New jeans for the whiskery fellow!
His favourite Jedediah pants sewn in denim.
~From the website~
Chino-style trousers updated with a slim, casual fit, back yoke and stylish slash front pockets. These pants include two length options - knee length shorts with rolled cuff and full length trousers. They will wear well in a denim, corduroy or twill with the extra durability of flat fell seams. They could also be made in a lighter cotton or linen when sewn as summer shorts.
The design includes top-stitched belt loops, flat fell inseams, a fly (with detailed illustrated sewing instructions), back patch pockets with customizable decorative stitching, and large slash front pockets.
I used some lush denim/wool from Spotlight.
I have previously shortened the pattern by quite a bit.
#gnomesewing
So we have a pattern good to go!
Jed was after a 'dressier' pair of jeans I went with a navy topstitching rather than than the traditional copper.
They do look smart!
~My Verdict~
I love a good 'tried and true' pattern. One that is ready to go, just cut and sew.
I don't follow Thread Theory's instructions faithfully, well, I do for the leg ease steaming and stretching and the pockets (I strongly recommend French seam pockets) but I prefer to sew the front (setting in the zip) and the back and THEN fit the side seams as all denim behaves differently.
I also attach my waistband from the inside, top stitching it finished from the right side and add the belt loops last.
Jed recently went shopping for work trousers and had the dickens of a time.
To fit him in the tummy they were terribly baggy and long in the leg. He found one pair, stout+short leg and they were over $100 and are washing horribly.
He asked if he could have a few pairs of new Jedediah's and pass his 'old' ones down to work.
I think I shall oblige him.
~Jed's Verdict~
Tailor made to fit my stumpy legs,warm & comfortable with the wool mix, more than jeans closer to dress pants.
Thank you for reading... xx N
I have been cleaning up my macbook to make some space and I keep finding cute things to blog.
Case in point.
A gorgeous little Music Class blouse by Oliver+S which has been one of the hardest working pieces in Trixie's wardrobe.
I have lost count of how many of these dear little blouses I have sewn, I know I have sewn every size.
I can cut a size 5, #ninjacutting it with Hugo's Aime Comme Marie shirt.
Which makes Liberty a touch more affordable
I couldn't quite get the collar out so I decided to use plain white lawn and pieced enough scraps to make a ruffle.
It's a bit frou-frou, it's a bit 80's but I like it!
Trixie's clothes are not fussy, as a rule and I think the little touch of priss is nice!
~My Verdict~
A lovely sew. It's a good pattern to size up as you can flip the cuffs back.
It must be roomy enough to be comfortable as Trixie chooses her own clothes and this is picked every week.
A truly classic blouse pattern.
~Trixie's Verdict~
I like the collar, it is like petals, like a flower. I like the buttons, I like flowers.
It is soft, very soft.
I wish it was purple.
I wish Mumma buyed me that flower hat....
I guess I need to find some purple Liberty...
Thank you for reading... xx N
Who loves Pinterest ?
I do.
For me, it is all the joy of a glossy magazine without the clutter.
It enables me to understand my girl's style and sew things they really like.
And don't get me started on the recipes...
Early last year, Zara pinned a cute little top and asked if I could sew it for her.
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| Image from Pinterest. |
I am not a 'pattern hacker' by choice.
(I actually dislike the word 'hack', in Australia it generally means to break or spoil something)
Nor do I draft my own patterns, I have zero skills in that department.
However, this did seem pretty straight forward so I said I would give it a go.
Zara chose the fabric, which is a very fine striped cotton.
I made two tubes, for straps, and pressed the seam down the centre back of the inside.
I then tucked the raw edges to the inside, pressed and topstitched.
After that, I gathered two rows of stitching at the bottom of each tube and put it aside.
For the 'skirt' I sewed a rectangle with French seams .
I finished the hem with a double, narrow fold and the top with a deep casing, sewing a narrower channel for the elastic to thread through.
I popped the 'skirt' on Zara, adjusted the elastic, and then pinned the straps in place.
I then hand sewed them to the elastic casing.
The shoulders are tied with velvet ribbon.
The ribbon I had was a bit stiff, I think a softer, satin ribbon would be nicer here.
~My Verdict~
A fun way to spend an hour and I used up some scraps.
A cute top for those that need no extra support.
#tinytittywin
~Zara's Verdict~
This top is competely adorable, the idea came from an image on Pinterest of a top that I believe was originally a ZARA top. Mum made the pattern from scratch and it turned out beautifully. It is such a comfortable and flattering top that has already got so many wears.
Thank you for reading... xx N
Mr Whiskers needed some new clothes.
Well, actually he needed some new work clothes, which are handed down smart clothes.
So, a couple of new smart tops.
My go to pattern is KWIK.SEW 1242.
Jed likes a bit of colour and I still have ten odd metres of this medium weight, pique, rugby knit from Bullrush
The only problem with this fabric is that is doesn't wear out and I am a bit sick of it!
I made Jed the XL, using a chunky, navy ribbing for the cuffs.
I added side vents, folding the raw edge to the front and then covered it with cotton webbing.
Jed likes to carry his phone (in a chunky case) so I enlarged the pocket to fit that.
I also re-inforce the wrong side of the rugby (where the pocket placement is) with Sheerweft interfacing to help the top keep its shape.
I made the collar from a heavy, cotton sateen.
The thicker fabrics make for a trickier construction, however, this garment lasts a long time. The thinner fabrics wear out too quickly.
KWIK.SEW use a 6mm seam allowance which is on the scant side with the collar so I usually add a wee bit to the bottom of the collar stand.
As my fabric had a bit of stretch I ended up with a tuck at the bottom of the placket so I covered it with a cotton webbing tab.
I used rubber buttons stitched with red thread.
The 'Eglington' labelling is purely decorative.
The knit is a nice weight for a polo top as well.
This time, I used the leftovers from Tildy's skirt to make the collar and tab front.
That is one little remnant that has worked hard.
The thick denim was jolly fiddly to make into a placket but it is already softening up nicely.
Again, the side vents give wearing ease and a RTW feel.
*BONUS POINTS*
When your husband matches the My Little Pony quilt cover you pull out of the $10 bin at Spotlight in an attempt to bribe your co-sleeping five year old out of your bed.
*SPOILERS* It didn't work, curse you Rainbow Dash, why couldn't you be Pinky Pie?
Two new tops which free up these ones...
navy/pink
green/pink
and navy/white
to the work drawer.
~My Verdict~
I love this pattern, it regularly pops up on Ebay and I have found several copies (and passed them on to my lovely readers) in op-shops.
A great, multi-size, pattern, that fits Jed and Hugo and gives a truly professional finish.
~Jed's Verdict~
Tailor made-comfortable-proper flash!
Thank you for reading... xx N
