Ponte Morris Blazer

The Grainline Studio Morris Blazer is the ideal casual smart clothing item that fits perfectly into my wardrobe. The appeal of this pattern is that it is intended for a knit fabric (or a stretch woven). I imagine that it would wear like a cardigan in a knit.

I downloaded the PDF pattern from the Grainline Studio website, dug out some black ponte from the stash and set to.

I traced off a size 10 and made just one alteration.  I'm not really a 3/4 length sleeve kinda girl, so I lengthen the arms by 6 1/2", allowing for a 1" hem.  I did away with the sleeve facing because I thought the ponte would behave better with a turned up hem.

Wonders happen overnight ... sometimes!

I must say that I've never done this before ... cut and sewn a new garment, literally overnight! (no sewing fairies were available during the making of this edition, due to holidays)

I think it was Wednesday evening, when I arrived home from work I was at a bit of a loss ... I didn't have to cook dinner and kids were all taken care of, so that just left me and my sewing corner :-) But I couldn't carry on with my current labour of love (B5882) because it needed a fitting and the body needed for said fitting wasn't home.  What to do???  Pull out a quick and easy project on the to do list, of course!

This is the Jenna Cardi that I first made back in September and have worn endlessly ever since. The cropped version with long sleeves is spot on for me.

The perfect summer cardi

I had so many good intentions to get all my 2014 makes, posted in 2014 ... but here I am on the evening of the second day in 2015 and I have five posts backed up :-(  Oh and today I finished my first make of the new year, which increases the count to six!  Let's get a wiggle on then ...

The Jenna Cardi: the first pattern released by Muse Patterns (a very talented local Wellington designer).  I didn't pick this pattern up until the end of September, when I was looking at a light but warm cardi that would see me through spring into summer. 

Mission Maxi Hack

The month of May was not only Me-Made-May but it was also Sew Stretchy over at The Monthly Stitch.

The idea of a nice warm knit dress for winter has been brewing away in the back of my mind for a little while - but not anything as simple as finding a pattern and getting to work.  No, no, no!  This was a long-sleeve t-shirt dress which was a combination of the Mission Maxi by Jamie Christine, a Renfrew for the scoop neck (so I didn't have to calculate the neck band) and contrasting of the Ensis Tee.  Now put that on boil and stir occasionally.

Hello Chevron Ensis!

Did I tell you that I am in Love with Papercut Patterns - okay so moving right along then, let's talk about my Ensis Tee which I've made up in this fabulous cream and black chevron.

The top black pieces are NZ merino, a remnant piece from my stash and the bottom is a polyester knit, recently found on Trade Me (the NZ equivalent to EBay).  Yes, I did say polyester!  I've been looking for chevron knit fabric but NZ seem to be behind the rest of the world in realising that this is popular right now.  There are plenty of overseas online stores with great cotton knits but the shipping makes it really, really expensive for a knit fabric - so I've settled for a poly!

In saying that, the polyester hangs really nicely and just needed hemming with a double needle, which looks awesome btw!

I made a size xtra small and added 1" to the sleeve length, well actually to the cuff length.  I'm a bit of a fan of the deeper cuff :-)  Note to self for next time, add about 1/2" to the width of the cuff, which will still be a snug fit, but will be a little easier to attach to those pesky sleeve ends.

I like how the upper body and arms have a snug fit but through the body it's a little more free flowing.  I like how this pattern could also be sewn up in a double knit, perhaps a size bigger and be a great stylie sweater - version 1 with the bands lends itself that way, or you could add a bit of length and get a lovely tunic top.

My Papercut love includes:
Peter and the Wolf Pants
Circle Top 2 - Black
Circle Top 1 - Red

As always more photos on my Flickr -->

Circle Top Take 2

I just couldn't resist!  I had to have a second Circle Top by Papercut Patterns.  My first was a lovely rich red - view that one here.

Little Red Hood

I have been eyeing up the Papercut Patterns for a wee while and the other day I gave in.  I was looking for a cardie or similar to wear with my new hummingbird.

I headed off to The Fabric Store to their 40% sale, looking for some merino!  But what would you know the only fabric that wasn't on sale was the one I liked!  So what the hell, I got it anyway along with the Circle Top pattern.

Hummingbird Cake

Well I'm finally here to share my Hummingbird after the sneek peek in my last post about the Cake sew-a-long.

The shape of the Hummingbird really appealed to me, although I have never really been a peplum fan!  After stalking the Hummingbird in the blogisphere I thought the nature of the knit fabric would mean that it would sit rather nicely rather than flaring out.  I don't like the thought of accentuating my hips!

I found this rather yummy striped merino at The Fabric Store sale.  As always it is a dream fabric to work with :)  I really love the way it fells, wears and falls.

Quick Fix with Merino

Yay for quick fix sewing projects!  After the Burda Sew-Along in May and with by Robson Jacket hung on my "I'm not impressed" hanger I was looking for some instant gratification! 

First off the rank was McCalls 5006 which is a pattern I've had in my collection for a few years and never ever sewn!   I've had my eye on this merino for a few weeks now, specifically to pair up with my Cambie.  But for today I've paired it with my shirt dress and jeans.