right shade of brown

success at last! I've found a pair of shoes to wear with my new wardrobe pieces, in the right shade of brown. And for only $25 too. I didn't realise until I started looking for new shoes, how many shades of brown there are!

chocolate astrakan jacket

joining my wardrobe coat family is this lovely vintage chocolate brown astrakan jacket. The colour fits in with my new wardrobe too. It probably won't get an outing now as the netball season has ended for the year and spring is almost here. So for now, it'll have to hang in the wardrobe, looking desperately unhappy until next winter.

pants progress sew far

now that the pants adjustments are at last complete, I'm ready to start sewing. The main adjustments were my usual pear shape issues including a forward tilting pelvis and the resulting sway back. The pants are going to be fully lined and kept long so that I can wear them with heels. Hopefully I'll have the pants finished by the weekend. So much for a 'quick' sew!

To help achieve a professional fly finish (I hate sewing zips), I'm using Sandra Betzina's zipper installation method. I find that this method produces great results. The existing pants extension wasn't wide enough so I've adjusted it to measure 1-3/8 inches wide and 8 inches long, giving plenty of room for the zipper work.


After these pants are finished, I'll start making a top next using New Look 6807. Even though the pattern is for knits, I'm going to make view B using a liquid satin print (I'm a sucker for a challenge), and plan to sew a band around the neckline to make it a pull over top and omit the sleeves elastic. I'm hoping that it will make up into a flirty top.

Remember my Alice & Olivia pants? I started sewing them back in February then decided that they weren't inspiring me (too many steps!)so they ended up in the UFO pile. I've pulled them out and think that they might be worth resurrecting. I'll keep you posted!

butterick 5068

the next wardrobe item on my sewing list is a pair of long gaucho pants. I'll be using Butterick See & Sew 5068, which is still available here in NZ although it's OOP (out of print) in the US. I'm after a fast sew project which is exactly what a See & Sew pattern promises to be. It's 3 pattern pieces: front, back, waistband and no pockets. I'm a lover of simple things! but first I'll have to work on getting my long list of adjustments right before sewing a stitch.


I've chosen this poly-viscose linen look fabric which I got at a Spotlight sale for $4 a metre. It's a dark chocolate colour and will look good with my jacket. Thanks to some great advice from Mary Nanna , I took a trip across town this morning to Smart Dress Fabrics and stocked up on interfacing. It's a very nice store with friendly, knowledgable staff. Great service too!

finished jacket

it took 2 weeks to sew at a frustratingly slow pace but I can now happily say that it's finished. This was a sewing project with a few glitches along the way:

not enough fabric. I had 1.6 metres of 150cm fabric and thought that this would be enough. It would have been if I didn't want to have a collar. So I had to improvise. This was partly successful although I had to sew a centre seam in the under collar piece. (I'd bought the fabric at a sale and this was the end of the bolt.) Next time, I'll read the pattern more carefully!

my facings had to be cut out of the fabric I'd planned to make my gaucho pants. This has resulted in a slightly stiffer jacket than what I wanted.

I couldn't find the jacket interfacing that I wanted at Spotlight so I made do with an inferior iron-on interfacing that I had on hand. I'm making a special trip into Centrepoint this weekend to stock up so that I don't get caught short again.

I abandoned the idea of the hong kong seams (after I'd spent a bit of time making the bias binding) and decided to line it instead using a remnant of floral silk voile dug out of my fabric stash ahem, I mean collection. The lining fabric had grain issues.

my iron died.

I'm not done with this pattern yet. It's back in the sewing queue again to be made up in black for my next mini wardrobe adventure.

the jacket so far

I had hoped to finish this jacket by today however I'm still a few tasks off finishing. I need to add shoulder pads to balance out my silhouette, put in the lining, add buttonholes, buttons and back tab. Looks like I'm still a few days away from completion (probably 2-3 days at the most.) I need to be more realistic about my 'slow yet steady' sewing speed!


The pattern has been a relatively easy sew although I haven't found the quirky design features too endearing. The notch collar is actually a wide collar with the notches cut into it (not the best notch collar I've ever sewn) and making my full bust adjustment was a little tricky as the front jacket panels integrated with the side panels. I also repositioned the front darts to ensure that the apex of the darts were in the right place for my bust. My sway back adjustment was quicker as the back panel contour lends itself to being reduced easily. It's been a while since I worked on a jacket (about 20 years) so I have some technique refinement issues but overall, I'm pretty happy with the jacket so far. I hope to post my very first pattern review of this pattern (Simplicity 2728) over at patternreview later on this week.

miniature sewing

for about 6 1/2 years I was collecting 16 inch modern fashion dolls and would regularly make fashion doll clothing and jewellery that I sold online. My first sale on ebay was a vintage inspired ensemble for a Gene Marshall doll that sold for $40USD. It was a labour intensive process but because I enjoyed what I did, the time spent on it didn't matter so much. What I thrived on the most was the challenge of making a 'miniature' version of a human sized garment.

