Molly's Christmas Present - The Finished Product!

Today I finished Molly's Christmas present! Remember how I showed you the top and skirt last week? Well now the dress is done as well and all I have to do of my Christmas sewing is Nan and Mum's hand towels!

I used the criss-cross tunic pattern by Whimsy Couture for the dress and I love the way it turned out! Whimsy Couture have a way with making super hard looking patterns actually be so easy to sew! The tutorials they include in their patterns are great - they have so much detail and nice big pictures to follow so you know you're doing it right. I absolutely love their patterns!

I love that these tunics are reversible and I think the two fabrics I chose for it look perfect together for summer!

My only regret with this present has been listening to mum when she said to use puff paints to draw the edge of the bird on the top I appliqued for Molly. Look at the poor thing!

Puff paints are not easy to use - or at least not if you have unsteady hands! I struggled to make the stream of paint even, and at one stage it wouldn't come out, so I shook it a bit, and that's how I made such a mess of the birdy's beak! Oh well, I guess for the sake of a $2 target shirt and some scrap heat n bond and fabric, it's not going to be too hard to make a new one!

Are you making any of the gifts you're giving this Christmas? If so, what is it that you are making and who is the special person you are giving it to? I'm kind of worried Molly's mum won't like her present or won't appreciate all the thought and hard work I put in to making it. I tried to make it look as professional as I possibly could. There's nothing worse that handmade clothes that look handmade.

Disaster Strikes!

SO, I should have known that completing a collection of clothes in two weeks is un-doable for a complete beginner in the sewing world, but I gave it a go nevertheless and when disaster struck, I took it in my stride and got on with things. This is why when the photos from today's shoot go up in a few day's time, you will only see two handmade items of clothing in them. Both skirts. You will also see a few accessories I have made though, and that's gotta count for something, right?

Well, you probably already knew that I had grand plans for this collection that I hoped would blow everybody's minds away, but I have to say, even though my overlocker is experiencing problems at the moment and there was no way I would get any more sewing done before the shoot, I am incredibly proud of what I achieved these past two weeks anyway. The two skirts I made look awesome, and all my sketches are superb! I worked incredibly hard on planning the items I would make, and once my overlocker is working again, I promise to make and share the garments anyway.

Here is proof that I actually did plan to make and had cut out tops for the collection:

Anyway, I can't wait to share the photos from the shoot with you all. They will be used to launch my Etsy and Made it shops as well, so this really is a big deal for me. Hopefully the tops I am making will be completed and photographed soon (if only in a lunch break at work) and they too can be added to my new online shops!

When things don't go to plan - refashion!

Ever had a day when absolutely nothing goes to plan? Including your sewing projects? Being the "take it and run" girl I am, I always rush into projects without fully thinking them through or reading the instructions properly and quite often this is when a disaster will happen!

Luckily, we have our good old friend "refashion" to come to our rescue at times like these, and that's exactly what she did the other day when the fat quarter pillowcase dress I made turned out uneven and unsellable.

I was trying to combine The Mother Huddle's Fat quarter pillowcase dress with their knot front pillowcase dress and didn't read the whole way through the instructions before starting to sew. I thought the way I did it would work, but I made the diagonal cuts for under the arms too big and when I put the split in the material for the tie, it was not centred and didn't allow for the dress to gather enough to look good. Luckily, I had an idea up my sleeve!

I just chopped the top off, re-hemmed and ran a few lines of shirring across the top and -voila! A cute, shabby-chic skirt to use up the gorgeous fat quarter bundle I bought from Always Knitting and Sewing on Ebay.

 

 

 

 

 

This skirt is on sale now at The Corner Store. If you're in North-Eastern NSW, drop by Evans Head and check it out!