(sew)everyday notions

With my bump increasing at a rapid rate, I've been sewing lots. A few maternity makes, up-cycling thrifted clothes into easy bump-wear, and some basics for the toddler. With a December deadline (due date!) I want to make ALL the things! Especially knowing my sewing machine will probably not see the light-of-day for a little while. One little splurge just for me was some beautiful Nani Iro fabric to make into a dressing gown. I know I will get a lot of use out of this. I've always wanted an excuse to get my hands on some of the lovely Japenese double-gauze, and needing a summer-weight dressing gown was the perfect excuse. I spent an excessive amount of time trawling Etsy and the internet to find just-the-right pattern & colour way. I needed something that would hide all manner of sins (baby-vomit and other baby-related-unmentionables). It was super hard to choose, but in the end I decided on this gorgeous (2013 season) Fuccra Rakuen Aegean floral with a navy/deep p...

My new motto in life is: "embrace the bump" . I've definitely hit that stage of my pregnancy where the bump is obvious & (in my opinion!) cute. I'd bought the Ruched Maternity Skirt pattern by the fabulous Megan Nielsen a few months ago & I'm so glad I did. It really makes getting dressed in the morning pretty easy, in a stage where finding things to fit is a bit hard! The beauty of this pattern is that this skirt covers the bump. Which means I can wear non-maternity tops (that wouldn't otherwise fit) very easily by tying a simple knot in them.  A few notes: I bought the PDF pattern and it goes together SO easily- only two pattern pieces (there's a third only if you add the optional frill) I cut a size medium, and with this fabric is a great fit. Like Megan mentions in the instructions, you need a pretty stretchy knit fabric for this make (minimum 40% stretch & she explains how to figure out what % your fabric is). If your kn...

pattern: anima pants, papercut patterns fabric: stretch denim & black double ponte (cuffs, waistband & pocket) here's my entry into the (amazing) #animapantcomp run by Papercut Patterns and The Fabric Store . Seriously, there are some amazing prizes and this was just the incentive I needed to get these made up quick-smart. The fabric recommendations suggest any type of fabric with a bit of stretch & I was happy to use up the rest of this denim left from my named jamie jeans make. I liked the idea of the contrast black cuffs, waistband & pocket & the double ponte is super comfy in these places. I cut a size up that what i measured (large??) because the denim isn't super stretchy, but in the end I should have stayed as is because i took a bit in on the side seams. They're a quick make & what could possibly be better than track pant jeans?? A bit more stylish, its easy to get down to kid-level to play and super easy to dress up or down. ...

pattern: combination of rub-off of my favourite RTW Country Road blouse & Grainline Archer fabric: cotton navy/white gingham, spotlight this is the make that i bought the Grainline Archer pattern for many months ago (? I think i picked it up in last years thanksgiving sale!). I think it also started #thegreatsewingbinge - it was the creative challenge that really got me & my sewing machine reacquainted in a big way. And I've finally made it! My favourite RTW shirt is a few seasons old from Country Road (Australian). It's the perfect length for leggings or jeans, with rolled up sleeves & a small stand-up collar. I knew the Archer pattern would get me half-way there. There were just a few mods to make. the original  my version Here are some notes I used the pins/paper/cardboard rub-off method that seems to be a popular technique.  The modifications basically involve - a yoke which continues to the front of the shirt, using both collar pieces ...

Jeans in June ! And they're the Jamie Jeans by Named Patterns . That's a lot of J's. Where to start? I think it was a previous season of Project Sewn and I kept seeing these jeans pop up in the competition. Prior to this my thoughts were "Jeans - why would I EVER sew them?". Suddenly, it was " Why WOULDN'T I sew Jeans?". Just like the first Archer shirt I made (collar! buttons!) I was a bit intimidated. But then I sat down at my machine, took it step by step and I'm so happy with the result. But the twist? Well, my waistline isn't quite as trim as it was. And won't be for the next 9 months (give or take). yep, that's a baby bump! I'd cut these jeans out earlier this year, but the weather was too hot in sunny Qld I just couldn't bring myself to sew them, let alone wear them. So they sat in the UFO pile. And then the weather chilled down, and all my other pants are beginning to... ahem... feel a bit tight. So what co...

  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 ...