3 x Quick & Easy top

After making my gorgeous coat I felt like something easier and quicker and decided to try Miss Ps self-drafted kimono-sleeve top. I used her directions and made the top to fit me.

Last Friday I made this version in cotton lawn (I guess that's what it is, it's cotton anyway). I didn't have a lot of fabric and there was a big hole in the middle. Because of the hole, I had to arrange the pattern piece (yes, there's only ONE!) so that in the front the stripes are horizontal and in the back they are vertical. I'm totally OK with that, I even think it looks cool.

Here you can see the stripes NOT matching!

On Wednesday I was in town and got some cheap printed jersey to make more versions of this top. One turned out a little longer, more tunic-like.

I added black edges to the last one, to get a different look and it turned out really well.

I very much recommend this pattern if you want a quick and easy top. I adore kimono-sleeves, so this was perfect for me! I used my overlocker for most of the job, which made everything SO easy and fast. Love it!

Until next time,

Johanna

My masterpiece - a coat is finished

I am PROUD to show you my new coat, which I made ALL BY MYSELF!!! I have never sewn lining into anything and I'm not used to sewing with heavy fabrics and there were fortytwo (!) pieces of fabric to put together, but I did it! (Feel a sudden urge to sing the Dora the Explorer song...).

Picture from the sewing magazine where I found the pattern.

Well, here is is, my masterpiece, so far.... :)

 

I can wear it with the collar buttoned up or folded down like this. Works either way!

Here the coat is matched with a scarf and hat I knitted last winter.

Here the coat is buttoned all the way up.

Check out the cute strap at the back.

Isn't the lining fabric lovely crazy?!

Cute vintage buttons I found on Tradera (Swedish E-bay).



Here's a detail I added - pockets! The pattern didn't have any pockets, kind of crazy for a coat not to have pockets. But since there were two pleats on each side in the front I added the pockets from Colette patterns Macaron dress, which was a hit! A detail I skipped was the shoulder flaps, it just didn't feel like me and added bulk on the shoulders and too much work.

It was much easier to sew up the coat than I would have thought. I took my time and saw it as a long-term project and I think that helped.

Bye for now,

Johanna

New sewing room

My husband thought I didn't have enough space for my sewing stuff and suggested that I'd take the guest room and make it into a sewing room. I was delighted to get more space and also the possibility to sew in the evenings without waking up the kids (my old sewin space was right outside their rooms). Only time stood in our way and we couldn't organise it until this weekend.

Saturday morning - a trip to IKEA, where we bought a new desk with drawers on the side and a book case and some other stuff like boxes and a mat. I particularly like the book case Hemnes, it's got that romantic vintage look to it. Everything we bought was white or pink, which is my favourite colour. The guest room used  to be a children's room and the wallpaper is pink with a fairytale border mid-wall, so pink goes very well in this room. Let me show you...

Pretty, isn't it? I love it! The space and atmosphere and colours and everything! So much that I had to use it right away and finish my coat, see next post....

Johanna

Necklace

The other day I felt like having a new necklace. I have one where I like the length a lot. I have a whole big tin of pearls and stuff to make jewellery so I made one while watching TV. I especially like the big pendant.

The colours are a bit bright and summery maybe, but I like them anyhow.

BRB with my next post.

Johanna

I love my overlocker! - update on the coat

Slowly but steadily. I'm making progress on my coat. On Wednesday I cut out all the paper pattern pieces and the fabric as well, both the bouclé and the lining. I recently bought a cutting mat and a rotary cutter which makes the cutting part so much faster and easier. Totally recommend getting those!

Yesterday I had a little time and thought I'd overlock the edges of the lining fabric, because it's slippery like h**l and fraying like crazy. But then I thought, jeeze, why do that when I can sew them together right away. So I used my overlocker and sew together all the lining pieces I could, which took, like, no time at all! So, LOVING my overlocker!

I feels like it won't be so hard to make this coat after all. :) Well, we'll see what I think when it's time for button holes and what not...

Bye for now,

Johanna

Party dress in action

 

So, here are some more pictures, as promised, of the party dress. And I am made up and accesorized and everything. I felt great in the dress and had a fabulous time.

 

I'll be back soon with updates on my coat and a sewing project for a friend.

Bye for now,

Johanna

Party potato sack - another Simplicity 2147

I needed to whip up a party dress real fast for Saturday since we're invited to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday. I had already discarded all my other me-made dresses (too non-festive...) so of course (!) I needed to make one. I wanted something to look AND feel fab in, and which dress has rendered me more compliments than any other? Well, it's actually my green and blue simplicity 2147.

So why not use what you works? I just had to find a festive fabric... Looked through my boxes of fabric and landed on the fabric I used for the bridesmaid's dresses I sewed for my sister C's wedding.

Sorry about the picture quality, it's a photo of a framed photo. BTW, that's me on the right WITH HAIR! The bridesmaids (me and sister E) are pregnant in this photo, me 6 months and she 5 months! I think I did a good job on the dresses because you can't tell right away... :)

It's extremely crinkled and kind of slippery and just as I remembered it is kind of difficult to sew in. But I managed to produce this, which is a smash hit for me!

A simple dress in a festive fabric, it turned out great. I'll try to take some more photos on Saturday when I'm all made up and accessorized!

Well, what's new with this version? The obvious of course, the wrap neckline and it's sleeveless. I put on some buttons on the shoulders as suggested in the pattern, which gives the dress some more character I think.

So, yet again... IN YOUR FACE, everyone who calls 2147 a potato sack. I think it's a great pattern!

Bye for now,

Johanna

Coat info

Here's some more info about the coat I'm going to make. The pattern is from the Swedish sewing magazine Sömnadsmagasin issue nr 11/2011. It's a plus size pattern and making size EU46.

Here are the fabrics I will use. It's the fantastic polar fleece/bouclé in petrol/teal (though it looks more like blue in the photos) and some cheap satin fabric for lining.

Here's a close-up of the bouclé side:

 I hope my coat will be great and I feel positive about the project, even though I'm totally terrified of sewing in satin and putting in a lining, two things I've never ever done... Well, let's just see how it goes, I'm in no hurry, I probably won't need the coat until 2-4 weeks from now (yep, that's the climate in Sweden for you...).

Bye for now (but back soon with a post about my party dress),

Johanna

Coat prep

I've started work on my coat-to-be. And one of the first things to do is to trace the pattern pieces onto pattern paper. It's just that the pattern I've chosen is from a sewing magazine, which means I have to deal with this...

I have to find all of the pattern pieces below on that big sheet of paper above... 20 pattern pieces...

Wish me luck!

Bye for now,

Johanna

Projects for this week

1. Choose or make a dress for a birthday party on Saturday.
2. Take photos of the fabrics and samples for the kids' t-shirts and put on the blog.
3. Start on the coat (!) I've decided to make. (Bought a fabulous fabric where one side is polar fleece and the other is bouclé, the colour is petrol/teal.) Exciting!
4. Research trouser patterns, since I'm working up the nerve to try to sew trousers again (still remembering the jeans debacle from this spring).
5. Look into changing and expanding my sewing space. My husband(!) thinks I should have more space to sew...
6. I'm sure there was something else.... Had the list perfectly clear in my head while cycling home from town...

Later,

Johanna

Oh, finally remembered the next project on my list...

6. Sew one or more new headscarves!