CAKE: make, meet & eat

So this month I have been Sewing Cake with the WSBN.  The Challenge was to sew any Cake Pattern during the month of July and then come together on Sunday 28 July and eat Cake (high tea party).

I started by whipping up a Tiramisu Dress, blogged here.  While I was at it I thought I would learn how to make Tiramisu desert - wow what a mistake, it is soooo morish! Here is my first attempt - it doesn't look that appealing because someone (husband/kids!?) ate all the chocolate in the house.  This version is topped with berry sauce rather than grated chocolate.

April Pant in July

After my success with the Jalie Jean I was super keen to get onto another pant - in comes the April Pant (legging) from Style Arc.

I made a wearable muslin from cotton lycra.  The fabric was in my stash - I had purchased metres of it to make some basic long sleeve Renfrew for winter undergarments, umm still getting to those!   The cotton lycra is okay but has a relaxed feel about them.  The weight means they will probably be okay for spring or autumn.

all black - nothing much to see!

PJ's Sewaholic Style

More sewing for my 'mini me' (don't tell her but I really wanted any excuse to make this pattern ... sssh).  It is winter here in NZ and there is nothing better than a warm pair of PJ's to hang around the house in.

I really love the piping feature of this pattern - I just think it adds a touch of class to the simple PJ.  Hey and who doesn't want to look their best when they go to bed!

I made the piping myself (using my new piping foot for my machine).  The only thing doing this is there is quite a bit of unused fabric.

Tribal Tiramisu

I had been waiting and waiting and waiting for my Tiramisu from Cake Patterns to arrive and when it finally did I ripped into it immediately, 'cause I had already bought the fabric in anticipation.  Within a week my Tiramisu was cut and sewn up - it has taken me longer to photograph and blog than actually making it.  But here I am so let's talk Tiramisu ...

The Pattern:  I understand Steph has changed pattern printers and this edition of Tiramisu is the first from the new supplier.  The pattern paper is great, it is much sturdier than the normal/standard (however you want to say it) tissue paper.  I love it!

Messy BUT Cuddly Faux Fur

When I agreed to sew a fur vest for a friend, I really didn't know what I was getting into!  Shopping for the faux fur from Global Fabrics (oops The Fabric Store) was fun - given that this type of fabric hasn't ever attracted me before.  I didn't realise how much of a choice there is. 

But man is it messy!  I had fur absolutely everywhere!  

Goodbye RTW Jeans!

I can't believe I made jeans that actually fit!

Pants/Jeans have been on my 'must learn' list for a little while and I've been reading anything that I could find on pant fitting, but do you think I understand it - NO!  Earlier in the year I attempted a New Look pattern, very straight forward ... back, front, band, side zip - what a disaster! 

Sewn Square One Dress

After the sleeves had to go, my Sewn Square One Dress is now ready for it's big reveal!

Sorry but it's such a hard colour to photograph.  I made it with a fine pin-stripe cotton that I picked up for a steel at just $4m about 8 months ago.  I just had to wear the white top, because it is so damn cold not to.  FYI: I wouldn't style it like this to wear out in public!

I have to show you a close up of the pockets - they are quite possibly my favourite part of the dress.  The top of the pocket finished just at my waist and runs along the seam line of the side panel - I think they give great proportion to the dress.  The small pleats make them incredibly comfy without adding a bulge to the dress.

Super Sweet Blooger Award

I very much still consider myself a newbie to the world of blogging my sewing journeys, so to get nominated for the Super Sweet Blogger Award most definitely caused me to blush.  A super sweet thanks to Dresses and Me

The Rules

1. Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated you.
2. Answer 5 Super Sweet questions.
3. Include the Super Sweet Blogging Award in your blog post
4. Nominate a baker’s dozen (13) other deserving bloggers.
5. Notify your Super Sweet nominees on their blog.

The 5 Super Sweet Questions

1. Cookies or Cake? Coffee & Cake, but Milo & Cookies (am I allowed both?)
2. Chocolate or Vanilla?  Mostly chocolate
3. Favorite Sweet Treat?  oooh that is too hard, my homemade chocolate fudge slice hmmmm
4. When Do You Crave Sweet Things The Most? I have a sweet tooth, so usually never pass up the opportunity.
5. Sweet Nickname? honey!

My nominees are….

Dresses and Me - Three Dresses - The Curious Kiwi 

Calico Stretch - Modern Vintage Cupcakes - Nikki Stitches

Goodbye Valentino - Snazzy Sew n Sew - Make it yourself mom's diary

 Sew Biased - As I See It

So check out these lovely ladies’ blogs today!

No sleeves thank you!

This week I've been working on my second Indie Pattern, the Go Anywhere Dress by Sewn Square One.  The pattern provides for three variations: a dress, a tunic and a top.

I selected the dress to make first up, with a woven pinstripe from my stash.  All was going well and literally finished today, BUT .... they just had to go - yep the sleeves just had to come off.

My Cordova

I can't believe how quick this Cordova jacket has come together.  Here's all the deets on my preparation.

Usually I would sew a size 8 Sewaholic, but I decided to go with the finished measurement of the garment rather than the body measurement and have sewn up a size 6, although I could have gotten away with sewing up a size 4 - maybe next time :-)