Clothing thoughts 2025

I have way too much 'unfinished' clothing lying around: shirts, shirts, shirts, tops, tops, tops. And a pair of pants that no longer fit me and which I can't modify so they do - I'd need to go several sizes up. Ugh.

Some thoughts I've had on dressmaking over the last year: 

I need to find the shirt patterns, upsize them for my adult form, and cut out a couple.  I don't like the loose tops so much. Need something a little more structured. The Esme top probaby looks pretty if you've got a figure, but it's either too long, or too sacklike to suit me very well. I could maybe put an elastic waist on it? Dresses also need to be better structure - fitted bodice, tied waistline, at least an a-line skirt. No sack or loose-waisted dresses!

McCall's Misses M7969 - https://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/96754

I got four patterns printed:
Billie Woven Pant - Style Arc
Thea Paperbag Pant - Style Arc
Elysia Bow Patchwork Dress - Roberts Wood
Flower Patchword Dress - Roberts Wood

I wonder if I could make the Elysia Bow dress out of patchwork scraps? I mean, that's the idea, isn't it?

WIP Wednesday, the one with garden parties

GENERAL THINGSTechnically it's Thursday, but I only got back yesterday and promptly had to log in to work to get some stuff done. Anyway, it's been a week of much things done (although not necessarily things I wanted progressed) and today is a public holiday (ANZAC Day) so I have time to type this up as I didn't yesterday. It might still be Wednesday in Hawaii or West of it.

 

DRESSMAKING

BEHOLD the dress I made for the Bridgerton Garden Party (hosted by Netflix at an exclusive resort in country NSW):

It's pattern Simplicity S9434, but I extended  the bodice all around the waistline because my bust is bigger than the model size, adjusted the back so it fit me personally, and made it with tulip-sleeves instead of the puff sleeves that were the chief option.

I also ended up making it in quiting cotton (Joel Dewberry's Notting Hill range) and the skirts are cotton voile.

 

It worked really well, I think. A good style, very 'Bridgerton'.

I also had a second dress: this one I 'made' from secondhand clothing: one '1970s style hippie' dress, all loose and flowy, and one mandarin-collar jacket from HK brand 'Wanko'. I sewed the 'belt loops' for the tie higher - right under the bust, and shortened the jacket so that it's more like a Regency-style spencer.

All in all, I and my real-life peeps like what I've done. But pretty much everyone in Bowral was indifferent. Ah well. Now I have a regency dress if anyone I know happens to have another garden party!

Or, you know, I could wear it to the next frocktails event!

 

SEWING:

Today (Thursday) I sewed up a couple of zippered bags which have been lying around for at least a couple of months - since the Blue Mountains Frocktails. Well, one of them has been around for at least a year, I think - I've had it since one of the Sydney Frocktails, I'm sure - while the other one I got in the BM Frocktails goodybag.

I lined one with patchworked scraps of linen - also from the BM Frocktails goodybag, and the other with some more Joel Dewberry Notting Hill print, although I think this one I had saved for handkerchiefs.

 

BINDING:

I have finally - FINALLY - made a teeny tiny squidge of progress on binding. I've cut up some more strips for binding, and was fully intending to sew them together today and make the binding and...I got distracted. It's 8:30pm and I'm out of energy, so no binding.

 

PIECING:

And while I was in Bowral, on Sunday afternoon I finished sewing another column of stars to the Restless Hands of Sel quilt.

Quite cutely, a little girl and her family wandered by and wanted to know what I was doing. Her mother encouraged her to ask, and so we had a little talk about making quilts and what I was doing and how it was made.

 

THOUGHTS I HAD

Finally picked up the four quilts that my quilting group made in the years before COVID and delivered them to my mother, who is going to raffle them off for her charity organisation to donate the money. My quilting group always intended to raffle them off, we just haven't had the time to get it all organised and happening. Mum's charity does this every year, they offer a bevy of prizes, and people love winning the quilts that I or my group have made.

