Zebra Print for Jungle January

This year I have garnered my inspiration for Jungle January  from the savannah rather than the jungle. I think the only requirement is that the garment be made from an animal print, not necessarily from the jungle, and who doesn't love a zebra print.

I found this lovely zebra print in a poly/spandex knit on a recent trip to Spotlight. I actually made a top from this very fabric a couple years ago, so I was quite excited to find the fabric again. I loved the top but it was just too tight and is no longer in my wardrobe.

I used the Named Clothing Kielo Wrap Dress pattern for this dress which I have made before here. However I did make some changes. Inspiration came from Anne Whalley on Pattern Review.

The dress was shortened to just above the knee and the ties were left off completely. This allows the wings to drape loosely at the sides, creating a loose fitting, yet stylish dress.

I found the drapes did need a little bit of arranging to sit nicely. I sort of turned the corners back in on themselves, telescoping the drape rather than leaving them as flaps. Hope that made sense, it is rather hard to explain.

I also lowered the bust darts by about an inch which put them in the correct place for my body. The neckline was also lowered and the neckline and armholes were finished off with a self fabric band. This is a very comfortable dress and I think it suits my rectangular shape so much better than the wrap style of the original pattern. How is your Jungle January sewing going? I'll leave you with my inspiration picture.

Happy Sewing

A Style Arc Ginger Knit Top for Jungle January

There's nothing like an animal print and a loose fitting top to camouflage those extra few pounds that have crept on over the festive season.

I managed to whip this top up over a couple of evenings during my first week back at work, and wore it to work on Friday with my Style Arc Barb Pants. I have made this top once before here, so it seemed easier the second time around.

Style Arc Ginger Knit Top

This top is really quite a simple, yet stylish design. The front shoulder pleats and the cross over wrap create a flattering fit, and the top works well with pants and would look great with a slim fitting skirt too.

The fabric is a gorgeous jersey purchased from Style Arc a while ago. It is very good quality with a lovely drape...perfect for this pattern.

There are only three pattern pieces: front, back and back neck binding. The back is the full pattern piece so it can be cut out in a single layer. You are supposed to cut one pair of the front piece, but I found this pattern piece was too wide to cut on a double layer (fabric folded in half), so I had to cut it out on a single layer too, carefully remembering to flip the pattern piece over so that I was cutting a pair, and not two identical pieces.

The wrong side of the fabric does peek out a little at the front hemline when standing a certain way. This was a huge issue with my first version and I had to remove a large wedge of fabric from the under layer to stop this occurring. I made this version exactly as per the instructions and have not had a problem, so I don't know what I did wrong with the first one.

The print was quite a large design and I was concerned with positioning the pattern evenly over the top. I didn't have a lot of fabric to play with so I spent quite a bit of time playing around with the positioning of the pattern pieces before cutting out.

I am really pleased with how this turned out and I am glad I spent that extra time at the beginning of the project. It would have looked terrible if the same large pattern motifs had been placed side by side.

The hems were all sewn with a very narrow zig zag stitch because I was being lazy and couldn't be bothered setting up the twin needle. They all look fine and have enough stretch to prevent the thread from breaking.

This is actually my second Jungle January item sewn this month. The first is yet to be photographed...hopefully this weekend. It features a zebra print. Have you sewn something up for Jungle January yet?

Happy Sewing

An Edith Dress for Jungle January

After my initial attempt at the Edith Blouse and Dress pattern by Maria Denmark here I was enthusiastic to try again with a few changes. I purchased a jungle inspired print from the bargain shelf at my local Bargain Box Fabrics for only $5.00 per metre. It was some sort of cotton? I think, with a lovely drape. Perfect for Jungle January.

As I noted after making the blouse, I made a few changes to the pattern. Firstly, I retraced the pattern in the bigger size B44 ( and added 1.5cm seam allowances). I hope I didn't mislead people in my last post regarding the sizing of this pattern. I think the pattern corresponds well to the sizing chart, I was just in denial about my actual size. As a side note regarding fabric requirements, Maria only provides fabric requirements for 140cm wide fabric. I used 112cm wide fabric and I cut the blouse easily out of 1.5m and the dress out of 2.5m. (This did not allow for making bias binding).

