the soma swimsuit

I am celebrating four weeks without a glandular fever flare up with some sewing. To be able to sit up straight concentrating for a couple of hours each day is infusing me with joy - that, and the spring air which is whispering to me that better days are here. My heart feels like it will explode with relief that the lighter months have come, the illness ones receeding. I make sure that I inhale my daphne at least twice a day, and stock up on sunshine.

A few months ago, my sister spied this magical mermaidy fabric in the sale bin at The Fabric Store. I decided then that I would make my own swimsuit, as soon as I had the skills. Usually retailing for $28 p/m, I got 0.7 m for $5.

The photos do not capture the shiny scaly shimmer of this print. It is my favourite fabric to date, and the best bit is that I didn't massacre it and therefore will be able to wear it all summer.

The Soma Swimsuit pattern was marked 'skilled', but I decided to go for it despite my decidedly beginner status. I thought I could manage it after making a couple of intermediate patterns recently. It came with clear instructions and diagrams, and I found that Papercut Patterns had put out plenty of photo tutorials for it. I made the Variation 2 bustier top, with high waisted pants.

The XXS small fits me perfectly when on - but getting it on and off is frightening. The first time I tried to get it off I thought: halp, I am going to have to cut this thing off me! It would not budge past my shoulders without creaking. At a later fitting I left a couple of pins in the back, and because it was so tight and twisted going over my shoulders, the pins drove right into my flesh. In my panic, I had this image of me in Emergency wearing an unfinished bikini, for pin removal. That image inspired me to take a deep breath and inch my way out of it. Next time I will size up the back for ease of dressing.
However, it is the loveliest print and fit I have ever worn, so I will gladly spend three minutes dressing myself.


I also made my third version of the Moss Skirt by Grainline Studio. This time, it was in a luxe black wool that I got from the Alannah Hill outlet. Neither of my earlier attempts were as good as I hoped for, but this one came out as close to perfect as I hope to get. The fly worked , the fit was a dream, and the hounds tooth lining was just right. This experience reminds me that if I don't manage it the first time, it doesn't mean I am incapable of it. It means that I have to do it several more times before I do manage it.

dress making - wiksten tova

On the weekend I will pack for our trip to New Zealand and I'm taking a number of clothes I've worked on, not out of duty, but because they are genuinely my favourites. I never thought that would happen.

The warm, casual, simplicity of this red Wiksten Tova is wonderful. I find this country look so alluring.

I found green/navy/brown plaid flannel for half price, and made my version in a couple of days. It is the first thing that fits me perfectly with no adjustments, so it was a joy to work on.

Pattern: Wiksten Tova, with dress or top option
Difficulty: Intermediate {although quite fast and straightforward}
Fabric: Flannel Plaid, 100% cotton


After I made my McCall's Rompers, I wanted to alter the very wide bodice, so I made a dress version. Fit is the hardest thing about this whole sewing business. I took 3 centimetres out of the front of the bodice and 4 out of the back and the fit is just right now.

This is a beautiful soft cotton floral which my bro and sister in law found in an op shop for me. My mum found me a dark green zip for the back in the op shop - these shops are a frugal sewers paradise.

three new garments

I am nearly half way through my sew-my-own-clothes year, and I don’t want to arrive in summer still a pre-beginner. That’s why I have been tackling some slightly more challenging clothes.

The first was a Moss Skirt, which has a fly. My first attempt did not go well, no. In the end I had a full scale sewing tantrum. Every single step went wrong, honestly. I really wanted to roll my sewing machine down a steep hill into a lake at the bottom. As a compromise, I decided to leave my skirt unfinished. It still lies exactly where I terminated my work on it. 

Two days later I decided that because I was now so well prepared, I would begin on my favourite fabric. Mercifully, I made a far better version which has a fully functioning zip fly. It is not perfect but I am content.

