I love my cutting table

Yes.. I have to admit I truly love my cutting table

My cutting table is actually our outdoor camp table that my husband raised for me using PVC pipe to extend the legs.  There was a brand new door someone had left in the shed that we found and it didn't have a hole in it for a door handle even.  As soon as I saw it I quickly confiscated it for a cutting table top.  All I did was sit it straight on top of the camp table.  I've since added two self healing cutting mats on top and now I can use my rotary cutter to easily cut out my patterns.  Ideally I'd love to get some bigger cutting mats to cover the whole table... I've added them to my wish list.

Here's the quick little table leg extenders my hubby put together for me... they work perfectly and was really inexpensive to do... definitely help having a handy hubby around at times LOL

Even though I only have a small sewing room with a little rearranging and a some help from my hubby I can now move around 3 sides of the table and no longer have to bend or stretch over the table to cut out my fabric and best of all I no longer get a sore back.  

Ok... that's enough about my table... now here's what's on my cutting table at the moment

I'm making a skirt from New Look 6609.  

The pattern doesn't include it but I'm adding a lining as this fabric is quite thin and a little too see through for me.  I've got some lovely bemberg lining fabric in my stash which is lightweight, static free and most importantly breathable and is a perfect lining for where I live as it gets really really really hot here.  We live in Port Hedland which is about a 2hr drive from the hottest town in Australia... and it sure does get hot... at times when you go outside it feels like you've just stepped into an oven.  Thank goodness for air conditioning. 

The fashion fabric I'm using was quite inexpensive and has a few flaws in... nothing that I couldn't work around though.  All I did was mark the flaws with pins when I found them as I was ironing the fabric.  Then when I laid out the pattern pieces on the fabric I could easily see and avoid the flaws.

This is what I avoided... as you can see this wouldn't have looked great on my skirt.  It kind of looks like smudged paint.

Ok... that's enough from me for now... I've got a skirt and a sewing machine sitting in my sewing room calling out to me to come and play and I can't resist.

Vogue 1027 using fabric I got for Christmas

My hubby (Grant) got me some gorgeous fabric for Christmas and I couldn't wait to sew something using one of them... and he couldn't wait to take some pictures for me using his new camera he got for Christmas.

This is the fabric my hubby got me for Christmas... you can see the rest of my current stash here 

I decided to use this fabric and Vogue 1027 to make myself a dress... as soon as I saw this fabric I knew exactly what pattern I wanted to use.  I had bought this pattern about a month ago and hadn't tried it yet.

One thing I did do different with this dress is I used my new small rotary cutter to cut out the pattern.  I have to say I actually found it a really easy method for cutting and I seemed to get a very accurate cut.  I put in quite a few pins to ensure the fabric didn't move especially as it was super slippery.

Now here's my new dress all seamed up and completed... and I'm happy to report I love it... even though it's not perfect.. but hey if someone gets close enough to see the faults then I think they're simply too close for me :)

We thought we'd have a little fun and I'd strut my stuff like a supermodel (hahahaha) and we sure did! 

Ahoy there... you look'n at me?
Actually the glare was getting in my eyes LOL

I have no idea what this pose was meant to be but I
cracked up laughing when I saw it and simply had to share...
I promise I don't mind if you laugh too... I would... actually I am LOL

Having a little chuckle at myself and my hubby was too

I just noticed I had my rubber thongs on.. an aussie wardrobe essential for summer!
Models wear them too don't they?  hahaha

Ok... I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures I shared and get an idea that I actually quite like this dress.

This dress is a little big on me and I definitely could have gone down a size.  I've made a note on my Vogue 1027 pattern to remind myself next time I use this pattern to go down at least 1 size smaller than what ever my measurements are... maybe even two depending on the stretch in the fabric.

The fabric I used in this dress (I think) is a jersey knit and it seems to have a fairly similar stretch in both directions.  I feels soooo soft on my skin and is so comfortable to wear.  I think I'll definitely get a lot of wear out of it (well at least while it fits) and I think I'll definitely get some more use out of my Vogue 1027 pattern and will be keeping it in my collection.

I've lost 20kgs this year and my measurements keep changing... I know this is a good thing but issue I have is I have to keep buying fabric and making new clothes....it's a terrible problem to have when you love sewing...isn't it? LOL

So what do you think... is Vogue 1027 a keeper and should I make another dress in a smaller size using this pattern?

