One pattern seven bloggers - the big reveal.

It feels like only yesterday, when I sent an email out to a few fellow bloggers and proposed to them that we join together and do a sewing project - One Pattern, Seven Bloggers... and now seven finished dresses!

Today is the big reveal! I apologies for the bad quality photos (and in my kitchen of all places!) but you see, we are having some terrible weather here in Sydney.

So, without further ado, here is my version of the dress...

This was a very interesting sewing experience for me. Firstly, the pattern only includes the pieces for the bodice, which allows the sewer to make the skirt how they wish. I liked this idea, but felt a bit uneasy about doing anything too tricky due to my pear shaped body and lack of pattern-drafting skills. I decided as the fabric was light I would make a simple gathered skirt.

The most interesting thing for me however, was that I actually got the dress finished! No, not because I might have procrastinated slightly, but because almost to the very last stitch I just did not like it. If this had been a project I was making on my own, there is a very good chance it would never have been completed. About 1 hour into the sewing I decided I hated the fabric pattern. About 1 hour and 30 minutes into the sewing I decided I hated the pattern. What I had in front of me looked like a pinky-red, funny shaped pile of yuck.

But I persevered and when I put it on I thought "that actually doesn't look too bad". Granted it is not a dress I would wear out to dinner, but in the warmer weather later this year it might get a few trips to the beach or park. I am yet to decide if I want to make a belt for this dress, if I do decide to I will post a tutorial.

Pluses:

* Did not use a lot of paper to print on the home printer.

* The bodice was very easy to construct.

* I like that the skirt is not included.

* The bodice is simple and I didn't need instructions.

Minuses:

* The neckline is low - so would not suit everyone.

* I changed my zipper to a centre back one.

* * * * * * *

I cannot tell you how great it has been to be part of this project. It has been fun getting to know the other girls and seeing their emails pop up in my inbox as we all share our trials and successes as we made our dresses.

And don't forget to visit their blogs to see the dresses they have made:

Marie from A Sewing Odyssey

Reana Louise from Curves, Patterns and Pins

Kat from Petticoats & Peplums

Rachel from My Messings

Jen from Pretty Little Pictures

Amy from Sewing Through the Motions

Sam xox

One pattern seven bloggers #1

Something has been brewing for the past few weeks! I contacted a group of sewing bloggers who I find very inspiring and invited them to join me in a sewing project. The idea is simple. One pattern, seven bloggers, infinite possibilities.

And so the "One Pattern Seven Bloggers" project was formed.

~ A big thank you to Rachel who designed this cool badge for our project! ~

Everyone said yes to the project, and we have since been emailing with questions and ideas!

So, who's on board?

Marie from A Sewing Odyssey

Reana Louise from Curves, Patterns and Pins

Kat from Petticoats & Peplums

Rachel from My Messings

Jen from Pretty Little Pictures

Amy from Sewing Through the Motions

and Me!

Here is the pattern we decided on...

~ Click here for pattern ~

Today marks 'day one' of the project, and our first blog post. Every Wednesday we will be posting about our progress until the big reveal on the 1st of June!

For the dress... I have been giving some thought to modifying the skirt to create a more '50's look by gathering the skirt significantly, and perhaps making a petticoat to add extra volume under the skirt. Our landscape here is quickly changing to autumn hues of burnt oranges and reds, so I am going to use autumn colours as my inspiration for the fabric.

Image from here.

I love the bodice of this dress so I cannot see myself changing it much. I am also thinking of making a fabric belt to match the dress. I will probably stick to a cotton fabric for this dress, as I like sewing with natural fibers.

Now, off to find some fabric...!

Good luck ladies!

Sam xox

Projects I am loving...

Here is my second installment of 'projects I am loving'. Again all of these are sourced from the Burda Style website.

Enjoy.

Alice and the Mad Hatter by dewreb. I love the whimsical nature of her dress. Dewreb is a very talented seamstress and has a number of gorgeous projects in her online studio. Click here to read more about this project.

Yellow Floral Clutch by kaitw. This is an original design and I just love the vintage floral print. Click here to read more about this project.

Lace Bralette by hellagabrielle. A very feminine piece of sewing. Click here to read more about this project.

Jane Austin's Persuasion by marthaO. A lovely example of period costuming. Click here to read more about this project.

Red-handed by carolyn-s. A beautiful pair of gloves sewn by a fellow Aussie! Some of you might already be familiar with Carolyn's blog Handmade by Carolyn. Click here to read more about this project.

I hope you enjoyed looking at these as much as I did. There are so many talented sewers out there!

Sam xox

Projects I am loving...

... on Burda Style right now.

I thought I would share with you some links to the projects I am loving on Burda Style right now.

A very cute beret made by daisyjuicelover. I think the branch and leaf detail at the top is just too cute! Click here to read more about this piece.

