LB Pullover - vest

This is a project from the middle of last year - a vest using the popular LB Pullover by Paper Theory. The idea was stolen directly from my friend Dayle who wore her LB vest to brunch with me - I'm really wanting to recreate her version (here); but perhaps she will gift her vest to me if I hint at it often enough 😊😊😊.

 

I sewed this up at a sewing afternoon with my sister-in-law, Lynne, who also sewed the same project. Lynne made hers in a non-stretch and my fabric has a little bit of stretch to it (but not much). Both of us were very happy with the results of the sewing afternoon. I added a few inches of length to mine and sewed it in a size 20 to wear comfortably over other tops.




I like this top but I've not actually worn it yet. I thought I might take it to London/Paris with us over X-mas and New Year but I just don't think I have the right tops to go under it so it stayed at home.

The fabric is a Wool/Nylon/Viscose from The Fabic Store. I really love the cool cut-outs and it feels a bit like felt - very warm.

---
Pattern: LB Pullover by Paper Theory
Size: size 20
Modifications: lengthend but cannot remember by how much?
Fabric: Wool/Nylon/Viscose from The Fabic Store
Changes for next time: none 

Big guns need Full Bicep Adjustments!

I have quite literally made an exact replica of the Ebony Tee dress I made last May however this version has nice, comfortable sleeves. I loved that dress - the fabric was LOVELY, and I really loved the shaped too however the sleeves were just too tight so I never, ever wore it. I'd put it on to wear to work and then immediately take it off. Nope.

When I was at the Fabric Store last week I spotted more of this fabric and thought I'd buy 1m and take the sleeves off the old dress and replace them with new, bigger sleeves. Somehow I ended up with 2.5m "just in case" which is lucky as between the overlocking and problematic fabric I could not detach the sleeves.



The only change to this dress was to do a full bicep adjustment. I often find the sleeves on my clothes too tight so I was figuring I should bite the bullet and learn how to do one and I'm so pleased this experiment was successful. I read quite a few different posts/webpages about this adjustment and in the end settled on this one from the Curvy Sewing Collective. After measuring my bicep and the sleeve piece I needed around an extra 1" so this was the perfect method....

And ta-da! Comfortable sleeves. The adjustment has given me an extra inch at the upper arm which tapers to virtually nothing at the wrist. The original sleeve is too tight all over so I'm glad to have more room throughout.

I'm SO HAPPY with this new dress, so happy in fact that I wore it TWO days in a ROW #hearteyes! 

-------

Pattern: Closet Case Files "Ebony Tee"
Size: 16
Modifications:  1" full bicep adjustment
Fabric: Fabric Store - viscose 7.7.& /lycra 6% /polyester 17%
Changes for next time: none  

A sparkly Simplicity 1366 for Frocktails

Frocktails is done and dusted for another year...and I'm sure some of that (glitter) dust has come from this top. Whilst I did have a dress already made to wear February can be VERY hot in Sydney and I didn't think a polyester elastane dress was going to fly.

This is my trusty Simplicity 1366 top made in a shiny gold foil-knit from The Fabric Store. The fabric is my no means a natural fabric but it's quite thin, and when paired with my Veronika Skirt I felt quite cool all night.

Not much to report as I've made this top so many times before. The fabric is not meant to go through the machine but my dry-cleaning days are behind me so it did go into the wash....which probably explains why I flaked little bits of foil all night.

----

Pattern: Simplicity 1366
Size: 18
Modifications:  added 7.5cm to the length, added 1cm to both the side of the front and back neckline and dropped the front neckline a bit. Shortened the sleeves by 5cm.
Fabric: some sort of foil knit fabric from The Fabric Store.
Changes for next time: none

Ebony Tee - Dress

I've made about 500 Ebony Tee's since my last post, and now a dress!

This is actually my second attempt at the dress pattern. I thought that the dress would be S-H-O-R-T like the Tee so added 2" to it...which also entailed adding width. Turns out I did not need the extra length at all, nor the width, and I made myself a bonafide tent! It's since become a top, but more on that another time.

This attempt is made as per the pattern - no changes at all. I've sewed the size 16 and it's a very swingy style with a subtle high-low hem happening. The fabric is from the Fabric Store - it's a viscose 7.7.& /lycra 6% /polyester 17%...not great for hot weather but good as the weather is now quite chilly (finally). The fabric was 160cm wide and only $20/pm. Seems too good to be true!

