i thought it would be fun to end this half year of posts with a nod to my first oona does it! you might recall, that fowl challenge was my first try at colette patterns, the free sorbetto top, which i messed around with as per usual. i thought i'd hack up another sarai sensation, this time, the pastille dress from her wonderful new book. i scored three yards of peacock flamed 100% linen for a whopping $2.98. there would be no feathers. armed with the knowledge gained from six months of sewing a garment a week, i knew i... Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: Silky Floaty remnant, $12 (from Rathdowne Fabrics) and lining from the stash Pattern: Colette's Oolong Year: c. 2009 Notions: nil Time to complete: 6 hours First worn: Boxing Day Wear again? Maybe, if I'm daring Total Cost: ~$12 I wanted to cut to the celebration part so badly this week! Singing 'Hurrah' at our achievements at the Sew Weekly, I decided to splash out on fabric at Rathdowne Fabrics (that's the main fabric shop on Australia's version of Project Runway) and stopped by my friend's bar for a quick glass of sparkling! Through the week I frequently... Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: 2 metres of red velvet from a curtain £8 from a charity shop Pattern: Butterick 8131 from the Sew Weekly Sewing Circle pattern swap Year: 1950s Notions: red zipper £1 and white ribbon for neckline and bow £0.50 Time to complete: 10 hours Wear again? yes! Total Cost: ~£9.50 2 continents, 50 weeks, 55 sewn items, 33 different types of fabric and countless numbers of fabulous friends! I feel like I've just won the Amazing Race! Woot! Woot! Wow!!! I can't belive I actually made it through a whole year of sewing weekly!!! I'm absolutely delighted. It... Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: Grape colored doubleknit from the 'unusable' stash Pattern: Vogue 2787 reprint Year: 1948 Notions: none Time to complete: 4.5 hours First worn: Christmas Day at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Wear again? Yes! I knew I would be out of town this year end and needed a celebration dress that would go well with plans. Ideally, the dress would have to be crease-free, travel friendly and go well with whatever accessories I have for the trip as I tend to pack light. It would be even better if the garment can be dressed up or down. After getting... Continue reading

Fabric: Green silk dupiani ($35 a yard - 3 yards) Pattern: Hacked Truffle pattern from the Colette Sewing Handbook Year: c. 2011 Notions: 14" invisible zipper Time to complete: 3.5 hours First worn: December 2011 Wear again? Absolutely! Total Cost: $105 As 2011 comes to a close, I'm trying to wrap my head around all that has happened this year. Closing a business, wrestling with career direction, coping with a family emergency - through it all, the Sew Weekly has been a bight spot in a difficult year. Each week, the five of us came together to share something we... Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: Black lace and stretch velveteen, $35 from Jo-Ann's Pattern: Butterick 5209, $1.99 Year: 1947 Notions: none Time to complete: 7 hours First worn: To be worn on New Year's Eve Wear again? yes Total Cost: ~$37 There are so many things about this week's dress that are representative of my past twelve months of sewing. First, it was the third attempt at a dress for the week's challenge. The first dress only got so far as a very well-constructed bodice. Based on a 1940s pattern, it we made from a floral taffeta which, paired with the pattern,... Continue reading

As this year comes to a close, we're celebrating our year of sewing (being over!) and the start of 2012! This calls for fancy party dresses! Continue reading

What has been your biggest sewing accomplishment of 2011? Continue reading

juliet, that crazy gypsy, is headed on vacay and had a parting query: in a few months I'll be in South Africa on holiday and I'll be there for my birthday. I'll be dropping heavy hints for a party in a game reserve, you could be my perfect inspiration. Think you could come up with a totally awesome birthday dress, fit for a game reserve, with online sourced fabric (so little old me in NZ can copy)?? we're on holiday ourselves at the moment, which gave ruggy cause to wonder aloud, can't oona take christmas off? feh. as soon as... Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: 1.5 metres of loose weave wool and viscose blend tweed £8 from Croft Mill, 1 metre black flannel £2 from ebay UK, 1/2 metre black satin fabric from a charity shop £2 and 1/2 metre red velvet £4 from curtains I got in a charity shop. Pattern: Vintage Pattern Lending Library's 1933 Tunic Dress pattern Year: 1933 Notions: black zipper £.05 (also a charity shop find) and black bias binding for the underdress £0.50 Time to complete: 12 hours Wear again? yes! Total Cost: ~£16.50 Look! I'm in a snow globe!! When I met up with Kerry... Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: 2 metres gray cotton voile with pastel yellow/ brown/ gray floral print from chinatown $16, black remnant lining Pattern: Simplicity 3304 Year: c. 1939 Notions: 6 Huge self fabric buttons $1 Time to complete: 5 hours First worn: December 2011 Wear again? Yes Total Cost: ~$17 Since I joined The Sew Weekly Challenge 51 weeks ago, I started this new habit of hanging my weekly creation on one of the wardrobe door handles until I've got the project photos taken. My hubby has grown so used to them that he sometimes becomes totally oblivious to their presence.... Continue reading

Fabric: I think it's georgette, but I am stumped as to where I bought it or how much I paid - yay stash? Pattern: Salme Patterns - Loose Fitting Pleated T-Shirt Year: c. 2011 Notions: none Time to complete: 2 hours First worn: December 2011 Wear again? Absolutely! Total Cost: $?!? This has been a crazy fall, friends. I swear that it was August yesterday and today it's somehow the week before Christmas?!?!? What?!? It's so crazy, that I totally took it down to the wire with this week's challenge - thank goodness it was a "do whatever!" week, because... Continue reading

