A pattern from my birth year.

I am on the hunt for a pattern to sew from my year of birth. 1984. Gah, I am not a fan of the 80's fashion. It just doesn't do it for me.

 If I EVER see something I like...its usually 80's does 50's or 80's does 40's....really meaning I LOVE 40's and 50's....NOT the 80's......but there are a few gems...Jem in fact ha ha!!! If you know who I am talking about then you probably grew up in the 80's and 90's.

ANYWAY...I digress....I am on the hunt. Watch this space.......

Undressing the bed to dress myself.

Remember how I told you about my pattern for the 1950's dress turned up in the mail? Well I started creating the other day. I feel good about the results so far. I did have to call up my mama to ask about how to make sure the dart pattern stayed on the fabric...she taught me over the phone a fandangled pin arrangement....that actually works! so WHOO I have learnt about darts!!!

The fabric I have chosen from my fabric pile is an old set of bed sheets with pink roses on them. Quite 1950s if I do say so myself!

I am up to the part of sewing where you can tell whether the item 1) Resembles the pattern at all and 2) whether it is actually going to FIT. I fear that I may have made it a tiny bit small...it will fit, but it will be snug. LUCKILY this is really only a test run and I don't think I will wear the bed-sheet dress...as it still looks like a bed sheet......just one that fits a seamstress...not a queen.

When I make this dress again, I will choose thicker fabric that can hold its shape a bit better and is less see-through.

What is it will household item fabrics staying as they are meant to be???? a table cloth that won't change and a bed sheet remains a bed sheet?? I am seeing a trend....

Welcome to the dark side of the moon....

                                                       LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!!!

If by any chance you have read my other blog...then you will know one of my favourite bands is Pink Floyd. Well this is a groovy stretchy knit fabric that was covering my younger brothers ceiling in his flat..So there is a LOT of it!

I can't wait to make something out of it! As I have been wanting to make a zip up sweatshirt..I might use this...and I think it lends itself well to a snug-fitting hooded number. What do you think?

I may have to use a pattern...as I don't want to ruin/waste the fabric.

I'm going on a pattern hunt and I'm not scared.

"All in all your just another, Brick in the wall".

Trials and tribulations

SEWWWWWWW anyway, (ha ha)... I got my pattern for an awesome looking 1950's style dress in the mail today. "All the way from America.." So exciting! My first real proper fancy dancy project! I read it thoroughly and noted down (in my head) the parts I don't completely understand will ask either my Mama or my Mother in Law...both pretty decent seamstresses.

 I started cutting out the pattern on the correct measurement....about a third of the way around I was so sick of my damn scissors...so hard to use!! I hadn't really noticed when just cutting fabric (admittedly it was a tiny bit tricky but I thought nothing of it)....upon inspection and comparison (to some kitchen scissors) it would appear that the fabric store lady sold me LEFT-HANDED SCISSORS. Oh my. Now, you don't know me (or unlikely to) but if you did, you would know that I have NEVER been very good at cutting things with scissors...my straight lines as a child always included snazzy corners, chunks missing and one end of the fabric/paper/card would ALWAYS end up wider than the other.... So why, may I ask did the sewing gods decide to throw me this challenge???? I mean, re-learning everything from pretty much scratch in between nap times and play times is challenge enough...without crooked tools!!! *sigh*. Sadly, I do not have the receipt anymore either....I will just have to keep on trucking and go extra extra carefully...until sewing Karma changes and I am able to afford  inherit find some new flash RIGHT HANDED scissors.

On a brighter cheerier note, my phone is back from hospital and didn't cost me a thing to fix, so I will post some photos as soon as I have time.

For now, I am going to step away from my new project and let it rest...before some other sewing related catastrophe befalls me.

Happy crafting.

Oh Lawdy Gawdy!

Last night I finished off a terribly gawdy pull-over designed for Neo (3years). From this project I learnt how to make a top/sleeveless and long sleeved and how to attach sleeves! Whoot! (btw I am pretty happy with my sleeve application skills!)

