Townmouse

Lisette Traveler Dress

Recently my much loved industrial sewing machine died on me.  I bought it second-hand when I was pregnant with Max. It served me unfailingly for 12 fabulous years.  I cannot imagine how many thousands of kilometres it has sewed.

Industrial sewing machines are simple beasts - they take two men to move them around, are very ugly and only do a straight stitch.  Despite these limitations they are brilliant to work on and I really couldn't be without one in my life.  So after determining that my old machine was perfectly fine mechanically, but new technology in motors had rendered it useless, I traded it in for a newer second-hand model.

Inspired by my new toy I did some sewing for myself.  I love Liesl's Oliver + S patterns and was keen to try one of her women's patterns under the Sew Lisette brand.

One of my favourite daytime outfits in the summer is a shirtdress.  I have several in my wardrobe and they seem to suit my shape.  So the Traveler Dress it had to be.

The fabric is a navy and white shirting cotton I had in my stash.

I made a few modifications to the pattern.

I made the collar as a two piece collar. Just because I like playing with collars and my patternmaking skills need a bit of brushing up on.

I made it sleeveless for a more streamlined look.  I bound the armhole with some bias fabric.

And my favourite modification: I added hidden pockets in the skirt side seams.  You can just see the top stitching I put there to keep the pocket lining in place.

I love this pattern.  It's a great fit and cut.  I'm very happy with it, as I suspected I would be, knowing Liesl's work.

Now that I have this garment as a guide, I've made some adjustments to the pattern. I always trace my tissue, store bought patterns onto patterncard for greater accuracy.  Now I'm ready to make the next one (in a fabric that looks a little less like a girl's school uniform).

A year of crafting

The year just passed was a very busy one in our family.  There was less time for crafting than I'm used to.

There was more dressmaking than quilting.

Adelaide has been the main beneficiary of my sewing endeavours.  

Here's to a productive 2012 for us all.

Home made doll's clothes for Christmas

Henri was going round the house with his clipboard this morning, asking his siblings what they wanted for Christmas. (He must have raided Tom's stationery supplies for next year to find said clipboard.) Adelaide's response was "doll's clothes".

This sweet little doll is so lovely to cuddle because of her soft body.  The problem is she needs high necks and sleeves to cover her undergarments.

I drafted a pattern block for Amelie (dolly's name) - a simple bodice block with sleeve.  

I used a few scraps to replicate my most favourite of all Townmouse dresses.

This one fits the bill with its high neck and elbow length sleeves. 

Now I know that the pattern block is a good fit I can create a few more variations for Amelie.

I have a sweet little suitcase, purchased from Lark, that I can put Amelie's wardrobe into.

A quick trip to the local button shop is on my To Do list today to buy some simple press studs so Adelaide can easily dress and undress her doll.

I'll let you know how I go with the rest of Amelie's wardrobe. There might have to be a few matching dresses for Adelaide in the mix.

Shirt dresses

I love a shirt dress.  I have a few in my wardrobe and I wear them a lot in summer.

This is my favourite.  It's classic and comfortable.

I'd like to try replicating it; maybe in a blue shirting stripe with self tie belt.  I've gathered a few patterns, including this one, which I plan to modify to get a similar look to above.

And speaking of shirt dresses, here is Adelaide wearing hers - the Jump Rope Dress from Oliver + S.  This is such a cute pattern.  I will definitely have to find the time to make another one of these.

My creative space

It's great to get back to some garment making.

I have a few metres of striped shirting in four colours: pink, red, pale blue and navy.  It has a fine handle and is rather lovely to sew with.

Before I cut into a precious Liberty (yes, the real stuff) or other favourite fabric when trying out a new style I make a quick sample or toile. But I can't bring myself to waste my sewing energy on a cheap calico.  I'd rather make it out of something that, if the pattern works, is at least wearable.  So I use this shirting.  

I guess when making children's wear, fit is not so crucial, and the fabric requirements are quite small.  If I was making a sample garment for myself I probably would use a calico.

This is a little raglan top with a front placket and neckband.  I wasn't entirely happy with the fit of this one.  There's another one in the works with less fullness.  I've taken a few cms out of the width of the front, the back and the sleeves.  Because this one is so voluminous it will go into Adelaide's cupboard until next year.

More creative spaces at Kootoyou.

Pretty Liberty dresses

Last night, in the middle of screenprinting butterflies for t-shirts, I was stopped in my tracks when a fabric I'd been pondering caught my eye.  I decided then and there to make Adelaide a dress for today.

