My Mini-Break

Okay this is another non-sewing post, but I promise I'll catch up soon. I really wanted to share some pictures of my mini-break in Margaret River.

Not only is Perth a beautiful and livable city (if somewhat isolated), we are lucky enough to be only 3 1/2 hours drive from the most amazing region, referred to as 'Down South' or 'Margaret River' (which is actually only one town in a much larger region) by locals. Pretty much anything you would want to do on a holiday can be found in the area. There are beaches to swim or surf, untouched forest and bushland to explore, wineries, breweries, gourmet food, arts and crafts (such as potteries and glass blowers) - you name it you can find it! I don't get there nearly enough and I was so excited about going away this time. We only had a short break (two nights) but we managed to pack a lot in. We decided not to do the wineries this time and focused on really chilling out and exploring.

This is the cottage we stayed in. There are eight in the group but you cannot see or hear any of the other cottages, there is 100m of bush between each one. The decor was a little dated (this might just be me as I am not a fan of the 'country' style) but it was spotlessly clean and comfortable and quiet - all you could hear was birdsong and creatures rustling around in the bushes (I admit the city girl in me got a bit freaked out by the quiet!).

Here are a couple of shots of the bushland around the cottage:

When we arrived we saw probably 30 kangaroos grazing on the paddock at the top of the drive - normally I am not a big fan of roos as I am terrified of hitting one with my car - it would be very bad for the roo, my car and me!

The owners encourage you to leave out veggie and fruit scraps on the back porch and leave the light on. We did this one night and had a great time watching a pair of possums coming up to the house and snacking on the food. They were so cute!

As we were driving along at one point a Kookaburra swooped right in front of the car, fortunately we didn't hit it but it gave us quite a fright. Finally as we were leaving to come home, 3 emus ran across the driveway in front of us so we certainly had plenty of wildlife adventures!

The weather was perfect, sunny and in the low 20's (Celsius of course) in the day and cold at night. Luckily we had a pot belly stove we could crank up as we settled in for the evenings.

This photo is of Prevelly Point, a surf break near the mouth of the Margaret River. There were a few surfers out but it was pretty flat.

This is a photo of Leeuwin, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.
We visited the Margaret River Chocolate Factory - and exercised remarkable restraint! I don't know how they get the chocolate so creamy, it really is wonderful. We also visited Providore, which is associated with the chocolate factory, I was less restrained here stocking up on Raspberry and Rhubarb jam, English style marmalade and a grainy tomato mustard - but there was a lot of other stuff that could have come home with me!

Out the back there was an organic veggie garden complete with chicken coop. Here is my fella with some happy organic chickens.

Our final stop was the Bootleg Brewery, this is a view from their beer garden.

Overall, we both had a fantastic relaxing break and can't wait to go back again. If you ever get the chance to visit Western Australia, do try and get to the South West you won't regret it!

Lovely Blog Award

Thanks to Rose who has awarded me the "Lovely Blog Award". I am touched, particularly since I've been a little slack about my sewing projects lately!

Rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award on to 5 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggeers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are my five:

Barrientos Couture

Couture Pioneer

Emily Kate

Sew I Do

Make it Smirk

Recovering from a Week of Festivities

So I am over my little pity party! There's nothing like an illness in the family to remind you of your priorities. My Dad has had a scare this past week and after numerous tests they have decided that, while still serious, his condition is nowhere near as bad as it could have been - Phew!

Anyway, thanks for the birthday wishes. I ended up having a fantastic week. On Wednesday, my actual birthday, we went out for dinner with my Mum, my sister and her boyfriend to an Indian restaurant in Victoria Park. On Thursday my friends Sarah and Cam took us out to dinner at a posh restaurant called Opus. Friday night was my party, it was a great success (IMHO) and on Saturday we watched a stand up comedian Adam Hills (who hosts one of my favourite shows, Spicks and Specks).

After a relaxing Sunday, my fella took me away to Margaret River for a couple of days. We stayed in a cabin surounded by untouched bushland with a spa and pot belly stove. If you can bear to see holiday snaps I'll post some in the next couple of days.

This is the dress I wore to both the dinners. It's the dress I made last year to wear to my friends' wedding. It's McCalls 5466. I know there have been some problems with this pattern but a simple alteration to the front armhole curve seems to fix it.

