Selfish Sewing Week Sept 2014 - Some Shorts

So can we pretend it hasn't been 7 months since I last posted something!  Terrible, but lets just say I had writers block and move on.

I have however been making stuff, so I'll start from what I have made most recently, and work my way backwards to March :-)


Selfish Sewing Week was from Sept 22nd to 28th this time, and I actually got something made! Since it is Spring here in the southern hemisphere rather than Autumn, I decided to make a pair of shorts!
I just have to spend a wee bit of time here self-congratulating because the bottom half of my body is not my favourite part.  What with having child bearing hips and having used them to bear a child, in addition to a solid pair of understandings and a(n) (un)healthy muffin top where I once had quite a nice waist, well it all adds up to uggh/bleh/too hard!

Anyway, I was inspired by Jenny to make a pair of Maritime Shorts. 

Sew details:
Pattern: Maritime Shorts
Fabric: I can't remember where I got this fabric, probably Spotlight, but it is a lovely cotton drill was the perfect weight for these shorts.  The lining fabric was a cotton left over from a wee dress I made for a friend of zbl's, of which I still have lots, which is great cos I love it :-)  The zip was a 6" one I found at Darn Cheap Fabrics.
Other stuff: Well, what did I learn from these shorts. Firstly, it is really important to measure yourself correctly. I was a bit haphazard in this obviously.  I measured and cut out a size 14. Now consulting Mr Google, I find a US size 14 is an Aus size 18 - even I know I'm not that big!  I think next time (because there will be a next time), I will cut out a US 10, but with a 14 length - I am very long on the waist to crotch - hence further pants issues as mentioned above!
So aside from having to take in fabric at the side (a little), front (a bit more) and back (a lot!), these sewed up very easily and quite quickly.  One or two of the sewing steps around the zipper attachment were not 100% clear to me, so I just went with what I thought was right and they seemed to work out ok!

I have yet to wear these "out", but I did spend the afternoon in them after the photo shoot (mwahaha, if you can call it that, more like - how awkward can I look, please don't take pictures of my head, where should I put my arms etc :-)).

I have many other things to share, so I will work backwards to get them onto this site :-)

Yay!

ps, I really need to learn how to put my pictures on here in a nicer way - something to learn this week.

KCW .... a couple of weeks late

So I had fully intended on actually making zbl a couple of things during kid clothes week a couple of weeks ago, but life got away on me.  I had to make one of these for a friends birthday:

 A banana cake with with white chocolate and lemon icing using the icing from this cake as a base.

I have to say it was quite tasty, and the icing was lovely! And even better was that altho half the cake got left at my place, I managed to avoid most of it and while I was away at the craft sessions the cake eating fairy disposed of it for me - so kind :-)

I also had to do a bit of selfish sewing - I thought why not test out the the wiksten tank that everyone is talking about. This is what it turned out like:

Sew details :
Pattern: the wiksten tank
Fabrics: a pretty polyester that I picked from the sales table at Spotlight.  It was horrible to cut out and horrible to sew, but this was my muslin, so I know that I will make it from something with a bit more structure next time.
Other stuff: I cut out a large, based on measurements, but ended up taking the side seams in to probably a medium to remove some of the gap.  I think I'll still cut out a large next time, as the fit on the shoulders an neckline is good.  The armholes are not actually wonky as they look in the pic, it's just the dratted fabric again.

I also make this cake (no pic I'm sorry) which is delicious and definitely is on the list to make again - a great way to use up soft apples and I didn't bother with the glaze although I'm sure it would be delicious.

However I did make a couple of things for zbl last week, so here they are:

Sew details :
Pattern: the figgy's banyan tunic (this is the same pattern we used to make our t-shirts at the craft sessions.
Fabrics: the same cotton jersey that I used to make tl's pj pants. It was lovely to sew although the machine did have the odd conniption, but that could be because I managed to ding my jersey needle on a pin so it is probably not as sharp as it should be :-)
Other stuff: The pattern is super easy to cut out and use.  I have to admit I didn't actually follow the instructions very much as I'd made it a week before, the only difference being the lovely handkerchief points that I had to sew, cut and sew again cos I didn't really measure and didn't get my angles right - whoops!

zbl has already worn this out to lunch and the lovely hostess commented on how much she liked it, which was nice as all tl can see when she's wearing it is his pajamas - no imagination!  It was a tad tight, but she was wearing two layers under it since summer is here today, but probably gone tomorrow!  Regardless I think I'll make a 2T for the next one.

Sew details :
Pattern: This is the recess raglan that I bought as part of this bundle (yay! I'm actually using one :-))
Fabrics: This is a cotton knit that I got from (you guessed it) Spotlight.  It was much firmer than the one above and so was a dream to sew.  I should have used a ribbing for the neck, but all the ribbing I have didn't really go (might necessitate another trip?) so I just used the same fabric and make the neck piece much longer to allow more stretch over the noggin (she is in the 95th percentile for head, so this is important)
Other stuff:  This again was a very quick sew up, I made it in one of her naps.  I'm assuming the instructions are good as again I didn't really used them (naughty!)
She hasn't worn it yet, so I am hoping it fits over her head, it will certainly be wide enough and long enough.

And that is a wrap, next thing on the list is a dress I need to sew up that has been cut out since I was 6 months pregnant - whoops, and also some bubble shorts, cos summer is coming baby - which reminds me I must call the air con guys again.