New Look 6000 Giraffe Print

Hi everyone sorry its been so long since my last post. I have been very busy, Miles and I have moved house and we have been finalising the plans and choosing all the selections for the house we are building.  This has resulted in less time for sewing especially as my sewing room was all packed away for nearly two weeks during the move.

The good news is that my sewing room is now all set up and I can get creating. Anyway back to my post about New Look 6000.

This is my second attempt at this dress my first one can be found here. This time I went for view A with the side pleats, I didn't include the flower.

The pattern pieces for the front are separate for each size, I needed an 8 for the top and a 10 from hip down. I cut the two sizes out, tapped them together and graded from the 8 to the 10 at the hip to make one pattern piece.

I Like this pattern as there isn't separate bodice and skirt pieces so it sews up pretty quickly.  

I have started lining my garments instead of using facing. I find it adds a more professional finish and feels nicer when wearing. 

Previously I have only lined the bodice of dresses, this time I went for a full lining. I used this tutorial from Fashion Sewing Blog TV. 

I used this really cute white and black heart print rayon. 

I finished the dress off with a blind hem, using this tutorial from Craftsy. 

This is my best dress yet, I think the lining adds a really professional finish. Thats all for now.

Cream Lace New Look 6184

Hi everyone, I finished this dress a little while back. This is my second attempt at New Look 6184, my first one can be found here. 

I have seen a lot of lace dresses around and wanted to make one for myself, my inspiration was from this lace dress Taylor Swift is wearing. 

The lace fabric was a gift from my friend Sarah, which I used initially to make some of the flowers for my wedding. I only had just enough left over to make this dress and not enough to make any sleeves, it was originally a net curtain from a charity shop. 

Here are some pics of my bouquet and ring ring cushion from my wedding that I made using the lace.

Fabric flower bouquet and my wedding shoes with my dress in the background

Burlap ring cushion with lace and satin fabric flowers

I interlined the lace with an off-white rayon, it was quite time consuming cutting out all the pieces in two fabrics. I sewed each lace pattern piece to the corresponding rayon one using a 1/4" seam, after that the dress went together quite quickly.

Looking at this picture it looks a bit baggy around my waist, I didn't notice this until I looked at the pictures so not sure what happend there.

I really like how this has turned out, I wore it with a brown belt and shoes so it didn't look to bridesmaid or wedding like. It's been very cold here the last few weeks so don't think I will get chance to wear this properly until it warms up a bit.

There are a few wrinkles on the back I think this may be from the way I'm standing.

Here is a close up pic of the pleat detail on the front. I was a bit worried how these would look because of the thickness of the lace and rayon, but they look how they are supposed to.

Let me know what you think.

New Look 6143 in Orange Floral Print

Its been a while since my last post, I have been working in a different role at work which has resulted in longer hours, and less time to blog. I did manage to sew up a few garments and will be blogging about them all very soon.

This is my second New Look 6143, my first one was in a Paris print and can be found here.

The fabric is a cotton sateen I brought from spotlight. I really like the vintage look to this fabric, the flower print is made up of lots of squares which reminded me of the Royal Albert Petite Point china range. When I was little I remember my my grandma having teacups from this range and I really liked the cross stitch feel to the design. 

The first time I made this dress the bodice ended up being too large. The sizes start from a 10 and I now know that I am an 8 on top in New Look patterns. I scaled down the bodice pattern to make it an 8, now this fits perfectly.

I also lined the bodice instead of using bias binding as per the pattern instructions. This was the first time I lined a sleeveless bodice and I made the mistake of sewing the side seams and then trying to attach the lining. I soon realised that I couldn't turn the dress out and ending up unpicking the lining and the side seams. I then attached the lining to the neckline and arm holes and then sewed the side seams. I much prefer the finish with the lining instead of using binding or facings, I think I will line all my garments in future.

I also added in pockets, one of my favourite features in dresses!

There are a few wrinkles in the back but I can live with that. I went for a rid zipper to match the red roses in the print which goes well with my red shoes and belt.

I really like how this turned out and will defiantly be making more dresses with the pattern.

Matching Grey Pleated Skirt and Ruffle Top McCalls 6706 & Simplicity 2599

Dresses are my favourite item of clothing if you hadn't already noticed! but I do like to make other items too.
Here I have made a grey pleated skirt and a grey printed ruffle top.

I used McCall's 6706 option D for the skirt. The other options are two striped skirts, a two tone skirt and a skirt with a short front and longer back. 

The pattern was very easy to put together and the instructions were easy to follow. I even added in a pocket to the opposite side to the zipper (gotta love a pocket!).

I used a grey cotton poplin, after I had cut my material I realised that the skirt style was quite high waisted, I didn't want it to be so high waisted. To overcome this I used very small seam allowances so it would sit closer to my hips. The other amendment I made was to double the height of the waistband as I prefer a wider waistband.

I used Simplicity 2599 option D for the top. I was drawn to this pattern as I love ruffles and this has quite a few options of different types of ruffles all in one. 

