The Floral Etro 8184

Jorth sat at her computer, staring with a slight frown at the monitor. What, oh what should she name her new dress. "Think, Jorthy, think!" she muttered. "It was going to be my contingency plan dress for the Tessuti Christmas party, in case my other one didn't work out, so maybe I could call it The Contingency Dress. But, alas, the word 'contigency' always makes me think of the word incontinence, and we don't want any of those connotations. So I think we'll scratch that idea out."

Staring aimlessly at the wall, she was suddenly hit with an idea: "Maybe I could call it my Christmas Day Mass dress. After all, it did have it's debut there, and that lovely older German man called Wolfgang who sat next to me did comment on how nice it looked. Oh gah, that name won't fly - much too pious. Maybe Wolfgang Liked? Oh heavens, that will never work!"

She drummed her fingers lightly on the keyboard, and thought as hard as she could. However, it didn't take long before her thoughts began to slither away from the subject at hand. "I wonder if rock stars have as much trouble naming their albums... gosh it's been a long time since I bought a decent record...I'm certainly not buying any of that Lady GaGa crap... I detest anybody who thinks a dress made of meat is cool... oh yeah, I really should buy some veggie burgers for tomorrow's Australia Day bike ride and bbq..."

Suddenly Grumbles stuck her head around the corner. "Mum! Have you finished your blog yet? C'mon, I want to go to the library!"

"Sure, honey!" answered Jorth, and with a slightly defeated sigh slowly typed in The Floral Etro 8184. "Bugger it!", she thought as she clicked Publish Post. Like time, Grumbles and the library waits for no man.



Project Details
Pattern: Vogue 8184
Fabric: "Repeat The Love", a floral Etro linen from Tessuti Fabrics. I used 1.5m
Notions: 35cm zip

Just to jazz things up a little, I created centre-based straps. I'm quite happy with them - in particular how such a simple alteration can really change the look of a pattern. And we all know how much I love an 8184 - you just can't go wrong with this pattern! It's got such a gorgeous 50's style shape, and the skirt is pefect, absolutely perfect for riding my bike in!

The "Well Read" Striped Singlet

Project Details
Pattern: Self drafted singlet top
Fabric: 80cm of "Candy's Cane" jersey from Tessuti Fabrics

I wanted a nice easy summery singlet to wear for those awful sticky days where it's just too darn hot to even think about what you want to wear. I'm thinking this little self-drafted number fits the bill nicely!

I loosely based the shape on my pj top (shhh! don't tell!) but added the 'go faster' stripes on the side to give the top a tad more niftyness. I think it works in rather well with the striped bias neck binding, and elevates it from 'plain old singlet top' to something a little more special.
The only thing I would change for next time is to make the armholes slightly lower. Just a cm or 2, but I think it will make it that little bit more comfortable. What do you guys think?

Note: pics taken by myself and Grumbles in the State Library of Victoria. Love that domed reading room!

Another produce box!

Lookey here - what's in the produce box this week? We received mushrooms, pumpkin, kale, broccoli, radishes (again!), carrots, pak choy, sugar snap peas, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, onions, bananas, apricots, nectarines and peaches.

Our breakfasts and lunches will remain the same as last week, and for dinner it looks like we'll be having the following:

Wednesday - Vegetable black bean stir fry
Thursday - Kale and mushroom pie
Friday - Sweet pumpkin and lentil salad with banana lassi
Saturday - Rack of lamb with honey mashed pumpkin and carrots
Sunday - Mascarpone and lemon pasta with broccoli and green salad
Monday - Ratatouille pies with salad
Tuesday - Spicy carrot fritters with potato salad and roasted tomatoes

Grumbles and I also made a batch of mixed berry yoghurt muffins, loosely based on the recipe from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. Man, they were goooood!

