MUST SEW #9

Here's my latest project that I made this week. It's New Look 6594 View E. I like border prints, but never really liked one enough to make a dress or skirt out of. Last week I spotted this cotton fabric at Textile Traders and had to buy it! I then had to get a cute little skirt pattern to make it up in (and don't even go near that horrid skirt on on the left! I didn't like those puff skirts in the 80's and can't believe they made a come-back!). The only alteration I did to the pattern was to insert an invisible zipper instead of a lapped one. Everything else was as per the pattern, and it was quite easy to put together. It looks super cute with my favourite boots! I'd like to make another one out of corduroy...nice for the cooler weather that's upon us.

A close-up of the fabric.

Anyway, so I can tick off number 9 on my Must Sew list (See side-bar..I think I've neglected this list for a while and must get right back on track with it).

PS. Have a look-see at Linda's blog and wish her a Happy birthday for Saturday!

Have a great week!

70's DENIM DRESS

I have wanted a denim dress for such a long time, but have never seen one that I liked...until now! I was afraid that I would look like a biker chick in a denim dress (not that there's anything wrong with that!!!).

Anyhoo, I bought this pattern a few months ago from this seller on OZtion. This is a really good site for vintage patterns, similar to Ebay, and they are usually quite cheap, not quite the same selection, but you could be lucky like I was!

I chose a black denim from Spotlight (to match my black boots that I HAD to buy for my 40th, which was a few years ago now). The fabric has a slight stretch, and a bit of a slub through it, so it doesn't make the dress too plain. View 2 (far left) was the one I made and I'm really loving it. I may just make the pant suit too!

I didn't have to make any sizing alterations to this pattern which is wonderful, and because the denim was on the "stiff" side, I made the facings with black poplin to reduce the bulk, and used bias binding around the armholes.

And in case you think my right leg looks kooky, it is. I had the 'big C' about 15 years ago and lost my knee joint in the recovery process! Those close to me know I usually wear pants or dresses/skirts below the knee, but I liked this pattern so much I didn't care. Quite liberating, really!

Anyway, this was my first 70's pattern, and it certainly won't be my last!

And I almost forgot, I tried a new method for backstitching seams which I discovered on this great blog. It really works a treat, and I really wanted to try this method to reduce the bulk with the denim. Give it a go!

Enjoy your day.

MY NEW TSHIRT

I'm not really into Tshirts - especially those with silly sayings on them, but I just couldn't resist! There is a whole lot more on the Australian CafePress Site (although I think most are sourced from the U.S.). You can key in just about anything that interests you (scrap booking, quilting, sewing, soccer etc.) and there will surely be a Tshirt for it, or you can even design your own!

I am also coveting this....