Tussle with a Toucan - Closet Case Files Nettie Dress

Me again!

So I wasn't finished at the green spots - I saw some toucan scuba knit, for $10m. I was very excited :-)

I decided to make another Nettie dress with it. Buying the requisite 1.5m ended up being a little excessive... I made a recorder cover (rather than toucan knickers!) for Bounce with some of the offcuts... there may still be enough for something else.

The toucan dress came together easily – I would recommend a longer stitch length with the fabric. Scuba knit really marks where the holes are too if you have to do any unpicking.  I overlocked the inside of the neckband which in hindsight makes it a bit scratchy on my ‘scoop’ areas. The overlocking  on the arm holes also seems to make the shoulders a little stiff.

In fully embracing the bird theme I wore my bird-leg coloured tights – and caused something of a stir at school drop off. (It was definitely a combo people commented on). I can confirm the stretch works for biking in though.

Having worn this dress a few times now I have cut the overlocking around the neckline off. Too scratchy! Also I find scuba gets rather whiffy or maybe it makes me feel a bit hot/cold sweaty... does that make any sense? I shall keep wearing it, because I like it but more for short wears rather than a whole day.

If I had my time with this fabric again I might go more for a hoodie or something but it still makes me smile.

love you more than a tussle of Toucans xxx

Green Goodness - Nettie Dress by Closet Case Files

Hiya,

A while a go my sister and I stumbled upon an op-shop that let us 'out the back' to rummage through about 30 banana boxes full of fabric. Oh yes please!!! We ended up with a banana box to bursting to take home between us and had lots of fun divvying up the goodness.

First up I had this green fabric which has a slightly woolly feel and is stretchy.

This pattern is from Closet Case files and called Nettie. 

I read through the sew-along for the body suit and (this is a big deal!) bought some of the pattern tracing fabric-stuff and traced the pattern off rather than cutting it out. Usually I avoid this kind of step because it feels like another prep-step, which is my least favourite part. However, it made the process so quick and simple in the cutting out stage. I may be a convert!

I cut the size 14 – I sit between the 12 and 14 but Heather recommends going for the bigger size because of the fit. I found the fit good – no tightness in the armhole – which is something I super hate.

This dress is a perfect one for anyone who is new to sewing or people who haven’t worked much with stretch. I really like the neckline which is cut separately and stretched to fit. The instructions for this are nice and clear and the result sits really well. This is one of my bug bears with a stretch neck – often they end up wavy and this isn’t the case at all with this pattern.

I've been doing quite a bit of making lately - whoop! So hopefully that will translate into more sharing here, just in case there is still anyone out there in blogland reading!

love you more than a stretchy waistline xxx

Taffeta Terrific - Burda 2593

Hi babes!

I went to The Fabric Store recently with my sister and I fell in love with some Japanese taffeta (at least I think it's taffeta - it's slightly softer but still has some nice body to it).

I wanted something full and gathered but didn't want to end up with something I'd only wear for special.

I used a Burda pattern 2593 -  from my stash, along with some fluro pink thread and a zip from my stash. The skirt pattern is full length but I wanted to do something hi-low in the hem so I could wear it with tights and doc boots.

Once the skirt was finished I searched out some diy tutorials to work out how to do it. It's pretty simple really. I put the whole skirt together in a couple of hours.

The photos aren't the best but you get the idea!

So, what's up.... it's been a while since we caught up right? Shall I do a life catch- up post? We seem to have lost our camera charger in the move back home... urgh.. another boring job to sort out.

Love you more than matching fluro pink boot laces xxx

Makey Makings

'Sup? (which I have also discovered stands for stand.up.paddleboarding)...

So I was at a fabric shop that was closing down, with my sister, when I spied this beautiful yellow lace and hot pink silk satin. She convinced me to make a skirt with it.

I love this fabric and the colour combo heaps, but I'm not 100% on the way it sits when I'm not holding it out... I also may have made it slightly long I think which drabs it down a bit as well...

I will persevere with it though, maybe playing around with the styling will help too. If I really can't live with it it wouldn't be too hard to change as it's essentially just 2 panels gathered onto an elatic waistband. (I probably made the waistband a bit lose too, I'm terrified of a too-tight waist and major muffin top/spillage over the top)... suggestions?

The top is one I was given from a friend but it was rather too tight around the arms and over the bust. So I decided to play around with it. I have a bit of a goal to do more pattern on pattern at the moment so I thought this would be a risk-free way to have a play.

I unpicked the side seams and replaced them with some fun wide elastic I'd picked up at creative junk and then I chopped the lower back and replaced it with some leftovers from my daisy skirt.

