Book Review: Sewing For Your Girls

Posted on June 19, 2015 by sewbusylizzy

When Tuttle Publishing sent me the much-anticipated She Wears The Pants to review, they also sent a copy of Sewing For Your Girls. Talk about different ends of the spectrum! Today I’m blogging about the Girls book a the little blouse I made from the book.

THE BOOK

I must say this book surprised me. Japanese pattern books are famed for their scanty sewing instructions and daunting pattern sheets! Sewing for your girls is not one of ‘those’ books.

There are seven relatively simple patterns – along with a variation on each basic pattern (oops sorry – forgot to take a photo of one, it’s No.1 an A-line smock… and it’s nearly 10pm now). You can click on the images below to enlarge them.

: Basic Pattern #2: A button-back or elastic necked blouse

: Basic Pattern #3: A short-sleeved smocked dress or long-sleeved gathered tunic

: Basic Pattern #4: shorts or overalls

: Basic Pattern #5: a shirred and tiered sundress

: Basic Pattern #6: a smock with long or short sleeves – or shoestring straps

: Basic Pattern #7: A frilled blouse or a blouse with a sailor’s collar

It has by far the most comprehensive sewing instructions I’ve seen in a Japanese sewing book in a long time. I learnt a few new tricks – I love that! Nothing of rocket science proportions but little clever things that just make life easier.

A typical pattern instruction page… the instructions are brief but point to the more detailed techniques section of the book which contain LOTS of photos!

The book includes a guide for no less than 70 dressmaking and basic sewing techniques. Each of theses are accompanied by step-by-step photos. In fact some techniques are extensively demonstrated…. for example when I attached the collar to this shirt, the book provided a 20-step guide, each step was paired with a photograph.

This is the ‘how to attach a collar’ technique section of the book – it’s very detailed!

The pattern sheet has some over-lapping and it’s printed in one colour. However, it is not overcrowded and tracing is quite straightforward. You just need to remember to add seam allowances!

The pattern sheet is not as crowded as other Japanese books I have used – and much, much easier than a Burda sheet!

I prefer to sewing something from a book when I’m talking to you about it. I think it’s integral to the experience of a sewing book when the book is primarily about patterns. That said, I don’t claim to have sewn every pattern or read the book or pattern in ‘editing’ terms. With translated books or measurements converted between metric & imperial there are often slip-ups just be conscious you need to exert a level of awareness – I often double check everything. Just.in.case.

Everyone asks about Japanese sizing, so here is the chart for your reference.

Sewing For Your Girls published by Tuttle Publishing

Sizing chart: Sewing For Your Girls

THE BLOUSE

Cute. I love this little blouse. It was utterly delightful to sew. Giselle wasn’t keen for photos – fair enough, she had surfing to do. So today’s post has a blouse minus the body.

I absolutely loved making this blouse, a real joy. Better still, she loves it.

NEW TRICKS

What did I learn? Frills have been few & far between on my blog… so these little bias cut frills were new to me. Rather than running a gathering stitch up the centre of the frill, I ran a gathering stitch up either side of the centre.

A simple and neat way to create perfect little frills.

I also learnt to run a line of gathering stitches around the seam allowance of a Peter Pan collar curve, gently gather the seam allowance up so the allowance curves over into the collar itself, a light press, trim off the excess seam allowance (and gathering stitches) and then turn the collar right side out… perfect collar curves!

THOUGHTS

This book was quite different to what I expected – far more detailed instructions and construction photographs than I have found in other Japanese sewing books.

The clothes are simple but I often preferred to dress my girls in simple, play-friendly clothes when they were little. Many of these patterns would be perfect for sweet floral and kooky lawns, voiles, linens and poplins. Let the fabric sing and the child play unfettered by fussy clothes I say!

THANK YOU
A big thank you to Colette of Colette’s Sewing Stuff for bringing this sweet fabric to the March Brisbane meet-up. And a thank you to the ever-lovely Vicki-Kate of Vicki-Kate Makes for sending me a sweet little gift package a few months ago which included these perfect little buttons!

THE DETAILS
Pattern: Basic Pattern #7 from Sewing For Your Girls, published by Tuttle Publishing
Note: Tuttle Publishing provided this book for preview purposes. All opinions my own. No affiliate links in this post.
Fabric: from the march Brisbane High Tea, donated by Colette
Buttons: from Vicki Kate Makes

THE WEARER
This is the blouse recipient, my dear little crazy poppet Giselle Violet. A fuzzy iPhone snap taken one night… one of those sweet little moments in life. She’s in her school uniform and wearing a much-loved beanie crocheted by the boss at work!

