lower your presser foot

Thanks for all your lovely comments and commiserations on the skirt in the last post - it seems we all have 'one of those weeks' every now and again! The comment that stood out most to me was Carolyn who commented that I was wearing red and not grey.

And it's true - these days I'm making quite an effort to wear a lot more colour, made easier by the fact that we're having very hot Spring weather and there's just something about the sunshine that makes me want to wear a bright colourful dress. Which brings me to my latest project, another dress made using New Look 6144, this time from a bright Kelly green cotton sateen:

Let me just say it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a decent photo of this dress! The smooth surface and slight sheen of the cotton sateen shows up every wrinkle, ripple and seam of the dress in photographs - it doesn't look that bad in real life. The back looks even worse in the photo although in real life it looks ok (from what I can see over my shoulder in the mirror that is).

After I made the plaid version a while back that turned out slightly too big, I decided to make this dress a bit smaller given the fabric has a slight stretch to it. So I cut out a size 8 at the bust and a size 10 for the rest which was a mistake because it turned out very tight and I had to let out the side seams so much at the hips that it has the tiniest seams.

I made a small 2cm swayback adjustment but it wasn't quite enough because there is still a bit of pooling of fabric in my lower back, especially at the base of the zipper:

And something funny is happening at the centre front because there is a bit of fabric folding and not sitting flat under those front neckline pleats:

From what I can see from other people's review of this pattern they didn't experience this problem, so it's probably caused by operator error. The pleating at the neckline was rather complicated and involved slashing one part so that the other could slide through it - perhaps I didn't slash down far enough so it doesn't sit flat. I'm not going to unpick it and do it again though to fix it - I'll just lazily wear a brooch there or ignore it instead! I also think the centre front darts extent too high onto my bust instead of finishing below the bust point as they should (that's what breastfeeding two kids will do to you sadly).

So my verdict: I love the colour of this fabric, but not so much the dress. Partly that is because cotton sateen is quite wrinkle prone and I should have either lined or underlined this dress (which I did neither because I want it to be a cool summer dress), or made a less fitted style. Partly though it is the pattern, whilst I like the neckline and sleeves if I want to make this again I think I'll frankenpattern it onto my favourite New Look pattern, New Look 6968 which is a similar fitted sheath dress but has a waist seam so it achieves a much better fit. I'll still wear it though because it still looks better than a lot of RTW dresses I see being worn out on the street and it is a gorgeous colour.

Out of interest I took another photo of the dress when I got home from work in the afternoon to see how badly wrinkled it became:

and funnily enough it doesn't seem to be that much worse really! Sure there are quite a few more horizontal wrinkles around the body and the sleeves, but I think wearing cotton sateen is just like wearing linen or any other natural fibre - you just have to accept a few wrinkles. Although if I ever see some wool crepe in this shade of green I'll snap it up in a second and sew a replacement dress.

Thanks to Oscar for photobombing me - now I can see that black and white are the perfect colour to wear with this shade of green!

I was reading Paola's blog recently where she was wondering whether she was too late to join the coloured pants trend with her lovely green pants (definitely not). But I was wondering the same thing because I had been thinking about making some floral pants for spring/summer, a trend that has been around for a while but after a bit of snoop shopping I figured they are still pretty much current. And besides the point of sewing for ourselves is to be able to make what we like, when we like without being dictated to by seasons or fashion designers!

This is quite out of my usual sewing zone - to be sewing pants first of all which I rarely ever do, and to be making a pair from a print fabric instead of a subdued solid colour. But the good thing about my Burda challenge is that everyone now and then I like to try something new and different to what I would usually sew and see what comes out.

So for my October Burda challenge (made during the actual month of October too!) I chose to make the slim fitting trousers 10/2013 #127A:

These are pretty simple pants, rather quick to make but as we all know it's the fitting that takes the most time and effort to get right. Being rather cavalier as usual, I chose not to make a muslin instead just doing some flat pattern measurements. Surprisingly it turned out pretty well (phew!). I wanted to make some slim fitting but slouchy summer pants so I didn't narrow the leg to match those worn by the model in the photograph. I cut out a size 38 to fit over my hips, and took in a little at the waist to stop the gaping that inevitably happens. The back view really shows off my pear shape in an unflattering way, but hey I'm all for truth in reporting around here!

There are some diagonal folds emanating from my saddle bag thighs downward to my knees, but apart from that the fit isn't too bad. What I really liked about this pattern is that it is sewn like men's pants - the centre back seam is done last after the waistband is attached to the pants in two pieces, which means you can take in the centre back seam to fit:

As you can see I did make the centre back seam a little deeper at the waist to get it to fit snugly. I also like that this pattern, like most Burda pants patterns uses an extended pocket piece that connects to zipper, which is a much neater way of doing things:

The fabric I used is a cotton/linen blend bought from Spotlight a few years ago. The fabric didn't wrinkle very much at all much to my surprise, but it did 'grow' a lot after wearing as I suspected it would. After a few hours it bagged out at the knees and the seat giving me the dreaded saggy butt look but I made the waistband facing from interfaced cotton poplin and put belt loops on the waistband so I could wear a belt and make sure they stayed at my waist. So since they didn't fall down I can live with a bit of sagginess - they are meant to be slouchy linen summer pants.

So overall, I'd say this pattern is pretty good (but I'm not all that experienced with pants pattern so I can't say definitively that it's any better than any other pants pattern). One thing I didn't like at all was their instructions for the fly zipper with shield. As much as I read and read those instructions, I just couldn't understand them at all so instead I used this very helpful tutorial with lots of pictures over at Grainline Studio. If I make these again though I would add fly extensions to the centre front of the pants when cutting out rather sewing on a fly extension - it's just a bit quicker and simpler to do it that way.

I took about 4cm off the length of the pants and still have a 5cm hem on these - clearly my legs aren't as long as the leggy models in the magazine that these patterns seem to be drafted for. I did hem them to wear with flats and not heels so they are a bit shorter:

I wanted to try wearing these pants with heels to see how they looked, but my mini-me decided to wear my heels around and copy my poses instead:

How scary that at 4 and half years of age she thinks that posing for photographs like this is normal!

I seem to have a bit of a scatter gun approach to my sewing at the moment, which is never good for productivity and outcomes. At my last ASG sewing day I started making a muslin for another blazer, greatly helped with fitting and advice from the lovely ladies there that day. I cut out a dress to make specifically to wear to the PR high tea organised by Maria for this Saturday, but I couldn't start sewing it because I needed a zipper and a bajillion metres of piping. So then I traced out a Burda top (ironically both Sharon over at Petite and Sewing and Andrea over at Fabric Epiphanies have just made this top as well) but I couldn't sew that either because I ran out of white overlocking thread of all things!

Instead I decided to make a skirt out of the largish piece of fabric leftover from my pants in the last post instead of putting it back on the fabric shelf. The leftover bit was a long, narrow L shape too big to throw out so I wasn't sure what I could squeeze out of it. I almost decided to make something for Anna, but I'm not a huge fan of matching mummy and me outfits, so gladly I managed to make this:

I used Vogue 7379 view B, which is one of their basic designs and I've had it for ages but is still available. It is very simple and almost fool proof in comparison to the similar Burda pattern I made recently in the red crepe that annoyed me so much. The pattern pieces are long and narrow because the front and back are in three pieces.

And by the luck of the sewing gods I even managed to get the pattern to line up across those seams so that you can barely see them:

Because I knew the blue floral, which is a cotton linen, would stretch and bag out I underlined the skirt with a thin polycotton poplin hoping that it would help it keep its shape as well as prevent any sheerness of the fabric. It seems to have worked, because at the end of the day the skirt had loosened a little bit but wasn't too saggy at all. It also made the inside look quite neat:

But just in case it did stretch out too much I wore it with this cute green belt I found in a op shop recently:

The only thing I found odd about the pattern is that the centre front and centre back panels are wider that the pattern line drawing suggests and the proportions seem a little strange to me. If I make this again I would narrow them a little and make the side panels a little wider instead:

Excuse those photobombing children in the background - they were a little excited about breaking up our usual morning routine of rushing about madly trying to get out the door on time and were running around like crazy. Who know what our neighbours and various people driving past were thinking!

