Dress of a million seams

And I'm not even joking about the number of seams! Just look at the technical drawing ;) Melissa dress is super lovely and has many interesting design features (just check out those little pockets!) I was one of the testers for this pattern last year and I've been meaning to give it another go.

I made a huge mistake with my fabric choice... Poly-rayon suiting looked alright and had nice drape but frayed like crazy! It has also absolutely no give and I was too afraid of clipping it around the curves. All the seams are finished with a combination of black and mint bias tape which added a huge amount of extra work but super tidy finish. My poly-rayon wasn't easy to press either, there was a very fine line between pressing and melting the fabric.

As for the dress itself - the back V insert is a great opportunity to use scraps of lace or "statement" fabrics. I used some black lace generously given to me by Sandra. As for the fit - I chose size 40 with D-cup and there was no need for FBA :D  The first time I made Melissa I didn't change anything and the waistline was way too low. This time I moved it up by 7 cm (I think) and it's a too high! The other change I made was getting rid of a top V pocket. I almost always have to adjust shoulder line and scoop out a bit of the top of the shoulder princess seam and that pocket would make the fitting quite hard. And there was just one more change - I made my dress sleeveless. I couldn't face dealing with more bias bound seams! The collar took three tries to get it right - including me sewing the collar inside out *facepalm* By that time I was a bit over and the dress ended in a naughty corner for a few weeks.

When I got over the collar, the rest went nice and easy. I used black buttons with gold metal ring and I like the way they look. Overall I like the dress but I'm not crazy about it. Lower waistline and different fabric would make a huge difference and I suspect I might give this pattern another try ;)

 

Welcome to the jungle

Well, jungle that grew on nuclear waste judging by the colours! I went to the fabric sale with a mission of getting some plain colours but I just couldn't help myself... This intense exotic print just wouldn't leave me alone! And at $3 per meter I really had no excuse. I knew right away that it would be some sort of va va voom dress.

I went with pattern number 116 from Burda 4/2013. I used it to make my first dress ever (if you are interested here is the link to the post about my first sewn dress, in Polish) I used the bodice of this dress twice before as well - my halloween and christmas dress. I really thought I had this all sorted!

Unfortunately it didn't work as well as I thought it would. I think the fabric is rayon or poly-rayon twill. It has lot's of drape, it's quite lovely but it moves in every direction! Cutting was an issue!Sewing was manageable provided I used a lot of pins. I finished all the edges with bias binding - I love this clean look! I used bright green rayon thread for topstitching. My partner's uncle gave me a whole bag of those rayon threads and I decided it's time to start using them!

The back was sticking out so I added darts. It was easier that unpicking the zip and the binding. It doesn't really matter though as the dress turn out to be too tight! As you can see I can put it on and zip it but that's pretty much it. At this stage I can't really wear it as movement is very very restricted. I'm hoping I'll still be able to wear this dress soon if I manage to control my urge to eat chocolate ;) The interesting thing is that I cut the fabric for this dress and my Christmas dress the same day, the same pattern... The other dress fits very well, this one is too small. Grrr!

Another Hemlock

I guess the title is pretty self explanatory - I made another Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studio. The changes are the same as last time - I took the sides it so it's far from the designed boxy look. I also extended the sleeves so now they are full length. It makes a lovely basic long sleeved top.

I bought the fabric at Levana during my road trip in September last year. It's quite interesting  - very soft, brushed and with subtle stripes one one side and then smooth with tiny blue and white stripes on the other. It was really nice to sew with and my sewing machine had no problems with it (and my machine has been a bit temperamental lately). I added a neckband and hemmed the bottom and the sleeves with twin needle. Easy peasy ;)

I guess I should go ahead and alter my jeans. I've lot a bit of weight and they keep falling off!

Lindy petal skirt

Lindy skirt is my first go at Itch to Stitch patterns. Not only it is a free pattern but it also has lovely, classy lines. And who doesn't like a pencil skirt? It is designed for knits but I used very stretchy medium-weight denim, leftover from another project. It worked but next time I will use proper knit fabric. The instructions are very clear but to be honest there is nothing hard about sewing this skirt. So far I only wore this skirt a few times but once I get back to work it will be in high rotation.

2015 in review

2015 was a good year, especially for my sewing! I made quite a few things, many of them are being worn regularly. I learned heaps both about fabrics and techniques. I made my first collared shirt, pair of pants and a full size quilt. I discovered indie patterns. And I joined Wellington Sewing Bloggers group that gives me courage, support and expertise every time I need it! I also found a new hobby when sewing is not an option. All good things :)

My favorite make last year was my Christmas Dress! My heart Cardamome dress is probably most work of all my dresses. Stripey Simplicity dress always gets commented on and I'm still really proud of my floral Granville shirt I made for 0 Degree Challenge.

There were a few fails last year too. The biggest one is probably my Watson Jacket (never blogged). It is just not me and makes me look terrible. It's a pity as I spent quite a lot of time and effort on it and it just doesn't work for me. Second fail is my "Welcome to the jungle" dress that I will blog about some time soon. Lovely dress, nice finish... and it's too small! I can barely breathe wearing it! And there are my Antoinette pants... Bad, bad fit, wrong fabric and just not the right shape. I need to learn more about pants fitting and just keep trying to get it right!

