I always knew that the most challenging part of Me-Made-May was going to be the documenting and the blogging.  Not only do I not feel like having my photo taken each day, but for me blogging is such a time sap.  There’s no such thing as sitting down to write a quick blog post for me.  So in the wake of a very trying and explosive (on my part) week at work, the last thing I’ve felt like doing is taking my photo,  then sitting down to write about how rubbish I look and feel, and then sharing it with you.   So it’s had to wait till now till I’m feeling somewhat calmer, and less red eyed.  And I’ll admit that I’ve had to cheat a little bit this last week- while I have been wearing me-mades every day, a few of my outfits I photographed today because there was no way I was posting photos of myself in the state I was in on Wednesday and Thursday :p  I’m sure y’all understand (and believe me when I say you should be thanking me for not inflicting such retina-burning images upon you!!).

So without further ado, here is May the 1st to 10th:

1st

New Look 6160 and self-drafted reversible ballet wrap go to and from work

2nd

Self-drafted sleeveless top goes to and from work

3rd

Self-drafted raglan maxi dress and me-made elastic belt go out to lunch

4th

Self-drafted raglan t-shirt goes walking at Wilson’s Prom

5th

Vuokatti tights go camping at Wilson’s Prom

6th

Mission Maxi, me-made earrings and me-made elastic belt go to the pub for birthday drinks

7th

New Look 6160 and self-drafted t-shirt (underneath jumper) goes to and from work

8th

Spotty denim Butterick 6938 goes to and from work

9th

Old faithful spotty shift goes to and from work

10th

Self-drafted jersey dress goes to an appointment after work

Surprisingly, I don’t really feel like I have heaps to reflect on from the first third of MMM.  Looking back on these photos, I guess I do have my own particular style- I always thought my wardrobe was a bit of a mish-mash but I definitely notice a whole lot of wrap tops, tights and skirts going on!!  I’ve also been pleased with myself for reaching for a few of my lesser worn me-made garments in an effort to not bore you all senseless from the repetition!  It doesn’t really take much effort to get out of auto-pilot mode a put a little bit of extra thought into getting dressed  at the beginning of the day.  Oh, and I suppose I should give a massive high-five to Mother Nature this past week for turning on some cracker Melbourne weather and giving those of us in this part of the world a bit of a reprieve from the tedium of cold (ok, cool) weather dressing.  Thanks mate!

Some people don’t much go for birthdays.  I used to be a bit like that.  But the older I get the less self indulgent it feels to make a little bit of a fuss about myself.  It’s the one day of the year that it feels ok to bask in peoples’ attention.  I enjoy it for the day, and then move along.  

So yesterday was the day I turned 34.  My life is not quite what society would expect from someone my age, but thankfully for me I don’t really give a fig what society expects.  Of course I have my moments from time to time when I feel like I’m floundering, but mostly I’m pretty content to be 34 and doing what I’m doing.

Anyway, as a treat to myself, I gave myself a 4-day long weekend.  Let me tell you something- I could do with a 4-day weekend more more often :)   For a couple of nights I packed myself off to Wilson’s Prom, and to be honest, it wasn’t quite what the doctor ordered (proper bush camping is what I’ve since realised I needed), but dang, that place is spectacular none-the-less.  It’s my 3rd trip but there’s always something new to discover, and plenty of pretty pics to be took :)

I’ve been humming and ha-ing over Me Made May to the point that I’ve nearly run out of time to join up!   I think the thing that has really been holding me back is the prospect of taking photos every day.  I struggle enough with finished project photos & am feeling a bit daunted about the task ahead, to say the least.  So while I have enough me made items to wear one thing every day, I thought I might take the approach that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.  I figure that if I don’t put the pressure on to wear me mades every day that I’ll be more creative with my outfits and enjoy the whole experience a lot more.  And I think this will really help me achieve my main goal, which is to learn to accessorise, and also to learn how to put different outfits together using the same piece of clothing. 

So, onto the pledge:

 ’I, Jenny of rennous-oh-glennus, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ‘13. I endeavour to wear at least 1 me made item at least 5 days a week for the duration of May 2013’ 

So, there you go.  Short and sweet.  It’s time for some shut-eye, so it’s going to have to do :p

Night night

Ummm, how many favourites can one person have?  Because this one is getting added to the list!

In an attempt to mix up my autumn/ winter wardrobe this year, I’ve decided to try and wean myself off the jeans and introduce some skirts that I can wear with tights and boots.  And the Grainline Moss Mini is going to be just the ticket!  It’s just my style and the fit (except for a tiny swayback problem) is absolutely perfect.  I wore it around for the past couple of days & it’s sooo comfy :)

I decided to go with View B, the one with the added band at the bottom.  I actually only ended up using 5cm of the extra length as it looked a little unbalanced & not quite the right length for me.  As you can see I played around with the stripes so I could add a bit of interest to an otherwise simple skirt.  The fabric is one of my Japan purchases and I feel like I’ve done it justice :)  I know it’s just fabric, but now that I’m starting to sew with my Japan acquisitions, I find myself feeling a bit nervous whenever I cut into them.  I have a feeling I’m going to want to shoot myself if I ever totally screw up!

