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.

Pietra pants, Sadie tunic and Sorrento bucket hat

Summer is on its way and I was determined to find some time to sew. Time to sew, for myself at least, has been rather limited for a while, but it is always such a joy. This outfit began with the Pietra pants by Closet Case Patterns, which I was inspired to make after seeing the gorgeous versions on the Tessuti blog.

I had one metre of navy sandwashed linen from a recent(ish) sale at Morgan and Marks, a local Perth designer who sometimes sells off their excess fabric. There was just enough for these pants with some creative cutting, but I had to use a different navy fabric for the pocket lining, which does not show at all.

This was my second pair of Pietra pants. The first was a wearable toile in beige linen. I made these exactly according to the pattern. They are a bit baggy for my liking and the waist is very high, which I find a bit uncomfortable, possibly because I'm not used to wearing such high waisted pants. For the navy pair, I decided to remove 5cm from the rise of the pants by folding in the front pattern piece at the lengthen/shorten line and folding the top of the back piece, facings and front pocket pieces over by 5cm. 

I feel much more comfortable with the rise of the navy pair. I also took in the side seams of the navy pair for a closer fit.

The blouse is the StyleArc Sadie tunic, which I have made before. Both times I made it I shortened the length, but I can't remember by how much.

This Sadie is made in a light cotton voile with an embroidered flower pattern. I think this fabric came from a designer sale as well, but I've had it for so long I'm not sure!

The top worked quite well in this slightly sheer fabric, but the neck and hem facings are very visible. I was careful to make them as neat as possible! A flesh-coloured bra is also essential.

And finally, the hat. I was recently invited to the launch of an Image Stylist business at Garden City Shopping Centre by B, my friend and ally in all things sewing, fashion and food. B had won tickets to the event and we had a very decadent time drinking pink cocktails and surreptitiously inhaling the grazing table. The stylist, Peta Preston, showed us her picks for the upcoming season, which included a bucket hat! The model is wearing one made from white broderie anglaise, which I may copy. I made mental notes of all the pieces I liked and the patterns I would use to make them. The bias cut skirt (same model) was on my to-make list.  

I used the Sorrento bucket hat pattern, which is free from Perth designer Elbe Textiles and which came to my attention after being made extensively by Sue from Fadanista. This is a fab pattern and I highly recommend it. There will be more! Cheers x

The Prospects Dress - Naughty Bobbin Patterns

When I was asked to be a pattern tester for the newly released Prospects Dress by Naughty Bobbin Patterns, I said yes immediately! Savage Coco always manages to design something that makes you feel like a million dollars and this is no exception. 

The Prospects Dress is a lined, knit dress with flattering, cut-away shoulders (but not so cut away that you can't wear a bra), a high neckline and a figure-skimming style. It is available as a Print-at-home PDF, a print-at-copy-shop version or a printed pattern, starting at only $5.25. If, like me, you actually enjoy gluing PDFs together (yes I really do), this is a bargain!

I made my dress using a bright red slinky knit fabric that had been in my stash for a very long time. I rarely wear red, but I rather like this shade on me. It certainly ups the va-va-voom-I'm-going-to-strut-about-in-this factor.

The dress is not difficult to make and the instructions guide you through making a beautifully finished dress with no seams showing on the inside. It is also possible to make this entirely on a sewing machine, with no need for an overlocker.

I made a size Medium, according to the size chart, and it fits perfectly.

This is a gorgeous pattern and I love the dress. It really is one of those things that you put on and instantly feel amazing in. It is also incredibly comfortable and easy to wear.

Naughty Bobbin has got lots more exciting things in the works, so keep an eye out for those.

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.

Xerea Dress - Pauline Alice

A while back, a lovely sewing friend gave me a gift voucher for Tessuti Fabrics. One of the things I bought was this Italian designer, stretch denim, panel print called 'Water Wheels' (now sold out). It was $49 for the 1 metre panel, which is rather more than I usually splurge on fabric, so I just got the one panel with no idea of what I would make with it.

I eventually settled on an old favourite pattern - the Xerea Dress by Pauline Alice. When adding this link, I wasn't able to find the pattern in the online shop. I hope it is still available as it's a winner. I have made this pattern a couple of times before and I still wear the dresses a lot. I chose the View A shift dress, but left it sleeveless.

I had to think carefully about cutting this dress. I only had one metre of fabric and the bold print could not be ignored for matching purposes. The large size of the 'wheels' added another cutting challenge as they needed to be centred. In the end I cut front and back pieces with the skirt section slightly narrower than the pattern piece so I could fit them on the fabric with the wheels in the right place. The side panel and internal pocket pieces were cut from a very dark grey ponte. I just squeezed the yoke pieces on and I added black piping between the yoke and main dress pieces for interest. I hemmed the dress with black bias binding as it seemed to need a line of black to balance the colours.

I didn't get an exact print match at the sides, but it's acceptable and seriously, this fabric is so stunning who's going to be looking at the side seams except other sewing people?!

I adore the colours and print of this fabric and the stretch denim was perfect for this style of dress. I do realise I have a target on my stomach, but I give not one hoot.

I was so pleased with this that I wore it on Christmas Day and will certainly be wearing it much, much more.

The Utu skirt - Breaking the Pattern Book

Earlier this year I was a pattern tester for the new book, Breaking the Pattern, by Saara and Laura Huhta of Named Patterns. The book has now been launched and I was lucky enough to be sent a copy for my participation in the testing process!

 

The book is really lovely. It contains pattern sheets for 20 garments with ideas and inspiration for combining and customising patterns to create many more different looks. The presentation and photos are beautiful and the sewing instructions are clear with many diagrams. I definitely recommend this as one of the best sewing books I've seen.

One of the patterns I tested was the Utu skirt. This is a beautifully shaped, unlined wrap skirt with an attached belt and D-ring fastening at the side. The Utu pattern can also be made as a lined pinafore dress.

The Utu Skirt - Breaking the Pattern

The Utu Pinafore - Breaking the Pattern

I used a 100% cotton, mid-weight upholstery fabric with a blue and white print. The fairly sturdy fabric worked well for this pattern and the skirt sits and fits very nicely.

The belt continues around the back of the skirt through belt loops, which is a nice detail.

The skirt sits high on the waist and is a very flattering shape. The belt holds the skirt firmly over the tummy, which is good for smoothing over any rounded bits!

This skirt style would work well as a casual, work or evening garment. I'm looking forward to wearing mine a lot as the weather warms up.