Vietnam, and did I actually wear what I made?

So, it's two weeks since I've returned to reality from what turned out to be a FANTASTIC holiday in Vietnam!  After reading a not-so-positive travel biography before I visited I have to admit I was expecting Vietnam to be terrible, really hard going and not enjoyable. I had the lowest of low expectations and I'm glad they were not met. What an incredible country. Beautiful, hectic, friendly, funny, delicious and joyful. I cannot wait to go back!

I went a bit bonkers sewing for my trip and, along with some items I'd made earlier (just for everyday life), I ended up packing 2 x Mabel Skirts; 3 x Gabby Dresses; and 5 x Marianne Dresses.

Did I wear it all? Yes. And, no!

I only ended up wearing one of my Mabel Skirts - on two separate days with clean t-shirts each day. Vietnam was SO hot so I guess I was saving the second one for another day but just never got around to wearing it. Luckily it was not too hot in Hanoi (relevantly speaking to the rest of the country) so I used some anti-chaffing cream to keep my inner-thighs in good shape (just in case anyone is wondering about skirts, thighs that touch in the middle and hot hot weather).

All of my Gabby Dresses were worn - multiple times actually. All three of them were in quite cool, thin viscose jersey (bar the striped one which was a bit thicker) so did the trick. I wore them with pairs of Dave's long undies underneath to avoid the dreaded chub rub due to the hot hot weather. These dresses were good as they could be worn on the back of a moped or in a cyclo without flashing everyone.

I only wore three of out the five Marianne Dresses I packed. Two were just in a fabric that was too thick and thus too hot for Vietnam. Did I mention it was HOT! Again, Dave's long undies saved the day.

I think I over-packed. I could've left out those two Marianne Dresses that were never worn. Plus I rinsed out clothes as I needed to and we also had an opportunity to to do laundry along the way.  I probably could've left the Mabel Skirts at home -- they weren't very practical in terms of motorbike riding or sitting on low low stools at various eateries.

I would definitely pack a variety of what I've made for another hot-weather holiday. I'm really keen to visit Cambodia and Vietnam (again) in 2017 so I have my wardrobe needs all sorted!

Sewing for holidays

I'm off to Vietnam for two weeks in April. The tour I'm on goes from Hanoi down to Saigon - and it's going to be pretty hot and humid as it's the beginning of their very hot season.  I do have quiet a few casual dresses for summer, most of them sleeveless. I've read that in Vietnam it's polite to have your shoulders covered so I thought, in a first for me, that I'd sew a few dresses for the trip.

I'm going to sew up a few Gabby Dresses, and possibly take the Marianne Dress I sewed over my Christmas break. I'll also take a few of my ready-to-wear dresses to pad things out a bit.

The first Gabby Dress is made from a remnant I bought from Tessuti a few years ago. I never really knew what to do with it as the big flowers ran along the selvage...so I'm glad to have found a good for it. The fabric is a lightweight 94% Viscose/ 6% Spandex blend and I hope it can stand up to the hot weather. As it's cut along the warp it does tend to "grow" during the day so it's one that I cannot hang up - it lives folded in my cupboard.

Next up is another Gabby Dress in a modal/silk jersey blend.  The fabric feels SO THIN (so will be good for the hot and humid weather especially in Saigon)! It's interesting sewing the same dress in different types of knits. This one was taken in so much it's probably an M as opposed to my normal XL. I took the one in above a quite a bit too - so I'll say it's an L...it was also VERY long (and has a 2" hem, as opposed to my normal 1") making me think the dress stretched out somewhere along the way whilst sewing?

I think the neckband could be a smidge tighter on this one -- but the fabric was quite fiddly, reminiscent of the Liberty jersey I sewed up last year, so I didn't want to unpin it once I'd finally attached it ready to sew. Sadly, despite pre-washing, the dress shrank in the wash so I'll be going in the Vinnie's bag and not my bag for Vietnam. I tried to stretch it out when wet but it didn't work.

Straight off the back of this I had THREE fails. One, the fabric was too off-grain to work with (annoyed), another I was sewing when tired and just fluffed it up in about a hundred different ways, and then another with lovely fabric but not enough stretch to make the sleeves comfortable enough to wear (it will become a tee next summer).

