Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Dresses from the Japanese dress book and a few others!

I made so many dresses so quickly for my holiday in Portugal. I knew the weather would be warm and so a dress-making manic time was on the cards. I made too many and took almost all of them, wore some of them, but still came home with a suitcase half full of unworn clothes! As usual.

Packing is a headache - I always want to minimize what I take but end up with way too much. I had made several dresses from the Japanese dress book 1 - my favourite is D - and a couple of A from the first book. They don't have much shape and don't look the best in photos - but were terrific for comfort in the hot weather. I don't know what I would have done without them!

My plantain came in quite handy - cheap material but very soft stretch cotton which was great for humid weather.

Coming home after spending time with my family has made me assess my stash (and add to it of course)! I now have piles of like colours and find that I do tend to go for the pinks, aquas and a few blacks, greys and a very few beige/browns. However, most are patterns. I have just ordered a few plains to go with all my colours.

I have set myself the task of making a white t-shirt, rust (knit wit ponti) or aqua bengaline Style Arc Elle pants, a string mercerised cotton t-shirt (from knit-wit) and possibly a skirt from one of my many other materials sitting in lovely colourful piles on my sewing room floor. All before I go on a week's holiday to Port Douglas. My dresses are ready for packing now!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Cake Espresso leggings

After sewing and discarding the washi dress that I made yesterday - it fitted well, but just didn't suit me, I needed to do something sewy today! So I printed out the Cake Espressso leggings PDF (really reasonable at AUD$8.00) and worked out my size. Then of course I had to trace the pattern. I also had some material hanging around that I didn't know what to do with - so I cut out the leggings thinking 'how are they possibly going to fit me?' So I machine basted them - and I can't believe that they fit perfectly! Tomorrow I'll put the elastic around the waist and hem them - after sewing up them up properly. Cake Espresso leggings worked out really well for me. The material had plenty of stretch - which helps a lot with leggings! I have the ideal dress to go with them too and the right material. Perhaps striped leggings next!


A Renfrew trial t shirt with my not yet completed Cake Espresso leggings.