And because I don't like wearing singlet tops to the office (far too revealing and casual) I wore this with a navy blue blazer over the top:

I did roll up the sleeves though for a slightly casual effect - I think this outfit would be a good casual Friday outfit (except that I don't work on Fridays so Wednesdays are the closest I get to a casual day!). Ironically it was really cold earlier this week so I ended up freezing going to work with bare legs and open toes, but I can see this skirt getting worn a lot this coming summer. Especially with the white blazer I'm planning to make if I can get it out of the muslin stage sometime soon!

Thanks everyone for your amazing comments on my skirt in the last post - it's funny how sometimes the simplest projects really hit the nail on the head!

I've had such a slow sewing week, in fact it's taken me since last Sunday to finally finish this post and publish it. Toby has been quite unsettled this week and of course it's only mum that he wants when he's crying his little eyes out! It's nice to be wanted, but for crying out loud why did I have to get two children lousy at sleeping?

But I did manage to finish this dress before our Pattern Review high tea last Saturday afternoon - nothing like a deadline to get me motivated. I started sewing it on Friday night and finished it on Saturday morning about an hour before I had to leave. Luckily the day turned out to be very hot and sunny because I made a very summery dress:

I used Vogue 2783, a DKNY A-line dress that I've had in the pattern stash for a long time just waiting for the right fabric to come along. I tempted fate by using another cotton sateen fabric in the stash bought last year I think, but this one is a floral print instead of a solid and it seems to have a bit more stretch content than the green sateen I sewed with recently. Either way it doesn't seem to wrinkle as much which is good!

I love the seam lines in this dress, it's what makes it a bit more special than your ordinary fit'n'flare dress. I made some piping from navy blue lining fabric since there seems to be a city wide shortage of ready made piping at the moment, which was fiddly and time consuming but very much worth it because it really shows off those lines:

The back has matching princess seam lines and shoulder panel too:

I didn't leave myself time to make a muslin, which actually since I'm a bit lazy when it comes to muslins I probably wouldn't have made one anyway but I did check the reviews on Pattern Review. All of which said that the dress runs large and all the reviewers made at least a size smaller. After checking the flat pattern measurements I made a size 6 at the bust grading out to a size 8 at the waist and hips, even though according to their body measurements I needed a size 12/14/16 sized pattern.

But this pattern still turned out absolutely huge! I ended up taking in another 5cm on each side down the side seams just to get it to fit across the bust and waist, and it's not skin tight. If I had more time I would have pulled it apart and distributed that evenly along all the seams but it seems to be ok just narrowing the side seam. I can't understand why Vogue would draft a princess seam dress, which needs to be fitted to have a nice shape, with 10cm of ease at the bustline and 15cm of ease at the waistline!

The skirt is rather full even with taking it in down the side seams:

although the fullness hangs rather awkwardly because the piped seam makes it kink out a bit and the hem looks rather crooked even though I think it's pretty straight:

The another annoying thing about this pattern is that it is unlined but there are no facings drafted - the pattern requires self fabric binding strips to be sewn around the neck and sleeve openings. Which given it has piping around the neckline it seemed to be unnecessary to me so I just overlocked the edge of the bias piping strip I made with the edge of the fabric, and stitched in the ditch to keep the binding from flipping it out. To make sure I did a few handstitches at each seam line to keep the binding on the inside which seemed to work pretty well:

I suppose you've noticed I left off the hem band too? Well it turns out this dress is really long as well as really big! I did a tissue pin fit and took out 6cm in length from the body of the dress but even that wasn't anywhere near enough because my finished dress has a 5cm hem even without sewing on that band. The pattern is described as mid knee length, and I know that I'm nowhere near model height, but this pattern as drafted would be more like mid calf length on me. Instead of hacking off a huge amount off the bottom of the dress to sew the band on I just chose to leave it off.

I also chose not to make the fabric belt as shown in the pattern because it doesn't look too flattering on those models - it's too loose and droopy I think. I think the dress looks fine without a belt though.

As for the high tea it was delightful. Thanks to the lovely Velosewer for organising it in a chocolate shop, we all got to eat yummy food and a wide variety of teas finished up with a smash cake filled with delicious chocolates. It was great to meet a few new faces in real life and spend a few hours chit chatting about sewing. Of course I forgot to even get my camera out, but Maria has some great shots on her blog of all of us in our self made outfits.

The Australian Sewing Guild has just launched its website with a much needed fresh new look and guess who just happens to be one of the first featured members? That's right - it is me! My husband thinks it's super hilarious, admittedly the photo is rather large and prominent on the website. Have a look for yourself here.

I was one of the lucky ducks who got to spend Saturday sewing at the Tessuti Surry Hill's store for the day and I made a lot of progress on my white blazer. It was so inspiring not only sewing with lovely ladies like Sharon, Maria, BeaJay and other non-blogging sewing ladies, but also to be surrounded all day be beautiful fabrics and creative people shopping there all day was also encouraging. The lovely Colette is so genuinely lovely and friendly with all the customers, and it was a real pleasure to be there.

It was also lovely to be recognised by a blog reader, who was equally excited to see Sharon and they got talking about some project or other. And the funniest thing was when a mother dragged her daughter over to us wearing her school formal dress asking for our opinion as to how to make it more modest - it was a one shoulder strap dress that she wanted to somehow add lace sleeves to it.

Of course I couldn't escape without making a fabric purchase (or two!). I'm not restricting my fabric purchases although I am trying to sew from the stash as a first priority. But I already have plans for the two fabrics I purchased so they sort of don't really count as additions to the stash!

On the left is a Michael Kors rayon (which doesn't seem to be in the online store) that I'll make some sort of dress for work from, and on the right is a viscose jersey (Boardwalk Jersey) that I am planning to make a simple t-shirt style dress.

Hopefully I'll be back in a few days with a photo of my finished white blazer - I think that by putting it down here in writing I'll be forcing myself to come up with the goods!

Oh and can I finish with a whinge (yes Renata I'm going to whinge about Burda!) - my November issue still hasn't turned up and it's now more than half way through the month. How can I keep to my Burda challenge when they are keeping me hanging on like this?

Happy thanksgiving to all my American readers! It's not something we celebrate here in Australia, but there are a few things I'd like to give thanks to - thanks to Toby for choosing not to sleep at night time anymore, it means we get to spend sooo much more time together! Their childhood is so fleeting why would you waste it on a silly thing like sleeping? Thanks also to Toby for passing on his annoying cough to me - it's a great way to work those abs without doing a single sit up. Thanks to Oscar for pulling through his near death experience last week on my birthday no less and is now practically back to normal. Thanks also to family for their wonderful birthday presents of a Japanese sewing book and some new camera lens, and especially to my husband for organising the kids to have a sleepover with their grandparents while we stayed in a fancy city hotel.

And I'm thankful that I've finally finished my latest project: a simple tshirt that turned out to take a long time to finish. Well actually sewing it up didn't take that long, but sewing on the neckband four times until I got it right certainly did!

I used Burda 02/2013 #126 which was made quite successfully by many bloggers when it was first released:

Isn't that model photo from Burda absolutely absurd styling? The whole point of the tshirt is the gathered sleeves, yet the model has a jacket and a scarf covering them up.....

I sewed mine from a mystery knit found deep within my stash, which is very soft and very stretchy. Like Sharon's version, my neckband was very droopy and too big which I also blame on the fabric, and I ended up taking in the neckband incrementally four times, until I ended up with it a smidgen too short (of course!) so there are a few puckers around the neck. Ah well, I can live with it because there was no way I was going to do it again!

