My favourite make of 2018

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 / Rebecca / Leave a comment

2018 was quite a big year for me. This might explain why I haven’t been very disciplined about blogging! We bought a house and moved twice (one into a temporary place and then into the house). This meant lots of packing and repacking, moving things around and thankfully, a fair bit of decluttering! We are now well settled into the new place (although I’m about to move AGAIN – more on that another time!). The only thing left to do is to hang up the pictures…

Our fireplace, which got us through a very cold and wet Cape Town winter

In the midst of all of that moving, I finished writing the book based on my PhD research. It should be coming out in early 2019. I’m really happy to have it out there after what feels like a very long haul…

Meanwhile, I managed to get quite a lot of sewing done. I found that in between all of the writing and packing and moving and planning for the future, I needed sewing more than ever to help me unwind. I could give you a long list of all of my makes from 2018, but I thought I’d share my favourite project that I made last year. I turned 30 just before Christmas and unlike most other years, this time I couldn’t escape a party. I had been looking around for the perfect dress for a long time and had my eye on the Nina Lee Kew Dress for a while. I liked all views but I wasn’t sure how it would look on me. I then saw the fabulous review of the dress from Pattern Pals and decided to go for it.

After making a quick muslin of the bodice, I cut into some beautiful Liberty lawn that I’d been hoarding for a while… For anyone who is wondering if Liberty lawn is worth all the fuss – yes it is! Even if the patterns aren’t always up your alley, I love these lawns for their softness and beautiful drape. They also wash beautifully and press easily, making them dreamy to sew.

Cotton lawn from Habby and Lace

I made some minor adjustments to the dress. I did a small (1/2 inch) FBA, plus I straightened out the skirt hem. I also added some width to the sleeves because I didn’t like the feeling of them being tight around my arms. I finished all of the internal seams with my new overlocker, bought on a whim on a Black Friday sale.

Don’t those insides look good?

I finished the dress off with Prym snaps in a lovely purple colour that I happened to have in my stash. Overall, I’m so pleased with how the dress came out. It was the perfect party dress – light and breezy, while still feeling fancy enough to celebrate my third decade!

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I’m looking forward to making more things that bring me endless joy this year, and allowing myself to be playful and exuberant in my choices rather than only staying in the safe staples zone. After all, who doesn’t want a stained glass coloured snap bold and bright party dress? What are your sewing goals for 2019?

Sewing staples & rescuing my Blackwood cardigan

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 / Rebecca / 2 Comments

I made a vow to myself that I would sew some more practical things this year. I have tended to make lots of dresses and skirts which I feel very comfortable in, but living in a very windy city, aren’t always the most modest! Now that I am working from home, my daily outfits are usually some form of secret pyjamas – think lots of stretchy fabrics, elastic waistbands and boxy tees. I love these because they make me feel proud that I’ve gotten out of my real PJs and am dressed like a real grown up, but don’t restrict my need for cosy comfort.

When Helen’s Closet came out with this new Avery leggings pattern, I bought it almost immediately. I wear leggings about 5 out of 7 days per week, but have always been annoyed by how they roll down during the day. Helen has solved all that by adding a super high waisted option, which is reinforced with elastic. I also love that the pattern only has an inner leg seam – I hadn’t really thought much about what a difference this would make under tops and dresses but it really makes me feel a whole lot more sleek.

Terrible mirror selfie. Cat looking on

Mmmm that high waist

I had had this burgundy leopard print in my stash for some time – these are pieced together from remnants of a Cashmerette Appleton and a Halla Agnes dress that I sewed with this fabric last year. I made another pair in this 80s hieroglyphic monchrome print. These have been in heavy rotation since I made them. I love Helen’s instructions on her patterns – they provide the right amount of hand-holding and encouragement for me as an advanced beginner. The leggings are a perfect project for when you want a quick sew that you know that you’ll use a lot. They also use far less fabric than a dress, so are excellent for sewing on a budget.

I didn’t make any modifications to the pattern and sewed a straight XL in the high waist and longer leg option. I think they are supposed to have a bit more extra fabric at the bottom around the ankles, but these suited me just fine. No cold ankles here!

I look slightly deranged, but these are really amazing leggings!

Based on the success of these leggings, I decided to download the Blackwood Cardigan pattern. I think a couple of these cardigans will be perfect for slouching around the house in winter, and they’ll go so well with my Averys!