I'll post pics of them another time.

WIP Wednesday: the one with more Regency

DRESSMAKING

Finished the stays and a cotton chemise. 

   

The pattern for the chemise was self-drafted thanks to a number of helpful YT vids, however, next time I would make the neckline smaller, although this might require a more triangular body shape rather than the rectangle I went for.

Also, a note to myself: always flat-fell the first set of seams before sewing the next set.

The stays presented a bit of a problem - I didn't make them very well ("flexible" seams and a tendency to wing it) so I don't feel like they do quite what they're supposed to do. Some of it is the shoulder straps, I think, and how they're set up, and also maybe the pattern was not as supportive as it needed to be - I need a tighter bodice and armscye (as a FB friend who I've known for nearly 40 years observed).

It looks okay-ish, I guess. Not quite as high a bust profile as I'd like - as a friend observed, it might work for an afternoon/day dress. Which I'll make and use the underpinnings for.

 

The stays also don't have a busk - the wooden prop down the centre of the bodice. The friend who I consulted said that most people use a paint stirrer and cut it down. That might be a plan.

Anyway, that's two things out of the way: chemise and basic stays. Might have to make some more solid stays, but that can wait until later.

 

And planning a regency dress for a garden party I may or may not get to go to!

Bridgerton in Bowral is apparently going ahead (after hearing it might be cancelled), and I'm going down from early Sunday morning (I hope to leave around 6:30am and arrive around 8am) and will stay until Wednesday. I can work while I'm away (may not be particularly comfortable, but it can be done) and I will also be seeing the first episode at the local cinema!

 

The thing about the garden party, though, is that you apply to participate, and chances are high they're going to look for influencers and other people with big followings who'll promote the event and the happenings. Which is a big d'oh, but I'm hoping to meet some other Aussie Bridgerton fans, so we'll see how that goes. I've already made arrangements with people I've met on FB.

That said, I still want to make a Bridgerton-style gown - if I don't like it, I can likely fob it off on someone else.

 

BINDING:

ahahahahaha, no.

 

PIECING:

More seams on the Restless Hands Of Sel, although still haven't finished sewing the column together!

So my current schedule is full of dressmaking for Regency balls, etc.

WIP Wednesday: the one that should have been a Finish Friday

I got about 8 quilts off to the quilter, two did not have padding, but she was okay with buying it and charging me. That was a couple of weeks ago and she hasn't been in contact which seems a little odd. Usually she's done by the next week. Hopefully they didn't cause her any issues!

I completed the dress for the Blue Mountains Frocktails event and it turned out pretty well.

It was a stretch knit dress, sleeveless, with a cowl neck, pattern Simplicity 2580. I might have liked a bit more flare to the skirt since I don't like my hip-to-waist ratio (practically non-existent) but it turned out to be a pretty comfy dress to wear and not too difficult to make.

I'd use the pattern again, although this first time I had significant issues with putting the cowl together and ended up having to do a bit of unpicking. Twice. This is the first time I've made notes on a pattern for the next time I made it.

I've since cut out another pattern - "(It's so easy it's) Simplicity 2898" - another stretch knit, but just the top this time, although the idea is that it's a fairly long top, which will be a nice change from all the short ones I end up with.

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While peering around in the brick-and-mortar shop being run by one of the organisers of the weekend even, I spotted a book called Zero Waste Patterns by Birgitta Helmersson, which is designed to create loose-fitting clothing with Zero or minimal waste. I've been looking more at zero waste patterns, so this was neat.

They're all loose-fit but with a certain amount of structure to them. Should be comfortable, will certainly be interesting. I do need to try them in lighter cottons and linens - maybe a quilting fabric or two?

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So that's Finish 1 for the year! 11 to go, and it's the middle of February!