Giselle Violet

This post first appeared on http://www.sewbusylizzy.com

Ahoy! She Wears The Pants (again)… No 4 Top with Epaulettes

Posted on June 14, 2015 by sewbusylizzy

I’ve been wondering… how many t-shirts patterns does one need to own? For me it was at least one more when I spotted this one in She Wears The Pants…

Just a quick post today. I’ve got four posts in the wings… some posts take longer to write than others – however a simple jersey top doesn’t require much chatter or links. It was a very bright winter day – so forgive the harsh shadows and enjoy my winter’s day!

Yes, another make from She Wears The Pants (book review here – giveaway closed).

This is my third make from this book, so far I’ve made the Gathered Blouse and the Square Top. I really like this book, it’s very much my style… although apparently I can be somewhat bossy (I like to think of it as assertive) so maybe the title appeals to me as well LOL. It’s been a welcome addition to my sewing library – thank you Tuttle Publishing!

I scooped up a remanent of striped cotton jersey at Spotlight recently and immediately thought of this top. I had loved the softer blue stripe in this fabric for some time… however had not purchased it as it has little stretch and drape. When I picked it up again, I thought of this pattern and thought that the fabric having less drape/stretch would make it perfect for accentuating the slight bell shape of the sleeves and body of this top.

Back view: She Wears the Pants – No 4 Top with Epaulettes.

I stripe matched as best as I could, the side seams and shoulders (covered by epaulettes LOL so no point but I did it anyway) are great – the sleeves into the body not so much. The stripes are printed, not woven into the knit.

No 4 Top with Epaulettes. Neckline facing, button and epaulettes

The epaulets are simple to make and you just baste them onto the shoulders before you set the sleeves in. I thought about omitting the epaulettes then decided they would tie in well with the nautical, quirky shape of the top. I like them.

I love the neckline finish. It has a facing instead of a binding. I know some people loathe facings but I really like the finish on this top. The neckline sits beautifully (it is understitched as well). I like how the facing is stitched down around the outer edge, it is a nice finishing touch.

Thoughts…

Yes, it’s another t-shirt pattern and there are a lot out there. I do like the shape of this one. I think the boat neckline and the slight flare in the sleeves/body are really sweet.

I like the sleeve length, I tend to shove or roll up longer sleeves – this length is perfect for me.

I think I love the fit of some Japanese patterns across my shoulders and upper bust – and the easy fit through the body.

I cut the body at the longest length as I tend to wear low-waisted garments but hate belly flashing. The ancient 3/4 jeans in these pictures are particularly low cut – and I should toss them… but I love the leg length for a beach walk so I keep them.

Other than the hems & epaulettes, I constructed this top using my overlocker. I serged lightweight hem fusing onto the hem edges, turned the hem allowamces to the inside, pressed and finished with two rows of stitching on my machine.

Please note the sizing of this book definitely is on the smaller scale. Japanese patterns often have a lot of ease but you need to take this into account when considering purchasing this book. I cut a size XS and a body length of Large (my sizing hovers between XS & S and my height makes me a slightly taller than a Medium in this book’s sizing chart – which you can find in this post.).

Pattern: She Wears The Pants, No 4 Top with Epaulettes.
Fabric: Combed Cotton Jersey, Spotlight Australia (about $9 for the piece)

Also see: CSews, Very Kerry Berry

It’s winter here – but you would not have guessed it today. The weather was magic.

Bonus Banjo Photo Bomb

… because no beach photo is complete without my dear old hound.

Note: Tuttle Publishing provided this book for preview purposes. All opinions my own – I just keep sewing garments from the book because I like it so much!
No affiliate links in this post.

She Wears The Pants - published by Tuttle Publishing

My top is the make on the cover – note the pants are not included in the book’s patterns.

This post first appeared on http://www.sewbusylizzy.com

Seaside Spring Sewaway – update!

Posted on May 31, 2015 by sewbusylizzy

I’ve just enjoyed the first weekend free of commitments for an entire month – and it was wonderful. May was chaotic and stressful. I’m just catching up on ‘life admin’ at the moment. I went to the gym for the Saturday Body Pump session, it was the first time in… far too long… and as a result I can barely move tonight. Oops. Tomorrow is not going to be pretty.

The ever-beautiful Nobbys Beach – location of many of my garment photos… mainly because Banjo can run free there!

The Seaside Spring Sewaway is definitely on this October. I’m moved it to Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October as it’s a long weekend which makes travelling much easier for many.