I bought some beautiful grey french terry from Fabric World and got going with the sewing. Unfortunately, pretty early on, I did this to the fabric with a very hot iron:

Yup, melted a hole right through the front, and the pocket

I would say out of all of my sewing skills, pressing is not my best. I know I should use a lower heat and/or a press cloth, but I was feeling impatient and wanted the cardigan to just be finished already. Not one to be put off by this minor setback, I decided to make a plan to fix the hole. I cut out a little patch that I could use to cover the hole, and thought that I might as well make it a feature of the cardigan. Here is how it looks now:

The heart shape is probably a bit cutesier than I would go for on a store bought item, but I think it works ok as a save for this version. I’ve already worn the cardigan a lot since I made it.

What I like most about the patch is that reminds me not to take this hobby too seriously. I sew to give myself a creative outlet and time away from my ‘real’ cerebral work, and not getting too stressed out about mistakes is part of the enjoyment of sewing for me. Plus, letting myself off the hook for mistakes in sewing actually helps me to do the same in other parts of my life, where I tend to hold myself to very high standards.

I think being honest and sharing some mistakes is also helpful for others getting into sewing. When I first started sewing, I found all of the blogs and Instagram accounts really inspiring but also quite intimidating. I thought that I would never be able to do things as well as others. But under dresses and in pockets there are probably loads of burn marks and wonky seams and badly installed zippers – and that’s ok! I may never do couture sewing, but I feel really chuffed to make wearable, comfortable items that keep me warm, and making them helps to keep me sane!

Here is a picture of the finished Blackwood, featuring me, my Liberty StyleArc Adeline dress, and tea:

This photo was taken by my sewing friend Kristi. In fact, her iron was the culprit in the error above!

Fringe Dress Review

February 27, 2018February 27, 2018 / Rebecca / Leave a comment

After seeing everyone on Instagram making Fringe dresses, and looking totally gorgeous, I decided to buy the pattern last year. I didn’t actually cut it out for a good few months – I was avoiding using slippery fabric that is a bit more challenging than the cottons that I generally use. But, with Cape Town’s summer stretching on, without much of a sign of ending, I decided to cut out the pattern and give it a go.

One of the things that I liked about this pattern was the relaxed fit of the top – although a fitted bodice looks great, it often requires a few muslins to get all of the darts in the correct place. I also generally need other adjustments for my shoulders, so I was hopeful that this bodice would be easier. For my muslin, I made some minor alterations. I cut a size 14 for the top, but narrowed the waist darts on the front and back to give me a bit more ease in the waist. I lowered the bust point of the darts to help with the bust fit – I did a search to see if anyone had done a Full Bust Adjustment on this pattern but didn’t find any posts on it. It turned out that I actually didn’t need one – manipulating the waist darts a bit was all I needed. I added 1.5 inches to the bodice length as well which probably helped with the bust fit too. The instructions in the pattern give really good, clear tips on doing these adjustments, so I followed those. This was my first Chalk and Notch pattern and I was really impressed – I will certainly keep an eye out for others that strike my fancy!

The bodice of my first Fringe dress. I got this fabric from Rubitex over a year ago and then went off it a bit. I’m really glad that I dug it out because I think it works really well with the pattern, despite my initial misgivings about it being a bit grannyish!

I also added 1.5 inches to the skirt piece, which I cut at a bigger size. Another great thing about this pattern is that you can cut a larger size for the bottom and just gather it to fit with the bodice size – very simple!

The only slightly tricky part of the pattern is doing the neck facing (I didn’t push a corner out far enough in my first version, so the neckline is a bit wonky!). But this is definitely my fault, not the fault of the instructions, and would be super easy to fix, if I was feeling patient. I made View B for my first one, with the back ties.

Cat photobomb, as usual

Waist ties, curved hem, and nice breezy sleeves

I liked the first version so much, that I decided to make another one very shortly afterwards. For the second one, I inserted the waist ties into the front darts, which gives a bit more shaping, which I think I prefer. I used another piece of fabric from my stash, a viscose blend from Fabric World in Wynberg.

Version 2, with front dart ties and a less wonky collar!

I forgot to mention: POCKETS!

I have been trying not to buy too much fabric this year because of the water crisis that we are currently facing in Cape Town. Although I’m not swearing off buying fabric altogether (the rebel in me would never allow that), I’m trying to buy less, because less fabric means less pre-washing. I am also trying to work through my stash. I’m really pleased with these two projects that used some of my older stash fabrics – it is good to remind myself that I don’t always need more fabric and that past me did sometimes make reasonably decent fabric choices.

