Simplicity 9330 - Men's dressing gown

Sewing for others... excuse me, while I shine my halo... My Dad needed a new dressing gown (robe) and the criteria was make it warm as he really feels the cold now.  I tried on one I made many years ago for my oldest son and the only change requested was to shorten the sleeves as my Dad is not tall and has shorter limbs than those catered for in the pattern.

I bought some Coral Fleece from Lincraft on a recent sale and as lovely as the fabric feels... the fluff!  I sneezed 3 times before I got the fabric to the counter to get it cut.  When I got home I overlocked the raw edges and washed the fabric as I am sure all the dust and fluff in that store had been attracted to that roll of fabric!

3m of fabric is long, so I am glad that when we renovated our house I bought a really long dining table... a bit of a folly as mostly there is two of us sitting at it, but I do love it when the family comes for a meal... or when I need to cut 3m of fabric!

This pattern is OOP but I am sure there are new similar ones about.  A good basic robe and pj pattern.  Once you get one, you don't really need another one!

The resulting robe..

Of course, my model Diana isn't shaped like my Dad and definitely does not have his shoulders!  I put the softest side of the fabric to the inside.  

To deal with the fluffy fabric, I found I had to shake each piece out outside before dealing with it, similarly if I trimmed a seam... off outside to make a fluffy snowstorm!  I did not interface or press with the iron.  I only finger-pressed seams as I worked with them.

I found I had to put a larger needle into the sewing machine as otherwise the thread shredded.  I ended up using a denim needle and it seemed to sew fine.

The robe has inseam pockets.... I have tried to show it here by tucking in the sleeve.

The back...  obviously it should fit my Dad's shoulders a bit better!

This is an easy sew.  I am not sure it is a value for money sew particularly if you have to pay full price for the fabric.  But I am happy to make this for my Dad and it certainly is a nice, lush fabric and possibly better than some of the ones I saw in the shops.  Father's Day is at the end of this month, so I will be gifting it to him then... I hope he likes it!

Ciao.. Off to de-fluff my sewing studio and clean my machine!

Misc. sewing... trunks, pet blankets & a muslin

I have been doing a bit of practical sewing lately.  Nothing flash, but all needed. 

First up I have made one pair of men's trunks from Jalie 2327.  DH is going to trial these to make sure he likes them before I make anymore.  This pattern is discontinued now - I don't know why as it gets great reviews.  I found some elastic with stripes on it in a grey/black by chance at a closing down sale.  The blue fabric is tee shirt leftovers.

Next up more left-over fabrics, pretty lace elastic and fold over elastic made up this cream set for me.  Another Jalie pattern - 2564.  I have made this before and love how it uses up left-over bits and pieces.  The striped pair are cream on the back and have foe for the elastic.  This is another discontinued but highly recommended pattern.

Another pattern I have made before - Tanga pants.  I made the x-small this time, as I thought the  small was on the large size last time I made them, but now that I have made these and trialed them, I am thinking small is the right size for me.  I think this lace elastic may not be as soft as the last lot I used.  Thank goodness for stretch I can and will still use these, but think I will go back to small next time.  

I am trying to clean out some clutter and this polar fleece was never going to be used as the piece was probably too small for most things.  So I have cut it up and hemmed it into 4 small blankets.  One has been given to my cat, and the other three are going to the RSPCA.

... and last but not least, I have made a muslin of a Lekala top - 4042.  This is actually the second muslin.  The first one I used a fabric from Fabric.com.  First up I put the yoke piece in the wrong way and didn't work it out until I had sewn the whole top!  Why I didn't realise when none of the pieces matched properly I don't know?!  Anyway I unpicked the yoke pieces and  put them back in.  The top was on the smug side but not too bad.  Then I washed it and it shrunk (I had pre-washed too) and to top if off it developed a hole!  Unpicking rayon always leads to disaster!  That one is in the bin now which is a shame as the colour was really pretty.  

This is the second muslin.  A lovely rayon from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I think this one might have more stretch in it.  I found it so much easier to sew now that I sewed the yokes the right way!!  I sewed the side seams a little narrower to give me a little more ease and viola!  

Not hemmed as yet as I have run out of Steam-a-Seam, but I wanted to show you the end result.  

The collar is a little floppy but this fabric is very soft and I think it can work with a slight roll-over.  Now that I have this pattern sorted I plan to make a pile of these as I really need some higher necked tops with long sleeves.  I have some real pretty merino jerseys I plan to make it up in as well as a glitter fabric for after-five wear!  Can you have too many of a good top??

BTW the instructions and pattern are pretty good but it does not mention when to sew the centre front seam.  I have sewn it after the collar both times so far, but am wondering if it may be better sewn before the collar.  If  anyone else has made this top please let me know what you think about when to sew the CF seam.