And...this is successful dress #2 (that I made twice due to fluffing it up when tired - lucky I have 6m of this fabric from Pitt Trading). The fabric is a viscose and spandex knit and is quite light. It was OK to sew - a bit fiddly as it did curl a little bit but nothing too major.

 This dress is very comfy and will definitely be coming with me - it feels nice and cool to wear!

I've gone to so much effort (six dress and only two wearable) so I hope the Vietnamese appreciate my covered shoulders!

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Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: XL
Modifications: lengthened by 5cm, neckline cut lower
Fabric: various

Changes for next time: none

Tent dress no. 2

I had in my mind that I needed a knit Gabby Dress in either black or navy blue. Of course when you really want something that's when it's impossible to find the fabric that you want! Instead I found this great viscose/elastane at Tessuti - black with a thin rust stripe. It feels lovely to wear and was a dream to sew with.

To say I love this dress is an understatement! I wore it to work on Monday and felt really comfortable and "modern". Also, it would look GREAT with my tan or black clogs which is an important consideration for me. Really!

The stripes were very wavy once the fabric was washed and ironed and I had trouble matching up the stripes when the fabric was laid out to cut on the fold. Instead I opened up the fabric to cut the pieces flat -- but like last time I didn't have quite enough fabric so the back has a seam down the centre back.

Unlike last time I managed to match the stripes...not perfect, but "almost".

I've once again cut the neckband against the grain as the fabric was stretchy enough to allow me to do this. I like how this adds a bit of interest to the dress. I forgot to mention in my last post that I did lower the neckline of the dress - cut at the XS size, rather than the XL as I like my necklines to be lower.

Once again the dress has been sewn entirely on the overlocker using a slightly bigger seam allowance than normal (as the straight XL would be too tent like). Hems and topstitching is sewn with a slightly larger straight stitch.

I really do want one of this in Navy Blue - so that's my next fabric hunting mission. Wish me luck!

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Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: XL
Modifications: lengthened by 5cm, neckline cut lower
Fabric: Rust Liner from Tessuti (92% Viscose 8% Spandex Jersey)
Changes for next time: none

I made a TENT! (aka Tessuti's Gabby Dress)

It's been at least 18 months since I made a knit Gabby Dress - not sure why I fell off the wagon as it's a pattern that has always worked for me (in a knit). When I bought this fabric from Tessuti earlier in the week (yes, I also have a Mandy Boat Tee in this fabric and I LOVE it) I had the Marianne Dress in mind. In the back of my mind though I thought it would also look great as a big, swingy tent dress. And that's exactly what I've made!

I've put on weight since my last Gabby Dress so I made the XL this time...with a slightly bigger seam allowance than I usually sew on the overlocker. I also added 5cm to the length as the dress is quite short. Not a problem when worn in winter with tights but for summer I like this at knee length.

If you look closely you'll see there's a seam down the centre back. I probably could've cut it on the fold as the fabric was 155cm wide but it was hot and I couldn't be bothered playing around with the fabric. The stripes line up well so I'm happy. I'm calling this a design feature.

The stripes on the side seam however - whoops! I thought I was laying out the fabric so that my side seams would match but clearly that is not what I was doing at all. I think it looks OK however as the dress is not a straight dress which would make the non-matching stripes very very obvious. I'm also calling this a design feature.

The fabric has good stretch in both directions so I was able to cut the neckband against the grain. I really love how this looks!

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Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: XL
Modifications: lengthened by 5cm
Fabric: Black Truffle Grey from Tessuti (92% Viscose 8% Spandex Jersey)
Changes for next time: none

A Gabby Dress for Frocktails

On the weekend was the long-awaited Frocktails shindig down in Melbourne (sew a frock and come drink cocktails with like-minded souls). I had been looking forward to my weekend away in Melbourne ALL year and decided to take a few extra days off work and make a real long weekend of it.  Just my luck though I came down with a cold the day after arriving in Melbourne which had escalated in to a full blown cold on the night of the party. Wah! 

