Anna dress - the bodice, take one...

By now everyone in the online sewing community has probably come across the fabulous By Hand London pattern company, but if you haven't, what are you waiting for - head on over to their site and check out their stylish patterns. I'm taking part in the Anna Dress Sewalong and can't wait to make up the others; I already have plans in my head for the Elisalex dress, Charlotte skirt and the Victoria blazer.

I have to confess, when I first saw Anna's popping up everywhere I thought "that dress looks great on all those people, but it's not really me". I was pretty certain I didn't want to make one myself. That all changed when I spotted (no pun intended, well, maybe a little bit...) an awesome yellow and pink polka dot fabric at Ike's: it couldn't help coming home with me. I picked up 3m (and Ike's is always veeeery generous with their cuts) thinking I would make some sort of summery shift dress. Then I remembered how much I dislike the shift dress shape on me. It's possibly all in my head, but my body shape definitely falls into the peary-hourglass type shape and I just don't feel comfortable without having any waist definition in my dresses. So I started thinking about a simple dress that is suitable for my beginner sewing skillz (that polka dotty fabric is quite sheer and chiffony in texture) and the Anna seemed to fit the bill. The more I tried looking for other dresses that were simple but had definition in the waist without too much else going on the more I couldn't get Anna out of my head. Then the sewalong was announced and boom I jumped on the Anna bandwagon.

Not known for my patience, I traced and cut out all the pattern pieces without paying too much attention to the finished measurements. I should know by now, having made 3 dresses, and having to alter ALL of them in the bodice, that I can't sew straight out of the box. I'm tall for standard pattern heights used and my boobage falls in the D/DD cup region so even though my bust/waist measurements seem to fit close enough to pattern sizes, I probably always need a FBA and to start from the next size down from what the pattern is telling me to get the right fit across the back, if that makes sense.

So the bodice for the Anna ended up looking like this...

...which at first glance doesn't look so bad, but I had to pull it down for those pleats to sit under my bust, which puts a lot of strain between the pleats and pulled the side seams way forward

and looks like this at the back, yikes! That bad boy is sitting really tight across my chest so that's the closest it was getting to closing at the back :(

I didn't stuff up my measurements (and carefully sewed with the correct seam allowance) - my bust measures 90cm (approx 35.5 inches - checked about 5 times measuring myself and getting my husband to measure) and I cut the UK size 12, which should accommodate a 36 bust. My waist is 67.5cm (approx 26.5 inches) and I graded down to the UK 10 which is a 27 waist, but aside from the cup size the issue here is the length - the waist on the bodice is sitting around 4 inches above my actual waist!

Just goes to show that the circumference measurements alone aren't always reliable! The post from the BHL gang on FBAs and lengthening the bodice went up over the weekend (right AFTER my failed first bodice attempt) so I really should've waited and stuck to the sewalong schedule, d'oh! Thankfully this fabric was only $4/m, and there was lots of it at Ike's, so I picked up some more and have started on bodice number 2. I followed the suggested FBA technique but didn't want a side dart so just measured the extra width that would've been there if I kept a dart and added that to the pleats. I'm not sure if I did it "correctly" or not but I think there should be enough room in there for the girls now. Then after the FBA, I added 1 inch ABOVE the pleats and 2 inches through a line cutting across the pleats - this was because those pleats were finishing too close to my boobs to sit nicely.

This is the first time I've done a 'proper' FBA - the other dresses I've sewn I've just made a size larger than my measurements and severely pinched in any waist darts and taken in the side seams until it fit me in the waist. Hopefully that is the last major alteration I have to do on my Anna. From now on I think a FBA might have to be a standard alteration for me!

Metallic Laurie Striped Tee

Here's my first completed Named pattern - the Laurie Striped Tee. So that makes 1/1 for the year in indie patterns challenge, I wonder what pattern company Stephanie will choose for October?

Whoop, first T-shirt I've ever made and only the second time I've sewn with a knit. I don't want to jinx myself here but I don't get what all the sewing with knits fear is about? I read up on it, used a ballpoint needle and the "stretch stitch" on my machine, took my time and had no issues. Any fault in the finished top is my own lack of paying attention so I'm not going to blame anything on the fabric. Actually, I take that back - this was a bitch to press, the fabric wouldn't hold the pleats very well - but a bad tradesmen blames his tools so I'm still not going to blame my slightly wonky pleats on the fabric :p

I don't own an overlocker so this was completely sewn with my normal machine. I'm really happy with how it turned out - the bottom hem is wonky but I think (hopefully) I'm the only person who will notice.... This is a bit baggier than I'd normally wear my T-shirts, and the shoulders are a teeny tiny smidge too wide, but it's definitely something I will wear (and have already!). Looking again at the model for this pattern I think it's supposed to be this relaxed a fit?