ETA - I have contacted Lekala patterns and asked this question - they replied really quickly - sew CF seam first, then move onto the rest of the instructions.  They also said they would correct that on their patterns - very impressed with the customer service!

Ciao!

Burdastyle Jason Vest

Sewing for others - but this one was fun!  Tailoring but without set-in sleeves!

I have just made the Jason vest for my eldest son as a wool vest will be a great addition to his wardrobe as he is attending University in Brisbane (mild winters).  This is a down-loadable pattern from Burdastyle - $3.50 a bargain!

I printed it at work on our large plotter (I knew there was a reason I work in an Engineering Consultancy!) and used a wool that was gifted to me.  The vest is lined in a lovely grey stretch satin from Lincraft.

I only sewed 2 of the 4 welt pockets.  The instructions were difficult to follow in the Burdastyle instructions but I used another method to make a trial one and then went back to the Burdastyle instructions and they made more sense to me then.  I preferred how the Burdastyle welt pocket was finished.  Not perfect but not too bad...

The back has tabs that can be tightened to pull the vest in. 

 I actually found a buckle called a vest buckle in the Notions section at Spotlight.

Overall I really enjoyed the process of making this vest and even though it is not perfect I am pretty happy with it.

The best news is that my son likes it and he tells me he will wear it..

Sewing for others...

I have sort of taken a leaf out of Mary Nanna's book (blog?) and have done a little sewing for others this month.  I only made one dress last month trying to follow the Frocktober theme, but I did enjoy following the theme :)

I have made two pair of trunks from Kwik Sew 2881.  Trunks is what KS call them, we have many other names for them in Australia, I shall refer to them as Speedos. 

 I made a pair for DH and one as Xmas gift for my youngest son.  He likes to wear them under his boardies, DH is old enough that he wears them as is in public.  That's what happens when you grow up with them!

Also in the interests of modesty I have only got pictures of them lying on a table.  Did you like how I styled the picture?  This is the first one I took

It actually shows it quite well.  I haven't got much to say as it is a pretty straightforward pattern to sew and the instructions were good.  I did read the general KS tips on how to sew togs and found it quite helpful.  I followed the instruction on sewing the front of the leg without stretching the elastic and then stretching the rest of the elastic to fit the back of the leg. 

DH has tried his on and declared them comfortable.  He did say the elastic was snug, but I believe that is because the old pair he has been using are cactus and the elastic is totally shot in them!  It probably felt quite different to the old ones.  They looked very similar to the old RTW ones (but not stretched out of shape and worn out!)

Not much else to say on the pattern - I recommend it if you are wanting to make a pair for one of the men in your life.

And to make this post a little more interesting I leave you with a photo from when we went camping last month.  This possum was very cheeky and broke into our rubbish bag while we were sitting around the fire.  We would normally hide the rubbish over night, but weren't thinking one would come up while we were about.  It is licking out a used headache tablet sleeve that had been doused in oil from a dip we threw away.

Ciao possums!

Boxers for the boys... Jalie 2326

I am trying to get organised for Xmas early this year and have decided to make as many gifts as I can.  I usually give my boys satiny boxers which they like to sleep in, but they don't like the ones with silly sayings and pictures on them, so by making them I am able to get some nice fabrics and patterns.  The fabric I used is a poly satin bought when Lincraft had a 1/2 price sale.  I have actually made 3 of these, but one pair is already in use by my DH as he was the crash test dummy in regard to fitting.  His fit well apart from some feedback about the elastic length and so I made two more - one for each of my sons.

A silver/grey pair for my eldest (the same size as DH) so I only had to cut two pattern sizes.  I chose the pattern sizes based on hip size.

They are photographed here on Diana and they hang a little crooked as Diana's stand has to go through one leg so that distorts them a bit.  I am sure they will look a little different on the boys too as they  do not have hips!   However after seeing these on Diana I am thinking I could make myself a pair as summer jammies too :)

This pair is for DS the younger.

For the elastic I found 'boxer elastic' and sewed it multiple times on the lines and I think it gives it a very RTW look.  The pattern only has you sew it at the top and bottom of the elastic.  This elastic is also soft next to the skin.

I love this pattern as it details how to do a fly.  

My only complaint about the pattern would be that the elastic size for the waistband is not specified and as I was sewing them as gifts and can't try them on the recipients I would have liked to have this information (even just as a guide).  That is why I had to give DH his as I needed to work out how to size the elastic and it seemed silly to take them back to wrap for Xmas after he had worn them!

Overall I love this pattern and my DH seems to like wearing his set.  Now if I could out what size to make for my Dad I could knock over another gift! 

I have made a skirt but because of the cool weather haven't worn it yet so haven't got a photo.. maybe next post...Ciao!

Sewing for the boys...

This is part of my simple sewing campaign - sewing for the boys - two out of three so far. When I can get a chest measurement of my eldest son I will make some for him to (but don't tell him that - he will be mortified!).