Apart from the neckband issue it's a pretty straightforward project - the sleeves are gathered and then just sewn on raglan style so it can't be much easier. I made the smallest size knowing that the significant ease of the knit meant it would be fine size wise and hopefully take care of any fabric pooling at the back since I didn't do a swayback adjustment. Seems fine to me:

I quite like this top - it's as easy to wear as a standard tshirt but the gathered sleeves make it just that little bit different. It's really long though, you can see in that photo above that the hem of the tshirt sits halfway down my skirt that I've tucked it into. If I were to make this again I would definitely shorten it a fair bit because it's too long to wear out but too bulky to tuck in.

Overall it's quite a good pattern, maybe I will make another one day when I've worked myself back up to working with knits. For now though it's back to sewing with well behaving woven fabrics, so much easier and more predictable!

I finished my November Burda project yesterday, so despite Burda not sending me the magazine until the 20th of the November I still managed to get it done in the same month! Big pat on the back for me. Thanks to my husband taking the kids out to see a Hi-5 concert and shopping in Chatswood on a Saturday afternoon (those who know Hi-5 and Chatswood will know that it was more than suitable compensation for all the client dinners he had last week!) I managed to get not one, but two garments started and finished in the same day.

Of course it helped that I chose a rather simple top to sew this month. I must admit that I struggled to pick a project this month, because after reading some rave reviews of this issue when it arrived I was a bit blah about the patterns. Some were ok (narrow pants, raglan sleeved dress, panelled dress etc) but since I had made similar type garments in recent months I decided to go out on a limb and sew something quite different to my usual style. I made the pleated neck, voluminous sleeve and shapeless top, 11/2013 #103:

And actually I don't mind it even though it's not my usual overly fitted style. I made a few small changes to make this more summer friendly - the fabric I used is a thin cotton voile from the stash in a small navy blue and red floral, and I made the sleeves elbow length instead of full length. This way it's still light and breezy enough to wear during summer but has good coverage for keeping my fair skin out of the sun. I probably should have either made the sleeves slightly longer or slightly shorter, because the narrow cuffs tend to get pulled up into my elbow bend and the result is that super puffy sleeve you can see above!

The back has a keyhole opening and two pleats at the neckline too. A word of warning to anyone planning to make this - the neck opening is really tight and probably needs widening to make it easier to get on and off and for more comfortable wear. I ended up sewing on a long loop from hat elastic so that neck opening sits wider open at the back so that I don't spend the day feeling strangled:

And the other tip I have for anyone making this is to trace the sewing line of the shoulder dart properly otherwise you'll end up with really pointy shoulders. Because I added my usual 1.5cm seam allowance when I traced the pattern and just sewed according to the cut edge, my darts ended too abruptly and needed rounding off:

And when I checked the pattern I could see the fault was all mine - I should have traced the curved sewing line from the pattern rather than charging on in my usual style!

But overall I quite like this pattern, I can see it made up in a soft, draping fabric like washed silk with full length sleeves for winter. And the bonus is that it only took me about two hours from cutting out to finishing, although admittedly I had already traced the pattern during the week which is the most fiddly, boring part of sewing with Burda.

But wait, there's more! I was worried that I wouldn't have anything to wear this with so I decided to make a new pair of simple, black shorts to wear with it. It turns out that this top looks good with jeans and my denim skirt so I need not have worried but I needed a new pair of shorts anyway, so no harm done. I used Burda 10/2013 #127 which was my Burda of the month project from last month:

I sewed this pair from a stretch cotton drill that I bought on Saturday morning when I popped into Spotlight to get a zipper. In fact by the time I started sewing these shorts the fabric was still a little damp from prewashing - how's that for stash avoidance! It's been quite a while since I bought some fabric specifically for a project, but unbelievably I didn't have any stretch black cotton in my stash.

The last pair I made from this pattern was from a cotton linen blend that didn't have any stretch (although it did bag out) but was quite soft, and it's amazing how different the garment fits being made in a stiffer, stretch fabric. This version sits higher on the waist because the fabric doesn't slouch down, the pockets stick out a bit at the sides and I had to take in the centre back seam a lot more because it was gaping at the back. I got a decent fit at the back I think, if you can ignore the VPL (sorry, it's not a good look is it?) and the gaping side pocket.

The other changes I made to the pattern (besides cutting it off a knee length of course) was to sew two welt pockets at the back just to break up that expanse of fabric - I've read somewhere that well placed pockets can make your derriere look smaller and more shapely than not having any. The other change I also made was to cut out the pattern with a fly extension like this:

instead of sewing on a separate fly extension. It just cut out a few steps and simplified matters. I also ignored Burda's instructions completely this time for installing the zipper because I recall being thoroughly confused by them last month, and instead used Sandra Betzina's super simple and effective method, seen in this Threads video.

So happily I've got a 100% success rate when it comes to sewing from my Burda mags this year - but if Burda waits until a few days before Christmas to send me the December issue I doubt I'll be able to pull off another swift project like this one.

When I bought those fabrics a few weeks back from Tessuti I justified it to myself on the basis that I would sew them soonish. I'm trying to sew some smart but casual summer clothes, what I'm jokingly referring to as my 'resort collection', and the striped jersey paired with a simple dress style was a perfect match:

I used Burda 3/2009 #113, which is a very simple straight dress that has no darts or excessive seams to distract from the stripes, but made into a better dress by the waistband (which I made with an elastic casing instead of a drawstring):

I have used this pattern before, but I'll forgive you if you don't remember it because it was quite a while ago, and I looked quite different at the time. Very different, actually. Can you spot the differences?

Burda-3-2009-#113-stripe-dress-maternity-version

That photo was from a post when I was about 6 months pregnant with Toby - I don't remember feeling so big at the time but now that I look at that photo I think whoa! No wonder he was such a big baby when he was born.

Anyway for the maternity version I raised that elasticised waistband to the empire line so that it would sit above the bump, and added extra width to the front of the dress to go around that ginormous bump. It was a fantastic maternity dress too, very comfortable to wear on warm summer days. For this normal version I made the waistband more or less at the waist - I placed it where those black stripes are so that the stitching would be more invisible:

It sits a bit low but instead it makes the top get a bit of a blousy look, especially at the back, which I don't mind at all.

The other changes I made were to raise the neckline from a V-neck to bateau neckline, mainly because I prefer that look better and also because I had problems getting the facing for the V-neck to sit properly last time. I cut it a little too wide and my bra straps were showing, so I added a narrow band instead of turning under the edges or making a facing. It seems my Achilles heel is sewing on neckbands in knits, because this one is also a little too wide because it sticks out a bit at the shoulders, but I overlocked it on so it's staying on!

I also added some bands to the sleeve edge with the stripes running in the opposite direction, purely for looks. The technical drawing for this pattern makes it look like this pattern is a sleeveless dress, but the sleeves actually extend quite far off the shoulder, and adding the bands makes this seem like a dress with sleeves. I managed to achieve a pretty good chevron effect at the shoulders:

And you'll have to excuse the smug look on my face in the photo below, but I'm heartily gloating internally about exactly matching the stripes along the side seams:

Unfortunately this pattern doesn't seem to be available for download from the Burdastyle website, but if you happen to have this magazine I can recommend this pattern - it was really quick to sew, very easy and is a nice casual and uncomplicated dress. The stripe jersey fabric (Jade Green Black boardwalk jersey) from Tessuti was also a dream to sew with, the edges didn't curl like some annoying knits do, it pressed beautifully and the seams didn't get wavy at all even though I had run out of fusible interfacing that I normally need to stabilise them. And the fabric wore really well - I took these photos in the afternoon after wearing the dress all day and there are hardly any wrinkles.

Overall I'm really happy with this dress, it's a perfect Christmas day dress I think - light and breezy enough for a day that's bound to be really hot, and an elasticised waistband to cater for too much food!

A few posts back, KayC asked if I could recommend any Japanese sewing books which include patterns. I am far from an expert in these - I only own four books and rather shamefacedly I have only sewn one pattern so far. But the good news is that when I pulled them out to do this post I was inspired to trace off three patterns so hopefully I'll increase that tally soon.

