Blue stripes

Ok, it's time to show the dress I made in September (I think... it was long time ago!) I still have some clothes from 2014 to show so I better get organized! Not that I have much to show this month - I made a simple dress that I managed to mess up and need to refashion, I made a jacket/blazer that I'm not fully happy about but I still need to deal with loose threads before I can take photos. I also made an atrocious parka jacket muslin... Not a good start for the new year!

Anyway, about the dress. Its mostly number 124 from Burda 4/2013. Original  dress has long sleeves but that didn't look that great with my fabric. It was too overwhelming. So I used sleeves from another Burda dress - 114 from 5/2014. I really like this pattern and I think I'll try it with different fabric - maybe in solid colour?

Unfortunately I paired up a good pattern with bad fabric. I really liked this mysterious jersey with blue and white stripes. I got it during The Fabric Warehouse sale for $2/meter. The problem is that the quality is quite bad and after wearing it handful of  times my handbag side has pilled and looks ugly. I'm not sure about the fibre content but I suspect it is mostly synthetic - I tent to wear it on colder days. I think it will soon have to be put out of its misery... Such a pity!

I tried to find a good spot around my house to take some photos so they are all over the place ;) Also the dress sits a bit lower than on the photos. I usually wear it with a belt so waist is more pronounced.

Black and white skirt

After brief look through the clothes I have I realized I need more skirts. And pants. And tops. Not to forget about blazers/jackets/outerwear... Basically anything but dresses. Guess what I like sewing the most?

Anyway, I've been eyeing high-waisted skirt (mod. 113) from Burda 4/2014 for a while. I just needed the right fabric. After tracing the pattern I went through my stash and found 2m of stretch cotton in black and white aztec pattern. I bought it ages ago in Pete's Emporium without any specific pattern in mind. The skirt used up maybe 0.5m so I still have a bit left and I'm not sure what to do with it... I keep thinking about crazy pair of pants but I'm not sure whether I'd be brave enough to wear them (providing they would work out well)

Putting it together was really easy. Because my fabric is reasonably stretchy I cut the skirt 2 sizes smaller - guess what? It's still too big! Also the top part doesn't sit right when placed as designed. I have curves and the lines of that part are practically straight. I still wear it but more like a normal skirt with a wide band than a high waisted one. I think I'll make it again and see if I can fix those issues.

Here are some photos on flat surface. Can you see the seams?

On the back one of fabric panels shifted a bit :(

I still have a few makes from 2014 to blog about - I just need to take some photos and that seems to be my biggest problem with blogging! I have quite a few sewing plans for 2015 but it can be summed up in a few words - make more, learn more and don't be afraid of trying. I also want to use up at least half of my stash (just to make more room for new and exciting fabrics!!!)

As a bonus photo (excuse bathroom selfie!) - today in the morning I found the first wearable piece of clothing I ever made. Before this dress I made a few soft toys and 2 tops that went straight to the scrap bin. The dress fits like a dream (atm is a tiny bit on the tight side) has not-so-invisible zipper and a few interesting sewing solutions but it is great that I can see my progress but also that I can impress myself with 'me from the past'

Edit: Seems I have some issue with photos posted from my phone. Sorry for that!

Christmas gifts

New Year's is probably a good time to show cushion covers I made for my boyfriend's mum and my friend. First set is made using jelly roll in purple and teal.  First one was easy because I just joined stripes together. Second one was more complicated as I wanted squares but it worked out quite well taking into consideration that it was my second ever attempt on patchwork and quilting. I backed it up with grey fabric and added a few buttons. My partner's mum was really happy with them and she keeps showing the off to everyone!

The second set was made for my good friend whom I met during my move to New Zealand. We met at Hong Kong airport and she became part of our family. She is Dutch with Chinese origin which explains the colors I used - orange for the Netherlands and red for good luck according to Chinese culture. And in the middle there are panels of fabric with tui birds on them. I'm quite happy with how they turn out! My friend was happy too and that's what matters the most!
The photos are not the greatest but I took them the last possible minute - I actually finished pulling threads and sewing buttons at work on Christmas Eve! I got all the other gifts sored months before Christmas though so I'm not completely terrible with time management ;)