Kwik Sew 3527

The onesies I made last year are finally too small and Olive requested a new one in pink Hello Kitty fabric. I can't say I like sewing with this fleecy fabric, but all the girls love it and now the weather is cooling down they will wear onesies  every night. 

I used Kwik Sew 3527 again. Both the Kwik Sew onesie patterns I've made are great, excellent instructions and quite quick and easy to make. 

Vogue 1528

My needle case is about 15 years old and is showing its age so I thought I'd make a new one today. I bought Vogue 1528 off eBay a while ago. I bought it for the jewellery roll and cosmetic bags, the little sewing case was a bonus. I used scraps of Alison Glass Handcrafted fabric that was left over from making the Planets quilt in Striking Strip Quilts.
It wasn't hard to make and didn't take too long, but I did have to read the instructions to work out what pieces to cut as it wasn't marked on the pattern pieces. I think the elastic for the pocket pieces was a little short so it's pulling the whole case inwards and it won't lay shut. If I make another one I would change that, but other than that it went together perfectly.

Jelly Roll Pouches

A great way to use jelly roll scraps and batting scraps is to make little Quilt-As-You-Go pouches. They are such a quick little project, perfect when you have an hour or so free.

Indygo Junction Apron

The only problem with sewing so much is constantly being covered in threads and fluff. A sewing apron seemed like a great idea, I don't know why it's taken me so long to make one.

I made my sisters' aprons for Christmas, but the largest size on that pattern was way too small for me and I knew it would take time to alter it so I was excited when Indigo Junction sent me their Crossback Reversible Apron pattern.

I used a Kaufman linen blend for the outside and a quilting cotton from Windham Fabrics for the lining (a great Textile Traders find). I cut a L/XL and the only change I made was to add side seams. The pattern is cut in one big piece on the fold, but as I was using directional fabric for the lining I wanted the pattern going down the apron. This was easy to do and after the pieces were joined I just continued with the instructions as written.

This was a very quick to sew and I am really happy with it. It's easy to take on and off, the pockets are a great size and I love this grey linen. The other great thing about this pattern is the sizing, the largest size can fit up to a 54" bust and there are three children's sizes which I'm sure I'll be trying out soon.

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of the pattern from Indygo Junction free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Sewing for Milly and Olive

There has been a lot of quilt sewing lately, but I have managed a few a couple of the girls over the last few weeks.
First up was a jumpsuit for Milly.
This is the Satya Romper, it's a great pattern for older girls, it has no frills and she likes the pockets on the front. I didn't get a picture of the back, but it is a little loose so I'd make the elastic a little tighter and the straps a little shorter next time. I uses some plaid seersucker from spotlight which I did not even attempt to match, but I don't think anyone other than a sewer would notice.

Second was some new shorts from Olive.
These are the Fawn Shorts by Violette Field Threads. These are very cute and not hard to make. Great for summer and also for winter with tights underneath.

Third was a blouse for Olive.
This is Burda 9491 in some Cloud 9 voile from Spotlight. i love this pattern and how you make the pin tuck section first and then cut out the pattern pieces from it. I did have some problem fitting the front pieces together, but it was probably me and my at times lazy approach to seam width.

Making Striking Strip Quilts

I was sorting out photos on my phone today and came across a stack I took while I was sewing the quilts for Striking Strip Quilts and I thought I would share them with you.

Folk Art Flowers

When I was making Folk Art Flowers for Striking Strip Quilts I had a hard time deciding on a colour scheme. I went with the beautiful red and green, but one of the options was aqua and grey and I knew I wanted to make a wall quilt version of the quilt in this colour scheme.
This is such a fun project to use all your tiny scraps in your favourite colours.
We're having a break from our normal crazy hot January weather this week. It's usually too hot to spend too long in my sewing room at this time of the year so I am going to make the most of the cool weather and spend the day sewing.

Striking Strip Quilts - It's Here!!

My books are here! Its available now from Martingale and should be on its way to quilt shops now!

Storm Trooper Negroni

As soon as I saw Maria's excellent Storm Trooper shirt I planned a trip to Spotlight and picked  up a few metres of the fabric. I went with the Colette Negroni pattern. It is a little more casual and I didn't have to think about pattern matching the button band.
I wasn't too sure I would like a shirt without the collar stand on Chris, but I love how it is a little more casual and it is so easy to sew! The only alteration (besides blending between sizes) was to remove about 3/4" from the sleeve length before I cut it out and the only extra thing I need to do next time is to increase the cuff width as the cuffs are a little tight.
As you can see he is pretty happy with it, I think it's going to get a lot of wear.

Wiksten Tank

As usual I am always late to the party - this time it is the Wiksten Tank party.
I looked at the weather forecast at the start of this week and decided I needed some loose fitting cool tops for the hot weather.  I wasn't sure weather to go with the Tiny Pocket Tank or the Wiksten so I asked Instagram and the winner for my figure was the Wiksten.

