Showing posts with label simplicity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simplicity. Show all posts

Thursday 10 July 2014

Simplicity 5552 - My Favourite Pattern ? .

Simplicity 5552. Possibly maybe this might be my favourite pattern if I was forced to choose - We will kill your dog ,pull out your eyeballs and confiscate your hidden chai latte cache  if you do not choose your favourite pattern !
I have been admiring the Wiksten Tova pattern but then realized  this simplicity was very similar .
I have made this five times now - twice for Mum and this version is replacing my first version made out of wrinkled white cheesecloth with lace. I wore that far longer than I should have - for seven years ! -but I loved it so much.


This is made out of a self patterned stripey white cotton from the op shop again ( I do sometimes buy new fabric -lol. ) I changed the pattern around  a little. I added a button placket in the front yoke,  slightly widened the ends of the  sleeves and added a band to bind them instead of just using elastic. I used white embroidery thread and using a fancy stitch included in my sewing machine I embroidered around the edges of the yoke. This covered the seams that showed through the white fabric, anchored them down and added an  interesting touch
.
Close up of the embroidery stitch and front yoke. 

Simplicity 5552, dated 2003. 

I have not yet finished with this pattern. I can imagine a version with a colourful embroidered yoke, a version with tone on tone embroidery, using lace for the yoke and also using a contrasting fabric for the yoke and sleeves as shown in the middle version B above. 


I have also sewed the version of this pattern with the square neckline  out of yoryu georgette . This was made in 2005  and I take this away on just about every holiday I go on because the fabric does not need ironing , feels dry almost as soon as it comes out of the washing machine and I love the colours and pattern.
 I actually made the white  shirt a few months ago and am kind of trying to catch up with blogging. I have finished sewing a dress and couple of shirts as well but I need to bribe my photographers when they are in helpful moods. Until then. Cheers and happy sewing.

PS- what is your favourite sewing pattern ?

Thursday 19 June 2014

Simplicity 2923 - In the Red .

Obstinence rather than common sense resulted in me sewing a summer dress in winter.
Fabric makes it way from my main stash to a little basket in my sewing room to the machine and then the wardrobe.
This fabric had been in the basket since October last year and I was determined there would be no retrograde flow with this one.
I used Simplicity 2923 , part of the Pattern Runway collection from 2008 and previously made into a much used yellow print dress .

The fabric is a splotchy aqua/ teal  drapey rayon with floral outlines from deep stash and another lucky find at an op shop .
The pattern is a button front dress and I used the notched collar bodice and flared skirt options.
I had 2.9 metres of fabric and only just had enough. I had to piece the fabric to get the pockets and two of the bodice fronts. In the end I eliminated the pockets because they looked terrible - bagging out and making my hips look huge AND cut over 20cm away from the skirt because it looked a bit frumpy. I had some trouble getting the notched collar right but apart from this sewing the dress went smoothly and the fabric was a dream to sew with . However I suspect that this fabric will not be sturdy because I have sewn with similar pieces in the past  and little holes seem to appear quickly .  With the cut off fabric I might in the future made a matching belt with one of my hoarded belt kits that I keep on buying  .
I` m happy with the dress now - I think the fabric shows off the blouson effect of the bodice nicely and looks a bit vintage styled as well.

With this project more fabric has now officially left the stash than has come in   I am in the red .
Echoing Lynley Dodds*  bossy little warthog character  " Eee " squealed the fabric hog  "Snip, Pin , Sew " and slowly the fabric stash went down and down .

Lynley Dodds is a NZ childrens author  famous for Hairy McClary but our favourite book of hers was Sniff, Snuff , Snap about a bossy little warthog.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Simplicity 9915- A Trip Down Memory lane.



Standing in front of our new rammed earth wall in our straw bale/ rammed earth home !

My favourite project of the year has been this little white top.
I was given this white/ off white seersucker . I had 1.5 metres ( 1.6 yards )  but is was only 90 cm ( 35 inches ) wide . I initially wanted to make a top along the lines of Louise Cutting`s Ebb design. In my dreams ! I was really short of fabric . Then I tried Simplicity 5683 because I have made it twice before and it doesn`t take much fabric. Again I was way off the mark. I was getting a bit desperate now because I had also set my heart on using  these 4 vintage buttons which in my mind matched my vintage fabric perfectly  .
So it was quite fitting that I found this vintage pattern which matched my fabric allowance .