This pattern went together very quickly and was easy to follow. Aside from the ruffles what I also like about this pattern is the addition of the side darts which makes for a nicer fit. 

When I brought this pattern I accidentally brought the larger sizing 12-20 instead of 4-12, I am usually an 8-10 on top. To overcome this I found a great method on the Burda website which can be found here to reduce the size 12 to a 10 and I also used larger seam allowances as the 10 was still a little big.

The fabric used was a silky satin I purchased at Spotlight in the sale section for a bargain price of $4m. When cutting the pattern pieces out I cut 4 ruffles instead of the 3 in the pattern. As I was attaching them I decided after adding just 2 ruffles that was enough - sometimes you can have too much of a good thing!

I am really pleased with how this skirt and top turned out, each time I make something I am learning more and more and each item is slightly better made than the last. Let me know what you think. 

2 for 1 dresses - New Look 6000 and Simplicity Lisette 1419

I saw the fabric I used for both of these dresses a while ago in Spotlight its called Ottoman Suiting its a green floral paint splash print, and I knew I wanted to use it to make New Look 6000.

I brought 2m and as I was laying my pieces out I had about 1/2m left over, before I even started cutting out the pieces for my New Look 6000 pattern, I got out my other patterns to see what I could make with the left over fabric.  I decided on Simplicity Lisette 1419, I only had just enough for the skirt and collar so I used a contrasting white for the bodice.

New Look 6000

I have seen many other versions of New Look 6000 on other sewing blogs and wanted to give it a try, it's a bit different from my usual style of fitted bodice and A line skirt. I made view D without the the collar.

The biggest mistake I made with this pattern is that instead of making a muslin first to check for fit and sizing I went straight ahead and cut my lovely suiting fabric. I cut out a straight 10, usually I am an 8 on top and 10 from the hips. as this was a fitted dress I should have cut out an 8 on top and graded to a 12 at the hips. Instead I ended up having to take it in at the bust and waist and use a 1/4" seam allowance around the hips. Overall lots of messing around and trying on after each amendment to check the fit. 

Putting my mistake aside, this pattern was pretty simple to put together. I liked that the top and bottom was all one piece, I thought that the darts might be tricky but I had no problems with them. As usual when I put sleeves in they were a bit big and I ended up putting a few pleats in, I prefer pleated sleeves rather than flat ones anyway.

Before I make this again I will definitely make a muslin first to check for sizing and before cutting my pretty fabric. I'm looking forward to making the version with the side darts, watch this space for my next New Look 6000.

Simplicity Lisette 1419

This is the second time I have made this dress, my previous version was in an animal print and can be found here.

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I used white top poplin for the bodice to prevent it from being too see-through I lined it instead of using facings. For this pattern I prefer lining over facings for the bodice as it makes the seam stronger for where you have to slash the front to create the keyhole front.  The other amendment I made was to omit the button from the collar as I didn't think it was necessary.

Overall I am really pleased with how this version turned out and I'm looking forward to my making my next one.

Lisette Simplicity 1419 Giraffe Print Dress

This is my latest completed project another dress I know! but I love dresses and my wardrobe is mainly made up of dresses so why not sew myself even more!

I saw this pattern while surfing other sewing blogs and fell in love with it, its Lisette Simplicity 1419 option A with the Peter Pan collar. I had seen this Giraffe animal print around for a while and really liked it - I'm not usually an animal print type girl!

The dress didn't look quite right so I added the belt which I think improves the look of the dress by cinching the waist in a bit.

I cut a size 8 for the trop and graded down to a 10 at the hips, I have found this  makes the perfect fit for me and its not difficult to do. The only amendment I made to the pattern was not including the button on the front which I didn't think was necessary and looks better open anyway.

The collar was a bit fiddly and they are not quite symmetrical but its not too noticeable. As you can see from the back picture they didn't reach all the way around the back not sure where I went wrong there. Overall the pattern and instructions were simple and the dress went together pretty quick - or I'm just getting better at sewing!

I really like this pattern and think the style suits me. Watch this space for more versions of this dress I think it would look good with a two tone skirt and top with the collar matching the skirt.

Trousers transformation using New Look 6799

I often buy clothes just because I like the print and/or fabric more thank actual shape. One of my goals has been to convert a garment into something else like what they do on the Vintage Clothes Show. If you haven't seen it it's worth a watch. the presenter Dawn O'Porter shows you how to shop vintage and fill your wardrobe with beautiful, timeless pieces that look great. One section of the show has sewing tips and they alter vintage clothes into something new. It is originally from the UK and is on Foxtel over here, click here for a link the website.

So here is my garment alteration, a few years ago I brought some extreme wide leg trousers and I have never worn them but I love the scratchy heart print fabric.


This is my before pic

The trousers were so wide at the bottom that I was hoping I could make an A-Line dress out of them. After getting a few patterns out and seeing what would fit I was in luck I did have enough fabric for an A-Line skirt. I used New Look 6799 as it has a panel in the middle and a neckline than can be made from contrasting fabric.

