named patterns alexandria peg legs - two ways (+ giveaway winner call out)

when named patterns released their ticket collection for SS15 i was drawn to most of the patterns, but particularly the alexandria peg leg trousers and the inari tee dress.  i've made two inari tee dresses and both have been duds, but i'm determined to try and make it work.  luckily the peg leg trousers were a winner pretty much straight up.

for my first pair i made a size 40 which is the size that most closely matches my measurements.  the result was more lounge pants than peg leg.  so for this version made from a cotton from the fabric store i sized down to size 38.  i made no alterations other than to increase the width of the waist band to accommodate 3cm wide elastic instead of the 2.5cm that the pattern calls for as my local fabric store only had 3cm wide elastic. i also omitted the drawstring.

the pattern instructions are easy to follow and the pants came together easily.  here's a close up of the fabric as it is hard to photograph from a distance.

i made another simplicity 1366 to wear with the pants.  i have been wanting a black one for ages and made this up in a bargain ponte from fabric.com that actually has a sparkly silver leopard print on the right side, which is on the inside of this top.

   

these pants are so comfy (more work gear that are really secret pjs - side cheers) i decided i needed multiple pairs so i also made them up in a light weight dark chambray from joys fabric warehouse in geelong. these ones are really comfy and perfect for casual or more dressy wear.

i also got two set on this pair and made a maria denmark kimono tee from a spotlight knit, my previous kimono tees can be seen here.  simplicity 1366 and the kimono tee are definitely my go to summer tops. they make up very quickly and i like the lines of both designs.

i've been making shorts lately - hopefully i will blog them soon, but really do want to get back onto that inari...

finally, a shout out to deadlycraft who won my giveaway - apologies i should have included 'giveaway winner in my last post title.  i've been keeping an eye on my junk mail but haven't seen a message from you.  please resend or email me and let me know in the comments so i know to check my junk mail.


emma

simplicity 1366 - cheap whales

happy new year - it's another simplicity 1366! my others are here, here and here. i really like the style of this pattern and how easily it comes together.

i got this whale fabric at darn cheap fabrics at a blogger meet up in melbourne just before christmas. i had seen the white colour way in the dcf online shop previously and although i kind of liked it i couldn't imagine what i would make with it.

at the dcf store they had the mint green colour way with a photograph of a designer whale tee - i really should have paid more attention though as i can't remember who the designer was.  i figured i should be able to get a short sleeved tee out of 80cm, so for the sake of $13 i should give it a go.

i'm really happy with how it turned out, but realise that whales won't be everyones cup of tea!

the dcf website says that the white colour way is a knit fabric with stretch. however the mint green colour way that i purchased has no stretch.  to accommodate this and ensure that the back sat nicely i made a high low hem line (future ernest notes: add 2 1/4" to back and 1.5" to front to make high low hem line).

i originally planned to add binding to the neckline and sleeve hems using some left over royal blue ponte, like the inspiration photo in the dcf store.  when cutting though i forgot i was going to change the neckline from boat to something more circular so i could use binding. in the end i just left it plain and used the blue ponte to bind the neckline instead.

for the neckline binding i use a single strip of ponte (rather than doubled as per the instructions) to save on bulk.  i cut the strip using a rotary cutter so the finish is pretty good even though it has an exposed raw edge visible in the above and below photos.

yes there are still more 1366ers coming!


emma

darn cheap fabrics seasonal challenge - spring 2014 (+ giveaway winner)

in august i took a trip to melbourne and went to lunch, drinks and fabric shopping with a bunch of melbourne bloggers.  i got to meet lara from thornberry. i've always admired lara's style, envied her output, but best of all we both share a love for darn cheap fabrics.  even though lara lives in melbourne and i live in sydney and we have always shopped at dcf separately we have actually bought quite of few of the same fabrics in the past.

lara kindly bought and posted me some fabric from dcf that wasn't available online after we both liked the fabric on instagram.  when talking over email about this purchase i asked lara if she would like to do a dcf seasonal challenge, where each season we collectively choose a fabric, make it into whatever we want and then post on our blogs.

so here's our first challenge - spring 2014.  lara bought the fabric as i haven't been down to melbourne for a few months.  the plan was for lara to take a few pictures of fabrics she liked, sms them to me and we would choose the challenge fabric.  unfortunately lara's phone battery went flat at dcf (i totally know the feeling - it happened to me when i was looking at some merino for kirsty one time) so lara chose the fabric and i decided to wait til it arrived in the post to find out what it was.

lara chose 2 fabrics, but i decided to go with the knit and make a matching top (simplicity 1366) and skirt (new look 6228) both of which i have made before here and here. am sure lara will have better details on the exact fabric type/content on her post - she has great fabric knowledge, needless to say i love her selection.

there is not much to add about construction and fit for these versions.  i made an 8 in the top, added 2 1/4" to the length and shortened the sleeves the same as my previous version.  i made the skirt with 1 piece for the front and 1 piece for the back, rather than cutting it in panels, as per the pattern.  to do this i cut out the panels using an old sheet, sewed them together so i had 1 piece for the front and 1 piece for the back and then used this as my pattern.  i also added 4 1/2 inches to the length.  