So, onto the pattern.  I love it.  I’ve read a few people’s experiences with this pattern & some of them have said that they’re a little overwhelmed with the number of pattern pieces needed to make this skirt.  I suppose I understand that if you’re after an instant gratification project.  But I think the extra pieces add some interesting design lines, make it easier to fit if needed, & give you the opportunity to learn some new techniques. 

The instructions are fairly brief, but given that this is an intermediate pattern, that shouldn’t really be a problem for anyone attempting this pattern.  This was my first time sewing a fly front zipper, and while I was a little baffled at times, I definitely wasn’t flummoxed!  Coupled with the online tutorial, it came together without so much as breaking into a sweat.  The part I was most confused by was attaching the waistband, but this was my own dumb fault for not realising that waistband isn’t symmetrical.  It totally makes sense now, but I did think there was something seriously wrong with me for not being able to make a waistband fit :p

I also really, really, really love the pockets.  They are big enough to be functional (keys, phone, coins, all fit safely inside :) ) and they have also been designed in such a way that they extend all the way to the centre front where they are caught in the seam & don’t flap around or get bent out of shape.  I hate it when pockets get bent out of shape!

I only have a couple of gripes.  The first one is that there are no finished garment measurements.  It’s not a huge deal because it’s easy enough to measure your pattern pieces, but it’s something I like to have there for quick reference.  The other thing (& I’ll definitely change this for next time) is that the pattern calls for a sew-on fly shield.  I’d much prefer to have separate front right & left pattern pieces, one drafted with a fly shield and the other one without, as I found that the given method adds way too much bulk, especially since you’re likely to be using heavy weight fabric.  I just think that the fly shield would sit a lot flatter & neater if you didn’t have to attach it to the skirt front.

Anyway, it probably won’t be too long before you see another version popping up here.  I’m thinking of making one up in the red denim I got in Japan, just so I can inject some colour into my otherwise fairly sombre cool weather wardrobe.  Damn I love it when you find a pattern that you want to sew up again as soon as you’ve finished!

P.S. Woops, forgot to say… since there was no interest in the pattern from last week, it’s staying where it is!

And in the absence of a hot date, let’s go with high tea.

As many of you already know, & have probably already read about, yesterday saw a whole gaggle of superbly dressed ladies descend on  The Gables for Sewcie Tea, graciously organised by Melanie of Seamstress: Poppykettle (thanks again Melanie  :)  )

By golly, what a turn out- apparently there were 26 of us but I only ended up chatting with a few.  You see, if I was to be honest- and since this is my blog I’m going to take the liberty to be just that- I feel like I shrivel up and withdraw in the company of so many people and any social skills that I have seem to fly out the window.  A large group of sewing peops is still a large group of peops and an event like this will always cause me some level of anxiety.  Having said this, everyone that I talked to was super friendly with mad sewing skills!  At one point I looked across the room and couldn’t quite fathom that all the fabulous frocks before me were self-stitched.  Incredible!  I didn’t end up taking any photos while we were there so you should probably head over to Melanie’s wrap-up of the day for a proper gander.  I hear that another event is in the pipeline - Frocktails on 7^th Sept- so hopefully with a few bevvies under my belt I might loosen up a bit and meet some more lovely ladies.

Now if you’re wondering whatever eventuated with my plans for my wiggle dress for Sewcie Tea, this is it:

Thank you to everyone who left a comment and helped me decide which fabric to choose.  It was pretty much a tie between the red and the Gridlock, but I ended up going with the red since the spirit of this dress was ‘just because’.  As I was sewing, I gradually became more and more concerned that this dress, being so red and all, was not going to be suitable for afternoon tea at all.  I felt like I should be sipping champagne over a romantic dinner or something.  But I persisted and am pretty pleased now that it’s all done.

I did encounter a few fitting issues despite all my hard work with my toile. I’ll admit that they are entirely my fault for trying to be too clever and cutting this dress on the bias.  It seemed like a good idea at the time- I thought that since the fabric had no elastane that cutting it on the bias would add a little stretch.  Instead what happened was that it clung to my bum and looked all kinds of weird.  Thankfully Emily was on hand last week after a spot of brunch and shopping so she was able to help me with some pinning and she got it looking a whole lot better.  You can see that the back is still looking not quite right, but that’s what standing with your back to the wall was invented for, right?!  I think the problem with the back also has something to do with the exposed metal zipper that I used.  Hang it on a coat hanger and it looks perfect, but get it on a curved body and it just turns all wavy and wiggly with nothing (that I know of anyway) to be done about it.  Boo.