Have you made the Fringe dress? Let me know in the comments!

Cape Town sewists, what are you doing about fabric pre-washing and shopping in the water crisis? Any tips?

Fabric Shopping in South Africa

February 13, 2018February 13, 2018 / Rebecca / Leave a comment

When I started sewing, I assumed that I would be able to Google fabric shops here in Cape Town and find exactly what I needed. Pretty soon, I realised that this definitely wasn’t the case, and I’d need to find some local expertise to help me in my search. I sent a message out on Instagram and not only got all of the info that I needed but also met some new people from the South African sewing community. Double win!

Western Cape

Instead of redoing a blog on fabric shopping in Cape Town, I thought it would be better to link to other blogs where the work has been done for me. Firstly, I came across this really helpful post by Jen of Afternoon.co.za. If this isn’t enough for you, look at this cool list that Mascha from I Sew with Mascha put together. Once she sent me this one, I felt that there was very little I could add! Genevieve has also done a post on fabric shopping in Cape Town here. I also thought I should include AC Activewear, based in Elsie’s River, where I found some amazing swimsuit fabric.

Others in the province:

Fabric centre – Somerset West

Demtex – They don’t have a website but appear to have locations in different parts of the Western Cape.

The Fabric Place – No website, based in Robertson

Charlene’s – Based in Mossel Bay

Toucan Material and Wool – Mossel Bay

All of the threads in Kwaai Lappies (Woodstock)

Joburg and Pretoria

In terms of the Joburg options, I can’t comment on what most these are like, besides Arthur Bales, which stole my heart when I visited there last year. They have some amazing quality fabrics, including beautiful Liberty lawns. Some other suggestions were:

And of course, the Gauteng bonus option is Habby and Lace, based in Vereeniging. I have bought a few things from them online and have been really happy with the service. I’d definitely recommend it, as would many of the people who commented on my post!

Free State:

Jackson’s – Ficksburg

KwaZulu-Natal

Minty’s – Durban

Ragland – Pietermaritzburg

Thimbles and Threads – Hilton

Nimble Fingers -Kloof

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I wonder where they get all of these things? By the elastics in Kwaai Lappies

Thanks to everyone who helped me put together this list. Please let me know in the comments if there are any gems that I’ve missed.

Happy fabric shopping, everyone!

StyleArc Thea Pant (and bonus reflections on moving my fabric stash and bonus kitteh)

January 25, 2018January 25, 2018 / Rebecca / 4 Comments

People who are sewists will know that pants are notoriously difficult to fit, and people who don’t make their own clothes will also know how soul destroying it is to go jeans shopping. I have had the StyleArc Thea pants on my list since last year when the pattern came out, and was also inspired by Meg’s version here. StyleArc drafts for exactly my height (yay!) so it also means that I don’t need to make length adjustments to their patterns, unless I have a preference for something longer.

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I thought these would be good starter pants – they have an elasticated waist, so don’t require too much fitting, and the wide leg means that you don’t have to do too much hip adjusting. I also go nuts for a paperbag waist (I think Dr T taught me that).

I bought some blue chambray online from Habby and Lace last year, and cut these out a couple of weeks ago.I cut a straight 16, no adjustments. The first few steps of making them up were quite easy. But then, like all Style Arc patterns, the lack of instructions baffled me. I got to the part about making the elastic waist channel and struggled with it for hours! I couldn’t work out which way I needed to fold the waist down, and where the elastic should go. I finally got the elastic in, but then I realised that the fabric belt that I’d made wouldn’t go through the belt loops made from the pockets at the top! I am just using a skinny black belt in them instead. I really wish that StyleArc’s instructions were more comprehensive – they have some really amazing patterns which are very current, but I am put off by trying more given how little hand-holding there is in their write ups. I imagine that adding a couple more sentences for the waist step would have solved a lot of my construction problems.

Comfort level 5000

Overall, these were a bit of a struggle, but I think I might try them again. I’ve already worn them once and they are really comfortable and excellent for wearing when the wind is blowing in Cape Town. I have some black linen that I bought to make the Peppermint Jumpsuit, but I am wondering if it might work just as well in another pair of these pants.

