What I did on my holidays

Painted the house:



That white used to get awful grubby. The grey is nice and bluestoney, and matches the back of the house. Now I need to think about veranda fixes.

I also made a new frock, inspired by one I saw when shopping with Kitty and S. over the xmas break:


It's good old doubleknit for the bottom portion, and a cute shamrock and yellow blob print on black knit from It Inc up top.

The pattern is frankensteined from McCall 5700 (I choose to ignore the fact that it is a Hillary Duff pattern, but have to admit there are a couple o'cute frocks in her line) with the top half of the Butterick 4985 blouse on top. They went together like they were made for each other.

I also painted the garden setting. I have a couple of days of holidays left, maybe I will get around to that wallpapering, or unpacking more of those boxes that have been sitting around for the past year, or sort out my wardrobe, or make another frock...

Can you tell I didn't make this?

I've been after an additional kitteh for a while now. Since the other one is a six year old boy, I was advised to get a youngish female. I love the tabby, so I was waiting for a 10-14 month old female tabby. Lo and behold the RSPCA had a couple o' kittehs fitting the bill advertised last week. One was snapped up before I could even get there, but this little one year old number was still there.

Meet (cue The Damned singing Eloise)
EEELLLOOOOOOOIIIIISEEEEE

She's still in quarantine in the front room since she just got the snip, and she and Reebs have to be slowly introduced to each other (there's been a bit of sniffing under doors, but that is it so far). She's a calm kitty, and I'm please to say she has a nice loud and constant purr.

Happy New Year, meet Shirley

I have just returned from spending Christmas and New Year in Melbourne. Oh the shopping I did! You Melbourne people have the best shops and sales. I needed to get home to Sydney and return to my more frugal self, away from the shoe outlets.

I got to spend time in Moggy's awesome sewing studio again. We had our traditional (we've done it twice, it is so a tradition) girls' sewing night with our friend S, and the result is a frock for S, which I have named Shirley.

S wanted a flouncey frock, with a full 'Mrs Partridge' style flounce; hence the name.
We used the sheath dress from New Look 6736, left out the neckline slash, made it slightly more A-line and pinned on a remnant of sheer-ish polyester from a too-short dress of S's which Moggy had just that minute taken up to top length. The frock fabric is a thick stretch cotton woven I bought at Rathdowne Fabrics and Remnants earlier that day. I love stretch wovens, so very comfortable to wear. I think I'll have to make one for myself. (I bought more of this fabric, and I nabbed the other half of the sheer poly offcut)

The facings are unusual in that you put in the large facing before sewing the side seams and then pull the garment right side out through the shoulder 'straps'. Takes a bit of effort, but the results are worth it. No flippy-out facings and it looks so neat. We didn't have a 22" zip, so I put in a 16" invisible zip in the middle of the centre back seam at Moggy's suggestion, after we checked that the neckline was wide enough to fit a head through without the zip opening up to the top. A blind hem and she was done!

Another example of a New Look frock fitting just right straight out of the packet. (we go by the finished garment measurements printed on the pattern tissue. Never fails with New Look)

I see your tiny happy and raise you a reversible pursible

What is this, a bag-off? I think so!

I made a version of the reversible pursible. So handy, so quick, so easy! Nice for striped fabric too. I made this for myself, since I needed something for those times when you just want to pop a purse, phone, sunglasses into a bag and wander about.

I also made another tiny happy bag for another young lassie for xmas.


Is it obvious she likes cats?

More baggage

I made a tiny happy bag too, out of Michael Miller 'Dandy Damask'. I lined it in black and put in three pockets. Handy.

It needs a road test though, as it's a bit floppy and shallow and things may fall out of it easily. It's the perfect length for cross body wearing though, my preferred way to carry a handbag. Leaves both hands free for rifling through op shop patterns.

astroturf.... I mean astrobag

Bag-making fever is upon us (Delamare, if you are reading this, don't let A Certain Person see this).

I had a request to make a bag for my niece for xmas. I searched the wonders of the web and found tiny happy's shoulder bag tutorial. It looked lovely, I searched the stash - and lo and behold, the astrobag:

I made it up a little differently - I sewed the inside pockets before sewing up the bottom seam, and left an opening for turning in the top rather than the bottom, and put the top of the strap together from the inside (same method as one uses for sleeveless lined tops).

I like it, in fact I want to keep it - but I shall just have to make myself another (and it reminds me I must find just the right frock to make out of the astrodot fabric!)

More Christmas sewing

This is a Christmas present for Mr M. He knows about it, but he doesn't want to see it too much before Christmas Day, so it is will be fresh and new in his mind. Hence the washing line shots on a windy day.

