Easy Beach Skirt.

I'm slowly working through my stash and mostly I've sewn skirts for my for my daughter. This turquoise fabric was originally destined to be made into this long sleeve blouse pattern (McCall's 6286).

I might make this shirt in the winter.
Maybe in a type of Linen...

But in the end I sewed it up into another skirt. I decided on a flowing and summery style skirt, great for walking barefoot on the beach. Too bad if the wearer had other ideas...the joy of being the sewer! 

Pattern used: New Look 6942
Size: 14
Fabric: (Cotton Broderie Anglaise type)
Notions: Thread, Chord, Elastic

Was an easy pattern? Yes

I didn't have to add much length as the
pattern pieces were long enough

This time I marked my fabric well. Not like my
first attempt at this type of skirt

This fabric was a popular choice for the cat...

Just given it a wash to soften
the fabric

The flowery white pattern is printed on
which made ironing hard. I had to lower
the temperature to a silk setting

Sideways view...I'll make this again
 but perhaps a bit smaller 

Making a Lavender Wreath

When summer comes I always pick lavender and dry it. This year I was hoping to save some for making bath bombs or lavender sachets...Instead I tied it all up in a sort of rustic wreath.

Firstly I made a willow branch circle to tie my bunches of dried lavender on to. Here is my effort for a dried Lavender Wreath.

If your interested in making a 'fresh' Lavender Wreath you can find a tutorial here.

This is my favourite Lavender it's  highly perfumed, a new plant
but I can't remember the name...

Starting to make the wreath. I've included
 white and pink lavender

Not perfectly round but it all smells
lovely...

All the lavender on the grass, which was
 a bit of a waste...no lavender left
for bath bombs...

Just-A-Peek

At my raspberries in the vodka.

It's been over a month now and
this is what it looks like. Another
 month and a half to go!

Sewing New Look 6103

Help I'm having a bad sewing day! If anything was going to go wrong it did, and I think the type of fabric (from my stash) played a big part in this. It was a type of heavy taffeta like fabric. So the front of the skirt didn't sit right, I needed to alter the darts and make them longer so the front of the skirt sat flatter over the tummy part...

I had difficulty easing the waist band onto the skirt body no matter how many times I pressed the fabric it still puckered at the waist band. Personally I don't like sewing these type of waist bands (makes fitting harder).

I thought my zip sewing was perfect, but it wasn't. I had a slight excess of fabric so it didn't look as good as it should of. But I wasn't going to unpick it as I hated sewing this fabric. Also I wasn't too sure if the skirt was going to look good anyway...

Overall this pattern is an easy sew and I'd make it again in a different fabric. Also maybe I wouldn't have a waist band I'd just use a facing like Style B....Has anybody else had trouble easing the waist band?

Pattern: New Look 6103
Fabric: Heavy taffeta type
Size: 14
Zip: 7"

Finished and not too bad...pleased that's over
but I do love the colour!

The back..this is probably more
of a winter skirt as the fabric is heavy.
You'll get too hot wearing this in the
summer...

Oops she fell it's really windy....the
waist band looks better lying down!
I'm  still not happy with it. It doesn't
 sit as well as it should.

Old Rag Doll McCall's 5514

This is a easy to make 24" vintage rag doll.
She's pretty old now, made by my daughter.
It has to be my most favourite rag doll....

I really love her ripped calico hair and her
black snap fastener eyes

This is how the hair is sewn at the back...She's
rather messy because she's been played with...

Her soft legs bend so she can sit.
Her babies missing, probably
in a toy box somewhere

A vintage pattern well worth making...if
you see one snap it up! 

It's a Cicada Summer

It's hot today and a Cicada has been up in a tree singing away. I 've never ever seen them here or heard them in my garden...this is the first time. I hope he finds a mate...

A bit blurry I had to get the pic through
 a window on zoom....Too sunny outside
for pic shooting...

A Summer Skirt

I'm de-stashing my stash....Wasn't I supposed to do it last year? Never mind it will have to be a five year plan I don't think I will ever get to the bottom of it.

Skirt Pattern: New Look 6035
Size: 14
Fabric: Cotton print
Zip: 7"

This is a fairly straight forward sewing project.....except I didn't read the pattern right and went off on my own sewing tangent. Then I noticed the skirt had a band not a turn down facing. So I had to unpick my zip and start again.

I ended up chucking my zip out as it didn't slide easily.Who wants to unpick and fix the zip once the skirt is made? Not me! I found another red zip in my stash but it was far too long so I shortened it.

Mostly all my sewing went well, but it would have been better if I had just cut the fabric to size instead of adding inches to the side seams. Because the skirt became way too big and I had to fit the skirt back to a size 14...

Because the fabric is bold and bright
you can't see the design of the skirt
that clearly

The Style D A-frame skirt does look very slimming on.
I sewed the hem by hand...

A closer look at the band...New Look 6035

Too Long Zip?

What do you do? The solution is to sew a few stitches over the zip teeth before you cut your zip to the length you want. Make sure your  zig-zag stitch tension is tight (like a button hole stitch).

I've never had any problems with my shortened zips, they laste as long as one bought to size.

Set the sewing machine to zig-zag

Tighten the tension and zig-zag over the zipper  teeth in
the same spot

This is how the end of the zipper should look

Just to be sure I re-did my stitching switching
 to my trusty Bernina. Next you cut the zip about
an 1" away from the stitching using
 pinking scissors. 

At the Beach

I'm actually sewing, I'm just waiting for the iron to heat up and have been totally side tracked :)

Containers to protect the road from any rock fall caused
by the Earthquake. Dogs are only allowed on this
 part of the beach...

Houses still up the hill damaged and not removed yet.
In fact not a lots happened...

Shag Rock in the distance...

What was once Shag Rock is now no more...
The earthquake damaged it..

The other side of the beach and as a child I decided
to wade over to the rocks. I fell into a deep pot hole
and almost drowned. I saw the light at the end of a
 tunnel music, everything. Then my dad pulled
 me out...

On the other side is  South Brighton beach too dangerous to
wade over there....

And who vomited in the car on the way home...

Pinata Fun

It took the big cousin to break it, but the girls had fun trying...