SarahLizSewStyle

 I've hankered after a black and white gingham check top for years now.  Finally I have made one.  I used Simplicity 1316: This top looks quite different from my rayon one which drapes softly.  The rayon top and pattern details including my alterations can be found here: A summery drapey top- Simplicity 1316. This top is made from a lightweight cotton gingham, so of course it is a little more structured than the rayon top.  I will love it though for summer days when I want a casual top that also looks smart. (Gingham purchased from Spotlight). The top was super simple to make.  Princess seams which I overlocked together, except for the centre back seam, a simple facing and a thread loop for the button: The hems for sleeve and bodice were  turned over twice and hemmed: And I even found a perfect little black and white button in my stash  for the back opening: Now for the quick views of the front, sides and back: You can see from these pictur

I have had two delightful surprises recently.  The first came from BeaJay, who was celebrating her third blogoversary by giving away a gift to the person who had commented most on her blog this year. I was thrilled and surprised to find it was me, and BeaJay gave me a $35.00 voucher for whatever I liked (sewing related) where I like.  BeaJay's post is here : http://ontheroadtosewwear.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/merry-christmas-and-blog-give-away.html After some humming and haaa-ing (not sure how to spell that) I thought I would get something really special that I would not buy for myself.  I settled on some silk satin to line the Chanel jacket I am going to make one day.  Only when it arrived, I also thought it would make a stunning blouse.  It's actually a silk seersucker, which, for the Chanel jacket option would be fantastic, because you have to quilt the jacket - and the seersucker lines would make that job much easier.  And look good too. Here's a snapshot of

Hello everyone, Thank you all for your lovely comments on yesterday's post A summery drapey top - Simplicity 1316. Some of you raised some queries about rayon. Rayon and viscose are the same types of fibres.  Rayon is a cellulose based fibre, made from wood pulp or cotton fibres.  It was developed after World War 2.  In different countries different names are used for rayon - so you may find it called rayon, or it may be called viscose. Sometimes I have seen the hybrid name viscose-rayon.  Whatever name you find this fabric under, it is chemically reconstituted cellulose fibre.  Rayon has been called artificial silk because of it's draping qualities, but it is nothing like silk in the way the fibres work.  Rayon fibres are quite weak, unlike silk, which is a much stronger fibre.  Rayon fibres are especially weak when wet.  The fibres absorb a lot of moisture when wet and this affects the fibre to weaken it.  Of course, this is the reason that rayon is cool to

A few weeks ago we had a very hot day, unusual for the humid, semi-tropical climate that is the norm in Newcastle.  It was 39 degrees F, with a hot westerly wind blowing.  Now, this is the sort of heat I am used to, as I  have lived in Alice Springs.  You need the right sort of clothes, and I am a bit light on those sort of clothes.  So I decided to fill the wardrobe gap. I found a rayon at Spotlight which was not the best quality but I thought  would do for this job.  It is years since I have worked with rayon and it is not a fabric I like- it frays, it wrinkles, it's a weak sort of fibre.  BUT - it is cool to wear. I  used simplicity 1316:   I thought  size 10 would be about right, and  I chose  the square neck version.  I made muslin first to c check the look and fit. I had shortened the bodice 1 inch along the L/S line.  The pattern has variations for B,C and D cup sizes - I used B. I used a fairly stiff piece of old sheet so it is a bit of a stiff loo

This little top is very twee and I don't think it is really me at all.  I was in two minds whether to even make this top, so was a bit blah about it before I started.  I'm also in the middle of a Blah spot in life, so thought maybe that was the problem and not the style itself. I used Burda 6914.  I did like the look of the pattern, and sort of hoped it would look as sophisticated on me as it does on the photo on the pattern envelope: Now I wonder what I saw in it - it's really just a big shapeless bag thing - I think the way the models are standing hide the fact that this dress/top bags out at the sides: Nevertheless, I was determine to make it and make it work.  So I proceeded. This top has a bound neckline. Never mind that I hate binding anything.  For some reason I hate doing binding - I can do it, it looks good, I hate doing it.  And I did lots of binding in this top - neck, sleeve and armhole seams. I cut size 36 and added a bit for my prominent c

My first idea was that I would make black linen pants. Then I decided to refine some of my pants making techniques first before I start making pants in  more expensive materials. So I made the above pants in cotton broadcloth, originally purchased from Spotlight and virtuously shopped from my stash. I was going to make this pattern:   This is sized for Miss Petite, and I wondered if this sizing would fit me better than ordinary trousers/pants as I am an on the  cusp petite.  I made a muslin and loved the leg line, but the torso was uncomfortable in the rear crotch area. As I needed  the pants  yesterday, so to speak,  I decided to revisit Burda 6985, and put the above pattern on the back-burner for now.  I'll revisit in a few week's time. Burda 6985. I managed to get these to fit me a tiny bit better than my earlier versions (which you can find  here and here.   )  (looking at these posts again makes realise my sewing is slowly improving).

It's that time of year, isn't it, where we all madly make plans and goals for the sewing year. Writing these sorts of things down is not my favourite activity, but it does get the buzz of ideas out of my head and onto paper.  Which quietens the head down quite a bit :) ***** My current sewing plans are fairly simple. I really do have to make a two pairs of pants I really need that are a little smarter than the casual pants I have been making. I've been avoiding making these for two years now.  I don't know why,  especially as I am fed up with what I do end up wearing.  RTW trousers in poor style and fit, with no pockets. So I am going to make a cotton pair for summer - they were going to be linen, but the pattern I thought would work, didn't, so I am reverting to a pattern that does work in order to quickly get this unwanted sewing job off the list:   The pattern I thought would work was a Burda pattern, Miss Petite.  I'm on the cusp of petite