I can suggest these blogs as the ultimate source of all things Japanese sewing:

www.japanesesewingbooks.com - this site is a fantastic resource for translation of Japanese characters, reviews of Japanese sewing books, links to free patterns and all things Japanese sewing.
Japan Couture Addicts - this is a French blog but it has lots of pattern reviews, finished garment photos and photo tutorials which is also extremely helpful.
Adelaide Lemonade - this blog also has finished projects and tips for sewing with Japanese patterns.
Bags, Crafts and Happiness - has quite a few pattern reviews of girls clothes from a number of books
Lollipop Garden Crafts - this blog has both boys and girls patterns

The four books I own are all children's patterns because I find the Japanese aesthetic in childrenswear to be really cute, but the grown up versions are not really my style. I buy my books from the Kinokuniya store in Sydney which has a huge range of crafting and sewing books, but you can get these from Amazon and etsy sellers as well.

The pattern sheets are similar to Burda in that you fold out a large sheet of overlapping pattern pieces and have to trace out the pieces needed for your pattern, adding the required seam allowance as you go. Each pattern has a very concise line drawing of construction order, but some patterns have more detailed photo instructions as well.

The sizing is based on height like Burda and Ottobre kids, and maybe it's because Anna is half Asian but the chest, waist and hip measurement for her height are spot on and the one garment I made her fitted really well.

The patterns in the four books I have are mostly really simple - all of the pants and skirts have elastic waistbands and no zippers; the dresses have buttons but no zippers either; and the jackets seem to be made from knits which are easier to sew as well. I would recommend these books to a beginner sewist because of the simple nature of the patterns, although a basic understanding of the order of construction of garments would be helpful since you can't read the pattern instructions. Finally, an example of pattern instructions that are less helpful than Burda's!

The first book I bought is called "Let's Go Out Girls Clothes" - ISBN978-4-529-04816-3 (searching by ISBN is often the best way), from the charmingly named Heart Warming Life Series:

From this book I made a pair of bubble pocket shorts for Anna way back in December 2010 when she was almost two years old:

The next book I have is called "Fashionable Clothes for Girls" - ISBN978-4-529-04526-1. This one is for heights ranging from 90cm - 130cm and includes patterns for a hat, bag as well as an entire wardrobe of dresses, skirts, tops, jackets, leggings and shorts:

The third one is another one from the Heart Warming Life Series, called "Polka Drops" (I think!) - ISBN978-4-529-04837-8. This one includes some iron on letter transfers to embellish one of the boy shirt patterns. This one is for heights ranging 90cm-130cm:

And the newest addition, courtesy of my husband is "Kids pants and skirts" - ISBN 978-4-529-052229-0. This one is for heights 100cm - 150cm so I still have plenty of time to make things for Anna from it, plus I can use it for Toby in a few years time as well.

So KayC, I hope this was of some help! Unfortunately I can't show you any more finished garments since I've haven't made them, but these books are lovely to look at even if I haven't sewn from them. The mix of fabrics and styling is uber cute, and are a great resource for inspiration.

After doing that last post on the Japanese sewing pattern books that I own but have not sewn from I felt a pang of guilt not experienced since before I started actually sewing from my Burda magazines! So I traced out a few patterns and decided to make a new dress for Anna. This would be the cute part of the title of this post:

From the Fashionable Clothes for Girls book (ISBN978-4-529-04526-1) I made the tunic dress "a":

image from Tanoshii-Schneidern.blogspot.com

I used size 110 since Anna is 114cm tall now, and the fit is superb although I doubled the length of the bottom part of the dress (almost an extra 15cm long) because this dress was really really short. I think it may be a tunic meant to be worn over tights as shown in the pattern book, but since I wanted Anna to be able to wear this dress during summer I lengthened it so it could be worn as a dress. Of course Anna insisted on wearing tights with the dress for these photos so she could be just like the pictures in the book!

This dress was really simple and straightforward to make, and aside from the length the other change I made was to fully line the bodice instead of sewing on fiddly little facings at the neckline and sleeve openings. The fabric is an Alexander Henry cotton bought from the remnants table at Tessuti Fabrics earlier in the year which has a lovely soft feel to it, and the buttons, ribbon and red cotton faux pocket flaps are all from the stash.

And now to the not so cute. I'm sure you've all had those projects that turn out nothing like how you've pictured it in your head? Well, this is one of those! I saw a picture recently somewhere or other of a pair of shorts in a coral colour with a scalloped edge hem, worn with a black and white top that I thought would look perfect for a summer outfit. Unfortunately I failed to take into account that my legs are not long, toned and tanned so it doesn't look quite the way I wanted it to on me.

I wouldn't normally wear high heels with shorts, it was just for this photo trust me! I think the problem is that I made the shorts a bit longer in the leg because I'm not comfortable wearing them really short and that makes them look a bit dowdy.

I used Burda 6/2011 #111 mainly because it was already traced out since I've made it previously in a floral softer fabric. It's a very simple pattern with a side zip and some ridiculously long darts on the front. I left off the patch pockets on the back and instead did a single welt pocket.

For this version I used a piece of cotton drill that has been in the stash for a while so the fit is different but still not so bad.

That back view is far from flattering! How's that for truth in blogging? Anyway I think I'll cut off the scalloped edge and hem it normally and chalk this one up to experience.....

I've done so much sewing and crafting and cooking and cleaning and decorating and socialising in the last week, but of course all of that leaves no time for blogging! But something has to give, and blogging was it which I'm sure you'll understand. I've managed to find a few quiet moments to do a quick post before we start wrapping presents - I have no idea why we've left this to Christmas Eve but at least we do have paper and tape so there won't be any last minute disasters.

So to everyone have a safe, happy and restful or fun (whichever you prefer) holiday time and I'll be back next year with more words of wisdom.

I'm very late in joining in with everyone else doing a year in review post, but I haven't been home since Christmas Day as we've been in Queensland for the last two weeks visiting the in laws and spending a glorious week at a resort on the sunshine coast. To be honest though it was exhausting! The weather was extremely hot - high 30s and a few 40 degree days too which I just can't handle at all, and the kids were out of sort from the heat and being out of routine and were a complete handful. Frankly it's just nice to be home, even if we did have to spend the last two days clearing out the fridge and pantry of food that should have been chucked out before we left and sorting out the garden which went berserk in our absence.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's reviews of their sewing for the last year, I especially found it interesting when the garments that were listed as the blogger's least favourite were ones I really liked! So here I go:

Top 5 favourite makes:

1. Striped knit dress Burda 3/2009 #113 made from Tessuti Boardwalk knit in jade

This dress was a really quick and simple make and not in my usual very fitted style, but it has become my go to dress these last few weeks since I made it. It's such a lovely fabric that drapes and wears well, and it's been perfect for the hot weather we've been having lately. This dress is definitely all about the fabric, because that pattern is nothing special and in fact I made quite a few changes to it for this version.

2. Fitted blazer Burda 8/2013 #106 made from red wool crepe

I love this jacket, the co-ordinating top and skirt but it's the jacket that I wear the most. It goes well with navy blue and grey as well as the matching skirt and has been a great addition to my work wardrobe.

3. Panelled dress Burda 6/2013 # 117 made from wool flannel

I wore this dress lots during winter, and received quite a few compliments on it which is always a good sign. An easy to wear work dress.

4. Style Arc Marni made from ponti knit

My first attempt at a Style Arc pattern that I was just hoping would be a wearable muslin turned out so fantastic that I wear it a lot to work. I did make a few changes to the pattern by lining it but on the whole the pattern drafting was spot on and the fit is superb for my narrow shoulders. I'm planning to make another one this year once I find the right fabric.

5. A-line shift dress Burda 4/2013 #109 made from black and fuschia print raw silk

I've only worn this dress once, and that was months after I made it but it makes it onto the favourite list because I wore it to a Christmas party held on one hot night, and all it needed was the addition of strappy black heels to make it work - simplicity at it's best. Plus it's such a gorgeous colour and I had been wanting to use that fabric for such a long time so I was very glad that the pattern turned out so well.

