OOP Style 1738 Blouse made into a dress for Zara

Last September, Zara asked me to make her a dress for her birthday.
I was happy to and suggested she look through my patterns.

She didn't find a dress but she did find a blouse and asked if I could lengthen it.

What she was after was essentially a 'princess' or 'fit and flare' and I thought I could extend the bottom of the pattern pieces following the existing angle.

Zara loved view 1

The other issue was that I was working with only measurements as Zara is no longer at home.
Thus, I found myself one evening whilst Jed was at a meeting, extending the pattern (I knew those tissue scraps would come in handy one day) blending the size 10 at the bust, 8 at the waist and out to the 16 at the hips.
I used some lovely fabric I picked up in a bulk lot from a dealer in Melbourne.
He said he purchased it from a boutique in the fashion district.
It takes a very hot iron so has a high cotton content but also a beautiful, silky hand, maybe some rayon?
It is a gorgeous ivory/cream with a subtle sheen to the finish.

As I was only going to get one chance to fit the dress I constructed the back and the front separately, attaching the facings and neatening the side seams.

I then basted the side seams with a large stitch, flipping the facings down and pinning in place.

I took a leap of faith and sewed the facings and under stitched them as well.

I was hopeful that any alterations could be made at the side seams.

Zara was staying at our beach cottage with friends and we had a sofa to deliver there so I grabbed the chance at a fitting.
I couldn't believe it, it was perfect!

As usual, Zara and I squabbled over the length but she agreed to a deep hem and I put it up by hand.
The buttons are oval, MoP but they all broke so they need replacing with something sturdier.
The over-the-top shoulder ties really make it something different!

~Zara's Verdict~
The dress is absolutely divine!
I cannot believe how gorgeous it is. Somehow this dress transforms me into a Greek goddess. The cream colouring is so divine, paired with the elegant mother of pearl buttons it is truly a designer piece.
I cannot stress this enough, my mother is a miracle worker (she better not have edited this out)
I am so lucky to have a mother that sews, I would never be able to afford such a lovely and well fitting dress on my uni student budget.

~My Verdict~
I think my girls are so clever!
It never ceases to amaze me what they come up with looking at the patterns.
I know I taught them to look at line drawings but it is edifying that they do!
This was a fun sew and I would love to recommend the pattern but, unfortunately, I have not been able to find it anywhere.
Possibly is was released in Australia under 1738 and another code internationally?
I am not sure where I got it from, maybe an OpShop or it wa given to me.
(I am frequently given boxes of sewing bits and bobs from people no longer sewing)
Anyway, it was a happy find and Zara has asked for a gingham version.
I am happy to oblige.

Thank you for reading.... xx Nicole 

KwikSew 2237 All-in-one Swimsuit for Matilda

She's just so shiny!

Tildy knew exactly what sort of swimsuit she wanted for camp.

An all-in-one zipped up suit.
KwikSew 2237 was her choice, full body please Mumma!

Tilly's measurements were in between the size 8 and 10 so I went with the 10 as the fabric we chose is actually for dance rather than swimsuit.

A little back story, we found this fabric at Horsham Spotlight and they were having a sale, buy the bolt and get it for $2/m.

At that price, we could afford to have a play with it!

For how fabulous it looks it was a really straight forward sew.
All the panels and pieces took longer to draft and cut than actually sew!
It was very important to cut the matching notches out as there is only a 6mm seam allowance with Kwiksew.

It is a little baggy through the body but as it is dance fabric I think that ease is needed.

It should also mean I can make the same size, next year, in proper swim fabric and it will still fit.

The fact that it is dance fabric doesn't bother Tildy one bit!

~Tildy's Verdict~
I love the metallic blue scales on black.
Mrs V could spot me in the pool straight away, even when I was one the bottom.
At one point I was wandering around the campsite (in my swimmers) and lots of people were looking at me.
On the day we went surfing it was really cold but I had my swimsuit, a wetsuit and then a t-shirt so I was really warm.
My friend Ruby made me play a mermaid game with my legs stuck together.
Miss Ballard said I had the best swimsuit.
I have wanted a full body swimsuit for quite a while and when Mum found that fabric I knew I wanted it.
It was really comfy, I didn't need knickers under it.
I have asked Mum to put a tab behind the zipper as it did scratch a bit a the top (good to know NMK)

~My Verdict~
I love KwikSew patterns.
They are not 'sexy' many are down right comical looking but they are brilliantly drafted.
The way the pattern pieces are laid out on the master copy make it quite easy to draft multiple sizes into one (something I used frequently with the Twins).
The instructions are basic but very good with simple diagrams for the fiddly bits.
The fabric was surprisingly easy to sew.
PS I know now it could do with a wee tab under the zipper top as it was a bit scratchy.

