So.. scallops. Turns out I should have trusted the feeling I had in my waters: "I'm not so sure how I feel about the general 'scallop' concept..." In the beginning I planned to make the Meringue with a straight hem, but then I made the muslin and I thought they could work for me.. and now I am unsure. The only thing I can say with certainty, at this stage, about the scallops is that they were an absolute pain in the ass to sew, and notching then pressing them was even worse.

It started out well.  I had a big piece of lovely mid-weight wool-blend tweed, with awesome colours (in spite of the opinions of those around me, I maintain that it is lovely), and I imagined that the tweediness would help to balance out the slight naffness of the scallops.

Based on some tweaking I did with my muslin, I graded the waist out by 1.5cm on each side seam using my shiny new french curve. I also did a little sway back adjustment on a whim. I didn't bother checking it on the muslin first because it was really only a very small change; also, if I don't have a sway back then there's something wrong with the definition...

I used a cotton print for my waist facing, really because I love how pretty it is, and it turned out to be a very good move. I hadn't realised, until I started playing around with it, just how itchy the tweed actually is, and it would have been absolute murder having it in direct contact with my belly skin. Unfortunately, the facing in the finished skirt isn't sitting properly at the moment because of a slight oversight to do with the swayback alteration and its lack of transfer to all the pattern pieces, but this is a minor problem, and I'm going to tack it down into submission.

I decided to add a lining too, since I didn't want to get an itchy bum. And also because the lady in the sewing shop told me that "what you've got there is a wide woven, so you need to line it so you don't get a seat". I nodded wisely and agreed.

I followed the tutorial written by Roses on Toast, which was incredibly helpful. In spite of its helpfulness, the lining addition added many hours more work to my project. Mainly, I think, because even though I read the instructions, I am somehow incapable of actually comprehending them until I sew something incorrectly (thinking that I am following the instructions), realise something is not quite right, and then read the instructions again only to discover that something is definitely not right.  I accidentally sewed up the wrong side of the lining (not the fault of the tutorial). I also faffed up the zipper insertion. Twice. I'm the absolute shit with the unpicker now, even if my other skills aren't evolving as fast.

Anyway. The only problem, apart from the fact that I got sick of reading instructions and decided to finish the zipper off in my ..own way (resulting in a very sore finger from too much hand sewing).. is that I'm not convinced the damn thing actually fits properly. I mean, I made a muslin, so seriously...WTF?



Rob says: "Well, I didn't really like the fabric to begin with..."
Kate says: "Is it too tight? Or ..maybe.. is it too loose?"
Susan says: "I can see why he didn't like the fabric."

Ellie says: Maybe I can cut the scallops off. Although, having mulled it over for a while, I don't mind the scallops. I can live with the scallops. But the weird bunching between the waist darts?? I don't even know where it came from, and I definitely do not know how to remedy it.

Seeing as this is a relatively heavy-weight fabric anyway, I'm going to put this one away for a while and revisit it once the weather is cooler. Perhaps the skirt and I just need a break for now.

I am sew* determined to have this skirt fit properly. Too many pencil-type skirts currently sit in the bottom of my drawer because they bunch up, ride up, twist up, etc. The worst are the ones that fold up as you're wearing them, giving rise to a flap in a most unforgiving place (I like to think of it as 'the vagina line')...

I learned from Sew Colette that the vagina line horizontal wrinkles come about because there is not enough ease, and so, accordingly, strain is placed on the fabric. In layman's terms: girl, you tooooooo chubby.

I cut a straight size 12 for my muslin. And well, I'd like to say it's just because I'm bloated and hormonal, but it is too tight around the waist and there are wrinkles all over the shop. Exacerbated, I think, because I'm using a very flimsy poly-pop and it lacks the structure to deal adequately with my structure. Oh and obvs, also because I am extremely puffed up at the moment (thank you oestrogen and white rice).



I think that just adding a centimetre-or-so to each side seam should fix it, but I will test first by fiddling with the seam allowances on the muslin. I am fairly happy with where the darts are sitting at the moment too, so I will need to check that adjusting the sides won't have dire consequences dart-wise.

I'm going to add 3cm to the length as well, since when I make the real version of Meringue, it will be a work skirt. With 3cm added to the pattern, it should sit pretty much exactly where it is without the hem or waist facings sewn...right?


*Boom ching!

Christmas. I spent too much money, and too much time with my mother. Sorry Jenny... No repeat of last year's Royal Doulton incident... I'm sure that's probably a good thing (for my mental well-being), but I was quite looking forward to seeing what other things were going to make their way back to us this year...

