Skirt for V and her doll

Even though I've been sewing less I've still managed to fit in a little bit of sewing for others. For my nieces V's 3rd birthday I whipped her and her doll Penny matching layer skirts.

I used the free tutorial from Dana MADE It as a guide. I cut the fabric just under twice the required width for a nice full gather. I used some treasured liberty fabric paired with the same denim chambray I used for her a skirt for mum, my sister.  I sewed up the two layers and hemmed them. I then attached them together at the waist with a wrong side of one layer meeting the right side of the other.

It sounds counter-intuitive but you can then hide this upper waist seam inside the waistband by turning down both layers as appropriate and sewing them together at the lower waist seam line.  I think the skirts turned out super cute and V and penny look pretty darn cute in them.

Cropped Tate Top & A Break

First up, a favourite new top. A cropped version of the Workroom Social Tate Top. This is a free pattern which I've made (and reviewed before) as top, a lined silk dress and a teaching top for my little sister. It's a great basic modern top pattern.

I thought a cropped version would look amazing in some black voile eyelet from Tessuti. But, the cropped pattern includes a slightly curved hem at the back and an angled hem at the front, which would mean cutting into the beautiful scalloped edge of the eyelet fabric. Instead, I straightened out the hem line in order to incorporate the scallop and made the hem line even to the longest point of the top. Otherwise, I cut a standard size 8.

As I was using eyelet fabric I decided to line the fabric in some black crepe poly I had on hand. I cut the lining bodice about half an inch shorter than the main fabric so that, after hemming, it wouldn't be visible in the lower scalloped edges.

I followed the steps I used when making a lined Tate Dress. I sewed the darts and shoulder seams on the twop tops separately; sewed them together at the neck and arms; turned the tops right way out and then sewed the side seams, centre back, and lining hem. Again, I used a hook and eye in preference to a zip.

I love how this top turned out and a have warn it quite a few times. Before this version, I began sewing and abandoned a lovely lawn cropped version from fear of it showing too much stomach. I will definitely use this straightened out longer cropped hem for future versions.

Now, to my sewing/blogging hiatus. Before I started sewing I shopped. A lot. I would buy a new garment/item probably every week or two. In 2014, I was so excited by my advancing sewing skills and the ability to make the exact garment in my head for any particular occasion or just for fun. I averaged 2 garments sewn per week, sewing late into every evening. There was little need to shop anymore. As well loving learning a new skill, sewing was also an outlet during a rough patch in my PhD (the inevitable "why am I doing this?" stage).

From about mid-year last year my sewing slowed up. I since sew around once a month and blog less than that. I'm still an avid reader of sewing blog posts and take great pleasure in looking through my fabric stash, but I rarely feel the pull to sew. I haven't reverted back to weekly shoping trips. While I still love shopping, I don't like buying things I know I can make and I also just feel less need to have a new outfit every other week. I sew when I need a specific garment for an occasion. I'm not too sure why my sewing has slowed up so much but I still get so much joy from my occasional making. I'm not going to question it, just sew when I feel like sewing. In the mean time I'll probably blog few items I never got around to.