A few particulars:

The pattern is the Wiggle Dress found in Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing, with pockets and collar inspired by McCall’s 4178.  

Fitting alterations to the wiggle dress pattern included a swayback adjusment, tapered the side seems over the hips for a closer fit, and tapered each seam by 6mm at the hem of the skirt for that extra wiggly shape.

The fabric is a poly/viscose blend from Spotlight and the entredeux (white trim) is from Nippori Fabric Town, Tokyo.

Resources I found useful for this project:

Sewing a vent on A Fashionable Stitch

Sewing with Entredeux on The Old Fashioned Baby

Sewing on the bias on Threads

Now, I should give a final shout out to Marie from A Stitching Odyssey who was kind enough to send me the Vintage McCall’s pattern that was the inspiration behind this dress.  

And in the spirit of intra-blog inspiration, I’d like to forward it on to a new home, with new interpretations and new incarnations.  I’ve also included my own little piece of provenance in the hope that another seamstress, 50 years from now will discover this piece of ephemera and wonder about us the same way that we wonder about our sewing forebears.  The pattern is size 18 (bust 38, waist 30, hips 40).  If you’d like to put your name in the hat, please let me know in the comments.  I’ll keep this giveaway open for a week until 12pm Monday  22nd April.  

Anyway, I’d say it’s about time to crack on with some more everyday projects in preparation for Me-Made-May.  I haven’t quite decided what form my challenge will take yet but I’ll come back soon with my proper pledge. Until then…...

a quick selfie of Emily & me after the do.  Oh look, you can see my underarm gusset!

Grey can get a bit of a bad rap. I suppose the first words that come to mind when describing grey would be bleak, depressing, gloomy, lifeless and ubiquitous.  Or maybe just boring.  I’ve been to some pretty drab, grey places (Bucharest springs to mind) and they sure can get you down.  But I actually think that grey can be a very calming colour and it can also have some really beautiful reflective properties. 

The first photo challenge I ever did was when I was in Japan earlier this year, and the challenge was to take one photo each day inspired by the colour purple.  It was interesting because it encouraged me to keep my eyes open and I not only ended up with some really beautiful shots that I would otherwise have missed, but actually also saw a lot of things that I would not have even noticed if not for the challenge.  This time I decided to go with grey because as a city dweller, it’s a colour that I’m surrounded by each day but one that I think I’ve become strangely oblivious to.  I guess that’s a sad truth about humans though- you can be surrounded by anything (or anyone) for long enough and you become so used to it that you don’t even register any more.  Anyway, I thought it was high time grey got a little bit o’ love. So, here we go:

 Monday:

 Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

So there’s my week in grey.  I’d like to think it hasn’t all been doom and gloom!  I guess the real test would be to try this again in the depths of winter to see just how inspired I’m feeling after a few months of continual greyness….

Well, I’d say it might be time for a little quarterly review!  Blimey…. how did that happen??

I’ve never been one for New Years’ resolutions- I find the whole concept of a new start for a new year to be completely artificial when life just doesn’t stop and start like that.  So it’s been interesting for me to be able to reflect on my hopes and aims for the year.  It’s been great having them written down, not because they make me accountable but because it’s easy to lose sight of what you hoped for once you return to the humdrum and monotony of daily life.  I’ve loved having that post there for my own reference.

Anyway, moving right along, let’s see what’s been going down in rennous-oh-glennus-ville so far this year, shall we?

Hits and Highlights:

1. Tj & Emily

It will come as no surprise to anyone who’s heard me wax lyrical about these lovely ladies that befriending Tj and Emily has been the highlight of my year so far. 

Photo courtesy of Tj

These guys are superstars, y’all!  About a month or so ago, Tj organised a little outing to Succre Terre high tea at NGV (which unfortunately I couldn’t get to in time) followed by dins at Cookie.  Being only the second time I’d met Tj and the first time I’d met Emily, I just couldn’t get over how easily the conversation flowed.  And this is coming from someone for whom the mention of small talk makes them feel a little green around the gills.  And most recently- Friday night in fact- I was lucky enough to have them round to my place for a dose of roast chicken and much conversation and laughter.  Again the whole thing felt so effortless and I feel amazed to have made myself some totally awesome new friends :)

2. The wedding of Saki and Chris.

I might be making a mega faux pas here by saying this out loud, but after the excitement of being invited to a wedding has worn off, I usually feel an enormous sense of dread about the prospect of actually attending it.  I hasten to add that in no way does this reflect how I feel about the intendeds, just about how I feel about spending a good amount of time at an event where usually the only people that I know the guests of honour.  But the wedding in question was unlike any that I’d ever been to.  It was held in Saki and Chris’ backyard, with all decorations, catering and everything else organised and made entirely by them and their friends.  It’s something that I’m sure all of my readers can appreciate.  It lent the whole day that extra-personal touch and it was all so perfect.  On top of this, it’s the only wedding I’ve ever been to where I’ve known a lot of the people who were there. It was a really beautiful and fun afternoon, spent catching up with friends and seeing these two tie the knot in a very teary ceremony.

