Tessuti Knots and Crosses competition - Maisa denim jacket, Flint shorts and Sorrento bucket hat

It's been a very long time since I entered a sewing competition, but when I saw the gorgeous fabrics in Tessuti's 2020 sewing competition, I had to give it a go. The idea was to make any garment from a cotton/linen Broderie Anglaise fabric. The fabric was available in four colours and two different patterns, the 'knots' and the 'crosses'. I chose the 'crosses' fabric in a natural colour. The rules stipulated that only the 'knots' or 'crosses' fabrics could be used as the outside of the garment and could not be dyed or embellished with any other fabric or embroidery. A lining fabric of the sewer's choice was allowed. Entries were to include photos of someone wearing the garment as well as pictures of its construction.

I made three pieces for my competition outfit, all of which I have made before, so I knew they would fit. These were a Named Clothing Maisa Denim Jacket, Megan Nielsen Flint Shorts and, for fun, an Elbe Textiles Sorrento Bucket Hat, which is a free pattern. I am wearing them with a Megan Nielsen Eucalyptus woven tank in khaki. I had decided on the jacket as soon as I heard about the competition, partly because my denim Maisa jacket is probably my most worn item ever and partly because I thought it would be unique to make a Broderie Anglaise jacket. After seeing the other entries, it seems I wasn't so forward-thinking after all as there are some gorgeous jackets among them. Oh well! I had originally planned to make a skirt, but it wasn't working out, so I went with shorts instead after a suggestion from my sewing friend Katherine.

I began with the Maisa Jacket. I wanted to show off the fabric as much as possible, so kept the majority of the jacket unlined. I used a natural-coloured cotton fabric to line just the collar, cuffs, pockets and hem and button bands. I sewed it around the seams (see below) so that the lining and not the seam showed through the eyelet holes on the inside and outside of the jacket. 

It was a slow process getting everything as perfect as possible, but very enjoyable, especially as I have had little time to sew for quite a while now. 

The outer seams are all top-stitched and the jacket is finished off with jeans buttons at the front, pockets and cuffs.

The inside of the pocket has a leather patch with my Meggipeg label and a Tessuti Fabrics label on it.

The next picture shows how the jacket is constructed to allow the light through the main part of it.

Next the Flint shorts. These were lined for modesty, with the lining fabric used as underlining. This meant that the view through the holes was uniform and no seams were visible. I made the style that buttons up, rather than ties, and used metal buttons. These were shortened about 4cm from the pattern after a suggestion from a (male) friend, who insisted they were originally too long! I think he was probably right as the proportions look better with the jacket at the shorter length. 

These shorts are so comfortable to wear and I love them in this fabric.

The Sorrento bucket hat is fun to sew and easy to wear. I lined it to hide the seams again and love how the light shines through the brim lining when it's worn.

I am really happy with all the pieces of this outfit. I know they will all be things I wear a lot and I thoroughly enjoyed the planning and creating of everything. The fabric is gorgeous and I'm very happy to have pushed myself to enter the competition. The closing date is 14th May and it's worth having a look at the other creative entries on Pinterest or Instagram.

Not enough fabric for my pattern - what now??

Last year a new, and rather lovely, fabric shop opened up in Myaree, Perth. It is called Woven Stories Textiles and stocks a stunning array of ethically sourced hand woven, hand dyed and hand printed fabrics for sewing and quilting. Being a bit short of money of late I was very restrained and chose just 1 metre of one fabric - this indigo dyed, hand printed cotton.

As we were in the middle of summer, I was hoping to make a simple dress to wear on the hottest days. I needed a pattern that didn't use much fabric and decided on the Eucalypt Dress by Megan Nielsen. I can't remember the width of the indigo fabric, but it was just not quite wide enough to fit the pattern pieces on. Hmmm....

I hunted through my scrap drawers and my stash for a fabric that I could use as a contrasting panel and all I could find was a tiny amount of cotton that I had dyed with indigo a couple of years ago. The cotton had a pattern cut into the fabric and was a good match in colour and rustic-ness (!) for my main fabric. However, there was too little contrasting fabric to use as a panel, so I cut it into uneven rectangles and made a panel with offcuts of my main fabric. I hand stitched around each piece with embroidery thread as an extra little detail.

I had just enough to make contrasting bias binding for the neck and armholes and for a strip around the hem of the dress.