Not sure how "flattering" the dress is from the back as it's VERY wide...but I can't see it so "whatever".

I really like this dress and have spied some fabric at My Hung in Parramatta for a possible second version.
-------

Pattern: Closet Case Files "Ebony Tee"
Size: 16
Modifications:  none.
Fabric: Fabric Store - viscose 7.7.& /lycra 6% /polyester 17%...not great for hot weather but good as the weather is now quite chilly (finally).
Changes for next time: none  

Experiments in leather with the "Essential Wristlet"

Spurred on by the raging success of my first, I've made myself another "Essential Wristlet" by Dog Under My Desk - this time experimenting with some leather I had bought in a $5 scrap bag from The Fabric Store. The idea stems from this True Bias tutorial and some purses I've seen made up over on Instagram using the tutorial.

I know black leather on dark blue denim isn't "the best look" (tan leather would look better) but it's what I had on hand to play with, and I was hoping that if the purse worked out I can use it for my Sydney Frocktails clutch (which is coming up this Saturday).

The leather was very soft and didn't add much bulk to the purse, was easy to sew with and easy to turn through the lining. I curved the bottom corners (as that's what the purse in the tutorial is like) which made it easy to have nice bottom corners.

I also added in the second zipper option this time. LOVE it. I'll probably cart my phone, lip goop and train pass in here - three things I access a lot.

I found my Flamingo Purse a tad on the small side so at the advice of my sewing friend Cassiy I increased the size of the purse by printing it at 150%. I also then added a bit more depth to the bottom of the purse to account for the curved corners.

I like having a card slot in my purses so thought I'd made use of my leather and add in three! They are not particularly neat (partly due to the fact that I cut my leather out with scissors which is a bit messy {need to get myself a rotary cutter and metal ruler}), but they do the trick.

And just for a bit more *bling* I added in these cute zipper pulls to the zippers that I picked up from Spotlight in Castle Hill (which is the BEST store just FYI, unlike their Bondi Junction store which is THE WORST). If you have keen eyes you'll notice my zippers are going in two different directions here - whoops! Must pay better attention next time.

I love the way this purse turned out and am already in the process of making a second...leather included!

Another Liberty KwikSew 3880

I'm on a roll with KwikSew 3880. It's nice to find a well-fitting, easy to sew pattern. I'm actually thinking of lengthening this into a dress - maybe for Sydney Frocktails which is coming up in February. What do you think?

This fabric is my second piece of Liberty jersey bought during The Fabric Store's recent sale. It's a lovely print, but like my last piece of Liberty jersey a total nightmare to work with (super curly). Never again!

This top is exactly the same has my last Liberty KwikSew 3880 - no changes at all.

Neckband...again a total nightmare to attach as the fabric was SO curly. It could possibly be a tad tighter but life's to short to bother unpicking it and trying again.

So, I've had my foray into Liberty jersey. Very pretty and lovely to wear but I'm not sure the stress of sewing it is worth it.
-----

Pattern: KwikSew 3880
Size: Size XL, Size M for height at neckline
Modifications: I doubled the width of their skinny skinny neckband and added 6" to the length of it as this fabric doesn't have a lot of stretch. 
Fabric: 100% Liberty cotton knit from The Fabric Store
Changes for next time: none

Liberty KwikSew 3880

Very excitingly I bought my very first Liberty of London fabric last week...in jersey of course! I nabbed this little beauty in The Fabric Store's 30% off VIP sale last week.  I also bought a second piece but it's not on their website anymore.

The fabric is quite narrow (140cm wide) so I bought 160cms with a view to making my 2nd KwikSew 3880 - this was pretty much just enough as you need to allow for the fabric shrinking a bit in the wash. I also had to cut the neckband twice as the first one was WAY too short.

Can I just say right up front that this fabric was a total freaking pain to work with - which surprised me as people gush about Liberty (guess they're not sewing with the pesky jersey)! The edges curled so badly and would not stay flat no matter how much hot hot steam ironing I took to it.

