HAZEL’S NAUGHTY LITTLE SISTER

Posted on June 19, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

Meet the nighttime version of Hazel aka PURPLE HAZE’L. Or as I also fondly call her – Hazel’s Naughty Little Sister…

Colette Hazel’s Naughty Little Sister – Purple Haze’l (or Not Smoke On The Water as ELH declared)

So what do you do when all the pattern companies are releasing lovely summer dresses and winter is descending in the southern hemisphere? You just grunge them up, slap on some boots, a cap and coat – and rock on. Who says you can’t wear pretty sundresses in the middle of winter? Just wear them with attitude!

I decided to tackle Hazel once more and participate in the Colette Sewalong 2.0 organised by Lucky Lucille, Sarah and Erin. I was most jealous about the first Sewalong but the canoe-across-the-oceans speed delivery from Amazon meant I could not join in. So here I am! I’m a bit early for the Hazel sewalong but it’s better early than late! And Macaroon looks to be the next sewalong choice, based on the voting so far, which is not my cup of tea, so I want to start my next project while they tackle that one.

I almost did not make this dress but I am so glad I didn’t give up (even when that seemed to be the sensible option). It’s not perfect but it’s grungy fun. This is not cake clothing, it’s just very naughty self-saucing winter pudding.

I freaked out at first when I got home and realised it was a one-directional stripe pattern.

My step-by-step approach to dealing with this.

I picked which set of stripes I wanted to feature in the centre of the dress. I picked the set of smaller stripes.
I decided to run the stripes across the bodice front rather than down. I did this because I did not like how the stripes would not mirror each other out from the centre of the bodice. I also ran the narrower stripes at the edge of the side bodice pieces so they angled down towards my waist. I was trying to achieve an hourglass effect. Not sure if this worked…
I decided to cut the front skirt piece in half and then cut all skirt pieces on the bias for a chevron effect. I thought Wow that will look great – I should have thought, crikey that will make life tough. It was all going swell until I cut the back pieces so they matched at the backs but not the sides. DOH! I had enough fabric to cut these pieces out again and then cut the straps from the oopsie back pieces.
I thought the bodice and skirt looked messy together so I cut strips from the wide black stripe to create a visual break between the bodice and skirt. I just measured the bodice bottom and the two joined back panels and added seams allowances. I then joined the black strips and then joined them to the bodice, matching the side seams. I then attached the skirt to the black strip.
The skirt is slightly narrower than the pattern. I had some oopsies getting the side stripes to match up and trimmed some off the edges. I think it works better as more gathering would ruin the chevron effect – after all that hard work I wasn’t going to let that happen!
I ran the stripes up and over my shoulders to lengthen my frame.
I moved the straps in at the back and the front. I also changed the angle they are inserted into the bodice – otherwise they sort of slide off my shoulders.
I decided to run the stripes straight across my back. Yes, I could have chevron’ed them as well but you need to stop somewhere. I’m not a complete sucker for punishment.
Sob. No pockets. Did not want to ruin the side seams – or make them even harder to match!
A much shorter zip – for the same reasons as no pockets. I pull the dress over my head rather than step into it. On the upside my zipper insertion is perfect – first time ever – and right the first time I sewed it in. Hooray!!

Now just a friendly warning, several shots follow where I look rather sickeningly pleased with myself. Yes, it’s revolting but I just could not help myself.

Purple Haze'l - pleased with myself - Colette Hazel pattern with a bas cut skirt

Purple Haze’l – pleased with myself – Colette Hazel pattern with a bias cut skirt

Purple Haze'l - side seams - Colette Hazel pattern with a bias cut skirt

Purple Haze’l – check out those side seams people!!

Colette Hazel – back view – bias cut skirt. The stripes are a tiny bit skew-iff towards the hem – my cure is to tell people to just stop looking at my butt. Just focus on my lovely invisible zipper – I finally figured out how to get these in neatly.