Least favourite makes:

1. Tie neck blouse Burda 5/2013 #106 made from printed satin

This project didn't even get finished - dumped straight into the bin! The fabric was blah and the pattern wasn't overly great either so I made the wise decision not to waste any more time or energy on it. But I am happy to say that it was my only outright project failure of the year.

2. Scalloped edge shorts Burda 6/2011 #111 in coral coloured cotton

These shorts were one of my most recent makes, but have already landed in the donation pile and will soon be out the door, unworn by me other than to take the incriminating photos! Actually they don't look too bad in the photo above, being the most flattering photo I took but trust me the scalloped edge and the length looked terrible. Taking a bit of length off and straightening the hem didn't help them look any better on me, so out they go.

3. City dress Burda 2/2013 #133 made in brown paisley

This dress is ok, it's just that I've only wore it once and don't really know how to style it best. I don't really like the look of knee high boots on me, but flat shoes and heels don't really go with this dress either. It's just not me and there's a lot of other things in my wardrobe that are, so sadly this dress never gets a chance.

4. Kelly green New Look 6144 in cotton sateen

I've come to the realisation that cotton sateen in a solid colour is the fabric of the devil and is best avoided if you have any aversions to wrinkles! I have yet another project soon to be blogged that proves this theory. This dress is teetering on the edge of this list though - despite the wrinkles and the darts on the front that probably start too high on the bust I somewhat like this dress. The colour is glorious, the fit is ok and it is comfortable so I still wear it sometimes. But if I find a wool crepe in this same shade then I will sew a replacement dress in the same style.

2013 statistics

A little bit of number crunching for you:

I made a whopping 62 garments + accessories this year (not counting a bajillion little pirate bags and eye patches I also made for Anna's birthday party). I was quite surprised when I counted it all up, it didn't seem like I was that productive, but 24 of those garments were kid's clothes and they sew up very quickly. The second most frequent make was a dress (no surprises there!).

It seems that my monthly Burda challenge has influenced me greatly, because last year I made 22 projects from Burda patterns - well and truly above and beyond the 12 I was aiming for. New Look was the next most frequent brand I reached for.

And the best news of all? Of all the things I made the clear majority was from stash fabric, with only 6 things made from fabrics purchased in 2013 and 8 completed UFOs/refashions. I didn't add too much fabric to the stash either last year, not that you'd notice it from my stash though, it's still overflowing!

Sewing resolutions

I gave up long ago making resolutions of any sort - I acknowledge that I have little will power! I'm in a pretty good place sewing wise, so I plan to keep on doing what I'm doing now: making at least one Burda magazine pattern each month, shopping the stash mostly but not feeling guilty if I buy some beautiful fabric to add to the stash, attending more sewing days and workshops with the ASG which was a real highlight of last year. Actually I do have one resolution - try to organise a few more meet ups this year, they are such fun!

And now that's all done it's time to start actually doing some sewing - I haven't sewn a stitch since Christmas eve which is probably the longest stretch I've gone in 19 years. I did spend a bit of time today in my sewing room cleaning it up and ruthlessly culling the stash (yes really!), so it's time to get started.

I'm officially declaring my love affair with cotton sateen over. Well, solid coloured cotton sateen at least, because I still have a few beautiful printed cotton sateen pieces in the stash that I still want to use but no longer will I be drawn in by the lustrous sheen, the smooth and firm fabric and the strong colours because I know that whatever it is made into will just become a wrinkly mess and that sheen will be lost after the first wash. It's possibly why I'm dragging my feet on finishing a white blazer I started last November even though I really want a white blazer in my wardrobe - it's made from cotton sateen that even though I've block interfaced I fear that it's going to look terrible when finished!

So why am I being so emphatic about it this time? Well when I made New Look 6144, the pleated neckline dress in a glorious Kelly green cotton sateen that wrinkled the moment I lifted it off the ironing board, it was from some lesser priced cotton sateen bought from Spotlight (about $9.99/m I think). But I've just used some more expensive (and presumably better quality) cotton sateen in a deep red colour that I bought from the remnant table at Tessuti's last year, and sadly it wrinkles the same. So my highly unscientific deduction is that all cotton sateens probably wrinkle badly, no matter the price or quality. The printed cotton sateens wrinkle just as much of course, it's just that the prints usually hide the fact a little better.

Just before Christmas I made another a-line skirt from Burda 11/2012 #124, my fourth version now - it's well and truly become my TNT a-line skirt pattern and I can make one now in about 3 hours start to finish. Despite it's wrinkliness, I wore this skirt a lot when we were in Queensland recently for our holidays:

It's only a casual skirt so I can live with those wrinkles, plus it was so hot and humid up there in Queensland that practically everything looked wilted and less than fresh the moment you stepped outside!

With the leftover fabric I made a pair of shorts for Anna who unusually was requesting a pair of shorts instead of a skirt for a change. I used a pattern from the Japanese sewing book "Kids pants and skirts" - ISBN 978-4-529-052229-0" my husband bought for my birthday last year (just so I could say that I've used it!):

One thing I've noticed about the Japanese sewing books that I own is that none of the patterns require a zipper - all the shorts and pants are elastic waists and the dresses are either slip on or have button up backs. So these shorts were super simple to make, and I used a cute spotted fabric from the stash for the waist band tie and gathered back pockets. Anna also didn't want the cuffs folded up, so the shorts are a little longer than the pattern photograph:

And what better shoes to co-ordinate with some red shorts than a pair of mum's red high heels?

And apart from a little bit more of that red cotton sateen leftover from these two fabrics, there is no more and there shalt be no more of this fabric to enter my stash....

Happily I have managed to finish my December Burda project, thus successfully completing my Burda challenge of sewing at least one pattern from each magazine each month. I just have to photograph it , which I will do once I get the paint out of my hair and eyebrows - the good husband and I have been busy painting the outside of our house (eaves, gutters, window frames and weatherboards) as well as doing some landscaping and general tidying up. It's amazing how much can get done when the two kids are off at daycare!

Thanks to all those who commented on my end of year wrap up post - I'm glad you all agreed with my fabourite choices, and a special thanks to those who even thought my least faves were still ok. And Mary from Thailand thank you in particular for your interesting suggestion on how to deal with the wrinkled green cotton sateen dress (by doodling on it with permament marker so it becomes a print instead) - what an amazing idea!

I know this is the Burda project of last month, but I only received the December issue a few days before Christmas when I was busy sewing other things, so it had to wait until January to get made. But happily the completion of this skirt means I achieved a 100% completion rate for my Burda challenge of 2013. And I've already traced off the January 2014 pattern and I spent today pre-treating the fabric, so I should be able to get 2014 off to a good start too!

For my December project I chose a simple pencil skirt, because after two children my body has changed somewhat and it was time to do all the fitting changes again and redraft the pattern I usually use so I decided to give 12/2013 #118 a try instead:

And as we all know sometimes it's the simplest patterns that take the most effort to work! I spent all day Saturday making a muslin and tweaking the fit. I think I got it about 90% right - but with a fitted garment like a pencil skirt I prefer to wear it a few times before making any other changes to make sure it's wearable because there's a danger that you can overfit it and have it looking perfect while standing still for photographs but can't actually walk in it!

Indoor photographs today I'm afraid - I spent five minutes outside taking photos before I wilted in the extreme heatwave we're currently having and had to retreat inside. Of course those outdoor photos that I suffered for so much were no good because I had two children getting in the photo, running into me with their scooters and bumping the tripod. Those fashion bloggers with their photographer boyfriends and ample, uninterrupted time to take photos in beautiful locations have no idea of how much real life can get in your way sometime!