And for the person last week who requested the recipe for the poached apricots, then here's the secret: Make a light sugar syrup of 1 cup brown sugar to 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil with a vanilla bean, then add as many halved apricots as you like. Poach gently for 5ish minutes, then take off the heat to cool. Voila - with yoghurt it's a perfect breakfast!

What's on the menu at your place this week?

Finally - a finished pink baby shrug!

Do you remember, all the way back in (good grief!) October, me banging on about starting this:



Well, not only did I finish it, but it has found it's way to one special little girl in Switzerland, who reportedly is very warm and snuggly in it. Hooray!



Project Details
Pattern: Baby Shrug by Debbie Bliss (you can get a free copy of the pattern right here!)
Yarn: 2 balls of Sublime Organic Merino Wool DK in "Soap" from Morris & Sons
Needles: 4mm and 4.5mm

Great little knit - it was super easy to knit up, and the yarn was so scrumptiously soft to work with. And since you only use 2 balls, it makes for a fairly economical baby gift - even if you plump for the fancy schmancy yarn (I couldn't resist!) Watch out, pregnant friends - you may very well find yourselves gifted with one of these!

Produce box - nom nom nom!

This year we have decided to get a weekly organic fruit and veg box delivered. I was soooooo excited when I received it last night. It was better than Christmas! Grumbles and I dove in, excited to see what seasonal produce lay therein.

There was: beetroot, an iceberg lettuce, french beans, mushrooms, broccoli, yellow squash, a bunch of spinach, a bunch of radishes, half a Jap pumpkin, loads of carrots, zucchini, at least a kilo of tomatoes, potatoes, cherries, plums, nectarines, bananas and apricots. What an awesome box!

But what to do with all this treasure? What I needed was a plan - a menu plan. So this morning I armed myself with my favourite recipe books, and came up with this list:

Breakfasts: Grated carrot, sliced tomato and avocado on wholemeal toast; vanilla poached apricots (see pic above) with greek yoghurt; mashed bananas and cinnamon on toast; muesli with fresh fruit; beany stew with cheese on toast.

Lunches: Either leftovers from the previous night, or soup and a salad sandwich. I always have soup in the freezer. At the moment there is curried pea and lettuce or minestrone to choose from. Such a good way to use up those sad veggies left lying around at the end of the week.

Dinners:
Wednesday - Spinach and mushroom crepes with green salad
Thursday - Curried bean and pumpkin veggie burgers, with coleslaw and crunchy potatoes
Friday - Jambalaya with mushrooms, and a garden salad
Saturday - Chilled coconut and carrot soup, followed by eye fillet with roasted oregano tomatoes and beetroot couscous
Sunday - Green bean, potato and carrot tostadas with refried beans and lime sour cream
Monday - Creamy broccoli pasta with garden salad
Tuesday - Zucchini, squash and ricotta filo roll with mashed pumpkin

The only thing that didn't find its way into a recipe are the radishes. Try as I might, I just can't warm to them. However, I have made a pledge to waste as little as possible this year, so I shall do the noble thing and... shove them into the Galumph's lunchbox. Shhhh - don't tell!

Drape Drape 2 dress for Grumbles

You didn't really think that Grumbles would allow her mum to have a snazzy Drape Drape 2 dress and not get in on the action herself, did you?



The pattern was easy to redraft for Grumble's size - I simply found a singlet pattern in an old copy of Ottobre Magazine, and used it as the foundation. The fabric was left over from making this top. Austerity crafting at its best!

The only downside is that as soon as Grumbles sees me in my Drape Drape dress, she races downstairs and dons hers. And then proceeds to tell every aquaintance that we meet that we're wearing the same dress. It's a tad too matchy-matchy for my liking, but heaven help me - I wouldn't kill her buzz for the world.

Project Details
Pattern: Redrafted Dress #2 from Drape Drape 2, made to fit Grumbles
Fabric: "Original Wally", a cotton blend jersey from Tessuti Fabrics

Drape Drape 2 dress

Okey dokey, so it's confession time: I actually made this dress from the Drape Drape 2 book a couple of months ago, but with all the surrounding hecticness that is the yuletide/end of school/summer holidays season I gosh dang forgot to get Galumph to photograph it. Thankfully Grumbles was able to step into the breach and get a-clicking for me.