This is the dress I made for the party on Friday night (review to follow). Unfortunately it was freezing so I wore a coat over it most of the night but it still came out okay. I think this must be a bad photo as I don't remember looking so portly on the night! You probably can't see them well but I think my shoes were the star of this outfit - they are Fetish by Melissa in a copper/bronze colour that is not shown on the website. I heart Melissa shoes - eternal thanks to Claire for introducing me to them!

I am woefully behind on posting projects and writing reviews, but I will do my best to catch up soon.

I should be like Desmo

This is Desmo. She and her foster sister Bodine are really good to me. They let me live in their house, wait on them hand and foot, sit on their chairs and sleep in their bed. And they know how to relax.

Relaxing is what I should be doing since I am on holidays for two weeks (yay!) but I am beginning to think that I am incapable of relaxing, even a little bit and that the zen-like level of contentment demonstrated above by Desmo is something I will never come close to.

Tomorrow I will turn 40 and to say I am apprehensive is an understatement. I know milestones such as these should be celebrated but I can't see past all the doors that are closing to me. Marriage, babies, raising a family - all I've ever wanted for my life is just probably not ever going to happen now. Of course it's not like flipping a switch, I've known my chances weren't good for a while, but 40 just seems so final!

So, if I have to have this birthday (and apparently I do), then I shall make the best of it. I am having a party on Friday night and a whole bunch of friends are coming, including a number that I haven't seen for many years. I'll be making a dress (of course) but I haven't started it yet (also of course).

And I'll try to practice being more like Desmo.

BWOF 01-2009-124 Herringbone Waistcoat

One of my favourite TV shows is The IT Crowd. In the third season Jen, the female character, wears a really cute blouse and waistcoast combo.

I re-created it in my own way. Here's the front:
And the back:

You'll recognise the blouse from my previous post. The waistcoat is from the January 09 BWOF.

I cut a size 38 down to the bottom of the armholes, then graded out to a 42 at the waist and I made an FBA.

I used fusible bias tabe to stabilise the neck and armholes and pretty much followed the instructions except for the armholes. I never get a nice finish when I join the shoulders after sewing the armholes so this is how I did mine.

Sew the waistcoat shell and lining, leaving a gap in the centre back of the lining. Sew the lining and shell together all around the outside, turn through and press well. I didn't topstich as I thought it might look a bit weird on the plain back.

Now on to the armholes, turn in the raw edges on an armhole (I did it at the side seam) roughly and pin them together (don't worry this is just a marker, not for construction):

Reach inside through the hole in the centre back and pinch the raw edges you just turned in. Pull the edges out through the whole and remove the first pin.

Now start pinning around the armhole as far as you can. You might need to start over if you get a bit confused - it takes a while to get the hang of it. I usually sew from the side seam to just past the shoulder seam on the first go. This is after the first pass, see the opening in the upper right hand side of the armhole?

Then untangle your waistcoat, go in through the hole again and sew the remainder of the armhole. Trim and press your seams.

The finished armhole:

Overall, it's a pretty cute outfit. I'm not sure how far into winter I'll get before I have to change from a cotton blouse to something warmer, but it will do for a while at least!

Attitude of Gratitude

Thank you McVal for nominating me for the 'Attitude of Gratitude' award.

The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude
3. Link to your nominees within your post
4. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award
5. Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award

6. Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude

I hope you don't think I'm copping out but I really can't choose only 10 blogs to nominate to pass the award onto. If you read this and want to respond then consider yourself nominated!

I have to say it was really nice to receive this award, especially since recently I have found it hard to maintain an 'attitude of gratitude'. It has made me remember the things in my life that I truly am grateful for:

• That I have a job, even one that doesn't make me very happy, when so many around the world are struggling right now.
• My fella, who is a rock for me when I need it, and makes me laugh the rest of the time. Oh yeah, he cooks and washes dishes while I sew too!
• My friends who are always available for long chats about frivolous or serious things.
• My family who I love and who love me.
• That after months of insomnia, I am finally getting a reasonable night's sleep on most nights (without medication).
• That in less than 2 weeks time I am on holiday!