I love the fabric this dress is made from. Beautiful. Made by birdstop, click here to read more about this piece.

So sad I only found this project after Christmas. These owls are such super cute decorations. Made by tobogon, click here to read more about this project.

Paperbag Skirt by sarsaparilla. I love that she has made this from the skirt of a dress that she made and did not like. Nice to see the fabric has been put to good use! Click here to read more about the project and click here to visit Sarah's awesome blog The Forty Acre Wood.

A Lady Grey coat by amaydak. I have seen a few people making the Lady Grey pattern in the blog world. I love the strong colours in the fabric that amaydak has chosen to work with. Click here to read more about this project.

Perfect to make for the one who has your heart this Valentine's Day. Made by doitmomma, it is for sale here on Etsy. Click here to read more about this project.

I hope you enjoyed look at these as much as I did. There are so many talented sewers out there!

Sam xox

Scalloped edges.

As you know I am loving the "Betty Draper" suit jacket Tilly made recently. I finally found the pattern for sale online last week in my size - so now it is on its way to me. Finding people's blogs who have made vintage garments I like is pretty exciting! If I love the garment enough I go in search of the vintage pattern they have used on eBay, Etsy, and other online vintage pattern stores. This search can take many weeks, sometimes months, as I search and wait for the pattern to appear for sale in my size. Does anyone else find this the tricky part of vintage clothes making? Actually finding the pattern in your size?

What I like about this jacket is that it is lightweight enough for Australian autumn/winter weather. I also like the femininity of the scalloped edges. I think they are a really cute feature and help the jacket to look good when it is buttoned up.

Speaking of scalloped edges, the Burda Style website recently wrote a brief piece on sewing scalloped edges. Even if you are not considering making a garment with scallops any time soon, it is still worth checking out for the gorgeous photos of vintage clothing. Just lovely.

On a side note, I have been working on my Sewing Homework this week and will be "handing it in" on Friday :-)

Sam xox

Talea jacket.

Many people have been telling me that I simply have to visit The Remnant Warehouse. It all started a few years ago when my friend and her boy used to shop there for fabric to have clothing tailored for them (so fancy!). More recently at the quilting group I would admire members fabrics only to be repeatedly told that they were purchased from The Remnant Warehouse. It was only going to be a matter of time. On Saturday I dragged Jamie to Alexandria to check this place out for myself.

Words can't describe what greeted me when I walked into the store. I felt like I had walked into some kind of sewers utopia. Walls of quilting fabric. Piles of dressmaking fabric. And hundreds of embellishments, supplies and tools. I didn't know where to start.

Jamie reminded me of the purpose of our trip:

1) Buy fabric for a jacket.

2) Buy cheap calico for practicing patterns.

3) Linen for his mum.

There was a large table to the left of the door as you walked inside the shop. On it (and under it) were piles of folded and discounted off-cuts of dressmaking fabric. I searched the pile to find something to make a jacket with and came across a hounds tooth print fabric that I thought would be perfect to make a coat from. It is a wool blend, so not the expensive stuff, but I thought it would be perfect for my first coat project. And seeing as it is only Spring time here, there will be no pressure of time to rush this project.

Here is a picture of the coat I want to make, but with a few minor changes to the pattern. The pattern Talea and is a Burda Style pattern. If you like it, you can download yourself a copy of the pattern free from here.

Now I just have to find the perfect lining fabric...

All of these fabrics available at Shaukat.

Too many choices. I think I may need to make more than one coat. But first I need to learn how to line a garment!

Sam xox

BurdaStyle does Liberty.

Burda Style recently asked ten of its members to make a piece of clothing using one print of the new Liberty range by fabric designer Kaffe Fassette. Anyone who has quilted with a piece of Kaffe's fabric will know how unique his style is. I can't wait to get my hands on some of these prints, perfect for the coming summer! You can learn more about this challenge and check out the finished pieces by clicking here.

Picture from Burda Style.

Here are my favourites:

- Westminster Burda Dress by ajtak7171

- A-line Tunic Dress by PeterLappin

- Short Westminster Tunic by NattyJane

And finally, in the same bright fabric:

- Always Sunny in Seattle Dress by MissLivia

- Yellow Meadow Cap Sleeve Dress by wzrdreams

Inspiring aren't they?

Sam xox

Burda Style printable patterns - how they work.

I have been purchasing and printing a number of Burda Style patterns recently, and find that I am really enjoying the hassle buying these PDF patterns online takes out of dressmaking. You see, in the past I have driven over half an hour to the large homemaker stores, only to spend another few hours looking through their monstrous pattern books trying to find 'the perfect pattern'. Guaranteed, I then either end up purchasing a pattern that looks the closest to what I had in mind (a purchase I later regret), or I go home empty handed and disappointed (aww).