After having six attempts at coming up with a wearable dress for the night there was no way I was going to miss Frocktails, so I took my Codral, gargled some aspirin and dolled myself up for the night....

You've seen this fabric before - in the toile for the Lady Skater Dress that I made recently. The fabric is a lovely ponti from Tessuti which I had always intended my Frocktails dress to be made out of (I initially bought 2m to make a Casual Lady Dress which my overlocker ate, so I made it again from the remaining 1m...which my overlocker also ate - turns out the needles needed to be changed)! The fabric is comfortable but I think the lace print makes it look a little bit fancy.

There's not a lot to say about this dress that I've not said before. I made the dress with short sleeves as I remember being SO hot at the Sydney Frocktails last year and didn't want to overheat again this year.

The dress is worn with some big, bright beads bought in Bali a few years ago.  The bag is a cheapie from Colette (matches the beads as I'm all about matchy matchy), stockings are from Sonsee, shoes from Paul Dane and the sparkly cardigan is from Sarah Jane in Newtown. The cardigan is made from wool so was warm up to race up to the venue in without donning a big coat. I was really comfortable all night and my shoes only started to hurt as I walked back to the hotel - not bad for brand new shoes.

All in all it was a great night though I only managed to stay for 3 hours before my cold got the better of me. I was a bit out of it all night and SOOOO tired so my conversational skills were really lacking which is a shame as 51 people attended and I'd only met a handful of the ladies I'd wanted to say HI too. Oh well..there's always next year...

Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: M, sewn with 3/8" seam allowance and left at a size L at the shoulders. The hem is 1"(behold my knees people)!
Modifications: none
Fabric: Ponti (again) from Tessuti (again)
Changes for next time: none, though I think it's time to try this dress again in a woven, I have some nice soft silk/cotton that I bought in Malaysia that I'd like to bust out of the stash.

Another Gabby...

Behold! I've made ANOTHER knit Gabby Dress. I made this Gabby after my first two attempts to make a dress for the upcoming Frocktails party in Melbourne failed miserably due to many many many struggles with my overlocker (turns out the needles needed to be change - if only I knew that $80 of fabric ago). Whilst I think this dress is...."okay", there's just something about it I don't love enough to be able to wear it to a special night like Frocktails.

This time I around I bit the bullet and cut my Gabby Dress pattern to a size smaller, so this dress is pretty much a size M all over, rather than the L I usually make and take in about 100 times until it fits. I could probably make a size S, but let's not go too crazy. I left the shoulders at a size L as I didn't want the arm holes to be too small. Wise move.

The fabric I used is from Tessuti (bought on sale at for 30% off). I do like this fabric (it's very cozy to wear), but am also wondering if it looks a bit like the bed quilt fabric from the 80s...or maybe brocade curtains?

I often find the short sleeves on this dress (or any dress) quite difficult to finish as I have to maneuver the sleeves through my overlocker and sewing machine. This time I overlocked the raw sleeve edge and sewed the sleeve hem before I sewed up the side seam. I'm sure this is cheating, but it was a stress-less way for me to finish my sleeves so I'm happy with it.

I'm really cross at myself for not adding a neckband to this dress as the neck has stretched out which is the primary reason I'm not loving the dress. It feels...homemade, in a bad way.  When I noticed the neck had stretched I did steam it vigorously with the iron, and give it a wash in the machine and a turn in the dryer and it has shrunk a bit, but it's still wonky. I wonder if I could add a neckband retrospectively...or if I should make this dress into something else (not sure what yet).

In other exciting sewing news I visited Tessuti today and am finally the proud owner of a Tailor's Ham! Curved seams are totally going to be my bitch now *insert evil laugh*!

Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: M, sewn with 3/8" seam allowance and left at a size L at the shoulders. The hem is 1"(behold my knees people)!
Modifications: none
Fabric: Cotton/Poly/Elastaine from Tessuti
Changes for next time: ADD A NECKBAND YOU WALLY!

