summer sewing

About 6 or 7 years ago I bought some lilac broderie anglaise fabric to make a dress for a good friend's daughter.  Shortly after, I realised that the girl wouldn't wear it: the colour might have been right but there wouldn't be a designer label attached to the dress.  So I didn't make the dress and the fabric went into the stash.

Today seemed a good day to dig into my stash.  After all, I recently promised my husband that I would try to use more of my fabric stash rather than buy more fabric.  He thinks that a reasonable guide is that I use 1m of fabric for every 1.5m I buy.  I think he is being completely unrealistic and unreasonable.  But maybe there is a decimal point in the wrong place - a 1:15 ratio seems better suited to me?!

Anyway, I found the lilac broderie anglaise fabric and a pattern I hadn't sewed before, the Oliver + S seashore sundress, and put the two together.  This is what I came up with

size 4

back view

I tried to match the border at the seams and I'm pleased with the results

In my large button tin I found some matching buttons for the shoulder straps

And I sewed around a freezer paper template to ensure that the shoulder straps are identical.  

Unfortunately I still have a quantity of this material left over so I will have to find someone else to sew a little skirt or top from the remainder.  

I also made some Oliver + S class picnic shorts from a remnant of pink stretch denim I might have picked up last week.  

The tag stated that the fabric was "faded" and it wasn't until I unfolded the fabric that I discovered how uneven the fading was!  Grrr.  So I ended up cutting the pattern around the fading and I will have to try dyeing the fabric if I want to use the leftovers.

note the difference in colour between the two sides 

I made my own piping from a pink and green-spotted fabric in the stash

This is such a cool pattern and it reminds me of the shorts we wore as kids in the 70's.   (Am I showing my age?  Does anyone say things are cool any more?  Presumably, it is OK to use "cool" and "70's" in the same sentence…).  My sister suggested that I make these shorts out of a velour - just like the 70's - but the only velour I have is red and I wouldn't want Rosa to look like one of those girls who helps Santa out at the photo stand at Christmas time.  And, it would be uncool to buy more fabric just for the sake of reliving our childhood (or inflicting it on Rosa).

I made a class picnic top for Rosa last year but it was too big then, so it may work out to be a good match for these shorts

The skirt is pattern b from Japanese pattern book "Girls going out clothes" by Yuki Araki

So another couple of Oliver + S patterns completed AND some fabric removed from the stash to make way for some more...

Flower power

I bought the Oliver + S trench coat pattern last year.   I waited for just the 'right' fabric and recently found it - a lightweight coated cotton - at Dots N Stripes.  But with summer fast approaching it didn't really seem like such a good idea to make a trench coat…. so that is exactly what I did!

size 5

 back 

I made view A and the only change I made was to add a belt buckle that I found in a fabulous little button shop in Tokyo

Isn't this just the perfect buckle for this material?

My first attempt at the pockets was not good enough - I wanted them to be perfectly shaped - so I recut the fabric and used freezer paper templates to make a second set.  These turned out more to my liking but, of course, it is hard to see them in this busy print.

I also used covered buttons because I didn't want them to clash or detract from the buckle

I didn't try to fussy cut the pattern pieces because the material is so busy but I wish I had staggered the front pieces a little so that the large yellow and blue flowers are not so close together.  Never mind, perhaps the next time I make something out of this fabric I will be a little more careful.

 

In keeping with the bright floral theme, I also sewed an Oliver + S ice cream dress from a groovy Michael Miller print called Peace Flowers.

size 4 

This was quick to sew particularly as I didn't add the pockets (just too lazy) and I combined the top and bottom panels of the dress when I was cutting out.  I bought this fabric to make this dress but now I am not so sure I like it.  Perhaps, I will use a neutral linen next time I sew this pattern.

Floral print for the art museum trousers

I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself: another Oliver + S pattern ticked off my to-do list AND with fancy welt pockets too!

My inspiration were these trousers

I thought that the Art Museum Trousers had many of the features seen on these designer trousers and, after seeing these pants on Flickr, I knew this pattern was good for a girly version.  I used a floral cotton sateen fabric I picked up recently on a trip to Tokyo

These pants were fun to make and I was impressed with how easily they came together.

The instructions for the welt pockets were thorough and the welts were straightforward to insert.  I made sure that all of the stitching lines were copied onto the fabric accurately and I ended up with even pockets.  But you would never know that looking at these pictures with everything distorted by the elastic in the back!

Of course, using really busy fabric like this hides any little imperfections.

I used Liesl's instructions for the zipper fly front.  It looks tidy but next time I won't sew quite so close to the zipper teeth on the (wearer's) left side because the zipper pull pokes out just a little at the top.  On my RTW trousers the front panel is stitched about halfway between the zipper teeth and the far edge and the zipper pull is well hidden.

And it even looks like I matched the flowers over the fly!

Now, I've just got to decide what to do with the all the other fabrics I bought in Tokyo....

Beam me up, Scotty!

I finished these onesies a few weeks ago

Spacefem captain baby bodysuit from Spoonflower