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Workhorse Patterns Ione Top

Full disclosure:  this was a pattern a received as a pattern test and it's the first pattern of my co-editor at the Sewcialists (and all round awesome person) Becky .  You might not feel that I would be super objective on this pattern because I love Becky, but she lives on the other side of the world and I still wore this to work today because I LOVE IT. This is the Ione Top from Workhorse Patterns .  This top is version 2: the v-neck.  I left off the sleeve cuff as my pattern is somewhat busy, but I might still go back and add it I think...   It's quite amazing how different this looks in the morning versus the afternoon/early evening light! I really like the curved "hi-low" hem on this top.  It's a really nice shape at the hem. I would also like to call out that this top goes up to a size 32 (US).  That's bloody brilliant .  WELL DONE FRIEND! All the deets: Pattern: Workhorse Patterns Ione Top   (Version 2) Size:  18  Adjustmen
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Simple Sew Cocoon Dress

I had this on my Make Nine for 2019 (as yet unblogged/unposted...).  I ended up making it just before the year started - I literally finished it at 3.30pm on New Year's Eve and wore it out that night! There isn't a lot to say on this one.  It's easy to wear (which I once thought I would never say about a dress!) and I really like it. I do wonder whether this colour is right for me - it's a bit dress like a crayon / turn into a full body crayon! My arm is literally the same colour as this dress... I need to press that sleeve better! It has POCKETS, which is always excellent. All the deets: Pattern:  Simple Sew Cocoon Dress (View B) Size: 18 (ish) Adjustments:  Cut a 20, graded to 18 in the hips Added 3" length (1.5" in the bodice and 1.5" in the leg bit) Took some width out of the sides which probably took it back to an 18 all over?  Fabric used:  Canvas look Lyocell in Deep Blush from the Remnant Warehouse Like it? 

Named Rae Pants (cropped version)

As someone who pattern tested one of the garments in Named 's new book, Breaking the Pattern , they very generously sent me a copy of the book when it was released. My first make was some drapey Rae pants, which are perfect for Sydney weather and for work! My new approach to blog stuff is to have a template where I record adjustments etc which can be found at the bottom.  That makes the rest of the post until then mostly pictures :) These are made from two fabric panels I got from The Fabric Store in Sydney. I used the fabric in the opposite direction for the waistband. My main love for these relates to how well they drape and move.  I tried to post a video but it didn't work here... All the deets: Pattern:  Named Rae Pants Size:  9 Adjustments:   Graded from 9  to 8 (or possibly 7) in the hips and legs - there is a lot of ease in this pattern so i did that by eye rather than using the pattern pieces I didn't lengthen them!  I would usu

Top 5 of 2018

I am a bit late to this party but still wanted to join in! I thought I would do a mash-up post on all of the categories (noting that I tend not to do reflections and goals separately anyway). HITS Sewing more TNT and patterns - the Grainline Linden and the Paprika Patterns Jasper  (shown here with crossover collar add-on) were both definite staples.  I get sooo many compliments on the Jasper!  Other sewing - the Papercut Patterns Sapporo Coat , the Cashmerette Ames Jeans and the Cashmerette Appleton top I made are all total hits and worn a lot, especially the jeans!  The RTW fast was astonishingly easy and I consider that a roaring success.  I have mentioned before that the Facebook group wasn't really for me, but overall as a concept I was very happy with how I did.  I only bought a couple of items that weren't going to be made by me ever (waterproof pants for ski-ing anyone?) and it definitely pushed my sewing further towards the practical.   The Sewcial

What to wear to a winter wedding?

I recently attended the wedding of a close friend in New Zealand.  If you aren't aware, early August in New Zealand is COLD!  Cue a lot of googling on what to wear to an (outdoor) winter wedding :)  I even made a pinterest board of ideas I also took inspiration from my #SewStyleHero as part of the theme month that was running via The Sewcialists .  You can read about that here . Here is what I came up with: I used a heavy stretch navy sequin ( Pitt Trading ) for the skirt... ...and a soft silvery beige colour stretch velvet (from Tessuti ) for the top. The skirt was self-drafted and designed to be as full and sequiny glorious as the amount of fabric i had would allow.  I will probably cut off the skirt now to make it more wearable in everyday life, though I loved the effect for a fabulous winter wedding. The top is the  Seamwork Astoria  and was a bit of a revelation.  This was my second Seamwork pattern and I really liked it.  I know it's tren

Sew DIY Ali Sweatshirt - Pattern Test

I recently had the opportunity to pattern test the new Ali Sweatshirt from Sew DIY . This test was very well-timed, as we were heading into winter in Sydney, as well as going off to even colder climes in New Zealand for a holiday. I made my test out of a super snuggly organic sweatshirt fleece which was from fabric.com about a million years ago.  It felt really good to finally use it for something! I made the scoop neck version and added some length in the bodice and sleeves, which is a pretty usual adjustment for me (I am six foot tall).  I might remove a touch from the sleeves if I made this again, but I do like how snuggly it is with the longer sleeve! The pattern has a shoulder yoke which offers opportunities to have a contrasting colour or fabric there (you can see a good example of this on the pattern page itself ) and can see where it is in the picture below. I should note at the point that the pattern has changed a little since I tested.  One of the common fee

Quick "tween" dress for a special occasion

I don't post a lot of kid makes these days - and to be honest, I don't make many!  When they wear school uniform 5/7, there isn't a lot of additional clothing required.  It's also possible I would far rather sew for me, as I don't grow out of things... However, we recently went to a winter wedding in New Zealand and couldn't find something for Isabelle to wear that was both warm and appropriate. This posed the challenge of what you should make to wear to a wedding in the middle of winter!  For Isabelle (aged 11) I knew that something with a bit of sparkle but still fairly young would be right.  She would also need sleeves! Here she is running around at the world's most spectacular wedding location: The bodice of the dress is a combination of the Made by Rae Skinny Flashback Tee on the top, with a RTW top she liked the fit of. I used a simple jersey for comfort (from Spotlight) which had some glittery dots on it.  I underlined it with a plain w