Colette Hazel - front view - bias cut skirt

Colette Hazel – I chopped off my head to get rid of the smug self-satisfied look for you 🙂

Apart from the Simplicity 1880 sewalong I mentioned last post (and I’m thinking of throwing caution to the wind and making a red one with white piping, crazy girl), I also want to make Cambie in a very pretty rose print. It’s inspired by an Australian vineyard. Long story. I will tell you one day soon. That’s what I love about sewing, every project is a story in itself. No wonder we blog!

I am also dying to make Oolong. And I think the peacock fabric some of you admired in the last post would work beautifully. I’m not as curvy as the Colette model but I think it might work on me. I love flowy bias cut dresses. Sew Squirrel are trying to get it in. If you live in Australia this is THE SITE to get your Sewaholic and Colette Patterns. Postage is free at the moment and the patterns are a great price. I am devoted to them already. This is where I got my Cambie and Renfrew patterns from. Thank you Sew Squirrel!

TEA PARTY SKIRT aka Tilly’s Picnic Blanket Skirt

Posted on June 11, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

Sometimes a simple patternless project is just the ticket.
I’ve made three simple gathered skirts for my girls but decided to make Tilly’s Picnic Blanket Skirt – Tilly’s lovely skirt has a button-up front and I thought that was a cute finish.

Tilly’s Picnic Blanket Skirt – my Tea Party Skirt

My previous skirts have been a twist on Gertie’s Gathered Skirt for my little person – the Happy Twirling Whirling Skirt.I love these skirts. They are simple feminine and you can easily play with the length, the fullness and add fun little finishes.

I woke up yesterday and decided to make Tilly’s Picnic Blanket Skirt. After all I figured that I was blogging to met other stitchers online – however part of that is about doing projects and activities in the online community. So I have decided to participate in a few online sew-alongs. I know these will throw my own sewing plans into chaos – but a little chaos is good for the soul. And you never know just who you might meet! My biggest problem with sew-alongs is they are often originating in the Northern hemisphere – and that’s fine. But while everyone ‘up there’ is madly sewing summer dresses and skirts, our winter is descending and the sew-alongs just don’t match my wardrobe needs. Our winters are not particularly fierce but this year it is much wetter and colder than usual so it’s a real challenge.

: Potty about Teapots, destined for a Picnic Blanket Skirt

I would love the Picnic Blanket skirt in Tilly’s large gingham check but decided to make do and use my ‘teapot’ fabric. When I came home with teapot fabric my family asked if it was going to be a tablecloth or an apron. I was horrified – no way it was too cute. Then the more I looked at it in the sewing room I could not decide what to do with it – pajama pants? Maybe it should be a tablecloth? It was just a bit OTT for a dress (but I was seriously tempted!).

So rather than a ‘Picnic Blanket Skirt’ I decided to make a ‘Tea Party Skirt’. In the spirit of ‘making-do’ when I found I did not have thread to match I decided to use up some pink thread instead so my placket stitching, buttonholes, top stitching and hemming is all in pink thread.My skirt is a little fuller than Tilly’s skirt as I decided to use the whole width of the fabric as it seemed a shame not to. So it’s not quite as mathematically precise as Tilly’s but the effect is the same.

The Finished Tea Party Skirt – can you tell I’m freezing to death?

The finished Tea Party Skirt – pockets! And my precious Limoges tea cup…

The finished Tea Party Skirt – back view. It’s ‘cutesy’ but I think I like this skirt!

You can’t tell (thanks to our stellar camera) but I have a pink singlet under the white wrap top, so it was a pink/white/blue tea party.

Things I did differently…

I used the full width of the fabric, taking into account the seam allowances when I cut the skirt fronts.
I used a contrasting thread for all the sewing – mainly because the thread cupboard was bare but it ties in with the pink buttons and ribbon.
I placed a button directly under the waistband and then spaced the rest of the buttons 3 inches apart as instructed by Tilly.
Even though Tilly recommended doing the gathering in sections I ran three rows od gathering stitches all the way along the skirt. I decided to risk this as the fabric was lovely smooth cotton and it slid easily along the thread. I did mark the centre back on the skirt before I started though.
I used Simplicity 2444 pocket piece for my pockets.
Hem trimming
I added a cotton lace trim to the hem. I am not sure if I attached the hem trim in the ‘technically’ correct way but it looks cute!
I finished the raw edge of the hem. Then I placed the trim right side down on the right side of the fabric with the raw edges matching. Then I stitched it down. Then then pressed the raw edges under, and finished it with top stitching 1/4 inch from the fabric edge to secure the raw edges under the skirt. Does that make sense??
I finished the waistband with a pink grosgrain ribbon.

