Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Forthcoming sewing book: The Colette Sewing Handbook

Do you know Colette patterns? Well Sarai from Colette patterns is bringing out a book and it looks lush! On her blog she posts great tutorials and I just know her book will be really useful.



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sloooooow Sewing

Yes, I've been quiet here. And I'd like to regale you with stories of my adventures but alas the last 6 weeks have been spent nursing sick children and sick husband and sick self. Not much sewing happening at all.

But, I have made good progress on my Lonsdale dress. The sewalong just finished and I'm only halfway, but that's ok because I envisage finishing this weekend. I've seen some really beautiful dresses from the sewalong though!






Sewing the Lonsdale has been rewarding because I've tried new things and learned a lot. I made my second ever muslin and my first major pattern alterations which included:

  1. Taking in the centre front seam of the bodice under the bust to get a closer fit.
  2. Taking a tapered horizontal tuck out of the back bodice to accommodate my sway back/scoliosis. This was the major revelation for me. It has really enhanced the fit of the dress on me and solved problems I commonly get with RTW dresses. And that's why we sew right?
  3. Slashing and lapping the pattern on each side, about halfway between my armpit and my centre front where it was gaping. I was a bit annoyed about this one because I don't think I transfered the measurements from my musling properly and I still ended up with some gaping which I had to take out with a dart on either side which I think look a bit odd. And in retrospect I probably should have sewn a smaller size and done an FBA...but I am right on 2 inches difference between my bust and my upper bust measurement.


Anyway, I am pretty pleased with the fit of the bodice and it gives me shape with no bra which I was surprised about.

This was the first time I underlined a dress too. I am using a cotton voile which is semi-sheer so I underlined it with cotton batiste which is nice and light.

Tasia's sewalong was great. She added in all sorts of tutorials on fitting, different seam finishes, hand-sewing, underlining...It has been brilliant!

P.S. Wondering what happened to my Sewaholic Crescent Skirt? I finished it, and I wear it a lot! I'm going to make another one for summer and this time hopefully get it right.

Oliver+S: New patterns for fall and winter

I've had terrible luck sewing Miss Nearly Six clothes. I think they are just gorgeous but she won't wear them. And she's kind of sly about it too, as though she doesn't want to hurt my feelings. So I think I need to accept that the clothes I make for her are too cutesy and she doesn't want to be cutesy.

So, as I looked at the new patterns Oliver+S will release in September 2011, I was very happy knowing I wouldn't be making them for Miss Nearly Six because...I have another daughter and she's too young to object. Yay!!

Here are the sweet styles forthcoming:




The PJs have a version B that has a cute ruffle that runs along the centre placket and around the neck. Cute! Possibly Miss C could even be convinced of those. And the after-school pants are lovely.

I've used three of Oliver+S's patterns and they are so easy to use and the results are just beautiful. You really don't need to be an advanced sewer to achieve the cute finishes.