Week 1

Week 1 of 2013! Wow! I have one more week of leave before going back to work; it doesn't feel like there's been much time for sewing lately but perhaps there has been. [WARNING: Picture heavy post!]

This week I've:




1. Worked on a muslin for the jacket from V2823, to be made from this sea-green silk velvet and perhaps with this wild pink fabric as lining:

 



Is it too OTT? the green velvet is more vibrant than it appears in this photo... 

I'm currently removing some excess from the front bodice. SBA I guess.


2. Had a trip out with Miss UpSewLate for a zipper and threads that ended in fabric purchases at Tessuti, including the above lining and these couple of scrummy fabrics drying in the sun after their baptisms in the washing machine:

plain turquoise colour is hanging over the edge

a 2.3m stretch remnant!

as well as 0.5m of this stretch fabric

3. that I turned into a KwikSew 3169 top for Miss UpSewLate:

Size 6, arm elastic omitted. Coordinating skirt for Barbie highly recommended.

4. Whipped up a quick sewing room cushion with a centre back zip. I used my new cutting mat (thank you Mr UpSewLate) to get lovely straight lines and proper right angles.

Obviously this photo was not taken in my sewing room. It is Sydney, but it's not hot all year round!

5. Got through the initial stages of a pair of shorts...

... starting with a comparison of pattern shapes (would that be your first step too?). My Vogue 1098 Anne Klein trousers fit me really well in the critical areas, but I was interested in the Vogue Basic Design shorts pattern. I thought they'd be a similar shape in those critical areas and that the leg shape might be different - perhaps a bit flared below the hips?

I was honestly really surprised at how different the pattern shapes were! The photos below show these two patterns line up - both have been cut as size 12 except on the inner thigh where the Vogue Basic pattern is cut as a 16 (and please note I am not responsible for this hacking - it's a second hand pattern). 

FRONT comparison.  What a difference in crotch shape, crotch length, and hip width!

BACK comparison. Same differences!

I'd be interested to hear if you think I'm aligning these pattern pieces incorrectly.  But for the record, I then made the same comparison with the pattern pieces for three different Anne Klein trouser patterns - and found they all had the same crotch shape and length but slight (much, much smaller than those pictured above) differences in hip width and crotch length. I don't know if each designer has their own standard shape, but I'm planning to make some more comparisons with other trouser patterns.

Anyway, I decided to stick with the pattern that fits me...

... and this afternoon I cut the Vogue 1098 Anne Klein trousers shorts out of an emerald green linen and serged them, using the shorts pattern just for shorts length and some side pockets. I hope to get these sewn up soon!

6. Ignored a half-made top - double gauze Nani Iro fabric lined in silk but all looking really wrong. I just don't get the drape on double gauze fabric!
 7. Made vintage pattern purchases on Etsy, including these:

 and these:

 

 
Now by the way, have you ever wondered why old McCalls pattern envelopes came in colour and in black and white? Like this one:




















Patterns for sale in Australia and New Zealand were printed in Sydney in black and white while the American versions were printed in colour.  I've seen Australian black and white prints of patterns for all the major brands, and single colour envelopes for the smaller Australian brands (Pauline patterns, for example).  

and


8. Supervised Miss UpSewLate in a craft project. She wanted to make herself a top to match her own special design from a tiny scrap of green linen. Instead we made a simple paper pattern for her, then a muslin, which she decorated.

the proud artist

The front picture is trees on either side of a rocket house (NOT a hammock), with a flower in the foreground and small grey fluffy clouds in the sky. The painting on the back is of a bride throwing petals, with a flower girl walking behind her.

I now need to find out how to make crayons and water colours stay :-), and later we'll have a go at turning her fabric scraps into a top using her pattern.  

Phew, it sounds like I've been busy! 

Back soon with a normal sewing project, Gabrielle x

The Crafty Side of Last Week

Last week I worked 5 days, went to the gym 3 times, and went out for 3 meals, and still sewed a lot. The other thing I did was to ignore the internet - excepting google reader on my phone (where I can add a star but don't add comments, because the tiny phone keypad makes me write such absolute gobbledegook).  If you were one of the people that left me a lovely comment, I'm really sorry not to have replied yet -  I just don't seem to be able to multitask! My late evenings can be spent reading and commenting/replying/blogging OR sewing, and not both.  But next week I'm having time off work so I will be catching up.

Here's the craft side of what I made last week.

A couple of cushion covers:

My first Nicole Mallalieu pattern, the super-simple zipped pouch  - this one my purse test:

Then a pair of zipped pouches for my sister in law's upcoming birthday (it's OK, I'm just about 100% sure she's never read this blog).  If I can, I'll try to make a matching little bag too.

The outer of one is the lining of the other, and vice versa:

These pouches were made from the zipped pouch pattern in Ms Mallalieu's "You Sew, Girl" book.  I have to admit I felt like an absolute dunce making these - even though they were rated just Advanced Beginnner, it took me ages to understand what I was supposed to be doing.  I think I was distracted by the colourful photos illustrating the instructions; so different to the B&W words and line drawings of the Big 4 :-).

My purses are a bit wonky - obviously homemade - and I managed to set one of the zips too low!  I hope they're good enough for a gift.