Townmouse

Scooter rides, ice-cream and fabric

Yesterday was Max's twelfth birthday.  In the morning we took a scooter ride to get ice-cream at the local Trampoline.

We take the backstreets, as these four tearing along on their scooters can be a little intimidating to a tentative octogenarian out buying groceries.  (When we get to the shopping strip they have to go at a walking pace in a straight line.)

While the children sit outside the store eating their ice-creams, I duck next door to a conveniently located fabric store.  

Last time I visited this fabric treasure trove the owner said as I walked in the door, "I knew I'd see you today."  "What do you mean?"  "I just knew this morning that I was going to see you today."  This was somewhat curious because it had been several months since I'd last visited, and even I didn't know I was going to visit until I walked past the door and went in on impulse.  I love this sort of stuff.  A conversation involving ghost sightings and intuitive friends ensued.  Intriguing.

Happily this time they had a recent shipment of beautiful Italian cotton shirtings - my favourite kind of fabric.  This is what I came away with.

Shirtdress number two is already cut out and ready to be sewn.

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).

Another Liberty girl's top

Adelaide is getting so tall now I've had to make this top in the next size up from the last one.

I bought this Liberty fabric in the haberdashery department of Le Bon Marche in Paris last year.  (I love it that a high end department store in Paris still has a haberdashery department - heaven.)

The top is another repeat of my much used favourite Townmouse pattern.  Sewing that neckband is fiddly and not particularly enjoyable.  This pattern comes together a lot slower than some of my others, but the finished product makes it worth it.

This fabric looks sweet with navy, so a navy cardi and navy Mary Jane Start Rites complete the look.

A winter shirt

It's been a long while since I've done any dressmaking.  This is my first for the year.

This is one of my favourite Townmouse winter top patterns. Adelaide has worn this a lot in other fabrics and sizes.

This is a pretty Lecien fabric I bought a while ago.  Adelaide has cardigans in red and blue which will work well over this top.

Quick children's pyjamas

There are two things I have a lot of in my studio: t-shirts and fabric.  Put the two together and you have a pair of children's pyjamas in no time at all.

Corrie has been making pyjama pants for her little ones.  She inspired me to do the same.  This pattern I use for the pyjama bottoms in my range.  The pants are super easy.  I did away with the side seams to make the making that little bit quicker.

I whipped up these pants in under 8 minutes.  Yes, they're that quick.  My tip is to stitch the waistband elastic into a circle before you sew it into the pants.  That way you don't need to pass it through the waistband channel on a safety pin (like most commercial patterns tell you to).  Simply fold the top of the pants over the elastic to form the waistband channel, enclosing the elastic as you go.  This way is a little harder to master, as you have to wrestle with the elastic a little, but it's super quick.

Adelaide is excited about her new pyjamas.  After this little try-on this morning she laid them out on her bed all ready for this evening.

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.

Last stitching for 2011

Before we packed the car and headed for the beach I just had to sew one last-minute skirt for Adelaide.

It was prompted by the Christmas Eve purchase of these cute grey shoes from a French brand newly available in Melbourne.

So while Adelaide slept and the boys and Will were out of the house I pulled this pretty grey Lecien fabric from my stash.

Adelaide approves and the skirt was happily worn with her new favourite shoes.

Henri is very handy to have around when photographing Adelaide.  He keeps her distracted long enough to get a good shot, and always obliges with a smile.

One more Liberty sundress

Thankfully Christmas has come upon us in a rather stress-free fashion this year.  Not churning out Townmouse orders until the last Christmas mail has certainly helped.

The only moment of panic was when I went to turn on the larger of my two ovens this morning to cook turkey for 10, only to find it non-responsive.  I had visions of driving to my mother's with a basted turkey on the passenger seat.

The crisis was averted when 11 year old Max asked, "What does 'Auto' mean?"  I'd set the clock the other day and, when pushing buttons randomly, had set something awry.  Thank goodness for that.  Max was congratulated for saving the moment and was rewarded with free reign to eat the chocolate Christmas baubles on the tree.

Well, he'd had tic-tacs for breakfast, so he was on a roll.  Why not eat chocolate before lunch.

This Liberty sundress was perfect for our hot and humid Christmas day.  I made this on Christmas Eve while we waited for the boys to fall asleep before putting the presents under the tree.  The dress will come in handy for January at the beach.

I also made a little bikini bottom in my favourite fabric.

There is a matching sunhat in the works too.  That I plan to finish on Boxing Day.

I hope you and your families had a lovely Christmas day.  I, for one, am very much looking forward to a slower pace over the next few weeks.  Enjoy the last few days of 2011!

A Christmas dress

I picked up this pretty Yuwa fabric the other day.  I'm always a sucker for a fabric with pops of red.

I've been meaning to make this dress style for Adelaide for ages.  I think this style is cutest on two year olds so I was keen to make it for this summer.

That pop of red always looks cute with red shoes.

Adelaide seems happy enough in her new dress.  Surprisingly she let me photograph her which is a rare thing.  Normally I only get the back shots as she makes a quick getaway.

Of course I got plenty of those too.

I dropped my beautiful portrait lens the other day.  While it is in for expensive repairs I'm having to settle for average photos with my standard lens.  Very frustrating and can't wait to get my favourite lens back.

Sewing plackets

I'm not sure why, but I love sewing plackets.  

There's something about cutting right through the middle of your garment, and then putting a neat little placket over the top to make it alright again.

They're fiddly, and require patience.  I use Liesl's excellent instructions from her Jump Rope Dress (as my own patterns come without instructions).

I'm not sure if this is a nightie or a dress.  It is inspired by this top.  I will have to wait to see it on Adelaide before I decide.

I'm not that happy with the sleeves.  I think I'll have to redraft them so they go all the way around the armhole - more like the top that inspired this one.  I'm not very good at drafting sleeves.  I might have to drag out an old patternmaking book for a bit of guidance.

Until I perfect the sleeve, I can see this is going to be a nightie.  

Oh, and the fabric is a Lecien print from the "Princess Rose" collection.

See more creative endeavours over here.

 

More Liberty sundresses

It's official.  I have an all-time favourite Liberty.

This Liberty in the Tatum print has enough pink to satisfy Adelaide, and enough blue to keep me very happy.  So a win-win, which is why I have another few metres of it in transit from the UK as I type.

This dress is a Townmouse pattern from the last few summers. (You can pick it up on sale in other fabrics here.)

This is my contribution to Adelaide's summer wardrobe so far.

Let's see, there's this linen sundress from a few ranges back.  I kept the sample that my little muse wore in the photograph. There's yesterday's flutter top, a sundress with flutter sleeves from a few weeks back, a wrap skirt and coordinating t-shirt; and there's even a pair of Oliver + S Puppetshow Bloomers hiding at the back in a blue spotted fabric.

There they are.

I must say, it is so lovely to have reduced my workload this year. This is why I wanted to be able to free up some time - to enjoy sewing for my children before they are too grown up to appreciate what I make. Please excuse me if I overload you with frivolous Liberty creations. There's a lot of pent-up sewing in me that needs to come out. (There's also a sizeable Liberty stash that needs decreasing.)

I even made something for myself last night.  That will have to wait for another post as I haven't hemmed it yet.

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.