 Simplicity 9915 - It is dated 1981 and dusting off my memories this is the third pattern I ever sewed . And it is also the most made pattern I own ( apart from PJs ) . I love this pattern but it has been well and truly over a decade since I visited it. I think I have made it at least 8 times using all views in fabrics from pink butterflies, black and white gingham , coloured dotted swiss cotton , terracotta silk and taupe dots.
Once I made the little bow tie version in fabric that Princess Diana had a shirt from ( hers was black and white and mine was red but it was the exact same pattern ! )


photo courtesy  from Diana`s jewels website  - photo taken in 1983.

This is also my best sewn version of this particular view. According to the pattern description it has a funnel neck line and shoulder tucks and getting those right was tricky- the shoulder tucks are adjacent to the neck line . Apart from that the top is simple . The big difference this time ( apart from 20-30 years literally ! ) was thread tracing the shoulder tuck marks . This then allowed absolute sewing accuracy and everything came together really nicely . Because there has been a fair bit of chocolate , cakes and three children since my teenage years I also  did not add the waist darts ! The top has simple dropped shoulders and has just the right amount of ease.

A close up of the neckline, shoulder tucks  , fantastic textured seersucker and my vintage buttons. 
 This top will go with just about everything and since my favourite handsewn  white tunic has bitten the dust this is a much needed replacement . I have worn it several times already and my friend`s daughter commented that it was just like a burda style pattern she had recently downloaded .
Have a good day , Janine.

Sunday 1 December 2013

Tee for Two or Three ?

I have been informally sewing along with a group of ` Stashbusters `this year  . Each month was a different theme and February`s was using small pieces of fabric . I embraced this idea and ran with throughout February and then just kept on going .

I started with sewing two T shirts using four pieces of fabric that has been festering in my stash for years .


Using Simplicity 7692 - a very old basic T shirt pattern I slashed, cut and re- taped the pattern to recreate the above tops. 
Top one has an asymmetrical neckline with a matching asymmetrical two pieced front. I used three pieces of material to complete it - a small remnant of maple leaf print poly knit in the colours of navy, black, teal, violet  and  gray and matching teal mesh and navy cotton lycra . There was not much of the maple leaf print left and I absolutely loved it . I was determined to use it but it did take some thought on what to do . This project was certainly stretching my creative side and in the flush of success - yes I can do something a little different ! - I went and melted the top of the front while ironing it -duh . ( Oh well it was just going to be a wear around the house top anyway ) 


 Top two is a shameless knockoff of a vogue pattern released last year I think. Well it is just a variation of a simple T and for $25 plus for a vogue pattern  why not? I used a remnant knit of a blue/black/ gray/ white stripey soft knit  given to me from Mum and the remainder of the navy cotton lycra from Top one. Again there was not much of the stripey knit so some care was required.  I also took more care with the ironing !

This was a fun project. Using an old pattern and remnants ( the exception being the navy cotton lycra ) I had nothing to lose so I just kind of went for it . I ended up with two wearable tops from fabric too small to do anything else with. I would recommend others to have a go at this as well. 

And then as mentioned I kept on going with the remnant stashbusting . I sewed more short PJ bottoms for my middle daughter using material left over from her Kwiksew circle skirt. And then I made another Kwik Sew top from more remnants but that can be another blogpost for another day. 

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Simplicity 5197 - Embellished Tunic.


 I  have been sewing in dribs and drabs and finished up this tunic a couple of weeks ago. I have managed to wear this a few times now even though my sewing is topsy turvy - sewing a winter tunic when the weather is definitely warming up - blame it on hormones or whatever good excuse us females have.


Pattern - Simplicity 5197 - dated 2004 . A simple and plain tunic with side splits and sleeve, collar and neckline variations. I have used this once before just as is - using the V neck view with a collar and 3/4 sleeves with the split - no changes at all.
This time I wanted to be a little more ` creative` inspired by so many other bloggers .

Material - crinkled semi-sheer georgette - I love the rich rust coloured swirls on the black background .

I made several changes to the pattern - I reversed the front neck line facing so it is  on  the outside instead of inside and used a contrasting scrap of black satin. I then embellished this facing - hand stitched some narrow black ribbed trim to the outer edge and then using a simple cross stitch and machine embroidery thread stitched over the trim. I thought about adding another fancy stitch using bronze metallic thread but this seemed too much but it still wasn`t quite right so I added three bronzed looking buttons down the front. I also lengthened and flared the sleeves so they could be full length and elasticised. I used french seams everywhere including the sleeves. Talking about french seams on the sleeves - I googled this and alot  of the sites said it can`t be done. The other sites said it is really easy ! Well I had nothing to lose ( except lots of unpicking and narrower seams )  so I gave it a try and it all worked out fine .


