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Showing posts from 2016

Named Astrid Wrap Shorts - Pattern Test

I absolutely love the new collection from Named called Royals .  I was lucky to have the opportunity to test the Astrid Wrap Shorts , which is a two in one pattern of either shorts or full length wide legged pants. Here are the versions on the Named site: The pattern was clear and easy to follow.  The only tricky part was ensuring the place where the wrap starts is nice and neat. I made my version out of some cream herringbone linen I bought in Tessuti Melbourne several years ago: Not sure what my face is doing here... And here is the front: back: and side, where the tie is: I love these shorts.  I am not sure the plain linen is the best fabric to use for visual impact, but they are super comfortable and a good weight for Sydney. I did have a sizing issue in that they turned out quite a bit larger than expected, which means I need to pull the tie tighter and makes it look messy.  As this was a pattern test I would not take this as necessarily true of the

Zircon Sweater / Dress - Paprika Patterns (pattern test)

I was very happy to pattern test the Zircon Sweater/Dress a while back (I never got around to blogging it after the release).  This pattern is super cool!  The distinctive yoke and side cut outs are pretty unique and a great excuse to experiment with colour blocking or different fabrics or textures. (image from Paprika Patterns website) I decided to make the sweater version in a weird synthetic mock fair isle fabric I got from fabric.com years ago and had never used. It's hard to see in the pictures but it has kind of little hearts on it.  I think it wasn't quite the right knit for this - the yoke lends itself to more stability than this fabric has. I initially made the version with sleeves. Sorry for the terrible quality picture I should note up front that the sleeves have been redrafted to be slimmer since the tester version, which is a much cleaner look I think. I also hadn't hemmed this yet and one of the sleeves is shorter than the other (as I was going

Ultimate Art Organiser Case - Sew Sweetness Patterns (Pattern Test)

Following up from the absolutely awesome Creative Maker Supply Case, Sara at Sew Sweetness released the Ultimate Art Organiser .  It's a similar case to the Creative Maker, but with multiple zipped sections. This one only comes in the two smaller sizes, as the large one would hold so much stuff it would be ridiculous (and it might just collapse under it's own weight!!). This testing call was perfectly timed for me to make a special present for a lady who was retiring from my work.  I knew she had always wanted a set of the gorgeous wooden Symfonie circular knitting needles, and this was the perfect case to store them in. I knew she liked batiks from a trip we made to the Sydney Quilt and Craft show a while back, so I used the leftovers from my mum's quilt and pieced the outside. There are lots of zip parts and pockets As well as even more pockets - to hold the cables, stitch markers etc. I would definitely say this is one of Sara's most trick

Shorter version of Birkin Flares

I was a second round tester for the Birkin Flares from Baste and Gather and loved them .  Being in Oz, I wanted a pair which I could wear now without expiring from heat stroke.  This is where I ended up: They look horribly creased here, but they actually don't look that way as much in person.  They are made from a dark grey/black coated denim from Tessuti, of which there was only just enough left to eek out these shorts-cum-culottes. I made my first Birkins slightly too lose in the waist / hip (due to fear of them being too tight...) and was determined not to made that mistake again and seriously pulled these in across the hips etc.  Not sure if it was too much or whether they are slightly too tight - though they are very comfortable. The pulling just under the seat here might mean they are a bit tight?  I don't know...I fiddled with the a lot to reduce that and am pretty happy anyway. I did want to make these wider legged but it really really didn't suit the

Sewaholic Oakridge Blouse (Craftsy kit)

I will confess to having bought a fair few kits from places like Craftsy and Style Arc, where you get the pattern as well as sufficient fabric to make the item.  I like this approach in theory, as I always tend to overbuy fabric and end up with just enough leftover to make me reluctant to throw it away, but not enough to make anything out of it.  In practice, I haven't actually made  a lot of these kits into clothes, so it's often just more in the stash.  Oops :) This one is a the Sewaholic Oakridge with some Cotton and Steel rayon fabric ( here - for as long as it's available I guess).  I modified the pattern to be sleeveless - because I live in Sydney and sleeves aren't needed for most of the year. I did an FBA and also lengthened the blouse by a fair bit.  I think it's actually too long now, as I can only wear it with certain skirts / trousers without it looking odd.  I do wear it tucked in a lot for work, but haven't got a picture of that. I made

Creative Maker Supply Case - Sew Sweetness patterns (Pattern Test)

I could have sworn I blogged this already - but apparently not! I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for the Creative Maker Supply Case from Sew Sweetness patterns.  It's probably no secret that I love Sara's patterns, and this one was no exception. I would say this would be advanced-beginner and up, in skill terms.  There are a few fiddly bits with the zip and you need to go carefully and slowly to make it work nicely. The pattern is intended to hold some art-y type supplies and comes in three sizes, as shown on the pattern cover: We were just gearing up to head overseas when the pattern came out, so I decided to go off piste and make these into lego travel kits for the kids.  I used super cool echino fabrics for the outside: and inside, there was a mixture of things to do: The mesh pouch was great for holding the instructions and plastic bags which come inside the box of lego.  I was able to put two of the smaller kits into these, along with a colou