 I don't actually intend on making him wear it...It is bright yellow fleece with a bright orange J insignia on the front!! I actually did convince him to try it on for me this morning...while pulling it over his head he announced "Mama, this makes me feel silly"....... Luckily for him I only wanted to see him wear it for the fit. He did romp around in it for about an hour before it was time to dress into something a little more suitable for family photos (store bought sadly...but one day perhaps he will own a homemade wardrobe fit for photos). The Mechanic did share with me his concerns and worries that I might be dressing "his kids in weird clothes"......HA HA...I'll try not to...although I would prefer to call them "unique".

Yesterday was my friends baby's 1st birthday and the pants I made him were a hit, and fitted him well! *JOY*

photos to come...phone/camera still sick.

Sometimes table cloths can be no more than that....

Im not sure if I mentioned that a lot of my fabric has come from second hand stores..and TradeMe. Well the other day I found some pretty funky fabric that I think is was a tablecloth. I thought it would be fantastic for a A-line skirt....Well as it turns out...even though it was cut up and sewn.....it still looks like a table cloth...In fact, it is a FAR better table cloth than skirt....suffice to say I stopped where I was before I spent to many more hours on something that was just never going to become......anything.

Win some lose some! I'm not concerned. From that particular project I reminded myself about how to sew in zips and learnt BRAND NEW TO ME how to make a waistband...historically I have just left plenty of seam to roll down....not now! I know how to make a really lovely waistband.

My parents have been down visiting so I haven't been getting my creative ON lately. Last night though I whipped up some snazzy pants for my friends wee dudes 1st birthday. I decided to use all the cut offs that I had laying around to make the outer and lined them with yellow sweatshirt fleece...whatever its called. I can't stand it..so it is GREAT for lining and making lovely snugly winter pants. I hope he/she likes them!!!

My phone has fallen ill and will be at phone hospital for at least 15 days...so no photos yet...but once I get it back I will post some!

May 2011's creations!!!

By golly, I have been having SUCH a fun time creating things. I have really just been practicing and refreshing my mind on things such as HOW to use the sewing machines settings, cutting, measuring, pattern arrangement etc etc. I have already made a few items...and considering it has been so many years since I last did any of this...I am quite pleased with the results...mostly.

First thing I made was a pair of quirky trousers for Neo (3 years). This is him wearing them...He wouldn't stand up to show them off..the only way I could get him to keep still was to POSE reading from a packet of sewing pins. AH WELL...you get the idea. The fabric is actually left over from a child's chair I re-upholstered a while back. I have loads of this neat fabric...expect for colourful treasures!!!!

To make these I just used an old pair of Neo's pants as a pattern...but to get a good starting point I visited this blog:

http://handyprojects.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-to-make-easy-kids-pants.html

Which also led me to finding this: http://www.rookiemoms.com/make-some-easy-kids-pants/ Which I will do one day too!!!

I then got a bit more creative and decided to make some fleece lined pants...which turned into Pirate PJs... Have a lack of actual fleece..I chopped up an old baby blanket that was kind of cotton fleecy goodness. These pants are SOO snugly and not to badly made if I do say so myself! The Pirate Fabric was purchased during the Nesting stage of my pregnancy with Little....to make a bedspread...this didn't happen...But these PANTS DID!! Whoot!!

I have heaps left too!!! YUSSS!!!

Next came the apron. I have been meaning to make an apron for Neo...for about 2 years...Ever since he starting "helping" in the kitchen. I recall wanting to make it out of an old (or new) tea-towel...but I got fancy ha ha: I re-learnt from this "experiment" about seam allowance and how to make a pocket.. I knew all this...but the past few years of travel, work and breeding had erased it from my memory..but its back now!! Luckily for me the mistakes (ahem...LEARNINGS) are hard to see in the photos!. I got the original pattern from:  sewliberated and sort of mixed it with Kathy Miller's apron from Makingitfun (I will one day attempt the fabulous chefs hat too!) and added my own twist...and voila!! Now to do some baking!!!