Tilly’s instructions are excellent. She explains how to calculate the measurements to cut the fabric – and importantly she explains why. I think this is great as you can apply some of the calculations to other projects,

She has illustrated the steps with great clear photos and broken the construction process down into simple steps. I sat at the machine with the iPad (and then the iPhone once the girls took away the iPad) and never put a foot wrong.

If you are looking for a simple feminine skirt – Tilly and the Buttons Picnic Blanket Skirt is it.

Ta da! All done in about three hours!

Cup of tea anyone?

PORT PARIS DRESS

Posted on June 5, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

TOWN GREEN, PORT MACQUARIE 2444. This is our gorgeous Town Green located smack bang at the end of our main street. Yes it really is that beautiful.

I can’t help myself. I don’t want to post the following pictures but I feel I must.ELH (ever-lovin husband) is out at ‘boys’ night’.

I finish The Dress.

What to do? Bribe the small children to take photos of course. And not good ones at that!

Warning: Contained in this post are some extremely dodgy pictures of Simplicity 2444 aka PORT PARIS DRESS.

Why the name you might ask? Well the PORT part is inspired by my home town. I live in Port Macquarie, Australia and our postcode is 2444 – and this dress is made from the Simplicity 2444 pattern.Australians have a tendency to shorten everything. That’s why we say G’day instead of Good Day. So locals refer to Port Macquarie as ‘Port’. Of course there are lots of Port ‘somethings’ in Australia – but this is ‘our Port’.

We have gorgeous beaches, a beautiful river right in town and stacks of koalas – which I must tell you are very noisy when they are out cruising for a girlfriend, let’s say they advertise very vocally and wake up the neighbourhood in the middle of the night. We see koalas all the time. Yes really. All the time. We are lucky enough to get them in our front yard regularly. It’s funny I never stop being delighted when I see them. They are so cute! I came home one day to find this chap sitting in the middle of my driveway. He decided a tree was a better option when we pulled up.

Koala in the front yard. ‘Common as muck’ in Port but v.cute!

And I had it in my head that Simplicity 2444 was going to be my Port Macquarie dress. I wasn’t too sure about the pattern but could not helped buying it as it matched my postcode. Weird but true. I just could not figure out what fabric might work as ‘Port Macquarie’. Koalas are a bit twee as a wardrobe wear choice when you actually are Australian.

Then I was walking through Spotlight and a fabric caught my eye. I immediately thought of Simplicity 2444. It’s from the furnishing section and I suspect it’s cotton ‘duck’. It’s 100% cotton, thick and heavy (it’s going to be a nightmare to dry) but I like the impact it has on the skirt pleats. It would look great with a petticoat but I think it sits nicely all by itself.

My youngest daughter Giselle dreams of growing up, living in Paris and being called Gigi. Her bedroom is dedicated to the Eiffel Tower. Some people think its odd for a little girl but I think it’s marvellous – what an aspiration way to think at 7. So this dress is her bit of PARIS in PORT.

I’m not totally selfish. I’ve got her some fabric in a red colourway which I am going to make into a dress for her.

Sorry about the picture Gigi was in charge of the snapping procedures. I wanted her to take a few pictures with a jacket and a different belt option but this was as much as she could bear to do… and the only one in focus!

PORT PARIS DRESS – from one postcode to another…

I could not convince them to take any detail shots so I had to take the dress off and photograph it flat. Hopefully I will get a chance to take some more inspiring pictures this weekend!

Simplicity 2444 – bodice detail. Photographed flat as the kids are not master ‘snappers’…. yet….