I was sorting through my photos last night and just thought I'd share a couple of images of my previous work.


jersey knit halter top with ribbon and snaps in the back teamed up with pure linen fully lined bootleg pants



a handmade beaded choker with female symbol. This was a really popular design.

Looking back, I can see that I produced quite a lot of doll garments. However since Miss 2's arrival I haven't felt inspired enough to do any of this doll sewing/crafting. Hopefully I might get back it to sometime soon.

mini wardrobe croquis

I like writing/drawing things on paper before starting a project, so working out my new mini wardrobe has been more about thinking, more thinking, writing, making lists, sketching, more sketching, choosing fabric, choosing patterns than actual sewing and taa-dah my mini wardrobe croquis is almost finished with just a few more fabric swatches to glue in (once I find where Mr 10 has put the glue.) The entire process is a lot like playing paper dolls.


The sketchbook fits in my handbag (yes I'm a lover of big handbags) and goes shopping with me. It's proving to be invaluable for buttons and accessories shopping. I used to be really good at holding a colour in my head and being able to match things closely but nowadays, having fabric swatches are a must.

I had another lightbulb moment when I realised that I'll need to build 3-4 mini wardrobes to suit the different parts of my life. Feels like a black/charcoal/grey/blue-red/white mini wardrobe should be next...

simplicity 2728 so far

the Simplicity 2728 jacket is slowly coming together. As my sewing time is limited, I've had to make a list of the construction tasks and spread them out over a 7 day period and then tick off as I go. So far the pattern has been cut, adjustments made, fabric cut, interfacing attached. Tonight it's cutting the bias strips for the hong kong seams (from the peachy orange polyester) and then the start of the jacket body construction (without the sleeves.) The sleeves and collar are for tomorrow.

it's a slow process that most sewers wouldn't even consider but it works for me. The days of pulling all nighters to finish sewing a garment or sewing instead of doing the household chores don't work for me now. I hope to show the finished garment next Monday and then get started on the next item for the wardrobe.

mini wardrobe begins

now the school holidays are finally over (the last of our holidaying children returns to school tomorrow), I can start sewing again.


my sewing plan is to work on creating a mini wardrobe based on an 'orphan' skirt thats been lurking in the back of my wardrobe mainly because it didn't go with anything. I'm planning to make at least 4 items to go with it so that I can have 4-6 distinct looks. My colour palette is chocolate brown/turquoise/teal/off white/burnt orange.

first up in the sewing queue is a short jacket to be made up in a chocolate wool/viscose mix. I'm using Simplicity 2728. This jacket will have 3/4 sleeves, the wide notch collar and back tab. I'll omit the pockets, as they're unflattering on a pear shape and use contrasting hong kong seam finishing instead of lining the jacket.

my wardrobe mantra is: introduce colour, wear what flatters my shape and think mix n match.

from sewing past

look what popped up from my sewing past. My mother decided it was time for me to have it. This was my 21st birthday party frock that I made back in the mid 80s.

The dress pattern was Vogue 1125 designed by Bellville Sassoon and was a very interesting sew. There was a lot of fiddley sewing where the neckline ruffles extended into rosettes. I chose the wrong type of fabric to start with (I had to have this particular shade of blue) that needed quite a bit of stiffening to make the rosettes stand out. Of course that didn't last the distance as a trip to the drycleaners had the entire dress return permanently droopy.



Miss 12 put it on today, whirling and twirling in it, before announcing that this dress was perfect for any girls princess fantasy. I guess it was my 'cinderella' time.

wooden hangers

the wardrobe cleanout last week also saw the exit of my horrible array of plastic and wire coat hangers. They were so ugly that I couldn't even bring myself to take a photo of them!

Then I wondered what I would replace them with? searching Trademe, I found these gorgeous wooden hangers. They're from a retail fashion store that had closed down and now look really good hanging in my wardrobe. Only problem is that there's no clothes to hang on them. So I'm looking forward to next week when school holidays are over so I can get some of my planned sewing underway.

classic choc chip cookies

sharing another recipe for our favourite cookie...