I'm quite pleased with the final result. Still pretty simple but a little more fun and a good way to play around with patterns.

I have a few other projects on the go at present but having moved back to our home (!!!!! wohoo!!!!) this week I think I probably need to spend several hours sorting out my little sewing room before I manage to complete much else.

My 7 year old took these photos for me... so, this is how I look when you are 7! ;-)

love you more than a perfectly fitted waistband xxx

Yeah I Made It - High Vis

Hey lovelies,

So my sister and I had an epic op shop haul of fabric a while ago and after we divided the spoils I had this scrap of neon lining fabric. Enter idea for making myself a biking vest.

It's probably a good time to introduce you to Bernice - my new bike. She's a little hardier than in the tyres than Beryl (who was left in Australia, with a new home). Christchurch roads are still a 'little' rough!

The Atlas and the boys bought me these gorgeous panniers for mother's day, and The Atlas fitted the mudguards, back rack and bell. Now I can bike to school in style, and visibility.

To make the vest I eyeballed the shapes and cut them out and then added some reflective stripes that I bought in a set from Spotlight. I also used fold over elastic to bind it that I grabbed from Creative Junk when we were there a while ago.

There are some other makes lined up on my table and 2 weeks until we are back in our house, hellow sewing room - I have missed you!

Here's to riding to work.

love you more than pink reflective stripes xxx

Fortune Favours the Floral

.... so friends,

I seem to be sewing again, which is something considering the general lack of anything shared here!

I made this skirt using a mashed up (very mashed) version of a cynthia rowley pattern by simplicity 2512. I used the back panel and cut it on the fold twice for the underskirt and then sort of made up the over skirt bit.

The underskirt is in a bright yellow broadcloth which is also the same fabric as the waistband and then I used an organza type fabric with embroidered daisies over the top. I hand stitched the non embroidered selvages up into the skirt by hand (those who know me may keel over with shock here) and I hand stitched the back of the waistband in too - alll whilst watching a film with subtitles - I can hardly believe my own brilliance *wink*.

I wore this to church this morning and it received admiration from young (3 years) and old (grown ups).

I love this colour combo. It does make me realise though I need some other kind of top to wear with it as the black doesn't really spin my wheels.

What colour combos spin your wheels?

love you more than buttercups xxx

Buy My Book

Holla,

Recently I decided to take the plunge and get an ISBN and do a physical print run of my book. Because the book is for children and families it just makes so much more sense for it to be a proper physical book (in my mind).

**For those bookish types, in NZ you can get an ISBN number without cost but you have to provide the national library with 2 copies of your book - one for the archives and one for loaning. Which I love the idea of.

This is of course a bit of a risk - when you decide to publish a book yourself you pay all the cost of the book at the front end with no guarantees that you will break even at the other end. Writing this book was never a money making venture of me (tbh, most authors, whatever route they are published don't make a lot from it), but I would love to break even.

example of a page - there are 24 like this

I decided to get my book published locally - about 5 minutes down the road. I know it would have been much cheaper for me to get it done off shore but, as much as I can, its nice to support local people in local jobs and also the thought of trying to do this kind of thing by distance does not excite me.

I also decided to get my book published on the very best paper I could get - 100% recycled, at the highest of international standards and bleach and chlorine free. This felt like the right thing to do too - even though it made it a little bit more expensive for me.

So now 100 copies of my little Advent book are printed! Which feels like a big number to sell but hopefully kind of realistic.

Of course I'm aware we're not even at June yet, but if you like to get things like this sorted early (or you need a whole year to get through the activities - which I completely understand!) you can get yours now.

You can read more about my book here
and you can also read reviews of the book here

Because I want to live hands open I would like to give away the first copy of this book (I can sign it if you like). I am happy to post this anywhere in the world. If you'd like to win a copy just comment here, on my faith blog miriamjessie.com or on my facebook writer's(!) page.

If you would like to buy a copy of my book, (yay!), it is $25 plus p+p. If you live in Christchurch I may well be able to drop you off your copy - or we could have a coffee??!

In NZ I can post this out in an A4 prepaid envelope so the total cost will be $27.90. At this stage copies can only be purchased from me. Because the mark up is so low it is unlikely at the moment that it will be sold through shops but I'll let you know if that changes at all.

If you live somewhere else and want to purchase a copy/copies please let me know and I will calculate postage and let you know.

You can still buy the kindle copy via amazon which will only set you back about the cost of a coffee if you still want one but your budget won't stretch to a hard copy.

I think that's all for now. So....um.... you want to buy a copy of my book?

love you more than a big brown box full of a book I wrote! xxx