Japanese Sewing Book – Girls Style book – “L”

I’ve done a lot of selfish sewing lately so I decided to make something for my munchkin. Using the Girls style book I made the tunic top “L. I didn’t include the frilly part of the sleeve to make it more of a tunic top ans i also added contrasting pockets. The right pocket is a bit wonky but it not noticeable when worn.

Quick Review

Fabric : “Drapey” Cotton and Checkered cotton

Notions: None

Instructions: I got the English version.Good diagrams but the instructions didn’t have much detail.Being a novice sewer, I  spent a lot of time reading the instructions and trying to figure them out. Ouch. My brain hurt after a while. With that being said eventually it all clicked and the clothes aren’t that hard to make.

Level: Adventurous beginner

Time to complete:

Wear it? : Yes

Sew again: Yes

Now, back to tackle that Simplicity 2444 again….

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Washi, Washi, Washi

This week I took on the very popular Washi dress by Made by Rae. It is a great pattern and I would definitely recommend it for beginner sewers. I used some colourful cotton that I got from the Spotlight sale. Its a great fit though I think next time I will make it one size smaller. The darts are so easy to do (thanks Rae!) and give a gorgeous fit for the bust area. This pattern gets a 10/10 in my book. I will be getting the geranium dress pattern for my muchkin next.

Quick Review

Fabric : Mid-weight Cotton

Notions: Shirring Elastic

Instructions: Great with lots of pics and suggestions. Perfect for a beginner

Level: Beginner

Time to complete: 3 hours.

Wear it? : Yes

Sew again: Yes! Cant get enough! Infact, I liked it so much I made two!

Its been pretty gloomy weather here so the pics are pretty ordinary :).

Kitenge Wax Print Fabric

One of the things I love about sewing is being able to experiment with different types of fabric and using them in whatever way you want. I love color and bold prints. Kitenge or Chitenge fabric is the beautiful and colorful fabric you often see African women wearing. The printing and bold color is done by traditional methods using wax. Its used in many different ways such as clothing, upholstery , carrying babies on your back, given as wedding gifts and can even be put up on walls as decoration.

At the moment there is a big trend of using this fabric with contemporary modern fashions. There are some great examples on Sika Boutique’s website.

I would love one of these babies. Too pricey for my pocket though! Luckily for me, my mommy dearest is currently in Africa and I’ve asked her to get some for me. I can hardly wait. Now I just have to find some patterns that would go well with the fabric. It seems to work well as a peplum top or something with a flared skirt as above. I’m thinking something like this:

I think it will be easier to decide once I see the actual fabric. Have you used this type of fabric before. Any suggestions?