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

I know what you're thinking; that can't possibly be a bed sheet someone got rid of! Well it is actually offcuts of fabric that a friend gave to me. I have had it for a while, but the two pieces I got were one narrow piece that measured 30cm x 2m and the other was a 1m x 2m piece. A little tricky to fit a pattern on if it had a long or flared skirt! Especially as the zebras only go one way. But I just this month found this Vogue mod dress pattern that had a straight cut and short length and thought it would be perfect! 

At first I was going to make the yoke or collar a different colour, like a bright red or orange, but then thought it might be a bit tricky or limiting for the wearer to coordinate accessories. I personally would pair it with a large bright orange necklace. Plus then I use more of this fabulous zebra material! 

It may look quite basic, but there is also a lining underneath and there was a lot of hand sewing that needed to be done; especially slip stitching. Slip stitching is when you have to sew but not show any thread. All in all it took about 8 hours so not altogether too stressful; a very pleasant project. 

Plus there are pockets and zebras! No one can be unhappy in a zebra dress with pockets! 

Materials: zebra offcuts fabric donated by Miranda (free), sewing pattern from Grovely St Vinnies (50c), large zip from Reverse Garbage ($1.50), 1/4 of lining fabric from Grovely St Vinnies ($1.00)
Cost to Make: $3.00

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 only just enough material for this dress! Had to do the lining of the bodice in a different sheet though as I ran out for that but I thought I would go for the super long dress instead of the medium dress (see pattern picture) for this time. 

Super in love with the back; it was literally the whole reason I made the dress in the first place! It would be great with a neat hair up-do but it was a bit too cold to get too creative with my photo shoot! 
Love the back more than the front, as it could be more flattering for my chest; it really could sinch in a bit more underneath my bust. That is quite easy to alter later though if I choose. 

It took approximately 18 and a half hours to make. Very stoked with the end result; even if it is a little pale: the picture doesn't show the colour of the floral very well. 

I will have to make more bows like this one. The pattern told me to put netting on the inside of the bow which is what has made it stiff and sculpted. Unfortunately I only had fluoro yellow netting and I was worried that the bow would be tinged yellow but it turned out ok. If I was making them in less of an experimental way I would get the right colour. 

Materials: flowery single flat sheet and mattress cover from Ipswich St Vinnies (approx $5), pink bodice lining from Nov 2013 dress scraps, zip from Reverse Garbage ($1), yellow netting in bow and sleeves from Reverse Garbage (used 25c from $6 roll), interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from Bridgeman Downs Uniting Church Garage Sale (25c)
Cost to Make: approx. $7.00

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