Simplicity 2444 – bodice detail. The bodice darts were almost perfectly positioned (sheer luck)Personally I think any woman who has a little bit shaved off her hip is going to be eternally grateful!

Simplicity 2444 – Sleeve detail. Gigi loves the sleeves the most as they both say ‘Paris’ and feature three veyr glam and retro-dressed ladies!

I ummmed and ahhed about what size to cut. Measured the paper pattern etc which was great advice from Joanne on Stitch & Witter when she posted her gorgeous version of 2444. I decided to cut the 8 as my fabric was so heavy. I would love to make this again – but would make a 6 as I like my clothes to be quite fitted and this is a little loose and big around the shoulders. Tilly was wondering on this post whether this pattern would work in a heavier fabric and I think it does IMHO. It sits beautifully. ELH thinks it looks great (yes he is biased – I consider that a character strength not a flaw). I’m sure Tilly is going to whip up something sensational as she always does – can’t wait to see it when she does.

I actually thinking of making it all over again in the same fabric but spending more time on the interior finish and maybe even lining it as I think this dress is worth the trouble.

I’ve never been a big fan of full skirts on me. At all. It might be time to convert. I think this works because of the slightly wider neckline which helps balance out the fullness of the skirt, the fabulous generous skirt pleats (not gathers) and the four waist darts at the front. It’s just lovely. IMHO.

The main change I made to the pattern was to cut to front skirt piece on the fold. As the print was quite large I thought the seam would be too obvious and distract from the dress. So I cut it on the fold and simply make the middle pleats a tiny bit larger so they meet in the middle. I love it (and I have a little bee in my bonnet about seams up the front of skirts – I don’t know why, I just do!).

I was going to make a belt but I woke up the other day and decided a wide ribbon might be cute instead. I love ribbon belt/sashes, I have several work dresses that I wear with a grosgrain ribbon tied around my waist. I like the simplicity and softness of them, especially when they are black – a bit more grown-up than girlish. I also don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to have to make another stupid hole in a stupid belt to accommodate my stick insect waistline. Yes I could make belts but belt making options are thin on the ground in regional Australia. You do get sick of mail-ordering every other thing and learn to ‘make do’.

I’ve got to find some time to pick a decent WordPress blog theme that works in more browsers…

Oh and I’m going to join in the Sew Colette 2.0 and make up a respectable Hazel – and hopefully then a second decent Hazel which will be a little offbeat but it keeps popping into my head so I just get it out! I just want to make sure I get the fit right before I go to a load of trouble to make the offbeat one. I missed Sew Colette 1.o due to the Colette book arriving via canoe from USA.

WHEN THE STARS ALIGN

Posted on May 28, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

I love those moments in life when you know just what to do.
It doesn’t always have to be sewing. It’s just that golden moment that happens some days when you stop ‘making do’, the stars align and everything seems so simple. It’s as if life is singing to you.
I love that sound.
I love those moments.
I had one years ago, a few months before a trip to London to see a lovely old friend who was having her first baby. If you are reading this mate, I’ve ‘borrowed’ this off your Flickr account. Wasn’t sure about sending everyone there given its packed with family photos.
I was excited for her. Wanted to take something special. Didn’t know what.
Then I saw a quilt pattern and it was perfect. The colors were too soft but I just loved it and I knew just what to do.
There was the odd moment, like spending about 2 hours in the local patchwork shop to find the right border fabrics. Purchasing something and then changing my mind to go through the process all over again. It was worth it. The patchwork shop owner bought the pattern to remake ‘my quilt’ I figure that’s a good sign.
I’ve always had a ‘thing’ for checks/plaids in patchwork and a huge amount of this quilt came from my beloved stash – it felt right!
I had another moment yesterday.
I think I found the perfect fabric for a Lisette Passport Jacket and Simplicity dress 2444
I’m determined to line the Passport jacket so I’m doing some research before I start, starting here at Tilly and the buttons
I wasn’t sure if I would make Simplicity 2444 but had a ‘thing’ for it as the pattern number is the same as my postcode. Hey! I never said I was normal.
I could not imagine it on me… Until yesterday…
I love those moments!
Watch this space.

