Back to Blogging & 2015 Plans

Why hello there...

Did you miss me?

It turns out I had a somewhat unplanned but probably needed break from blogging over the Christmas and New Year period. A combination of returning illness, taking on a new (full time) job plus the general busy-ness of the Summer time all combined to knock me for 6 and ended up with me seriously downsizing my creative projects for quite a few months.

So what's new? Well where to start! I'm now working full time at Uni SA only 10 minutes from home. Originally I didn't want to go back to working a regular full time job since I knew it would severely cut into my StaceyMade time but when this position came up it seemed too good to pass up and well, here we are. Fortunately I work with a great team and it has been a really positive change.

Festive Red hair at Christmas

Yes, sadly this does mean StaceyMade is on the back burner but I am still sewing up occasional projects for the shop and, after almost 3 months off, have finally taken on a full custom order again. I don't want to burn out so I am being really careful about not taking on too much but I don't want to let the business fizzle out when I think it has so much potential to be the right choice for me. So it's just ticking along in the background for now.

The same goes really for everything not work related in my life right now. Some minor medication tweaks in August ended up sending me into a spiralling decline and meant that while I was really happy to start my new job, after 3 months off, pretty much all I had energy for was work and nothing to spare left over. I'm hoping to have finally turned the corner now but I'm still a long way from 100% and thriving. So my motto for the year's beginning seems to be "slow & steady & one thing at a time".

Loving this hair colour - maybe next??



Other New Things? I had Ruby Red Cherry Bomb hair for about 2.5 months over Christmas - sadly it is very high maintenance so I'm now a more subdued red colour but I did love being a "brighthead" and despite how much I hate it when hair colour washes out I am still dreaming of having bright Red, Pink or Purple hair...watch this space hehe. I also re-upholstered our dining chairs since it's been 13 years since their last change and wow, upholstery is seriously hard work. The chairs look great but I don't know if they will hold up through another re-cover so this could be their last hurrah. I'm pretty darn proud of the results though, worth the blisters and sore hands in the end I think.

I have still been sewing during my little blog hiatus - a couple of cute dresses for the Summer and some nice basic tops. Oh, and a giant adult tutu...because WTF not?! I'll post on them separately since I don't think I will get much chance to sew for myself in the coming month or so as I have a big custom job plus some gifts and smaller repairs to work on for other people. I've been feeling very uninspired creativity wise lately (being exhausted all the time and gaining weight while just feeling yuk will do that to you) so hopefully these outward focused projects will help kick-start my enthusiasm for my own projects.

Magical tutu-ness plus a nice basic T-shirt

In terms of 2015 I have a varied run of projects coming up. There is this custom job which, at least in the muslin/fitting stage may involve a sister project for me; some half finished tops to wind up for work wear; in March is a special little lady's birthday which will hopefully involve an Elsa costume plus a Thurlow trouser-a-thon with some sewing gals; September and October we have 2 weddings (1 family and 1 close friends) so there is definitely going to be at least one demi-couture lace and silk outfit in the works! Phew!

Some upcoming projects - one is finished and one is languishing, can you guess which is which?

I'm also having a go at the Colette Sewing Wardrobe Architect Series (check it out here) in an effort to sew more mindfully for myself. I'm right at the limit for number of clothes I own - Yes I hear your expressions of shock and outrage - and really only want to sew things that are going to get a decent amount of wear this year. I liked the concept of the Wardrobe Architect when it first came out but wasn't really interested in sewing too much "cake" for myself at that point. Now I have the StaceyMade shop as an outlet for all my pretty girly fantasies I'm suddenly more interested in sewing practical, but still pretty, stuff for myself! As a result of all this musing I ended up with a Pinterest account and oh my god isn't that a time waster of pretty things. Follow me at www.pinterest.com/staceymade to see what I'm pinning.

I'm sure there is loads I'm leaving out but can't think of anything else to include here right now...I wasn't sure the blog was going to survive into 2015 but now I'm actually writing a post it has made me realise how much I missed it so I think it will live to see another year!

Here's to more blogging in 2015

OXOX
- Stacey

New TNT - The Burda Bat Wing Top returns

In the spirit of my bright new organised sewing room I have resolved to start finishing off some of my half done projects or UFOs (Un-Finished Objects).

 These two have been languishing half finished since July! It only took about 2 hours to finish them both off!!

First on the list - something easy (we'll work up to that coat that is half done...). After such success with my first try at this Burda pattern I immediately rushed out to buy fabric to make some more! 

Fabric Close Ups - This one is a bit sheer so a neutral tank works well underneath

Texture, Texture, Texture - The red top is super warm since this texture comes from a double layer of fabric

I went back to my fave haunt - Ferriers Fashion Fabrics since I had seen these fabrics on my first visit but didn't want to spend on luxe fabrics if I wasn't sure the pattern would work. Now I know it works and looks good I am quite happy to spend a little more to get quality in my end garment. 