The pattern was really easy to tape together and trace, the only issue I really had was the lack of illustrations with the instructions. That being said, this is a very basic pattern so it wasn't difficult without, I just like looking at diagrams of how things should go together :) I would be a bit apprehensive about sewing some of the more difficult Named patterns without diagrams....

I used a metallic grey knit from Centrepoint Fabrics in Newmarket. Sorry for the out of focus photos - it is a lot sparklier IRL but my shitty point-and-click camera (and the lack of daylight) made photographing it difficult. On top of the sparkle there is a shiny dot kinda pattern on the fabric as well. You can sorta see it here

I trawled through Ike's and Spotlight for an appropriately drapey knit with no success so had to check the more expensive fabric stores to find the right sorta knit. Luckily this stuff was $5/m but I had trouble deciding on fabrics; once I found a store that actually had a SELECTION to choose from, I  went a bit crazy and got 2 other pricier knits as well. Meh, i'll find good uses for the other knits, this Laurie is more of a wearable muslin anyway, I'm keen to make a more fitted version of it.

I persuaded Sean to take a few photos (the ones taken outside- at the top of this post) but he wasn't that into it so I figured out the self timer on my camera - here are a few shots of me trying to get the distance/angle right



The camera autofocus with the timer was a bit funny so I've still got to play around with places/times of day that are best for taking outfit photos.

And here's an obligatory kitty photo.

Maya is generally my little "helper" when I'm sewing but she wasn't around on Sunday when I was making my Laurie t-shirt. I'm participating in the Anna Dress Sewalong from the ladies at By Hand London, and Maya has been dutifully keeping my sewing chair warm for me since I started on my Anna...

A year-long sewing challenge...

Over at Starcross, Stephanie is planning to sew 1 indie pattern each month for a year and review it. This seems like something I could realistically follow so am jumping on the bandwagon. For September, the indie pattern company is Named. I recently discovered this company via House of Pinhiero and have fallen head over heels in love with all of the gorgeous patterns. They very closely match the kind of style that I would buy RTW, but this is even better - I can make clothes that I will realistically wear and that ACTUALLY fit me. Wins all round :)

I had so much trouble deciding on which pattern(s) to choose. My top faves are:


Julian Knit Dress

Charlie Tux Pants

Laurie Striped Tee

Since I'm still very much a beginner I figured the Tee was the most realistic for me so stay tuned for my take on it :)

Anyone else made the Laurie Tee yet?

'Sprinter' weekend holiday

This Sprinter (Winter that feels like Spring and moves really fast, ha!) has been decidedly mild in Auckland. The real Spring officially starts on Sunday here, but who cares when winter has been more than bearable? Me and a group of friends decided to make the most of the fantastic weather and spent this past weekend in Mangawhai Heads, a small beach town about an hour and a half North of Auckland. We couldn't have asked for better conditions on Saturday morning so hit the Mangawhai cliff tops pathway. It was a good 3 hours of walking up and along the cliffs, through foresty patches then venturing back along the beach and rocks. It had clouded over by the afternoon so we definitely timed our walk to perfection. I got a bit snap happy so this is a minor selection of all the photos I took.....

Right towards the end of the trail, we almost went home with a new friend....



but he eventually returned to his rightful owners.

I wore my leopard print Oh La Leggings and they were perfect: not too heavy but provided enough warmth for when the wind picked up. My top stitching on these was a bit wonky, however, the pattern hides it, I think. Luckily, the pattern also obscures the fact that this fabric is slightly see through, normally something I'd abhor in leggings.

And after all our exertions we went back to the bach for some hard earned toasted marshmallows and home-made Sangria, delicious!

If you are ever near Mangawhai I'd highly recommend giving this trail a go. It was stunningly beautiful with all the Nikau palms, Pohutukawa trees and Toi Toi bushes, and that was during Winter. I imagine in the Summer with the Pohutukawa in full bloom it would be an even better sight worth seeing!

Vintage and Retro Sale

I've surprised myself - I've almost finished my dress (in under a week, no less!) for the Sew Weekly Reunion. More on that once I've taken some photos.

Recently, I was lucky enough to go to a vintage and retro sale in Titirangi, Auckland with Katherine and Tamzen, and boy, what a sale! It was advertised to start at 10am, we rocked on up around 10:15 only to find ourselves at the end of a line snaking down the driveway. There were probably 100 people in front of us. It was the middle of winter, drizzling, and we were lacking caffeine, so we were seriously questioning whether it was worth sticking around for.