I’ve booked a room in the heart of Port Macquarie’s CBD which is located on the riverfront and a stroll from Town Beach along the breakwall. There is a wide range of accommodation, restaurants and cafés within a few blocks. The room has electricity, plenty of tables, chairs, tea/coffee making… and you get to stroll through an art gallery as you arrive & leave. I know, I spoil you. I’ve done a weekend workshop there before and it’s a lovely space.

somewhere to sew?

You can fly or drive to Port Macquarie. We are about ten minutes off the highway (four hours north of Sydney & about six and a half from Brisbane – roadworks dependent!). There are direct flights from Sydney & Brisbane as well – I can pick you up at the airport & drop you into Port’s CBD. Part of the beauty of being a holiday destination means there is a full range of accommodation available from camping to backpackers, serviced apartments or hotels. Most places are close to the river or beach – and we have a beautiful coastal walk which takes you from the CBD past all our beaches to the lighthouse at the southern end of Port.

Note: bloggers and non-bloggers welcome. I don’t believe you need a blog to prove your love of sewing.

I’m providing the sewing workshop facilities. No charge. Just enjoy. I’ve made so many friends & had so much fun that’s it’s just something I wanted to do. Just bring your machine, sew, relax, chat, eat, walk on the beach – have fun. A weekend away isn’t cheap so the sewing workshop is my gift to those that trek to my little patch of sand, salt and (hopefully!) sun this October.

The only old-fashioned thing I ask is that you RSVP for me – so I’ve created a survey. Don’t worry it’s just to determine interest at this stage, I’m not going to hunt you down and hold your sewing machine hostage 🙂

That said, if you do want to come I would suggest booking accommodation sooner rather than later as a long weekend in Port Macquarie is a busy time!

The RSVP is to ensure I haven’t over or under-catered for a sewing space. If I need a bigger room I’ll need to know so everyone has ample space – or smaller which will save some pennies.

If there is interest in a dinner then I’ll set up a pre-payment system as I can’t afford (or the rest of the group) to cover for no-shows. That’s pretty reasonable I think. Heck, I’ll even throw in an early morning beach stroll with the now infamous whippet, Banjo. Take some blog photos! What more could you ask? So are you in?

Let me know here…

Banjo – my favourite water rat. Perhaps the star attraction for a sewaway in Port Macquarie – free addition to your blog photo shoots!

Sorry no sewing news follows – I exist beyond sewing and if it’s not of interest… you can ‘pull up stumps’ here.

LIFE BEYOND SEWING!

I wasn’t going to put any of this here – however life has been getting in the way of sewing so for me it’s relevant (to me) – what could possibly tear me away from the machine and blog for so many weeks???

I was rather overwhelmed with life in May. I’m so glad it’s over and those who followed my adventures on Instagram, cheered me on and dropped me emails and messages… thank you! Sometimes those words of encouragement and laughter helped get me through some very long and tiring days!

Wouldn't you volunteer if you got a free ugly oversized tshirt AND fluoro vest with CAPTAIN printed on the back? I also got a truck and a radio for the day... and the only aid station with Red Bull!

Wouldn’t you volunteer if you got a free ugly oversized tshirt AND a fluoro safety vest with CAPTAIN printed on the back? I also got a truck and a two-way radio for the day…

I kicked off the month as an Ironman run leg aid station captain – organising 90 volunteers to serve 1,700 athletes coming through the station four times over 12 hours. I started at 10.30am and got home at 12.30am. I’d love to tell you that I did it for altruistic reasons. Not strictly true. It raises funds for the school … but I love Ironman, it’s such an amazing event. While the professional athletes are impressive… it’s the ‘ordinary’ people pushing themselves to extraordinary lengths that bring me back every year. It takes a certain amount of personal grit to swim 3.8kms, cycle 180kms and THEN run a marathon… amazing and humbling stuff.

We had some HORRENDOUS weather in the lead up to the day… and I was slightly concerned by reports that my riverside aid station may experience minor flooding in the evening… fortunately the river didn’t rise quite that much! Highlights of the day are on youtube… however if you want to see just how pretty Port Macquarie can be (minus the floodwater and clouds) – better watch the 2014 highlights!

So this was my Mother's Day... probably not even 20% of the women's clothes here

School fete: I guess it’s appropriate that I help run the second-hand clothes stall. This was my Mother’s Day… probably not even 20% of the women’s clothes here

Ironman was closely followed by the annual school fete and some rather challenging dance eisteddfod adventures – let’s just say inverted French braids are not, and will never be, in my essential life skills set. The ballet school understands that now 🙂

My eldest is mad about dancing… and it drives me mad some days!

At the moment I’m looking forward to enjoying some ‘normal’ life. I’ve got some trips planned, so I might see you in Brisbane (twice this winter) or Melbourne (Melbourne Frocktails of course). I’m sad that I can’t make it to Canberra – because I love the Canberra crowd… and I love Canberra itself… I’m hoping there is another in 2016!