3. Sewing

I feel like I’ve generally been nailing all my sewing projects this year.  I seem to have subconsciously discovered my style and my personal colour palette, and I also feel like I’ve managed to match sewing projects with fabrics really well.  It’s difficult to narrow down my favourites because I feel like they’re all so ‘me’.

I also feel like I’ve been able to stay in control of my sewing projects in the midst of on-going sewalongs and competitions.  I know I’m not alone when I say that It’s easy to get distracted by everything that’s going on around all your lovely blogs, and also that you can put yourself under needless pressure in the process.  I do this for fun and am finding it much easier to just say ‘no’ and continue on with what will be most useful for me as the weather cools down.

4. Outta Town

I have been thinking about camping, but just haven’t made it happen yet.  I did get up to Bright last weekend though which was just what the doctor ordered.  My friend George grew up there and her parents live just out of town on a gorgeous little hobby farm with lots of cats and a pretty garden.  It was a really long drive for what ended up being only one and a half days up there and I’ve been exhausted all this last week, but it did serve to remind me how important it is to get away from your everyday surroundings.   

5. Trying Something New Each Month

This has been such a brilliant thing to do.  As I’ve said in my previous posts about it (ice cream, sashiko), it makes me reassess how safety conscious I am when trying new things.  I won’t lie-  I’m the kind of person who prepares themselves for a fall before they even try, and this kind of attitude prevents me from trying all manner of things and meeting all sorts of people.

I never ended up telling you what I got up to in March, because I never got round to it, but I actually tried THREE new things!  The first one was breakfast alone at a café.  I’ve never been worried about being seen alone, or going on holidays or camping alone, but I’ve always had reservations about eating out in public alone.  I can’t really make sense of it because when I see other people doing it I find myself admiring them.  Anyway, I did it, and I won’t say that it was easy, or particularly enjoyable either for that matter, but I did it and it’s something that I’m sure will get easier with each outing.  The second one is that instead of reaching for a rockmelon at the supermarket, I picked up one I’d never seen before called a Piel de Sapo melon.  I know it doesn’t sound like such a big deal but just think of all the things you do out of habit when you could be doing (or eating) something better.  It was bloody delicious too, by the way!!  And finally- and this IS a big one for me- I asked for a pay rise for the first time in my life.  God it was clumsy, and I wish I had have sat myself down and thought about my approach first, but I said the words, and now just have to wait and see what happens.

6. Photography

It’s something that I only used to do when I got out of town, but a few photo challenges have really made me open my eyes and appreciate the things that I miss every day.  I’m also aware that a lot of my photos have similar composition so I’m trying to mix things up a bit that way too. There’s heaps of photo challenge ideas on Pinterest so I think I might start a new one tomorrow.  Here’s a couple of randoms for the post that doesn’t quite have enough pics yet: 

Misses and Lowlights

1. Work

I’m just not diggin it.  It’s past the point of back from holiday blues.  I know I said I work with a really great group of people, and for the most part it’s true.  If it wasn’t for a handful of them it’s possible that I might not even be bothered to stay.  But there’s also one person in particular that I just can’t get my head around.  And the reason why this turns out to be such a problem is because he happens to be the head chef and our working relationship is starting to become dysfunctional.  In the past 18 months I’ve really changed my approach to dealing with situations like this- once I would have just thrown up my hands and said ‘no, don’t like you, can’t be bothered’ but since I expect to encounter personal differences in any future job, I feel like I may as well try and address the problem as it arises and learn something from it.  Anyway, people have always responded and we’ve managed to sort things out.  But this guy is so stubborn, defensive and uncommunicative and I have not been able to make any progress with him at all.  It makes me feel entirely hopeless because I’ve tried and tried and I can’t see that a resolution is ever likely.

The other thing is that I’m bored again.  I would hope it’s not because I’m fickle, but because I learn quickly, and once I’ve stopped learning I get bored.  There are other things that I could do within the business, but whether I would be encouraged to do them or not is another matter altogether.

Work isn’t all doom and gloom though, so I’ll share a few things that caught my eye:

2. Eating:

No surprise there, and to be honest am probably no closer to getting this situation sorted.  When I first started thinking about how I was going to get myself cooking and eating properly, I suggested to my friend Kate that we have each other round for dinner every other Tuesday.  I struggle to cook for myself and Kate is self-employed and works alone (and wayyyy too much) so I thought it would be a win-win for both of us.  It has actually been a huge success and is something that I look forward to every week.  But it’s only one dinner out of 7 and I really must try harder.