I decided to lengthen the dress slightly more than the original pattern and have a straight hemline.

So there we are - the print doesn't match down the centre due to fabric restrictions, the contrasting fabric is fraying where it was pre-cut and the dress is very rustic and imperfect - but I love it. I adore indigo-dyed fabric and this is so floaty and comfortable to wear. I'm so pleased I was able to think of a way to squeeze this lovely, simple pattern on to my special fabric.

Burdastyle Jumper Dress 10/2016 #117

 

I was all set to make the dungaree dress from the April 2017 issue of Burdastyle, when I saw this one in the October 2016 magazine. I decided this pattern offered something a bit unique, so I changed my plans. 

This is the 'Jumper Dress' from the October 2016 Burdastyle magazine. It has interesting seaming at the front with pockets at the waist.

Burdastyle 10/2016#117

I used cotton velvet fabric for this that I acquired in a closing down sale recently. The business selling it made set designs for stages and elaborate parties. They had almost sold all their fabric, but I got this velvet in green and some more in black. While I was there, I got chatting to the guy about their business. He showed me some massive pieces of red and blue fabric that had been used to decorate the house of Australia's richest woman for a party a few years ago. I mentioned that my son's primary school was doing a musical and wondered if they could use the fabric. He immediately beetled off and showed me some huge wooden stage backdrops. He said they would be perfect for the school and, before I knew it, I'd somehow agreed to having six of them strapped to my roof rack. I tentatively drove along the highway to the school, warning the music teacher of the impending arrival of the enormous backdrops (not texting and driving, of course). Then, she and I attempted to unload them. This was easier said than done. We were huffing and puffing after moving just one. Fortunately there were some road workers nearby and one was more than happy to ditch his Stop sign and help the young and attractive music teacher heave the rest of them into the school hall. Traffic chaos ensued, but eventually my car was unloaded and I scurried home with my velvet.

When I make Burdastyle patterns, I do try to follow the instructions, but almost always end up doing my own thing. This pattern was no different, but was fairly straightforward to make. The back has an invisible zip, which is positioned on my back in a place that is almost impossible to reach. Luckily I can get this on and off without using the zip.

The pockets are inserted into the seams of the side panel. I didn't have enough fabric to line them with the velvet, so they show a bit from the side, but that's ok.

The dress turned out a bit loose, so I took in the side seams a bit. I also needed to lower the darts. The gold buttons are decorative and just sewn in place without buttonholes.

This fabric is really difficult to photograph, but it is really quite nice. The dress is cosy and I love the style. I'm wearing it here with a cashmere jumper from Potter Textiles (RTW from a fabric shop isn't really RTW, you know) and Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings.

Vogue 8962 tunic

This pattern had been waiting to be made for far too long. So long, in fact, that is now out of print. I'm so pleased I finally made it though as it's a really nice style.

Vogue 8962

Vogue 8962 is a tunic, skirt and pants pattern. The tunic has an optional cowl neckline, which I made, interesting seam lines and a high-low hem.

Hopefully you can see some of the outfit in the poorly-lit pictures. I am wearing the tunic with my Paprika Patterns Jade skirt and a new pair of Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings from lovely, stretchy, warm ponte from Spotlight.

 Oops, I seem to have lost the skirt! Here it is with some higher boots instead.

This was a very simple pattern to make. I used some lovely wooly knit fabric in grey from Potter Textiles. There wasn't quite enough grey to do the cowl neck, so I used another patterned, knitted remnant from Potter's for the neck and lower sleeves. It coordinates very well with many things.

If you have this pattern I would definitely recommend it. It is flattering and comfortable and I will certainly be making more.

So there.

Brief thoughts on Me Made May 2016

StyleArc Toni dress made as a top with StyleArc Elle pants / Named Jamie Jeans with Burdastyle 06/2014#114 jumper / Vogue 1378 pants with Megan Nielsen Briar tee made as a jumper / StyleArc Lola pants with Deer and Doe Plantain tee and Paprika Patterns Opal cardi / StyleArc Mara Shirtdress / Pauline Alice Xeria dress with Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings / Vogue 1378 pants with Burdastyle 11/2012#128 top / Refashioned dress from jeans

Like me, you are probably ready to forget Me Made May for another year. However, I thought I'd just have a quick look through the handmade clothes I wore in May 2016 and see what was popular in my wardrobe.