Truly, it is amazing that I haven't had a photo taken of this dress before now because I wear it all the blooming time! It's so comfy, but I always feel quite snazzy and dressed up in it. Can't really ask too much more from a summer frock!

As for making it up, it was a cinch. I was a wee bit nervous beforehand, as the book and all the instructions are in Japanese, but the step-by-step diagrams were so clear and obvious that I had no trouble at all. If you can sew, you can definitely make up a Japanese pattern. I think this dress took me all of, say, two hours. Not too shabby!

Project Details
Pattern: Dress #2 from Drape Drape 2
Fabric: 1.5m of "Jelly Orbit" from Tessuti Fabrics (the Jelly is now sold out, but other colours at the time of writing are still available)

PS: Thanks Grumbles for taking the photos. You've done a splendid bang up job!

Resolve

It appears to be that time of year again - the time to get out a fresh sheet of paper and a newly-sharpened pencil, and to jot down the resolutions for the year. With that, of course, comes hopefully a modicum of self-analysis: Who am I? What do I want to do this year? Who, exactly, do I want to be? And above all else, can I?

So here are mine, pretty much off the top of my head although they have been percolating around the noggin for a few weeks now. Fingers crossed I stick with them!

Year of Frugality
Much to the groans, but then agreement, of the Galumph, I proposed a year of frugality. We both want to just knuckle down and pay as much extra off our mortgage as we can, so we have decided to watch the pennies a whole lot more. I think the key to this being a success is to be more organised. Last year, for example, I got into the habit of buying lunch on the days I worked. Nice as that was, those lunches sure added up. This year I will make sure I always have a little something stashed away in the freezer to take in, rather than duck out to take away.

I'm sure there are a thousand more little ways we can make our dollars stretch further this year. I just need to figure them out, and apply them.

Stash Busters!
This is tying in with the Frugality pledge. I have loads of fabric and yarn sitting in my bureau at home, so I want to try and make up as many of those as I can rather than buying things for new projects. Fear not - I shall treat myself as the need/uncontrollable want occurs, but there are plenty of wannabe projects already hiding away in my cupboard that require my attention first.

Waste Control
I have a zealot's burning desire to minimise to the nth degree how much our household wastes. To this end we are looking at a composting solution to cut down on our food scrap waste (looks like a wormie bin will be the way to go), and I'm trying to avoid packaging as much as possible.

Plastic Free
Apart from necessities (medicine, deodorant etc) I'm trying to go all out for plastic free this year. Milk will be the exception, as it's simply too hard to find in glass bottles, and the plain plastic bottles are the most easily recycled. I was doing pretty well with my plastic free pledge, but the sneaky bugger has snuck his way back in to my home again. No more, say I, no more!

Oil Free
Another green goal is to further reduce my reliance on oil. It's running out, you know, so the quicker we can take steps to reduce oil consumption now, the better off we will be in the future. For my family this means remaining car-free, eating as locally as we can (joining a local box scheme has already occurred), purchasing only locally made goods and reducing our energy usage.

Just Keep Sewin'
Last year was a personal record buster on the sewing front. Apart from one dress (aw c'mon - it was on sale!) some pjs and bathers, I made all my own clothes. This year I want to keep on keeping on - and with that stash busting pledge it looks like I shall have to!

Click that Shutter Button
I'd really like to improve my photography this year. Last year was pretty good, but I know I can do better. I can definitely do it more often, for starters!

Don't You Have a Blog or Something?
Yes, I do, but I'm not sure you could tell by the amount of updating I did in the second half of the year. Please allow me a moment to hang my head in shame. So much for my update every day pledge - phwmph! I do enjoy writing my blog, so this year I'm aiming for regular updating rather than locking myself into a daily pledge. I want to be reliable for both my sake, and yours.

