What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 And not just any Barbie, a pregnant one too!

My brief was to make an outfit that would show the pregnancy. Not my usual dressmaking!

I started by looking for patterns but quickly decided that I wouldn't anything suitable so I settled on a pair of wide large trousers and a top, long at the back and cropped at the front. 

 I have lost my trusted Lark Tee pattern that I have been using to make nightdresses. Sadly I have searched for it through my sewing room twice but I haven't managed to find it. Anyway I guess it will resurface one day. In the meantime, I decided to try out the free I am Blandine pattern.

The obsessive rabbit hole that I fell into this week was all to do with Travel Journals. I have been accumulating stationery for my (grown-up) children to keep holiday diaries like they did when they were little. Obviously, I had to watch copious Youtube videos and several of the channels recommended a pouch by Delfonics to in which to keep all of the bits and bobs. Those pouches are Japanese and cost a minimum of £40.00 so I decided that I could make my own. Firstly, I ordered a pdf pattern which cost me $5.00 then I had ...

 It seems that I hadn't made a garment for quite a while... The SewAprilBlouse24 challenge on IG was just what I needed to get going. And although I had planned/hoped to make 2 blouses, I finally completed one that I had cut earlier this month. 

 Another finish this week-end! I've had this pattern, the Binky panties for over 5 years and I hadn't tried it yet, I don't think. There are quite a few variations, I initially thought about trying a mace overlay on the front but finally abandoned the idea because 1) I wasn't sure to have stretch lace in my stash in the correct colour and 2) I figured out the lace wouldn't quite work with the wide elastic for the waist.

 I had cut the set in November and was hoping to finish it promptly, once I would have received the elastics but my order arrived and everything sat there, waiting to be picked up. I ordered some glitter boxer elastic for the waistband and the bra band, which is really pretty, might need to order myself some! And some cavaliere elastic, which is like a bias binding with the fabric held between the 2 "layers" of elastic and of course some strap elastic too.

I wanted to try a bralette for my daughter and found the Tami pattern by Eclipse ...

 I seem to concentrate on the easy and fast to sew at the moment. Maybe it is the satisfaction of achieving something even when I have limited time and energy... Anyway whatever the reason, about a week or so after I cut it all up, I finished a new PJ for my eldest daughter. She seems to be growing overnight so everything gets too short too quickly.

Weather is awful, life is difficult so I could easily hibernate... making PJ is almost hibernating I guess, but at least something come out of it. 

This week I picked up the pieces I had cut in October from my scrap box to make a new pair of PJ for my youngest, with leftovers from a PJ made to her sister a few years back.

 I had to move most of my dressmaking fabric stash recently as well as my boxes of leftover which I've discovered got wet during one of the cellar flooding... sadly some of the pieces now have stains but I've washed most of them now and went through them to work out what I should get rid off. 

I found leftover jersey pieces from PJs I made to my eldest daughter about 5 years ago, too childish for her now but I thought I'd try to make a PJ for her sister (who is older than she was ...

 After the girls' summer PJ, I have been meaning to move to the boys' ones. I started cutting one for hubby about 3 or 4 weeks ago but then disaster struck, we had a heavy thunderstorm with lots of rain and the basement where our office/sewing room is got flooded so we spent the rest of the evening mopping it up. By that time, I had cut all but the neckline and the sleeves.  

I used a lovely soft cotton jersey for the top that I had bought about a year before at a local fair. I use the ...

Finished and worn already! I decided not to stop on my nightwear making adventure to make myself a new night dress with the leftover panda fabric.

Again I didn't hem the sleeves or the bottom of the dress but simply serged them.

Another finish for July and one that is already happily used. 

And last week, I am happy ...

Happy to report that I have finished the 2 PJs I had cut out about a week ago. Those were made using the trusted and reliable 11th hour gear pattern, probably my list used pattern!

I cut a size 16 for my eldest, the t-shirt is a little long but that's OK. And I cut a size 10 for my youngest. 

No sewing at all the previous week but I caught up on Sunday by making the pandas PJs for my eldest.

 PJs have been on my to-do list for a long time. Not sure why it has taken me so long to pick up a simple and fast project, for which I have all I need in my stash. Anyway, I finally got some of my jersey fabric out a few weeks ago and asked the girls to take their pick. 

I first made a pair of shorts for my eldest daughter to wear with her nightdress. Great to make it all from my stash and a really quick make too...

Next I cut out 1 PJ set for each girl ...

 This was quite a last-minute make but thankfully it was a fast sew! I had seen the "Defi Declic" on IG organised by Atelier Scammit with their lovely free pattern and had planned to make one before the end of June, apart that again time crept up on me...

I finally cut the pattern and washed the fabric on Tuesday last week, cut the top and ironed on the interfacing on Wednesday night before assembling the top on Thursday.

It is quite an easy sew with just 4 pieces and the instructions are very clear, with lots of videos (which ...

 With Spring finally back and a few Holy Communion to attend, I thought I needed a new dress. I had wanted to try some French Poetry patterns for a while and settled on the Pléiades 2 Dress for my first try. Before I left the UK, I had ordered a stash of Lady McElroy fabric from Sherwoods Fabrics that I hadn't yet put to good use. I picked the New York City - Night print, q lovely cotton poplin that has a beautiful drape.

 I am not sure I ever been that fast to sew up a fabric after buying it or to sew a pattern for a second time but this week I made myself a second Socks Pullover. I made a slightly different version with a lower collar and the faux buttoning on the shoulder.

 A new IG challenge, how could I resist, especially knowing I had some fabric in my stash that would work and winter is not yet over rather it's come back recently! And this works for 2 IG challenges actually, since January #magamsewalong is #Jumpstart.

 My company Christmas party was in London just under 2 weeks ago and we were told to dress like in the 1920s. A quick look online made me realise that I had left it too late to order an outfit so I bought the Folkwear 1920s Flapper dress pattern and I went to Toto tissu to buy some black fabric and some bling to make a dress in the week or so I had left.

The pattern is rather simple with 2 identical pieces for the top and 2 identical pieces for the skirt. I cut a size Large qnd ...

 This one was started over a year ago. I joined an online class with Claire's Thread in May 2021 to sew the Ultimate Coat by the Maker's Atelier.

I didn't quite manage to finish it during the sew-along but made quite great progress. The Coat was assembled and only needed the finishing touches. 

 I know, summer is over,  although temperatures adding midday have been so mild recently that we could wonder! In any case I'm ready for summer weather with my new blouse! I cut it early September as part of a double challenge. The Charlie pattern was offered for free by the designer,  la Robe du Chat, new to me but a nice find! With a challenge to sew the pattern by mid September, which I failed! There was also the IG #magamsewalong challenge to make a shirt in September.