3. Exercise

It’s the whole motivation thing again- I’ve been for the grand total of TWO swims in the whole time I’ve been back from holidays.  Once I’m there I do fine but I kind of just need someone to tell me to go and to stop making excuses.  I do know that I need to be able to do this for myself in the long run.

Hmm, it really feels like I’ve ended on a bit of a low note here, doesn’t it!  Unfortunately work is a bit of a downer at the moment, but look how many awesome things have been going on this year!  And there’s more to come, what with Sewcie Tea this time next week.  I was powering along with my wiggle dress but something weird has happened with the fit so I may end up wearing one of my Du Barry frocks instead. It’ll be a shame if it doesn’t work out, but heck!  It’s just a dress!

See you next time, amigos :)

Are you the kind of person who, like me, tells yourself that you know what other people are thinking?  I’ve gotten myself into a whole lot of trouble doing this over the years and am finding it a pretty difficult habit to break.  Which is why I’ve been putting off blogging about these two makes-  I figured no-one would be interested.  Which is utterly silly really, because if blogging about everyday clothing wasn’t interesting, then Me-Made-May wouldn’t be such a rip-roaring success now, would it??

And the thing is, is that these two garments have been in high rotation ever since I finished them.  They are just so damn wearable, and that in itself is pretty exciting if you ask me!  Which you didn’t but I’m tellin you anyway :)

The skirt is vintage Butterick 6938 (which I assume dates from the 70s, but can’t actually find a date on the envelope) which cost me the princely sum of $3 on Etsy.  Score!!  It’s probably my favourite skirt pattern that I own- it has lots of cute details like shaped front pockets, tabbed waistband opening and a few gathers, but it still manages to be super easy to style and wear.  What more could you want really?  This is my third time making this pattern (the other two were made pre-blog but I posted them on flickr, here and here) and I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last.

And the t-shirt is made from the raglan sleeve pattern that we drafted in our sewing class last year.  Now, I know it’s just a t-shirt, but we all need them and wear them a lot.  But I figure that if I’m going to invest the time in making one, that I want to make it a bit cuter than your average T.

When it came time to finish the neck, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do.  I didn’t want a binding that contrasted with either the sleeves or the main body, so in the end I decided to just stabilise the neck, fold the fabric over and then sew with a zig-zag stitch.  I’d never finished a knit neckline this way before but I actually really like the way it turned out. 

 Anyway, I can sense everyone’s giddiness, so I’ll let you all go have a lie down and compose yourselves!  

But still- go the useful and wearable me-mades :) 

Oops… I made another Du Barry!  I had planned to go away this weekend, but the sewing machine was calling to me.  I just couldn’t help myself…. you see, I am 100% smitten with this pattern!  And so what if it’s now too cool to wear it?!  

I’d been dreaming of making up another one of these after the smashing success that was my first effort, and when I happened upon this most amazing cotton/ silk voile at Dancing Queen, my mind was made up!  I actually almost missed out- when I went back to buy the fabric last week there was only 1.5m left- just enough to eek out what I needed.  Phew!

Anyhoo, the whole thing was pretty straightforward since this was my second time sewing up the pattern.  Of course it still has all those pretty features that I died for first time round- the gathered neckline and sleeves, the floaty skirt, the perfect fit.  

I did do a couple of things differently though-

1. I added a back keyhole to replace the back shoulder darts.  I pretty much just freehanded the shape of the keyhole, then bound it with bias tape.  When I bound the neckline, I made the binding extra long so I had enough to tie it in a bow.  While I’m not amazed with the outcome, I’m happy enough, and it’s nice to have a new little feature.

2. I decided to go with a machine rolled hem.  I thought that this method would interfere with the drape of the skirt the least.  And it’s extra quick, and an extra quick hem is a grand hem in my book :)

Now, while I do love my new frock, and see it getting worn to death next summer, I  have  to say that I’m not sure if I love this version as much as the first one.  I think the colour of the fabric washes me out a little bit.  The fabric of my first version was just so perfect!  I know, a hair fluff-up will make it all better…

Despite all this love, I think this will be my last version of this for a little while, at least until next summer.  What with two of these and my Hazel, I have had it up to the eyeballs with gathers!!!  They will always be waiting for me once I have recovered :p

Well, maybe not a cloudspotter as much as a cloud lover.  Yep, that would be me.  And that must be how this fabric came to end up jumping (completely of its own accord, you understand) into my basket.  I’m not usually big on prints, but this one is me to a tee- both colour and subject matter :)  Oh, and price- for 1.5m this set me back the grand sum of ¥913 (that’s about 12 Australian dollars, and if that still doesn’t mean anything to you, let’s just go with ‘dirt cheap’).

bags under eyes are a sure-fire indicator of too many consecutive days on the job :(

Originally I was going to use it for a shift dress, but I thought a sundress would be much more appropriate for a print as fun as this.  Now that enough time has passed since my horrible Hazel experience of last year, I was ready ready to have another crack.  After all, I do really love the pattern, even if I am dumb enough to be able to stuff it up so royally first time round.  I’m pretty lucky when it comes to the fit of Colette patterns- I usually only need to make a few tweaks here and there, but nothing major.  One thing I have noticed though is that I find the length (or should I say shortness) of the skirts on all the dresses to be well outside my comfort zone.  This time I cut the skirt length to the largest size and it worked a treat.

