(sew)everyday notions

My latest make! It's the new & shiny Colfax Dress by Kelli at True Bias. I think she has an absolute effortless style and I love everything she makes and the patterns she drafts. I have made 5 (!!) versions of her Southport Dress alone. Her patterns fit me with minimal changes needed, so we are definitely talking TNT AND #fangirl territory.  Her latest dress pattern is a lovely summer dress- cutaway/racer back style in a slightly A-line shape. The pattern has a lovely front yoke (which I then proceeded to omit... More on that soon.) I think this style is quite timeless so I used a dark Tencel for my version (Spotlight). I loved some of the inspiration ideas Kelli linked to- there are also lots of denim/chambray swing dresses to be seen on Pinterest and I don't think there's one I didn't look at! In the end I got an idea for an exposed zip in my head and I had to go down that route. This style reminds me a bit of the Tessuti Ruby dress, but I like tha...

Summer has hit in the southern hemisphere, which means I need summer dresses for every day! The Southport Dress by True Bias was released just as things started to cool down for us in Australia (back in April), but I still snapped it up on release day, knowing it would be the perfect summer dress. There was a lot of love for the Southport during the Northern Hemisphere summer, and I have no doubt there will be the same "down under". Here is my wearable muslin and really, it's as perfect as I thought it would be! this pose - trying to hide the remote behind my back... so dorky! Some notes I cut a 10 bust, and 8 waist/hips. Next time, I'll cut a straight 8 as I took in the bodice side seams about 1cm. Fabric is some *crazy print* rayon from Spotlight, it's nice to wear and the crazy print hides the wrinkles that rayon tends to get. While I decided I don't love the print after I bought it - it really is great for hiding all matter of kid-related-...

I am definitely a Grainline Studio fan girl! I actually own every one of Jen's great patterns & am slowly working my way through actually sewing them. I was lucky enough to win the (paper-version!) Alder Shirtdress pattern through the lovely (Australian) online store Stitch 56 . Thanks Helene!! The shirtdress is a lovely pattern, it really is the perfect summer dress, and easy to feed the baby in... Oh yeah, my second little boy T made an arrival in early December and we couldn't be happier!  The best-ever accessory: a baby! :) If this make looks a bit familiar, it's because it's almost identical to the lovely one that Sew Busy Lizzy made it up here . I did wonder whether I could/should post this make, but I guess even though I used the same pattern & fabric, I still did the sewing & made my individual fitting changes.  I already had the same polka dot rayon (from Spotlight) but was a bit unsure if the polka dots were a bit too loud fo...

  I'm always impressed when I see someone's make with the word "self drafted" in the title. I'm good at following  pattern directions, but always get a bit sloppy when I have to pave the way myself. I've self drafted a few kids clothes, but never ladies so this was a little experiment with a happy ending. I do have the Sewaholic Saltspring pattern and originally thought about using it but I didn't think the gathers at the waist would work for this fabric.  For me, a maxi should be loose and flowing. I have a RTW maxi (Target, 2 yrs ago) that I liked the bodice of so I loosely copied it for this dress. I used a lovely ikat blue rayon from Spotlight. It has a lovely drape and is cool to wear. I used 2.5m and had to use a centre back seam to fit the pattern in. (So very little pattern matching too). A few more notes Front is self faced. I used some slight gathers in the top neckline to give some shape instead of darts. I cut the facing to fit ...

pattern - wiksten tank dress fabric - off white, navy stripe merino knit, the fabric store (brisbane) This is my summer uniform. Hello stripes! I love the Wiksten tank dress &  because the pattern is so simple & has no dart I  knew a knit fabric would make it even more perfect. I just used a smaller size to account for the fabric stretch. Easy! I love the shape of the hem, and the slight difference in front & back lengths.  This fabric is so lovely. We have a hot summer here in Queensland & merino wool is renowned for its cool-in-summer & warm-in-winter properties. This fabric doesn't disappoint! I've worn this dress on some our hottest days so far & it's very comfortable, moreso than a woven because you don't need to worry about it crushing. I  have a bit left & can't wait to make a 3/4 autumn top out of it (a hemlock tee maybe?). A few constuction notes needles: ball point needles, and twin ballpoint needle to finis...