I knew I would need to do an fba and after fitting the pattern to me I thought I would need a little more coverage at the armhole so I did an fba like this from Fit for Real People.
I used some rayon from Spotlight that was on special last week. Unlike some of the rayon I have bought there this was lovely to sew, not shifty at all.
It is currently 37 and this top is perfect.  I still want to try the Kate top and Datura, but I'm sure I'll be making more of these.

Butterick 5211

After checking my wardrobe and deciding I needed something new for a Christmas party last night I searched through my patterns and found Butterick 5211. A fast and easy 1 hour pattern sounded perfect. And it would have been if I hadn't decided to use this shift as shit rayon with the pattern printed so far off grain its ridiculous. It took me way over an hour just to cut it out. I nearly gave up at this stage as the pieces are all cutaway off grain so the pattern is straight. 

I am glad I persevered, it does fall a little bit funny but it is hard to tell when you put the belt on. There is a lot of ease in this pattern. I didn't bother with an fba and cut my normal size, but took it in to a size smaller after the first fitting. 

Tessuti has a great tutorial to make the thread button loop, it was a lot quicker and easier than I thought it would be.

I'll definitely be making a few more of these this summer, maybe a plain black next time so I can get it make in an hour.

The Big Book of Scrappy Quilts

If you have a big stash of scraps then The Big Book of Scrappy Quilts is the perfect book for you!

I'm very excited to have three patterns in it and with 77 patterns you are bound to find more than a few you will need to make!

New Look 6301 for Summer

Yes another knit dress, but they are just so incredibly comfortable and quick to sew.

This is New Look 6301 which I have made a couple of times before. I used a black jersey which I think came from Spotlight. This is the first time I have made the sleeveless version and I really like the narrow binding around the arms instead of hemming.

I've definitely got my money's worth out of this pattern and I am sure I will make more.

Oven Mitts

I finally got around to turning my paper pieced saucepan blocks into little oven mitts for my Mum.
I added a piece of fabric to the bottom of the block to make them square, made bias binding and curved the corners. I found some heat resistant batting (not sure of what it was actually called) at Spotlight so used a layer of that and also a layer of wool batting inside

I love these blocks just as much as when I made them, if you want to make your own check out The Paper Pieced Home.

Appleton Dress

After the success of the Myrtle Dress I thought I may as well try a few more new patterns. Even though I own a number of wrap dress patterns I couldn't resist the Appleton Dress when it came out. It promises no gaping across the top so I had to try it. 

It lives up to that promise, it fits perfectly! I was cutting this out the other night while watching Fargo and accidentally cut the extra bit off the left side instead of the right so it wraps the wrong way, but other than that I had no problems making this dress. The instructions were clear and it went together very quickly. The only alterations I made were to lower the hole on the side, for the tie to go though, about an inch and a small full arm adjustment (which I do to all patterns).

I used some jersey from Spotlight which has the perfect stretch for this pattern. I love this print so much, I found it in 2 more colour ways on the bargain table and bought some of both of them. 

I see a short sleeved or sleeveless version for summer being made very soon!

Myrtle Dress

I'm not sure why it's taken so long to make the Colette Myrtle dress, but all of a sudden last week I desperately needed to make one, so I ordered the pattern and today I whipped one up.

I used very stretchy jersey from Spotlight. I had planned  to just start the bodice today, but after a disastrous day yesterday trying to make an Aeolian dress I really needed some success, so I kept going to see if it looked any good. I did do a quick muslin of the top and decided to go down a bit over a size from my measurements as it was huge. I probably went down a fraction too much and will make it a tiny bit bigger next time.

I really love the way the bodice is constructed, it has a nice finish with the seams all hidden inside. The only alteration I made was to leave off the pockets as this fabric is really stretchy and if I put anything in them they would just sag.

I'm sure I'll be making at least one more this summer, it is so comfortable and I found some great bargains in Textile Traders last time I was there which will be perfect for it.

Bess Top

I was intrigued by the construction of the Bess Top by Imagine Gnats when I first saw it and knew I had to try it. It is an interesting and quite quick top to sew. This top definitely needs to be made in a drapey fabric. There is plenty of ease in the pattern and I didn't need to do an fba. I used a voile and I am happy with it. If I made it again I would try a light rayon or something similar.

I'm wearing with my second pair of Alexandria Peg Trousers I made from chambray. I love them, they are my go do pants. So comfortable and they go with everything. There will be more of these!

Sneak Peak - Striking Strip Quilts

The new Martingale catalogue is here and inside is a peak at some of the quilts in Striking Strip Quilts. You can see more of them here. I loved making every one of these quilts and I am so excited to share them with you!

Block Printed Mini Southport Dress

                  

Design, Carve, Print: Block Printing on Fabric by Jen Hewett
Fabric - I used Moda Bella Solids in Zen Grey and printed with a dark teal colour.
Pattern - Mini Southport Dress by True Bias