Anyway...I stuck with it and ended a with a brilliant top that I LOVE. The fabric is fairly cool to wear and actually ironed up OK after a spin in the wash - phew! I love the big, floaty sleeves as they are so breezy to wear and I really like how its snug at the waist to balance out all that sleeviness.

I finished the sleeve hems before sewing up the side seams...lazy, but easier! The sleeves and neckband and stitched down with a longer straight stitch but the hem is with a zigzag as I think straight stitches would've been pushing it for this make.

This time I raised the front and back necklines to a size M (last time I cut them at the size XL). I also kept the length at the XL as I wanted this one to be a bit longer. The fabric is MUCH less stretchy than my last version so I probably shouldn't have sewn such a big seam at the lower hip region...but the fabric is somewhat stretchy, so that's good. I didn't have a skirt to wear with this so picked up this black number at Target - but want to find a pattern to make my own elastic-waisted jersey skirt ASAP (this one is a little bit but I was desperate)!

Neckline...what a DRAMA! The first one was too short - despite cutting it 4" longer than the pattern piece. I cute a new one adding an extra 6"!!! and it went on OK - though it was so curly it took me forEVER to pin it and sew it on...plus top stitching it down with a long straight stitch. I was convinced I would've stretched the neckline out whilst sewing - but nope, it's perfect.

-----

Pattern: KwikSew 3880
Size: Size XL, Size M for height at neckline
Modifications: I doubled the width of their skinny skinny neckband and added 6" to the length of it as this fabric doesn't have a lot of stretch. 
Fabric: 100% Liberty cotton knit from The Fabric Store
Changes for next time: none

Little leather clutch

About this time last year I bought this little leather remnant from The Fabric Store with the hopes of making a bag to take along to Melbourne Frocktails. If I couldn't make a dress successfully at least the bag would be made by me. Nope...things didn't quite work out.

I had initially wanted to install a closure for the bag that required punching and hammering...but it just didn't work out. I managed to un-pry the bent and dented closure without damaging the leather, but as I didn't know how to next proceed the bag was left in a dark drawer, mainly forgotten about.

Fast forward to our trip in Japan where I found these nifty little leather closures at my beloved Nomura Tailor. The closures screw in and just require a hole punched through both parts of the leather (bag and flap) in order to work. If you are looking for something similar this is the sort of thing and is available via etsy.

Source

After I had the fundamentals of closing the bag sorted the rest was pretty simple. I had traced the shape of the bag I wanted onto some paper and then traced that onto the leather before cutting it out. I stuck each of the side seams down with Wondertape (don't pin leather as it will leave holes) and then stitched with my machine. I used a leather needle and I had bought special thread, but it wouldn't fit through my needle without shredding, so I just used it in the bobbin.  I also increased my stitch length a little bit. Things sewed OK but the machine was a bit clunky. Apparently if you increase the stitch length substantially things will be less clunky!

I'm pretty chuffed with this little bag and I'm going to take it to the upcoming High Tea I'm organising for the Sydney Spoolettes....under the same assumption that I won't be wearing a me-made dress, but at least something will be made by me!

Now that I have a small taste of sewing with letter I'm quite keen to make a simple tote with a pouch for my travel card and phone. Watch this space...

Black Megan Longline Cardigan

My wearable muslin of Tessuti's Megan Longline Cardigan has turned out to be one of my most worn me-mades. The fit is great, it's comfortable, the fabric, whilst super cheap, is a great colour and washes and wears so well. Needless to say I was super keen to make another one. In black.

I'm on a bit of budget at the moment so I was super frugal when shopping for fabric. I found this black merino wool/polypropylene fabric at The Fabric Store in Surry Hills for just $8/pm. Bargain. I think it's meant be for "active wear"...but, whatever! You can see from the photo below that one side is more "merino" looking and one looks like...recycled plastic bags.

I sewed the cardi with the merino looking side facing out...as it has a nicer look than the other side. The fabric isn't as nice draping as my first version of this cardigan and it wasn't as easy to press (ie hot iron = melt your fabric). I was also sewing in a bit of a rush as I wanted to finish this all in one go so I could take my overlocker into to be serviced that same day. So I have a black cardigan, just not a lovely black cardigan.