Something else that I did slightly differently was to use piping to gather the skirt onto the bodice:

This is a technique I came across when I was flipping through the ever-brilliant Simplicity Sewing Book generously gifted to my by the lovely Tj.  I took a few photos as I went, so if you’re interested in trying, here’s how I did it:

Step 1.  Place the piping on the wrong side of the fabric, about 2cm from the top edge if working with a 1.5cm seam allowance 

Step 2. Fold seam allowance back over piping

Step3. Using a zipper foot, sew as close to the piping as possible.  Do not secure at each end- you will need to keep the piping free so you can gather the fabric later

Step 4.  Use the piping to gather the fabric to the required length, then secure at each end.

5.Press seam open

This is what it should look like on the right side:

Step 6.  With right sides of bodice and skirt together, and the skirt piece on top, sew together by stitching in the ditch.  Go slowly and carefully so you don’t accidentally catch any of the gathers.  

And that is all!  Pretty easy, huh?

And that my friends, is about all I have to tell you :)

Ignore this last bit please… y’all know what it’s about…

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So long, Google Reader….

Well gosh, I’d better let you know the outcome of the Japanese fabric giveaway I announced this time last week so y’all can get some sleep!  For all you Melbourne sewistas, I know that all the sleep deprivation, and all the bleary eyes this week have had nothing to do with extreme heat and everything to do with anxiety over said giveaway :p

So without further ado the lucky winner is….

Gillian!  Go you good thing!  How fitting that as one of my ‘long term’ readers (long term being relative to the life of a one year old blog :p ), that you are the winner!  I’ve replied to your comment on the original giveaway post, so you should have received a disqus email by the time you read this :)  I’ll have it all bundled up and jetting its way to you as soon as you let me know your postal address!

To everyone else- thank you for your comments and of course for reading!  

Also, I have a handful of FOs to post about, most of them pretty basic everyday gems, but am struggling to come up with any witty accompanying stories!  Hmmm, I’ll see how I get on over the next few days I guess.  See you then!

NEWSFLASH!!

I’ve been given instruction by Gillian to draw again- she tells me that she has more Japanese fabric than she needs and to pick someone else!  

So, the new winner is IngeMaakt.  Yay!! I’ll go over to the original post now and reply to your comment to let you know!  

This arrived!

I hope you won’t judge me when I tell you that every day since I got back from Japan, I rushed to the letterbox as soon as I got home.  You see, I was waiting for a very important note telling me that a certain parcel was awaiting my collection down at the post office!  Yes, the very one I’ve been teasing you about, with giveaway promise and all.  So you know where this post is going then, woot!!  But before we get to the giveaway goodies, you must endure a little photo essay of my lovely purchases :p  I’ll keep it short- I’m pretty weary after a trying week at work and my energy has been completely sapped.  This will be just the pick-me-up I need… a little reminiscing :)

From Toraya Fabric Shop, Osaka

What exactly do you call this type of knit fabric?  I have no idea, but I can see it working perfectly for a raglan sleeved hoodie. 

Tokyu Hands, Shinjuku, Tokyo

These pieces of leather, although quite small, were too good to walk past.  I’ve been dying to try my hand at a bit of leather sewing, and I designed a new bag pattern late last year for this very purpose- the perfect beginner project while I’m sporting my leather training wheels :)   All leather that I’ve seen for sale in Australia is ridiculously expensive and these pieces were only AUD$10~15 each.

From Nippori Fabric Street, Tokyo

I must admit to being amazingly disappointed with Nippori.  I felt it was really just a collection of pretty average shops and was overall very uninspiring.  I couldn’t believe that after being so amped to get there, all I walked away with was this:

At the time I felt that I bought it because I thought I had to at least buy something, you know?  Now that I’m looking at it again I’m really excited to have another go with Hazel- I think it will be perfect, and given that we have heaps more hot weather forecast, I should be able to sneak in a few wears before the weather gets too cool.

This next part is where I give a MASSIVE shout out to Gillian for all her insider information, re: all things Tokyo fabric shopping.  After the disheartening experience that was Nippori, I was just about beside myself when I made it to Cottonfield and Yuzawaya, both in Kichijoji (a beautiful suburb in its own right, perfect for meandering the back streets and discovering all sorts of gems).