Hey There, Chicken Arms!
A few weeks ago Grumbles was trying to do cartwheels on a lawn. Poor kid couldn't do one to save herself, so I sauntered over to show her how it's done. Um, wake up call: My upper arm strength is so feeble that I could barely manage one myself. I was rather shocked - I thought doing a cartwheel would be like getting up off the couch - a simple action that I wouldn't even have to think about. Ruh roh. So after that blistering moment of enlightenment, I've been doing push ups every morning. Granted I can only manage half a dozen at the moment before collapsing nose first onto the floor and begging for mercy, but I'll get there.

So there are pledges for the year. Watch out 2011 - here comes a greener, fiscally enhanced and superbly toned upper armed Jorth!

Drawing to a close

Grumbles lay on the couch and watched with bemused bewilderment as her mother tore through the house, emptying drawers, checking under beds and upturning boxes, all the while muttering feverishly to herself.

"I can't believe it's gone!" she wailed, looking into a rather large box marked "Completed Projects That Need To Be Photographed For Blog", before shoving it away and sticking her head in the cupboards of the buffet.

"What is it, Mum?" queried Grumbles, as Jorth frantically dug through another box labelled "Blog Fodder - Warning: May Be Covered In Dust And Cobwebs." Jorth, however, ignored her, as she was too busy muttering "Seriously! Where the heck could it have got to? It simply HAS to be around here somewhere!"

"MUUUUUUUM!" brayed Grumbles in that particular vocal tone that can usually, without fail, slice it's unattractive way through any parent's inattentive daze, "What have you lost?"

Jorth snapped her head around and said "Ahah! It's not hiding under that quilt top that needs to be sandwiched, is it?" Poking her head under the fabric, she exclaimed "Damn! Not here either!", and with that slumped onto the floor in defeat.

"Just tell me what you're looking for!" pleaded Grumbles. Jorth looked up into her hopeful face with despair, and said "It's the year! I can't find it anywhere. Last time I checked it was, what, August and now it's the 23rd of December. Tell me, oh dearest offspring, how can that be?"

"That's just the way it goes, Mum" offered Grumbles philosophically. "Besides, since we're making an actual appearance on the blog, don't you think we should wish all your readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year?"

"Whaa?" said Jorth, her eyes sweeping distractedly under the table in the hope that a few stray months might be found lurking under there. "Oh yeah, Happy New.... hang on! That's it! The New Year!" Clutching at her daughter's hand, Jorth said excitedly "D'ye suppose that I can cram all of the stuff I was meant to finish/blog/document this year into next year? I could update every day, and become one of those bloggers that you can rely on to always be posting something exciting! Whaddya think, tiger?"

Privately Grumbles thought that we'd all heard that song before, but she was loath to crush the optimistic spirit in her mother's eyes, so she just squeezed the hand back and said "As you always say to me, you can do and be anything you want - you've just got to set your mind to it."

"I concur completely!" said Jorth, finally catching a little of that merry festive spirit. "Bring on 2011! I've got big plans for you. Big plans!"

Walkabout

Now I don't know what you've been up to of late, but I've been doing lots of walking. I mean, I'm always walking because I don't drive a car, but this time I've taken it a step (heheh!) further and gone bushwalking!

We drove into Wilson's Promontory at dusk, and the place was seriously teeming with wildlife. We saw kangaroos, wallabies, emus and even a dopey looking koala scavenging grasses on the side of the road.



After camping that night at Tidal River, we set off the next day to walk to Sealer's Cove. The scenery is magnificent. One minute you are scaling rocky switchbacks, then the next you are walking through bushfire-recovering forest. Before you know it you happen upon a grassy bald known as Windy Saddle, then you plunge into untouched rainforest before heading down to the desolate beach. Phenomenal.