Latest Knitting

I've been knitting the February Lady Sweater from Flint Knits for a while now and was getting a bit bored. Nothing to do with the pattern, I think it's mainly frustration because I can't find the right buttons to go on it! Here's where I'm up to:Here's a close up of the (unblocked) lace pattern. The pattern is really pretty and the I love the colour. I'm not sure we are going to have a winter this year in which I can wear it since here we are towards the end of autumn and it's 28 degrees (celsius) and sunny every day.
Anyway, to stave off my boredom I started the entrelac scarf from Knitting Daily. The yarn is called Kaleidescope from Cleckheaton. I ended up having to buy extra wool so it is turning out to not be a terribly cheap project but it is super fun to knit and I would urge anyone with a bit of knitting experience to give it a go. If you can pick up and knit stitches you won't have any trouble.
Here's a close up (unblocked). I love how it's turning out.

In closing I'd like to give a big shout out to all those clever people who create (knitting/crochet/whatever) patterns and then generously share them with those of us who are only clever enough to execute their instructions.

New Look 6407 - Teal Blouse

This is a basic blouse made from New Look 6407. I am a little obsessed with blouses this autumn/winter, I'm not sure why as I am certainly NOT obsessed with ironing! I haven't made a blouse in quite a long time but I am reasonably happy with how it turned out.

I like that it doesn't have a traditional collar fastening, but opens to a v-neck - much more flattering on me. However it's quite low, even for me who doesn't generally have a problem with cleavage! Not indecent, but you might not want to bend over in front of anyone.

The neckline looks a little buckled on the dummy but I'm pretty sure it's fine on me.

I made the version with the 3/4 sleeves and split cuffs.

For the collar I used the method I saw described a while ago, where you cut the collar in one piece and join it at the centre back of the under collar. I have been dying to try this out and it turned out so nice! I'm very sorry but I can't find the link to the original tutorial, so if you wrote it or know who did, please let me know so I can give credit.

I didn't make an FBA, and didn't need it. If you are not well-ish endowed then you might want to cut a smaller size or reduce the bust measurement if you want a close fitting blouse.

The fabric is 100% cotton voile and is sheer, which is why I am not modelling it. I have made it to layer under a waistcoat so you'll just have to wait to see the two pieces together.

Finally a Finished Garment

I decided on Vogue 1099 for my first post-slump project. The thought of matching bias cut plaid in my fragile state was just too much, but it'll happen soon. This is the only photo I could get of it on me before the camera battery ran out, so apologies for the poor quality. You'll have to believe me when I say it fits well and is very comfortable.

Here's a dummy shot of the front:
The back:

And the side:

Here is a closer detail of the sleeve:
And the bias collar and contrast upper collar (which you can barely see on the pattern envelope). I used black polyester organza.
This pattern went together a treat. Even though it's definitely not for beginners, with patience and accuracy you can get a really nice result.

I added bias strips of lightweight knit interfacing to the hems of the body and sleeves to give them some body (I'm glad I did). I also treated the bottom edge of the front facing in my favourite way, which give a much nicer result than the method described in the instructions.

First I apply bias binding to the lower edge of the front facing. I press out the fold on the underside and just attach it flat to reduce bulk.

Once you sew across the bottom edge of the facing and jacket, you get a nice finished edge that can be hand stitched down.

I hope this means my mojo is back to stay. I thought seriously about entering the vintage pattern competition on PR, but I am so far behind and so lacking in clothes ATM that I have decided to churn out some more practical garments and save the vintage stuff for I time when I can give it the love and attention it deserves.

On a parting note, I didn't do very well in month one of my stash reducing plan. March was an unproductive sewing month when new seasons shirtings came into the shops. What's a girl to do?

Wow, that's a lot of fabric

So I finished cataloguing my stash, a couple of weeks ago actually I just haven’t had the time or energy to blog lately! The grand total is 158.35m – is that a lot? I am a little surprised but not horrified by the amount, although I have now set myself two goals:

1. To use more than I buy each month, and
2. To have a total of 100m or less by the end of this year.

I’ll set up a little tally to monitor my progress.

My lovely new file of samples has been a bonus to me recently. Like most of you I am planning my change of season wardrobe, but unlike those of you in the northern part of the world I am looking towards Autumn and Winter. We are lucky here in Perth that our winters are mild so we have the opportunity to wear fab winter styles but without having to deal with bulky layers. Generally a fine gauge knit and a jacket or coat are sufficient. Plus I always wear my favourite winter accessory – a knit or crochet scarf. I guess you could say it’s my signature (actually I just get a really cold neck!).