Bonus kitteh #1

Saying goodbye to the view…

In other news, we are in the middle of moving flats. This has brought me face to face with just how much sewing related stuff I have – tools, books, equipment, and piles of fabric. I have decided to be on a fabric buying hiatus during January, and hopefully I can keep it going in February as well. I have so many beautiful things in my stash and I’m hoping that not shopping will help to motivate me to actually use what I have. Moving the stash brought me face to face with just how much fabric I’ve collected and not used – I’ve still got a whole lot of fabric from a trip to Australia in mid-2016! The other thing about not buying too much fabric at once is that I’m hoping to sew things that I can keep for a long time. A lot of the fabrics that I chose when I first started sewing were quirky cotton type prints. Although I still love some of them, others are just not exactly what current-me would choose. I really like this fox print, for example, but it might not be something that I want to wear forever:

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I am hoping to have some time to set up my sewing space in the new place soon, and will post some pictures to show you!

Bonus Kitteh #2

Summer Swimmer: Rad Patterns Super Suit Bikini top

January 16, 2018January 16, 2018 / Rebecca / 4 Comments

I am just back from a wonderful beach holiday in Betty’s Bay, where the sea was beautiful and warm and we had days and days of perfect weather. In a bit of a hasty panic before we left, I decided that I needed to sew myself a new bikini top (nothing like going away to motivate you to get some sewing done)! I had bought some swimsuit fabric from here a while ago but hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to sew a swimsuit yet – they seemed very tricky to fit and I really think of myself as a beginner.

Heaven…

When I was living in London a few years ago, I bought myself my absolute dream bikini on Ebay, which miraculously fit me like a glove. It was from Collectif – well known for their vintage inspired clothing. I love wearing this bikini – it is actually my first two-piece ever and it provides enough coverage that I feel like a boss when I wear it.

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I’m looking happier than I really was in this picture. This was after a swim in some manky, polluted London river. Also, look how long my hair was!

I was hoping to recreate the sweetheart neckline of my Collectif suit, and found the Rad Patterns Super Suit, which looked like it might do the job. I had some RTW black high waisted bikini bottoms that I bought ages ago that I wanted to make a matching top for.

To be honest, the version in the pictures here is actually my wearable muslin, but it worked out so well that I’m going to keep wearing it! The best feature of this bikini top, in my opinion, are the 3 bust size options (small -medium-large). This means that you can choose a different band size and cup size according to your measurements. This attracted me to the Super Suit over the Seamwork Reno, which was another contender. I have a very large bust and the large cup size worked perfectly for me – just the right amount of coverage.

I made a couple of modifications. Firstly, I widened the bottom, black band around my middle to give a bit more support and coverage. I think if I make this again, I might widen it even more – it did ride up a bit when I was swimming in the waves, although it still did better than any other RTW swimsuit I’ve ever had. I also changed the straps from regular straps to halter straps. I actually traced the strap width and length from my Collectif suit to recreate it. I prefer halter bikinis because they seem to provide better support, especially in a non-wired swimsuit. For South African sewists who are interested, I bought swimwear elastic from Habby and Lace online, because I couldn’t find it anywhere else.

I was feeling like a real dork by this stage. But you get the picture.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with how this bikini top came out, and I feel great in it. I am definitely going to give the high rise bikini bottoms a go as well and hope they will not disappoint!

What is your favourite swimsuit pattern, or do you buy ready-to-wear? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

What sewing has taught me about my body

January 9, 2018January 9, 2018 / Rebecca / 2 Comments

One of the reasons that I started sewing was that I was finding clothes shopping a bit depressing. Either I was too big for the standard size ranges, or the clothes that did fit me just didn’t fit quite right. I also have some preferences in terms of sleeve length and skirt length that seem strangely niche. I don’t like wearing gross fabrics that make me too hot, but I also get very cold in winter.

This is me, feeling relatively glamorous but also not quite right, and having many preferences. Image by Noah Sheldon, Cats Wearing Clothes

Increasingly I was starting to feel like my body was just a tall, large lump. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – lumps are excellent. But I felt that my lumpiness was a problem, and that shopping was making me feel like my body was somehow an ugly outlier.

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Shopping –> existential dread

So I decided to start sewing. Early on, I found the Curvy Sewing Collective community online, which is a bastion of general niceness and body positivity. I think communities like this are what the internet might have been made for. From them, I have learnt that beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and that looking smaller might not have to always be the end goal. Sometimes it is good to take up as much space as possible (Sidenote on that point: if you haven’t read Dietland treat yo’self). I know that this experience has not been unique, and that plenty of others find sewing a hugely affirming hobby.