That evening we met a charming Italian guy (hi Francesco!) who had hurt his knee, and run out of food and water. We shared out foodstuffs with him, and walked out together in the morning. Not only was he fantastic company, but I've also never seen anybody so enthusiastic about dried apricots. Methinks he was pretty hungry!

Although I'm not a natural camper - I'm not ashamed to say I like my creature comforts - the experience of being in such unspoilt wilderness made any lack of comfort worth it. We're already planning our next expedition, particularly Grumbles who thought she was in heaven. Any recommendations, anybody?

Shirred Dress Tutorial

Summertime, and the living is eeeeeaaasy... actually no - it's already darn hot, so what better time to do a shirred dress tutorial for you all than now, hey? This dress is super simple to whip up. You won't even need a pattern, just a measuring tape and some lovely fabric. So let's get measuring, and get ready to sew!

Things you will need:
Fabric of your choice (I suggest a lightweight cotton, as you don't want anything too heavy for a shirred dress)
Elastic thread
1cm wide elastic
Matching thread

For the record, I used a Liberty Tana Lawn from Tessuti Fabrics that I had hiding away in my stash.

Step 1:
Firstly you need to measure how much fabric you will need. I measured around Grumble's torso, and then multiplied that measurement by two plus seam allowances to get the total width of the dress. The shirred part will stretch over to fit the bust nicely, without feeling too tight.

Here are the standard torso measurements for children, based on Australian Standards:

Children's Measurements
Size        Age                    Height                  Chest
2            2 - 3 years            92cm                   56cm
3            3 - 4 years            100cm                 58cm
4            4 - 5 years            108cm                 60cm
5            5 - 6 years            115cm                 62cm
6            6 - 7 years            120cm                 64cm
7            7 - 8 years            125cm                 66cm
8            8 - 9 years            130 - 140cm        68cm
10          10 - 11 years        140 - 150cm        74 - 80cm
11          11 - 12 years        150 - 160cm        80 - 86cm
12          12 - 13 years        155 - 160cm        86 - 90cm
13          13 - 14 years        160 - 165cm        90 - 95cm
14          14 - 15 years        165 - 170cm        95 - 100cm

Or, if you decide you'd rather make a shirred dress for yourself, here are the standard women's measurements, based on Australian Standards:

Women's Measurements
Size              Bust                     Waist                      Hip
XS               75 - 80cm            56 - 61cm               84 - 88cm
S                  82 - 87cm            61 - 66cm               88 - 93cm
M                 92 - 97cm            71 - 76cm               98 - 103cm
L                  102 - 109cm        81 - 88cm               108 - 115cm
XL               115 - 121cm        94 - 100cm             121 - 127cm

Firstly you'll need to figure out your torso measurement, and then double that, then add seam allowances. For example, Grumbles had a torso measurement of 68cm. Multiplying that by two gives you 136cm. Adding seam allowances of 2cm to each side makes it 140cm. You'll be cutting out a front and a back, so divide that figure by two to get the width of each piece. In this case it is 70cm.

I decided that I wanted the dress to be mid-calf in length, so measured Grumbles once more. The resulting measurement was 65cm, from top of bust line to mid-calf. Adding 5cm for seam and casing allowances gave me a final figure of 70cm.

So my final pattern piece for both front and back was 70cm wide and 70cm long. Once you've figured yours out, cut two of these.

Hooray! The maths part is over. Let's move on to some actual sewing!

Step 2:


Once you have cut out your pattern pieces, overlock or finish all edges.

Step 3:
Sew one side seam together, leaving the other side seam open.

Step 4:


Create the casing for the elastic. On the wrong side turn over the overlocked edge and press, then turn over again to create a 1.3cm wide casing. Press. Stitch the casing close to the edge. Oh, and try not to laugh at my daggy ironing board.

Step 5:


Before you begin to shirr, you'll need to have changed your normal bobbin for one that has been tightly wound with elastic thread. If the elastic thread isn't tightly wound onto the bobbin, then the elasticised effect will not occur. It's easiest to do this by hand, stretching tight the thread as you wind it onto the bobbin.