I have loads of exciting projects lined up so now all I have to do is figure out where to start. I have almost decided on two jackets – the new Badgely Mishka jacket (V1099) and the bias cut plaid number from BWOF (09-2007-105). I have everything I require and now just need to get cracking. One perk of my job (not that there are many lately) is that I am entitled to flexi-time, so I am taking a well-earned day off on Friday and plan to devoted a chunk of time to cutting out. So don’t give up on me just yet, I promise I’ll have something to show very soon.

My Mojo Went on Holiday and Left me Behind

I have a confession to make.

I have not sewn a stitch in over three weeks! This is very unlike me and I am itching to make something, but I am just totally exhausted right now.

I remember writing before Christmas about how I was looking forward to getting my workload under control in the new year. Sadly that has not happened. In fact, it is worse! I am feeling so stressed out that I have developed eczema on my back (I’ve never had eczema before) and the week before last I got a sty in my eye. Since stys (is that how you spell it/them?) are not contagious I ended up having to go to work with my left eye all swollen and purple, and VERY painful! I just have to slog through this really busy time until it gets sorted out – although I’m not sure how that will happen. Please be patient with me in the meantime.

I am a little bored with summer clothes and even though I didn’t get through everything on my list (who ever does that?) I think I will move on to some Autumn and Winter garments to re-ignite my interest. I have been putting a fair amount of thought into what I’d like to make for the coming cooler months and I just need to get a final plan together. I am still working with the very small closet concept for my work wear so I need to make sure that I have two complete looks for each bottom piece. There are also some casual pieces I need, chiefly jeans - so a couple of pairs are definitely on the cards.

The other sewing related job I’ve been doing is cataloguing my stash. I’ve never done this before and it’s kinda fun, if a little overwhelming. I don’t have a problem with an enormous stash – when I see nice, good quality fabric, I’ll buy it whether or not I have a project in mind. Some years there just doesn’t seem to be anything I like in the shops and others I just go mad! Having said that though, I am having a few “What the…” moments! I can’t wait to finally tally up how much fabric I own. I dare say it will be a scary figure!

I’ve been doing a little knitting (it’s about as much as I can manage at the moment) so I hope I will have a new knitted project to show off soon.

On the up side it is a long weekend in Western Australia this week so, fingers crossed, I will find my mojo and get cracking on a fab new project soon.

Vogue 8392 - Voile Top

My latest summer top is from Vogue 8392, a pattern that it's fair to say has had mixed reviews. I love the ruffled sleeve versions made by others but I bought this fabric as a remnant so I had no hope of making that view. I was concerned the plain sleeves would be a dowdy length but they're okay. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.



The fabric is, as mentioned, a remnant. It's cotton voile that I bought from Tessuti when I was in Sydney (the same trip I bought my black coat fabric - and another piece that I haven't used yet). It is a very nice quality, not like the cheap stuff you buy that just shrivels up in the wash - after pre-washing in the machine I didn't even need to press it before cutting out the pattern.

I made a 2cm fba which resulted in a small bust dart on the side seam. I wanted that, I thought it would make the top a bit less boxy.

I used french seams throughout except the armhole. Rather than bind the armhole seam as I normally would, I stitched 6mm away from the seamline then trimmed the excess seam allowance. I then ran a row of zigzag over the second stitching line to neaten it. The resulting finish doesn't add any bulk to the armhole seam so it sits smoothly and isn't too stiff.

Like several other reviewers, wasn't happy with the slit, hook and eye solution at the back neck. I toyed with adding a placket and tiny buttons - which would have been cute, but in the end I didn't bother. What I did do was follow the instructions in Roberta Carr's book to add a little bow to conceal the hook. I also made a thread eye (instead of using the metal one) as I find they stay shut better.

Look very closely and you might be able to see the little bow! Of course it will always be hidden under my hair anyway but that's not the point is it?

Here is a detail shot of the front pleats and neck binding, I have to say I wish the pleats were a bit more distinctive. If I make this again it will be in a slightly thicker fabric and a plain colour. It would look great in a silk crepe or similar.

It's forecast to be very hot this week (41C on Thursday) so I'll probably be very grateful for such a lightweight top.

