Pussy bow blouse - Ottobre 05-2015-13

My wardrobe needs more woven tops.  I made a ton of tees a while back but have very few dressier tops. I also do not have enough tops with full length sleeves.  I tend to favour 3/4 sleeves and while they look lovely, they don't work in the middle of a cold, windy winter.

So I went through my Ottobre mags and this is the one I found that appealed to me.  I like the pussy bow as it makes a nice change from a collar.  I also like the soft gathers from the front yoke and the sleeves with a bit of fullness for drama.

In the stash I found a piece of georgette (I think?). It would be a polyester but has a nice drape and weight.  The print is a bit darker than I normally go for but I really liked it when I saw it.  I bought it at East Coast fabrics last year.  The only issue with the busy print is that it is hard to see the details of the bow.

The only alteration I made to the pattern was that I did not make plackets and the narrow buttoned cuffs.  I thought it would be difficult to make the narrow cuff in this fabric so I decided to keep it simple and just sewed a casing at the sleeve-end and inserted narrow elastic.  I quite like the effect.

Pretty proud of the pattern matching across the blouse and the sleeves.

This photo of the shirt was taken before I had made the buttonholes.  I used very small black buttons to blend in with the shirt as I didn't want the buttons to detract from the bow.

The bad news was that my automatic buttonhole failed and would not complete the last return row and last bar tack.  <insert sad face>  So the shirt sat idling while my machine was in the shop (for far too long!)  As the length of the visit away lengthened, I asked a friend if I could use her machine to complete the buttonholes so did end up finishing it and have worn it weekly since then.

I did borrow a sewing machine during this time.  This sewing machine my mother bought in the early 60's.  We cleaned and oiled it and it was quite usable for straight stitch but I could not get the zigzag stitch to balance properly so I am thinking I might take it in for a service soon.  It is really a very fancy machine, which I did not realise when I learned to sew on it when I was 14.  It has all the cogs needed to make a tonne of different stitches and will wind a bobbin while you keep sewing!

I have downloaded the manual for this machine as the manual that my Mum gave me was for a slightly different model.  If I spend some time going through that I might get the stitch balance fixed.

I have a dream to make a frock for myself from a 60's pattern.  A 1960's machine and a 1960s pattern for this 1960's baby.  I like it.  

Ciao kittens, more soon...

No sewing yet... but planning much!

My sewing machine is still at the shop *sigh*, so no sewing here. However in addition to the McCall's 5633 - linen shorts I was making when the machine went away, I have also cut out McCalls 5464 View A (without pockets) - a jumper to take me through late Summer into Autumn...

and BWOF 08-2008-103 blouse in the brown poly satin bought from the remnant table at Gardams.

I was planning to use the multi-coloured silk for this, but decided to try it in this first. If it works really well I may use the silk to make another one.

The biggest frustration is I have the time at the moment as I don't need to work so much while I have a University student working during his vacation. I think I will have to call tomorrow and ask after my little machine... *sigh*.

Anyway I am getting plenty of work-out time at the gym ... *sigh*... haven't got bored enough yet to clean the house though! :)

Now I know why I fear the buttonhole!

I have never liked buttonholes but I did used to make them on my old Singer. Now that I have a Bernina, which came with an automatic buttonhole foot, I have found I have never mastered them. However when I first got my Bernina all I did was quilting so I never really needed them.

Now that I am clothes sewing I decided it was time to master them. So I have chosen a shorts pattern (McCalls 5633) to make as we are going to the beach for a few days next week. This means I have this week-end to make them (I know there is nothing like the last minute!)

So this afternoon I have reached the stage I need to make a buttonhole so I prepared a practice piece of fabric, watched the DVD, read the instruction manual & thought that doesn't look so hard! However I have followed the instructions meticulously and this is the result every single time:

The buttonhole doesn't go right back to the start to make the second sidebar! So all this time I thought it was just a mysteriously difficult thing to do and guess what - it is easy! BUT my automatic buttonhole has a fault!

AAARRRGGGHHH!

Now it is Saturday afternoon and our local Bernina dealer is shut until Monday! Therefore no new shorts for the beach this time! I am just hoping and praying that it is something they can fix quickly and I don't lose my machine for any length of time! I may even see if I can take it in on Monday morning before I go, so that if they do need to hold it at least it will be while I am away. Wish me luck, our local dealer is not known for their friendly, efficient service... let's hope they surprise me this time!

OK... parting shot (copycat that I am!) This is a photo of a waterlily in the pond in our front yard. We have had the waterlily plant for a few years but this is the first year it has flowered...