Behold! My most recently completed sew. It's the Simplicity 1692 blouse reproduction from the 40s. Usually I steer clear of Simplicity patterns, but this blouse goes alright. I cut and made the size 12 with no alterations. (I still have a partially embroidered toile of this pattern on my dress form right now to be finished soon.) I don't know if you can see but there are little pearl buttons on the shoulder and the stupid loops. Those loops took me 4 hours to turn through. Yeah, 4 hours. I was watching telly. After some internet stalking I found one version of this blouse where they used ric rac trim as the shoulder loops. Brilliant idea. The blouse neckline is really pretty with the low narrow scoop at the front. The waist tucks means it sits nicely under skirts and pants. I even did a pretty great invisible zip in the left side! Kimono sleeves are the best kind of sleeves. I might make this blouse again. If I did it would probably be in a textured black something - like a seersucker? Or maybe even a draped velvet? That would be decadent. The skirt is Simplicity 3766 from the 50s, a true vintage pattern. It's a perfect go to skirt with a grey-blue colour which is great for this navy based Japanese cotton lawn print. You may recognise the cotton lawn fabric from an early post about this 1940s Vogue dress. This little blouse was made from the leftover fabric. The pearl buttons were also in my stash. And I stole the invisible zip from mum. So... the blouse was free! Blouse: Simplicity 1692
Skirt: Simplicity 3766 Brooch: Sarah Coventry from the Rock N Roll Markets
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Look at that collar! I spent a lot of time making sure it was even and pressed and flat and gorgeous and... it is! Very happy M. To make it so lovely and flat, I followed Gertie's collar tutorial for this pattern here. I shall use that tutorial for any collar that needs to be attached in a similar way. The collar is made in the same fabric as the dress. Mostly because I wanted to be able to rock a cute cardi with the dress. I didn't put the buttons down the front of the dress for the same reason. I really like it. The cardigan is my wine Hetty (by Andi Satterlund). It was a nightmare to make, but it's great with the solid sleeves. I decided the follow the pattern instructions to insert the zipper. Regret. I should have done my usual centred zip method (machine baste the seam, pin the zip, hand baste, then machine stitch, then unpick the basting stitches). The pattern says press under the seam allowance then line up the zip and the pressed edge. WHAT A PAIN! So much regret. It ended up being so messy that I hand picked the zipper. I'm really happy with how neat the zip is after controlling it with the hand sewing, but it was tedious. Especially when I ignored my better judgement. This is my third version of 1609 and I think I might be done with it now. I would only make it again if I had small yardage of wool, as it would be a good little winter dress. Please excuse the horribly wrinkly-ness. These photos were taken after a full day of work. Cardigan: Hetty (pattern by Andi Satterlund) Dress: Simplicity 1609. Tights: Heattech by Uniqlo Shoes: B.A.I.T Yet again, I bring you another 1940s Simplicity 3688 skirt. It is so fast to make, nothing fiddly. I was going for a 1940s vibe, but with light makeup (office job and 3 hr rehearsal in the evening).