Now let the shirring begin! On the right side stitch a foot width away from the casing stitching. As you sew the elastic will cause the shirred part to bunch up behind your machine foot. It's pretty exciting!

Step 6:


Repeat the shirring a foot width away until you have done 10 rows, or until you have shirred for your desired amount. If you are large busted you may want to shirr more than 10, or if you are making it for a very young child you may want to shirr for less than 10 rows. Figure out what you'll be most comfortable with, and go from there.

You will probably need to re-wind your bobbin with more elastic thread every few rows. As you shirr, straighten out the fabric - it helps you keep a straight line.

Step 7:
Once the shirring has been completed, insert the desired length of 1cm wide elastic (measure it around the torso to see what length feels comfortable) into the casing at the top of the dress, tacking it to each end to keep it in place.

Then with right sides facing sew your other side seam together. I like to sew over the shirred part twice, just to reinforce the elastic thread. We don't want any of them wriggling loose now!

Then hem the bottom of the dress.

Step 8:


Measure out how long your shoulder straps will be, then cut a two 3cm strips of fabric this length. Folding the strips in two with right sides together, sew close to the edge of the strap. Trim seam allowances, then inside-out the strips. Attach the shoulder straps to the inside of the back and the front of the dress in your desired position. I find with Grumbles that the straps don't slip off her shoulders so much if I cross them over at the back.

Now pat yourself on the back and do a happy dance - you've completed a shirred dress!

My favourite black pants

The perfect pair of black pants. It's like the holy grail of fashion, isn't it - that and finding the perfect pair of jeans. Sometimes it can feel like mission impossible. Does such a thing truly exist?

Now, I don't know about you, but it feels like my own personal search for the holy grail has gone on for years. Most of the time it ends up with tears in change rooms and whimpers of "Nagdammit! My bum DOES look big in these!" Or, perversely, you find a pair that might just fit the bill, and then have a look at the price tag, which means that even if the pants come close to perfect, the price you must pay doesn't, so back on the rack they go. And so the search would go on. Every where you looked, black pants would dangle on their hangers catching your eye but there was always something wrong: legs too long, legs too wide, legs to short, waist too high, seat too baggy, fabric too nasty, cut too fugly. You find yourself back at home wearing your old faithful pair that have been washed and worn too many times and is starting to look beyond sad, but what choice do you have? The new perfect pair still eludes you.

If you've been in this situation, and feel like your search will never come to an end then rejoice, dear friends, rejoice! For I, Jorth, have gone boldly into black pant territory where many fear to tread, and have found the perfect pair indeed!

Ok, ok - so the caveat is that you'll have to make them yourself. But trust me - the best part about these pants is that they were a cinch, an absolute cinch to whip up. Hoorah!



Project Details
Pattern: #105 from Burda Style Magazine 6/2010
Fabric: 1.5m of "Something Black", a luscious cotton/viscose blend from Tessuti Fabrics. This fabric was so lovely to work with.
Notions: 22cm invisible zip, and interfacing for the waist band

Just in case you haven't guessed, I love these pants! They are super comfy to wear, and the weight is perfect for summer. I made mine up in size 36 without the side seam allowances, which means that they sit loosely on my waist, which is exactly how I like my summer pants to be. The fabric has a lovely sheen to it, which instantly makes the pants look quite dressy, particularly with the pleat details. I'm planning another pair for winter, but in a wool blend.

Besides the seam allowances, the only other alteration I made was to straighten and lengthen the leg. The original pattern calls for a curved hem on the pant going along the inside leg seam, but aesthetically that didn't appeal, so I made mine straight instead.

Boo!