I have made versions for both my other boys - here is the v-neck for my youngest son. Please note - being a Mum who thinks of the future and the fact this boy is at an extreme growing age, I made this shirt one size bigger than he measured (I would have gone bigger but I do want him to wear it so I have to err on the side of not to big). The v-neck version:

and the back ...

Detail of the v-neck - not the easiest to accomplish but the instructions on how to do it are good.

And I have made a v-neck and crew-neck for DH. Here is one of the crew-neck made in a technical (wicking) fabric to wear at the gym. As he had just returned from the gym, he wouldn't let me add his head (too red and sweaty!) but he did suck in his gut and strike a pose...

I have added a piping sized band of fluoro-orange wicking fabric to the front to break up all the black - look at me I did embellishment!

This is a great basic men's/boy's Tee-shirt pattern that I highly recommend. The review is here for those interested.

Vogue bag

Recently I have made two bags from Vogue 7354. The first one was given to my good friend Caity before her holiday with her family. The second is made for another friend but I have been organised enough this time to take some photos of it.

The bags have been made with a beautiful (what I believe to be) silk velvet which was given to me in a box of vintage fabrics. It is really soft and shiny - beautiful to touch. The fabric piece has some little holes in it so it is perfect for cutting the small pieces required for this bag. The lining is silk - in this case blue silk leftover from another project and in Caity's bag it was red silk. The red silk was purchased as it was one of Caity's favourite colours until she dyed her hair pink! The bag is interfaced with silk organza I picked up from a remnant table.

Here is a photo of the bag. The nap looks more pronounced in this photo than it looks in real life. You can just see the blue silk lining in the inside of the handle.

Here is a photo of me with the bag to give you an idea of the size - perfect for your essentials - phone, keys, some money and a handkerchief. Best of all, you can hang it on your wrist when you have one hand holding a glass of bubbly and the other with yummy finger food in it...

I love this little bag and plan to make more. The one I want for myself will have a gold-yellow silk lining but I haven't found the fabric yet!

The pattern is simple and reasonably quick to make and makes a lovely bag with these sumptuous fabrics!

I hope the recipients love them as much as I have loved making the bags!

Happy Birthday...s

Hubby & I have our birthdays in December - mine has already happened and hubby's is tomorrow.

We went out last night with our boys for a lovely dinner at Encores restaurant and then a show at the Empire Theatre which is a beautiful renovated theatre in Toowoomba. The show we saw was the Spicks & Speck-tacular (based on an Australian ABC TV show - a hilarious quiz show about music). We had a great time - all four of us - so it was a perfect way to celebrate.

I have just finished making hubby's Birthday pressie. I decided he could have a bit of luxury in the form of a pair of silk boxers. I used McCall's 3019. The pants pattern had to be shortened considerably (about 3 inches) and I also ended up shortening it between the waist & crotch so that it wouldn't sit so high on the waist. The pattern is dead simple. Possibly the only negative is that it doesn't have a fly or imitation fly front, but I know that doesn't bother hubby as they are used for sleeping in. I just think they would look more 'boxer'-like. First up I made a pair in a quilting cotton to check for size. I had to get him to try them on and that's when I decided to shorten them.

Now I have finished the silk version. The silk was beautiful to work with. I got it from our local fabric heaven, Gardams here in Toowoomba.

I put a tag in each of the pants to show the back easily when putting them on. In the cotton pair I simply sewed a piece of ribbon folded over into the seam at the back waist. I forgot to do that for the silk ones so I found a label from the days the boys needed their clothes labelled and just used the surname as a label in the pants. It looks pretty good I think! I am going to investigate having some labels made to put in my clothes as I am seeing the point of it more and more all the time.

Working with silk is getting better. My french seams came out pretty good and I also used a 'simulated french seam' on the crotch seam as I wanted all the seams enclosed. I have found that a walking foot is great to use with these kinds of slippery fabrics. The only negative was that when I inserted the elastic I must have put too much pressure on the back seam near the waistband as it looks a bit pulled around the stitches. I must remember to take more care with things like this next time I work with a delicate fabric like this.

Overall I am very happy with how these boxers have come out and I hope he likes the silk ones when he receives them tomorrow! Anyway now maybe I can start thinking about Christmas more....

Lurgy season

I have been knocked out with a dreadful cold this week but I am feeling vaguely human today. Prior to this illness I was sewing like mad and just wanted to post a photo of a dressing gown I have made for my Mum. We are travelling next week to Finland and my Mum needs a summer-weight dressing gown, but of course they are hard to find in the shops now, so I elected to make one from an old Style OOP pattern (I don't think that pattern brand even exists anymore). As my Mum did not want to spend a lot of money on it I picked up some fabric from the $2 clearance table at Spotlight and made this...
The colour is probably not my Mum's favourite but I think suitable for a dressing gown (not much choice on the clearance table) but other than that it came out well. Hope you like it Mum!