Sihanoukville palms and a Lonsdale..

So, being in such a lovely place, having a friend to play photographer (thanks Tara) and having some unblogged me mades in my suitcase means I had the chance to nab some photo's of some older makes that never made the blog...

This tropical number is the Lonsdale Dress - by Sewaholic. I originally made it as a party dress to wear to a friends engagement party last year, and have continued to wear it to any event remotely summery and even out for dinner on a few occassions.

The bodice is self lined, and requires some serious fabric meterage to cover those LONG bodice/neck/back/bow ties... They are fabric eaters, but they are definitely worth it with it being the statement detail of the dress. I used the largest size length for the ties, as I wanted to be able to have a nice big bow! Turning the fabric through for the ties was a completely boring task, and took quite a long time! So I recommend doing this in front of the telly.

The fabric is a printed cotton from spotlight. It has a bit of body to it, and pressed and sewed easily. I would love to try this make in a more drapey fabric, I think the skirt would look fabulous all swishy. The instructions for the pattern were really good - and I can't remember having any issues sewing it up. I did have to take the bodice in quite a bit after trying it on, perhaps 4-5cm? 

I originally made the maxi length of this dress, but lopped it off just below the knee. In the maxi length, with the slight structure and body from the fabric, the dress looked a little bit 90's prom/debutant ball... So the shorter length was a must!

This dress has pockets. Which I love. I think the skirt for the lonsdale dress is very similar to the hollyburn skirt pattern. I have the hollyburn pattern, which I love and have made up a few times now, but if I had of made this up before the hollyburn I probably wouldn't have purchased it and just drafted a waistband! 

Just a little peek for you to see the fabric..

The details:

Pattern: the Lonsdale Dress - by Sewaholic Patterns.

Size: 12 and graded to a 16 at the hips.

Fabric: 3.5m Printed cotton from spotlight.

Alterations: removing 4-5cm from the CB line. I took a wild stab at how to do this. I recommend others google it and don't trust any of my suggestions #cowboysewing.

Cost: I can't remember - it was too long ago!

See also: Rachel, Winnie,  Angela.

happy sewing team.

xx

Bombshell*

* refers to both the swimsuit, and the wearer. FACT.

EDIT: I have had this post sitting here for a while awaiting publishing, the whole let's get semi nude on the internet thing was the nerve racking part. And then I saw SallieOh's post. She has made not only a fabulous teeny tiny bikini, but also dropped some little pearls of wisdom about the whole body/beach/confidence/everyone kills it on the beach mentality. So thank you Sallie! "They simply cover what needs to be covered and leave your body to do it's thing.  And bodies are beautiful. So there."

So this week it is back to reality after almost four weeks of travelling through Vietnam and Cambodia - and what an amazing trip it was! I did manage to nab some amazing fabrics while I was away, and will write a brief little fabric post of where I managed to find some lovely pieces soon.

But in the mean time, being away in a foreign tropical location gave me the perfect opportunity to photograph one of my summer makes, which I had bee dreading photographing, and blogging - but in the end I was so happy with this make that I kind of wanted to brag about it (sorrynotsorry).

Of course I mean the BOMBSHELL - by Heather Lou at Closet Case Files. This thing is a an absolute pleasure to sew, and wear - channeling all the glam from the 40's and 50's and creating a super lush and flattering silhouette.

My ass features in this post. I am kind of sorry and I am also not. This swimsuit does amazing things for the way you feel in swimmers - what kind of magic did you draft in Heather Lou!? 

Having some pretty substantial lady lumps, I was fairly nervous about support for the girls, and after reading the sewalong, I followed the tutorial by Kadiddlehopper to add some bra cups and elastic for some extra support. It worked a treat for fun frolicks and swimming- I wouldn't wear it for a triathlon or anything too extensive though, but there isn't really much fear of that anyway...

The cups were just plain foam cups by birch which were indicated to be swimwear OK. Pause for a moment to appreciate the forty minutes spent in spotlight holding bra cups to my babs trying to guess which size....

