Wednesday 25 April 2012

Joining the me-Made-May challenge

I've decided to take the plunge! It's been about a year and a half now since I learned how to sew garments and am slowly building up a small wardrobe of wearable clothing.  For the month of May I'll be taking part in Zo's Me-Made-May '12

'I, Bohdana of Poppet Hill, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '12. I endeavour to wear one self-stitched/refashioned/knitted garment each day (Mon-Fri) for the duration of May 2012'


Phew! I think this will give me a chance to review what I have, what I wear and what I could do with more of. You'll notice I've only said Monday -Friday in there; I mostly wear my handmade clothes to work, my weekend gear consist of jeans and a t-shirt. I'm hoping this year to make more around-the-house clothes though but doubt I'll have anything ready for the month of May.

Sarai at Colettte patterns has this great blog post the other day about making practical clothes and I totally agree. More cake less icing needed!


Sunday 22 April 2012

The Herringbone wrangler

Evening!
I'm finally learning how to relax on a weekend and managed to fit in some good sewing time this weekend without worrying about what we were going to eat for dinner this week!

I'll post later in the week two finished projects (yes, you read right, two!) but I wanted to share with you this lovely herringbone scarf I made for Ben recently.

I've tried to branch out in my knitting a bit this season and I like to challenge myself with new patterns and techniques so decided to learn the herringbone stitch. I used this pattern from the Purl Bee, and although at first I had to refer to the pattern every two seconds (seriously, so confused at first!) I eventually got into the rhythm. Once you know the pattern it's actually quite easy because you can easily tell the right side from the wrong side so it's a bit harder to bugger up!

I used this really thick cream wool I got at The Fabric Cave which means it's a really toasty scarf.

Here's Ben wearing the scarf; he wouldn't allow a photoshoot so I draped it over him while he was fixing something. Hence the drill thingo.



This weekend we also had an impromptu BBQ with Ben, Megan and Pete. It was delicious and a lovely way to spend an evening.






Tuesday 17 April 2012

A chill in the air

It's heeereeeee. Winter time is setting in (ok it's been pretty warm lately but I'm sure it's on its way). This past weekend my Ben and Megan's Ben both headed off to the coast for a boys weekend, leaving us with plenty of time for sewing, shopping and watching Game of Thrones (8 hours - addictive).

I thought it was time I attempted to plan out a wardrobe and come up with some ideas of what I might actually wear. It was a pretty fun exercise, I trawled through all my patterns, fabric and notions and jotted down what I would attempt to make this autumn/winter.

This season, I will be conquering knits!

I've never sew with anything knitted before, the stretchiness scares me a bit. But after my recent experiences with the Indian dress (to be posted soon), I think I need a break from zippers and lining. I'll be using this nifty self-help guide from Lladybird to get me on my way.

My autumn/winter plan consists mostly of tops with a jacket and dress thrown in for good luck.

Below some mood boards. Excuse my dodgy photo editing skillz but you get the point.

First up we have the simple wrap top.  So versitile, this little baby goes with pants, skirts AND dresses.



Next up a simple, no-zippers found here jersey dress.


Winter just wouldn't be winter without a Sewaholic Renfrew on the cards.

It's about time I attempted a jacket and a Burdastyle pattern. With a flash of colour on the inside. 

Got this pattern from a friend the other day, a nice green jersey wrap top would be a great addition I think.



And just in case... a bonus round...



Wednesday 11 April 2012

New Colette Patterns ahoy!

You may have already seen, but Colette Patterns have announced their new spring/summer patterns. I swoon.

Yes, I know we're heading into winter here but dresses can always been work with tights, boots, jackets and scarfs, right? Right?!

The new range features two vintage style dresses and a cute-as-a-button pair of shorts.

I love the cute little pockets on Lily and the vintage figure. I can just see this pattern giving you curves that you never knew you had! Important in my book, as I'm a straight up and down.


Their Hazel made up in stripes blew my mind. So gorgeous!



 


And then finally the Iris. Who doesn't need a cute pair of shorts like these in their wardrobe?! 


If you're looking for an easy to make pattern with fantastic instructions, I highly recommend Colette patterns, their pieces are always sure to inspire. Head along to their website to snap up their patterns.












Thursday 5 April 2012

On my sewing table: an Indian suprise

Time seems to have flown by recently and it seems like only yesterday I started my latest project. When we were in India I saw some of the most beautiful fabrics. In a fabric store in Jaipur my heart almost stopped numerous times from pure excitement and joy.

I bought this lovely block stamped fabric in above mentioned fabric store in Jaipur and couldn't decide what to make with it to begin with. So it sat in my cupboard for a while until I finally pulled out a dress pattern that I thought just might work. A dress pattern with princess seams!

I was hoping these princess seams might work better on my smaller bust and so far so good.

So some quick update pictures:

I discovered our stone coasters from India work a treat as pattern weights!

The fabric had this beautiful border on the edge which I plan to make into a feature on the dress. Stay tuned!

The top half - loving those princess seams.

On another note, does anyone know any online sites for making a moodboard?

Hope you all have a happy Easter and enjoy the break!