We're not really into celebrating Halloween here at chez Jorth. In fact, as a holiday it's never really taken off in Australia at all. However, Grumbles has been learning about it at school and has become quite gung-ho about decorating the house.
After she came home and presented me with her umpteenth scribbled pumpkin head ("Look Mum! Isn't it scary? Mum: Um, surrrrre!") I decided to take matters a step further, and enforced a family decorating session on Saturday night. Anything to keep the fambly happy, right?

It was a complete and utter debacle. Galumph, who was in charge of cutting out the face pieces, keep doing them out of the wrong paper. Grumbles decided that pleating paper wasn't really her thing, and kept wandering off to do other things, and I developed a bad case of sticky tape rage.

Due to my sticky tape rage, I actually morphed into a ghoul, berating my poor husband with snitchy comments like "If you don't cut out a black eye instead of a white one, I'll GIVE you a black eye!" We all ended up with a bad case of the Halloween blues, not helped by the fact that the darn decorations wouldn't even stay in place when we tried to hang them up.

I know that you're wondering about the masterpieces we created after all that energy was expended. Let's just say that I'm hanging up my Halloween crafting crown, because they really are pretty crap:

The only thing scary about these is the fact that I insisted on making them in the first place! Bloody Martha Stewart. Never again! I'm sticking to sewing from now on.

Pink Baby Shrug

It feels a bit weird to be sitting inside on a 28 C day, knitting away despite the sunshine calling my name, but I've become an aunty for the first time on my husband's side so I couldn't let this momentous occasion slip by without a handknit now, could I?

Besides, I'm a big believer in welcoming a brand new, much-longed-for soul into the world with their very own knit, made for nobody else but them. And despite the copious sunshine today, the weather is predicted to take a turn for the worse, if not for the nasty, so while it will be bad for all the hypothermic race goers, it will be pleasant indeed for me. I shall spend the weekend contentedly perched on the couch, knitting away with a cup of tea near by, happily listening to the rain as I think joyful thoughts about the wee one that has come safely into this world.

Besides, how stinkin' cute is this knit? The pattern is a Debbie Bliss one, and better than that - it's a FREE Debbie Bliss one. Hoorah! You can get your paws on the pattern right over here.

Four sheets to the wind (or a striped, nautical style top!)

I'm totally feeling the nautical vibe this summer, and as soon as I saw this pattern in the 2/2010 Burda Magazine, I knew this top had to be made. In fact, I may* have even uttered a little "Arrrrrr! That top will be better than a frigate off the starboard side with all canon's a-firing!"**

So shiver me timbers, I whipped it up before a sewing mutiny could occur, and I was forced to walk the overlocker plank.

What? Me hearties want the gory details? Well, all hands to deck and set yer sails: here are the deets before you get your fishing lines knickers in a sailor's knot:

Project Details
Pattern: Striped Top from Burda Magazine 2/2010
Fabric: Jersey knit from Tessuti Fabrics

This was a very quick and easy top to sew together. I did add some pleats to the sleeve raglan edge, and this made the neckline fit much better. I made it up in size 34, and didn't add any of the side seam allowances as I find the Burda cut can be a little on the generous side, and I wanted a nice, fitted style top.

*Any excuse to do a crusty old pirate voice!
**Actually, I think most things are better than that particular situation.
***Many thanks to dear husband and all his years of reading/watching Hornblower for the ship shape navy terms.

Sneak peek...

...of a little bit of "Drape Drape 2" dress manipulation I've been doing. And boy, is it fun!

The Stripey Bandit

There's a new bandit in town. You'll know her by her clever disguise - she can bounce the sun's glare directly into your eyes from her mask, rendering you blind and enabling her a quick get away.

You may also know her by her dodgy dance moves. The Stripey Bandit sure does like to rock on!







Project Details

Pattern: Dress #12 from Ottobre Design Magazine 2/2005
Fabric: 1m of stripey cotton print, which wasn't quite enough - boy did I do some head scratching trying to fit all the pattern pieces in! Still, yet enough stash buster, so I'm pleased.
Notions: elastic for sleeves and neckline

I adore this dress - I'm so happy with how the stripes look going both ways. It's a winner!