i'm pretty happy with how it turned out, the one thing i am a bit disappointed with is the way the top pools near the hem at the back - you can kind of see it in the photo above left. none of my other versions have done this, but they are made from heavier knits.

i am planning on wearing the skirt and top together at times, but will also get a lot of wear from the pieces as separates too. below is how i wore the top to work today.

here's another pic showing the pooling at the lower back.

i had to cut the waistband across the stretch as i didn't have enough fabric to cut it with the stretch, so i didn't need to use any elastic in this version.  i can't remember how much fabric there was but i think it was around 1/1.5m or so, so am very happy i was able to get 2 pieces from it.

i'm really looking forward to seeing what lara has made, i have seen a few progress shots on instagram - but am looking forward to seeing the final product.

finally if you got this far, the lucky winner of the fabric from my giveaway is Christy - whose name was pulled out of a hat by the other mr flagg. congratulations!! i will send you a message on instagram to get your postal details.

thanks for sharing the fun of the challenge lara!

emma

spring time in sydney - simplicity 4047

can i say first up that i love the design of the fabric i used for this skirt, but it was a shocker to sew.  as soon as i finished my last simplicity 4047 i wanted to start one in this fabric, a recent the fabric store purchase.  i imagined such a great looking skirt but unfortunately the whole process was a bit blah.

yes i'm standing on a sloping driveway in these pics which is why everything looks a bit lopsided.

being polyester and really stable i thought it would be a quick easy sew - mistake 1.  i went with the same size as my previous S4047 and things started ok with the 4 waist darts going in fine.

i then i went to overlock the back centre seam ready for the zip and my overlocker didn't like the fabric one bit.  i spent a good few hours playing with the tension and thinking my new second hand overlocker was a dud.  i turned to IG for help and thankfully leith, lara and susan came to the rescue and i pushed ahead and then went back to the sewing machine to do the zip and side seams.  my machine didn't like the fabric one bit either, it laboured, making irregular stitches and sounds that are more likely heard at a zoo.

i got the invisible zip in and side seams sewn and tried the skirt on - though unfortunately i couldn't get it on, even though i cut the exact same size as my previous wool version. i took the invisible zip out, replaced it with a longer lap zip and took out the side seams until i was able to get the skirt on and sit down.

i originally planned to line the skirt, but as it had taken up so much of my time i decided to go with a bias binding waist band.  the fabric is slippery enough that i think it should be OK.

you can see in the pic below how little my sewing machine liked sewing this fabric - i sewed the waist 3 times.  each time it started out ok, but by about 3/4 the way round sewing machine said no.   after 3 go's i decided to leave it how it is as it looks ok from the front.

now that a bit of time has passed i am not so angry about this skirt and i am happy how it looks with my  simplicity 1366 in chocolate brown ponti.  i love this new to me pattern - this top took around 2 hours to make.

the amazingly talented and fun leith of sew brunswick recently nominated me for the blog hop going round the www, i'll be back soon to answer the questions and also have a give away to celebrate 100 followers on blog login'!

emma

a tale of 3 bloggers - cynthia rowley simplicity 1366

i love this make and i especially like that 3 bloggers from different cities made it happen.

firstly, the inspiration.  i was reading a blog post on how good is that? one day and i saw in the side bar a blog i had never read before effortless anthropologie so i clicked on the link and this was the post that appeared.  i love everything about the neoprene sweatshirt featured, the style, fabric design and how it looks dressy but that i imagine it would be very comfy.  i decided i wanted to make something similar but needed a pattern and fabric.

i thought about using a rub off pattern that i made from a rtw top, but it has long sleeves, a high low hem and a round neck.  luckily for me lily sage & co has made up simplicity 1366 - a cynthia rowley pattern recently and as soon as i saw it on her blog i knew it would be a perfect pattern to use.

lastly i needed some fabric. recently darn cheap fabrics posted a photo of some new spring neoprene fabric on IG.  both myself and lara of thornberry liked the fabric and as the fabric was not available online lara very kindly offered to pick me up some next time she went to dcf. I love how social media works!

so here's my top:

i made a straight size 8, even though my bust measurement correlates with a size 14 and my waist and hips with size 16.  i decided to go with a size 8 based on the finished measurements printed on the pattern and am happy with how it worked out - though during construction of my first 1366 i did wonder if i had gone too small!

the only alterations i made were to lengthen the front and back by 2 1/4" and shorten the sleeves by 3/4". i also used home made bias binding to finish the neckline, rather than use the pattern piece provided.

i used my sewing machine with a small zig zag for all of the construction.  the inside of this fabric looks fantastic too.

i used zig zag to hem the sleeves and bottom as i thought it suits the triangle cut outs.

yes there will be more of these tops, perfect for work and play.  have made 2 others in knit already (they are quick - like a couple of hours) and am keen to try some woven ones too.  perhaps at some time i will try a neck band, cuffs and a sloping hem like the anthropologie one too.

emma