CHOC CHIP COOKIES

180 grams unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
150 grams choc chips

1) Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2) Put the butter, sugar, vanilla in the bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it's pale and creamy.
3) Gradually add the eggs and beat well.
4) Add the sifted flour and baking powder and mix until it forms a smooth dough.
5) Fold in the chocolate chips.
6) Roll into balls and then place onto your lined baking tray and press to flatten
7) Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.
8) Allow to cool on tray. Makes 12 cookies.

Enjoy!!!

burda wof magazine

I've been resisting the lure of the burda wof magazine for a very long time, completely determined not to subscribe. After all, I have loads of patterns, many which haven't even been used, so why would I want magazines full of patterns? then I bought this withdrawn copy of burda for 50 cents at the library book sale.



flicking through it I found this cute cardi tie top which would be a great addition to my wardrobe capsule. A cardigan is my alternative to wearing a jacket. The suggested fabric is a 2 way stretch jersey knit but I think it would look good made up in a drapey merino wool, making it perfect for both warm and cold weather. Another addition to the ever growing sewing list!



there's also this casual jacket which I think would be a possible as the detailing around the collar and front edges gives it a cardi sort of feel. Although I've hit a snag here as the pattern sheet for the jacket is missing.

Oh and yes, I've asked the local magazine store to put a Burda wof aside for me each month lol!

goodbye black

even though I'm not able to sew at the moment, I'm still doing a lot of thinking about sewing. Most of it prompted by my wardrobe revamp journey. Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and went through all my clothes and shoes. I'm pleased and equally embarassed to say that I had a ruthless cull and this morning delivered 4 very full rubbish bags of stuff to the hospice shop. Don't get me wrong though, I haven't completely ended my love of black. I've kept a few pieces to wear plus some for sentimental value...

comic relief

youtube is great for finding comic relief. How about the current Air New Zealand ad campaign?

tummy tuck jeans

on my wardrobe plan was a new pair of dark blue/black bootcut jeans. I'd read recently about the 'Not your daughters jeans' and got the chance to try them on. These jeans do live up to their reputation of being able to give the wearer a nice shape. The fabric has a decent amount of lycra in it and is much softer than conventional denim. The trick is to buy a size smaller than what you'd normally wear. That way you're tucked in and held up in all the right places. Unfortunately at over $320 a pair, they're not very affordable at all.

After a day of trying on jeans and getting close to giving up on finding a comfortable pair, I decided to go to Farmers, a local department store. There I found some tummy tuck jeans, with a great support panel across the tummy area. It didn't have as much lycra as the NYD jeans but still does provide a comfortable fit. I chose a mid-rise bootcut style in a dark ink blue denim. Best of all it was $50 on sale, so I bought a couple of pairs. Thank goodness for mid year sales!

art of tivaevae

'The Art of Tivaevae' Traditional Cook Islands Quilting
by Lynnsay Rongokea & John Daley (Photographer)

I've been wanting to read this book since visiting the tivaevae exhibition at the Te Papa museum back in May. I was pleased to finally find it at the library.

It's a fascinating read about the art of tivaevae and how it's evolved over time from it's original introduction by missionaries more than a 100 years ago to it's valued and vital place in local Cook Island life and culture. I'm enjoying reading about the artists, the ideas behind the designs and the stories of the tivaevae. Even more impressive is how the art of tivaevae is now a widely recognised artistic form. The photos are a visual feast of colour too.

A thoroughly enjoyable book!

copycat

earlier this week I was doing a google search on charity knitting when I came across an unpleasant surprise!... someone had copied my blog posts about charity knitting and then had it published in an online magazine. To make matters worse, they'd been paid for it. I was so annoyed that I wrote to the online magazine to let them know. Here's their response:

Dear Norma,

Thank you for your email and please accept our apologies for publishing this.

We receive quite a lot of plagiarised poems and stories and check these via google but we've not had any problem with opinions articles before. Certainly we will check these as well in the future!

We have removed the article from our online magazine and deducted the reward given to the member who sent it in. Please accept our sincere apologies for this error. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

I'm happy with the result. Rant over!

mannequin sisters

school holidays=no sewing or crafting.

We're often out and about discovering and exploring. On one of our trips we found these 2 vintage mannequins in Hamilton and somehow they've ended up coming to live with us. They're in pretty good condition for their age (probably around 1960s/1970s) with the strangest long shaped heads and the tiniest size 6 bodies. Apparently they were made redundant from their last job when the small town drapery shop they worked in for years closed down.

The sisters are now named Milly and Mandy and have taken up residence in our rumpus room. We've bought them some wigs from the $2 shop - they actually look normal with wigs on. Now it's just finding them some clothing!