There was a little bit of unselfish sewing too. The biggest achievement of the year was making a quilt for my best friend! Took time and patience and lots of love to finish it which is fitting because it was a wedding gift :) The other thing I'm really proud of is a pair of shorts I made for my partner for Christmas. Blog post to follow soon.

This quilted cushion was also a Christmas gift. Worked out quite nicely!

And a little bit of fabric shopping and a new hobby. Knitting was my winter discovery and I do have a few knitted things to show on the blog... I'm just being a lousy blogger! I still have at least 10 garments to show from 2015!

As for 2016 I just want to keep sewing, keep enjoying it and keep getting better. I need to work on my fitting issues and nice finishes. I need some jackets in my wardrobe so that's my potential focus for next months.

HAPPY SEWING EVERYONE!!!

Sydney blush

This top is a huge surprise to me - I wasn't sure about the fabric, the pattern and their combination! This beautiful rayon piece came from Tessuti Fabrics in Sydney - I absolutely loved the shop but the prices were a bit out of my range. Because of that I only got 1,5m of this blush-pink and grey fabric and I'm not even sure why! I usually don't go for pale colours and I wasn't sure if they would work on me.

The pattern comes from Burda. Blouse 131 from May2014 magazine and I've been meaning to sew it for a while. I remember I had it traced at some stage and even the fabric was cut but I can't seem to find it anywhere! Anyway, the weekend before Christmas I decided to make myself a new top ;)

I had to do my standard 5cm full bust adjustment and I added it to the shoulder gathers. I used burrito method for the yoke as I love the clean finish it provides! After trying the top on I decided to take it in a little bit - I think 3 cm on each side. It sits nicer now.  While sewing the top wasn't too hard I must admit that Burda instructions are ridiculous! "Construct sleeve vents" or "attach the neckband" are the perfect example. Really Burda? A little bit more a hand holding would be welcomed here. Luckily the week before I made continuous sleeve placket so I knew what to do. The neckband was a bit of a trial and error. I machine stitched one side and the stitched the other side by hand. Because of that I had more control over the pointy ends of the neckband. It's not perfect but not too bad either.

I used some white pearl buttons from my stash and surprisingly my sewing machine had no problems with the button holes! I also realized I don't have to unbutton the blouse to put it on so I stitched the overlapping neckband pieces together (after the photos were taken) as it was gaping a little bit. I hemmed the top using my rolled hem foot - I need a bit more practice with it as the hem is a bit uneven.
Overall I think I like this top. I was worrying that the gathers in the bodice and puffy sleeves wouldn't look good on me but they somehow work. Even the colours seem to be ok and I think this top will be perfect for summer. And it will work well as office wear once I start working again ;)

Christmas dress

Ok, this is definitely my favourite project of 2015! I love absolutely everything about it!

Let's start with fabric. I bought this beautiful linen in Made on Marion - the most lovely local store for all sorts of crafters during their mid-winter Christmas celebrations. I couldn't resist this white and blue print. It reminds me of portuguese ceramic tiles called azulejos which I got to love when I lived in Portugal for 6 months. I bought 2,5m with no projects in mind but I thought it was going to be a dress or maybe a summer jacket. Then I started thinking about Christmas and the idea was born.

I decided to use the same patterns as for my Halloween dress - Simplicity skirt and Burda bodice. I modified the bodice neckline from sweetheart shape into a straight one. I thought it suited the fabric more. Unfortunately I didn't do it properly - the neckline didn't sit flat. I also realized that only when the dress was practically finished! The dress went to the naughty corner for two weeks, then I got back to it and fixed it in 20 min! It is almost perfect now ;)

I didn't want any stitching to be visible on the outside and I also wanted this dress to be pretty on the inside. I finished all the bodice seams with bias binding, hand-stitched it down using blind stitch. It took me a few episodes of "Jessica Jones"to finish it (I do recommend the show, David Tennant is a fabulous villain!). I opted for narrow, rolled hem. I am really proud of this dress!
I wish I had better photos of the dress - taking photos around noon on a sunny day made them overexposed and some details are hard to see.

I HEART Cardamome

The moment I finished my first Cardamome dress I knew it wouldn't be my last. I like the unusual lines of the dress and the fact that it has loose fit but the shirring keeps it close to my waist - very comfortable and flattering.

The fabric is one of my souvenirs from September trip around the North Island. The last stop was in Masterton where I bought this lovely navy rayon covered in hearts. It was a pleasure to sew with it! Even cutting wasn't a problem. I decided to use piping again, this time white so it matches the hearts. The dress quickly became my "to go dress" when I have no idea what to wear!

The photos were taken at our WBSN Christmas Picnic. It was perfect - weather was lovely, food was yummy and the company as amazing as always ;) We also had our ornament swap and I received the most beautiful cross-stitched kiwi! Handmade swaps with WSBN ladies are always amazing because everyone is so crafty and clever!

 

And my beautiful hand made ornament. Isn't it lovely?