[with love Heidi]

Sewing up a pair of yellow knit sketchbook shorts (size12) with a matching MIP Big Basic Tee (size 10). This boy has gone from being too small for the size 8’s I’ve been making him to fitting into the size 12’s in less than a year! I won’t be able to sew many more Oliver and S patterns for him 🙁

[Tamara]

Heidi, just take a little look at jalie.com. They have a pdf pattern for pants and shorts that is very similar in style to the sketchbook/ cargos. Very extensive sizing so you might be able to fill the gap for this growing nephew of yours. Noah did the huge growth spurt thing just like that this past year or so. He is now in a small man’s size!

I haven’t been able to sew the things I wanted to for my children this Christmas. I have half made things I really want to finish this weekend. I am hoping I can grab some sewing time Boxing day. Chloë turns a year old on Wednesday so I really want to honour the tradition of a birthday dress for her.

[Tamara]

Well, the sewing drought is now over (for now). I have just been spending some time this morning, sewing the little blue hopscotch skirt in size 12-18 months for Chloë. I started this before Murray’s accident so it has been waiting on the sewing table for much longer than the usual length of time.

I am hoping to sew the white hide and seek tunic I have cut out to go with it and then she may wear it tomorrow when we intern my fil’s ashes (finally).

I am still yet to decide on and start Chloë’s birthday dress but hope to make a start on this this afternoon also. I am tossing up over the birthday party dress, library dress or something else that might lend itself well to a border fabric. I have the Children at play border fabric that I have been waiting to use for such an occasion. I just need to make a decision on the pattern!

Oh I also have two pairs of sailboat pants that need buttons. These would be perfect for right now as she is not quite walking, although is (😱) taking a few steps solo here and there (sob!😩)

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Tamara.

[with love Heidi]

This is the first day I’ve felt up to sewing 🙂 I drafted Anna’s coronation skirt a few days before Christmas and cut out two thirds of the pieces. Now to cut the last 20 pieces and to get onto sewing.
P.S. The skirt will be made up of about 50 pieces, excluding the badminton waistband I’m going to add. I’m making a 10 panel skirt!

[Tamara]

I confess I was hopi g to grab a moment to sew one last item for 2015 but didn’t get there. However, I am starting the sewing year off with a bang as I have traced six patterns in the new size required and am currently dilberating over which would be more suitable for my lovely and very precious Liberty lawn. Amongst them is the Pinwheel dress and tunic which I thought would be so cute in a little size.

I am currently trying to fit the bubble pattern evenly onto some border fabric and I am thinking that (once the power returns fingers crossed in one minute) I can quickly iron it flat as it is slightly creased.

Happy New year to everyone and here’s to another creative year.

[with love Heidi]

The pinwheel would drape so nicely in Liberty!
I’ve sealed together 2 sets of 5 panels and pressed in the box pleats. Now I need to wait until spotlight is open so I can get some sage green thread to sew the pleats in with. I’m really happy with how the skirt looks.
Also this evening I began an applique of the new Star Wars droid BB-8. After seeing the new movie I concluded I needed a messenger bag with BB-8 on the front!

[Tamara]

Yes I was thinking the same thing. I have enough for both the tunic and dress in the size 12-18 months which is what she is currently moving into. I cut the bubble dress using the Children at play border fabric. I just love this pattern.

I am hoping to cut the pinwheel dress and tunic today and also (maybe) a teaparty dress. It was so stinking hot yesterday and we had no power for much of the day so it was draining to even move around. Fingers crossed we have power all day and night today because my sister is visiting and we are also moking curtains for my poor bare windows. Like I said some serious sewing start to 2016!

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Tamara.

[with love Heidi]

Working slowly, I hemmed and pressed the pleats on half the Anna skirt and topstitched one orange part of BB8’s today.

[Tamara]

We are still plodding away at the curtains – but I am so itching to sew a garment😳

We are just about finished sewing the curtains for the lounge room and then hopefully we can get onto the tab tops for the sewing room. And we HAVE to put the tinting stuff on the window to save my fabric!

I went to Spotlight yesterday and bought this most amazing printed scuba knit to (finally) make the Appleton dress. I am thinking this needs to be for winter though as the fabric is quite thick. So I need to think of something different for a summer dress. Maybe using the Vogue pattern I also bought (V1390) would be ideal. It looks like an adult version of the icecream dress.

But this is on the wishlist. I haven’t measured or cut anything to do with this as yet. I have many unfinished things to work on first – plus the curtains.

[with love Heidi]

I’m doing the final press of the pleats before adding the elastic, the Anna coronation skirt is nearly complete!
Tamara the Appleton dress is wonderful! I wear mine a lot. It’s become my go to dress for dressier occasions but also when I just want to look fantastic but fell like I’m wearing pajamas 🙂

[Tamara]

Yes, the reviews all say it is fabulous to wear and doesn’t come undone. I showed my sister the pattern and she got very excited about the cup sizing it caters for (she has been very blessed in the bust department). Of course I have to make mine first before really convincing her😜.

At the moment though, my guests have departed and we have two lots of curtains hanging up. The sewing room is soooo much cooler, but then I applied some sticky tinting stuff to one window also so hopefully it will aid in saving my fabric from fading.

I have quite a few unfinished items to get through before I crack on with anything else ams that includes the cut out birthday dress (now belated) and a butterfly top. The plan is to get sewing on these and do as much as I can before the weekend is out. Then I have to do some big girl sewing and make sure Imogen has decent clothes for school/ life away from home situations where there are rules about length etc. basically casual stuff and some social type things. About a fortnight’s worth in all and then we can circulate.

I think I’m swamped and am a bit overwhelmed so I am taking some time out to get the sewing bearings into place.

[with love Heidi]

I’m attempting to alter Mccalls 7254 for myself, despite the pattern saying it can’t be altered above the waist. I’m attempting to add length and do a FBA. I think I’ve nearly done that bit then the tricky bit of altering the collar/peplum comes next.

[Sarvi]

Request for miscellaneous advice, please! I’m sewing a School Days rain jacket and made a bad error — I stitched the front placket to the coat and forgot to put in the loops for the toggles. Should I forgo the toggles and just use velcro alone?

Also, I am a bit nervous about stitching Velcro only to the lining and not all the way through the coat (I have omitted the Velcro altogether, previously, which worked fine for our weather). Won’t the lining pull away from the outer coat, where the Velcro is?

Oh, and what’s the +/- on setting in the sleeve, vs. stitching the sleeve cap and then stitching the side seam from hem to wrist all in one go?

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Sarvi.

[Lightning McStitch]

Can you use those buckle closures that are sewn onto the outside?
Or maybe make tabs with your own fabric and have snaps – bit like view B….

[Tamara]

+/- on setting in sleeves are well it can be fiddly to get the easing right in the round. Also to get the sleeve seam and the side seams to match up perfect can be fiddly. I just find it easier to do the sleeve and side seam in one on little garments. It’s faster. But the other way is I guess the proper way.

Hope that made sense (I had a broken night of sleep).

Today I am hoping to complete the sailboat skirt that has migrated from the sewing room (which looks like a bomb site) to the dining room table where we can benefit from one less air conditioner being on. I am binding the sleeves to also take advantage of not having to change overlocker thread to a different colour only to change it back again for the next project on the list.

Hopefully I can get the hopscotch top done and dusted today also.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Tamara.