TWO PROJECTS… ONE POST…

Posted on May 27, 2012 by sewbusylizzy

Yes, I’m spoiling you today with pictures of two finished projects. Please excuse my hair – it’s Sunday night…

Here is my Cheap & Cheerful skirt which cost me a grand total of $2.50. It would have cost $1 if the zipper had not broken when pulling apart the old skirt.

Cheap & Cheerful Skirt, Simplicity 2451

This skirt was made with Simplicity 2451, view D, size 8. It’s a tiny bit baggy over my booty but the fabric is so busy you can’t tell. The fabric has no give in it so I think it’s best with some booty-wigglin’ room. I’m really chuffed with this skirt. I love the fabric, I love the pattern and I am sure that ELH (ever lovin’ husband) loves the price!

More pictures of Cheap & Cheerful on flickr. I know I look too thin in some. I haven’t exercised in…. errr…. months. So what happened? I gave up bread a few months ago (it seems to give me ulcers) and that’s the result! Apparently I’m healthier this size?! At least I have no more ulcers. First time in seven years!

RESCUED

This afternoon I finished off a second Vogue 1247 skirt. I don’t love it as much as my Tardis skirt made from the same pattern but it’s OK. My choice of fabric made this skirt hard work.

I found the fabric on the upholstery fabric clearance table at Spotlight and loved the look of it. Hopefully no-one will mistake me for a sofa or dinner chair. It’s a black and silver with a very small textured check pattern.

I almost gave up on it. Then I pulled it out again and decided not to give up. This happened because we have an ‘upstairs-downstairs’ house. Bedrooms upstairs and living downstairs. My sewing room is between the two girls’ rooms – I can’t sew once they are in bed however I have discovered they go to sleep a lot faster if I stay in the sewing room as they know that they can’t run between rooms and make mischief. So I make the grand sacrifice most nights and sit in the sewing room, gazing at patterns, pondering the next project and sometimes unpicking a disaster! It also gives me time to unwind and relax doing one of my favourite things – and I tend to do some of the things that seem more tedious when the machine is running and the iron is on. Everyone wins.

What went wrong with this project? The invisible zipper did not work. It went in fine but then refused to budge past the yoke seam, the fabric was just too chunky at the yoke seam area for the zipper to squeeze past. Unpicking the zipper was very difficult as the weave of the fabric meant that my thread was all but invisible. I’m proud to say I did not swear… I think I was concentrating too hard trying not to wreck the fabric.

I gave up on an invisible zipper and put in a normal dress zip. It’s not as nice as an invisible zipper but it looks just fine.

The Hong Kong finish was more difficult than it was for Tardis. I should have purchased wider bias binding as the standard width was a little narrow for the thickness of the fabric. Yes, yes I could have made bias biding but crikey I work five days a week! And this skirt needed the Hong Kong finish as it re-defines the term ‘fraying’, it was shedding threads worse than a Persian cat sheds hair in the middle of summer in Alice Springs, Australia. (please note I never exaggerate. Ever.).

I’m not mad about this skirt. I’m not a big fan of the thickness of the seams or how the hem sits (also due to the thickness of the fabric). It doesn’t press well due to the ‘nature’ of the fabric (which I would call ‘uncompromising’). I do like the texture and the weave of the fabric, so it’s a trade-off between its good points and its bad ones. It’s quirky and I like something a little off-beat to pair with a corporate jacket. Plus I can stuff my phone and work tags into the pockets and no-one will be the wiser!

I’ve called this one Rescued. Tardis is still my favourite version of this pattern, I love it to pieces and wear it to death! At least this skirt has got me out of my ‘blue rut’ – I noticed all my patterns reviews have been made in blue fabric!!

Vogue 1247 – Rescued

Thank you for your comments in these early days of my little blog. Every single one brightens my day and I love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, they are most appreciated – thank you!

Sew Busy Lizzy

she sews by the seashore…

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