I’m joining in with Rochelle’s #MakeNine challenge again for 2019. I really enjoyed having goals to meet last year and managed to make seven out of the nine. Having a plan to work along to really works for my organized little brain. As you can see above, I’ve chosen a mix of patterns for both Rosie & I. Last year I chose a few patterns that were PDF patterns and this year, I’ve chosen patterns from my physical stash instead. I’m really looking forward to following everyone else’s Make Nine challenges too. Let me know if you are doing the challenge and drop your link in the comments!
When I made my #2018makenine plans earlier on in the year, they contained baby clothes.Yep, that’s right…baby clothes for my baby.Quite often I still think that it’s crazy that I’ve got the opportunity to make clothes for MY baby.Well, Rosie is now 8 months old and apart from a couple of accessories, I’ve actually only made 2 clothing items for her.We were given the Simplicity 8304 Baby Gear pattern as a gift and I loved the little dresses so much.I decided that this would be my first venture into sewing for Rosie!
Back at the start of November 2015 I started this dress. It was supposed to be my final make for the 2015 vintage pledge but I couldn’t quite get it finished in time!
It took me a while to get everything done with it. It was one of those projects where I would make a small amount of progress and then set it to one side. In December I made a good amount of progress but then it got put to one side again. So finally, at the very start of January 2016 I actually managed to get the dress finished!
The dress I decided to make was a combination of view 2 and 3; a sleeveless above the knee dress. The front had a curved seam beneath the bust, which had a bust dart at either end. The large front panel was made up from 2 separate panels joined in the centre. All front seams were topstitched.
The pattern pieces included in this envelope were not matching and they had been not cut very well at all. So when I came to attach the shoulder seams together, one was considerably larger than the other so I did need to trim the larger one to match the smaller. I then found that the facing pieces included in the envelope belonged to a different dress completely! Facings were abandoned and I chose a grey binding from my stash to finish the edges of the neck and arms. I think I just need to add a hook & eye closure to ensure the top of the zip is a little closer together.
My favourite part of this dress is the belt which adds detail to the back. I love how the white buttons really make the belt stand out. 🙂
Would I make it again? Probably not. I don’t really think that this is a flattering style on me, especially as it’s a tad too tight around the tummy area! I may change my mind when I lose a little weight, otherwise this will be an ‘around the house’ dress. 🙂
I received the Gertie Sews Vintage Casual book for Christmas last year. I’ve often picked it up and browsed the pages, but I’ve always put it back down again. I think I was a little scared as I originally thought the instructions were a little vague and the instructional pictures didn’t show ‘real’ fabric! I had talked myself into getting a little more sewing experience before making anything out of the book.
The Cynthia Rowley 1873 was one of my target makes for June. I set up a little Facebook group for a few other bloggers who also wanted to sew this garment and it was great to sew along with them. Sharing fabric ideas, progress and sewing tips was lovely to do and it was nice to be able to share certain things before actually writing the proper blog post.
A couple of weeks ago, I made this top – the Simplicity 1810. I will be honest. I have only worn it once since making it and I wasn’t that pleased with it. I always feel that garments need to be worn out of the house (not just for photos either!) for me to get a good feel for them. Is it comfy? Would I wear it again? Do I need to make any changes? I went shopping in the black top and then nipped to the food market and I just found that it wasn’t right. I think the main thing was that it was too hot for 30°C heat with it being quite a tight woven fabric. The length was questioned again as I kept pulling at it all the time, and the neckline was too stiff due to the interfacing. Hhhmmpphh! I’m not throwing the towel in straight away though…I am going to shorten it and save it until the weather is cooler!
Anyway, less about the old…more about the new. I decided to make the longer sleeveless 1810 and chose a light fabric with a swirly border print. I do really like the construction of this pattern. There aren’t many steps and it comes together really quickly. I think it took me an afternoon to make but I had already cut it out the week before.
