Cardigan and top finish

This last week I completed my first cardigan.  Made from a lightweight wool from Spotlight and using McCalls 6559. The pattern called for a narrow hem which stretches across the bottom, across the ties around the front and back, so a very long hem.  Trying to press the wool to form a hem and then turn again under was very frustrating.  I managed it on the bottom of the top, but then thought, why not use my narrow hem foot.  I switched to using that on the sewing machine and it was so much easier

 

 

This cost $20.69 for 1.5 metres x 155cm.  No fabric left over

 

 

I was keen to make my first garment from a BurdaStyle Magazine. This is from the 8/15 edition, pattern #115.   I've read that the instructions given are minimal, so for my first effort I made this simple top.  It has rib knit at the waist and cuffs.  After I sewed it all up I found the cuffs were way too big.  Now I have skinny wrists, but this was crazy big.  I decided I wouldn't be happy with wearing it as it was so spent an evening unpicking all the stitching from the hems and the lower sleeves.   I then cut the cuffs down to make them narrower.  The sleeves were very wide, so to enable them to sit in the cuffs without a gather, not a bunching, I trimmed the lower part of the sleeves down from the elbow to the cuff.  I'm much happier with how this looks, and it makes a very dressy top.

 

This fabric was from the specials table at Spotlight and was just $2.85 for 1.5m x 136-155cm wide.   I think it is a polyester, there was no description on the bolt.  No fabric left over.  The ribbing I got from Morelands and I got 1 metre for $8 and have enough left over for  another top.

 

 

Maxi, Tshirt, Spirit of Winter and fabric haul

I made another maxi dress last week.  This was a combination of the Maria Denmark Kimono T and the So Sew Easy wrap dress, lengthened to a maxi version.

In my last post I thought I may have enough of the dark blue polka dot left over to make a skirt.  Once I had the pattern assembled and checked against the fabric, there wasn't enough for a skirt.  There was however enough for another Maria Denmark T shirt.



I finished another page on Spirit of Winter.  Only 3 pages to go.

Last week I got my usual catalogue from Spotlight showing their reductions.  Included was a $40 discount voucher to be used when total spend (including discounted items) was over $100.   In fact I ended up with 3 of these vouchers.  In the catalogue was one for me, one for a friend (me), and as I've also signed up online, I received an email with another $40 voucher.  The only catch, if you can call it that, is you can only use one voucher per day.  Not a problem if you are like me and have trouble staying out of the store.   So today I went to Spotlight.  For 2 hours!   I was armed with a shopping list for items from BurdaStyle magazine that I want to try out.

 Their special table has lots of discounted fabric, in addition there was an extra 50% of their super cheap discounted material.  However after much searching, I could only find this on the discount table.

There was no label to identify the fabric but I think it is a polyester.  After all the discounts this was $2.85.  I have in mind to make this from BurdaStyle August 2015, 115a. 





 I also bought this poplin fabric, again with that above top in mind.  Not sure if the poplin may be too stiff as it is a drapey top.  This poplin was $10.12 after discounts



I bought this pretty voile.  I really wanted something with small flowers but couldn't find anything.  This was $22.59 after discounts.

I'm thinking of using this voile for BurdaStyle July 2015 115:

I got this gorgeous seersucker for $17.08 after discounts.



Of all my buys this is the one I'm probably most thrilled with as it was exactly what I wanted for BurdaStyle July2015 109

I also got this broadcloth for $11.38 after discounts.

This is to make some culottes from BurdaStyle August 15 131

I was carefully adding up my purchases and these came to $98.  $2 short of qualifying for the $40 discount, so I bought an invisible zip.  I couldn't remember if the dress needed one or not, but it will get used at some stage.

All in all a good days shopping



2 more finishes and my Christmas present

I've been hankering after an overlocker for a few months. After doing a lot of online research, plus seeing what is available in NZ I had decided on a Brother 3034D.  My mother had very generously offered to buy me one for Christmas.  Last week I saw Spotlight had a special on the very model I wanted, plus Brother was offering a $50 cashback for November.  Too good to resist.   I dashed out to Spotlight and grabbed one.  A total of nearly $200 off the normal price.  Being worse than a child waiting for Santa, my Mum said I could have it straight away.

 

I spent 2 days just playing with it, practicing stitches and making a workbook with examples of different seams, flatlock, piping etc.  I was then ready to take that big step - actually using it on a garment and hoping I wouldn't cut in the wrong place.

 

Here is my wonderful overlocker

 

 

The shirt was another made with New Look 6963.  The seams were done as usual on the sewing machine, then finished on the overlocker.  The fabric was from Spotlight and the tag described it as a lightweight denim floral.  It is a very soft material.  I bought 1.8metres at 145cm wide for $27 and the pattern used most of the fabric.

 

 

 

The other garment I made this week was another knit dress.  This one was a mash up between the Maria Denmark pattern the Kirsten Kimono T on top, and the skirt from the SoSew Easy Wrap dress.  I altered the T pattern to shorten it and to fit the waist of the skirt.  For the skirt I widened it a bit to give it a bit of flare.The other 2 wrap dresses I made I added elastic at the waist and was going to do it on this dress.  However when I tried it on, it really didn't need it.    I'm quite pleased with the result.  

 

Fabric was another Spotlight, a lightweight ITY, in blue polka dot and I bought 2 metres at 148cm wide for $14.  I have quite a bit left over, easily another 65cm.  I have my eye on another SoSewEasy skirt patterns, for that leftover material.





 

Another dress Simplicity 1699.

I found this beautiful material at Morelands.  It was considerably more than I would normally pay for fabric but I just had to have it and had the dress from Simplicity 1699 in mind. The roll wasn't labelled so I'm not sure what it is, but it is a fairly heavy material so I think it may be a cotton sateen, it has a slight stretch to it, so probably has some elastane in it.  I finished it last week and I'm thrilled with the result.  This time I put an invisible zip in instead of the normal zip called on in the pattern.   I've become an invisible zipper convert.

 

I'm going out for High Tea on Saturday so it will make it's debut then.