Everything you always wanted to know about me, plus a few things you probably didn't

                                 

Have you checked the fabulous Another Sewing Blog? The author - whose name I've just realised I don't even know - has kindly given me the Liebster Award, a virtual award passed from blogger to blogger with the aim of promoting blogs with fewer than 200 followers. The Liebster is akin to a chain letter, as it requires the awardee to answer a series of five questions, provide five facts about themselves, then pass the award on to a further five bloggers. As there are a few different versions of the rules around, I'm going to follow Another Sewing Blogger's lead and not worry too much about them.

So, in answer to the questions put to me:

1) What is your favourite make (sewn, knitted, any kind of craft)?

I have so many favourites, but the creations that have perhaps been the most useful are a pair of colourful pillowcases and matching heat packs (rice bags) that I made for my children a couple of years ago. They still adore their pillowcases and those heat packs are looking rather the worse for wear due to frequent use. One had to be replaced after an unfortunate bedwetting incident...

2) What was the last movie/tv show/play/musical/album you enjoyed?

I've been playing The Beatles' 'Revolver' in the car recently, while my son bugs me with constant questions about the tracks. Who was Dr Robert? Was Eleanor Rigby married to Father McKenzie? And why are there so many lonely people?

3) What made you smile today?

Seeing my daughter literally skip into her classroom at school - she is always so happy to be there. Oh yes, and my husband just poured me a glass of wine...

And here are some fascinating facts (insert sarcasm emoticon - is there one?) about me.

1) As a child I excelled in the sack race, the three legged race and the egg-and-spoon race. I still don't understand why these are not considered real sports while things like chess and curling are. The world is a seriously messed-up place.

2) I collect Chinese enamel plates - the cheap ones, with flowers on them. And I'm pretty pleased with myself for having such inexpensive taste.

3) Now and then I search the web to see if I can find any little Japanese paper flowers that unfold in water, or the Chinese equivalent where a shell opens in water and a paper flower floats up from it. I used to have these as a child and I am devastated that they're no longer available. Any leads, please let me know.

4) I have what must be the world's most consistently mispronounced (not to mention misspelled) name. For the record, 'Marisa' has only one S, and it rhymes with Lisa.

5) I've been vegetarian for about 25 years. Almost everyone in my family and my husband's family is vegetarian or pescatarian (an annoying word, but what's the alternative?). My son is such a passionate vegetarian that after parties he usually throws out most of his lolly bag contents in case they have gelatine. I'm so proud :)

Now it's my turn to pass the baton to a bunch of people whose blogs I've enjoyed reading lately. They are all mothers of daughters and they tend to sew from the same or similar patterns to me, which means I can often benefit from their experience before trying things out myself. It's like having my own little gang of pattern testers!

So without further ado, I hereby present the Liebster Award to:

Elephant in the Study - I love Asmita's creations and we have a couple of Japanese sewing books in common, so it's always interesting to see what she makes from them.

Sew it Sherry - another Japanese sewing book enthusiast I discovered only recently.

Nutta! - Shino sews lovely clothing for her daughters from - guess what - Japanese sewing books!

Creative Needle & Threads - I discovered Maria's blog when she sewed a stunning Guatemalan-inspired outfit for the Roots sewing series on Elegance & Elephants.

Go check them out and you'll see why I'm hooked!

Apologies to anyone above who has over 200 followers or has already been Liebstered :)

Now here's what these bloggers need to do: 

A. Answer these five questions:

1) What are your other interests/hobbies besides sewing?
2) Do you have a favourite recipe (or failing that, take-away food dish!) and if so, what is it?
3) Where would you most like to go for a holiday, and why?

B. Add five facts about themselves.

C. Choose some other bloggers to receive the award.

D. Display the Liebster logo. At least, I think you're meant to - but it's not like The Liebster Foundation's going to sue you if you don't.

Remember, bloggers, the Liebster Award has been going for many years. If you keep it going, every blog on the net will soon be festooned with lovely pink Liebster logos. To break the chain is very bad luck and will result in your blog being hacked by teenage delinquents. JUST KIDDING! Participation is entirely optional and I will totally understand if you decline to pass it on. I considered doing the same, but... well, it's nice to be appreciated and I thought I'd share the love.

This has been an epic post, so for now - over and out!

Oh yeah, and Bloglovin wants me to drop this code in here, so I'm just going to be obedient and do it.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4107813/?claim=3cmjtcvtkp2">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

A beachy boatneck dress

Feeling very happy with the success of my beachy boatneck top I decided to try mixing it up a bit for Frances Suzanne's flip this pattern series. 

The beachy boatneck  is designed for knits, but I thought it would make a lovely dress bodice in a woven fabric. I looked at various fabrics in blue and white with a view to having a nautical colour theme, but in the end made the virtuous decision to use some cotton-linen from my stash along with some coordinating Prints Charming flower-printed cotton-linen.