Vogue 8815 peplum all seamed up and completed

I'm in two minds about this top.. I think it might be the fabric I used (crepe de chine) that was in my stash and not the Vogue 8815 pattern it's self.  I used this fabric kind of like a muslin and the top turned out I could possibly add it to my wardrobe and if not I could put it down to another sewing experience and another lesson learned.

I changed the neckline as I felt the neckline was a little too high... on me anyway.  It could be just that I'm not use to wearing high necklines.  As soon as I lowered the neckline and tried the top I felt more comfortable in it. What I like about the Vogue 8815 pattern is it's easy to sew and I got to brushed up on some of my sewing skills and am feeling more confident and ready to move onto my next project. Key things I got to practice while sewing this top using Vogue 8815 were:

• Sewing with slippery fabric as I used Crepe De Chine

• Inserting an Invisible Zipper - it's not 100% perfect and I could have improved on the neck edge finish.  I've since done a little more research and I'll try finishing the neckline edge a little different next time.

• Self Binding... I made my own bias binding out of the same fabric to finish the neck facing which I haven't done before so this was a first for me and I actually found it quite easy to do.

Here's a few pictures of me wearing my first Vogue 8815 peplum top

Even though I added a little extra length to the peplum section I think I still could have added a little more to cover a little more of my little tush... especially when I'm wearing jeans.

Here I am trying to strike a pose...  nothing like having a little fun and thinking you're a super model in front of the camera :)

Here I am about to chase my hubby who was teasing me... he sure can be cheeky sometimes... but I think that's one of the things I love about him the most.

 

So there we go... another top added to my wardrobe and my first peplum top all seamed up and completed.

What I'd like to experiment with next time I sew the Vogue 8815 pattern

• Use a knit fabric... I think this would be a great style in a gorgeous knit fabric... maybe even a layered chiffon (one of my friends Jan-Marie suggestion)

• Lengthen the bodice a little more than I already did so as it sits a little lower around my waistline (this pattern is designed with a high waistline)

• Lengthen the peplum even a little more and maybe even add a little more fullness

Overall I'm quite happy with the outcome of this top and I'm confident I will use the Vogue 8815 pattern again... not just yet though as I've got quite a few more patterns I'd like to try first. 

If you have any suggestions or ideas on how I can improve on this pattern or ideas I could try please feel free to leave a comment.

Have you sewn a top using the Vogue 8815 pattern or any other peplum pattern?  If so feel free to leave a comment and include a link so I can come and see :)      

Simple solution for storing a fabric stash

I needed a simple solution to store my fabric and to make it easy to see what fabric I had on hand.

I live in a remote mining town (Port Hedland in Western Australia) with no fabric stores and I've started buying fabrics online in a variety of textures and colours I like to build up a fabric stash.  This way when I want to sew something I don't then have to wait weeks for some fabric to arrive in the mail.  I've been buying fabrics with patterns I have in mind and ensuring I buy enough fabric in case I change my mind.  I've been either buying 3, 4 or 5 metres of each piece depending on the fabric and how much I like... and of course the price.

Last week my fabric order arrived from Fashion Fabrics Club... I was so excited and couldn't wait to rip into that box.... I was like a kid in a candy store... having a little chuckle to myself as I remember pulling out all those fabrics.  I ordered 16 pieces of fabric... unfortunately the white jersey knit I had ordered was out of stock... ah well... I've now got another excuse to do a little more online fabric shopping :).  I do wish I had of known at the time that the fabric was out of stock as now I have wait again for another order to arrive and it usually takes between 2 and 4 weeks for things to arrive in the mail where I live.

The box had 5 spools of thread and 15 pieces of fabric and cost $236.77... then the killer is freight... this box of goodies cost $129.25 in freight alone  One of the downsides about ordering from Fashion Fabrics Club and being an international customer is you never know how much the freight is going to cost until after they measure, cut and weigh the fabric and freight it... then you only know how much it costs once they charge it to your credit card... at least they only charge what it actually costs them (besides their shipping and packaging fee of $7.50).  All up this box of fabric cost me $373.52... which for 15 pieces of fabric, with lengths ranging between 3 and 4 meters and only one 2 metre piece, I think is still quite a good price.  

