Assymetrical Tee

This T-shirt is a variation on my own T-shirt draft, using Tessuti boat-shed. The neck facing is from a scrap of Liberty print. I think that the overall effect is a sophisticated version of "nautical". I borrowed a few design elements from a Marc Jacobs T-shirt, namely the assymetrical neck opening and the zippered welt detail (hard to see...it's on the chest opposite the neck opening...perhaps I should take another photo?).

It actually took me quite a while to make this as I wasn't sure what I was doing, even once I started cutting. Sometimes I miss the sewing instructions when I make my own patterns!

Instead of using a regular sleeve, I cut an elliptical section of fabric and folded it in half. The length of the ellipse was the armhole circumference and the width was twice the length of the sleeve cap. The fold eliminates the need for a hem. I borrowed this idea from a woven blouse, and it seems to work for knits also.

Dance-style tee

I have always loved those oversized tees that fall off the shoulder. To me, they are 3 parts luxe and 7 parts Flashdance. I had a green striped one when I was a kid that I wore for years, but somewhere, sometime I stopped wearing them. Perhaps when fashion went from Big is Beautiful to Fit is Flattering. I have been coveting the ones that I have seen over the last few months, but still was hesitant to add them to my wardrobe. Then, last week, I borrowed Rachel Zoe's Style book from the library. She says that dark wash jeans and a drapey shirt are her uniform and I feel that I could learn a little from Rachel Zoe. So, it may not be what she had in mind, but Rachel has given me permission to make this tee.



My version is milder than others I have seen...not quite so oversized, not quite such a wide neck, but I love it...I have made 2 versions already and worn them both. The pattern is Vogue 7933 (OOP). I shortened the sleeves, as I had only purchased the length in fabric. The pattern has only 3 pieces...front, back and waistband. This fabric is still available from Tessuti. As you can imagine, this was really quick to whip up, so I got my sewing fix without my family complaining about the time spent at the sewing machine.


I bought my daughter a sewing machine today. Her birthday is not for a couple of months, but it was a great deal. She (and her brothers) are always asking me if they can sew bags, but I never want to let them on my machine, because I could not do without it for a few days if they messed it up. This one is a basic Elna, which is the same brand as mine, so I hope it takes the same bobbins and feet. She will only be 6, which may be a little young, but her Grandma bought her a toy sewing machine for Christmas which is very frustrating to use and the stitches pull straight out. I am looking forward to teaching her to sew...let's hope that it doesn't end in tears for both of us!

Sewing for others

My sister wanted a skirt for her birthday. Sewing for others is always a bit of a risk, especially when they don't live nearby. Not only is there the question of taste, but also the hassle of fit. The project scope was a funky A-line skirt, with darts, possibly out of an Amy Butler fabric.

My sister has lost a lot of weight and planning to lose more, so I needed to take this into account. I decided to put in a centre back zip so that the side seams could be easily adjusted. I also went with a faced waist, rather than a waistband, for the same reason. I altered the sewing order a little so that this would be easier. I sewed the front waistband to the skirt front and the back waistband to the skirt back and then stitched the waistband side seams and the skirt side seams in one long line. I didn't understitch the waist facing at the side seams.


The inspiration for the pleating detail came from the design on the cover of Stitch magazine. As I was arranging the pleats I did have a sense of deja vu...the pleat design is very similar to the Chloe-inspired skirt that I drafted last year...I guess I am drawn to the same design details.


(PS to my sister, if you read this...I will post this soon, really I will!)

French-chic sundress

The following styles are from the APC SS09 Collection. I have taken the photos from Wikstenmade, because I couldn't work out how to copy the photos directly myself (yeah, I'm not so techno-savvy).

What do you think of the black dress? Kinda cute? But then, everything in the APC collection is styled to look fabulous. On second thoughts, the dress could also be seen as kinda shapeless and pre-pubescent, no? Anyway, casting these doubts aside, I decided to make it up. You can never have too many sun-dresses in a tropical climate.



I started with an Calvin Klein Vogue pattern, Vogue 1786, dated 1996. View A/B was the camisole / dress.

Pattern alterations: My pattern is sized 6 - 8 - 10 and now I am more like a 12 on top and a 16 on bottom. I "graded" the pattern up to a Sz 16 all round (well, just added 14 cm width, evenly distributed). This way I could eliminate the side zipper and put elastic around the upper edge. This is not such a bad thing, because Calvin has nary a bust dart in his pattern. I increased the depth of the facings and sewed them on the outside, so that they could be used for the elastic casing. I didn't cross over the straps at the back, as per the a.p.c version, but that is only because I did not have enough fabric.

Fabric: I made this up in a lightweight stretch cotton print from Tessuti, spinach fly. I think I got the last piece (thank-you Colette). It was lovely to sew and the perfect weight for this dress. The gathers drew up so easily (I dislike gathering) and then hung beautifully rather than sticking out.

I am still undecided on the final result...chic or a top-kids escapee? I will wear it either way.

Now, whilst we are talking about sundresses, did anybody else pre-order the spring 2009 sew stylish magazine? I am so disappointed. Amber Eden, come back please!!! I treasure my previous editions...the perfect combination of sewing and fashion. I found them to be truly inspirational. Even though many articles were lifted from Threads, there was still pleanty of new things to learn. By constrast, this edition provides us with projects that remind me of home ec class. The construction zone could be straight out of a text book. The tricks of the trade include sewing on a button and taking up a hem. It is filled with such useful tips as throwing out your old pins. Pattern play has you take a straight waist band pattern piece and turn it into a straight belt. And as for the Simplicity pattern...when I see pants made up from Simplicity patterns, I can only vow never to go near their catalogue. It may take me days to get over this disappointment.

Love this red denim

So, I now have a new computer...but, I am struggling to get all my software working again. I have a few posts to catch up on, but this project is one of my favourites.

I made another denim skirt from Vogue 2811, using a red denim from Tessuti. The fabric faded a lot with the first wash. It is one of those denims that gets better with more wear!

The pockets are my own design. On the front, I have squared off the pocket openings. On the right back, I have made a welt opening into an inner patch pocket. I did take photos during construction, but goodness knows what happened to them. I like my back pocket because it is sleeker than regular patch pockets.

I did have a lot a trouble topstitching with the chain stitch of my cover stitch machine. I went through a whole reel of topstitching thread (admittedly, there is not much on a reel) making practice samples and having them go wrong on the skirt. In the end I bought a new reel and did the topstitching on my sewing machine.

Here is a photo of the complete skirt...as usual, have not quite got around to styling myself for the photo...I was taking the photo to show my sister the necklace that the kids and I made out of some fimo long ago stored in a box. They all enjoyed squashing the fimo so much, I'll have to see if I can still buy it.