Gift sewing and introducing SusySewandSew

My friends and acquaintances seem to be having a bunch of babies lately (whats the group term for a bunch of babies - a nappy?) so I needed to make some more bibs as gifts.  The Nicole Mallalieau bib pattern I have used in this past is a good one, but I wanted a pattern that I could applique some designs on to so that I could use more "plain" fabrics up from my stash.  After a little hunting I found this pattern on Etsy - preciouspatterns bib pattern.

It makes for such a cute bib!  Total cuteness overload.  This is the bib I made for my hairdresser who is going on maternity leave soon.  She has a Rottweiler dog so I am hoping she likes it. 

Well these suckers are addictive and I could not stop at one... I made five more.  I even altered the applique pattern to make a Christmas bib of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.

Well this is all lead up to formally tell you that I have opened an etsy shop, so if you love these bibs but don't want to sew your own, you can check out my shop in the side bar.

I mainly opened the shop to sell my fitness headbands.  I have been making these for myself and selling some to the ladies at my gym.  People have been coming back for more so I thought, they must be okay, so decided to start selling them to a wider audience.

I also have some coin purses and will be adding different bits and bobs over time.  At the moment I only post within Australia but am willing to post elsewhere if there is interest. Please message me if this is the case.

To finish a picture from my garden as we come into Spring here....

Ciao for now, kittens...

Sewing along with the Sewing Bee - Ottobre 02-2011-10 Capris

I have been a very quiet blogger lately, but it has been a bad winter and I am just getting over a very bad bout of flu which ended up as Strep Throat.  I still have a bit of a cough and my energy levels are non-existent, but I am getting a bit better everyday.  

So a lot of sitting and planning sewing has happened and very little actual sewing.  I did get a little inspired by the Pattern Review Sewing Bee and thought I might enter, but my energy levels did not match my enthusiasm so I didn't get my entry finished in time, but it has inspired me to make some capris. 

So far I have a muslin made from the Ottobre pattern 02-2011-10.  

The muslin fabric is similar in stretch to the fabric I want to use and is a little lighter in weight, and is one of those... what was I thinking fabrics!   So, you know about perfect for a muslin!

I took so long to make these as I really am not a fan of making pants and I have never found a fly tutorial that is really simple to understand... until now!  I used the instructions found in the Palmer Pletsch "Pants for Real People" book.  I will follow the instructions again when I make my real pair and I think it will be my go-to fly instructions now.

What do you think of the leg length?  Should I make the next pair a little shorter?

The boo-boo I made on these pants was to trim off the underlap in line with the edge of the fly... so I did not have enough overlap to sew a button/buttonhole to the waistband... duh!  I obviously don't do flys/waistbands often enough!  I have just sewn a hook and eye to hold the waistband together.  It has been noted in my pattern now, so hopefully I won't do that again next time.

I am very happy with the fit of these pants.  I thought I might need to add some fabric to the inside leg front as they felt a little tight when I first put them on, but on wearing them the fabric has relaxed enough that I don't think that it is an issue. 

 So this pair look a little grandma's sofa cover, but I think I will wear them a little this summer just to make use of the muslin.  My "real" pair are going to made in a camel/tan fabric that I think will work into my wardrobe really well.

Ciao kittens... hopefully back to regular blogging now...