This is a pretty stable ethos for me - New Pattern? Start off with a 'wearable muslin' in a cheap fabric so if it is a disaster at least I haven't destroyed beautiful and expensive fabric making it! Then, when all the kinks are ironed out, move on to fabrics I love to wear. I think this is also how I discover if a design is worthy of the TNT tag - and why I made 3 versions of my wrap dress in the previous post before finally making it up in luxurious Italian Jersey (just fabric for this make was around $70!!)

But back to these girls - there isn't much to add to what I wrote last time. Construction and sizing didn't really change although I did leave the interfacing off for the purple version as you could clearly see it at the neckline through the lacey fabric.

These aren't the most exciting things to post about but they are real sewing "cake": good basics that fill a hole in my wardrobe. I am trying to be much more thoughtful and aware of what I sew for myself since my wardrobe has some gaps that need filling with more "cake" rather than just sewing pretty pieces of "frosting". 

But Summer is Coming!! And that means lots of chances to sew and wear some pretty dresses - definitely my favourite type of frosting :-D

So I promise some pretty sweet treats next time I post!

OXOX

Stace

PS - What do you think of my new photo spot in the new room? Should I mix it up with some new locations? It's soooo much easier to get better light here plus I can balance my camera on my cutting table to take pics Yay!

Bat Outta Hell Burda Batwing Top

After my Me Made May adventures I discovered my wardrobe is lacking in comfy, warm winter gear and I've been thinking about how best to fill this gap. Leggings was the first step and now I've moved on to tops.

I've always had a liking for "dancer" style clothing (wrap cardies, circle skirts, ballerina tops and of course batwing or Flash dance style tops or t-shirts). I've always been a dancer at heart so I blame 9 years of jazz dance training for this obsession with ballerina and dancer clothing. I was convinced for years that I couldn't wear the batwing style but as I'm trying to branch out in the styles I wear I thought it was time for another try.

And the great news? I LOVE IT!!!

This is Burda 7866 which I believe is out of print now. I have had my eye on it literally for years so when I saw it marked down on a recent trip to Ferriers Fashion Fabrics along side the perfect fabric to trial the design it seemed fabric fate had brought us together! 

The fabric is a grey, self-pattern knit from Ferriers Fashion Fabrics - these guys have a seriously wonderful selection of fabrics and great service (I've already been back for more fabric to make 2 more versions of this top!). Although not always the cheapest, the quality is amazing. After making up 2 garments in fabric purchased here I can honestly say that slightly pricier fabric is worth it as everything is easier and looks 10 times better in a good fabric. Plus they did have a sale running so this knit wasn't all that expensive in the end. The pattern takes 1.6m for the size 10 I made and while you can squeeze this top out of 1.3m I think you would lose the shaping to the bottom band in the process. So for a whole 30cm of fabric and a nicer shaped top I think sticking with the 1.6m length is best.

Constructing this baby was easy - including tracing the pattern, cutting the fabric and unearthing the second overlocker needle this still only took 3 hours! I think the next one will probably be more like 2 hours (oh yes there will be more of these!!). Everything is cut on the fold where possible to save on seaming during construction. I chose to skip making the matching belt since it felt too fussy to add an unnecessary tie to a simple knit top. As you can see - after attaching the neckline bands this top only has 5 seams and 3 hems to complete. I followed the instructions for attaching interfacing and a neckband to the neckline which was similar to adding bias binding, technique-wise, and am actually really happy with the finish here. Normally I would just add viseoflix and turn the seam allowance but so many people have said how nice the neckline is finished I think I will continue using this method! I sewed all the seams on the 4 thread overlocker with wooly nylon on which definitely helped speed up the process :-)

I really like the simplicity of this top. In a lovely weight knit like this one it drapes and hangs beautifully and I like that the neckline, although high, is quite wide and flattering. I've been wanting to wear this constantly since I finished it and it's certainly going to become a TNT (Tried N True) pattern in the future! Now I just need to work on my pirouettes ;-)

Me Made May '14 - Day 2

So I can tell that MMM 14 is going to make it easy to tell which days I'm working and which days I don't leave the house if I can help it...

Here is outfit 2...

It's super sexy!

I actually have to confess that this outfit was covered up by at least another 2 daggy layers, on account of it is freezing cold right now, but if I put those on you wouldn't be able to see the only me-made part of my outfit!

Details
Leggings: Cotton On

Top: Made by Me - McCalls 6164  (listed as out-of-print online but probably still available in some stores) - View A

Ugg Boots: Kmart!

I am already learning that on days when I only dress for comfort I am going to struggle to find me-made items to wear because I tend to sew "dressier" items. Not that they aren't comfy, just that I don't usually bother sewing things that I'm only going to lounge around the house in. I would like to try making leggings since I have finally discovered how comfy and amazing they are. Maybe a future project?

I think I will try posting daily until Sunday then I might try doing a weekly post at the end of the week and see which method I prefer. 

Happy Weekend!

Stace :)