In order to address the issues of the bust darts being too high and the armholes being too small I did a very simple alteration to the pattern pieces. I simply slashed the pattern horizontally above the bust darts and through the armholes and spread it by 2cm.

I also cut off 7cm at the hemline to allow the hem to finish above my knee. 

I am really happy with the fit now. 

Sorry about the wrinkles but these photos were taken after wearing the dress all day at work.

I did have enough fabric to make some bias binding to finish off the sleeves. 

The darts at the back shoulder create a nice fit.

I used white thread for the construction and top stitching. I did think about using black thread to sew the buttonholes because I was using black buttons, but I am glad I went with white as they are quite unobtrusive and disappear into the print of the fabric.

I turned the hem up 1.5cm twice and top stitched. This is a really comfortable dress and I am so glad I tweaked the fit to make it work for me. Well worth the effort.

This jungle print is certainly something I wouldn't normally wear...not really my colours, but I am pleased with the finished result. I already have another Edith cut out in a completely different fabric for a totally different look, and I have a few more blouses planned as well.

It has been fun to participate in Jungle January too.

Many thanks to my daughter for taking these photos for me.


Happy Sewing

White Snake Foile Print Maxi (aka McCalls 6552)

As usual, I made myself a new dress to wear to my work Christmas Party last month. I was a little strapped for time, so I chose a simple pattern McCalls 6552 (unfortunately now OOP), which I have made before here and here. 

Taken at Circular Quay just before boarding the boat for our dinner cruise on Sydney Harbour (my 2014 work Christmas Party)

This is a versatile little pattern that can be dressed up for a glamorous party or dressed down as a beach cover up, depending on your fabric choice. It can be made in a knit or a woven fabric too. The bodice front and back are cut as one piece (that's right, there are no shoulder seams). I would recommend this pattern to a beginner as it is quite simple to sew and easy to fit.

McCalls 6552 Line Art

I am usually a size 14 to 16 in the big four patterns, but as I was using a knit, I cut a size Small as I had done for my previous versions. The fabric was purchased online from The Remnant Warehouse. A White Snake Foile Print Jersey, (which is still available). I really had no idea what to expect when I ordered this fabric. It was a bit of a surprise when it arrived. The colour is very close to the photo on the website but it didn't feel like I had imagined. The print is an almost plastic feeling layer on the fabric. I was worried that it might feel like wearing a raincoat. Luckily the wrong side of the fabric feels just like a poly jersey. Due to the print layer, this fabric had very little stretch, which made my dress a little snug and I wished I had cut the larger size.

This version ended up a little short compared to my last maxi. I had added 4cm to the length, but I hadn't realised that I hadn't actually added the extra length to my traced pattern piece. Never mind, it made a feature of my pretty new shoes (and I avoided a trip hazard).

I eliminated the drawstring at the waist and replaced it with some 12mm wide elastic inserted in the casing. This made a comfortable and snug fit which did not need constant adjustment and worked very well. I felt that the dress looked a little unfinished so I made a long sash to wrap around and cover the elastic casing. This was a long rectangle, approx 300 cm long by 22cm wide, folded in half longways, right sides together, and stitched along the length and across one end and then turned right side out. I then tucked in the raw edges on the open end and stitched closed. This is long enough to wrap around me twice.

I finished of the neckline with a knit binding turned completely to the inside. As the Foile Print fabric did not have very much stretch, I used some white cotton/lycra left over from my recently made white T shirts. This resulted in a nice snug neckline without any gaping. As this is a very low cut dress, I wore a white rtw petticoat underneath.

I sewed french seams for the bodice side seams as they are visible inside the kimono style sleeves. The overlocker was used for the other seams. I turned up a very small hem and stitched with a twin needle. This would be a great candidate for Jungle January, if I hadn't sewn it in December.

Many thanks to my darling husband for taking these photos for me today, and many thanks to my Mother and her husband for the use of their pretty garden. (Mine is an overgrown mess at the moment, due to all the rain and heat we have been having lately, and me spending all my spare time in my sewing room.)

Woops! I almost overbalanced and fell in the pond.

Happy Sewing