The second item was the free Colette Sobretto Top, without a pleat and with a self drafted Peter Pan Collar. I meticulously followed a tutorial for the collar. Soon I suffered the shock of finding that it was too short for my neckline. After a couple of days, my disbelief and deflated spirits were subsiding, and I attempted a second collar. This time, I had a success. I think I am a second-time-lucky girl, except in marriage.

I can’t debut this top yet because of my acute sense of the temperature, but I predict that I will wear it a lot. It’s my ideal cute-but-smart with jeans/shorts/skirt kind of top.

And last, I took to the overlocker/serger that I have the joy of borrowing. I decided that a knit sweatshirt was exactly what was needed to face winter, and door knockers, and the gym. It’s essentially pajamas for public and I found plenty of Asos inspiration. I had previously thought that I wouldn’t buy an overlocker, but I was innocent to their wonders. Using one brought to my attention how much I hate trimming and zig zagging every seam. Whizz it through, and there is a beautiful garment with lovely innards. I could wear my jumper inside out!

I used the Ensis Tee by Papercut Patterns again, and bought cotton fleece in cream and black. My other Ensis tops were XXS, so I went up to XS to make a jumper version, and added wider neck ribbing, bottom ribbing, and altered colour blocking. 

Asos

Wolfie thought it was a dog bed. Ouch.

the first dress

Even though I haven’t really been dreaming of making dresses all my life, I feel like deep in my subconscious I have always wanted to. It feels fabulously feminine to make a dress rather than a top or skirt. I had in mind a thick winter dress for the day time {because who actually goes out at night?}, in a classic black, to wear with tights. I was thoroughly inspired by Jolies Bobines.

Pattern: Papercut Pattern’s SaiphTunic

                                                                      

Fabric: It was $10 per metre at Joy’s Fabric Warehouse, and I was lucky to have my super sister with me to help decide. I found the button for the back at the Alannah Hill factory outlet {Brunswick Street}, and soon I will be sewing with the darling fabric I bought there for outrageously cheap prices.

The pattern was simple, well explained, quick to cut out and quick to sew – except for the French darts which weren’t marked. Having never tackled them before, I just did my best to make them match by sight, guessed how long they should be by stalking other Saiph Tunics on the web, and tacked them before I sewed. My great fear was that they would end up pointy in a central location, but mercifully they are discreet. 

Because I didn’t want it to be daringly short, I added 1.5 inches to the top. Later I realised that the torso was unflatteringly long in proportion to the peplum. I looked like a droopy waistless nun; overwhelmingly frumpy. After unpicking the peplum to shorten the top, the proportions are better, and the dress hits mid thigh which is my happy length.

I am adjusting to wearing a tunic. It is just so voluminous! But, I think once I have the courage to embrace the space, I will love it. 

Voila! La première robe noire, and I have the joy of having reached another goal.

Below are a couple of other things I’ve made lately – the Scout Tee. Most tees are too low, or high, or tight, or twisted, or thin. But this one is the perfect slouchy tee.

I had some navy and white knit left over. There wasn’t enough for a whole top of one colour, so I decided that the gym can handle navy on the back and white on the front. I consider this fabric shortage ‘sporty’. I copied it from a shop bought tank, and it really is a good thrift. 

happy days {and machine makes}

I have been happy with the joy and relief that only comes from the removal of pain.

It's ten days since my last virus. Because of my tres dodgy immune system, I find myself living my days as if each were my last before another virus - because, there's a high chance. Without viruses, I seem to be at a high level of functioning at the moment and because I'm over my fear of jinxing myself, I can write that fearlessly.

