SarahLizSewStyle

There comes a moment in life when you want some instant gratification.  That moment came yesterday.  It's starting to get cool in the evenings here, and I wanted some knit PJ pants to wear under my knee length nightie when I get up and "do things" in the morning - kettle on, make lunches, eat breakfast, that sort of thing (and sometimes a bit of sewing if I have a minute to spare).  I decided to buy a pair of stripe PJ pants in cotton jersey.  They cost $39.95,  an extravagance, but I felt worth it, as I really do not want to have to do another stretch of basics.  That's all I have made, and I want to make some more inspirational things like lots of wonderful bloggers do.  (Maybe they don't make basics??). So, I allowed myself this expensive liberty.   I always get overwhelmed in shops and didn't notice the stripe at the top being misaligned - mind you , this happens with stripes.  I thought hard, and thought, well, it will annoy me like mad, but really

  To Me Made May or not to Me Made May. That is the question.  I think the problem I am having in making up my mind about whether to take part is not only about whether I have the clothes or not, but about the time it takes to take a photograph every day. I have made lots of clothes since January 2013 when I started this blog.  Some cotton shirts, a few t's and lots and lots of attempts at making trousers.  I  have quite a few casual trousers now, and a few smart casual. Ditto skirts - quite a few casual skirts and a few smart casual.  I haven't made much work wear yet.  And very few tops and jackets to finish an outfit off.  I was concentrating more on getting my sewing skills back after about a ten year hiatus - and learning new things to boot.  Like sewing with knits and making trousers. So I am a little reluctant to take part as the photographs will not yet be visually interesting outfits.  I doubt they ever will be - I tend to be very plain and simple.  In winter it

This is the last pair of pants in the current series of five pairs of pull on pants.  So far I have made four pairs in stretch cotton sateen.  I needed a pair of pants for slightly smarter occasions, and rather quickly, as I have none in the wardrobe (except for old work pants, which I don't like and wouldn't want to wear for slightly smarter occasions!!). This pair is in stretch polyester/viscose crepe.   I used Kwik Sew 2960  as my base, view C. I cut size XS from the hips down, and S for the tummy/waist area. I altered the pattern to make the waist slightly larger.  Then I added an elastic casing, and eliminated the zip.  I also lengthened the pattern by 1/14 inches, and removed a slice of fabric in a dart under the bottom to eliminate some of the back under bottom wrinkling.  This will never entirely be eliminated with my small bottom and thin legs.   There is not much to report really - so I'll just show you the results: Front view:  Bac

 This is another in my series of quick sew elastic waist pull on trousers.  I used Kwik Sew 2960 as my base pattern: This pattern is  sized for stretch. I did not use a zip but just added a little more at the sides, and then added a cut on waistband as the elastic casing.    They slip on over my hips quite easily. These are a fun pair of trousers made out of black and white check stretch cotton sateen: I am quite surprised by the different hang of these trousers.  It seems to fold, creep and crumple quite easily - my previous trousers made out of this pattern also used a stretch cotton sateen, but perhaps a different brand - and the hang is quite different.  I purchased the fabric at Spotlight - and it is $4.00 a metre more expensive than the ordinary sateens, so I was a little surprised at its tendency to creep around.  However, I also didn't invest much time or emotional energy in these - they were made specifically to have something a little more fashionable to

Since I started my blog in early 2013, I have spent much time learning to sew garments that I have never sewn much before - namely trousers/pants and knit garment. It's been quite a journey.  But I feel I now have some idea of the basics, and so I will now try and improve on these:) I've also added a lot to my stash.  Which means, fellow stashbusters, that  I'll have more stash to bust.   And I've decided I actually like stashing, especially after seeing a book about YSL - he was surrounded by stash. So really, I think you need a large stash in order to facilitate creativity.     Never can I find the right fabric when I am looking for it, but with a decent stash, and a copy of Vogue Collections, I can start seeing how to use stash to create stylish clothes.  That will be my next goal.  I'm also suppose to be on a RTW fast.  Well, that is quite easy, as nothing much fits me in RTW in any case. But I did buy two garments:   A Blazer (from  www.ezibuy.com

What fantastic comments you all left on my recent post Does Sewing Save Money. If you haven't read this post, do go and have a peep at it - and do look at all those wonderful thoughts that other sewers have about whether sewing saves money. It seems in a nutshell that sewing does save money, especially when comparing cost of fabrics for me made clothes with the prices of better ready to wear or quality fabric garments.  It also appears that most of us get an intrinsic pleasure out of sewing (even allowing for all those inevitable mishaps) that is worth more to us than the price of sewing per se.  So, for most of us, sewing is not so much about saving money, as gaining other qualities in our garments - uniqueness, good fit,better fabrics, better quality, better construction, creative,tactile satisfaction  and enjoyment. And some of us can't find RTW that fits, so sewing is not about cost, but about getting garments that fit. I think L's comment sums up how most

A New T-Shirt  The above t-shirt might look very familiar but it is a newly made t shirt.  I made it out of the leftover pieces from the dolman sleeve t shirt I have recently finished. Dolman sleeve T-shirt. (For those of you who want to read about the dolman sleeve t-shirt and find out what I did, please visit this page. ) Okay, now about today's t-shirt - I used Kwik Sew 3766, which is fast becoming my standby t-shirt pattern.  It's a lovely basic shape and works nicely. I used size S as I do not like skin tight t-shirts.  I turned up the hem  a little more than suggested on the pattern (1.5 inches instead of 1 inch). The sleeves are a little shorter than the pattern pieces, as I had no more fabric to use - but they are quite long enough.     The fabric is an unknown knit from Spotlight.  I'm pretty sure it has a high viscose content - both from the residue of a burn test, the feel, the softness and the fact that it wrinkles quite a lot.   There&

Have you heard the wonderful myth that sewing your own clothes saves money?  Well, after spending more money again today on one of those little outings that are not meant to cost much - a bit of fabric to fix something, and a few buttons for the cardigan I am knitting, and a bit of fabric for next years summer dress I am planning (while it is on sale) etc etc... It all started innocently enough.  I have had this nice boiled wool jacket in my wardrobe for about ten years - and I rarely wear it: Why don't I wear it?  Because I don't like the old gold buttons.  They don't suit my colouring, so I don't wear the jacket - I look cheap in it. This got me visiting good old Spotlight after work for buttons - and of course, while I was there, one or two other things. I bought these buttons for the jacket.  They were not what I wanted, but there is limited selection at Spotlight. So I spent $10.00 approx on buttons (plus another $5.00 on buttons for the jacke

Well, I have had quite a sewing week.  DH and I planned to  go away this week  - to my residential school that isn't anymore, since I made the big decision recently that I couldn't do it all - not at the moment, anyway, until things are more under control at DH's practice. ).  So we had a week booked out from the practice.  And we also finally finished at the old premises - hoorah.   DH had lots of odd jobs to do this week, and I wanted to get some transitional basics quickly sewn while I had the time. Excuse my slightly underdressed look in these photos - I wanted to show you the top of these trousers, and wearing a longer top over them - which is what I do - was not going to show you how these are made and how they fit.  Tucking in a thicker t-shirt doesn't work very well and adds bulk around the hip area, so I thought I would use this flimsy camisole - it is short so it works quite well to show this area without too much added bulk. It's cold today (about 20