Well I hate to sew and run but I am off to France for 3 and a half weeks so I had to finish this project quick smart!

A quick and simple design, dress 'D' only took about 5 hours maximum to make. Unfortunately the pattern turned into a size 14 even though I checked measurements. Plus I might need to re-measure myself as I seem to have lost some weight recently. The buttons are effectively useless as they do not need to be undone for me to just pull it over my head. Hence the belt as without it I look like tangerine trouble. 

This is currently the cheapest dress I've ever made: most of the materials were given to me from friends! The only cost was the sewing pattern! 

I'll definitely alter the dress to be a tighter fit and maybe throw in a zip in the side to make it more snug; as I prefer zips to belts for tightness. But maybe I won't need it after I come back swollen from all the cheese and wine in France! Au revoir! 

Materials: blood orange mattress cover donated by Natalie K (thank you!), buttons from an old garment (free), interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from 2 years ago (20c), lace trim donated by Pat. 
Cost to make: $0.20

I have been sewing in a new house! My sewing room has moved address with me and I have turned an old dusty room into my little craft haven! Still yet to get blinds but it is coming along nicely, and I have a wonderful view while I sew :) Will show pictures when it is all finished and renovated!

So I have been on the lookout for a circle skirt design pattern for quite some time and just so happened to come across one! Excitement! It was only a skirt pattern though so I used the top part of another dress pattern and combined the two for this beauty of a dress down here. 

When going off pattern it can get a little tricky and I had to make a couple of alterations to the dress in order for it to fit together. For instance; the zipper seam for the skirt was on the side, but the zipper seam for the top was down the middle of the back. So I had to add in a seam at the back on the skirt so it would all sit together better. Learning curve. 

I'm a big fan of the circle skirt design, that's where if the skirt was fanned out on the ground it would create a circle, as it is very flattering and sits nicely on the body. The pattern has a short and a long version and I thought I would try long first. The length is always important; it changes the whole look and makes this dress feel very period for me. I'm now thinking of doing a line of 60's dresses, along with petticoats. Swish! 

Materials: Single bed blanket cover from Marsden St Vinnies, zipper from Reverse Garbage Woolloongabba, circle skirt sewing pattern from Indooroopilly McIntyre Centre op shop
Cost to make: $4.25

I have had this dress pattern for a long time and finally got a chance to have a crack at it. It's a little left of centre and it's a little hard to put it in a specific genre but it is a bit fancy dress, hence the name. However  the pattern had no photo of a model wearing the finished dress, just a drawing, so I had no idea how it would turn out.
Although I know the style doesn't suit me, too much collar, I do appreciate my workmanship on it. There are no unfinished edges and I feel like I have done a really good job of putting it all together. I've never done button up cuff sleeves so that was a good learning curve!

It is actually a size 16 so it is a bit bigger for me, even though the old pattern had measurements that would have fitted me as a 12. It was a little confusing but I can easily alter the dress later. 
All in all it is a bit adorable and I can use it for a dress up party if need be! 

Materials: Sewing pattern from an opshop (so long ago I cant remember), pink bed sheet from QUT Kelvin Grove OP shop (underneath the refec), white bed sheet used for collar donated by Natalie K, interfacing donated by Pat, buttons made by me, zip from old project of Mums, hook and eye from St Vinnies Sumner Park
Total cost to make: $5.05

Well for the film I'm helping out: Radio Treason, they have a character who is a live in carer and as I was unable to find a dress I just had to make one. As she wasn't a hospital nurse I thought I would just make it a simple design with a collar and white fabric and then have an elasticated waist so it would fit the actor regardless of measurement. 

This brings me back to when I first went trick or treating in the late 2000's and was dressed as a nurse (not sexy; just practical). 

Happy Halloween!

Materials: White sheet donated by Natalie K, elastic from Lifeline at Keperra, interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from St Vinnies in Woolloongabba, bias binding donated by Pat, hook and eye from St Vinnies Sumner Park
Total cost to make: $1.55

I know what you're thinking; you're wondering why it's taken so long for me to make a halterneck! I know! But the time has finally come!

Funnily enough; this is an exact replica of a bed sheet my parents used to have on their bed when I was a child. You should have seen my mothers' face when she saw me unpicking this doona cover! 

This dress was also the first one made with my new friend the overlocker! How exciting! The inside of the dress looks all finished and professional and I am super proud of the end product. Even if the first make of the dress was too big for me as it was a size 16 pattern. Better too big than too small so I just nipped it in and now it fits like a dream. For the photo I have put on a large pink tulle petticoat so you can see how much the skirt flares out. 

