Just in the nick of time!

Phew, I made it! And just in time too!

Thanks a million to all your wonderful comments and encouragement, not to mention stripe matching tips! You guys are seriously AWESOME!

Check out my entry here.

Mx

To Sew, or Not to Sew?

.... for the Tessuti Awards Competition that is!

I had planned on entering last year (but didn't) and then planned on it again this year (but haven't!). Without realising, time flew by super fast, and now I only have 13 days until the competition closes! Golly!

In my panic I went out and bought $100 worth of Tessuti Fabric (Gosh, Just writing that out loud makes me nauseous) I have never spent that much on Fabric EVER! but hey, that's Tessuti's for you!

Here's the Plan - I'm going to use Vintage Butterick #6538. I have Photoshopped (very haphazardly) my stripes onto the pattern envelope picture just to get an idea of how its going to look -

What do you think??

 A. Is it good enough for my very expensive fabric?

B. Will I be able to do it in time and not botch my very expensive fabric?

C. Will I have a panic attack when it comes time to cut my fabric?

Oh and have I mentioned that I have never matched striped before? Ever!

Mx

The Wicked Stitch: Maleficent

Once Upon a Time...

There once stood a small village at the foot of a large castle. The king and queen ruled kindly and the Kingdom and village lived in peace and prosperity. It was a special day in the village.  All were merry and preparing for a celebration, for it was the christening of the Princess; the first and long awaited child of the King and Queen. Invitations were sent to the royal court, the villagers, and to seven fairy god Mothers, all whom would bestow gifts, big and small upon the new Princess – all but one.

Maleficent, the wicked fairy god mother was Evil above all else. Her powers scared everyone but herself.

The christening was not long kept secret, for Maleficent had eyes and ears everywhere, from the winged crows to the tallest trees.  Upon hearing of her royal exclusion, Maleficent flew into a rage unlike anything before. She a devised a plan. She would attend the christening regardless and there she would bestow a gift upon the baby, an evil gift.

And so she did – she cursed the baby. Upon the age of 15, before the sun set before her 16 birthday the Princess would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!

Unbeknownst to Maleficent only 6 of the Fairy God Mothers had given their gifts. The last softened the curse of Maleficent.  While she could not stop the princess from pricking her finger, she instead would fall into a slumber, for 100 years until woken by the kiss of her Prince Charming…

In Reality....

Recognize the Fancy Pants from last year?

I know I say this every time, but this is the best thing I have ever made! It blows everything else out of the water. The making of this jacket even brought on a small revelation (for a later post). I'm not going to lie, it took a really long time to make, like a month and a half. Not because that's how long you would actually need to make it, but because I made a toile, I made adjustments, I altered the pattern for future reference and most importantly I didn't rush it! I took my time, I blind stitched the hem by hand, along with the lining, and I enjoyed it.

I used an early 1940's Vintage Vogue pattern (I'll post the number when I find it). It depicted the jacket as more of a cotton or viscose dress jacket to be worn over a slip, however I interpreted it as a modern/vintage suit jacket.

I made it out of a nice mid weight crepe with great drape, and fully lined it in beautiful liquid Mercury grey silk. It has a nice nipped waist where it closes with an internal button and loop. But instead of yammering on about the details, here are some close ups -

And yes, all my seams are perfectly aligned, I think it might just be a first!

Ah the joys of an even hem!



There is something so delightfully sleek and dramatic about this jacket. It has won my heart a thousand times over. I wear it so often, and over so  many things. To me, its completely timeless.

What's your all time favourite make? Do you wear it all the time?

I hope you have enjoyed the first enstallment of The Wicked Stitch - There will certainly be more tales to come!

Mx