This grey wool skirt was started almost a year ago. It was too big and I never put on the waistband. I had a free Saturday so I pulled it out and completed it! Now it fits... :/ Let me tell you, it is warm. The fabric is deliciously soft and squishy and feels like a dream. It's a mid grey colour, not blue like the photos suggest. It was about 5 degrees C at 8.15am when I took these photos. Yay for Monday mornings. The zip is handpicked and it's a beautiful finish. Hand stitches disappear into the squishiness of the fabric. Obviously I did that when I cared a bit more! The hem and waistband are machine stitched because I couldn't be bothered hand sewing it. Now I have figured out the best way to stitch-in-the-ditch for waistbands, I cannot think of doing them by hand. So lazy, I know. Berets are a great option as hats for non-hat-wearing people. They are easy to style and make you look like you made an effort. Berets are also fantastic for pseudo 40s tilt hat styles. It just depends on how you slap it on your head. I have a range of berets in different colours. This one is from the TIGS winter uniform for senior students. It got me through yr 11 and 12, it is still serving me well 10+ years later. As a person who owns a fringe ('bangs' for Americans), hats can be a real struggle. Hats that sit towards the back of the head are much better and it means I can still see. If a hat is too far forward, my fringe gets in my eyes. I get cross. And I can't see. It's a disaster. Berets and pillbox hats are the way forward. Unseen are my heat tech tights and long sleeve top, my thermal socks, and standard singlet. It gets cold here. Time to layer like there is no tomorrow! Greetings and salutations, Sorry for the radio silence my dear readers. Life has been a bit crazy recently. On the work side, we went from having a GM ( + sales), and two sales staff for Australia, NZ, and the Pacific Islands. Down to no GM, and just me doing sales of Australia, NZ and Pacific Islands.... So there's been that. Working stupid hours with crazy pressure. It's been stressful. I was working long hours and then going home to work some more to just get through the workload. Not much time for fun or blogging. I am now training another sales staff member, and we are looking to have a new GM in October. There is a dim and distant light at the end of the tunnel. But it feels a long way away. On the personal side, I've started doing the choreography for a community theatre group's show of The Producers. It's a lot of fun but absorbing most of my time. I do love meeting new people and and creating dance. It opens in late August. Should be a blast! The other day, I did get around to finishing my Jan Sweater (version. II) and a thick black corduroy Simplicity 3688 (lost count of how many I've made - perhaps 4 or 5? As I type this now, I am wearing a new grey wool version). It's a great winter skirt. Hope to blog about that one soon. Black cord is basically impossible to photograph. Simplicity 3688 is a 6 gored skirt with a side zip. I should put one pocket in the side but I never do. The edges are zigzagged which is my usual go-to seam finish. The look of seam binding is gorgeous but most of the time it's too much effort. Perpetually lazy sewist - that's me! This Jan is made in the next size up from my first one. I wanted it to be a little more 30s blousey. It's not as loose as I thought it would be, but I like it nonetheless. The purple colour is so vibrant, just like the last few pictures of it on my body form. The yarn is Luxury 4ply from Bendigo Woollen Mills. The colour is 'Lavender'. It's gorgeous yarn to knit with. Nice and smooth, not splity, soft to touch, easy care. 200g balls with 720m / ball! This top used one and a smidge balls. By smidge I mean, the neckline ribbing on the back and yarn to sew the seams came from the second ball.
My little 'made by m' labels give me such joy. I was only using them on items I had gifted to people. Then I started stitching them into slash neck tops to easily identify the front and back. And now I stitch them onto everything! They make me so happy. Yay! Week 1 of Me Made May has actually been tricky. I was travelling all over Aus meeting people. I am really enjoying wearing my made stuff though. Gives a little more spring to my step. Monday: 5am up for Sydney to Perth. Overnight in Perth. Tuesday: 3am up in Perth to Melbourne for lunch. Then 8pm flight out of Melbourne to Sydney. Wednesday: 6am start to get into Sydney CBD for meetings all day. Back to office. Then a show in the CBD. Thursday: 5am start for a day trip to Queensland. Friday: Into the office for a few hours, then into Sydney CBD for more meetings, then back to the office. Then.... sleep. It's lucky that I have started to make clothes from comfy and non-wrinkle knit fabric. That allowed me to take the me made stuff around the country. Tuesday: Handknit top with German wool bought in NZ and knit from a 1952 pattern. It was 3.30am when I took these photos. I was barely alive at that hour... Paired with the same Retrospec'd pants and a gorgeous vintage jet necklace I got for Christmas. Wednesday: Simple Enmore Cowl - pattern from Morris & Sons in York Street. It's so cosy. I love it. Thursday: A long sleeve Gable Top again, this time for travelling to QLD for a day trip. Friday: A pretty relaxed day in my New Look 6000. This pattern is becoming a fantastic go-to for me. I have made three versions of it. I have a plan for one with the collar and cuffs in white and the body in navy. Oh so sailor chic. Saturday: Wore my black ascot scarf knit. Fantastic for using up "scraps" of yarn. More like that spare skien after a project. I also cut out my Simplicity 4606. I'm using view 3 (the orange one on the top left). Sunday: Rounded out the week with my blue scarf I made years ago. It's got a vintage doily style placemat (!!) joined in to create a little interest. Hopefully, the rest of Me Made May will be a little easier to do as I'll just be at work and won't need to plan for travelling.
Hope you're enjoying Me Made May! :) |
AuthorKnitter. Home seamstress. Dance Teacher. Archives
April 2023
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