I'm not sure there's much else to say about this make. It's an easy sew and takes a few hours. I didn't slim the sleeves down as I thought I might in my last post. Not sure why, but it means it fits comfortably over longer sleeve tops and dresses. 

----
Pattern: "Megan Longline Cardigan" by Tessuti
Size: XL, sewn with 3/8" seam allowance.
Modifications: 1cm added to the width of the neckband piece.
Fabric: Merino wool/polypropylene blend from The Fabric Store in Surry Hills.
Changes for next time: none

Misuyabari Needle Shop, Kyoto

I had read about the Misuyabari Needle Shop in Kyoto but like most things in Japan I didn't really make a plan to go there as it is often really difficult to track down places as the Japanese address system is tres confusing. Couple that with the fact that many places in Kyoto don't actually have an address...and English signage can be thin on the ground also. Really really!

On our last day in Kyoto we were wandering around the Shinkyogoku shopping arcade in the downtown area looking for a Taiyaki stall (one of Dave's favourite snacks) and stumbled up the needle shop just across the street from it! If I hadn't read about the store online I would've just walked straight past...but thankfully I knew better.

The Taiyaki store on Sanjo-dori

The only clue you'll have that Misuyabari Needle Shop is on Sanjo-dori (aka Sanjo Street) is this little sign out the front that will lead you down a narrow corridor and into a cute, garden courtyard. Above the sign is some signage showing a picture of the pins the store sells so I knew I'd stumbled upon Misuyabari. In Japan shops and restaurants are not only to be found on street levels of buildings - there is so much to discover by going up in to the buildings (they are like "vertical malls" if you will) or by wandering down little alleys that look interesting.

Misuyabari has been owned by the same family for over 360 years (!!!) and back in the day used to supply handcrafted sewing needles to the Imperial Court. Seeing I've not hand-sewn anything in about 1000 years I was here for the super-kawaii (aka super cute) pins...each one is handcrafted and no two are alike. I think when we go back to Kyoto in December I'll go back for some sewing needles though (and I also believe they sell machine needles).

The store is very small. Whilst we were in there two young Japanese also came in and the store was very...cozy. They were enamored by the shop and when the owner pointed out a very cute pincushion to me the two girls gasped loudly, covered the mouths and in a hushed voice whispered "Pincushion! Pincushion! So kawaii! So kawaii!". We all burst out laughing...one of the most funny moments of the trip.

This is such a special store and such a unique experience. I'm so glad that we stumbled across it, but it's worth hunting for, trust me.

It was hard to narrow down my choice of pins, but in the end I bought just four (as they are about Y300 each, so not cheap, but also not expensive).  I'm not sure what I'll do with these yet, but they are just nice to have!

There are a few blogs/website giving directions on how to find Misuyabari...they are here, here and here.  Enjoy!

Tessuti Melbourne + a disasterous Mabel Skirt

Over the Christmas break I decided to take myself down to Melbourne for a few days. Now that I sew I ALWAYS stop into Tessuti located conveniently on Flinders Lane (my favourtie lane) in Melbourne's CBD.  I LOVE the Melbourne Tessuti store - so big, bright and open and it has that indescribable "Melbourne feel" that Sydney so tries to emulate but never really does.

I wasn't going to buy fabric this trip as I was traveling with carry-on luggage BUT I'd packed super light so definitely had room in my case for this "perfect for a Mabel skirt" fabric I found in the remnant bin.

Of course best laid plans are often laid to waste and whilst the construction of this Mabel is the same as my other two skirts my machine DID NOT like this fabric at all. It especially went berserk when I tried to top stitch the top of the waistband to ensure the elastic I'd overlocked between the waistband pieces didn't twist around. I spent about an hour re-threading the machine, cleaning out the bobin case, changing needles + bobbins but nothing worked. I hate this skirt SO much that I wore it once to the supermarket but it's going in the Vinnie's bag as it feels so uncomfortable to me (both physically and psychologically). The stitching is dodgy at the waist and every time I look at this skirt I feel RAGE! I cannot be bothered to get properly dressed to take photos of this monster so the photo below from my phone is all you'll get from me!

Ummm...not sure what else to say on this one. I hate you black Mabel skirt. So there!