The fabric is a gorgeous striped white and black with a gold sheen. It ended up giving me a bit of a headache to sew, and has been a nightmare to photograph!! I picked the fabric up at the fabric store in Melbourne, heading in for one of their sales.. but when I found this piece, it wasn't on sale... But then it was in my head. And I wanted it. BAD. So it came home, full priced and all...

Things got nervy after I had finished sewing it up and it felt heavy. This was mainly down to fabric choice, it is quite a sturdy nylon/lycra blend. I thought it might sag a bit once it was wet... FYI. I was wrong. 

I wish I had played around with the gathers a bit more, taking the time to even them out over the stomach area. It still looks fine, but just judging from some of the other versions I have seen, it could be better! 

Initially I had a contrast white strap for the halter, as well as the bust gather, but the white fabric isn't as substantial as the striped, and it didn't feel supportive enough, so a swapped in a new strap from the main fabric - choosing to keep the contrast bust gather point in white.

I am also a bit sad I picked our last day to take these snaps - the only day of my entire trip it wasn't perfectly sunny!! 

The directions for the swimsuit in the sew along are great, so great that I simply had my laptop open on the sewalong posts, and didn't bother with the printed instructions. Heather also references some other posts for more information. I found it the perfect amount of hand holding for a swimwear novice!

That's my ass. On the internet. Sorry parentals. But I do like the butt coverage. A substantial butt coverage is a must in a pair of togs- especially when jumping from great heights into the pool is considered an appropriate past time like it is for me.... 

proof I didn't just wade around the shallows in it...

Ok - time for the stats:

Pattern: Bombshell swimsuit by Heather Lou at Closet Case Files. AKA - drafting Jesus. Thank you lady.

Fabric: 2m of striped black and white with a disco gold sheen lycra/nylon blend from the fabric store, 1m of swimsuit lining also from the fabric store. Foam cups - birch. Elastic - birch.

Cost: about $80- including the pattern, two fabrics and notions - not a cheap sew, but cheaper than most swimmers...

Size: 12 at the bust and waist and graded to a 16 at the hips.

Accessories: hoping you all noticed my sweet kitty glasses - thanks Renay! Madeline Hat - C/O Vietnam.

See also: Amanda, Lieth, Lauren and Anna

I also made a Nettie Hack pair of togs with my scraps following this tutorial - and the bottoms got a huge work out while I was away! The elastic on the armholes is a bit tight, which i will need to fix, but other than that - it is sound! I slipped some bra cups into this one as well, they are quite structured in this style, but when it is on, it holds the girls in well, almost like a sports crop top.... given I already had the pattern, elastic, and fabric - the only expense was bra cups at $7 - ... So this really evens out the swimwear costs!

So tell me....

Would you put your ass on the internet?

#MMMAY15 roundup.

Me Made May is over for another year!

Thank you so much to Zoe for coming up with this fabulous challenge - and sorry to all my non sewing Instagram friends for the past 4 weeks of outfit spam!

I met my challenge of one me made item per day, however, I was travelling, so the items were frequently and often repeated! - and usually very wrinkly!

Days 1 - 9.

1 & 2: - the same! Thanks Jetstar for losing my bags! SewKateSew - Soho Blouse (unblogged)

3: Workroom socials - Tate Top.

4: Tessuti linen and sateen Alice top. (unblogged)

5: Tessuti Gabby Dress.

6: Christine Haynes altered Emery Dress

7: Another Tate top... whipped up the night before I left.. luckily as I wore it A LOT!

8: my Bombshell from Closet Case Files. I LOVE HER - and I managed to get some photo's of it.. so that will be coming soon to the blog. (unblogged)

9: Hacked Midi twirling skirt - probably a waste of suitcase space since I only wore it this day.

Days 10-18:

10: Nettie Hack swimsuit

11: Tessuti Alice

12: Tate top

13: Emery - Christine Haynes

14: SewKateSew - Soho

15: Sewaholic Saltspring! - I ripped her straight across my hip, need too investigate fixing or refashioning - I fecking love this fabric too hard to let it die!

16: Nettie Hack - ASOS RTW top.

17: Gabby.

18: Tate top.

Day 19-27

19: Gabby

20: Emery

21: Soho blouse

22: Nettie Hack (aka - the best swimmers ever).