Geometric Ponti Gabby Dress

Hands up if you recognize this fabric! Yep, it's the very same as my recently completed Mabel Skirt. I originally bought this Tessuti ponti for this Gabby Dress, but didn't have enough to cut both front and back on the fold as the fabric was narrower than I thought it was. D'oh! I tried to make the back panel with a seam down by the back but it looked terrible. Sooooo, I bought a remnant online which was going to fix my fabric problem BUT it was too short for the back dress piece...hence my new Mabel skirt.  After all of that I finally  bit the bullet and went and bought MORE fabric...enough to cut the piece I needed on the fold.

Blah blah blah...after weeks and weeks and lots of dollars I finally have my Ponti Gabby Dress. And here she is...

I really like the way this dress looks BUT the fabric is SO heavy and stiff (something you don't notice when it's just a little skirt) that it's a bit of a weight-lifting mission to wear it.  I probably also need to figure out the proper size to cut for this dress as I cut the L, sew it on my overlocker with a seam allowance of 1.5"...and it's always too big. So then I go and shave off the width of the overlocking...still too big...so I do the same thing again, which has resulted in a good body fit, but I do wish sleeves (or perhaps across the top of the back) had a bit more room.

I also have to admit that I totally cheated when I came to finishing this dress. I wanted a nice "professional" finish on the sleeves and hem but I wasn't confident that I could achieve it so I took the dress up to the local alterations place (ie "The Rip Off Shop") and got them to finsih it. $35 later (plus however much I spent on the fabric - I've totally lost track) we have a beautifully finished dress.

So whilst I love the way this dress looks it's not all that comfortable and I won't be wearing it for a day sitting around in the office. That said I think it's perfectly fine as a going out dress and I actually wore it to dinner last weekend at one of Sydney's most fancy restaurants, Rockpool Bar and Grill. I thought I might be little "too casual" but compared to what some people were wearing I was pretty dolled up. I felt good - stylish and modern and the dress felt quite OK to wear.  I think it might also become a Frocktails dress - I like that if I get hot I have short sleeves which makes all the difference in a hot room.

Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: L, sewn with 1.5" seam allowance and then shaved off the overlocker seam (so maybe 1/2"); and same again from the bust down.
Modifications: Added a neckband.
Fabric: Ponti from Tessuti
Changes for next time:would like to make a longer sleeve version for winter.

Wintertime knit Gabby dress

This fabric (from Girl Charlee) was originally bought for a Coco dress which I was all set to make...until I re-read my blog posts about my attempts at sewing Coco and some of the fitting issues I had along the way (not to mention many many neckband woes).  It just seemed easier to sew another knit Gaby Dress. So I did...

Because we're firmly in the grips of winter I made this Gaby with long sleeves...and finished it with a cuff, of course. To get the length right I copied the length from the Coco sleeve pattern piece.  I'm really happy with how the sleeves have turned out. Shoulder seams are finished with clear elastic.

This fabric is definitely not what we'd call Ponti in Australia. It's quite thin, and very drapey - perfect for this dress but I wouldn't want to be making a Mabel Skirt out of it as it's just too thin for that sort of thing. I have no idea what we would call this fabric here...it's 45% Rayon/50% Polyester/5% Spandex (so I won't stand too close to any open fires).

I am also really chuffed with the way the neck turned out on this dress.  I attached the neckband "in the round" this time as I like the way it looks more than when I only sew up one shoulder seam, add the neckband and then sew up the second shoulder seam. It also tucks away the scratchy clear elastic on the shoulder seam.  I used the neck binding pattern piece from the Gabby Dress and make it shorter so it stretched enough to pull the neckline nice and tight. I always struggle with how long...or short...to make the neckband. Neckband lottery.

I am also proud that I paid attention to pattern match the side seams.  The pattern matching may look a bit skew-if but I'm sure that's only because the dress is a-line and not straight.

As per my last Gabby I sewed the L with 1.5" seam allowance and then shaved off the overlocker seam (so maybe 1/2"); and same again from the bust down. I should probably just cut a smaller size, but I'd have to retrace the pattern as I don't have a soft copy of it and I'm too lazy (also, what size would I make...)?

Honestly EVERYTHING went right with this make (unlike my next make which went totally belly up). When I sew I've realized I'm holding my breath...just waiting for things to go wrong, so it was really nice to make something where everything went smoothly.