It didn't slip around and, although it puckered a wee bit with the zipper insertion, a few tugs when finished popped them right out!

Thank you for reading... xx Nicole 

Clever Charlotte Finch Shorts for Matilda

Tildy had a camp and camp means new clothes!

We made some pyjamas
Next some shorts.

Clever Charlotte Finch Shorts

Our Favourite shorts.
We have made them a few times before

I made Matilda the size 8.
For her 'going out' pair, a pretty velveteen from Spotlight (now on sale) which we plucked from the remnant bin.

I lined them with some coral stretch satin.
It makes them warmer to wear plus velveteen can be a bit grippy over tights.

We chose pink, enamelled coconut shell buttons and stitched them with red embroidery thread.

Although Tilly is ten, Finch shorts have very generous ease in the badonkadonk so she is very comfortable.

So cute!

The second pair were for the days school uniform was required.

For her school versions, I like to stitch the tabs down, in place, just to avoid possible play ground accidents.
This pair is in a stretch cotton drill from the remnant table at Elizas Fabrics, finished with faux tortoiseshell buttons stitched with pale blue thread.

Again, plenty of booty room and nicely fitting leg cuffs.

Very snappy with her school polo.

~Tildy's Verdict~
I love the bright and pastel colours on the jet black and the fabric is very smooth and soft.
It worked perfectly with my Valley Girl limited edition fluffy Shirt.
My friends all said that they wanted one pair of the exact same shorts, fabric and all.
I love the Finch short pattern they are very comfy and I love them. 
They are very easy to run in and there was a big playground where we were staying and it was easy to run and move.

~My Verdict~
I have said it all before, the Finch Shorts are an absolute favourite.
They look super snappy in all sorts of fabric. They have plenty of ease through the bottoms but the part elastic waist allow for cinching in and the flat front stops them looking too babyish.
There are a lot of pieces but that makes them a scrap buying dynamo, they use up those remnant pieces beautifully.
Clever Charlotte were a lovely company.

Thank you for reading .... xx Nicole


PS I do have a step by step tutorial here , you are most welcome. 

Oliver+S Sleepover Pyjamas for Matilda

Tildy has just had a school camp.

She was just a little bit excited....

A camp means new clothes, something special to show your chums.
The children predominately wear school uniform but casual clothes are allowed for selected activities.

Tildy wrote a list (she loves a list, just like her mummah)

First item was new pyjamas.

Image from the O+S website

Oliver+S Sleepover pyjamas

I sewed Matilda the size 10 and they are a wee bit big BUT we are coming into Summer so I wanted some growth room.
The cuffs can fold up if the drag on the ground.

The fabric is a flannelette from Spotlight, Horsham. We popped in one day and they had a sale where if you purchased the bolt, you only paid $2/m (and as I have a VIP, it was further discounted).
I think there was around 15m on the roll. It is quite narrow and my other, adult pyjama pattern Lisette B6296 is fabric hungry, so that won't last long!

Matilda chose black piping and clear buttons to make the fairy cakes 'pop'.
I was going to use pink piping and white buttons with each stitched in a different colour embroidery floss.
Piping can complicate a project but this is one in which it makes it easier.
Adding piping makes it easier to turn the edge of the facing.

~Tilly's Verdict~
I absolutely love the shape and pattern of the pyjamas.
I chose the clear buttons because they looked cooler than all of the other buttons that we tried, I also chose the black piping to make the fabric pop out more.

The first night on my camp we went to the kitchen and I was in my pyjamas and an older lady said that I definitely had the best pyjamas in my whole class [18 in all not including me] I felt extremely special.

~My Verdict~
A lovely sew, like all O+S patterns.
I prefer a pj pattern with a collar but Tilly really likes these. I have found my older children prefer flannelette pj bottoms and a t-shirt top so I assume this shirt falls more into that category.

The cuff is cut in two (to allow for directional print when folded up) but I prefer to cut mine as one.
I add my piping to the flat cuff and then sew it, enclosing all the raw seams.
I often think I should add sleeve cuffs as well.
The legs are cut in one piece, without a side seam, so are very comfortable. You do have to open up the fabric and cut one leg at a time so you need to be aware of the direction of the print.
Liesl Gibson drafts a good bottom. She has an excellent rise with sufficient booty room but the legs are not baggy.
I suppose that is why, even though I have a selection of pj patterns (current and vintage Big4) I keep coming back to this one.

Thank you for reading... xx N