Three of my favourites at the moment...

The range of patterns offered in our Sydney stores leave a lot to be desired. Most are very dated and cost $15 or more to buy. Here's where Burda Style comes in. Their patterns are current styles costing between free and $7 (the highest I have seen on the website, but there might be higher ones). Most are graded patterns and their size ranges are really generous. To get the free patterns all you need to do is sign up for a free account and log in. For patterns that have a cost, you simply pay for them securely through paypal and then you can download them and save them onto your computer or USB stick.

What I also like about this form of pattern purchase is you can save the PDF files to your computer, but you can also access them online - which comes in handy for me when I am sewing at my Mums place!

If you are as much of a neat freak as I am, you will also like the fact that if you cut your pattern to a certain size, but then need a different size down the track, you can print yourself another one.

Printed pattern ready to be taped together...

Once you have downloaded the PDF, you simply print the instructions and pattern and then spend a small amount of time gluing or taping the pages together following the number/letter coordinates (warning, some patterns are 25+ pages so have lots of paper handy and print in a low resolution setting on your printer).

A skirt pattern ready for cutting out...

Cut your newly made pattern out with scissors (not your dressmaking ones of course!) and there you have it - a sewing pattern!

And there you have it, a skirt pattern ready for use!

Some things to be aware of though:

There are two main types of pattern on the website: BurdaStyle.com & Burda Style Magazine. The main differences between the two are that the Burda Style Magazine patterns do not include seam allowance in the patterns and also have strict copyright laws. See here for more information.

Happy sewing!

Sam xox

Jacket with standing collar.

I have been wanting to make a waist length jacket for a while now. In my wardrobe I have three trench coat sized jackets and a couple of cardigans. I need something in between to get me through the changing season. Burda Style have released their latest magazine patterns online and I have fallen in love with the blue jacket on the bottom right.

Image borrowed from BurdaStlye.com here.

We are going into Spring at the moment here in Sydney so I would have to pick the jacket fabric carefully... I think a trip to Tessuti Fabrics is in order!

Sam xox

Sidonie skirt.

I purchased this fabric over a year ago now, for no other reason than just loving the colour and pattern. After 12 months of sitting in a drawer, I finally decided to make a skirt from it. However, only having 1 meter of the fabric seriously restricted what could be done with it. I searched through the Burda Style website and came across the Sidonie Skirt pattern.

With a few alterations to the original pattern, I was able to make a cute skirt with only 1 meter of fabric. The main difference is that I shortened pattern pieces 1 and 2 by about 2 inches at the shortening line, then cut the pattern one size too big. I then shaped it slightly so that the skirt sat nicely on my hips rather than on my waist (which compensated for the shortened pattern length). I did not cut the pattern on the bias either, like the instructions told me to, rather the way I cut it means that the straight grain line is running vertically through the skirt. This does not seem to make any difference to the wear. The best part of all? The Sidonie skirt pattern only cost $3 to download and took less that 1 hour to make!

Front view of the skirt.

Invisible zipper and hook and eye.

A peak inside the skirt so you can see the stitching.

A not-so-clear photo of the skirt on. When the weather is

nicer I will take a better one I promise!

Overall I am really pleased with how easy this skirt was to make, how quick it was, and how well the pattern works with 100% cotton fabrics. I think this style of skirt is quite flattering and looks good with a t-shirt or singlet top. I can see myself whipping up a few more of these before the summer is out!

Sam xox

Liberty-mixed scarf.

My hands were itching to make something this morning, but after a 6 day work week my brain could not handle complicated patterns. The solution? I created my own interpretation of ajtak7171's Multi-fabric Scarf.

Remember this Liberty bundle I purchased from UK eBay months ago?

I finally decided on what to do with them! Luckily they all were similar in width which meant that a scarf could be made from them. I spent almost half an hour playing around with the fabric combinations until I came across a combo that worked. I then cut all the strips to size, sewed then overlocked each piece to the next, and with a few final touches a scarf was made. The light weight nature of the Tana Lawn Liberty fabrics means that this is a perfect accessory for Spring!

My Liberty-mixed Scarf measures 15.5cm/6" in width and 142cm/56" in length finished, and has top stitching detail 1/4" in from the edge around the whole scarf.

Sam xox

In love with Mila.

Mila is the latest dress to join my seemingly endless list of 'must makes'.

This Mila pattern is a unique dress design by Burda Style.

I was instantly attracted to the simple shape of the dress, as well as the very unique way it is put together at the front.

I am planning on making this dress using a cream/beige linen for the main part of the dress,

and a small Liberty of London print for the shoulders and center panel part.

(opposite to the combination featured in the photograph)

Image from Burda Style website

http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/mila

If you too would like to make this dress, click here to visit the Burda Style website, sign up, and get this pattern for free!!!

Sam xox