23: Gabby - again.

24: Saltspring

25: HOME! - cold melbourne weather. BOO. Sewaholic wool hollyburn - not blogged.

26: Birds of a feather - simplicity 2444 with gathered skirt.

27: Another Hollyburn! - this time the shorter version in absolutely shite fabric....

Day 28-31

28: Chambray Emery - I do love this pattern.

29: Green Ponte Moneta by Colette - with peter pan collar. (unblogged)

30: My favorite Green swing coat - which I made in the coat class at thread den in 2013. (unblogged)

31: Colette patterns Astoria! I had to join the astoria club - knit was purchased in Vietnam! And a circle skirt.

Final thoughts:

I loved participating. But I hated the photo's. I thought I would be all cheeky and do layout photo's to save the selfie - not a selfie fan. But that ended up being more work... GAH!

I had been looking forward to doing MMM while travelling, for summery fun clothes. This was fine, however, it did limit my insight into wardrobe holes etc. I feel that I am well on my way to having an entirely me made wardrobe - and the next level is me starting to churn out basics, tee's and long sleeved tops... and jeans. I am still not confident enough to tackle jeans, so I will put basics on the list for sewing this year.. and work my way into jeans....

The swimsuits I made - a bombshell from Heather Lou, and a Nettie Hack - also from Closet case files, were total work horses! I love them. They came in super handy for my trip, and also, were a good me made to chuck on in the afternoons for a swim when I needed to wear RTW clothes through the day (i.e. - when hiking!).

Happy Me-Made-Maying for another year!

See you all soon! xx

Ikat Tate

I am smugly clapping myself for my forward planning in writing this post before I left for my trip. Well played 'super organised in all the wrong area's' self...

But anyway! - here is the tate top! It is a brilliantly easy and flattering sew up from workroom social.

The pattern comes with no instructions, but is fairly simple - after reading Elizabeth's review, I was happy to plough along and make the same alterations as she did with omitting the zipper in favor of a hook and eye closure. Much more summery!

The fabric is a beautiful soft cotton I picked up in Bali in 2013. So soft. And so cheap! I wanted some light summery tops for my trip away, without breaking the bank! So I turned to the stash, and flicked through sewn by Elizabeth's so cheap challenge looking for a free summery pattern! Such a great idea, and a fabulous reference when looking for a quick and free project! Thanks Elizabeth... :)

I made my own bias binding, and bound the neckline and armholes, choosing to turn the binding to the inside. My binding turned out a bit big, so for my next version I will use smaller binding for a neater finish.

It was fairly straightforward to match the seams, simply lining up the bottom pieces on the bottom of the Ikat print, allowing the scoop hem to dip below the Ikat line. Not perfect, but it did the trick for a quick project.

Very happy with this quick little top. To keep it simple, I popped it through my overlocker and quickly serged all my seams. SO QUICK.

I also used the length size from the size 20, while using a sz 12 - 14, as I like my tops a bit longer.

Specs:

Pattern: the Tate Top - Workroom social (free download!).

Fabric: Cotton Ikat - Bali.

Size: 12 and graded to a 14 at the hips.

Mods: omitted the zip in place of a hook and eye closure, and lengthened the tunic to the size 20.

Cost: pattern - free! so a grand total of about $5- for the fabric :)

See also:

Elizabeth 1 and Elizabeth 2.

Happy Sewing Team!

Emery - nautical linen love.

Ahoy! This past month has been some serious out of season sewing in preparation for my upcoming adventures in Vietnam and Cambodia... This means that all my me-made-may shenanigans will occur from my backpack.. Brace yourselves for loads of wrinkly linens!

The first item I wanted to sew up, was a Christina Haynes sleeveless linen Emery. The emery is not new to me, in fact this is my fourth! I have feaured my earlier ventures here.

The linen is an el cheapo' painted version from my dear friend Eliza around the corner from my work. It is still quite stiff, despite a wash and run through the dryer before sewing. As I had planned this dress to be a midi and made specifically for travel, I couldn't face paying a bomb for the linen and then having is not last some hard wearing while backpacking...