I used this pattern again but modified the things he wasn't especially keen on in the first version: changed the shape of the side curves so his t-shirts aren't visible poking out, and made the collar smaller, and a little crisper with firmer interfacing. I also changed the shape of the sleeve cap, because the sleeves in this pattern are impossible to ease without almost becoming almost full puff sleeves.

I've cut out another reversible purse for another present. I have Christmas cards to write, but sewing is so much more rewarding.

Edited to add: photos of the finished purse.
Made in eyelet and black/silver chinese brocade. I don't recommend using such different fabrics together because they were horrible to sew individually and a nightmare together, and it will only be a practical bag with the eyelet outside. I think the recipient will like it though. I do like how the silver wrong side of the brocade looks behind the eyelet.

Why you two-faced...

I'd like to say I 'whipped this up' today, but after the prewashing of the material, and the confusion of the lining (this weird sticking the sleeves through the gap at the bottom, sewing in a whacky circle thing) I shall just say I made it today:
The first side is to match the doiley dress

and the other is to match the black spotty dress I cut out, but decided to put off making because of wrestling with sleeve lining (it's the same pattern as St Francis, so it will be quick enough one I get around to it)

*edited to add* The pattern for the bolero is Simplicity 3748 "1950s Retro" from which I made the pink and black cuffed bolero last December. The pattern is out of print, but you can find it on eBay.

'47 Frankie

I wasn't going to finish this tonight, but she called me and I had to!

The top half is Butterick 5209 (subtitled "Retro '47').

But the gathered skirt didn't appeal, so I frankensteined Butterick 4859 (fishtail skirt)
on the bottom. I lengthened the skirt a bit, and took out the 'side flip'.


It's not as formal lookin' in person as it is in this picture for some reason. It's also more fifties-shaped than the thirties-shape it looks on Jane, but that might be because I am more that way...

Busy Busy Busy

I found this old hem marker at Rozelle Markets last weekend. When I went to hand over the money, the stall holders asked me what it was. They thought it was something used for chemistry apparently. Maybe I'm wrong, but that little dish looks made for pins and the little metal thing fits my 20+ year old piece of tailor's chalk perfectly. (Seriously, does that chalk ever run out?)

I haven't been making frocks, but I have been sewing and knitting. It's gift-makin' season.
The hoodie is from this 'Get Creative' pattern from Spotlight, and it turns out it's a very well drafted pattern. I will give them a second look for basics now. The fabric is a flannel from Spotlight as well. It has a 'kangaroo pocket' on the front which is fairly hard to make out because of the busy car print, you can just see it in the closeup shot. That's for a 5 year old nephew. 5 year olds need pockets for stones and balloons and lollies.



The jumper below is the child's placket jumper from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It's in Filatura di Crosa's Zara merino, so lovely and sproingy to knit with. I love this book and have made many things from it, mainly gifts as it happens. This one is for 3 year old niece. These children live in Europe, hence the winter clothing gifts. Click to embiggen so you can see the little lady bugs climbing up the placket.
So too busy to make frocks. I still have one gift left to make, another western shirt for Mr M in a lovely wine-coloured poplin. I'd really like to get wine or burgundy coloured pearl snap closures. Snap source don't have them.

Frockaversary frocks.

I promised Kitty I would make frocks as penance for missing our blogaversary. In a rare fit of over achievement, I made three (well, two and a half since one still needs straps)

1) Cherryspot - I cut this one out last week and sewed it on Saturday:
- another version of the 1970's Style 6388, with the straight skirt from Vogue 9668 frankensteined onto it.

2) New Look 6557 View D with straight skirt from New Look 6699 instead of the full skirt.
This is in honour of my recent visit to Assisi - it is St Francis in all sorts of poses with his friendly sheep, wolves, goats etc. When I got it Kitty reckoned it looked like he was standing on clouds of algae, which is quite true if you look.

3) (or 2 1/2) - Style 6388 View 3 (without the band) out of some lovely black cotton broderie anglaise with a lovely border that I used for the top and the skirt hems. I haven't decided if I am going to line it or just wear different coloured slips underneath (it is seethrough without one, being broderie anglaise).
The material isn't really suitable for straps, so I will have to find some lace or grosgrain ribbon or something else suitable.

New Look 6515

Another work top for summer, if summer ever gets here. It's been windy, rainy and cool today.
Hence the indoor, fuzzy pics.

This is New Look 6515, in cotton voile I bought at Spotlight.
I used bias binding instead of facings, and raised the neckline about 2cm so I don't have to wear a camisole under it if it's really hot. But silly me found out too late that raising the neckline meant I should extend the cross over a bit, hence the vertical piece of bias binding near the bustline there.
It's only for work. It's ok.