I’ve kinda loved being a Pitt Trading brand rep these past few months. I’m a massive fan of the variety and prices at Pitt Trading and never leave the shop uninspired. This fabric leapt out at me during my last visit. It’s a poly print fabric, that doesn’t look or feel like poly. I know many people are natural fabric devotees, but I like having some easy wear and care items in my wardrobe that I can throw on when I have one of those hectic mornings before work.

This folksy, printed fabric had a little sheen to it, so I really wanted to dress it down so that I could feel comfortable wearing it to work.

As I didn’t have a pattern that worked with my vision, I hacked an existing Simplicity pattern from my stash – Simplicty 1801, view C, which is a Cynthia Rowley pattern. The last time I made this dress I used silk chiffon – devil fabric! I get a laugh reading my old posts. I also remember how stretched money was back then, hence the dollar value for each item. LOL!

To make this dress, I used the bodice from the pattern as a base, but extended it to my  natural waist, so that I could omit that thick, shaped waist band. I pretty much cut the skirt shape as drafted, but only to midi size, then added a ruffle.

To ensure the dress looked casual, I added waist ties to give the dress shape at the waist. These are tied at the sides, just because.

I really dig this dress and know that it will get a lot of wear during Spring. I find I wear maxi skirts and dresses quite often in Spring. They perfectly accomodate cooler mornings and warmer afternoons.

I seem to be drawn to apron style dresses and The Assembly Line Apron Dress, had an appealing aesthetic with clean, simple lines, that I simply couldn’t resist.

I purchased a size small pattern, based primarily on my waist measurement which is 29 inches. I figured the bust and hip measurements weren’t as important as the dress is not overly fitted. I guess the sizing of the pattern is mostly accurate, but my finished dress is a tad big on me. I assumed that I could adjust the two buttons on the back to accomodate any minor sizing adjustments needed, but think after wearing this to school for a day, that I might actually add a couple of small darts above the pockets to fix the waist sizing.

The apron dress, and all Assembly Line patterns carry a premium price tag and are single size, which makes the $$ a little more painful. This is the second most expensive sewing pattern I have ever purchased (surpassed only by my Vintage Vogue, Christian Dior coat pattern), so I’m hoping a few more will roll off my machine in the coming months. Despite the size being a tad big (which I guess is normal), I really like the style lines for the skirt and pockets, and the straps angle nicely. The instructions have you attach the front straps last, by simply tacking them to the back of the facing and adjusting to fit, but I sewed them into the facing to achieve a cleaner finish.

This photo best shows why I need to shape the dress a little more for my next version. I look HUGE! I really like this dress, but will definitely tweak this fit with my next version.

The fabric for this dress was purchased from Pitt Trading, using my Brand Rep allocation for July (I also purchased some stretch velvet at the same time and totally destroyed it – ugh!! I still fail with sewing projects!!). I was specifically looking for a mid weight, textured fabric in black, and this fabric worked a treat. It was actually one of their sale items at the time, and cost less that $10 per meter.

For my next version, I may even try using some linen and perhaps wear it with a tank for warmer weather.

The top in these pictures is also a new make. I really loved the look of the cuffed top pattern from The Assembly Line, but just couldn’t bring myself to part with the $$ for it. I fudged this together using the Bento Top pattern, which I’ve used before, adding length to the sleeves to sew an elastic cuff. I also slightly raised the neckline, so that it became more of a crew neck.

I really love this top as a stand alone item. It looks great with jeans and a number of other items in my wardrobe. The fabric for the top was a lucky find from Spotlight. It is a t-shirt weight cotton blend knit with a clip-dot texture. It sewed a dream and washes nicely. I just hope it lasts, but I get the feeling that it will get chewed in my washing machine quite quickly.

This last picture, shows my styling for the cold! Ha ha! Sydney cold! Not world cold 🙂

 

I’ve decided to keep this blog chugging along, but will be playing catch up with a  few finished items from earlier this year. 