Fabric: Fluro Nylon material "Ripstop" from Spotlight, $14 Pattern: Butterick 9809, thrifted, ~$1 Year: 1950s/1960s Notions: Faux glass buttons, $12 from Spotlight Time to complete: 4 hours First worn: December 2011 Wear again? Yes, whilst I'm on the bike! Total Cost: ~$26 For this week's theme, I've been planning to STAND OUT on Melbourne's roads! And whilst I've never SEEN anyone wearing a bike apron before, I became determined to make one! Since my darling Cambodian bike riding holiday, I've been riding to work a few times a week! It's about a 20 kilometre (12 miles) round trip, and just... Continue reading

Original Inspiration Variety Store Dress in Dotted from modcloth.com Resources Fabric: Jane Sassaman Early Birds Poka Dot Blueberry from fabric.com ($8.98/yd) Pattern: Simplicity 2549 Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: Thrifted wool, $.50, Novato Estate Sale 2011 Pattern: Simplicity 3397 Notions: embroidery floss Time to complete: 4 hours First worn: December 2011 Wear again? yes Total Cost: ~$1 Is this year over yet? No, seriously. This weekend my daughter and I were bedridden with a flu that manifested itself in total lethagy, nausea and fever (me) and lethargy, fever and more than nausea for my daughter. Thankfully, I had finished my dress by last Thursday so I didn't have to worry about sewing at all. But, when it came to take my photos for this week, today... Continue reading

This week, we're not dictating the theme other than saying that you sew whatever you'd like. What haven't you been able to make this year? What have you been wanting to sew? Do it, now. Continue reading

If you were to pick three of this year's themes to repeat next year, what would they be? Continue reading

Original Inspiration Vintage Georgia Kay Dress from Timeless Vixen Vintage on Etsy (sold) Resources: Fabric: Michael Miller Retro Cha Cha Stripe Yellow from fabric.com ($8.98/yd) Pattern: Vintage Vogue 1172 Tips To achieve the chevron at the bodice, do not cut fabric on fold, cut on the bias and join. Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: barely over 1/2 yard of mystery fabric (some sort of synthetic) £0.25, Pattern: Moi! Year: Current Notions: blue seam binding, £0.25 Time to complete: 3 hours Wear again? yes! Total Cost: ~£0.50 (YAY! My cheapest garment so far) I am a bona fide pattern lover. I seek out patterns. I could seriously look at them for ages. I always start with the pattern. So you can imagine that I faced this week with a certain amount of trepidation! No pattern! eep! It's like throwing me into the kitchen and saying 'making up a new fun dish with... Continue reading

In thinking about the direction of The Sew Weekly in 2012, I've realized that only having only four women (five, including me) sew for an entire year is a bit limiting (and kind of exhausting). There are so many great ladies out there that answered the call for contributors and I just can't pick four. So here's how The Sew Weekly will work in 2012: Between 50-75 women will be invited to join a Sew Weekly community (forum, mailing list or private Twitter list still TBD). You'll receive The Sew Weekly challenge a few weeks before it is scheduled to... Continue reading

Original Inspiration Building Bouquets Dress from modcloth.com Resources Fabric: Jolie Fleur Shirting Floral Dots White/Pink/Red from fabric.com ($3.98/yd) Pattern: Simplicity 2053 Continue reading

The Facts Fabric: 1/4 of a Christian Dior Bedsheet Set, $1 Pattern: None Notions: thrifted zipper, $.10c Time to complete: 6 hours First worn: December 2011 Wear again? Yes! Total Cost: ~$1.10 This dress is 'OMG' for a number of reasons, first up: I FREAKING MADE A DRESS WITHOUT A PATTERN. It's also a little 'Va Va Voom', so yet again: OMG. And a big OMG from me: I love my hairdresser! The dress is inspired by the Stop Staring repro clothing line, as a few of my friends wear these darling dresses and I'm always left wondering if I... Continue reading

allow me to make up for the pathetic pictures in last week's column... BOOYACASHA! my man is HOT! don't say i never did y'all any favors! ticking off another D2 challenge this week, my rugged ruggy picked the pattern and fabric. well, kind of. he had help. and i'm pretty sure i was meant to have ruggy pick out supplies for something i'd wear. to wit, the challenge was : 5. Have Ruggy choose your fabric and pattern "your" being the operative pronoun. when ruggy requests something sewn, i laugh. no really, i do, long and loud. he'll ask me... Continue reading

Original Inspiration Balcony Seats Dress from modcloth.com Resources Fabric: Toscana Velveteen Black from fabric.com ($12.98/yd) Fabric: Taffeta Black from fabric.com ($4.98/yd) Pattern: Simplicity 3673 Notions: Sew-On Rhinestones Continue reading

Fabric: Beautiful sequined fabric from a local fabric shop ($39.99 a yard - 1 yard) and some nude lining ($5 a yard - 1 yard) Pattern: None - I just winged it. Year: c. 2011 Notions: None Time to complete: 1 hour First worn: December 2011 Wear again? To a party or to sparkle during the day! Total Cost: ~$45 When I saw the word "Patternless" on our challenge schedule, the first thought I had was "OH NOO!" That is my sewing weakness y'all. It's scary to fly without a net! I decided to take it slowly and keep it... Continue reading