From my side, sewing has taught me that my body is much more than a non-descript lump. I am ever so slightly pear shaped, which I didn’t know until I measured myself for patterns. I’m taller than average, so now I can lengthen all my skirts to hit me in the right place. I have narrow shoulders, which is why the clothes in the shops would often fit me everywhere but there. Being able to tailor clothes to your own body really helps you to appreciate just how different bodies are, and how amazing that is.

That evil twin needle – the bane of my existence. Knit fabric from Arthur Bales, bought on a ‘work’ trip to Joburg

This weekend, I made a Cashmerette Turner dress with my usual adjustments: narrow shoulder adjustment, length added to the short sleeve and length added to the skirt. This dress makes me feel anything but lumpy, which feels like a pretty amazing thing to have gained from just over 2 years of sewing!

In camouflage – Pansy Turner dress in the garden

Five sewing goals for 2018

January 2, 2018December 31, 2017 / Rebecca / Leave a comment

1. Sew for my actual life, not my imagined life

For my birthday, I was given a copy of The Curated Closet, by Anuschka Rees. It is part self-help and style guide-y and part Marie Kondo method for clothing. The most useful for me was the idea of having a wardrobe that works for your real life, not an imagined life. When sewing, I find I am often drawn to dresses and even though I wear these often, I do sometimes open my cupboard and find nothing to wear. As I’ll be working from home this year I am going to need some more casual/comfortable clothes that I can ‘get dressed’ in so I don’t feel like I’m in my PJs all day. I’m thinking this might involve making some leggings and tunics, and maybe a Blackwood cardigan as well.

This is Helen from Helen’s Closet wearing the Blackwood Cardigan. This looks like a perfect ‘I’m working from home but I’m not wearing my PJS look’

2. Try new shapes

One of the best things about sewing for yourself is being able to experiment with different shapes and styles. Two of my favourite makes this year were sack dresses – basically shapeless tents that are really comfortable to wear and easy to fit.

Sassy sack dress. StyleArc Adeline in Liberty lawn.

I want to challenge myself to try even more new shapes this year, starting with a pencil skirt (I’m thinking of this simple one from Colette patterns). For a long time, I’ve felt self conscious about my shape and have been trying to hide it using clever fit and flare shape trick wizardry. But the sack dress experiment showed me that trying new things can be fun and that it is worth pushing myself out of my comfort zone every once in a while.

Lilli from Frocks and Frou Frou. Her whole wardrobe is #goals.

3. Make better fabric choices

I spend a lot (like a lot) of time looking in fabric shops in real life and on the interwebs, and often find myself obsessed with getting a great deal. This has meant that I have sometimes prioritised quantity over quality and have lived to pay the price (the farmyard dress made out of a gross polywhatnot is a great case in point. Never have I ever sweated so profusely). This year, I’d like to buy less fabric of a better quality. The clothes I have made out of the Liberty lawn that I bought on from Habby and Lace, and when shopping in London with Dr Tempest have been made into amazing garments that I love wearing. I’m hoping that I’ll make more mature choices about quality fabrics this year, instead of being enticed by whimsical patterns on polycotton (although the two aren’t mutually exclusive, obv. See me contradict myself re patterns below).

I bought some of this cotton lawn when I was in London. It was outrageously expensive but I have no regrets because I literally screamed when I saw this fabric because the fabric designer had clearly done inception on me to make this.

4. Sew more neutrals

I LOVE patterns. Like really love. But I often find that I want to wear something that has more potential to match other pieces in my wardrobe. This year, I’d like to sew more neutral items. These won’t necessarily be in black and grey, but in solid colours that could potentially be worn together. Maybe I’ll be extra mature and think about sewing in a particular colour palette. Sounds pretty unlike me, but I’ve seen some bloggers do it well. Gillian, one of my favourite plus size sewist bloggers, has some resources on her blog to help to choose colours. I think I will approach these as a broad set of guidelines, rather than rules that I’ll be naturally inclined to break!

Mmmmm, teal and purple. See here for loads more of these colour palettes

5. Do more slow sewing

I have been thinking about this one for a while, and then was struck by the discussion on a recent episode of the Love to Sew Podcast, where Emily Hundt spoke about her approach to sewing. Her philosophy involves savouring the small details, and trying to sew in a sustainable way. I have found that I often get myself into a hurry, wanting to make something to wear NOW, rather than finishing things slowly and carefully. In 2018, I want to slow down, focus on the details and try to work on developing my sewing skills.