We were told that groups of 20 were going to be taken through at a time, for about 10 minutes each. Ten minutes! While we were pondering our chances of actually getting any good stuff by the time we reached the front of the queue, others were walking out with boxes and armloads full of stuff. I'm talking fabric, clothes, shoes, hats (and hatboxes), and all manner of great vintage-y goodness. These people were all willing to throw us a sympathetic bone and exclaim "don't worry, there's plenty of goodies left in there", whilst walking away with a gleeful glint in their eyes at the amazing finds they were walking away with....

It was with a slight manic excitement that we finally got inside, and it did not disappoint. There were two rooms still absolutely chocked full of clothing, shoes, hats, patterns, trims and fabrics. Oh, the fabrics! I rushed around grabbing anything that jumped out at me and only, just, got out of there within the time frame. We had no time to try any of the clothing on so I just had to trust that I had accurately eye-balled everything.



My haul

I ended up with 4 dresses (2 not pictured - 1 is in the wash, I wore immediately that Saturday evening, and 1 I gave to Katherine as it was too big pour moi), 3 patterns, a bag of lace trims (not pictured) and several pieces of fabric.

Before going in, knowing I had limited time, I wanted to focus on finding some polka dot fabric and I succeeded. Katherine helped by shoving a few pieces at me, and I found a few myself. I was most excited about the pale blue and white polka dot piece - it's 2 yards of a vintage seersucker fabric, but when I checked it at home it has some discolouration on it, waaaah.



Hopefully I can work around the damaged area to get something useful out of it. The plaids came as a bundle of 3 for $5 - when I got home and unfolded it I realised that both the navy/red and blue/yellow pieces were around 3m and the grey and white gingham one was a whopping 5m+!! The husband (S-Club) has claimed he wants a shirt out of the navy and red, I'll have to see if I've got the cahones to tackle making a shirt...

I grabbed a $5 bag of trims, mostly for the pink floral ribbon I could see in it, but I'm sure I can find a use for the rest of it

I have no immediate plans for any of it but the thrill of picking up vintage things at bargain prices is too good to resist.

Looking at these photos now, I may incorporate some of those trims into my Sew Weekly Reunion dress.

Sew Weekly Reunion Challenge

I'm thinking I might jump on the bandwagon and attempt to make something for the Sew Weekly Reunion.  I followed the Sew Weekly for all of 2011 and 2012 but was too scared to dip my toe in the water as I am a S      L        O      W sewer at best. It would be more like Sew Yearly for me....  I really miss reading about all of those weekly creations, it was inspiring seeing what people with different styles and tastes from across the globe are making. But things are changing, I have a new(ish) sewing machine and I am determined to use it. Often.

The challenge theme is to sew something from the Pantone Fall colour report 2013. Since winter is very nearly over (it's been ridiculously warm for most of this winter in Auckland), I'll be making a spring/summer outfit. I'm liking the Mykonos blue, Koi (orange) and Linden green (pale green).

I need to check what fabrics I already have at home. I recently picked up a whole bunch of fabric from an estate sale but it's mostly pale baby blue or white; not exactly ideal for this challenge. I vaguely remember buying an aztec-y print that might have some of the right colours.

As far as what type of garment I want to make: who knows? The deadline is 1st of September, which is also my Nana's 80th birthday, so I could possibly plan to make something appropriate to wear to her surprise bday lunch... a pretty, tea length dress or a laid back, summer maxi Saltspring?

Hello World!

So, I've finally gone and done it. I clicked that wee button and created my blog. I'd been thinking of starting one for well over a year and for whatever reason never got off my arse and did it.... well here it is. I have no concrete ideas for what direction I want to take this blog in, but I wanted an outlet to keep track of the things I've made, what I'm currently making (Papercut's ooh la leggings) and ideas for the future. Plus anything I'm loving at the moment and what I find inspiring.

I learnt to sew during intermediate school and then never kept up with it. In 2011, I started re-learning sewing techniques and have made a few things since: a circle skirt, a Laurel dress, a Vogue jacket and a couple of costumes for various events. These were made with a really decrepit Brother machine, which I think hails from the '50s (I inherited it from an ex-flatmate).



Mint and white polka dot skirt



Taking photos when the sun is rising is not so great... Laurel dress

Just last weekend I actually got myself a half-decent sewing machine (by that I mean one I'm not in fear of electrocuting myself with every time I use it), so I'm hoping to get a lot more sewing done! I am a complete over-the-top kind of person when it comes to clothes - if I could get away with it I'd wear sequiny, sparkly, velvety and/or shiny things all day long. Sadly, my sewing skills are not quite up to tackling most of those fabrics just yet....

My Mum taught me to knit and I've been knitting on and off for the past 8 or so years. I don't always follow a pattern, preferring to experiment and try recreate garments I've seen or ideas in my head.

It's always a tug-of-war between my inherent laziness and the desire to be crafting something; hopefully this blog will spur me towards the side of productivity.

Please bear with me through my continued sewing and crafting (mis)adventures.