The fabric is a beautiful cream textured cotton with a floral print that came from the dark recesses of the stash, so deep in fact that I've completely forgotten where or when I acquired it. All I know is that I have about 5 metres of it, and it's quite narrow which suggests that it's a vintage fabric because not many come in those widths anymore. The texture is a raised narrow chevron pattern which obviously it was cool before it's time given the obsession with chevron prints in recent years.

This somewhat unusual fabric choice for me was inspired by an image I pinned on Pinterest a while back:

original image from mango-watermelon-love.tumblr.com

My floral is obviously a much smaller scale and I didn't have a gingham check shirt in my wardrobe, and all my crisp white shirts have now worn out beyond the rejuvenating ability of bleach/soaking powders (another thing to add to my to sew list) so instead I decided to mix it up and wear it with my polka dotted white silk shell top I made last year. And I happened to have a coral coloured RTW blazer in a ponte knit that goes perfectly with the skirt so I haven't created an orphan (phew!).

There's not much to say about this pattern since it's just a simple straight skirt and it was really easy to sew, but fiddly to fit. For my future self the changes I made to the pattern were:

I traced a size 38, and took out 1.5cm from the centre front along the fold line;
I didn't add the suggested 4cm hem allowance, took a further 5cm of length off and still have a 5cm hem to get it to sit at knee length. This skirt is extraordinarily long on me.
Moved the front darts towards the centre by 4cm as the pattern has them drafted too close to the sides for my shape, and shortened the front dart by 3cm. I still need to work on this because there is a bit of puffiness at the front under those darts, but this could be because I wear my skirts lower on my hips under the waistline;

I took out a wedge shape in the centre back seam under the zipper to get a closer fit and made a vented opening instead of a split in the centre back seam - I find the mitred vent to be a more professional and durable finish that just a split. I think I achieved a pretty good fit in the back (I just need to stand up a little straighter!).

The pattern uses a long narrow rectangle folded in half for a waistband but instead I drafted one with a slight curve that is in three pieces sewn together at the side seams, and instead of folding it in half I made a facing for it from the same fabric. This type of waistband is better suited to my swayback.

For the next version I need to sort out that puffiness and the front darts, and probably taper in the skirt at the side seams a bit because it's not as tapered as the line drawing from Burda suggests, but that will depend on how easy this version is to walk around in and do all the things one normally needs to in a normal day!

So overall there's not much exciting about this pattern. If you already have a pencil skirt TNT pattern then carry on, but if you don't then this is a good a starting point as any because pretty much any pattern will need fitting changes.

But the other good thing about this project is that I can finally demonstrate to my husband the point of Pinterest - he's always asking me why I bother pinning images!

Thanks for all your comments on the cotton sateen issue - I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way about it and I hope I've helped alert those of you that haven't used it yet what to expect. Badmomgoodmom made a good point about fabric quality being the key to how it wears, unfortunately you can't tell that until you've already bought and washed the fabric! I don't think I've ever seen Robert Kaufman fabric for sale here in Australia, but I certainly shall keep my eyes open for it now - fabric purchasing purely for the purpose of scientific testing you see!

I've just finished sewing the hem on my January 2014 Burda project of the month, and now I'm hoping that the weather is fine on Thursday so I can photograph it. Yes, we've gone from heatwave to rain, neither of which are conducive to taking photos outside.

But before I start on my 2014 year of Burda of the months, I thought I'd round up all the ones I made last year to see if there were any lessons to be learnt to guide me in the coming year. Probably not though, I tend to see my Burda pattern each month as an opportunity to try something new and different so I basically just go with whatever catches my eye.

January - 1/2013 #106 Panelled Dress

I love the fabric I used for this dress, a gorgeous blueberry coloured ponti knit purchased from Tessuti Fabrics at the first Sydney sewists meetup, but I find the dress a bit blah and have hardly worn it to be honest. I think it's mainly because I don't have anything to wear with it, and it gets really cool in my office so I do need a jacket of some sort, but also I don't think those horizontal seams across my bust and my hips are all that flash. And the zipper bulges a little at the centre back which annoys me. In fact I've already started unpicking this dress with plans to make it into something else - the fabric is too nice to languish at the back of the wardrobe.

February - 2/2013 #133 Paisley Dress

I listed in this my Top 5 least favourite makes of the year so no more really to be said - hardly worn, hard to style and not really me. At least the fabric was stash fabric that has now been used up. Lesson learnt: the hippy, boho look is not for me.

March: 3/2013 #110 Ribbon Detailed Dress

I quite like this dress - it's sweet and simple, the fabric is a lovely colour and an interesting texture and it was deep out of the stash. The ribbons along the centre front darts probably start too high on the bust point, but I can live with it. The only problem is that I don't really have a jacket that goes with it to wear it more often. Lesson learnt: make garments that pair with at least one existing wardrobe occupant or sew something with it to make an outfit!

April: 4/2013 #109 Shift Dress

This dress also featured in my Top 5 list recently, albeit on my Top 5 favourite makes of last year. It's a very a simple shape, in fact it's pretty shapeless but I've come to like the narrow neckline and cut away armhole sleeves. The fabric I used was a gorgeous piece from the stash that had been waiting for the right pattern to come along. Lesson learnt: a dress does not always need to be extremely close fitting to be gorgeous.

May: 5/2013 #117 Floral Pants

The May Burda project was the second chance prize for this issue, after my initial pick, a tie neck blouse turned out to be a complete wadder that ended up in the bin. These were quickly made mostly on the overlocker, using a cotton voile that had been in the stash for a while. And I can honestly say that these are probably the most worn garment in my wardrobe - well they are pyjamas after all! And actually I do like the fit of these so I may make them again - but probably not in floral satin to wear with a blazer and heels like the Burda model....

June: 6/2013 #117 Panelled Dress

So the June Burda project didn't actually get finished until mid July, but the dress turned out so lovely that it was worth the weight. This is another one my list of Top 5 faves for the year. And the fabrics were all from stash fabric. I can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can wear it again. I'd like to make a sleeveless version when I can settle on the right fabrics because it is a well drafted and well fitting pattern.

July: 7/2013 #110 Cowl Neck Top

This project was also finished in July, meaning I knocked out two Burda of the month projects in July. This is a rather simple cowl neck pattern, made from a silver lurex knit that had been in the stash for a while. I've only worn this top a few times, not because it's not lovely but because I mainly wear dresses when I go out. If I were to make this again I would make the straps from satin with some topstitching because I really like the way Quilt, Sew, Sew Sue's version turned out (review here).

August: 8/2013 #106 Fitted Blazer

August's project was also rather late and not finished until mid September but again it was totally worth the wait because this might just be the project I'm most proud of making! Another one from my Top 5 fave list, the superb drafting of the pattern, perfect fit and the absolute loveliness of the raspberry red wool crepe I used all added up to the perfect wardrobe piece for me. I definitely have plans to make another one of these soon. Fabric also came from the stash, although it had only been in there for a few years so one of the more recent purchases.

September: 9/2013 #130 Pencil Skirt

Another project not made in time! This skirt annoyed me so much while making it, that the only reason it wasn't thrown in the bin in a fit of anger is because it matches the jacket and I needed it to make a suit. The fit was funny, I didn't shorten it before cutting it out so the vents became non existent and basically I should have chosen another pattern. But it's done, and I wear it but I shall never use this pattern again!

October: 10/2013 #127 Floral Pants

These were a surprise hit for me - for someone who hardly ever sews or wear pants I wear these floral ones in linen cotton quite a lot! The fabric (from the stash) does stretch out and sag a fair bit so the fit goes from being really good to about a size too big rather quickly, but worn with sandals and a tee or a shirt they've got that casual summer vibe happening. The legs of the pants aren't as narrow as the pattern or the model indicates though. I also made a pair of shorts from this same pattern in a firm stretch drill which retain their good fit so for me these are a winner - possibly my TNT pants pattern?