WIP Wednesday: the one with dressmaking

So many thing to do, so little time:

The 100 Days Project (started 22nd Feb), IG Quilt Fest (March), Me Made March (instead of May, possibly warmer for us in the southern hemisphere)

100 Days Project: quilting every day? Sow at least one seam, if not several?

What if I committed to do one quilting thing a day, even if it's only sow a single seam? Obviously, some things need a little more than one seam to be finished. But I can do those things when I have time.

I kind of wish I'd started up the 100 Days Project on my Restless Hands quilt, which is going nowhere very rapidly.

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So I completed a dress during the week - the Tea House Dress by Sew House Seven - it took me two and a half years, if not more, but it's finally done. I think I won that pattern at a previous Frocktails (2018? 2019?) and I finished it in time for the Blue Mountains Frocktails 2023 event!

I think I'll make a few more of these, they're pretty comfortable and nice and light and casual. I wonder how good it would be in something a little softer and thicker, not quite a nightdress fleece.

I ended up wearing another Sicily Slip because  it looked really good with my back tattoo.

The Blue Mountains Frocktails event was heaps of fun - great to meet fellow sewists, to sit and talk with a few people that I knew and got to know better, and also to better link names to faces...

Didn't win anything, but bought some fabric at Minerva's Bower on the way home.

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There's also this dress still to make – the pattern I won at the last Frocktails:

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Today, this afternoon, I'm going to sew together the striped binding for the last (couple of) quilt(s) that need binding for this collection. This year, I just really want to finish these quilts and get them out the door.

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I think I've worked out the balance of blocks for The Spare - a.k.a.”Harry of Windsor” which is entirely made up of the 'spare' blocks of various quilts that I've made through the years.

If I actually manage to finish it in time, it could go for the Sydney Quilt Show, perhaps?

WIP Wednesday: one-hour dress

I was going to make a one-hour dress for the 1920s party for hockey Preso Night on Saturday, but it turned out to be too cold to go with what I'd planned. Maybe for summer instead?

The 1-hour 1920s dress at The Closet Historian. Probably the most simple but also helpful of the sites I tried to look at regarding a dress design.

I realised that I'd need an underslip, so I spent time drafting that one (rather roughly) from the Sicily slip dress.

It needed to be made of a more drapey material than I had. This was trouser lining, and a little stiff. Should have saved it for trouser lining.

I made a draft dress...out of poly-cotton. It did not go well.

The actual material I planned for the dress is a lot lighter and more fluid...

And in the end, I just wore a shop-made dress that I've had for some, oh, twenty years and which still fit me, with a draping overlay from another dress that needs some serious work to be wearable... *sigh*

Other Projects Sydney Quilt Show Entry: needs backing, needs quilting, needs binding Penny Patches: 1x binding 2x quilting & binding C3 Quilt: M's quilt: no progress

WIP Wednesday: the one with drafting

Trying to draft a slip undergarment using the Sicily Slip Dress pattern. It's not going quite as well as I'd hoped. Also, things are little crazy this week so I'm not doing great.

It's an undergarment, so I could probably fill in the gappy back bits just by sewing extra pieces on. It just means cutting them and adding stuff and...yeah. *sigh*

frocktails and clothing

Gotta work out a dress for frocktails. Either that, or lose weight to fit into my silvery party dress. (There's a lot of trousers I don't comfortably fit into right now, tbh.)

I started getting a tattoo yesterday. It's a Chinese-style dragon on my back, and yes, cue all the jokes about "girl with the dragon tattoo". I've wanted this tattoo for the last twenty years, which rather predates the book. I just never found a tattooing style I particularly liked.

What this means, though, is that backless dresses are going to be a thing going forward. Which could be a problem for my breasts, since I am easily a size C/D cup.

Anyway, the Portia Party Dress by Rebecca Page looks promising, although I don't know what fabric I'd use for it. Not that I have a shortage of fabrics available...

Alternatively: YT vid for cowl neck halter dress - straps around the back.

Another YT vid for cowl neck halter dress with zipper

...or I could just go the Sicily slip pattern. Which worked really well, actually.