I’m considering making this jumpsuit, designed by Emily Hundt for Peppermint Magazine. It is available for free download here.

I’m hoping that these goals are coherent enough to work together and that I’m able to go some way towards achieving most of them. What are your sewing goals this year?

2017 roundup: Top 9 makes

December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 / Rebecca / Leave a comment

As a first blog post, I thought it would be fitting to post my top 9 makes of 2017. I’ve been keeping a record of these over on my Instagram page but here they are again.

1. Tilly and the Buttons Cleo Dungaree Dress

I made this dress on a bit of a whim after seeing them all over Instagram. I’ve ended up wearing it a ton – probably at least once a week since I made it in March. It works well in summer with short leggings or winter with tights and a cardigan. I’m planning to make a slightly longer version in the new year to wear in summer without leggings.

2. Cashmerette Turner Dress

I made a few Cashmerette Turner dresses this year. I adore Cashmerette patterns, which are specially designed plus size patterns with cup sizes. The Turner dress is really comfortable to wear, has three sleeve length options and can be sewn in a day or less. I see many more of these in my future.

3. Self-drafted 3/4 Circle Skirt

I got over my fear of doing the maths for drafting circle skirts and eventually used some online calculators to help me. I made two 3/4 circle skirts out of Ghanaian wax print fabric which are so chic and I can wear as smart-ish or casual, everyday pieces. I love both of them and need to get round to making more, possibly in more neutral colours!

4. Simplicity 8379

After seeing this amazing version of the Simplicity 8379, I decided I needed to try to make my own. This dress is way out of my comfort zone – those who know me will know that high waisted skirts or dresses with a clear waistline are more my thing. But I was so pleased with the experiment. This dress makes me feel like a fancy lady, and I love the colour too! Also featured here are my dream sandals that I spent WAY too much on. You can find them here.

5. StyleArc Adeline

The StyleArc Adeline is another of those dresses that I saw all over the place on blogs and Instagram. I was particularly inspired by these versions (Jenny, from Cashmerette, and Meg, from Cookin’ and Craftin’). I made my first one and wasn’t sure about it, so I made one more, just to check. Turns out that these are easy to wear, super comfortable, and great for hot summers in Cape Town. I think I might make a few more for when I’m working from home next year.

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6. Rebecca Page Arabella Skirt

I didn’t anticipate loving this skirt as much as I did. It is a pretty simple sew, but I like the sash detail and the elastic back which is so comfortable. I made two mature choices with the fabric I used here and went with solid colours rather than my go-to loud pattern choices. I have worn both versions a huge amount and think this might become a staple pattern in my wardrobe. The other version is a plain dark chambray that I have worn a ton but don’t seem to have a picture of.

7. Cashmerette Upton Dress with Sleeve

The Upton dress is a firm favourite amongst the Curvy Sewing Collective Community. I kept seeing beautiful versions, but I didn’t feel confident that I’d wear a dress without sleeves. When the sleeve expansion pack came out, I was delighted and sewed up a muslin immediately. A few tweaks (narrow shoulder adjustment, lengthening bodice and skirt) later and I had two gorgeous versions. One is a Liberty lawn that I wore to my friends Tempest and Chris’s wedding, and the other is a Ghanaian wax print. I love them both and think this will become my go to woven dress pattern.

Another pair of Saltwater sandals here.

Baes (above and below).

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8. Gertie’s Rita Blouse by Charm Patterns

When this pattern came out, I knew I wanted to make it immediately. I made up a weird muslin out of a mystery fabric that was a bit of a fail, but I could tell that I liked the pattern design. I also like that the pattern includes cup sizes up to a DD cup. I then made my first successful dress hack (yay!) by adding a gathered skirt to the top bodice. I used this cute flamingo cotton poplin that I bought from a market stall in Leeds when I was there for work. I’m pretty pleased with how it came out.

9. Bonus: McCall’s Mens Shirt

I’m including this shirt I made for Gordon’s 30th birthday. It is made in a locally designed Shweshwe fabric. It was a bit tricky to make because I messed up the buttonholes a bit, but it was a hit with Gordon and he has already worn it a few times this summer.

Overall, I think it was a good year of sewing. Next week I am going to post about my sewing plans and resolutions, so stay tuned!

Gin and Tunic

Musings from an amateur sewist in Cape Town, South Africa