This week in fashion...

Beans are out

Tomatoes are in



(Yeah, I know it isn't sewing, but it is what I did instead of sewing. And I was wearing a dress I made while I did it, so that's gotta count for something huh?)

Back in the sewing saddle

Apart from de-jet-lagging this week (hoorah for time off after a holiday!) I have made a start on the Dresstember wardrobe extension.

First is another version of Simplicity 3774 , this time without sleeves. After I was half way through, I realised how similar it is to one Kitty made earlier - weirdly, almost exactly one year ago! This has a fuller skirt though (it's a windy day, so you can't really see it). I've taken to frankensteining the 4 gore skirt from New Look 6557 on any frock that needs a nice full-but-not-circle skirt.

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The other dress is another old favourite, a Style pattern from the seventies. I haven't decided if I going to have it as a halter or plain straps.... or I could be tricky and put buttons on the inside of the back, and buttonholes on the straps, and make it convertible...



In an uncharacterisic fit of efficiency, I also cut another out of this material:



I haven't cut the skirt out yet, I might make it with a straight skirt.

Crossing over

Another work top. This is Simplicity 4076. I made the mock wrap, view B with view D sleeves. The fabric is a jersey (poly? I guess, but it's light and soft, not shiny and slippery) I bought at Remnants Warehouse a while ago.

Pink pinny

More gift sewing, this time for my little friend Fern, who turns one later this month. I've made this pinafore three times before. It's a winner, New Look 6578.

I bought the fabric in Melbourne, I think late last year, at Rathdowne Fabrics and Remnants. It was $1.50 per metre as I remember. I'm hoping I have enough left over to one day use as a yoke and cuffs on a western shirt for me.

Reversible pursible

I made this reversible purse (from Martha Stewart) as a last minute gift for a friend's birthday. Quick, easy and cute. It's a good project to use up the offcuts of fabrics after frock making too; yay for matching purses! (this one is not offcut fabric though, I bought some fabric especially)

Sewing for work

A great irony of my life is that I can't wear frocks to work. Imagine, me with a frock obsession and innumerable frocks! (for the curious, I work in healthcare, mainly with babies and kids. Involves being dribbled on frequently, and worse on rare occasions, as well as a lot of squatting and sitting on floors and grass, in sandpits etc)

So my frock-wearing self is a bit of a secret identity. I always think I'd like to swan about in my frocks at work, but I also like that putting on a frock signals 'me' time.

So I don't usually make work clothes. I don't want to make trousers (although I have) because I don't really like wearing them that much and I need to be a bit excited about what I sew.

The other day I was looking around the shops for new shirts for work, but the ones I liked were all $80 to $120. I have to be IN LOVE with something to spend that amount of money. So even though I'm not too excited about sewing them, I needed shirts, so a stash dive was in order.

The striped shirt is Butterick 4985, which I've made previously. (I might only wear this one on days I have no babies scheduled. The tie is a bit too... tuggable)

For the green patterned shirt I used a pattern I've also made before, a few times, including lengthened frock versions. One of Moggy's and my favourite patterns, I think it's safe to say. It's New Look 6513, but with cap sleeves instead of puffy sleeves this time, and I made it with the pointed collar instead of the rounded one for a change.

Black flouncey

So while I had the twin needle set up and the wool fabric out after making the wrap jacket from the last post, I thought I'd make a knit version of flouncey. No zips, few darts, only a few seams and voila! Black flouncey.
I didn't finish the edges of the flounce which made it even quicker to make.

Fortunately I have a few social engagements coming up in the next few weeks, so the new flounceys have already been set up with dates.

Wool wrap

Just in time for summer! There was a cold snap in Sydney this week, and I found myself hankering for a new jacket. Bit bored with the old ones.
Moggy kindly gave me a copy of out-of-print McCalls 4600 earlier this year, after I admired the asymmetrical jacket she made and took to Japan.

I used a light double knit wool from The Remnant Warehouse, and made the small.

Of course, I read the reviews on Pattern Review after I'd finished it, so I didn't know it's too big through the shoulders and upper body for most people. It's a little too big, but it's comfy.

