Blog hopping across the Universe

I’m pretty sure EVERYONE has seen the Blog Hop that is doing the rounds of the blog-o-sphere. If you sick to death of them then move along folks…but if you want to learn a smidgen more about me then read on!

And thank you to Michelle for Buttontree Lane for nominating me for the blog hop. I was beginning to think noone was going to nominate me *sad face*! I was lucky enough to head to Canberra over the October long weekend where I met up with the effervescent and super fun Michelle and a bunch of the other Canberra Spoolettes. I just LOVE how friendly and welcoming other sewists are...it really is a great, welcoming community.

Why do you write? The answer to this is pretty simple, because I want to. I like the idea of interacting with others in the sewing community and I hope through my blog I will make some new connections and new (IRL) friendships (which I already have - see above). I also want to start recording some of the pattern details/changes for my make as I think the blog will serve as a good “reference” for when I want to go back and remake a pattern. I don’t do that at the moment and it’s something I’ve noticed on some other blogs that I think would be really useful.

What are you working on? I have a rather large list of things I want to make that is only thwarted by lack of time (working 9 to 5 puts a serious cramp in my sewing plans) and lack of energy (aforementioned 9 to 5 makes me tired, so often when I have the time to sew I just have no energy or sewjo). All of that aside, this is what’s on my list for the next few weeks/months:

• A Mabel skirt made out of stretch denim;
• Another Casual Lady Dress with armholes that hopefully fit my arms this time;
• A Clover dress made from some lovely fabric I bought in Malaysia this year. Woven garments are normally not my style (I like the comfort of a knit) but I’m going to give this one a whirl;
• I have fabric for both a Moneta and a Myrtle and I hope to toile them both and then make them from their “proper fabric”…if I don’t botch the elastic at the waistband of either of these dresses that is;
• Another Tokyo Jacket in a more sheer type of fabric;
• A pillow case from some great cat fabric I bought in Tokyo earlier this year. I love the fabric too much to waste it on a singlet top I probably won’t ever wear;
• A Pia dress with the shoulder modified to be more “tank” style. I’d like to make this in Chambray; 
• A perfectly fitting Peplum Party Dress. I have SO many darn version of this dress that don’t fit quite right and I think I have narrowed down the final changes to make myself a wearable version. I’m just not sure if I have the energy “to go there”;
• A Mabel skirt using some fabric left over from my “yum/yuck dress”; and I’ll include the button placket this time too.

So, as you can see this is L-O-N-G list. The items at the top of the list are the things I am super gung-ho keen to make ASAP. The stuff further down the list may or may not ever happen. I call this “meh territory”. I also already plans in the back of my mind for some cooler weather clothes (yes, I know we’ve not even hit summer yet and I’m already thinking about Winter 2015). This would include a few Mandy Boat Tees, Our Favorite Top, a cardian of some sort and perhaps even a cape. I also have a class coming up soon with Tessuti on how to modify a pants pattern so I WILL soon have a pattern for the Anita Ponti Pants that fits me.

How does your blog differ from others of its genre? I honestly don’t think it does. I sew a garment, take photos and then write about it.

I suppose unlike some people I post nearly all my makes…whether they are a hit or a flop. I learn a lot from blogs were people write about a failed garment – knowing what went wrong from them and why is SUPER useful information for beginners. Some people think it’s whinging to talk about “issues” and “what went wrong”, but I just think it’s being honest. Sewing is not easy, and it’s specifically not easy when you are bigger than many of the Indie patterns on offer – I’ve had a lot of fails and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. So there.

How does your writing process work? I sew something, take photos of the garment and then write my post. I’m a fairly quick writer so I don’t take long to knock out a post. It’s basically just a brain dump that I then “try” to proof read and spell check but I’m basically unable to check my own work, so sorry to all the grammar (etc) nazi’s out there.

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The blog hop is now moving on from The Colonies and back to the Motherland as I'm nominating Rach from Rach Against the Sewing Machine (what a GREAT blog name).  I enjoy reading her blog as I think Rach is fairly new to sewing like me (and she sews Coco Dresses) ...us newbies gotta stick together! Yo!

The giant sperm Casual Lady Dress

As much as I am (mostly) enjoying  ewing up my multitude of Coco dresses I don't want to become a one trick pony. I think sewing the same pattern over and over and over again would be tres dull.  So, I'm always on the hunt for something else to sink my sewing needle in to that is my style, easy to sew and will fit. Not any easy task let me tell you.