Pattern: "Gabby Dress" by Tessuti
Size: L, sewn with 1.5" seam allowance and then shaved off the overlocker seam (so maybe 1/2"); and same again from the bust down.
Modifications: Added a neckband.
Fabric: Ponti Girl Charlee (doesn't feel like Aussie Ponti though...more thin and slinky)
Changes for next time: none!

The Mabby (and a MASSIVE whinge...be warned)

* warning: this is a massive Negative Nelly whinge-fest. Read on at your own peril. You have been warned!*

I made this skirt a few weeks before we went off to Japan and I've not had the sewjo to sew anything since. Why? Because this skirt (that I HATE) was meant to be another knit Gabby Dress...but it just didn't turn out the way. If I hadn't just flushed $100 on fabric down the loo it would be kinda funny.

The first disaster was the fabric which I bought from Tessuti in Chatswood - which cost me $45 per meter (that's A LOT of money if you ask me). I initially bought it for a Casual Lady Dress but when I got it home and washed it it had shrunk SO MUCH that I would've been lucky to get a tunic top out of it. Into the cupboard it went.  A few months later I was at Tessuti in Surry Hills and saw this fabric again (helpfully this time with a warning on the swing tag that said this fabric suffers "serious shrinkage" so be warned...would've been helpful if the other store had that warning too). I umm'd and ahh'd and ended up buying another meter...with the lady at the store very generously chcuking in half a meter for free..."just in case" it shrunk again (which it did).

When I got the fabric home I realized that the fabric was the same same as my original piece, but different. Same pattern and colour, but on one piece the printing was very offset so the two pieces don't look the same. This is more than enough to send my OCD and anxiety into overdrive.  You can "sort of" see that in this photo, but trust me when I say the front does not match the back!

Anyway, the Gabby Dress just did NOT work in this fabric...I think it was too slinky and that pattern works best in the more stiff knit I'd made my first knit Gabby out of. It also just looked...so BAD!  I also had HUGE trouble with the neckline...I just cannot seem to do necklines in a knit and have them look neat. If I turn it under I get bulk at the shoulder seams that is impossible to sew over; and I'm hopeless at neckbinding. I'm not sure how to ready my neckline disability. There was something also very weird going on with the sleeves - heaps of extra fabric, bunching and twisting. Fail fail fail fail on so many levels.

In the end I hacked off the top part of the dress and kept the rest as a skirt. I used the Mabel Skirt waistband and attached it to the skirt piece and voila...I have a skirt.

I know the skirt looks alright in these pictures but alas the elastic holding the waistband up is too lose (though it might fit now as I've put on 2kgs since I made it). When I wore this outfit into the city I ended up buying a dress in Uniqlo and getting changed in the public loos so I would feel more...comfortable. I also just know that it's a fail...and that I've wasted over $100 on now ruined fabric that makes me want to cry! I look at this skirt and all I see is failure and a big waste of money (added to all the other failed garments and all the time and money I've wasted since I started sewing)

I did try and hem the skirt normally, but I also suck at hemming. More umm'ing and ahh'ing and I decided to use my rolled-hem function on my overlocker. I actaully think this bit looks OK, and this is the perfect material for a rolled hem.

So there you have it. At the moment sewing can go f**k itself. I'm sure I'll get back to it eventually, but right now I'm enjoying shopping for what I need and building myself a nice, considered wardrobe that way. I have a few things I'm thinking of sewing up (Mabel Skirt I'm looking at you) and I think for the upcoming Frocktails in Melbourne this year I want to make myself a zip purse to take (zippers = eep)...and forgo the homemade frock. I'm also about to embark on a big fabric destash...I feel like I might have more motivation if I have less fabric...

On another note, how awesome are my clogs! I love them to bits.

Mel x

Knit Gabby Dress

I think this dress is possibly one of my most favourite makes to date. AND I actually think I might wear it. Out of the house! Maybe tomorrow. I'm already contemplating if it's too casual for my workplace (which lets face it, is one of the most casual places on earth besides the beach) cos I'd like to wear this on Fridays...and Mondays maybe too.