♥ Clockwise from top left: Cath Kidston's Sew! for the making of lovely objects ♥ L'Occitane 4 Reines...mmn so delicious, from my love, because he knew how much I liked it ♥ Benji the sausage dog from my wonderful friend Susan, who knows how much I love both dogs and brooches ♥ Kikki K wooden pegs and heart clips to organise my stuffs (and I am actually using them at the moment to hold bits of pattern pieces/instructions together while I'm sewing.. as well as an awesome stamp. I am loving stamps, even if I am lacking in objects that require stamping... ♥ Poppi glass candle holder (I was told that I couldn't have any more candle holders or tea cups, but there was no mention of what happens when they are given to me by other people!!) ♥

Instead of regifted* and confusing presents, this year I guess I will just have to make do with things that are whimsical and lovely. Pffft. There's always my birthday..


*Is it counted as regifting when the object in question was originally in the possession of the giftee? Or is it complicated by the fact that it wasn't technically owned by the giftee in the first instance, and rather, the original owner has been bypassed? I mean... the Royal Doulton was going to be ours one day anyway, but it was Mum's, and then it was removed from its original paper wrappings in the cupboard, then passed down to us (well... half of it), and she's not dead yet. These are trying questions indeed. 

As a beginner sewist, I've come to realise very quickly that although I am quite adventurous, it is easy to become disheartened when things don't turn out quite right.

My experience with the bodice of Vogue 8667 is a testament to that.. I was almost ready to pack it in as frustrations mounted last weekend. It didn't matter how many times I read the instructions, or how slowly I read them out loud to myself whilst holding and rearranging the pattern pieces, I just couldn't figure out when the damn neckline and armhole was to be machine stitched. It almost drove me batty.

So many times, it's just a matter of ripping out a seam and re-sewing, but increasingly lately I find myself thinking, "if only someone else was here to talk me through it!" Things are never so frustrating when you have someone to share with. I'm finding the same when it comes to fit: although I have read the tutorials, and spoken to the lovely ladies at the fabric shop, until I sit down with someone and actually have them help me alter a pattern or muslin, I don't think it will really make sense (in fact, I am looking and looking for a class that's held on the weekend where I can learn how to alter a commercial pattern properly and fit a muslin).

Enter the sew-along!

A Sew-Along is like a long-distance sewing meet-up. Like when two friends who live in different cities go see the same movie separately together, and then call each other to talk about it afterwards. It’s like that, but for sewing!

I like the sound of it. I like it very much. 

For Christmas, I requested received from my beloved, the wonderful Colette Sewing Handbook. I had my eye on it not only because I really love the tutorials written by the team at Coletterie, but because it also includes 5 Colette patterns, and I'm alllll about adding to my stash.

I really want to work through the patterns in the book, and sew them properly. That includes getting the fit right, and working on my seam finishes etc. The only problem has been my apprehension that the pursuit of 'doing it properly' might actually end up with me dumping the whole thing in the too-hard basket. And so... it was just perfect timing when, with Vogue 8667 on temporary hiatus, I saw on Coletterie that there is to be a sew-along, working through each of the patterns in the book!

Enter "Sew Colette"- starting with the Meringue skirt. I am a little late making my start, but last night I traced out my pattern pieces, and today is muslin day.
I can tell already that I will be making some alterations to get a good fit on the hips, and lengthening the skirt a bit so I can use it for work. I cut a size 12 pattern, but that was so it fits on the waist (I am rectangular...), and consequently the hip measurement is going to be too big, I think.

I will post some more pictures once I get to muslin stage and start tweaking.

Last weekend I chained myself to my sewing machine hoping to finish, in time for work on Monday, version B of Vogue 8667. The plan was going well, a few mishaps not withstanding (I spent almost an hour trying to figure out how the **** I was supposed to turn the bodice/lining piece right side out, until I realised that too many seams were basted, and I was actually attempting something physically impossible...), but then I came unstuck by my lack of an invisible zipper foot, and also my lack of an invisible zipper.



*Obviously, I am currently taking suggestions for terrible sewing puns...please feel free to weigh in

My wonderful friend Angie was recently in town for what can only be described as the wedding of the century... the phrases, "you ruined my wedding," and "you're not my sister, I never want to speak to you again" were thrown about with abandon (although, "make yourself useful and get me something to eat," rates as my particular favourite).

I'm not sure if all of happened before, or after, the bride arrived in a helicopter, but either way, it sounds like fun.

I have known Angie for a long time:

I think it's fair to say that Angie rates as one of my bestest friends. She's been with me through fat and through thin (me fat, her thin). Through mad, and medicated, and too many episodes of Australian Idol when we were "studying" for uni exams, she's been there. Ange, remember when we joined someone's funeral cortege driving home from school?? This is why you are my friend and I miss you!

