trading (their address is: 274 Rocky Point Rd, Ramsgate, NSW) and Just Remnants, which is fab by the way and if you're in Sydney you should go there.

Owly

Just in time for a steamy Sydney summer, Owly is finished! (I lie. Almost finished. Like 99% done) The knitting is complete, all that is left is to sew on their little button eyes.
I will do that after I block it; those stitches look a bit rough in the bulky yarn.

This was a very quick and fun knit. I would have finished earlier had it not been for the sock interlude, and two friends announcing they're having babies, necessitating a dash for wool to start baby blankets. I only have 6 months! Eeeee!

Fifties Fair this weekend. What am I going to wear?

Hearty sweetheart sweetness

I realised this week that I hadn't made a frock for the fifties fair (next weekend) and I don't have any in reserve. So I spent today making this:

It's a Butterick Retro '50 - Butterick 6522 which I made before in lace (and in something else, but I can't remember what). It must have been some time ago, because the pattern was a size or two too small, but I just placed the centre back and centre front 2cm in from the fold and voila - fits perfectly.

I made it from a crepe-y black knit - turned out to be a good choice as it is nice and drapey and also I didn't need to put a zip in (yay!). I'm letting it hang for a while before I hem it. I may need to put in thread chain belt loops, or maybe stabilise the waist with some elastic.

The extra heart-ness is thanks to my trusty embroidery machine. I got the heart from Urban Threads (this one, minus the wings).

Noro socks

I interrupted my owly knitting to knit some socks for a friend having surgery this week. I used Noro Kureyon sock yarn, in colourway number S184. I knit using both ends of the ball of wool alternately every 4 rows to get the small stripes. The second sock should have gone more quickly, but there were snarls the size of golf balls in the middle of the ball which took me ages each time to untangle. I ended up just cutting the snarls free and carrying on, which I thought was clever until I started running out of yarn and had to untangle them anyway.

Look like they fit, huh?

They do! Until I stand up. Here's what socks knit for size 11 feet look like (with gravity) on size 6.5 feet:

All wrapped up in ribbon, ready for giving:

I haz bizzy

I've been trying to make more productive use of my time off, to whit:
Shirring! (inspired by Kitty) - for some reason this took me a few goes to get right (hint- don't wind your elastic on your bobbin too tight). This is from a Simplicity pattern (I think it is an 80s one) for a peasant-blouse style dress. I used fold over elastic for the neckline and underwear elastic (!) for the sleeves. Here is before shirring and after shirring:

I made this a week or so ago out of some lovely sludgy green seersucker.

The pattern is a 1951 top half and the standard ol' a-line skirt (the original had a panelled one which didn't fit on my yardage). I've mislaid the pattern for the moment. Vintage buttons from Buttonmania sale earlier in the year.

I got out the embroidery machine and calavera'd a cardigan (embroidery design from Urban Threads).

I also did a bit of mending, but that doesn't merit a picture.