This dress is directly, 110% inspired by (or ripped off from) a Uniqlo dress I bought over the Australia Day long weekend. I saw a women walking into the change room with it and I immediately raced out into the store to look for it as I LOVED the print so much (it's French fabric...ooh la la). I was pretty sure it would look terrible on me, but I think the shape is quite OK (confirmed by my shopping buddy and also husband at home later).

I wore my Uniqlo dress out to brunch the next day with my beloved clogs (and Marimekko) bag and I felt really...modern (which I hardly ever feel). The more I looked at the dress, over my bacon and egg roll,  the more I thought it was the same shape as Tessuit's Gabby Dress (which I've made once in a woven but it didn't work for me).  When I laid the Uniqlo dress on top of the Gabby Dress it was a perfect match. So off to Spotlight we went where I found this fun, but not too twee cotton knit that was 30% off. I wanted something with a bit of structure...not too slinky, but not too stiff either. The fabric is the same as the umbrella fabric I used for one of my Myrtles (but it wasn't slinky enough for that type of dress).

This was a VERY simple make. I didn't follow the pattern instructions as I figured it was the same as the Coco Dress which I've made four times now. The neck, sleeves and hem are all just turned under the width of the overlocking (is that too narrow - it seems the easiest?) and stitched down with a small zig zag stitch. I wasn't going to finish the hem or sleeves as I was feeling lazy, but I came to my senses eventually.

I sewed the largest size for this dress, an L.  It is pretty much sewn entirely on the overlocker so it has a very scant seam allowance, rather than what the pattern recommends for the woven version it is designed for. It is definitely more roomy than the woven version I made (good for around the back and arms) though it was too big in the body, especially from the bust down, so I ran it in a bit on each side. I also lengthen it by 10cm, which was WAY too long so I hacked off 8cm...which was too much, so next time I'll lengthen by 5cm.

Speaking of clogs...I think my pear dress looks pretty good with my clogs!

Actually, I think I'm just going to sew a wardrobe based around my clogs.

60s style Tessuti Gabby Dress

I have no idea of what to say about this dress other than, no I am NOT pregnant. And yes I'm sure!

I've seen the Tessuti Gabby Dress on a lot of people and it looks SO cute! I love the A-Line shape. It looks so cool, and summery, so of course I wanted one for myself! I wasn't sure the dress would fit so I went into Tessuti and they measured me, and the flat pattern and me were a match! Hooray!

I made a sleevless toile of this dress before chopping into this nice fabric from My-Hung Fashion Fabric in Parramatta (it was about $5/meter = bargain)!  Whilst I love the fabric I think it's just too thick for the style of this dress - it needs something more floaty and drapey. As it is it looks like a tent...but it was only ever meant as a test to see if it fits so no big deal.

I'm also not sure if this style suits my figure as I'm quite busty with big hips and thighs. Whilst I love a shift dress, or even an a-line dress in a floaty knit perhaps such a stiff a-line silhouette isn't for me?

Whilst the toile of this dress felt fine without sleeves as soon as I saw the cut out of the sleeves I thought it might be too tight on my upper arms/biceps. I tried to figure out a way of adjusting the sleeves -- to make them a bit more loose and flared but I couldn't wrap my brain around it so the original sleeves went in. I didn't have enough fabric to cut them on the grain which might be accounting for the fact they feel snug under the arms.

As you can seen the sleeves fit me (I couldn't be bothered hemming them) and aren't cutting in on my biceps like I thought. BUT the dress feels too tight...somewhere. It feels restrictive. I can't figure out if the sleeves are too tight under my arms or of the dress is pulling on the upper back now that the sleeves are on.

All of that aside, I'm pretty pleased with the job I did of setting the sleeves. First time, no problems! 

Oh, and you can see my knees! How scandalous! The dress is fairly short (I'm nearly 5ft 8') and as I didn't have enough fabric to extend the length I've hemmed it with 3mm bias binding which I'm liking the look of.

I'm not sure if I should have another stab at making this dress - what do you think?  There's a bit I want to change - more drapey fabric, make it longer, taper the sides in so it's less of an a-line shape and somehow figure out what's going on with the sleeves. Maybe I should just make it in a knit...my new love!