May 2016 in Perth was, weatherwise, pretty similar throughout. Most days were in the low to mid 20s with a couple of rainy days. This meant that hardly any of my warm and cold weather gear was seen at all, which was a bit of a shame.

Patrones army jacket with StyleArc Elle pants and Named Wenona shirt / Patrones jacket in black with khaki StyleArc Lola pants / Deer and Doe Plantain tee with black StyleArc Lola pants / Named Jamie jeans with Paprika Patterns Jasper sweater / Named Jamie jeans with StyleArc Amber top / Vogue 1313 dress with Closet Case Files Nettie bodysuit / StyleArc Estelle jacket, Paprika Patterns Jade Skirt and SavageCoco Patterns Presto top / Named Inari Tee dress / StyleArc Estelle jacket, Patrones blouse and silk StyleArc Lola pants.

MY MOST POPULAR PATTERNS IN MAY 2016

Pants: StyleArc Elle and Lola pants (some of the Lola pants were altered to have an elasticated cuff and front and back patch pockets) and Named Jamie jeans.

Tops: Burdastyle jumpers and Deer and Doe Plantain tees.

Jackets: Patrones jackets in black and khaki, StyleArc Estelle jacket.

Dresses and skirts: my refashioned denim dress from jeans was the only dress or skirt I wore more than once. I always wore my Megan Nielsen leggings to stay warm. I love all the dresses and skirts I wore in May.

The pattern companies I wore most things from were StyleArc, Paprika Patterns and Named Clothing. I think I use mostly patterns from these companies year round actually.

StyleArc Estelle Jacket almost finished! / Named Wyome jeans, Paprika Patterns Zircon sweater / Named Wenona shirtdress / Victory Patterns Hannah dress, Closet Case Files Nettie bodysuit / Burdastyle jumper and StyleArc Elle pants / Refashioned dress from jeans / Patrones jacket, StyleArc Lola pants, indigo dyed Plantain tee / Vintage pattern jumper with Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings in ponte / Burdastyle jumper, Named Jamie jeans

So there we are. Thank you to all who followed my progress on Instagram and made lovely comments. I loved seeing what everyone else was wearing day to day too.

Anyone for tennis? - Jalie 3023 skirt x Virginia leggings and a Briar tee

I sewed up a storm for my Christmas presents last year and, now it's February, I am starting to recover enough to blog about it!

My sister requested a tennis outfit and emailed me very specific, illustrated instructions. Anyone who has read this blog for a while may know that my sister is not only super particular, but is also a lifetime member of the brutally honest brigade. I was feeling the pressure as I planned and sewed this outfit to her exact specifications!

The skirt was to be slightly A-line with a pleated lower back section under a second frill. It had to also have built-in shorts.

I chose stable lycra/ponte fabrics for the outer skirt in polka dots and plain black.

I used the swim skirt of Jalie 3023 as a starting point. I made a few changes to the pattern, which began with raising the waistline and adding some length. Then I cut the back pattern piece into two horizontally and created the lower frill by slashing and spreading the lower back pattern piece. The middle frill was made from a strip of black fabric cut on a curve so it only flared slightly.

Jalie 3023

I assembled the back of the skirt and added some decorative white topstitching along the seamline of the middle frill.

The box pleats are underneath the black frill.

The plain front piece was sewn to the back at the sides. Then, before I attached the waistband, I made some little, black, cotton lycra shorts using Megan Nielsen's Virginia leggings pattern (the best-fitting leggings pattern ever). The shorts and skirt were sewn together into a doubled-over waistband and hemmed with a cover stitch.

The black and white top was requested to provide some sun protection. I used the Megan Nielsen Briar T-shirt pattern and added long sleeves. The length was altered to somewhere between the t-shirt and crop top lengths. I used a lightweight, cotton knit fabric for the top and added a black neckline and decorative black topstitching on the hem and cuffs.

I was very nervous as my sister opened her present on Christmas Day, but she liked it! Then, the other day, she sent the pictures of herself in the outfit that you see here.

I was blown away. She looks amazing! OK, her legs look amazing, but the tennis outfit shows them off to perfection, doesn't it?

I was thrilled. 

And I bet no one else could concentrate on their game!