A Trio of Repeats and some good reads

 

I've been doing a little sewing lately, no new and exciting patterns, but repeats of some favourites.

First up was another Eva Dress.  I have been wanting a long black linen dress for summer for a while now, and though I contemplated lots of other patterns I kept coming back to the Eva Dress, I decided it was meant to be when I found the most beautifully soft Turkish linen and they had just the right amount needed left on the bolt.  I am absolutely delighted with how it turned out and cannot wait to wear it.

When I purchased the black linen I also bought a linen/tencel type fabric in a dark taupe colour.  It had the most beautiful drape and I knew immediately that it would be turned into another pair of the button pleated Burda Culottes I made here.  

The hot pink Mallard jacket I made here, has been worn a lot, I get so many compliments wearing it too.  I decided I needed another pretty jacket which fortuitously and unintentionally ended up coordinating beautifully with my new culottes.  Fabric is again an upholstery cotton canvas I got from Spotlight.  I took my time laying out pattern pieces to make the most of the beautiful designs on this fabric, and lined it with a dusky rose bemberg. The one positive of the slightly cooler summer temperatures we are currently experiencing, means that I get to enjoy wearing this for a little longer .

And when I'm not sewing, I've been reading.  So far I've read:

• Tiny Pieces of Us by Nicky Pellegrino, the story of a group of organ transplant recipients and what happens when they meet.

• Mrs Boots by Deborah Carr, the story of Florence of the Boots the Chemist empire.

• The Awakening by Nora Roberts.  This is the first in a new fantasy trilogy from one of my favourite authors.  Set in modern day Philadelphia and Ireland, as well as an old magical land accessed through a portal.  It's a typical Nora Roberts read with strong female characters and a good story line.

And to finish off on a bright and happy note - the dahlias are flowering.

A Winter Eva Dress

 

I bought this fabric in a sale about a year ago.  It is a seersucker type fabric in a blend of linen/cotton and wool, in a deep raisin colour.  As soon as I saw it, I pictured it as a winter Eva dress (I have previously made three linen versions for summer).  A year and a second lockdown later my dress has been made.

Unfortunately I think the fabric is the wrong choice for this dress pattern.  It fits well, but I think the crinkles make the lantern style skirt effect a lot more pouffier and pronounced.

I have given it a wash to see if that will soften the fabric and hopefully it may lose some of the volume. At this point I feel it makes me look as though I'm wearing a maternity dress and I don't feel as though I have the confidence to wear it happily out in public.  I may wear it around the house while in lockdown, but I suspect this will be something I consider a sewing fail and it will end up being donated to an op shop.

Eva Dress #3

 

A late evening sewing on Friday, saw me finish the first garment from my #summerofbasics2019 challenge.

This is the third version of Tessuti Fabrics Eva Dress pattern I have made. See here and here for the others. The instructions are very clear, the finishing details - binding, topstitching, lantern skirt and pocket make this simple dress rather elegant and cool for summer.  I made version A, which is meant to have sleeves, but I omit them.  This is the XS with no adjustments.

After a couple of washes, the linen will soften a little more and it will hang a little more softly in the skirt.  I can't wait for some consistently warm fine weather to wear it now.

Photos by MissB

Sewing and Gardening

In between moving piles of mulch around the garden, I have managed to get a little bit of sewing done. 

Firstly this pin cushion constructed from one of the wrongly sized blocks I made for my solstice dream quilt.  The finishing touch was the beautiful rainbow fringing.  This was gifted to a fellow sewist at work for her birthday.

I have also joined the #summerofbasics2019 sewing challenge.  This is where we list three garments we intend to make over the summer months.    I have started November's one, which will be another Eva dress in this beautiful maple coloured linen.  Just the skirt and pockets to sew , top stitch and hem before attaching to the finished bodice.  This will be the third version of this dress, which is one of my favourite things to wear over the hot summer months.

A few before and after photos of my garden all freshly mulched and  most excitingly, the first of my dahlias are flowering.  The top one with dark leaves is Dracula and the bottom one is an anemone type called Purpinca.

Wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.

Things Here Lately

• I was so inspired with my Carolina Chain  quilt after my last post, that I ended up finishing the quilt over the next two days.  I added a charcoal shot cotton  border, which has taken it's size to approximately 51" square.

• While perusing the online fabrics at Drapers, I found a lovely double bordered fabric in the remnants area, as soon as I saw it I  was visualising it as my next Eva dress.  Again definitely more than 10 minutes a day sewing, but so worth it.  

• I have also been applying the "10 minutes a day" principle to other areas of my life too and I have found it is definitely making life a little bit easier and I am feeling that I am slowly accomplishing things on my to do list.  Currently it is rather long, we are getting the carpet replaced in all living areas and bedrooms in a couple of weeks.  There is a lot of stuff to be cleared out before we can rip the old carpet up.  Especially in the kids rooms.  Little and often is my motto at present.

• My poor garden is very dry at present. we have had a heatwave for the past couple of weeks, so there is not a lot of colour. I try to have plants that can survive with out being watered frequently over the summer months ( as we pay for water usage).  This mandevilla is providing a continuous splash of colour.  It wasn't doing to well as a climber in my garden, so I moved the pot, and it seems to be thriving as a potted shrub.  Look carefully for the wasp inside one of the flowers.

• I am very lucky, this little beach is probably only 500m walk from my house, sometimes I  remember to walk down there and enjoy seeing the sunset.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and week ahead.

Eva Dress

As a birthday present to myself, I took myself into Auckland City and to The Fabric Store.  It was my first trip here, and definitely won't be my last.  I was after some linen to make the Tessuti Eva Dress , and they are quite well known for their selection of colours and different weights.  After deliberating over weights and colours for a while,  I ended up buying a midweight linen in vintage brick colourway.

I didn't enjoy pinning and cutting out the pattern, mainly because Miss B had taken over the dining room table with all her study paraphernalia, so my knees and back were over this dress before I even sat down to start sewing it. Of course any time I work on the floor, Meeka is there casting a watchful eye over the proceedings.

Sewing the dress itself was actually not hard, and I was pleasantly surprised at how little the linen seemed to fray with all the handling it had whilst being sewn. The pattern provides photos, links to online tutorials and clear instructions.  Some areas were a little fiddly, especially when attaching all the bias binding.  My only problem was that after attaching my beautifully bound sleeves to the bodice, and then trying it on, I realised that my shoulders were just too broad for it to fit comfortably.  At this point I moved onto making the skirt, which has pockets.  Once I attached it to the bodice , I tried it on again and decided the sleeves were going to have to come off.

Tessuti's description of the dress is as follows

 " This loose dress features a bodice that sits at high waist and a panelled, lantern-shaped skirt with side pockets "

I think after a couple of washes, the linen will soften a little more and the lantern effect will not be as pronounced. I made the XS size, but am wondering, if I made it again, to make the skirt in XXS so it's not so full. It could also be nice made in a heavier weight fabric for a winter dress too.

So while it is not quite the version of the dress I visualised, I still have a lightweight comfortable (perfect for indulging on Christmas Day) dress for summer.

**Photos courtesy of Miss B