Slight sidetrack...Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along

I know I'm meant to be focusing on the bridesmaid frock right now, but I just stumbled across this fabulous new sew along courtesty of two fabulous bloggers: A Few Threads Loose and Ohhh Lulu.

It's a sew along that includes two absolutely gorgeous vintage French lingerie items, a garter belt and a corsolet bra. I'm seriously tempted to get in on this as the garter belt in particular looks divine. The patterns are by Anna Depew and you can see both these and many more of her lovely patterns at her Etsy store - Mrs. Depew Vintage.

Pattern from Mrs. Depew Vintage

Pattern from Mrs. Depew Vintage

For information about the sew-along and a give away (if you're really quick!), check out A Few Threads Loose and Ohhh Lulu.

Butterick B6582: Full Skirted Floral Frock

 A while ago I saw this gorgeous Jerry Gilden dress on Couture Allure:

While this particular dress was beyond my reach, I put it in my inspiration file. A little later I came across this fabric and immediately thought of the dress. 

I wanted to make a similar style dress and was keeping my eye out for suitable patterns. Then I realised I had an excellent candidate already in my stash. Remember Butterick B6582? I made the straight skirted "screen sirens" version last year. The pattern includes a full skirted version as well. 

Since I'm already familiar with the pattern and the bodice fit quite well with minimal alterations, it seems a good choice for my next frock project. After the Crepe dress that needed so many muslin changes and the fabric that was a nightmare to work with, I'm looking forward to something a bit more straightforward.

And I have strong motivation to make this dress. My best friend is getting married in May and I will be her maid of honour. It's a nice simple ceremony so I've been spared the usual horror of bridal party wear. I'd like to have a new dress to wear and having a rough idea of what the bride will be wearing, I think a full skirted vintage style frock would be quite appropriate. And it will give me a chance to finally have something I can wear my very frilly petticoat with.

2011 was the Year of Knitting

 I really am a terrible blogger. Somehow I've managed to completely fail to mention all the knitting I've been doing.

When we moved to Melbourne, I started working as a consultant and was fortunate enough to have a terrific mentor who has been coaching me along the way and providing fabulous professional support. She's also a seamstress, knitter, quilter, textile designer, and lover of vintage. She loves knitting and when she found out that I couldn't knit she decided to teach me. It was ideal for me as I was finding it difficult to sew with fibromyalgia and my usual "couch in front of the TV" embroidery was proving too much for my hands. Knitting was a good fit.

My First Scarf
My first project was a scarf. My mentor gave me a pair of needles and four balls of yarn. The first couple of rows were a bit dodgy as I was learning tension and the art of ending the row with as many stitches as you started. Eventually though the scarf was just a long rectangle in stocking stitch which I finished in early 2011. It's nothing fancy, but it certainly got plenty of wear during my first Melbourne winter!

Once I got the hang of the basics, I was off and definitely bitten by the knitting bug. It was great to have projects that I could pick up and put down whenever I liked. I started having multiple projects on the go, some that I needed to pay attention to in order to follow the pattern and others that I could do without looking.

Red Knitted Slippers
My first project that involved something other than a straight rectangle was a pair of knitted slippers. These slippers are two pieces - a sole and an upper - worked in moss stitch using bamboo/cotton yarn. This was my first attempt at following a pattern than involved increasing and decreasing. I think they turned out pretty well. They were a little large for me, so I threaded some plaited natural yarn around the top as a drawstring to help keep them on my feet. They're nice and warm and look very cute :)

Escheresque's Birthday Rib Scarf
I soon figured out that I could knit all manner of things, not just for myself, but for friends and family. The first piece of "knitting for someone else", was a scarf I made for my good friend Escheresque. It was a rib pattern, worked in a lovely muted green yarn made of soy protein of all things. The rib pattern had some mathematical significance. Escheresque has a love of mathematics and the scarf was X* stitches long and the rib pattern alternated Y/Z*. Unfortunately I was so happy I finished it (rather belatedly as a birthday present), that I posted it before I took any photos. I will have to ask Escheresque to take some photos for me.
*Where X = Escheresque's age and Y/Z = Escheresque's birthday day and month

Mum's Birthday Infinity Scarf

This was one of those projects where I spotted the yarn first and immediately thought "Mum would love those colours". I'd remembered my Mum  had commented that she liked scarves in winter, but as a teacher found they often came undone and got caught on things while she was working with the kids. I'd seen a couple of infinity scarves around Melbourne and knew they were simply a scarf that is joined at the ends to form a big loop. The infinity scarf I made for Mum's birthday was a straight stocking stitch worked in a wool/acrylic blend yarn that had lovely purple, blue, green graduated tones. I bought a brooch made from a large button to go with it. I also made a little instruction sheet for Mum showing some of the different ways the infinity scarf can be worn.