Somehow during a massive Google-searching-session I stumbled across the pattern for The Casual Lady Dress. I am a "casual lady" am I not (though I am a lady on a full-time basis, I'm just casual about it...you know)? And I love me a shift dress. The hunt for a new pattern is (temporarily) over!

The pattern is fairly simple to put together.  It's just a front and + back pattern piece, plus a front + back neck facing. Simples. I did my usual trick of just making the largest size available and it fit...yay!

The pattern calls for a medium weight knit so I decided to hack into this fabric that I bought from...Tessuti! This is actually the very first piece of fabric that I EVER bought, which is kinda weird as it's a pretty slinky knit so not exactly beginner material. I obviously had delusions of sewing grandeur when I first started sewing.  This fabric is also quite sheer and I always questioned what I would make with it...so I'm kinda OK with cutting into it for a practice dress (until I fluffed up the dress that is and now I have a WORLD of regret)!  Also, what IS the print on this pattern? The more I look at it the more it looks like weird, giant sperm. My husband thinks it looks like some sort of curled up dragon. Hmmm...

Like I said the dress is VERY simple to sew, but I COULD not turn the "arm hems" under as instructed without the "arm hem" (is there a proper term for "arm hem") being all bubbly and wonky. Does anybody even know what I'm talking about when I say "arm hem"?

I thought I'd use my rolled hem foot to create a lazy, but easy finish but it was just too loose and messy. And then in the middle of the night I woke up and thought I could use fold-over elastic to finish the arms nice and neatly. It worked SO well however my sleeves were uneven due to the fabric shifting during cutting. Because I cannot leave well enough alone I kept trying to even up the armholes and I now I have a a dress that I can BARELY fit my arms in to. Stoopid stoopid Melanie.

I loved the use of the facings to finish the neckline, but I wonder why the facing stops half way down the armholes and doesn't continue down to the bottom of the arm hole? I'm wondering if I would've had more success turning the "arm hems" under if the facing ran the whole length of the arm? Should I extend the facings people, or get rid of them altogether and use fold over elastic on the neckline too?

So here is my giant sperm dress with the two tight arm holes - ta da!

The dress fits REALLY well (apart from the arm holes that are cutting off the circulation to my upper limbs). I will definitely be making it again and I think I will use the fold-over elastic technique to finish the arms.

Is it lazy that I'm always looking for the easiest way to get the neatest finish? What's the most questionable print on a fabric you've ever bought?

A Summery Coco

Ta da! Yes, folks...what we have here is ANOTHER Coco! And I think I really love it...thought it's still growing on me...like a slow burn kinda thing. I actually thought I'd finish this dress and then chuck it in the charity bag...but it's a keeper for sure.

I bought this crazy fabric from the Alannah Hill Clear It Outlet in Fitzroy during my trip to Melbourne in August (it was the ONLY fabric I bought during my entire four day trip...impressive, huh)?

The fabric is some sort of Polyester/Elastaine mix that has a little bit of weight to it, and a good drape. For me, the Coco works much better in this sort of fabric rather than a stiffer Ponti-type fabric that the pattern recommends. It just sits better...

After have some..."issues" with the necklines on my other Coco's I really didn't want to try attaching a neckband to this dress. I also didn't want to use the funnel neck option as I think it would look weird with this fabric and would be too hot for summer anyway.

Soooooooooooo....I decided to try and make a facing and I have to say it worked pretty well for a first attempt (it's a bit puffy, but meh, I can't see it when the dress is on so I can pretend it's perfect). I topped stitched the facing down near the neckline, and then again at the bottom of the facing as it was curling up quite a bit (should I have used some stretch interfacing perhaps)? I think the neckline looks really good, and coincidentaly the exact same technique is used on a Leona Edmiston dress that I bought which I noticed after I brainstormed this technqiue all by myself *fist pump*.

I also decided to make this version with shorter sleeves and I added a cuff as I think it's a neat way to finish a sleeve. Twin needling is just way to risky and I didn't want to use a zig-zag stitch! The cuffs could possibly be a fraction tighter so I'll keep that in mind for next time.

I think the dress looks OK from the back too, but it still pools above my butt...I think I have a sway back in addition too much junk in the old trunk. Whatever.

I feel really pleased that I managed to come up with some ways to adapt this pattern for summer and to address some issues I've been having with the neckline. I'm not sure the facing would work with a ponti version (would it?) but it worked well this time. This is basically the dress I've been wanting to sew since I first sat down at a sewing machine just over a year ago.

So now that I've made the dress I always wanted I guess it's time to move on to a new hobby, right? As if!