Sewcial Bee

Last weekend was another productive one!  This time on the personal development and sewing fronts.

First I spent Saturday and Sunday training for and getting my motorbike learner permit!  Finally I can ride my beautiful bike!

Then on Sunday evening and Monday I participated for the first time in a great sewing challenge, the Sewcial Bee.  I spectated during the first Secial Bee last month and was excited to have a go this time around.  The way it works is a theme is chosen by a group member, and everyone has seven hours of sewing time within a 48 hour wondow to complete a garment inspired by that theme.  Simple!  No prizes, no pressure, just encouragement and inspiration. I gave myself a couple of extra guidelines: I had to make something I actually need, and I wanted something with colour blocking.

The theme this round was set by Gida Studio, to create a garment inspired by food.  So here are my Lemon Meringue Pyjamas!

I aimed to keep it simple for my first round, and then got carried away and decided to add some more meringue in the form of a short robe.

This whole outfit is a mash up of patterns.  The shorts are from a swim wear pattern, McCall's 8234, that I picked up from the op shop for 50 cents.  The top is a modified sleeveless version of style 118 from Burda Style Mag 2/2009 and the robe is another Burda Style pattern, 12/2008 127.  All the fabric and elastic trim were from stash too, just under a metre of yellow ribbed jersey and about half of my massive stash of white jersey, as well as a couple of metres of decorative elastic.  The whole outfit was done within five and a half hours over one evening and the next day!

Check out the Sewcial Bee flickr group to see the all fantastic food inspired creations of the other participants!

Pyjamarama

The last week has been a busy and productive sewing week.  Which is strange because it was the first week of school holidays and I really wasn't expecting to get much done with both kids home all day every day.  Early in the week I dragged out some ribbed fabric I bought at the op shop several years ago.  I had always planned to make pyjamas with it, bit had never got past that point of planning.  There were only 2 metres of fabric so it was going to be a tricky to get a pair of adult PJs but i managed it.

The bottoms are from this lovely unisex trackies pattern.  Narrow legs and very high waist.  I mean extremely high waist.  I could have added straps to the waistband and worn it as a jumpsuit.  Even after reducing the hight they sit right up to my waist but for pyjamas thats pretty damn comfy.  Having used the pattern for PJs I'm going to make a few little mods and make some trackie pants.  

For the top I drafted the pattern below up to size 14.  I shouldn't have bothered as the pattern has way more ease than I was expecting, I could have cut a size 10.

To break up the vast expanse of blue I used some of my large collection of thrifted elastic.  Cream lace at the neckline and the hem.  My local op shop has a bigger range of undies elastic and elastic lace than any of the fabric stores around here.  Its brilliant.

The best part of the sewing week was Friday.  Darron took both kids to the zoo for the day and I got to spend a whole day sewing uninterrupted with my music loud.  I finished my trousers for April, but even trying them on and adjusting as I went, once the waistband went on they were miles too big.  So the waistband came off.  More adjustments were made yesterday and now they (mostly) fit!  

It has been over three years since I've made trousers, and even then I was a novice.  Fitting has never been my strong suit and fitting trousers properly is a skill I am yet to master.  So I will make more and figure it out.  I may need to look into a class.

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