  

Dr Krystal's Birthday Beanie with Flower Brooch

My fabulous birthday twin, Dr Krystal, was the recipient of my first attempt at head wear. The beanie was made from Patons Wilderness yarn (Wool/Acrylic/Viscose) in a muted mauve/purple colour. The pattern was the one that came on the yarn label. It's a simple stocking stitch beanie with a wide rib turned up edge. I felt it looked a bit plain, so I decide to make a brooch to go with it. I knitted a strip in the same yarn, pulled it into circular ruffle/flower, and sewed a button in the centre. The back was a circle of felt sewed onto the back of the flower with a brooch finding sewed to the felt. Added to the beanie, it definitely lifted the overall look. The last finishing touch was to sew a label to the inside of the beanie. I found a couple of packets of labels at Spotlight in their discount bin. The one I picked for the beanie says "Especially for you by me". The project was completed at the end of 2011 and gifted in January 2012 :)

So that was 2011 - The Year of Knitting! There will continue to be more knitting in 2012. After having made a series of gifts for friends and family, I'm currently back to knitting some things for myself. This year I plan to tackle knitting garments and venture into the sweater and cardigan territory. Maybe even dabble in some vintage knitting patterns. Most of all, I plan to actually blog about them as they are completed.

Sewing projects for 2012

Last year I didn't really make any sewing plans. This year I've decided that it would be useful to make a list of things that I'd like to make. I'm hoping it will give me a bit of focus when I find myself stuck for a project. I've also started trying to line up patterns with fabric I currently have in my stash.

 

The following isn't in any particular order, just how they happened to come out of my head. I keep the list in Evernote, which I've found is vey handy for organising, well everything! It means I can keep adding to the list as ideas come up and also remind me of what projects I want to do when I'm out and about looking at potential materials.

 

Sewing projects - clothing

• Full skirted version of Butterick B6582 in white with black floral print linen, for a wedding in May
• Jacket/cape from Burdastyle 8/2009, possibly from the dark green wool reclaimed from an SCA frock
• Slip from black cherry print satin using Ruby Slip pattern
• French knickers. From this pattern. First try with cheap satin, then if works use black cherry print silk satin
• Pajama shorts - soft cotton or linen, for summer
• Pair of linen pants from Colette Clover pattern
• Colette Parfait dress - possibly in black with white polka dot fabric
• Simplicity 2261 - Pair of casual 3/4 pants

Refashions

• Refashion bamboo pleated tops
• Refashion vintage navy and white dress
• Refashion second hand black and white houndstooth dress to a vintage style pattern 
• Replace buttons on red trench coat with something more interesting

Craft, non-clothing sewing

• Dog coats for the Lost Dogs Home. Pattern from Stitches magazine. Aim to make from recycled materials. Second hand polar fleece from jackets/blankets. Secondhand weatherproof material from umbrellas, rain coats. 
• Lavender sachets. I cut a large bunch of lavender from a neighbours garden end of last year and dried it. I've got it stored in an airtight container with desiccant sachets, so it should still be okay. Would like to make little lavender sachets to give as gifts.
• Banana lounge cover. Light padding. Probably something similar to an ironing board cover that can slip over the whole lounge and then be tightened with drawstrings or elastic. Or like a pillow slip where you have sleeves that slip over both ends and then opening the lounge out pulls the fabric taut. Have seen some terry towelling ones for sale in Spotlight, but would like something nicer.
• Dog treat bag that attaches to belt or harness with drawstring closure. Needs to be easy to open with one hand to fish out treats, but close tight enough to keep out prying noses. Will be "lab" tested as a matter if course :)
• Knitting needle case - like a pencil roll, to keep my growing collection of needles organised.
• Gardening apron based on my red Japanese apron, but with waist belt and more pockets. 
• Refashion domestic goddess apron
• Hand towels with loop at top for the kitchen, made from recycled towels
• Knitting project bags, with pockets for needles, yarn, and pattern. Could have Rigid panel with plastic sleeve to insert the patten (to be viewed from the outside of the bag). That way you could see which project is in the bag and also prop the pattern up to read while knitting. Needle pocket could run along the long side of pattern sleeve. Maybe a small internal pocket for small scissors, tapestry needles etc.. Small drawstring bags to contain working yarn to keep it clean but still allow it to come out easily. Project bag to have zippered closure to prevent things falling out. Should be large enough to fit a book if necessary. 
• Reusable bags using the black and white bag design (rolls up and is fastened with a snap). Use recycled fabrics that are light weight but sturdy. 
• Covers for Aussie farmers direct boxes to make them look a bit nicer for storage.

Knitting

• Andes shrug, in black wool (started)
• Rug from recycled t-shirt fabric
• Owl sweater
• Escargot cloche hat
• Tea cozy, haven't pick a design yet
• Possible yarn bombing