Here is a close up the neck line - the satin looks a little puckered but I am loving this tunic so it just doesn`t matter.

I would highly recommend this pattern - it is a relaxed fit without being too voluminous and there are so many different design possibilities. It is also very simple to sew . I am sure I will be making this one again.

Happy Sewing , Cheers Janine.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Simplicity 3786-Hummingbirds for a Honey Top .

 
   Last school holidays my eldest daughter spotted this bird printed chiffon at Spotlight and loved it  and since then has been reminding me to sew this up. This school holidays I have been trying to do 'nice` things for my eldest and youngest daughters as my middle DD is in France with my DH.
So I finally sewed up this tunic - hmmm , top homemade by Mum , trip to France with Dad  - yep that just about balances things up !
   Just to ' quickly ` explain about the trip - my eldest DD went to Japan for three months a couple of years ago on an exchange programme and since then our other daughters have been muttering that this is  not fair . Then my middle DD said ` Just give me the money .` and my eldest DD said ` That`s not fair ` and I said `I am most certainly not just  giving you the money ` and then my husband said he could go to France with middle DD and I said ` That`s not fair ` ( only joking about the last bit ) .


Simplicity 3786.

   Anyway I have now sewn Simplicity 3786 four times so I have it down pat although I have not sewn it in chiffon before. However, soaking the fabric in a gelantine mixture that I previously blogged about , using a walking foot, lots of sharp pins and  lots of pressing ended up helping alot . Once the little pintucks and the mandarin collar are sewn this is a very easy top to sew. I used french seams where I could but otherwise sewed the side seams and armscye with double row of close stitching and then trimmed the excess fabric very closely ( and carefully ) to the stitching. I took in the side seams by several cms and added narrow ties because this is a loose fitting top and she wanted it to be slim fitting .  We added some non - functional buttons to the front which match much closer in real life than the pictures  show  . In case you can not tell I highly recommend this pattern.


Anyway the end result is that my eldest DD loves her new top. While I was cutting this out my youngest DD said that is pretty fabric and luckily there was a sizeable remnant that is already cut out for another ( different ) top for  her.
Cheers Janine.

Sunday 6 May 2012

Simplicity 4076 - Wild Horses ......and Mushrooms.

Wild Horses will not drag my daughter into modelling this top for my blog. Nor will love nor money. I have tried threats, bribes, cajoling and even down right begging.  I have ( eventually ) learnt not to bother asking anymore. Daffy is so much more obliging so she will be modelling again.


Last year my eldest DD came home from a day in the city saying she wanted to sew a maxi skirt. After I picked myself up off the floor and I showed her my only pattern for such a skirt - a lovely Issey Miyake design. We toddled off to Spotlight and my daughter found this lovely Sorrento dry knit . Usually when I visit Spotlight I only find kacky prints in garish colours . The maxi skirt was a fabric hog so there were large remnants which I wanted to sew into a top for myself. 
However in a fit of motherly madness I offered to make the remaining fabric into a top for my daughter and she said yes !




This is Simplicity 4076 , arguably the most reviewed pattern on Pattern Review. I have made this four times now but this is the first time making this view. I had been put off by reviewers saying the ease was excessive for the draped front but I did not find this at all. I changed the sleeves from the long bell shaped ones to tapered sleeves and also added little loops and buttons to the gathered side.

In the end there were remnants of the remnants - enough to make into partial top using some co-ordinating mesh to fill in the missing bits - I will try to sew this next . So I get to have my cake and eat it too. Talking about food  ....... I discovered the above ah , um unusual mushrooms on my daily doggy walk . I wonder if they are edible - perhaps I could make cream of mushroom soup ! I just thought I would add in that last photo for a laugh. Cheers Janine.

Friday 6 January 2012

Simplicity 9877 or The Zombies Ate My Brains.


I included a shot of the clothes line in honour of Mary Nana ( sorry no rubbish bins though )

How else can I explain the fact that I made another bandaid top or shirt to be precise.
My youngest DDs  play a computer game called Plants vs Zombies - they have installed it on my computer and therefore I get to watch it sometimes while I wait to get back my rightful property.
It looked fun so I played it as well but I am not as good as them and therefore on several occasions the zombies have eaten my brains ( my girls if they are losing just click out of the game and start again - wimps -whereas I allow the zombies to eat my brains - it doesn`t hurt at all ).