The first, is this Peppermint Jumpsuit – the free pattern by Emma from In the Folds, published by Peppermint magazine.

This was my first version of the jumpsuit and I loved it so much I made a second, which I blogged earlier as a Pitt Trading brand rep.

I wore this outfit, as pictured, to a friends 40th. This jumpsuit was made with a drapey rayon/viscose type mystery blend fabric, that I purchased from The Remnant Warehouse. I wanted something cheaper for my first jumpsuit, and a fabric that wouldn’t cling too much to my skin. This fabric also has a slight sheen to the fabric which made it perfect for night wear.

The main change that I made to the pattern was to slim the side seams quite heavily, as it was a little too wide for my frame. The fit when finished, while relaxed, worked well on the night, and I like that I could eat or drink whatever I liked in comfort 🙂
I will be back this coming week with some more catch up posts to keep this space active.

These pics have been sitting around for a while and I need to post them. Earlier this year on Insta, I added the True Bias Lander pants to my ‘Make 9′ for 2018. I think this is only my second make from this grid and I really don’t foresee another being made, so I feel compelled to show them.

For this blog post, I’ve mashed the Landers with four new tops. Three are good, one is in the bin. I want you to think about this during the post and see if you can guess the wadder. 🙂

To start with, the Lander pants are ace. They fit really well straight off the pattern. I am not a fan of straight waist bands, but on the Landers, it works well. The curve, the leg, the rise – they are all really well drafted and fit.

I did make a few mods, but they were only to bring the pattern into my style. I know these pants are black and the detail might not be hugely obvious, but the main change was to omit those big mutton chop pockets. They just aren’t my style. I am seeing them more and more, but I don’t know about them. Instead, I just sewed regular ‘jean/trouser’ style curved pockets.

The other key change I made was to insert a fly front. I just drafted it myself and sewed it together, but there is a zipper expansion sewing pattern add on available if you want to do this. I’m not a big fan of button flies. Never have been.

This fabric is a true black denim from the fabric store. I was really excited to find this fabric, but now that they have been washed and worn a few times, I’ve realised they are more like a moleskin in texture. I don’t love the fabric and I guess that’s why I wear my persephone pants more.

Now the tops. The first is this self drafted, cropped tank (pictured above) made with poly scuba knit from Spotty. It was on sale. It was cheap. I needed very little…. but as it was a lazy fudge together top, there was a fair bit of refitting to make it work. It works though. I have made further modifications to the back neck since these photos and it’s fitting even better.

The second top is the Munroe turtleneck tee from Tessuti.

This is a freebie pattern and I like it. To trial the pattern I made it up in this cheap cotton knit from Spotty. My only gripe with this version, is I hemmed it too short, which doesn’t help with staying warm or wearing with regular low waisted jeans.

The next top is New Look 6107 in a rayon with flying geese from Spotlight. I have been holding on to this pattern for years, almost since it was released, but it never got a start. When I made my ‘Make 9’ on Insta earlier this year, it included the Nellie shirt pattern by Republic De Chiffon. Buuuutttttt…. I’m a tight wad 🙂 and buying a new pattern, a french indie pattern at premium $$, wasn’t feeling right. I thought this New Look one would work, but modified it to use regular buttons holes, rather than loops.

Unfortunately, it finished a little too low cut to be suitable for work wear. So I sewed a large flat pleat along the back neckline to raise the v neck. It mostly worked 🙂

Lastly, is my Kmart fix. I rarely buy any RTW clothes, but it appears I am not immune to the pull of cheap Kmart clothes.

Again, the neckline of this poly top was far too low to be appropriate for any wear. To fix it I sewed a large tuck in the centre front and stay stitched it to one side.

It works amazingly well and I hate to say that I receive heaps of compliments when I wear this top – Why??

So which garment is a complete wadder??

Well the New Look top is unwearable. I tried and tried to fix it, but it is now in the bin. boo!

We all still have fails!

Happy sewing!