FINISHED! A pattern mix sugar tee

It all started with one of my sewing plans for this year, which was to remake/replace the disintegrating sugar tee which I loved but made so poorly last year that it started to fall apart. I had two pieces of double gauze at home in the original colour way of the first tee and also a white/grey colour way, so thought it would be good to use up.  I also had to go to the fabric shop to get some material for the Charlotte Skirt sewalong starting tomorrow so I put down on my list to get some trim for a new sugar tee.  Our plans for the day were pretty light and easy (just a trip to the pool) so I was confident that I could find some sewing time and a simple little tee was just what I felt like doing.
My hunt for material for the skirt was not particularly successful (why is it when I am looking for material to make a particular pattern I can't find anything!?) but I did pick up this cute trim. Ric rac plus crochet!

The trim looked good with the double gauze, but I started playing around with the other fabrics in my stash. I remembered I had a long thin piece of Liberty Angelica Garla A, that I had used to make a top for my sister Christmas 2011.  So, I pulled it out and started playing around with matching fabrics for the yoke, first some chambray and then I settled on some striped seersucker which I still had a small remnant of, from a pair of pants I had made for Elliot when he was a baby.  

I cut the tee the wrong way on the fabric so that it would fit on the piece of material, but I think the pattern is forgiving in that regard.  Also, I lost a bit off the length, but there are advantages to being short!  It has the tiniest of hems.

The finished tee is so far removed from what I had originally thought I would make, but I love it!   I  love the combination of the trim, the stripes and the big bold flowers.  Yay, to a bit of unplanned, "organic?" sewing!

 

P.S. There's no-one around to take a picture of me in it, so an in situ photo will have to come later.  I must get a tripod for my new camera!!

FINISHED! the disintegrating double gauze sugar tee

Clearly I was pretty taken with the sugar tee by Katie-Maree Cole in my recently aquired Home Sewn book, as no sooner had I finished my little post about the book, I was dragging out some double gauze I have had in the stash for a long time, some yellow lace bought on a whim and got pattern tracing.

The size in the book is a 10, bust 87cm, waist 67cm and hips 94cm so I just went right ahead with the sizing to see how it would turn out.  The instructions are basic but straightforward (just 7 steps). No diagrams, just 7 short written steps.

The fit is great and will definitely be making many more of these.  I just adore this style.

Worn to work today - Hulk drawn by Oliver one afternoon in my office

I'm also pretty fond of the yoke for which I used the 'wrong side' of the double gauze. I love the feel of this material and I've always thought that it was a shame that I could never find anything to make out of it.  I'm super keen on it with the yellow lace.  The lace is a bit narrow (maybe) and I didn't gather it as per the instructions in the book but I prefer it this way on this top at least.

What I won't do next time is

1. Think that this will be really quick and easy and try to squeeze it in before and then try to push on after dinner.  Yes, 90% of it goes together quickly but there is still some time in the binding.  This is not the time to be trying to sew with small children and Ben away.  Everyone and everything goes feral. Oh, who am I kidding.  I probably will do this wild chase of instant sewing gratification again, but one day I need to learn.
2. I won't sew double gauze like it's normal cotton - or even worse like it's jersey which is sort of what I did as I used the overlocker for the seams - don't ask me what I was thinking - see point 1 above!  Of course everytime I looked at it a split appeared in a seam. I have fixed most of them now, but can see myself carrying around the fray stoppa and glueing it all back together.  I was nervous wearing it to work today but no splits spotted.

in the mail: HOME SEWN

Last night my copy of HOME SEWN (from the NZ Fashion Museum) arrived, well the card to say that it was down at the post office arrived; so this morning I raced down to the post office to pick it up.  As soon as I got into the car I ripped open the packing and started flipping through the patterns. 

The book is about the same size as a Japanese pattern book and comes with ten free patterns. In one size only.  And each pattern is a different size with no obvious consistency.. which is a bit strange, but all the patterns are pretty simple and not overly fitted so I don't think they would be too hard to adjust.  

The book is divide into 3: a history of home sewing in NZ, profiles plus a pattern from ten NZ fashion designers (including the Miss Chalmers Skirt from Papercut Patterns) and a 'how to ...' at the back also written by Papercut Patterns.

Now for the designs, here are some of my favourites:

I really like this one, although it's now really my style... but you never know!

A cute little skirt which I might make.

A cute little top which looks sooo super easy. This I will definitely make when I'm looking for a quick bit of sewing gratfication.

 I think I'll make this top too.  I can see it working winter or summer.

This dress - the feature on the front is probably the most interesting of all the designs. I'll be keeping this in the back of my mind. I don't have an occasion to make this yet, but again, you never know.

If I'd seen this book in a shop and had a chance to flick through the patterns, rather than just buying blind over the internet I probably would have still bought it.  It has a lovely aesthetic, it supports NZ fashion and there are enough patterns in there to keep me interested. Usually if I make one pattern from a book I think that's a good buy, although that is probably a low benchmark! I've certainly spent $40 on less interesting pattern books and having the Miss Chalmers Skirt in it is definitely a bonus.