The real reason I sewed this shirt is procrastination .I pulled this beige ribbed cotton out of my stash to sew a dress muslin before I cut into my lovely Liberty lawn . The muslin needs two alterations - a sway back adjustment and for me to get rid of some of my christmas, birthday, New Years eating binges that has settled in comfortably  on my lower abdomen .

Instead of putting the remnants of this fabric back I decided to sew it all up - it has been in my stash for about 16 years - I have no idea how it got into my cupboard and it has only survived stash culls because it is a decent quality fabric. I find it hard to get rid of such serviceable fabric even when obviously ugly or boring or whatever. I had never had any idea what I was going to do with the  fabric which is why it has been around for so long but then had the idea to use it to practice flat felled seams inspired by the lovely Carolyn of Handmade by Carolyn.


I sewed Simplicity 9877 an OOP pattern dated 2001. It is a basic button blouse with cowboy shirt variations . I have another similar pattern but from Butterick. ( In fact I counted up that I had 13 patterns for variations of button blouses !)
I am very proud of my flat felled seams although not perfect . I did these seams everywhere - shoulders, sleeves, sideseams . They were tricky on the long sleeve seams and also at the armscye  but just really needed some slow and careful pinning and  sewing . These seams look very professional and I am definitely going to be incorporating these seams into future shirts .
I really like the fit of this shirt - it is not too baggy and not too tight - it is just right ! The front darts are really long slits sewn together - easier than marking and sewing darts . It also has back darts but I eliminated these since this will just be a around the house shirt. There are no bust darts included.   It has a separate pattern  for the front band but the collar is only one piece- it  doesn`t have a separate stand . There are cuffs with a continuous bound placket. The hem is curved . Just a basic tailored shirt really.
All in all I enjoyed experimenting with a new pattern and a new technique with this less than stellar fabric. I am sure that the dog and the garden and dishes and housework will not mind my beige boring button bandaid shirt.
I am happy to report that my next project will NOT be a bandaid top .
Cheers Janine.

Monday 31 October 2011

October 2011 - The Good and The Bad and a Retrospective - Simplicity 2724.

Unfortunately most of October involved work and little play - meaning not much sewing. I finished my Simplicity `Fabric from Hell` Dress and one other simple top which I will blog about later. I am not complaining though because the tragic and terrible health circumstances of my co-workers loved ones meant they could not work and I had to fill in whenever possible.

On a bright note though at the end of October my husband and I had a long weekend in Hobart , Tasmania. This was our first weekend away without children in 18 years ( and previously we have only had 2 other single nights away ) made even better because the trip was free - I was very lucky and won a competition.

The trip included 2 nights accomodation at the Islington Hotel - a small boutique hotel in Hobart and by far the most beautiful , luxurious place we have stayed at , meals and a boat  trip to Bruny Island. We also went to Mona , an amazing art gallery and took a self -guided trip around Battery Point and the city looking at the historical buildings . To make you feel better the weather on the day of the boat trip was appalling and I was very sea-sick although managed not to be sick. At one stage we were surrounded by a ` superpod` of 100 dolphins and I didn`t even care - the view of the horizon was absolutely enchanting !

Anyway the relevance to sewing is that I finally had a chance to wear a dress I sewed last December - Simplicity 2724.
The top part is made of some scrap cream fabric and skirt from a chartreuse silk/linen blend - the latter is absolutely luscious.

My only regret with this dress is that I did not line the skirt portion . I am not completely sure about the pleated  sleeves and  may  remove them later ( however looking at this photo, the sleeves look OK ) . I love this pattern because the various top / skirt variations that can create entirely different looking garments.The top takes very little material so is a good way to use up scraps that are too small for anything else and too good to discard. I would highly recommend this pattern and definitely want to sew it again .   Unfortunately it is OOP. I am now off to see what horse won the Melbourne Cup this year. Cheers until next time, Janine .

Friday 14 October 2011

Simplicity 2369 - The Fabric from Hell into the Dress from Heaven.


Siimplicity pattern 2369 with fabric .
Simplicity 2369 showing sleeve, pleat and buckles details.