My Japanese Fabric "stash"

As promised, here is a little look at the fabulous fabrics I bought during our visit to Tokyo's "fabric town" area. All of the fabric came from a store called Tomato. The name of the store is so kawaii (cute) I can hardly handle it!

Of course, hindsight is twenty twenty and I'm kicking myself now that I didn't go wild and BUY EVERYTHING as I have so many things now I want to start sewing.  Meeting up with other sewists, plus a spate of classes has given me so much confidence and motivation!

First cab off the rank is a FANTASTIC cotton with an uber cute CAT print! I love cats (as evidenced from this post on Japan's cat cafes over on my other blog) so I couldn't walk away without 1m of this. I've earmarked this for another Grainline #tinyPocketTank...once I'm up to sewing another one. Or perhaps it will become some other sort of top (feel free to throw me ideas)...watch this space.



This is another lovely, lightweight cotton that I'm thinking will be nice in Tessuti's Gaby dress.  The Gaby might need a more...sturdy, crisp fabric...but I figure this will be a nice beach dress if all else fails. It feels as soft as a kitten and what could be better than that!

Another lovely cotton with palm trees! This fabric is slightly more heavy than the floral above and has a lovely feel....nice and soft almost like flannelette in a way. I'm thinking another April Rhodes Peplum Party Dress as I really like that sewing pattern and I think it suits my shape (though I may need to go down a size...still thinking about that).

I didn't want to buy anything I couldn't already sew with so I steered clear of ALL knits (which I'm now regretting since the release of the Coco Dress and my recent Mandy Boat Tee class at Tessuti). That said, I was quite taken with Tomato's huge selection of printed, lightweight corduroy. This will become a skirt...once I learn how to sew a skirt that is!
 

So there you have it. My very modest haul from Tokyo. What do you think of my plans for each fabric -- if you have some other/better suggestions I'd LOVE to hear them.

Fabric Shopping in Nippori, Tokyo (Japan)

Last month I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday in Tokyo. Wow, WHAT A PLACE! It's such a vibrant city - so fast-paced, busy, noisy and frantic, yet also so orderly and calm in a way. I've never seen people queue to get on a train before...I LOVE Tokyo!

Besides eating, one of the things I was really keen to experience in Tokyo was shopping for fabric in Nippori "Sen-I Gai" or Fabric Town.

This area has over 80 shops selling all manner of fabrics, buttons, trims, clothes, leathers (and furs - yuck), lace, ribbons and kimono fabrics. If you can't find what you're looking for in fabric town, then you're not looking!

 

As I'm only new to sewing I decided to only buy fabrics that I know how to sew with - so that pretty much means cottons. This also helped to expedite the shopping processes which my husband was thankful for as he was tagging along behind me.  

I'm now KICKING myself that I wasn't looking for knits as Tilly and the Buttons has just released her new pattern, Coco - a perfect beginners knit dress. D'oh, d'oh d'oh! There were some FANTASTIC printed knits in the stores I went into but I hardly gave them a second glance.

For a new sewist an experience like Nippori "Sen-I Gai" is totally fascinating, and totally overwhelming.  In order to minimize the chance of me having a total fabric flip-out on the streets of Tokyo I decided to just visit a few stores...and get in, look around and get out. You could literally spend DAYS in this area. DAYS I didn't have!

The main store I visited was called Tomato (oh, LOL Japan you are so funny)! Tomato has a few stores along the main "fabric town" strip - some selling notions, some selling fabrics and some selling outlet fabrics and clothes. One of the stores had about EIGHT FLOORS of fabric...holy moly. There was about two floors just of knits (again, kicking myself)!

After our stint of fabric shopping we headed back towards Nippori JR station.  It was about 3 degrees outside yet we saw this poor old guy set up outside his shop, sewing away on the street. He must have been freezing, it was SO cold!

You know what's good for fighting of cold weather? A steaming hot bowl of ramen. We found this totally dodgy looking place right near Nippori JR station and wandered in when the waiter came out to confirm they did indeed serve ramen. Boy, it was good - some of the best ramen I've never had!

How to get there:  take the JR Yamanote line to Nippori Station.  From the South Exit turn right, and head towards Nippori Chuo Dori (that's a street name). Hopefully this (badly scanned) map will help you out.

Oh, and stay tuned for my next blog post - a show and tell of my Japanese fabric purchases!