Ride To Work Day!

Don't forget, fellow Australians, that tomorrow is Ride To Work Day! You can bet that I'll be proudly mounting my faithful blue steed (hmmm, that sounded rather wrong!) and pedalling in to work after scoffing my FREE BREAKFAST organised by the good folks at Bicycle Victoria.
If you see me pedalling along, feel free to wave - although I will be honest: I will put the heels in my bike basket and pedal safely in my daggy old sandals.

So that is how you shall know me - I'll be the one with the cool dress but awful shoes, replete with distended stomach doing free coffee/muffin/croissant/fruit salad burps as I ride maybe not so gracefully into work. Still, it beats being stuck in traffic or wedged into somebody's armpit on public transport. Viva la velo!

Red Peasant Blouse

Now, forgive me if I'm wrong...





...but I think somebody is rather pleased with her new top!

Project Details
Pattern: Peasant Blouse from Ottobre Magazine 2/2005
Fabric: 50cm cotton from stash. Love a stash project!
Notions: elastic for sleeves and neck edge, plus shirring elastic

Watch out for more of these this summer!

Jorth vs Fabric Scraps

Oh my sainted aunt - what is that... that thing vomitting all over my kitchen table?



Before I end your suspense, a little background: today I had the day off work, and decided to get cracking on Grumble's summer wardrobe. Foolish me thought it would be a mere matter of opening the bureau door and fishing out the fabric I had in mind, but instead I was confronted with a jumble of fabrics all threatening to spill out of the over packed cupboard, and all baying for attention with the same refrain: "Remember me? I was meant to be a dress by now! So when you gonna sew me up, huh? HUH?"

With a sigh I set aside my initial intention, got down on my hands and knees and began the job of sorting through the fabric stash, and figuring out my plans. Fabric that I did have a specific project in mind for was neatly folded up with the corresponding pattern placed on top, and carefully lined up on the shelf. Scrappy bits that were kept for whatever reason were reevaluated, and either consigned to the op-shop bag or to the 'other projects' pile. And all those weird odds and sods were put into a bag to be donated to the local kindergarten.

After working steadily for a good half hour, I rocked back onto my heels and surveyed with satisfaction the work I had done. But alas! I had forgotten the scrap bag. Now that I came to think of it, I hadn't come upon the fabric I wanted for Grumble's top, so I took the scrap bag out to the kitchen table, and began to hunt for it.

All those scraps - mostly left over pieces from clothes I had made for Grumbles - spilled out onto the table. Here was a piece from her first summer dress. Here was a piece from the jeans I had made, and lined with spotted cotton. Here was a piece from the top she wore on her first day of kinder. Here was a piece for each day we were happy, sitting in the sun, just my girl and me. Each one felt like a precious memory, and couldn't be thrown away, but collectively the bag seemed to be taunting me. "LOOOOOK!" the scraps brayed, "Look at all these pieces left from the clothes you made your child. Clothes for a little girl that you can never make again, because your daughter is growing up faster than you would like, and you can't have any more children, so you'll never be able to make those clothes again. BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Good grief! It was like the fabric elephant in the room had come to life. I almost burst into tears looking at all the pieces. The worst thing is, though, that even though I don't want these scraps to hang around as a reminder of what-might-have-been, I don't want to throw them either. The bittersweet memories were suddenly too much, and I was feeling them too deeply. I was standing in my kitchen, having a meltdown over a bag of cloth, battling to keep my emotions in check. But bloody hell - the cloth scraps were winning!

Then I thought of something. My salvation, so to speak. I would make the scraps into a yo yo garland! That way I could do something useful with the scraps, and keep the happy memories associated alive, but could put it away when I tired of it.

Restraining myself from doing a little happy jig, I leaned in and whispered to the fabric bag "So! What do you think of my clever plan?"

The scrap bag was silent. It knew a winner when it saw one.