Even though she has now thrown us all away for love, and is busy earning minimum wage in Italy, Angie, I still love you. You saw what I did there right??

For Christmas this year I made her a little bag from some awesome patterned cotton that I bought in Canberra over my holiday break. It is based on an idea from Cath Kidston's Sew!, which I got as Christmas present. Isn't is nice when a gift keeps on giving!
My secret about this fabric: it was actually, in it's former life, a tea towel!

There is a very slight possibility that I own too much..stuff. I am a collector. A hoarder. A lover of things. Especially little tiny cute things. As a a general rule, I am rather untidy because I like to be able to see all my things at a given time. How, after all, do I know that I would like to wear my dachshund brooch when it is tucked away in a box and I cannot remember that I own it??

Earrings and necklaces are no problem, as they are stored safely on my duck-egg blue treeling, but at Christmas, when I found myself in possession of 3 new pins/brooches (more on that to come), I realised that my current brooch storage algorithm ('on the hallway table') was somewhat outmoded.

An idea sprouted....

Brooch board for the storage of ephemera

Step 1. You must start with some nice fabrics. Preferably with small animals printed on them. You also need a piece of styrofoam as big as you would like your finished board to be. In the post-Christmas period, this is easier to come by that you might think...Cut some patches of the fabric, making them big enough to accommodate both a small seam allowance (I used a quarter inch allowance to sew my pieces together), and about a 5cm overhang to fold over the edges. Alternatively, you could use a single piece of fabric which is as big as the piece of foam, plus the 5cm overhang.

Step 2. Sew the patches together to make a single piece of fabric. I had 4 patches and sewed them horizontally first, to make 2 bigger pieces. Then vertically, to make one single big piece. Allow to be illustrate my shitty instructions pictorially...




Step 2b. Make sure to iron the seams flat, and ensure that when you are sewing over them that you sew them open, rather than letting them bunch up.

Step 3. Stretch the fabric out over the piece of foam then fold the edges over to the back. Glue them down with hot glue. I love hot glue guns, pow pow pow.
Then artistically place some ribbon criss-crossed over the front. Pin it in place on the front, then glue it on the back. At this point, I took a piece of hard plastic that I had from a photo frame, and stuck it on the back to cover up all my glue and rough edges. You could use cardboard or something (my piece of foam was cut to the size of the plastic).

Stick it on the wall with some 3M strips, then stick it full of brooches and pins.


Marvel as your beloved stops complaining that it's impossible to find the mail amongst the shit on the table, and thank me later. x

With sewing machine in hand, and a great deal of misplaced optimism, I am on a roll.

Safe in the knowledge that I did once successfully sew a stuffed animal, and was the teacher's pet in my year 7 Cottage Crafts class (loser..and not as ashamed now as I was then...), I am now the proud owner of a stack of patterns, an even bigger stack of fabric, and am trying not to let my vanity get the best of me when matching my measurements up to the dress-pattern sizing. That shit is just depressing.

In the face of my impending doom new year's resolution, and having spent the last week racking up an enormous debt on my credit card purchasing clothes which, from now on I will not be purchasing, I brought in the new year wearing my first attempt at a dress: Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity 2215.


I did have a slight sizing snafu:  although I cut true to size, and even graded up at the waist (since I am block shaped, rather than normal shaped), the dress was majorly over-sized when sewn, and I ended up taking about 3 inches off the bodice and the waist, which then effed up the way the zip was sewn in.. Lesson learned.

I've also cut a skirt from this pattern, but made it when I hadn't yet sized the dress properly, so also ended up taking about 2 inches out (it's still too big). Lesson learned again. The skirt was easier to re-size on the go though since the zip didn't have to be finangled into a bodice. I also fudged the zip insertion itself because the pattern calls for an invisible zipper and I don't have an invisible zipper foot. Another thing to add to the list....

I'm thinking that this would be a good work skirt in a workish type fabric. I don't usually go sleeveless at work, but the neckline sits very high so it's not like there's much flesh on show (especially when I'm wearing my stupid white "I'm a medical professional" coat over the top). Thoughts please??

Here's the thing...

You cannot go wrong if the plant already has flowers/berries on it at time of purchase!

Two strawberries! Two strawberries I have grown and eaten! This has been my most successful strawberry endeavour yet, and it was so easy because I made sure to buy a plant with two berries already on it.

That really is all there is to it! And now, when the plant dies (by my reckoning, since it's been going ok for about a month, it can surely only have a week left), it won't be a failure because.. you know... the season is almost over...