She has been wearing this top a lot, so I wanted to make a dress version, which is cooler for hot days.

Again I used food to keep her still enough to photograph.

I do love a little flutter sleeve on little girls.

I had thought about making the bodice with a higher neckline - just to provide a little more sun protection; but I do love the look of this pattern from the back, with the two little buttons in the centre.

Shhh, don't tell Mummy, but I'd prefer to hang out in my PJs.

Speed sewing

Making a garment for the second or subsequent time is always so much more satisfying.  You get a quicker and expected result.

I repeated this top, and yes, this time I did play with the sleeve ruffle.  Rather than the ruffle being doubled or on the fold, I hemmed it using the rolled hem foot on my machine.  This gives the hem a little more stiffness (rather like the fine wire put in florist's ribbon).  

As a result, it ends up with a nice fluted, flowing shape, rather than rigid gathers.  I think I prefer it this way.

Here's another pair of the much loved Oliver + S bloomers.

I love the crisp white in this fabric.  It lends itself to being paired with a white top.

And because a little girl needs options, I've used some fabric scraps on a Townmouse tee.

What to make?

I'm trying to think of something very special to make with this precious piece of Liberty lawn.  It's a seasonal from a few years ago, and I don't know how it passed me by.  I would have loved 60 metres of it.  As it happens, I only have one metre; which means I only have one shot at getting a garment right.

I'll show you any finished products worth seeing.

See more creative endeavours at Kootoyou. 

Playing with patterns

Today it's back to sewing with my own patterns.  I've been playing around with a pattern for a summer top, which is a late entry into the upcoming summer range. 

When Adelaide wakes up she can try this on for me.  If it passes my critique, then it's on to grading the bigger sizes.  Henri will have to try on the size 4 and 6, and Tom will have to try the size 8 - sorry boys.  As always, chocolate will be involved to bribe them to model girl's clothes.

This top is a variation on this dress.  The construction was troubling me, so I've been fiddling around with various options for finishing the sleeves neatly.  Facing in the back was the solution.

It won't appear in this pretty blue in the summer range.  I'm saving this fabric for my own personal stash.  Not everyone loves blue on girls as much as I do.  I used a favourite Liberty to bind the armhole.  It just happened to be ready made and within easy reach of my sewing machine from an earlier project.  This top will feature in the range in white, pale pink and watermelon.  (I managed to source a pretty good replica of my favourite swiss cotton so I'm excited to have it back in the range.)

Oh, and here is the top with the ever-present cuffed pants again.  These will be available in white in the new summer range.  It's a safe bet to say Adelaide will be wearing this outfit frequently.

We work well together

Some days Adelaide and I have a nice little routine going.  Today was such a day.  I put her down for her day sleep and headed to my studio to do some patternmaking.  I had an idea for a summer top (or dress) that I wanted to realise.  So while she slept I made patterns and a sample, and when she woke we tried it on.

There was a lovely warm light coming into our living room this afternoon so I took a few snaps. 

A blue day

Not in the sad sense. 

Just catching up on the ironing - one chore I don't mind doing.  One of the little shirts hanging there is a variation on this one.

I redrafted the collar so it had less roll.  The pleats are a lot finer and the block I used is a slimmer fit with narrower sleeves and less bulk overall.  The end result is much better.  Adelaide has worn this one a lot already.

Weekend sewing

The weekend was a productive one.  While Will was in Mumbai for a wedding, I stayed home with 7 children on Saturday (the boys had some friends over).

I finally got my winter range onto the website.  Well, I'm calling it a "New Collection" without getting too specific about season, given most brands now have their winter stock on sale.

I also found time for a little sewing.  With Adelaide wearing bulkier knits as the weather gets colder, she needs collared shirts.  Until now she has lived in the new Townmouse Cotton Shirt in many different fabrics.  I don't mind a cardi over a collarless shirt, but I'm not so keen on jumpers without collars under them.

This is an old pattern from 2003.  I haven't made it in ages.  I've since refined my pattern block for tops.  I'm not sure about this pattern.  Now that I can see it on a little person for longer than a quick try-on, I need to change a few things.  There's too much roll in the collar.  The pleats are too deep.  The sleeve has too much volume.  I can't decide whether I'm being picky, or whether this top is really more Chloe Sevigny on Big Love.  Some patternmaking is afoot.  Variations coming soon.