Well I am so stoked about this little number. I will wear this again and again. Causal or fancy. I love the sleeves and I love the length and I love the bow and I love the waistline. I am so proud of my workmanship on it; I feel like I'm wearing a bought dress! Could be the new little label I have on the inside! (see January 2015 dress)

The pattern is actually for a size 16-22 but I made some guesses and then accommodated with extra fabric and trimmed later where necessary. 

It took me about 9-10 hours to make. Bit confusing in some parts but I finally got the hang of it! After this dress my slip-stitching game is very strong. It's where you go in and out of the edges and the technique makes it so you can't see the thread. 

There is something about this material that is so soft and malleable. It was so easy to work with! I have a bit leftover so might need to make a circle skirt. 

The pattern says to include a petticoat but its a little warm for that right now! Do you think it needs a petticoat anyway though?

Materials: Rose Doona cover from RSPCA Sherwood ($5), sewing pattern from Indooroopilly McIntyre Centre (50c), zipper from Everton Park Lifeline (20c) 
Cost to make: $5.70

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

Well this pattern was only half there! I was missing the pattern piece for the bottom tier of the skirt which I guess is what happens when you buy second hand patterns! Luckily it was the same length as the second tier of the skirt, just not the same width, which is why it is shorter than the picture. 
I figured it would be an awkward ankle length for me anyway as I am quite long and tall so I just used the same pattern piece that I used for the second tier. It actually worked out better though as that was all the material I had from the sheet, so I had only just enough material for the dress! 

And what a tremendous fit. One of the most flattering dresses I've made so far. Great for my waist and I love the ruffles so much! Lots of practice for gathering what with all those tiers on the skirt and the ruffling on the neckline! I really like how it can be a strapless dress but because of the fitted waistline it doesn't need any stiffening or boning in the bodice to keep it from slipping down. Which I love as that saves money on materials, and boning is very hard to come by in op shops ;) 
I may make a red rose belt for the dress as well as the colour is very much like the picture for once. 

All in all a great find, and not too many materials required either. A plus for this pattern :)

Hours: 15.5
Materials: Paled Red Double Flat Sheet from Indooroopilly McIntyre Centre (approx. $6), Sewing pattern (20c), zip from Spotlight ($1.80 but free with my voucher), elastic donated by Pat, bias binding donated by Pat, 
Cost to make: approx. $8.00

I had a bit too much free time this month and almost made 3 projects but decided to just finish the two and complete the next project next month. 

This dress is so interesting to me. The top of it did not fit as well as I would have hoped but the skirt part is remarkable. And that was the main reason I wanted to make it. The skirt has cording in the green edging part and is super fetch! I added shoulder pads as the top was a little roomy. It looks very classy though and I love the material; it's like an old oil painting :) 
First time doing long sleeves and I will definitely do it again! 

Unfortunately I did not have the right zipper but luckily I have an amazing auntie who gave me a Spotlight voucher for Christmas. Zips are not that different in price when purchasing, in op shops they are usually $1 and in Spotlight they are a maximum of $2 for the long ones. 


Materials: Doona cover from Indooroopilly McIntyre Centre ($5), 60cm zip from Spotlight (using Xmas voucher), shoulder pads from an old garment (free), sewing pattern from Indooroopilly McIntyre Centre ($1) 
Cost to make: $6.00

Oh also I made a double peplum suit jacket with a matching skirt. I am so in love with it! Long sleeves again and it is one of my best made pieces. It came together so well! I feel like I am channeling Cybill Shepard from her 'Moonlighting' days! 

Materials: Doona cover from Sumner Park St Vincent De Paul ($4), sewing pattern from Southport Lifeline (20c), buttons from Lutwyche Lifeline (5c each), 15cm zip from an old garment (free), interfacing donated by Pat (free)
Cost to make: $4.55

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

Well this last month has been a bit hectic but I have finally managed to do this pattern that I have had for some time. I thought the whole strap situation would be a bit tricky and it was indeed very interesting to learn.

The pattern wanted me to put in elastic in the waist but every time I do that on a dress I always put a belt on anyway so I thought I'd save materials (and time) by just leaving it as is and I will just accompany it with a suitable belt when the time comes.

The dress also only required a small amount of material; I only used one sheet and have plenty leftover for flowers or yoyos. I was worried it would be super see-through as well but the sheet has surprised me!

The dress is very comfortable and has pockets as well! The bottom part is a little tighter than I thought it would be but I think it feels good nonetheless.

Happy New Year everybody! See you in 2014 with even more dresses to come; I will have a new studio to work from and I'll show you the new little cubby hole when it's all set up!

Materials: Bed sheets from Arana Hills St Vinnies, interfacing donated by Pat, pattern from too long ago
Cost to make: $3.50

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