November - 11/2013 #103 Keyhole neck blouse

This one just scraped into the month of November, and while nothing special it has been a useful top to wear on the days when it's been really hot here but I need some coverage from the sun because the cotton voile (also from the stash) that I used is the perfect weight to achieve both. I need to take off the cuffs and make them a little wider though because they do ride up and feel a bit tight around my elbows after wearing it for a while. I do like the graceful gathers around the neck, and I may make another version with long sleeves in winter from an appropriately drapey fabric.

December - 12/2013 # 118 Floral Pencil Skirt

One of my most recent makes (again being a little late and not made in the month of issue), a simple skirt style but made more interesting by the textured and printed fabric that came so far from the depths of the stash I can't even remember where or when I purchased it. The skirt is probably not going to go on high rotation in my wardrobe being so distinctive, and I'm not sure it screams corporate wear either but it's nice enough to be worn with casual flats and a white shirt out shopping without looking like I should be at work. Plus the whole point of making this pattern was to develop a TNT pencil skirt for future makes - this one still needs a little tweaking.

So yay to me for completing my self imposed Burda challenge for 2013, I can honestly say now that I got my money's worth from Burda subscription. Also yay for using stash fabrics for each project - not that there's a noticeable reduction in the amount of my stash, but I'm slowly chipping away at it!

I am the very model of efficiency this month I tell you! Not only have I finished my January Burda project within the month of January (the second Burda project I've made this month), but I also used this month's pattern as my entry into the Pattern Review Little White Dress contest. And I used some more fabric from the stash, so even if I don't rate a mention in the contest I'm already a winner. Of course if you want to vote for me I wouldn't mind at all! (You need to be a member of PR though and voting doesn't start until the 18 Feb).

I made 1/2014 #107, a dress with a cross over bodice and a lightly gathered skirt from a crisp white linen I've had in my stash for quite a few years.

I didn't make a muslin for this dress because I happen to have 5 metres of this linen, purchased in Bangkok many years ago (pre children - a lifetime ago!) and I figured that it would probably only be the bodice that may not work and anyway if it didn't work out first time I had enough fabric to cut out another. Happily though this dress worked out perfectly first time with no changes other than cutting out a size 34 at the shoulders and bust, flaring out to size 36 at the waist and using the size 40 skirt pattern piece so that I could have a few more gathers than the pattern.

Usually I have problems with cross over bodices gaping open since I have a very small bust but not only does this bodice fit closely I think those pleats on the front pieces (they are on both front pieces) give a bit more body to my skeletal chest region. It does get a bit bulky there at the front waist seam because of those pleats meeting the gathers, so I'd recommend sticking to a lightweight fabric if you're thinking of making this dress.

The back has two small pleats at the waistline instead of darts, which I think suits this dress ok as it's a casual summer dress but if I were to make this again in a more dressier fabric I would probably convert them to darts to get a nice close finish.

As is typical with Burda patterns the skirt is about 5cm too long for me, but I left it that long so I could make a nice deep hem to give the skirt a bit of weight. I also knew that the hem would be visible because the fabric is still rather lightweight, so I decided to give the hem some visual weight too by top stitching the hem line with a triple stitch in a longer stitch - it makes the hem a feature rather a sloppy job.

I'm not particularly liking those sleeves though - they sit a bit awkwardly and finish at a rather unflattering part of my arm. And even though I pressed the seam allowances down the flip up under my arms which you can just catch a glimpse of. If I were to make this dress again I would make the sleeves a traditional cap sleeve instead and make a facing or lining under the arm opening instead.

And no I'm not doing the 'squinch' (a pose that is supposed to make you look more attractive in photos), it was either because of glare or my children being naughty behind the camera!

After getting a bit cross a few posts back about the wrinkliness of cotton sateen you must all think I'm mad making something from linen! But the difference for me is that linen is expected to wrinkle, in fact it's the hallmark of linen and something about wrinkled linen screams summer outfit to me. I've never claimed to be consistent or to make sense all the time though, have I? Anyway I underlined all the pattern pieces with a white poly-cotton because the linen is rather lightweight and too sheer to be unlined, but also because I'm hoping that underlining it with a fabric with a bit of polyester content may help reduce the wrinkling a little. I didn't bother making an additional lining though because I still want this to be a light summer dress, and the bodice front has a fold over facing which gives a nice clean edge to the fronts.

I decided to enter the Pattern Review contest on a whim after seeing this month's Burda magazine patterns and figuring I could kill two birds with one stone. I haven't entered a contest on there before, in fact I've really only become active on Pattern Review in the last year after letting my paid membership lapse for many years but I am trying to post more reviews in an effort to give back to the community there. The competition rules require a simple, classic style that could be worn for many years and dressed up or down. I think a dress with a surplice bodice and a gathered skirt is both simple and classic and I can see me wearing this for years to come, depending on how long the fabric stays this white of course!

The entry requirement is to show the dress styled for both day and night, so here's my interpretation:

For day I chose to pair it with a tan leather bag, belt and heels and a wide brimmed white hat. During summer I'm never without a hat outdoors so this outfit really is something I would wear, but only when I don't have my children with me because a white dress to those two is like a red flag to a bull. I would barely last a microsecond before they left a grubby mark on me!

I found trying to style this for night time was a little more difficult because I probably wouldn't wear a loose fitting white dress out at night given that I have many other more sophisticated and colourful dresses already in my wardrobe. So I decided to go with classic black and white, pairing it with black peeptoe shoes, chunky black necklace and black belt. If only I had a classic Chanel camellia brooch to go with it (hint, hint husband!).

So overall this pattern is a winner, it seems to be well drafted and the style is one that is fairly easy to fit because the cross over part can be crossed over slightly more or less depending on what you need (a larger bust would probably need a FBA though I'm not an expert in that area never having needed one!), and the gathered skirt can just be drawn in to suit the finished waist circumference. Looks like my 2014 Burda challenge is off to a promising start.

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post. Even though there was no common theme or consistency to what I made from the Burda magazine last year I'm glad it didn't turn out like rag bag collection!

After making a floaty light as air dress in white linen I've reverted to my usual style and made a close fitting sharp dress in a dark colour. I used New Look 6968 which is now officially my absolute go to pattern for a fitted sheath dress to make my latest dress for work. Actually I've just noticed on the Simplicity site that this pattern is now discontinued which I'm a little surprised about because it is such a classic style, but I'll be doing my best to keep it's memory alive!

I've made this dress in a rayon by Michael Kors that I bought from Tessuti Fabrics last November, which thanks to the stretch of the fabric and the fitting refinements I've made previously to this pattern means the fit of this dress is impeccable. Having a waistline seam makes it easier to fit the back over my swayback than a one piece sheath dress, and as you can see from this side photo there is no pooling of fabric in my lower back:

Because I've made this several times previously I don't need to make any more fitting changes so I can pretty much whip this up in a few hours straight from the pattern. Although this time I made View A which has 6 darts at the neckline, and pintucks across the sleeves which was a bit fiddly and added a bit of time to the process. I didn't think those details would be visible in this fabric, so I decided to sew them with the excess fabric on the right side to make them stand out as a feature:

There's not much more to say about this pattern really - invisible zip and a walking vent at the centre back seam, fully lined and a machine stitched hem because I was in rush to finish this Monday night so I could wear it to a big meeting at work on Tuesday! The stitching at the hem isn't too visible so I can live with it, even though I'd usually hand stitch it to make invisible.

I don't think this will be the last New Look 6968 you'll see around here!

Anna was peering over my shoulder looking at my blog and demanded to know why I hadn't posted her birthday dress yet, so here it is! I had completely forgotten to post it since I made it last year before Christmas and I gave it to her while we were on holidays so it got lost in all the activity that's been going on lately.

Can you all believe that this is the fifth birthday dress that I've made for her? Long time readers will remember when I was preggers with her, and here we are at no.5 already! I figured this might be the last year I get to choose the pattern and make a super sweet birthday dress for so I went all out saccharine this year:

I used a vintage Simplicity pattern (Simplicity 2059), although I greatly increased the length of the skirt because Anna is a such a beanpole and the pattern was designed to be short in the way that vintage little kids clothes used to be, worn over bloomers. Looking at this photo I can see I probably added too much length but that's easy fixed (when it gets done is another story altogether!).

