July 2018.

July was a very busy month at work, and while I have about three projects cut out, and a number of others in the sewing queue, I did manage a few simple and not so simple makes this month.

Lander Pants – Hack

For this make of the Landers I omitted any pockets, replaced the button fly with a zipper fly, and added a curved waistband. They are made from some upholstery-esque fabric my sister gave me (I think) and I freakin’ love them!

I wore them to MC a charity second-hand fashion parade and at the event one of the male models (around my dad’s age) suggested I should make a matching jacket as I looked like a toreador. Ummmm… HELL YES! I have cut out a cropped Victoria Blazer and also think I will make a sleeveless Lottie Blouse in some minty coloured silk I have in stash so I can have a completely impractical outfit! I have no idea where I will wear it, but why let something silly like that get in the way!

As you can tell I filtered the heck out of this photo for IG but I do love it so am shamelessly using here too. 

The fit on these is the best I have achieved yet. I made my standard pant modifications of lengthening and lowering the rear crotch, adding some room at the low hip on the side seams to accommodate the extra room created in the crotch, take in the back inner leg seams at the thigh to crotch to get a bit more ‘grab’ under the but, and add 0.5cm at the top right hip.

The colour of these is more accurate in the photo below but I do love this photo for its #glamazon vibe.

Classics Cushion

My wonderful colleague had a birthday this month. As a classics buff she had admired the back of my Victoria Blazer and said how nice it would look as a cushion. I hit a mental SAVE on that (#giftsaslovelanguage) and whipped one up for her for her birthday. The reverse is navy cord leftover from this skirt. She loved it! I also made a bag instead of wrapping paper out of some appropriately millennial pink in my stash.

Floral Geodesic

My beautiful friend Anna had admired my Geodesic and I thought I would make her one for her birthday.  I also made a tote bag to wrap it in out of a blue floral. She loved both. All of the fabrics were second hand stash fabrics and it’s so satisfying making gifts for other people.

Paola Turtleneck Tee

The Paola Turtleneck Tee by Named is a solid tried and true in my wardrobe. Siobhan made the first one I owned, and this is the third of three I have since made. It’s such a great wardrobe staple. This is made from some coral cotton knit I bought second hand and I have a Basic Instinct t-shirt cut out from the leftovers ready to go when I get some time. I make no modifications to this pattern at all, as most Named patterns seem to fit me very well.

I wore this the day I finished it and have worn it at least two times since. The photo above was the outfit I wore (minus the sunglasses) to present to a senior management committee in my college at the university. It’s the artsy/academic version of power dressing! And clearly I am a child of the 70s because I just love me a good skivvy!

Mystery Blogger Award

Linda from Ellegeemakes nominated me for a Mystery Blogger award. Thanks Linda! She set a list of fun questions to answer and here are mine. I haven’t nominated anyone myself because I find that a bit pressuring, not knowing whether it’s an imposition or not…

1. If you could eat anything without worrying if it was healthy or fattening, what would it be? All the food I already eat! I am a fan of everything in moderation and a few things in excess. I eat bread and chocolate every day and – apart from fruit and vegetables – they are my favourite foods. The chocolate is dark and always fairtrade, and the bread is homemade, often sourdough.
2. Where would you like to go if you could go any where? There are lots of places in the world I haven’t been yet. Some places that are on the list are Canada – pretty much anywhere, New Orleans, Iceland, New York, Italy, Greece, I’d like to spend more time in Germany, France and Belgium (which are all places I’ve already been) and I’d love to explore my roots in Scotland and Ireland.
3. Which is bigger; your fabric stash or pattern stash? I think both are of a pretty similar size with not an embarrassing amount of either. I try not to buy fabric (unless second hand) without a specific project in mind. Patterns also.
4. What makes you laugh like a lunatic? Toilet humour, slapstick humour, word play, memes, mockumentaries, cats doing funny things, and the sound of Alex laughing.
5. What do you love about where you live? That I can ride my bike to work, that I can own my own home, that I have friends and family who are near, that I can have animals and an outdoor space, that I live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
   

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Thanks for stopping by and see you next month!

Naomi X