Lucy LUVs RED

The grown-up children still delight in dressing up the dog!  Here is Lucy wearing a red boiled wool jacket,  to keep her warm on this cool winter day!

Electric Blue 6PAC

I am participating in the 6 PAC, a winter collection for me.  Just finished sewing on the buttons this morning and took the dog for a 6km walk down to Terrigal.  It is a bright sunny day about 17c.

  The shirt is The Liberty from The Sewing Workshop.  It is one of favourite patterns!
The pants are the Burda pattern and are a good basic.

                                              Thanks to my DD for taking the photos.

Electric Blue 6PAC

Jacket/cardigan.  (mistake with the stripe matching, purchased more but it was a smaller stripe)  

2x skinny pants

T-shirt and poly for a shirt (maybe use poly for lining in jacket?)

Felted blue wool for a jacket

Winter 6PAC

I am participating in the 6PAC sew along at the Stitchers Guild.    (winter for me)

To me, this is so much easier to get my head around then the SWAP.  I read the post, disappeared to the  sewing room and started arranging fabric in "6pacs".  After a few hours I had about 4 x 6PACs. This is one of the ideas.  There seemed so many new possibilities for fabric/garment selection using the 6PAC idea.

Not too sure what side to use for the jacket.

Pants.  1xskinny  and 1x dress pants

2x T-shirts

Summer 6PAC  thread started by Elizabeth

You are warmly invited to sew along with us for summer!

This thread is based on thinking that began on the Wardrobe and Capsule Planning References thread several years ago, and it has evolved since the first six-piece collection in autumn 2010 (six-piece Autumn Collection turned into 6PAC, hence the abbreviation).  Since that time some things have evolved, and some have stayed constant.  Particularly important in my thinking this year has been the writing of Nancy Nix-Rice on putting together a wardrobe.

The theory:
This sewalong is a guide to producing a BASIC wardrobe for the season you are in (summer in the northern hemisphere).  It starts one month before the season to give you time to plan ahead and have something to wear when it gets hot/cold where you are.  If you have different seasons (dry/rainy etc) you should plan for them.  

The practice:
If you sew steadily at two garments a month you'll have six ready.  The (relatively) slow place is intended to enable you to do other projects as well.  If you sew more slowly, aim for three garments.

For summer, the guidelines are:

1. jacket/cardigan/raincoat etc your best medium or light neutral colour (not too dark for summer, I think)
2.  bottom (trousers/skirt/shorts/skort/whatever) in the same colour
3. t-shirt or blouse in the same colour
[these pieces give you and INNER COLUMN and an OUTER COLUMN of a similar neutral colour - very easy to mix and match with the rest of the wardrobe, if boring to sew -- please see the spring thread for examples as this has been very successful for participants]
4. t-shirt or blouse (underlayer top) in a second neutral -- again, lighter for summer would be my advice
5. bottom in the same colour
[another INNER column]
6. a dress in a LINKING print (ie contains the neutrals together, ideally plus colour)

If you don't wear dresses (although they really are very useful for summer, and for functions, so consider it), you might find it helpful to do 1&2 outer column, medium neutral; 3&4 inner column, light neutral; 5&6 under and overlayer in colour.  



Thanks Elizabeth

 

Pinwale JACKET

Burda 4/2011

I made this double breasted jacket last year from pinwale. It was completed this year and I submitted it with my SWAP garments. I especially love boxy jacket and wore this to The Art Gallery of NSW today.  A lady wanted to know where I had purchased the jacket from, I told her  that it was 'made by me'.

When I make a jacket I cut out :  the traced pattern
                                                  :  the fabric
                                                  :  the interfacing and fuse it
                                                  :   and the lining

Jackets are so much work,  I wish I didn't love them as much.








 

SWAP winners

Collections

I hope that the above is a link to the SWAP2012 collection.

The winner was "Sharon loves her new blue collection"

1st   "ahearta's Mix and Match Minoru
2nd  "Robin's city seperates

Congratulations to the winners and to all SWAPers

SWAP2012 completed

SWAP2012, a set on Flickr.

This is the collection of garments that I submitted for the 2012 Swap.

Giant Preying Mantis

He is approximately 25 cm  (10 inches)  long

The Sewing Workshop Patterns

I decided to purchase The Sewing Workshop Sew Confident Course with 3 Patterns.  Although I have been sewing for a long time I know that often I cut corners.  When I was younger I liked to make 'going' out clothes that I might only wear a few times, (or for that night) and did not always use the best sewing techniques.  Now I want to make fabulous everyday clothes and am revisiting basic sewing techniques.  This course does it for me and I am happy to be doing things differently.

The T-shirt pattern fits really well and I have few more cut out and ready to go.

Two T-Shirts

http://sewingworkshop.com/linda-lee/sew-confident

Dressing Gown

   I purchased the painted silk velvet from Beckford Silk in the UK  and really wanted to use it but was unsure of what to make.  Came across this in Burda 1/2012 .  I am really liking Plus size patterns....is it a sign of my age?  Decided to use the silk rather then hoard it, and had the blue/green for the trims already in my stash.
   This garment was included in my SWAP 2012.

Burda 1/2012

Detail of the silk velvet

Completed Dressing Gown.  

Duster Coat

Duster Coat

    Found this out of print  'Cutting Line' pattern on the Vogue Fabric web site and decided to buy it.  I made it from grey tencel and included it in my SWAP.  I really like the back and the splits but prefer a collar and set in sleeves for my jackets/coats.
    I really like sewing Cutting Line patterns as the way they go together is very different then what I am used to.   No, I doubt if I would sew this pattern again.

Detail of the front

I love the back with the drawstring

This is the true COLOUR

SWAP 2012

http://www.cuttinglinedesigns.com/    I decide to make a few Cutting Line Design patterns up for the Swap.  I have already blogged about the "Blouse Perfect "and "Anything But Ordinary" shirt. Here a few more.  Both patterns went together really well and I love them.  The overshirt is a little big however I like to wear it to the beach.

Shell made from a red linen

                                                                     

Red Linen top

Detail of the front 

GIANT SNAP PRESS

SNAP PRESS

SANTA gave me this! also good for using as a weight to hold steady that slippery fabric.

SWAP2012

Have not been in paid employment since February, and really enjoying not working.  It is great to enjoy your own thoughts and to day dream,   even better to sew and sew and sew....

I have struggled with this SWAP. (and the last one)!  The rules require we select 7 items from the list of clothing types and make 4 of these twice,  11 pieces in total.  The idea is to select classic? TNT (tried and true patterns) that can be used over and over again.

THE DRESS

Burda Magazine 6/2008

 This  fabric was from Chic Fabric at Erina.  It is a synthetic with a metal thread running through it, which gives it a crinkled casual look and is impossible to iron.  I look forward to making this dress again in really nice shiny dark navy silk with gold teeth in the zip!

I got up enough courage to add metal holes and snaps.  I need to show you what Santa gave to me for Xmas .... and industrial snap machine,  makes snap making easy.