Mirroring Suzy Bee Sews - Life So Strange It Should Be Fiction

I really enjoyed reading the project sewn this year and I loved how they didn't just sew a garment they had to sew an outfit. So when I finished the Lekala jacket I decided I needed a nice pair of pants/jeans to go with it. I wanted these as more dressier jeans so did the top-stitching in black thread rather than a contrast thread and didn't put any rivets on. Adjustment wise, I used my pants block to lower the front and raise the back. The pants are drafted with a very high waistband, they are meant to sit higher than your natural waist. I lowered this to sit at my natural waist. I drafted a separate back yoke too, the pattern comes with the yoke built into the waistband but I wanted it to look more like a normal jean yoke. I'm going to make the yoke a bit shorter next time though, I'd like the pockets to sit up another inch higher I think. In an attempt to use up my zippers I matched the zipper to the colour of the pocket bags. It has elast...

I'm kind of late on the cambie bandwagon, but I finally downloaded it and made it up! Fabric is from the clearance table at spotlight, its a cotton voile. Lining is a cotton poplin. Adjustments: I started with a sz 16 and changed the front to a princess seam using the bodice from Colette 1020 (which already had a FBA of 1") Added a side panel that was shirred (I did this by taking an inch off the side seams on the front and back bodice then made up a shirred panel that measured 2"+seam allowances when it was done), the skirt has enough gathers that I didn't worry about adding any width to it, I just gathered it a bit less. Took a wedge out of the back neckline of about 1" tapering down to nothing at the waistline. Added 1/2" to the shoulder height. Petited the bodice by 1" and took an extra 1/2" out as a swayback adjustment. I've got some rippling at the princess seams, every time I sew with voile I get thi...

I feel like I've totally lost my sewing mojo lately so this is an attempt to sew some nice easy basics that I know I'll wear and hopefully kickstart sewing again. I've made this a few times now (first, second, third) so it was a easy sew. Material is a blue ponte from Spotlight that I got at the last sale. Adjustment wise, its a sz M (it has heaps of ease, my measurements put me in an XL), with a centre back seam added for shaping, extra width at the hips, 1" FBA rotated out in the front gathers, 2" added to the arm width and about 3" cut off the length. This is such a flattering cardigan and I wear all the versions so much in winter, they are nice and warm and mega comfy!

I've seen some great jeans pop up in the blogging world lately and it reminded me I need another pair! The last pair I made have shrunk in length (even after prewashing the denim twice) and are now in my refashion pile to be cut down into shorts. The pattern is my TNT -  Sewaholic Thurlow legs onto the waist/hips of Vogue 8774 adjusted with my pants block. I added 1.5cm to the front inner leg with this pair as the last version had some pulling at the front. This denim is from Spotlight tagged as Bradmill denim. Surprisingly nice, firm but still with some stretch. I bought a craftsy class back at Christmas called Sewing Designer Jeans. I highly recommend it, Angela Wolf is great in the videos and I found it really interesting about how to distress denim. I'm not sure how successful I was at it, the denim went a different colour blue instead of fading it out but I'm hoping the look will soften after a few washes. I don't think I took it...

My best friend is getting married in March next year, myself and her sister are the bridesmaids. We'd planned on getting a custom made dress from a website overseas but the good/bad news is her sister has just found out she's pregnant (that's good), which means with a changing shape the chance of the dress fitting properly is not likely as she'll be just over 8mths at the wedding (that's bad, lol). So, I offered to make the dresses, which I'm actually excited about but have a big learning curve since I've very rarely sewn with lace or chiffon and have never fitted a pregnant belly before. The current dress plan is a princess line bodice with a lace overlay and sleeves. The skirt will be a chiffon pleated one. I figure I'll make a couple of mock-ups, not only to check the fit but to play with the technique. I've got 2 of Claire Shaeffer's books (Couture sewing and Bridal Couture), so I'll be reading up on sewing with lace. Pattern wise, I ...

I was lucky enough to pattern test these, I know there was a bit of controversy over pattern testing and bloggers always saying nice things about the new pattern but I can honestly say I love these jeans! I've always stuck to wide leg jeans, they were the only type that would ever fit over my thighs and I had a couple of horrible change room experiences that cemented the no-skinny jean rule firmly in my mind! This is why I love to pattern test though - it pushes me way out of my comfort zone and into clothes I might not normally sew or wear. This is my first ever pair of stovepipe/skinny leg jeans and I am a convert! So the pattern: These are View A with the stovepipe leg. I made a size 18 (the test pattern was pretty generous - by my measurements I should be a sz20. This has been corrected on the finished pattern though). I muslined them up in cheap denim first and made a few adjustments; Added 1" to the inner leg seam on the front pattern piece. Ad...

I sewed!  Pattern Review is having its stash contest this month.  I am not a contender, but it did help me focus in deciding what to make now that I can finally sew.  I decided on Butterick 5780, a pattern that surprisingly has not taken the blogosphere by storm.  It's a flattering, interesting sheath dress with nice design lines.  It's a copy of the Reiss Taruca Sculptured Dress, which was $340 according to this blog post.  I think the issue with the pattern that has held it back is its suggested fabric:  ponte. Let's talk about ponte. I think I have fallen out of love.  One the one hand, it is a miracle fabric.  A knit with all the easy-to-sew, easy-to-fit, easy-to-wear qualities we love, but that skims over all the lumps and bumps and is universally flattering.  What's not to love? One word: pilling.  For the love of all that is holy, the pilling.  While I've found a few gems of quality ponte, almost everything I make...