I love my little necklace - navy, blues, reds and whites - my kind of neutrals! Made by a friend from my home town. Modestbeads. I was hoping to channel the gorman fit and gathered midi dresses. I have been perving on them ferociously for about 12 months. They have a gorgeous moth print dresses and tops at the moment. Must find moth fabric.

I took the time to match my stripes, which turned out beautifully. But they are quite big, so I can't pat myself on the back to much about that... The back skirt stripes are a little off. So just make sure you squint while looking at that...

Sewers confession: I forgot to staystitch my neckline... BOOO!!! So it did stretch out a little. It will be fine for my holiday, but I will go back and nip the front neckline in at the shoulder seam when I get back, I like this dress more than I thought I would and want to keep it in the wardrobe!

My favorite closure of a lapped zipper. I really love the finish of these and they have become my go-to closure. Hurrah for lapped zippers!

Emery spam....

Lotta's from stockholm.

The specs:

Pattern: Christina Haynes Emery

Fabric: Printed linen - Eliza's fabric.

Mods: Added about 4" (another fabric stripe) to lengthen it to mid calf and embrace the midi rage. Also - sleeveless.

Shoes: Lotta's from stockholm

Beads: Modestbeads

See also: Miss make, any from Sarah over at a million dresses.

Anywhoooo.... looking forward to seeing all your creations for me-made-may-15!

Thank you 'pre-holiday semi-organised about the wrong things Rachel' for nabbing some snaps of my holiday sews before going away.. and writing some posts! So they will be up over the next few weeks!

See you all soon! xx

Me-Made-May '15

I am jumping in again this year!

Last year i signed up for four me mades per week - and easily made this target.

This year I am going for a daily me made item.

HOWEVER! I will be in Vietnam and Cambodia for the first 3 weeks of MMM15. So I am going to allow myself outfit repeats for those three weeks only. I am hoping to whip up a few light tops to take, and I already have a huge selection of dresses for summer. I am not expecting to find huge holes in my wardrobe with MMM this year, simply because I will have a holiday wardrobe for the tropics! Which doesn't really lend itself to real life here in Melbourne...

MMM15/holiday sewing plans:

ALICE top x 2.

SOHO blouse by Sew Kate Sew - x 2

SCOUT by grainline.

IF I have enough time, I also wouldn't mind attempting another EMERY - however, I think that may be a bit too ambitious... 

It will be nice this year to participate with some summer clothes in mind, as last years MMM was particularly chilly and a bit boring!

As with last year - I will be documenting my memades over on instagram. So pop over there if you would like to check it out! :)

gettin' skirty - BHL inspired pleated skirt.

This little number was a simple sew - done in about 1.5hours, from cutting to completion.. buttons and all.

It is loosely inspired by the back panels of the BHL - flora dress. I have made her before, see here.

I used the back panel piece to make the skirt, slimming the original pleats to fit into my 145cm wide fabric. I have said it before, but this skirt is huge. And I lengthened it by 5cm.

I can't say I am full happy with this hacked effort. I like the skirt, and will wear it, I think i need to nip it in at the waist a little bit. But I regret slimming down the pleat size, as in my mind I was imagining huge box pleats.... Ahhhh... sewing regrets.

Wide skirt shot -  I love a wide swishy skirt.

The wide skirt makes it a great for twirling. This is obviously an every day MUST for skirts.

And... SWISHY....

The fabric is a really nice cotton sateen I picked up on a recent trip to Tasmania, however I have seen whispers on instgram that it is also available at the Cloth Shop, in Ivanhoe Melbourne.

 Because I wanted to keep this as a fast 'n' dirty sew up, I just ran the edges through the overlocker and used my previously drafted waistband with overlap for button holes, then easing the skirt into the waistband piece.

The SPECS:

Pattern: Flora franken-pattern-hack with self drafted waist band.

Fabric: Cotton Sateen, sourced in Tasmania.

Size: 14

Time: 1.5 hours.

Satisfaction: Meh.

Shoes: Lotta from Stockholm, Glasses - Oscar Wylee, Cropped Tee - Zoe Mac.

The BHL obsession continues with these ladies calling my name in the night... Who else has met Anna, Kim and Sophia? Are you guys BFF's as well.!?