I have never made or worn a strapless, or halter neck dress before, so this dress was quite a new experience for me. I have found it to be quite liberating though, a bit of a personal achievement! I also tried out some new-to-me dress construction techniques when making this dress, so I’ve taken a … [Read more…]
Sometimes you just need to have a dress that is a little bit more special, and for the first time in a very long time, I have done just that. Part of the motivation comes from a sweet sew-along that is currently in progress – the Day & Night Dress Challenge, and partly by this … [Read more…]
I’ve made quite a few dresses using the basic v-neck bodice from “Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book” by Gretchen Hirsch. More recently I’ve been tweaking the pattern to correct a slight high-low thing that was happening … i.e. the waist line was sitting slightly higher at the front, causing the skirt to have a small but … [Read more…]
Hi! I’ve been having a short break from blogging over the holidays. I have quite a bit of new stuff coming up, the first is today, a new pattern by a new pattern company… Charm Patterns Launched last year, Charm Patterns is the newest venture by Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch. My regular readers will be well … [Read more…]
New Pattern Release One of my favourite pattern designers, Ann from Designer Stitch, has released a new pattern this week – the Santi Skirt. This is such a great everyday skirt, its classic a-line shape makes it so easy to wear, either dressed up or dressed down. It is designed for woven fabrics, especially medium … [Read more…]
This is a bittersweet moment – my baby, my littlest one, has just turned 5! I made this dress for her party, and I think it might actually be the most favourite of all the different things that I have ever made her. I’m really happy with this one, and it was quite easy to … [Read more…]
Today’s post is all about Christmas outfits. Every year I seem to be doing a last minute scramble to get Christmas themed outfits done for the kids to wear to the various end-of-year functions that they always have. Every year I’m doing it at the last minute, night before, having a highly stressful experience of … [Read more…]
I have always loved vintage sewing patterns. I learnt to sew using the patterns that had belonged to my mother and her sisters when they were teenagers and even though I like all the mod cons – like my overlocker and cover stitch machines – I do still like the old techniques that vintage patterns … [Read more…]
I have been doing a lot of sewing ‘behind the scenes’ lately, and I have quite a lot to show you, the first of these is a new dress that I made for myself using one of my favourite pattern books. The dress itself is not that complicated, but I really love it, its so … [Read more…]
I’ve got a bit behind in my blogging lately…but that’s only because I have been doing so much sewing! Life, in general has been pretty busy – we’ve had school holidays, illness, birthday parties – and when I have had spare time I have been in my sewing room instead of in front of the … [Read more…]
Hey everyone! I haven’t been blogging so much lately, the reason is that I’ve just been too busy doing lots of sewing! So thank goodness that Sewing By Ti is hosting another blog tour. This month is “Monster Mash” – which could be the obvious Halloween / Costume theme….or it could be a mash of … [Read more…]
This month’s blog tour, hosted by Melissa of Mahlica Designs is all about “Sew Long Summer”. It is a bit of a play on words, and can have a couple of different meanings. Here in Australia we are at the end of winter and are heading towards, what is normally a very long summer, so … [Read more…]
The August Sew-a-long for Violette Field Threads (VFT) was Pepper. This was a new pattern to me, that I didn’t even own! And it was also my first time to participate in a VFT sew-a-long. I chose to make something for Veronica this time. *all patterns referred to throughout this post can be found at … [Read more…]
Today I’m sharing about this skirt that I made over the last few months….yup, that’s right, its taken me a few months to make this! This was mostly because other priorities got in the way – children growing out of everything and needing whole new wardrobes really quickly being the main reason. But, this was … [Read more…]
Violette Field Threads If you sew for little girls, I hope that you have heard of Violette Field Threads. They are an independent pattern company that produces some of the most adorable vintage inspired designs for girls from new born babies all the way up to tweens, and there are even a few patterns there … [Read more…]
New Pattern Release: Andy and Andrea’s Athletic Bottoms by Snuggle My Baby Patterns. This new pattern is sure to become a wardrobe staple! It comes in a huge ranges of kids’ sizes, is suitable for both boys and girls, and has options to take it through all seasons. These pants have a colour blocking feature … [Read more…]
New Pattern Release Today’s new pattern is the Ravanna Wrap Pants by Designer Stitch. I have been seeing pictures of wrap around pants all over Facebook for the last month or so, and today the new pattern is ready! Pattern Details This pattern comes in a huge range of sizes: * (AU/UK) 6 – 26 … [Read more…]
My kids think that its perfectly normal to go and have their picture taken every time they get new clothes. They dutifully pose front, side, back, side, hand in pocket, hood on, hood off…you get the picture (sorry for the pun – definitely intended). So, when I made a new dress for Veronica, she decided … [Read more…]
I just love the new Ella Cami Set, a new pattern for a gorgeous ruffled cami top and matching pants set by Designer Stitch. Seriously, they are designed for pyjamas but I just love wearing these and suspect that they will make it into day wear! The Ella Cami Set features the Cami top and … [Read more…]
Earlier this year I made up a couple of Lacey Back Tees for my daughters. I really love the style – the hem shaping is so lovely, and its a deceptively simple pattern to make that really makes a stylish impact. So, I am quite excited that the pattern has now been released in women’s … [Read more…]
Its the first birthday for Designer Stitch PDF Patterns! Its hard to believe that so many beautiful patterns have been created in just a single year. There is so much to celebrate! Here is a quick look at some of the Designer Stitch patterns that I have sewn up over this past year: Gypsy Dress: … [Read more…]
This blog post is all about my new dress. This is a floral version of the Plaid Rockabilly Dress from Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book. I have recently discovered a passion for dresses, especially now that I have a fitted bodice pattern that fits me properly, and, of course, a book of endless variations! The Pattern … [Read more…]
Introducing the latest pattern from Designer Stitch – the Kiera Skirt. This skirt is so versatile – it can be dressed up or dressed down, simple or fancy, but always stylish! The Fabric The skirt is designed to be made with light to medium weight woven fabric. I used an organic cotton poplin in a … [Read more…]
Two weeks ago I attended a dressmaking workshop with Gretchen Hirsch. Gertie made herself a dress alongside us, using the rose border print sateen that is part of her fabric collection at Spotlight…and she gave me the offcuts to make something for my girls! I have two girls, Mathilda and Veronica. So here they are … [Read more…]
I made myself a new dress, and I wore it for Mother’s Day. I have to say that this is the first time that I have had trouble choosing which photos of myself to share – not because I can’t find any that I like, but because I like them all and can’t decide between … [Read more…]