Simplicity 3838, Floral Silk Top

I was a little dubious about this project for three reasons:

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1. The print, which is a little bolder than I'd normally choose.
2. The style, which could look a bit maternity if I was unlucky.
3. The fabric, which is very lightweight and may not have had enough drape and therefore stick out in the front.

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Overall though I am really happy with this top...

Back view...

Hmm, you can see the invisible zip a little in the band section - I'll have to go back and get a bit closer there!

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The pattern is Simplicity 3838, which I have just realised is OOP. I'm not sure how I managed to look past the hideous photo on the pattern envelope, but I'm glad I did.

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I made a 2cm FBA but other than that it's a straight size 12.

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The main fabric is silk (china silk weight) and the bands are made from black linen.

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Rather than turn under the edges of the bands and topstitch them down I used my interfacing to make a neater edge. I sewed the centre seam on the fabric and interfacing (overlap and stitch the interfacing), then I trimmed the full seam allowance off everywhere except the outside edge. I laid the pieces right sides (non-sticky side of the interfacing) together and then stitched around the outside edge. I trimmed carefully and clipped the seam then turned the piece right side out. I very carefully pressed around the edge to make sure it fused nicely, then I fused the whole piece.

I then attached the band to the top as per the instructions, hand basting it in place first.
The other thing I did differently (and I forgot to take a picture) is the way I treated the midriff band. On the facing piece I turned under the ends about 2cm (and trimmed) before joining it to the top part - this is to reduce bulk when inserting the zip. Next I turned in the seam allowance on the bottom of the midriff band and hand stitched it in place. The pattern has the raw edges exposed on the bottom part of the band - not pretty.
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Invisible zips are a real challenge for me, I don't know why. Maybe I am too much of a perfectionist or I just don't have the knack. Whatever it is I can never insert an invisible zip without some swear words! This one was no exception, I just couldn't get the bottom part of the seam to match up nicely and after unpicking several times the fabric started to look very fragile. I ended up have to make a couple of hand stitches but sssh, don't tell anyone!
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Because I like the inside to look as pretty as the outside (unless I'm being lazy) I made all the seams french except the armhole and centre back, which I bound. I then hand stitched the bound seam to the midriff facing to hide the bit that I turned under earlier. Here's the inside (before I had done the hem - which is just double turned and machine stitched).
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So that's it, what do you think? I was a bit worried it would 'wear me' rather than the other way around but I actually think it's quite cute and cheerful.

I've Been Nominated

This is my first time being nominated for a blogger award so I must say I'm pretty excited. I have received not one but two in the past two days and that has really put a smile on my face!

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Thanks to Lisa Laree at Sew Random and to Maria Elena. These are both new blogs to me so an extra bonus is that I now have two fab new blogs to keep up with. Maria Elena doesn't speak english so I plugged this in to an internet translator and I hope it makes sense:

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Maria Elena, gracias por su nombramiento amable y gracias por introducirme a su blog. Estoy muy agradecido.

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Now I have to pass the award on to seven other blogs. This is hard, to limit myself to only seven blogs that I love reading. I'm sure we are all familiar with the inspiration that other peoples work brings, and I particularly enjoy those blogs that show detailed processes and fine finishes. Anyway, here are my seven (sorry, I think most of these have been nominated before):

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AlisonC Sewing Gallery. Have you seen Alison's new Burda vest - it's really stunning.

Amanda's Adventures in Sewing. Amanda makes the cutest outfits - I love the colours she chooses.

Tany Sews and Knits. The first sewing blog I found and still one of the most inspirational!

Miss Celie's Pants. Reading Cidell's blog is like chatting to a good girlfriend.

Le Mani D'oro. Anne makes really stylish garments and posts in French and English

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And my fellow Aussies at:

Lower Your Presser Foot. Ditto everyone else's comments Kristy, we understand you are way too busy with your precious new baby to be blogging much these days.

Sew Tessuti. Since visiting the Surrey Hills store on a recent business trip I am constantly angling to go back to Sydney (a four-hour flight away). I still smile every time I look at the oat I made from fabric I bought there - even though I don't have much use for it at the moment!

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That's all for now. I have a couple of projects that I will do my best to update over the weekend.

Thanks again for making me feel included!