I cleaned up at Cottonfield:

I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve been coveting Nani Iro.  Well, covet no more because I walked away with Little Letter:

I think you would call this brushed cotton.  It’s not quite as soft and fluffy as flannel, but I can see it working beautifully for a cool-weather shift dress.

and Pon Pocho double gauze:

This was the last piece on the bolt so it’s not huge and I have no idea how I might use it, but you know, I needed it.

Another lovely double gauze (not Nani Iro) with beautiful mottled stripes.  I bought enough for a dress of some description, but exactly what, I’m not quite sure at this stage.

Is there such a thing as brushed cotton jacquard?  If so, this it it!  Another short end of bolt piece that is hopefully big enough to some make some pjs or something.

From Yuzawaya:

OK, woah.  Look out wallet.  I can’t remember how many hours I spent in here, but I think I was quite restrained to have only walked out with the following!!….

The most beautiful soft, stretch red denim.  This is the sort of thing I can see turning up in a million projects…. so versitile.

Some more denim, equally useful :)

And two more pieces, but I think we’ll save those for the end of the post :p

Nomura Tailor, Kyoto.

Next to Nippori, Nomura Tailor was one of the places I was looking forward to the most on the whole trip.  You’ll be glad to know (I’m sure) that this time I was not disappointed!  Hurrah!  Again, I spent so long here, just touching and looking and generally soaking up all things Japanese fabric :)  Bliss!  You know, it’s a good thing I don’t live in Kyoto because this place would do serious and ongoing damage to my already low bank account!!

This is a medium weight cotton, blended with linen (I think).  I’m not big into gathered waist skirts, but I thought this could look cute with some chunky pleats instead.

This is probably my favourite find of the trip.  It’s a viscose/poyurethane/lyocell knit.  The drape is absolutely incredible, and I think I’d like to use it for a simple top, much like the Wiksten Tank in shape.

This one was on the remnant table so I’m not sure of the composition.  I’d love to make some sort of snuggly wintery dress from it.

And that’s it!  I know there’s nothing particularly fancy here, but I was determined that if I was going to cart/post this fabric half way across the world, that it had damned well better be stuff that was going to get used.  I’m very satisfied with the outcome anyway!!

So if you’ve made it this far, here’s your reward!  As a big thanks to all of you who have stuck with me on this here blog, this is for you (well, one of you, anyway)

The first piece is 140cm x 108cm of this awesome ‘Stylish Aloha’!  I think it’s a cotton linen blend (I forgot to take a photo of the tag)  which is medium weight with a very slight slub.  I think it would look great made up  in a simple silhouette skirt, something like Simplicity 2451.

Secondly is 150cm x 110cm of Liberty 100% cotton knit.  These photos really don’t do the fabric justice- I ran out of light- but the print is quite vibrant but muted (that’s probably a total oxymoron, but hey, it makes sense to me, and I’m tired so work with me here), and the fabric itself is cream, verging on very pale yellow.  Lovely!

There will be a handful of other bits and bobs, but I love surprises, so a surprise is what they will be!  

For those of you have any interest is claiming these goodies as your own, all you have to do is say g’day in the comments.  Also, if your disqus account doesn’t link to your blog (if you have one of course)  be sure to leave me your address so I can come be nosey!  There’s not many rennous-oh-glennus readers out there, so if these gems strike your fancy, you’re in with probably your best odds of winning, EVER!

I guess I should also add the fine print down here too?  The giveaway is open to Australian and international fabric hoarders alike. Just leave a comment before 12am AEDT on Friday 15th March.  You’ve got Google, right?  Great! So you can check times as well as the centimetre to inch conversion!  May the most wanting hoarder win!!!

Oh sorry, one more thing!  If anyone is interested in a few Japan happy snaps, I’ve put up a few phone pics on my flickr account. :)

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It’s that time of year when southern hemisphereans are grabbing madly at the dying days of summer.  This year, rather than letting it fizzle out uneventfully, I thought I’d take to the streets and celebrate the last official week of summer with a photo or two for each day.  So long summer.

Friday 22

sunshine and colour

drinks after a hot day at the office

Saturday 23

afternoon shadows

the drive home from work

Sunday 24

ice cream weather

cooling off in the bay

Monday 25

frozen yoghurt weather.  a sweet tooth? moi??

thunderstorms on the horizon

Tuesday 26

an afternoon stroll around the river

gum trees make my heart sing! I miss them a bit when they’re not around

Wednesday 27

my daily home welcoming

Melbourne turns on the weather

Thursday 28

every season is fabric shopping season, yah?

summer goodness

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…and then it was autumn….

One of the things I love about these ‘Try Something New Each Month Just For The Hell Of It’ endeavours is that there are absolutely no consequences if things don’t work out, or if you decide that you just plain don’t like it!  You approach things with abandon and your fear of failure flies out the window.  And this has been exactly the case with February’s new pursuit- sashiko.