I finally completed this dress last week and I am VERY happy with the result. It almost ended up a wadder and in the rubbish because initially the fabric was from hell and trying to sew the seams and pleats etc ended up with LOTS of skipped stitches. However, persistence and internet help prevailed and the finished dress is  a SUCCESS.
Last school holidays I bought a British magazine called Sew which came with this `free` pattern.  . Simplicity 2369 is a wardrobe pattern for tops, pants and dresses -there are three sleeve options included . Obviously I sewed the dress, using View C sleeves and cut the dress length in the middle between Views A and B . Apart from fabric and thread, the only other notion was a belt buckle and I found a black buckle that was exactly the right size for only 50cents from the op shop ! A very lucky find.
The instructions were really good - so I think even a fairly new sewist could tackle this. I love the front pleated wrap along with the attached band which pulls the front inwards and provides coverage and prevents  gaping. I think the front wrap is also flattering and help to conceal less than flat tummies
Overall I would highly recommend this pattern .
Cheers until next time Janine.

Saturday 17 September 2011

Simplicity 3786- Third Time Lucky .


simplicity 3786 and cotton voile fabric 

close up of pintucks

inside seams of simplicity tunic 
Not really third time lucky , just the third time I have made this pattern but the first time it has ended up in my wardrobe having previously sewn a muslin and a version for my Mum.
I have been wanting to sew this for 2 years now - but you know how it is - too much to sew and too little time.
I am glad I finally did though. I love the little pintucks and the gently gathered  lower sleeves. The material is a cotton voile that just called out to me - I think it is the yellow colour and the smaller flowers outlined in taupe look vaguely native.
The pattern was easy once the pintucks were made - I just carefully mark and pin them - I do not have a pintuck foot.
THe only change I made was to shorten the tunic a few centimetres as I found it too long for my personal taste and I added some lace between the upper and lower sleeves.
I will definitely sew this pattern again - in a solid colour and want to try the other view as well.
Cheers for now , Janine.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Simplicity 2418 - Again !


 I actually finished sewing this last week but honestly getting someone to take a photo of this took longer than the sewing ! I think perhaps learning to use the self timer will be on my list of things to do.
I recently reviewed Simplicity 2418 view A and now I have sewn View B . The majority of my patterns are repeat performers  .Sewing the same pattern in close succession usually makes the construction easier and quicker.
I used a vintage cotton - pale grey with small white 3 leaved clovers . I only had 1.3 metres of this 90cm wide fabric so I was very pleased to be able to cut out this top. Fabric constraints meant one yoke was cut on the cross grain and I could not cut out the belt but this did not matter in the end. My small metreage also meant that I made  absolutely no attempt to pattern match but everything in the end did align up , even the fronts and yokes ! I suppose the closely placed print had alot to do with this but honestly had I tried I am sure I would have mucked this up. 
I really like this top - I like the yokes and the way they are constructed , I like the little pleats at the shoulders and the V neck is not too low but makes putting on the top easy. The top is nicely shaped and not boxy and too baggy. Also sewing with cotton is always a pleasure and this another op shop find was a treasure ( oh I am writing poetry now !)Overall  I would highly recommend this pattern.
I have made good progress with my next top today on account of a nasty sheep incident yesterday - I will explain all with my next post .Cheers Janine .

PS . DON` T WORRY . NO SHEEP WERE HARMED - IN FACT I AM SURE THEY ARE LAUGHING AT US RIGHT NOW.

Saturday 6 August 2011

Simplicity 2418 and my sewing mate.

This is my little dog Toby and he loves being with me all the time including sewing. I wanted to show this photo as he has FINALLY learnt not to just plonk himself down on my fabric and pattern pieces  -hooray . Ask him how he learnt this ! He still needs to learn though to give me space while enjoying my cups of tea and chocolate. He comes and sits right next to you and just stares the whole time .
I completed Simplicity 2418 - a pattern that is still in the current pattern catalogues ! It is the cowl neck version. Although rated easy I had to think carefully about the yoke attachment which has you sew the wrong side of the back and front pieces to the right side of the yoke - also there wasn`t much difference between the wrong and right sides of my fabric so I had to be careful.
I took the advice of pattern reviews of this and sewed size 10 instead of my usual size 12 and also took the side seams in by 2 cms instead of  1.5. In the end I didn`t really need the self fabric belt as doing these adjustments meant the top was not too baggy. I also used some `satin` bias binding around the `sleeves` which I did enlarge to accomodate my size 12 arms . I will definitely be making view B - sooner rather than later. I am going to do a more complete review over at Pattern Review ( love that site - I always check it out before sewing any patterns these days ) Cheers Janine.

Sunday 10 July 2011

Simplicity 4698- Finally done!