Can not tell you how wonderful it feels to wear this dress; it is so satisfying making a retro styled halterneck dress! :)

Materials: Doona cover from Graceville McIntyre Centre, zip from St Vinnies Sumner Park, sewing pattern from a VERY long time ago; it's one of the very first I ever bought. 
Cost to make: approx. $7.20

How delightful!

This one only took me about 3 days (slowly) and it is a lovely little number. Perfect for picnics or daytime dates :) I had a fair amount of material left over to make accessories with as well. I might redo the collar though; I wish the frill on the collar was a bit more frilly. If it was longer it would be a much better ruffle. 

I have been asked to make some dresses for a feature film produced by some very talented people, and I will show you more about that later when the time gets closer, but the film is set in the 1930's and the 1940's so the dresses I make have to fit in that era. How exciting! I love doing retro looks even if the war time fashion is not as ambitious as some of my previous designs. A lot of clothes from that time were more understated and conservative so I am having a go at trying to replicate this, but with my own little bedsheet twist of course :D This dress is the first one I've made for it. 

Materials: Bed sheet from Cannon Hill St Vinnies, zip from Reverse Garbage, interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from op shop ages ago :P
Total cost to make: $8.50

I also had enough time to make a jumpsuit! Yay! 

Materials: Bedsheet from Arana Hills St Vinnies, Zip from reverse Garbage, sewing pattern from 
Cost to make: $6.50

What a stunner! Lots of extras on this one though! The sewing pattern didn't seem to factor in a couple of things and I had a few extra jobs to take care of before this beauty was finished. 
I had to put extra arm hole lining in as the netting on the inside of the sleeve is super scratchy on your armpit and shoulder! Not fun. 
Then because I was using polyester it kept fraying and fraying and fraying! Had to put some material around the edge of the gathered skirt that connects to the top because otherwise it would fluff everywhere! 
Even though I pressed down with an iron on the hip sash the pattern seemed to think that would suffice! Not so! Had to sew that little one down otherwise the lines would come undone. 

I know the zip is not the most ideal but I had to work with what I had. Hopefully an OP shop will deliver a lovely array of different coloured zips soon. And it does up very nicely at the back as there is a hook and eye; I just felt too uncoordinated at the time to clip it in as I had an owchie on my hand. 

In the end though; super lovely result. Really happy with the fit and I am a sucker for puffy sleeves. Plus I feel like I've done the world a favour as there is one less set of polyester bed sheets. I'm not sure why someone would want to sleep on them; they are not ideal!

Materials: Green polyester bed sheets from Salvos in Sherwood, Sewing pattern from Mackay Vinnies, Yellow netting inside sleeve from Reverse Garbage, Zip from Reverse Garbage, Interfacing donated by Pat, Buttons made by myself, extra armhole material donated by Pat.
Total Cost to make: $9.70

Whoa. Blitzed through this one. Literally took me only a couple of days. 

Very simple but lovely design. Actually I used the skirt part of one dress pattern and then made the top from another different dress pattern. The two combined are really fun and I love the material! Might wear this one when I go yachting haha! 
Decided it needed a belt as well so I made one to go with it, and also had a go at making my own petticoat this month so I put it on underneath to create more volume.I made the petticoat from a flat bed sheet from my friend Natalie K and some lace from a garage sale! 
The skirt part of the pattern also asked for me to edge the hem and then hand sew it in to place. How tedious! I went for a blind hem stitch instead and I think it looks a lot more chic and a lot more professional. 

Materials: Doona cover from Sherwood Salvos, interfacing donated by Pat, buttons from Fortitude Valley OP shop, dress patterns found in Arana Hills St Vinnies.
Total cost to make: $3.40

Well it was a bit of a close one this time. Had so much work and so many other things going on that I only started this dress on the 23rd day of the month! Cutting it very fine....

In the end though, it was a simple design with lots of fiddly bits. Not the most slimming for my waistline; it doesn't quite accentuate it how I like but I am so in love with the back that I don't mind. 

And the COMFORT! It's like a fancy casual dress but I'm not restricted in movement at all! Luuurve :)

Materials: Flat sheet and mattress cover from Graceville McIntyre Centre OP shop, zip from Reverse Garbage Woolloongabba, Interfacing donated by Pat.
Total cost to make: $7.00

Well what a month. So many different events happened and I thought I wouldn't have enough time but here we are. 
I purposefully chose a simple design that wouldn't take too long as February is the shortest month as well!

I love the puffy sleeves and the flattering collar but most of all I love the pockets. Pockets on a dress is a deal-breaker. It started out as a pale apricot colour, but now I look at it it could be pink or salmon.... However, for next time, I might save one of my floral sheets for this pattern; it is a nice design but I think it could do with that little bit more. 

Material: Mattress sheet cover from Graceville Macintyre Centre. Buttons from St Vinnies in Fortitude Valley. Interfacing donated by Pat :)