Burda Style - Culottes

 

Image from Burda Style 03/2020

I recently spent a day in Newmarket, where I met up with Julie, a fellow Auckland sewer I had only met through instagram.  We had a lovely day, looking at expensive clothing shops, eating decadent cake and  most enjoyably shopping at one of our mutually favourite fabric stores - Drapers Fabrics.

At Drapers, I bought a beautiful olive linen  and matching vintage buttons to make some culottes I had seen in a Burda Magazine.  They feature a unique button up fold over waistband, so no zips or elastic to insert. The pattern says to go by your hip measurement for these, so I made a size 38 without any adjustments.

There were only four pattern pieces to trace, and on the whole they were relatively easy to make.  My machine coped well with the thick waistband layers where the buttonholes went, though I did have to use a scalpel to cut through the many layers. I have since discovered there is such a thing called a button hole chisel which I am going to invest in.

I am slightly disappointed with the finished garment, it appears there is a slight fade line across the rear of the garment, which because I was sewing at night I hadn't really noticed, assuming it was just a crease in the linen.  I'm guessing that no one else will really notice it, especially after I have sat in them, it should blend in with all the other creases linen is renowned for. The fit is good, though I'm not sure if I should have made them a little shorter.  I am going to enjoy wearing these over summer, hopefully managing to look casually elegant at work and not too much of a crumpled mess.

Pattern  105b from Burda 03/2020

Weekending - Ernies Track

Water is usually at least covering the filter off the side of the tower.

 

Rewarewa in bud

Puawhananga - clematis paniculata

Ernies Hut

View towards the low reservoir

Voting day in New Zealand was a stunner, and The Scout and I headed off to the Hunua Ranges after casting our votes to hike Ernies Track.  The Scout has hiked this  track about six times previously and it was my first.  I had heard conflicting stories about a how bad the hills were.

We went in past the Mangatawhiri Dam which is worryingly low for this time of year. I think Auckland will definitely have severe water restrictions in place over summer.  The forestry road we hiked up had a long slow seemingly endless incline.  I would call myself moderately fit, yet I seem to struggle up hills.  The Scout who doesn't exercise regularly seems to walk up them without any trouble, which I find frustratingly annoying.

Eventually this torture passed and we stopped for lunch at Piggots Hut, before coming to the bush section of the track.  This was much more enjoyable despite the stairs, mud, gnarly roots, more uphill and downhill.  I saw some native plants I hadn't seen before,  Puawhananga (clematis paniculata) and Rewarewa (New Zealand honeysuckle).

The track is just under 15km and took a a couple of hours longer than the 3.5 hours I had been told, but that could be my fault for my slow  uphill start and stopping to take photos.  Overall an enjoyable day out.

Groove is in the Heart - another new project

While browsing blogs recently, I came across a new quilt made by the very talented and not afraid to use colour quilter,  Rachael Daisy of Blue Mountain Daisy

I love hearts, and actually would love to have a wall space for all the beautiful ornamental hearts I see but don't buy.  Anyway before I get too far off topic here, she has made a new quilt featuring scrappy hearts on low volume fabrics, three of my favourite things in one quilt.  I am sure my heart sped up as I read her post and drooled over the quilt.  Of course, good me thought, "no you have too many wips, you don't need to start another project" , while bad me kept thinking about it all night saying" it would be a great portable project, bigger pieces much easier to travel with than your Fresh Cut quilt"

Obviously good me had no willpower, cos I bought downloaded and printed out the pattern and made the first block up that night. The hearts are hand appliqued onto the background fabrics.  Currently I have made up four blocks, and am having fun choosing fabrics for and prepping other hearts for when I feel like working on something easy.  

Finished - Folk Flower Quilt

 

I have finished my Folk Flowers Quilt and I love how it has turned out.

Originally started back in November 2019 at a workshop with Ann Maria Horner, I excitedly started making blocks, only to decide that 13 blocks was my limit because I couldn't get the appliqué to sit as smoothly as I would have liked.  Not wanting to waste the fabric or blocks, I decided to piece all the blocks together so I had a quilt top, (which I did earlier this year,) and then when I had it quilted I would donate it to my local hospice.

The backing was made from a Kona solid in a shade of blue,  and a Jennifer Paganelli floral, which was then packaged up with the top and sent to my friend Leeanne of Quilt Me Kiwi to work her magic.  All I asked for was "perhaps a swirly type floral design"  I couldn't be more happy with the design she picked, which is called Precious, and the fact that all the things I was unhappy about in the blocks have disappeared.

Now that I've bound it, it's really hard to give away, but I hope that it can give someone, whether a patient or supporting family member some comfort when its being used at the hospice.

Rhapsody Blouse

 

 I had been looking for another boho style shirt to make, preferable one without buttons, when I came across a new to me pattern company, Love Notions and their Rhapsody Blouse,  The blouse has numerous sleeve options and can also be lengthened into a dress.

I purchased  and downloaded the pattern and bought some lovely floral rayon fabric from Spotlight. This was probably one of the easiest PDF patterns I have assembled because it required no trimming.  My measurements put me at a size small.  

The pattern itself had very clear instructions, I learnt a new technique - the burrito roll, and bought myself a new gadget - a 1/2" bias binding maker, which certainly makes making bias binding easier.  Still a faffy thing to sew onto clothing though.  The side seams are french seamed and all the neckline is bound with the bias binding I made. The sleeves were probably the easiest to insert from any pattern I have ever made.  I suspect I muddled up two sleeve options and have  subsequently made a new version on my shirt, I ended up attaching the cuff the way I learned in making my Bonn Shirt.

Overall I think it will be a very easy to wear shirt, that will be perfect for weekends or the relaxed wardrobe I need for work, and I am sure there will be another one or two made before summer begins.