Sashiko has been on my to-try list for quite some time- I was even so inspired that I bought The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook last year.  Anyway, it turns out that I find the whole thing horribly tedious.  It’s not that I don’t like the finished product; it’s more that I don’t find the process enjoyable or satisfying in any way.  I will say though that I have a new found respect for people with the skills and patience to sit down and devote a whole wad of time to something that requires such painstaking concentration and attention to detail.  (This coming from someone who thinks they have alright concentration and attention to detail!)  The only time I can see myself doing any more sashiko is if I decide to do some (minor) embellishments on garments.  Nothing substantial though, that’s for sure.   

Anyway, that’s about all I have to say on the matter!  I tried something new and I didn’t like it.  But at least I know now, and I won’t die wondering if I could have been the next sashiko guru.  As for my little sashiko sampler, I’ll finish it off and put it to use to make a pillow or a clutch or something  :)  

Are any of you out there sashiko-ers, crewel-ers, embroiderers or other needlework-ers?  Am I missing something?

Oh, I guess I should say, for those who I haven’t dissuaded and are still interested in trying sashiko, that I got my supplies from Kimono House in the Nicholas Building.  If you don’t happen to be in Melbourne, they have an online shop where you can buy all sorts of sashiko starter kits, amongst many other goodies!

Picking up from where I left off last time and moving right along to the toile…

This is Gertie’s wiggle dress pattern as-is but with added collar and pockets. 

The fit is pretty good considering that at this stage I hadn’t made any adjustments yet.  The two things that jumped out at me were:

-          Too roomy in the hips

-          Needs swayback adjustment

The hips were an easy fix- I just shaved off about one and a half centimetres at the widest part of the hip and tapered down to the original seams:

And surprisingly, the swayback adjustment was also really easy!  I removed 2cm from the small of my back and tapered to nothing just before the side seems so that I wasn’t interfering with their length.  You can see from the photo below how differently the back fits now and I’m pretty happy with it.  The only thing I’ll change when I copy my alterations to the pattern is to make the swayback adjustment about 5cm higher up my back.

So this is me, after a day of wiggling in and out of this beast in 30°c + weather:

A bit fed up, tired and sweaty, but feeling pretty good about the day’s work.

And now the fun part- I need to solicit your opinions on a few things!

The first thing I’m wondering about is the height of the pockets.  When I added them I designed them to start at the narrowest part of the centre front (i.e. the waist) but now I’m wondering if they’re a bit too high.   These pockets are more of an aesthetic feature than a practical one, so obviously I want them to add to the overall look of the dress as best they can.  I’ve marked in pink chalk a lower pocket height that ends at my hip bone… what do you think?  Am I over thinking things or do they need to be a bit lower?

The second part that has me completely stumped is the fabric choice.  I’m just drawing a blank!!  Actually, no I’m not, I’m just finding it impossible to make a decision :p  I’ve drawn up a few ideas but have so many more floating around in my head:

My original idea was a red gingham dress with a solid red collar:

I started shying away from this idea wanting to avoid the whole picnic blanket look.  I still think it’s pretty cute, and I found this red check (not quite gingham) fabric on Etsy that even has a bit of elastane- something that I think would make this tight-fitting dress so much more comfortable.  I thought some contrast fold-back cuffs could also help tie the collar & dress together.

In keeping with the check and solid collar & cuff combo is this blue version using C’est la Viv kitchen plaid blue available on Spoonflower:

If I end up going with this fabric design, I think I’d get in printed on the organic cotton sateen.

My next idea was a solid red dress using Matte Tomato (another stretch woven) from Dancing Queen with the collar and bottom section of the skirt trimmed with this cute ribbon I bought in Japan.  I’d have to trim off the ratty bits but that wouldn’t be too much of a bother.

I thought I could even add some pocket flaps to this version.

My next thought came about when I was drawing these little diagrams:

What’s stopping me from doing a white version with contrast piping?  This cute fabric is another Etsy find and I thought using a fabric with some texture rather than plain white could add a bit of interest.

Two to go….

More from my Etsy travels!!  (I’ve given Etsy a wide berth lately because I can come seriously unstuck on that site… can’t we all though)

I thought this fabric would look pretty with a blue collar, contrast sleeve bands and some blue ribbon around the bottom of the skirt.

And finally (I know, phew!!!) is this fabric (Gridlock Jacquard) that crossed my radar earlier in the week when Tessuti announced their latest competition:

I’d use the dark side as the main fabric and the light side for collar, cuffs etc.

It’s inspiration OVERLOAD I know, but this sort of daydreaming and planning is probably one of my favourite things about sewing, even though all the ideas can end up in a big overwhelming jumble in my head at times :p .  I love having them all written/ drawn down like this and hopefully it helps me come to a decision now that I can look at them altogether.

Anyway, raise your voice and tell me what you think!  Is there one fabric that jumps out at you in particular?  Or do you have any suggestions that I haven’t thought of?  Please help me un-fuddle my very fuddled brain! :)