To do clothing-wise before summer:
- Tea House dress
- finish hemming Sicily slip
- make the garden party dress from Pretty Woman

Clothing Posts (tag)

clothing post

This post is going to be about clothesmaking, trying to keep track of the patterns I have and what I want to do with them. I may need to sort them into a spreadsheet, with a picture of each. It would make keeping track of what I've done/haven't done easier.

An asterisk beside an item means I've made it and it works for me. A cross beside an item means I've made it but it didn't work for me.

Plantain Top - deer and doe - shapeless, long-sleeve top
Hemlock tee - Grainline - very simple, long sleeves
Helmi top/dress - Named patterns - blouse and tunic dress

Avenir Jumpsuit - Friday - easy comfortable fit, woven fabrics but a stable knit, too.

Adrianna dress - Friday - pull-on, a-line, shift dress, large statement sleeves - probably good for a
matilda - megan neilsen - shirt dress
patsy party dress - rebecca page - fitted bodice, and swirly skirt
portia party dress - rebecca page - v-neck, long or short, slit back, knit and woven versions
*Sicily Slip Dress - Sewing Patterns By Masin
wear everywhere - sew sew easy - loose knit-related dress
Sunny Dress/Top - Friday Pattern - scoop neck, knit
Sweet Spring Style Dress - making pretty - jersey wrap dress
*eva dress - knit - made before, could make again
lucida dress - Friday Pattern Company: nice simple dress, a line skirt, loose fit

Lourdes Jacket - Named Patterns - Cropped jacket
Gemma sweatshirt & maxi dress - Named Patterns - one with the fancy cross pattern, dress is long sleeves, high neck, long fitted skirt

Noelle bralette/panty set - Madelynne
Sierra Bra - Madelynne
Harriet bralette - Cloth Habit

Veronika Skirt - Megan Nielsen

Paper Patterns
Tea Dress/top - Sew House Seven
Butterick B5499 top/tunic/dress and pants
McCalls M5115 - lined jacket, coat, top, skirt, and pants
Sew Iconic: Pretty Woman Dress - loose fit with belt waist

Contemplating buying:
- Calvin wrap dress/top - True Bias
- Lulu Sweater
- Tabor V-neck sweater - Sew House Seven (purchase paper pattern here)
- Ogden Cami
- Kielo Wrap Dress

Things that I need:
- casual pants, loose and comfy (thai fisherman's pants) - note: wraparound pants, but would need a nice flowing fabric for it, also reasonably thick.
- shorts, solid and comfy
- culottes (have at least one paper pattern)
- long sleeved tops: Plantain and Hemlock, Helmi blouse?
- loose pull-on dresses with longer skirts: Sunny dress, Lucida dress
- light jackety type things

Things that need doing:
- v-necking all the crewnecks

I have at least one Sicily slip dress in pieces, and the Tea Dress in pieces. I should see about making a light jacket.

Q4 Finish: Croques and Frocks

My Q4 Finish-Along List

Two items of clothing

So I listed 'two items of clothing' and had pictures of a shirt all cut up, and the plans for a dress.

I've finished two items of clothing, just not necessarily the two I listed.

Firstly, the dress for the 'Frocks and Croques' day in early November: Croquet in fancy dress!

Pieces were all cut out in October, and the event was in November.



But I decided to finish it a week early and wear it to a Halloween party.



And after that to the Croques and Frocks day.



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The second dress I made was for a Christmas party and I pretty much had to get it done the day of the party because I hadn't done it beforehand.



It was a 70s retro party thrown by a couple at church who do this every year and have a "trash auction" to raise money for an overseas aid company.

I made it seriously short. Like SERIOUSLY short.



Not used to wearing dresses this short. But I think it went down okay.



I might still try to get done the shirt that I'd planned to do:


Something nice and light to wear. I guess we'll see!

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So that's two items of clothing made!