This is how it turned out - more of a transformation than alteration.

I love the fact that now I have a garment that I will wear and is more me. This is the second time I have used this pattern, I made two variations to the instructions firstly  I didn't line the bodice so I needed to use bias tape for the armholes and I didn't add a button to the neckline at the back. The positives from this pattern is that it fits well with no alterations, the instructions were mostly simple and easy to follow. The negative is that both times I found the neckline really tricky and I end up unpicking and re-sewing parts because the stitches have missed the back of the facing, not really a negative for the pattern just that I need a bit more practise!

Let me know what you think and I would love to hear others stories of garment alteration/transformation.

Palm tree print circle dress New Look 6184

I know were are going into Winter here in WA and I probably won't get chance to wear this much until it starts to warm up but I really like the pattern and this print suits it so well.

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I used New Look 6184 option A, it has a pleated neck line and a circle skirt made from 7 pieces - I only had a few scraps of fabric left from 2.5m. I chose the longer version as the short straight skirt option as pictured on the pattern envelope looked just a bit too short. After sewing it together the skirt was far to long (about mid calf) and did not look very flattering, I ended up cutting off about 3" before hemming. Next time I will just go straight for the shorter version. The only other amendment I made was adding in pockets.

This was the first garment I made after getting my serger, I would chose a dress with most amount of seams to use my serger for the first time and I ended up serging the hem twice after shortening it. There were so many that I used up all of the cotton on one of the rolls that came with the machine  and then had to read the manual and mess around with trying to re-thread it the hard way! I can't complain as it taught me more about my new machine and now I have a better understanding of how it works.

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The back looks a bit wrinkled but I think this is a combination of the way I'm standing and it could do with pressing, the photos were taken after wearing the day before to a BBQ. I didn't pattern match the back, from this picture it looks almost as if I did not sure quite how I managed that. 

I think my next project will be more winter friendly, so it won't end up hanging in my wardrobe for a few months waiting to be worn.

New Look 6067 Navy half moon dress

For my next project I wanted to try a fitted dress for work, I used New Look 6067, what I like most about this pattern is the diagonal darts on the front. Below is a pic of the pattern envelope, you cannot see the darts that clearly on my photos.

Below is my version, I chose look A but used the longer skirt length

Here is a close up of the diagonal darts, you can just about make them out, I want to try this in a plainer print maybe polka dot or block colour next time so the darts are more noticeable.

There is a vent in the back, as the skirt is not too fitted I don't think this is really needed, next time I will probably just leave it out.

The construction was a bit different with this pattern to the ones I have made already. In the other patterns the bodice front and back are sewn together then the skirt front and back are sewn together then the top to the bottom. For this pattern the front bodice is sewn to the from skirt and the bodice back to the skirt back then the front is sewn to the back. This did make it more difficult to check the fit was going to be ok until the whole garment was sewn together. Next time I might try the other method and see how that goes.

I am really pleased with how this turned out, it was my first time sewing sleeves and they were easier than I thought. I ended up making a few pleats in the top so they would fit in the arm holes, not sure if I went wrong somewhere as this wasn't in the instructions and the picture shows flat sleeves. I prefer the sleeves like this as the pleats create a bit of a puff in the sleeve which is cuter than flat sleeves.

New Look 6143 Paris Print Dress

I brought this fabric when I was making the bunting and other decorations for my wedding almost 2 years ago now! I loved the fabric so much I brought about 4m in total with plans to make a dress or skirt out of it before I had even started to use patterns and make my own clothes. I could go as far to say that this fabric inspired me to start making my own clothes.

I used New Look 6143 look A, I omitted the belt and added in pockets. For the neck and arm binding and the pockets I used a baby pink cotton.

I love the pleats in this dress as it gives it a more full look than gathering.  The only problem I had was that after the previous dress I made using size 10 fitted really well I assumed this would be the same and did not take into consideration the different amount of ease in this compared to New Look 6799. This resulted in the bodice being a bit baggy and I didn't realise until after sewing on the binding! To over come this I made a small pleat in the neckline on the front. Next time I use this pattern I will grade down to an 8 on the top and check the fitting as I go along lesson learnt!

Here is a pic of the back - I'm getting better at zips, soon I will be able to justify buying the zipper foot so I can sew in invisible zippers!

Looking forward to using this material for another project.

New Look 6799 - My first dress



This is my first dress I have made, it is New Look 6799 option B. The green flower fabric I used is from Spotlight and was on sale for only $2 per meter. I am really pleased with how it turned out. The only amendments I made to the pattern was adding in pockets (I love dresses with pockets) I didn't need to make any other amendments the it fits really well.

Looking forward to starting my next project!

Let me know what you think. 

My first post

I got my first sewing machine 3 years ago and haven't looked back since. I love sewing and crafting I even made all the decorations for my wedding. 

Recently I have started making my own clothes from patterns, inspired by my mom who at my age made all of her own work clothes and even 17 dresses to take on holiday!

I have created this blog to share some of the items I make along the way.