The fabrics came from the stash, a white cotton eyelet which funnily enough made a small appearance on last year's birthday day dress, underlined in a bright pink cotton. Because the fabric became rather thick with the eyelet underlined with cotton I decided to make the skirt with wide pleats rather than gathers.

I also decided to make a separate sash to use as a tie on belt rather than short ones sewn into the side seam so that the pink belt would break up the whiteness of the dress all the way around. I also did the peter pan collar in the pink fabric to make it stand out.

And of course her little brother had to get in on the act, although he's not wearing any clothes I've made him. Since it was 46 deg. that day when we were in Queensland visiting the in laws it was actually quite sensible to get around in very little.

And the other thing that happens to Aussie kids when they turn 5 or thereabouts is that they start school! A big yippee from me that the big day finally came last week, because Anna has been so excited about going to big school, asking endless questions and trying on her school uniform over and over again. The big day came and went with no tears from either of us - I'm just so proud of her that she's starting this new chapter in her life with a positive, happy attitude. Of course it helps that she loves her school uniform which is a very fine red and white stripe that almost looks pink.

Shall we take a small walk down memory lane? This is her fourth birthday dress:

Third birthday dress (clearly I have a thing for peter pan collars):

Second birthday dress:

First birthday dress:

And finally thank you to everyone on the wonderful comments to my dress in the last post - clearly it's a winner. I've already worn it to work two weeks in a row which I don't usually do since I have so many dresses and only work 3 days a week at the moment, but it's currently my firm favourite.

I have been terribly poor at responding to comments on the last few blog posts - my apologies to everyone who made the time to comment but at the moment it's hard to find the time or energy to do anything. I'm hoping our too hot for me weather passes soon and that my case of the blahs goes too! And I'm sure that many of you are hoping that your cold weather will soon pass too - isn't always the way that we want what someone else has?

Anyway let's round up the comments that need responding and then I'll reward / bribe you with the offer of a Style Arc pattern!

Anna's birthday dress:

Thanks to all your lovely comments on Anna's birthday dress past and present - a cute little dress is a delight to sew. I'm going to be extremely honest here and admit that my first thoughts after delivering Anna were thank god that pain is over and ooh I have a little girl to sew for! (I didn't find out the gender before delivery so it was a genuine surprise). Thanks to Paola and others who answered the questions about when Aussie schoolkids start school - here in NSW kids only start school at the beginning of the school year (end of January), usually when they are 5 or will turn 5 before July. Anna was more than ready to go to school and being born in January made it an easy decision - it will be a more considered decision with Toby though since he was born in April and it'll depend on how he develops.

New Look 6968 dress:

I'm so flattered at all your amazing comments on this dress - it's really such a simple and uncomplicated dress but the fabric is beautiful and the style is very me so I guess that's why it works so well. I'm incredibly touched Kelly D that you find me an inspiration for your work wardrobe, and Gail thanks for the comparison to Veronika Maine - they are one of my favourite RTW sources for the rare times I purchase clothes and a constant source of snoop shopping too.

Little White Dress:

I don't want to sound big headed here, but I think my version of this dress turned out better than the one photographed in the Burda magazine as well, so thanks to everyone who made the comment that my version made them take another look at the pattern. The lighter fabric I used and the extra width I added to the skirt made it hang far better than the thick rosette textured fabric Burda used in their version.

Silvia (aka Sewing Princess) - I'm afraid I have no secrets to sewing invisible zips, just lots of practice I guess! I don't even use a special invisible zipper foot, I just use my normal zipper foot and my fingernails to uncoil the zip. I would love to be a guest at your lovely place, but sadly real life and distance gets in the way!

Cheekychacha - I get my Burda magazines via a subscription directly with Burda, it's much cheaper and quicker than third party subscribers here in Australia and I generally receive the magazine in the same month it's issued. I've just received my renewal for this year and it's 90 euros (about $136 Australian dollars). The link for subscription is on the Burda Style website.

So I think that concludes the comment responding I needed to do, which moves us nicely onto the good part of this post.

Style Arc Lynne Skirt pattern giveway!

Sandra, winner of the Tessuti gridlock competition last year and Pattern Reviewer extraordinaire, gave me the Lynne skirt pattern recently because somehow she had ended up with two versions. An elastic waist skirt is not really my style, so I've decided to offer it up here on my blog to whoever wants it. This could be your chance to try out the fabulous Style Arc patterns if you haven't already or just add to your Style Arc collection. The pattern is a size 8 though - the Style Arc patterns are a single size pattern, and their sizing chart is here.

I'll post this anywhere around the world, all I ask is that you leave a comment on this post telling me how you prefer to see comments addressed. Do you:

check back to the post to see if the blogger has replied to your comments? Not at all or only if you've asked a question?
like to see them addressed and answered in the next blog post?
do you prefer an individual email reply? Assuming that you're not a 'no reply blogger' of course! or
Does captcha annoy you more than having to enter your name and email address like for Disqus commenting?

Even if you don't want this pattern I'd love to hear from you! I'll give this one a week, and do a random draw next Sunday night, 16 February.

Firstly thanks to everyone who has chimed in with their 2c on the issue of responding to blog comments, of course there is no consensus on how to do but it's clear that everyone likes to get a reply! It's all very helpful so thank you.

Meanwhile I thought I'd post my current work in progress because I'm hoping that by blogging it and working through the issues it'll help me decide whether to actually make it or not! You see the pattern I've chosen is a slightly bit different in a way that only Burda can do, and I'm still trying to decide whether it's good in a quirky interesting way, or if it's just ugly:

There are quite a few patterns I like in the February issue, but I was drawn to this one and I do like to use my Burda challenge projects to stretch my personal style sometimes. It's Burda 2/2014 #115 - described in the magazine as a structured peplum top although it does say to use jacket fabrics with some body so I'm planning to make it as a jacket. I think I'm love with the fabric they've used more than the pattern - that checkered jacquard in a teal, white and grey colourway is just divine.

The pattern is sized for petites (17-21) so I decided to make a muslin to test it out. I know! Very grown up and sensible of me to do that instead of rushing head long into it as I normally do. I cut out a size 17 because in jackets I usually make a size 34, and happily the waist sits a good spot and the length are sitting pretty well:

I made one side with the sleeve cap and one without, and I think it actually looks better with the sleeve cap which is the crazy bit of the pattern. I need to take in the curve of the sleeve seam at the shoulder because it sticks way out from my actual shoulder and do a forward shoulder adjustment because the outer seam of the sleeves are sitting too far back.

I also need to raise the underarm seam because it's sitting too low making it hard to lift my arms which is a change I pretty much always have to make:

At the back I need to take some excess fabric out from the sides under the arms, but I think the waist and the mild peplum looks quite fitted and flattering.

That back view certainly makes my shoulders look as wide as an Olympic rower, but I think that taking in the outer sleeve seam will reduce that effect a bit.

Despite the peplum this jacket doesn't use too much fabric, so I think I will go ahead and make it up because I certainly don't have a shortage of fabrics and the raglan style sleeves mean that this is a quick style to sew. I have a metallic silver heavy matte textured satin that's been waiting in the stash for a while to be used, and I think this might be it!

Kelly green and wrinkled: New Look 6144

Burda of the month: printed pants 10/2013#127A

Vogue 7937: deja vu (a.k.a using up the bits left over)

Vogue 2783: another cotton sateen dress

Australian Sewing Guild featured member - me!

Burda 02/2013 #126 - the little tshirt that took ages

Burda of the month: 11/2013 #103 Back keyhole blouse (and Burda of the month replay!)

Spot the difference: Burda 3/2009 #113

Japanese sewing books

The cute and the not so cute: Japanese sewing pattern vs Burda 6-2011 #111

Merry Christmas

2013: the year that was