I am sooo happy to be finished. I started sewing this jacket in early June and I have had a feeling it just wasn`t meant to be. First of all I did a big oops on the collar but rectified this. Then after coming back from a one weeks holiday ( On a houseboat on the Murray River - highly recommended -very relaxing ) and having sewing withdrawals I launched into sewing the 2 piece arms but made 2 left arms - umm I only have one left arm - after hongkong finishing all those seams . ( With this material there are  no wrong and right sides - it looks exactly same ) . Argghhh - I did a quick unpick which means one arm now has the ugly side of the hongkong finishing `showing`.
Then as I was binding the armholes I broke a needle - at that point when my middle DD came into my sewing room I blurted out `Do you want a blue jacket ?` and she said Yes ! Perhaps I can borrow it sometimes.
I do love this jacket - it is a darling and I will sew it again but with the retrospectoscope it would be much quicker to line this jacket fully or use fabric which doesn`t fray so much.It is a very close fitting jacket as well but otherwise I would recommend this to anyone who has this in their stash unmade. It is a pity it is OOP because  it is so classic  I am very glad that I finally tried out this pattern. 
Anyway looking forward to my next ( much quicker ) project. Cheers Janine.

Friday 24 June 2011

Simplicity 4698= A wadder saved .

I was really enjoying sewing this jacket . The shell came together nicely and fitted well. So I progressed to the semi-lining and collar. I thought this is a really weird collar and then it hit ! I had really oopsed . I was almost ready to throw this away  and then was inspired by LisaLaree of SewRandom who goes to all lengths to avoid wadders. After one hour of unpicking and sewing I saved this jacket . I was so pleased that I have proceeded to HongKong finish all the exposed seams . All I have left now are the sleeves, hems , buttons and buttonholes. I may even do bound button holes as this jacket only has 3 buttons ( no promises though ! )

Sunday 12 June 2011

Simplicity 4349-a different kind of evening wear.

When the designers of simplicity created this pattern what they had in mind was glamorous evening wear - fur, satin, brocade capes, scarves and bags. When I saw this pattern I thought of my large scrap of polar fleece and a different kind of evening wear ! I have certainly downgraded  Simplicity 4349. This is the dirtiest and quickest piece of sewing ever. I did not finish any seams . The only trouble I took was to tear off a small piece of stabilizer and use this making the button hole. However if success can be measured by the wearings then this is a hit. I have worn it  every night since sewing it . It is warm, soft, lightweight and not restricting. Perfect for reading in bed at night  . I said to my husband is this the daggiest thing I have ever sewn and he nodded yes bravely . So there you go I have reached the pit of daggidom. My sewing and this blog can only go upwards now. Cheers Janine

Wednesday 8 June 2011

An interruption to the scheduled programme.


We have been having a real winter here for the first time in ages. We only have one wood heater for the living areas so it gets pretty cold in the bedrooms. I had  sizeable leftover pieces of soft fluffy polar fleeces from dressing gowns for 2 of my DDs back from 2008. Simplicity  4349 has a pattern for various capes and I thought this will make a good `bed jacket`. So I am taking a break from my blue simplicity jacket and going to make this instead . Now off to vacuum the floor - boy does this fleece  make a mess. Cheers Janine.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

The Everlasting Fabric.



I managed to cut out the Simplicity Jacket which was a marathon ( which is why cutting out is my least favourite sewing job ) .
This royal blue crepe just keeps on going and going ! So far I have sewn a dress - Simplicity 2896 a sleeveless . yoked A line dress and also Kwik Sew 3287  a skirt with little flippy sides and now cut out the above jacket. And still I have a large chunk left !
This jacket patterns calls for 70cm of fabric for this kind of strange incomplete lining - I do not think I have seen a back lining like this . I managed to get all the  2 lining pieces out of a small scrap of polyester satin left over from some PJs ! Which just goes to show that those scraps which sometimes cause angst really are  very useful ( even if  it is many many years later ) .

I also completed my vogue Issey Miyake skirt but yet again there will not be a photo . I did not finish the waist , seams and hems as it really was only a quick and dirty muslin ( and boy was it a quick skirt pattern ) . I am happy to report that you definitely do not need to add a zipper to this knit skirt. I didnt really think this was the case but I did not want to question Vogue who undeniably have much more knowledge and experience in these matters. Also this skirt definitely reaches my ankles. I was questioning whether this look might be dated however while waiting for my daughter to have her braces removed ( yay !) I read a WHO magazine that had a fashion spread on long skirts ! It seemed like fate to read this magazine so soon after whipping up this skirt so I think I will try source some `real` fabric.
Cheers Janine