Now with all this new wonderful fabric to add to my collection I really needed to find a way to organise them so I could see them all and not lose track of what I had on hand and be able to pick a fabric at a glance when I wanted to make something.

I discovered a way of organising my fabric stash quite by accident via a blog post from Tilly where she shared a picture and it showed how her fabric was stored and it really caught my eye as it was so easy to see everything at a glance.  Talk about a picture says a 1000 words... this picture definitely said it all to me!

Below is a picture of all the fabric that was in the box I got from Fashion Fabrics Club... don't you just love how easy it is to see all the gorgeous fabric... way better then hiding it all in a draw.  Well for me it is anyway... it's a bit like out of sight out of mind... and when I can see all this wonderful fabric it gets my creativity flowing and makes me want to jump in a sew something.

For Christmas my wonderful hubby (Grant) surprised me with even more fabric to add to my stash.  He had his mother do some shopping for him on the Gold Coast and post them over to him without me knowing.  Between the two of them they kept a great little secret from me... here's the wonderful fabric I got for Christmas.

This was my existing method for storing my fabric.... at the time I thought it was great but it didn't let me easily see all my fabric at a glance and it wasn't as easy to access either.  I think I'll use these draws now for works in progress and for left over pieces of fabric, interfacing, and linings, as these are things I don't have to see to get my creativity flowing.

So after a little rearranging, fabric folding and rolling, here's what my fabric stash now looks like and as you can see it's so easy to see all the fabrics I have on hand.

The reason I like this method to store my fabric is:

• It's easy to see all the fabric at a quick glance
• It's takes advantage of the whole space
• It's easy to pull out a piece of fabric without messing up the stack. I've always found that no matter how careful I am when fabric is folded neatly and the fabric I want is on the bottom I always end up messing up the fabric on top.
• There's a lot less folds in the fabric which means a lot less creases.

There's still a few pieces I'd like to add to my stash including some plain colors to coordinate with what I currently have.  I'm thinking some linen would be a nice addition and I'd love some denim... some black and some blue would be great, some silk and chiffon would be lovely as well.  Luckily there's still plenty of room on my shelves for some new additions...and of course if there wasn't I'd simply clear off another shelf to ensure there was more room :)

Time for me to go and finish working on my current project... all that's left to do is the hemming.  I left the dress hanging on Elle (that's what I named my dress form) for a couple of days as it's a knit fabric and I wanted to let the fabric relax and ensure I ended up with a straight hemline.  Once I've finished hemming I'll then have another dress all seamed up and ready to wear.

If you've got any tips you'd like to share for storing your fabric please feel free to share :)

A brand new Sewing Machine to go with my brand new sewing blog

Oh Santa I LOVE you... I must have been a good girl this year!

This year Santa (my darling hubby) is getting me a brand new Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8900 MCQ Sewing Machine... he sure did put the biggest smile on my face... what a wonderful Christmas present.

Now I just have to wait for my new baby to arrive... one of the downsides of living in a remote mining town is I'm almost 1800kms away from Perth and around 6000kms away from our home town in Queensland and we don't have a sewing shop to buy one locally.

Ah well like they say "All good things come to those who wait"... so I'm happy to wait.

I decided to buy my new Janome from the team at SewCo Sewing and Patchwork in Brisbane as this is where I purchase my BabyLock Evolution a few months ago for my birthday.  Lesley and the team were so helpful and included the cost of shipping in the price... that's a huge saving for me as freight to Port Hedland is quite expensive.

Here's my a picture of my BabyLock Evolution straight out of her box on the same day I got her ... I still can't believe I got one of these... she like a dream come true!

Fingers crossed I'll have my new Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8900 MCQ Sewing Machine to  hold in my arms in a couple of weeks.

I'm thinking I might have to make my hubby some clothes... after all it's the least I could do for him after he bought me both my new sewing machine for Christmas and my new serger for my birthday in October.

I've signed up for the Craftsy Class "The Classic Tailored Shirt" with Pam Howard and I think I might just have to make my hubby one of these shirts.  He's also asking for a pair of casual shorts with an elastic waist, side pockets and back pocket... I haven't made either before and I have to admit I'm actually looking forward to making some mens clothes for a change.

Anyway this gives you an idea of the tools of the trade I have on hand to help me sew up my seams in 2013 and beyond as I think these two machines will serve me well over the next few years.

What about you?  What sewing machines do you have or you would like to have?