I have been sitting in front of my sewing machine instead of lying on the couch and here are my makes:

Scout Tee from Grainline Studio - My sewing disaster day. I kept predicting that I would have a disaster soon, and it came right on cue, that is, on my favourite peice of fabric. I printed the PDF pattern, cut the fabric given to me by my sister...and then realised that the peices looked very small. I was sure I was meant to be a size 0 in American Sizing. I wonder if people smaller than me are -2? It's kind of rude. Anyway, it turns out I hadn't checked that the PDF had printed to the correct scale, and my pattern was a lot smaller than it ought to have been. It was size 0 minus a few. If I hadn't been using such precious fabric I would have given up - instead I carried on, literally moaning in despair and wondering if I could salvage my top.
One stressful day later, I have a cropped tee which I absolutely love with my highwasted clothes. It's far from perfect, but strangely one of my favourite items.

Amerson Undies - I made these because Wolfgang is an underwear eating hound. I don't scream all that often, but when I catch him in the act, I am a mad woman. High pitched. Sometimes I worry I will yell at my future babies, but they won't eat undies so I'll be ok. Although I was happy with the results, they were a bit too fiddly. Basically, I wanted faster gratification.

DIY Tunic - I dream of drafting my own patterns but six weeks into my sewing challenge was possibly too soon. The sleeves were the terrifying bit, but through some fluke they kind of worked. This 'dress' is more of a sack/tent featuring shape-free fit and vanishing curves technology. I think I will wear my shabby creation.

Ensis Tee - a second one, using the leftover fabrics. I love these solid warm tops, particularly how they are simple enough to sew up in a day.

Next up: Saiph Tunic. I'm going to make this with my sister, and it will be my first dress attempt.

sew well - the ensis tee

Sewing is saving the day.

I feel very invigorated by my 2014 challenge to make my wardrobe. Invigorated is not something I am accustomed to feeling. My mind is absorbed and stretched, and I feel like I have found my perfect antidote to boredom.  

Making clothes is very similar to music for me. It’s mostly mundane and methodical, which I find grounding and soothing. But there are flickers of creative excitement throughout the process, and they keep me hungry for more.

The Ensis Tee pattern arrived from NZ just as my latest virus was {finally} easing, so the timing was perfect. I need some warm winter tops to replace my stinky ones, and I feel that sewing with knits is the next step in my progress, so that’s why I went to Joy’s Fabric Warehouse and bought 100% Cotton Jersey. A solid lycra-free beginning. I know I'm going to wear this one a lot, and I plan to make a second soon.

Pattern: Papercut Patterns, Ensis Tee
Level: Novice
Next up: Amerson Undies.
When I vowed to make my clothes this year, I fully intended to continue buying my lingerie. The other day I needed a half slip, and forced myself to make one from a 50c too-large Berlei slip which I found in the op shop. I still don't plan to make all my lingerie, but a cute pair of {maybe floral} undies appeals. The idea of recycling old t-shirts into underwear is growing on me too.

My 2014 challenge

I have decided that 2014 is my learn-to-sew-properly-with-patterns year. I never would have had a chance if I were on the normal path of life, so I feel a sense of delight. The same kind I felt when I to the beach with a friend on a Tuesday while everyone was at work. It’s an unexpected joy of being off the conveyer belt. It’s like when you’re at a conference and the gluten free option is better than the normal. What?!

I plan to make instead of buy as many clothes as possible this year, because I have both the time and desire to invest in 12 months of journeying from pre-beginner levels to almost decent. Actually decent would be ok too.  

Right now I am making skirts. Last week I made a pale pink cotton, and this week a winter navy blue in corduroy. My plan is to buy patterns which I can see myself loving to wear often {no frumpy lumpies, at least not before I've sewn it}, and then find fabric I like at warehouses, opp shops and on sale. Today that meant saying goodbye to the $19.00 per metre houndstooth at Spotlight. Both these fabrics were $5.00 or less per metre.

I love that this skirt can be sewn in two afternoons. The satisfaction is beyond. It actually rivals shopping, but wins because it is affordable, creative and ethical.

Pattern: Everyday Skirt by Oliver+S
Sewing challenge inspiration: Talia Christine Blog
Next project: Papercut - Ensis Tee