The bodice is exactly as per the original pattern, but as the fabric was obviously not going to be stretchy I went a couple of sizes up from the cotton jersey version I had previously made for R. I cut the back in two pieces with 1.5cm added to the inside (centre) edge of each in order to accommodate a zip (good thing I used an invisible one because the closest colour I could find was bright red!). Instead of using the facing pieces of the beachy boatneck pattern I faced the neckline with bias binding made from the Prints Charming fabric. I lengthened the sleeves to be full-length, and as I had some binding left, I faced the sleeve hems for a little hidden bit of colour.

For the skirt section of the dress I cut two rectangles of fabric about 1.5 times the width of the bodice. I made a second 'underskirt' layer in the Prints Charming fabric, making it a few centimetres longer than the top skirt. I pinned the two sections together and gathered them, then sewed them onto the bodice, retaining the curved hem of the original pattern so the bottom of the dress dips in the centre front and back. I really love this effect. And I love the way the dress looks on R, with the classic lines of the boatneck and the little bit of peeking-out floral at the bottom.

As we're moving into the cooler part of the year here in Melbourne, I'm thinking of this as an autumn dress that can be layered with tights and cardigan or worn with a long-sleeved top underneath. The boatneck style is perfect for cooler weather, giving lots of coverage. And that pink fabric will brighten even the gloomiest day. As will this smile:

Twin needles and two tops

Last week I tried a twin needle for the first time and I'm a convert. This thing is fantastic for finishing hems and sleeves - you get the lovely double row of stitching plus a zigzag stitch on the reverse side which allows for stretch.

I used my new needle(s) for the sleeves of an envelope-neck t-shirt, which I made in cotton jersey using pattern M-3 in size 110 from Children's Clothes Lesson Book. For the neck edging and the contrast band at the bottom (not in the pattern) I used another cotton jersey from the same range. It is a loose fit on R but I'm happy with the sizing and wouldn't change it.

I bought the same fabric in another colour to make a beachy boatneck with three-quarter sleeves. I made a slightly lengthened size 4 (R is nearly 6 but has a narrow chest) and it's a beautiful fit. I used scraps from the first t-shirt to make the facing, and was very happy to be able to use my twin needle to overstitch the neckline and to finish the hem and sleeves.

R was a bit of a reluctant model today. She has just started her first year of school and by Friday afternoon she is stressed and exhausted, ready to have a meltdown at the drop of a hat (luckily my son has spent all his spare time for the past week hunched over a desk making rainbow loom bracelets, so at least I've only really had one child to deal with). For my ill-timed photo shoot she adopted a range of unhappy expressions ranging from sulky through to exasperated - until I asked her to smooth her skirt down so I didn't wind up with a photo of her undies, which she found so hilarious she couldn't stop laughing.

I love the curved hemline of the beachy boatneck, and I also adore the colour of this fabric (I think they call it 'latte'). I'm feeling inspired to sew lots more stretchy tops and t-shirts, but it's hard to find attractive knit fabrics in natural fibres. Is there some secret shop in Melbourne I should know about? Or will I have to go international and order a year's worth of knits from Girl Charlee?

My favourite easy bag pattern

It's been so long since I posted anything - where have the weeks gone? OK, one of them was spent away on holiday, and then there's that new job I started in February - but still, time has somehow rushed by without my having sewn anything much at all (I have planned things, traced patterns, even cut out fabric... but it all remains unfinished). So readers, please accept my humble offering of... a bag. I sew a lot of little things like this that I don't often blog about, but this bag is my go-to pattern for an easy-to-sew bag that is great for showing off a special fabric. It's the reversible bag from Very Purple Person (you can find the tutorial and free pattern here), and it has just one pattern piece! The bag is lined, so you cut that one pattern piece out four times. I usually use a thick cotton or drill for both lining and outer, and although this makes the bag difficult to turn out after sewing, it does work... eventually.

I usually make two alterations to this pattern: I add an extra few inches to the strap section as I find it a little short, and I include a little pocket inside.

The bag on the left was made for a friend in Cape Town (I haven't sent it yet, so hopefully she's not reading this!). The fabric is from a Spotlight range featuring linoprint designs by women from Maningrida, a remote aboriginal community in the Northern Territory. This particular design is of waterlily pods - I think. I accidentally threw out the selvedge which had all the info on it. The bag on the right is one I made for a friend, and I liked it so much, I made the same one for my sister, too. I'm so consistent in my taste it's surely only a matter of time before I make someone the same gift twice... or perhaps I've already done it, and they've been too polite to tell me.

Anyone have another simple bag pattern they would recommend?