I used a twin needle for the first time for this project, and I've gotta say, I'm sold! I like the look of the double stitching for the hems, rather than having zig-zaggy top stitching.

Flowery

I made this after work one evening last week. I have plenty of sundresses, but I have worn them all multiple times, so I need some fresh ones.

This is made from some poplin I picked up at Spotlight, bought on impulse when I went there to get a zip for another project. I used this pattern again for the bodice, and added a four gore skirt for a casual look.

Flouncey

I was chatting with my friend S late last week, and she described a frock she had tried on in a boutique, which had a neck flounce. I was inspired to try a dress with a flounce, and this is what I came up with. I used McCalls 8223 for the bodice and attached a different, slightly A-line skirt because bengaline + waist gathers = tragedy.
I winged it on the flounce. I cut out a circle with a little triangular bite on the top, and pleated it until it folded how I wanted it to.

The fabric is bengaline, which didn't make for the flounciest of flounces (not helped by making a facing out of the same fabric and having to tack the flounce down to the front bodice so it didn't drag the neckline down) but I like it just the same.

I think I'll make a black one out of a light knit, for extra flounciness.

Sydney Vintage Show

I can't believe I haven't been to the Sydney Vintage Show before. I never seem to see any ads for it, and I thought it was in November anyway, so if someone hadn't mentioned it to me this week, I would have missed it. The thought of that just pains me now.

Because I went today.

And . it . was . amazing.

It's only 10 minutes' drive from my house! If you're in Sydney this weekend, I recommend you go. It is on until 4.30pm tomorrow (Sunday). (I have snatched up most of the B32 patterns though, just so you know)

Vintage shops from all over NSW have stalls there. (I noticed Chapel Street Bazaar had a stall there, so there were probably interstate sellers too.) You can see a list of sellers on the official website I linked to above.

The damage:

Fabrics! There was a lot of vintage fabric, and not many people looking at it! I mostly ignored the vintage clothes and sparkly doodads and dived into the fabric and patterns. The blue rose fabric is a John Kaldor crepe, the other fabric is a 50s rayon, both about 4metre lengths. (click on the photos to enlarge):

I bought 12 patterns, and most were $2 each! I bought 2 sewing books too. Love those vintage how-tos:



some lovely vintage buttons:

and some 40s-via-the-70s suede sandals:
I watched a bit of the hairdressing demonstration too, a victory roll tutorial! Fun! (but don't ask me how to do them Moggy, I was drawn back to pattern hunting before the end)

The official show site has photos from the April 2008 show. Does this mean there will be another one in 6 months? Be still my beating wallet!

Finally some sewing...

...but sadly, I'm a bit stuck so I may not have a new frock to post this weekend. I can't figure out how to put the collar on this dress. The instructions blithely say to sew the collar on, matching notches...and then unhelpfully show no illustrations of how you are supposed to stop the collar from hideously pleating and gathering in the process. Just happens by magic apparently, although not for me. I've tried putting it on every way I can think of. I guess I could try to topstitch it on. (Oh you may notice I did pleats instead of gathers. I found with this fabric the gathers made the front upper chest 'pouchy'. Not a good look)

I've pinned this thing so many times I'm starting to think I'll have to finish it without the collar. Sigh.

It doesn't help that I don't like the fabric. It's stash fabric which I must have thought was stretch cotton sateen before I knew any better. It didn't melt with the burn test so I thought it might be rayon. The back pieces stuck to the iron after I'd put the zip in of course, not before. So I had to recut the pieces, unpick the zip, do the darts again...grr.

Oh well. You can't win 'em all. I might put this aside and make an easy sundress instead.

Although, it's a lovely day for a bike ride...

Edited to add (within minutes!): Yay, I took the front pleats out, changed their position a little and I have finally been able to pin the collar on!
Edited yet again to add:
Here she is. Very similar to 'The Stepfrock' I made recently, except in a woven instead of a knit. I should have made it in some other colour instead of black I guess, for variety.

Edited yet again to show the frock on me: