The Strawberry Girl

I'm going way back to the 40's for my next Vintage Pattern Pledge make with Butterick 5209 which is a 1947 reproduction. There are 2 views: halter neck or with capped sleeves. I made view B with the sleeves and I have to say I love it!

This was a bit of a drawn out project though from toile to finish. I had to adjust each pattern piece because I seemed to be a different size for every one of them. The bodice was size 8, midriff size 10 and the skirt was pretty much size 6 because I didn't want as much fullness - too many gathers is not a good look for me, I'm just not tall enough.

I used a black bemberg rayon lining instead of self lining as I just managed to squeeze this out of 2.5 metres of this cute strawberry polka dot quilting cotton which has been in my stash for ages waiting for the right project to come along. I know sewing garments out of quilting cotton is a big no-no for some people but I think it worked out really well for this dress, particularly with the fuller skirt.

The construction part of the pattern was pretty easy to follow although I did find the lining a bit fiddly but then again, I often do!

Overall, I'm super pleased with this dress ... and ... I've managed 3 Vintage Pattern Pledge garments this year!

I'm leaving you with this song (one of my favourites) 'cos I can't get it out of my head - Christine, the Strawberry Girl ...

Pineapple Bow Blouse

I seem to be on a bit of a Gertie roll at the moment, having recently made Butterick 5953 finally after having it sit in my cupboard for a couple of years, I thought I'd have a go at her most recent design for Butterick - B6217. The instructions were really easy to follow and it would have come together super quickly had it not been for the fact that the armholes are WAY too small!

Unfortunately I only discovered this after I had sewn most of the garment so I just had to cut into it until I had the right fit. As a result the sleeves weren't quite the right shape anymore so I ended up putting on some capped sleeves instead and finished the lower section with bias binding. Thankfully it all worked out in the end because I really like this pineapple print cotton that I picked up in Hawaii recently.

I made a size 8 which was a very comfortable fit everywhere but the armholes. A couple of people on Pattern Review who had sewn a size 6 pointed out the same problem (if only I'd taken note of that first). None of the other reviewers that had made larger sizes mentioned this so maybe this is only the case for the smaller sizes. Be warned though, if you intend to make this pattern, I'd make a toile first.

I do intend to make more of these cos I think it's a really lovely pattern but I'll have to do some serious adjustment to the armhole pattern piece first. I'd like to make view C and I'd also like to try the tulip sleeves, they look really cute.

Not content with photo bombing my blog pics, Koko insisted on having a cuddle too.

I See Red

Yes, it's a whole lotta red! This is Gertie's Butterick 5953. I wasn't overly keen on this pattern at first, the cover photo on the packet didn't really do it justice but when I saw Amy's version (from Sew Amy) I knew I had to make one for myself.

Both the main red fabric and the black are a stretch cotton drill which I was a little afraid might be too thick for this dress but it's actually fine and with a bit of pressing everything seems to sit quite nicely.

I was a bit nervous about the front bands and the godet as I've never sewn one before but the instructions were very clear and it was quite simple in the end. The sleeves were a bit fiddly and I ended up with a bit of puckering but after a few too many attempts I decided to live with it.

I cut a size 8 and graded the hips out to just between size 10 and 12. Having worn it the other night though, I decided to take it in at the hips and the fit is way better now. Overall it didn't require many fitting changes and was a fairly straight forward make - I'm really happy with the end result.

And now I shall leave you with a link to one of my favourite songs from the past - "I See Red" by Split Enz - I'm not sure how far their popularity spread but for those who don't know this is what Crowded Houses' Finn brothers were doing before they grew up!

Blogging Vacation

Oh boy, it's been such a long time since my last blog post - if only I'd been on holiday for all that time!(it was only 3 weeks of it sadly). Life has been pretty hectic since I got back so not much time for blogging or even much sewing for that matter.

I'm pleased to say that I packed quite a number of me made garments to wear which was really nice and I whipped up a couple of new things to take with me just before I left.

I used a mixture of Gertie patterns to make these highwaisted shorts. In her new book "Gertie Sews Vintage Casual" she has a pattern for cigarette pants that she converts to shorts. I didn't really have the time or inclination to toile the pants and then adapt them so I took Butterick 5895 which I had already made before and applied the changes to that which was really just shortening them and widening the legs slightly.

I also whipped up this denim skirt using Vogue 8603 which I've made a few times before so it was quick and easy. This is such a comfortable, versatile skirt that I wore constantly. This is the best photo I have of it - but you get the idea.

I had an amazing time on my trip to the US - it was mostly holiday (with a little bit of work) but I also managed to fit in a few sewing related activities - yay!

In New York I got to meet up with the lovely Sonja from Ginger Makes. We didn't get to go fabric shop together but Sonja very kindly gave me a list of her favourite stores in the Garment District which was just as well because I really would not have known where to start otherwise. Even with the list I was totally overwhelmed by every store that I went into and only came away with one piece of fabric in the end. I still enjoyed the experience though and next time I'll know what to expect.

My last stop was Hawaii which is one place I wasn't really expecting to do much shopping but I did discover Waikiki's Fabric Mart. This store had lots of lovely craft fabric and oriental prints but really, being in Hawaii it just didn't seem right to be looking at anything other than the amazing selection of Hawaiian prints that they had on offer - for me, it was like Christmas!

I did have to be a little restrained as our suitcases were getting close to bursting point by this stage but but I think I did pretty well and came away very happy with my purchases. I love holiday fabric shopping, it's like having a wearable souvenir to bring back those great memories.

Now, to dust off my sewing machine ...

Gertie's Jeans

My first pair of pants - woohoo! The pattern is Butterick 5895 - Gertie's capri pants and cropped shirt for Butterick. As it's winter here in the Southern Hemisphere I decided to lengthen them and turn them into jeans. The fit's not perfect but I'm pretty happy with them for my first attempt.

I had a bit of trouble with the sizing. First I made a size 8 toile which was ridiculously small so I then made a 12 which fitted perfectly. I didn't account for the stretch in the denim though, so when I came to making the actual pants so they were really loose and I ended up taking them in quite a lot. In the end I probably should have made a 10.

The legs also required taking in a lot - they are certainly not designed the way that's shown on the pattern photo.

I shortened them above the crotch by 2cm but there is still quite a bit of baginess there which is the only thing I'm not really happy with.  Next time I'll try taking out a bit more - though that may affect the butt which actually fits really well.

I had been quite nervous about sewing pants but the construction was pretty straight forward and it came together easily. Looking forward to making my next pair!

Tokyo Twist

I'd been wondering for ages what I was going to do with this fabric and then when Project Sewn announced this week's theme - "Going Global", inspiration came to me - a Japan dress! The fabric came from Tokyo and my connection with Japan is a musical one, so it all just fell into place. 

My dress fabric came from Marunan in Shibuya, Tokyo, a wonderful family run fabric shop with 5 floors crammed with all sorts of fabrics and notions. Unfortunately I've heard it's now closed down but there are plenty of other places for the fabric fanatic to explore in Tokyo (definitely the subject of another blog post I will have to write soon).

The design just screams Lolita style but I've decided to go for a more classic retro feel. As much as I continue to use the stage as an opportunity to dress "age inappropriately", I think I'll leave Lolita fashion to the cute, young Japanese girls of Harajuku who wear it so well!

I used the bodice from Butterick 5748 (I really like the low back neckline) and added a bow for the front to balance it out. I also went for a centre zip instead of a side one just because I prefer them, it's so much easier to step into a dress than slip it over your head and it means you don't have to put your dress on before doing your hair and makeup.

I've never worked with a border print before and it seemed a dirndl skirt was the best way to go to show off the design. Due to the way the fabric was printed and given that I only had 1 metre, I cut it in half lengthways to make the front and back pieces. I experimented with the width using some muslin first as I had never made a dirndl skirt before. My first attempt was way too full and fluffy and I eventually settled on a width of 70cm (front and back) for just the right amount of fullness.

Harajuku, here I come!

I've been extremely lucky to have toured Japan with my band quite a few times which has been a completely different experience than if we had visited as tourists. It's been wonderful to make friends with likeminded musicians from a completely different cultural background. Each visit has been an exciting, eye-opening experience and we are privileged to have been embraced by the warm, generous, enthusiastic music fans that make up the local rock and roll scene. There are a lot of women in the scene too, which is fantastic, and most of them make their own stage outfits which is even better!

There are many sides to Japan's culture and fashion but my dress reflects my experience with the people in a scene that I've come to know and love - they're colourful, they're loud and they love their rock and roll!

Please vote for me on Project Sewn this Friday if you like my Tokyo Twist Dress.

Soundtrack: Stompin' in Tokyo by Rocket to Memphis