Winner: She Wears The Pants

Posted on May 24, 2015 by sewbusylizzy

Sorry for the prolonged silence! Life has been crazy.

Just dropping in to let you know that the winner of She Wears The Pants (selected by random number generator) is heavenlee76!

Hopefully life will return to ‘normal’ and I’ll have something new to share with you soon…

Square Top (2 ways) from She Wears The Pants

Posted on May 8, 2015 by sewbusylizzy

In complete contrast to my Gathered Blouse with its multitude of construction details, today I have much simpler garment from She Wears The Pants. I thought this garment was an interesting comparison.

The Square Top

The Square Top

This is a linen knit from The Fabric Store in Brisbane, last piece on the roll, purchased when I was in Brissy in March. I loved the vivid colour (there is no such thing as too much blue in my opinion) and had always been curious about how linen knit would work as a garment. As soon as I saw the Square Top, I imagined it in a slightly more textured knit, linen knit seemed the perfect choice…

I had read a bit about mischievous behaviour of linen knit so did some research. Some sites recommend ‘dry clean only’, other sites suggested that this could be carefully washed at home. I have this personal philosophy that any fabric or garment must be subjected to my ‘my lifestyle test’. It’s a rather simple test: if it’s not going to survive my washing machine, it’s probably not going to survive my lifestyle. Fact. There are some exceptions to the rules, evening wear and hand-knitted garments – but most garments will only be in regular rotation if I can easily wash and wear them.

So I washed it in a lingerie bag in my machine, using a gentle cycle, wool wash etc. It shrank and distorted *sad face*. This was followed by a slight panic attack as linen knit is not cheap. Fortunately as it dried it on a rack, I gently coerced it back into shape and all seemed well. Then I didn’t have quite enough fabric… *horrified face* so some of the pieces, armbands and neckbands from memory, are not cut on a grain as directed, rather across it. Given the excessive ease in this top, I’m not losing sleep over it.

Square Top – back view. Due to the view of the rectangle bosy, it drapes into an uneven hemline. A nice change from the ‘high-low front-back’ shape

I didn’t interface the neckband and I really should have – the instructions tell you to. That’s a complete DOH! moment by me #idiot. I thought it might create too much structure in the neckband and I really wanted the top to ‘droop’. That’s been achieved but due to the weight of the fabric, the buttons were distorting the buttonholes at the shoulders so I’ve sewn across the neckband near the shoulders so the buttons are not bearing all the weight of the garment.

I haven’t cut the all buttonholes open along the neckline as I felt it would look messy.

Square Top, worn as a shrug, from She Wears the Pants. I’m just not this cool. Fact.

I rather like this top when you wear it as a shrug. I’m not a massive fan of how it’s worn in the book, the armbands look like you have lost two arms or suffered from a serious wardrobe malfunction while getting dressed.

Square top as a shrug

To achieve this look, I simply left my arms in the armbands and pull the top back over my head. The lower band becomes the outer band of the shrug if that makes sense.

I’m thinking about cutting all the buttonholes as I would love to do them up so the back of the shrug has a neat row of buttons along the back – it’s a rather cool design feature. Then again the peekaboo back is also rather fun if you wear a contrast coloured tank underneath. I suspect I’m a button-up girl.

These photos were taken on a very windy morning and the photos were taken inbetween wind gusts. The back looks a little like a sail!

Square Top as a shrug – back

I find the name ‘Square Top’ rather amusing as the body shape is more of a ginormous rectangle. Maybe if I made it in yellow, I might look like droopy Sponge Bob Square Pants. As yellow isn’t really my colour, we will never know.

Square Top from She Wears the Pants: line art

Seriously, I can’t write much about a massive fabric rectangle with armholes and feature buttons. It’s a fun and easy-to-sew garment. It’s quirky and can be worn a few different ways. It’s fun. Chose your fabric wisely, I think too much slinkiness and could transform into a massive puddle of fabric with buttons weighing it down – too much structure and it becomes rather boxy.

What do you think? Too big?? Too funky?? Versatile??

Pattern: Square Top from She Wears The Pants, from Tuttle Publishing
Fabric: linen knit from The Fabric Store, Brisbane
Also see: Handmade by Carolyn | Top Notch

There’s a giveaway for this book on this post… along with a book review and the Gathered Blouse.

Side view - Square top, She Wears The Pants

Side view – I do like the button feature.

Note: Tuttle Publishing provided this book for preview purposes. All opinions my own. No affiliate links on this post.

Sew Busy Lizzy

she sews by the seashore…