I don’t know about you but I tend to repeat patterns or shapes that work for me , particularly with remnants. I love remnants , I find them interesting, leftover fabrics that lend themselves to possibilities.When you are left with enough fabric to make a simple top I always go for it.
Silk remnant top front view Silk remnant top front
The two boxy tops above are made from remnants the shape works well for me and I wear them under a jacket often . I self drafted these and I had a little less than a metre of fabric to work with . Both are silk one quite coarse weave the other a satin. The black and silver fabric came from Spotlight years ago , I edged the neck and armholes with fold over elastic it worked well.
The satin one I picked up the fabric in Bali years ago and is leftover from a dress I made . I just folded over the neck and armholes. They are very comfortable and great layering pieces.
I bought some felled wool, from The Selvedge Society on Instagram in winter last year . I didn’t get around to using it then but thought it may work as a jacket or cape . The immediate issue was I only had 150cm x 110cm of fabric to use. It is a gorgeous double sided Green and Grey combination. I used it all a zero waste pattern.
The pattern
The CF is cut up to a point 50cm from the back hem. At the front up 28cm from side edge a cut 38cm long is made those edges are then folded in and overlapped slightly and stitched together.At this point I realised this back piece would slip when wearing so I stitched it to the back at the top and bottom of the seam .
The design idea The felted wool remnant I wore it and it works well
I made to wear in the wheelchair or on the scooter as it covers me well and is warm and comfortable. It works well and has a cape look when sitting .
You know when you are a creative there are some things that speak to you and fill you with possibilities a pattern a fabric a colour a print they are all windows to the creative process. I have many patterns but this one I have made twice now and will again it just works for me.
New Look 6532 this Jacket is great
I have made this jacket first in a reversible jacquard that is a little formal .
Front pink side Back view Reverse Front Reverse back
This is a lovely jacket to wear very comfortable and a little formal on the pink side and more casual on the red . I used the selvage on this for the centre front . I think it works well.
My next jacket fabric
I saw this fabric at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne it is from a tablecloth I loved the colours and the fringing so bought a big enough one to make my jacket using both the selvage and the fringes.
First wear to lunch for a family birthday You can see more here I bound the seams to clean the inside
After wearing the jacket I found the cotton to be a little coarse and hard on my body so I have now lined it in some lime green cotton voile .
Voile
This makes it much more comfortable and easy to wear . I love it .
Hope you are able to create when the mood strikes.
I have had a love of long tunic tops with slim pants for most of my life but the circumstances I live with now means they don’t really work in the wheelchair. So adjustment’s need to be made.
Embroidered Mesh Tunic 2018
I made this a while ago because I love embroidered mesh and wanted the fabric to be the focus .
Recently I cut it off so I can use it now.
Back Front
I will now be able to wear it , I am finding separates are better for me to wear these days. I will try to get a picture in it when I wear it next .
I ,( like I imagine loads of people ), am obsessed with interesting fabrics, textures, colours , prints and patterns, fibre content all of these are fundamental to my purchasing and making decisions . Some prints are such that what I make is determined by that . This make is such a garment. I made it in 2020 a self drafted dress , in a cotton fabric from spotlight , that completely determined how I would lay out the pattern. I couldn’t bear to break up the print so it needed to be one piece.
2020 me in my dress that I only wore for the photo.I changed it to zip opening I still haven’t worn it but this will work in the wheelchair.Back view
I decided to open the front in 2022 , as I hadn’t worn it and thought I would get more wear out of it as a jacket. I still haven’t worn it but it has potential now.
I hope you are doing whatever creative pursuits fill you with joy.
I purchased the fabric for this make from Chic Fabrique a small fabric store on the central coast in NSW . This store is a treasure trove of beautiful fabrics I thoroughly recommend you visit if you can .
I used this pattern for my jacket it is more of a shrug really.This gorgeous quilted knit is like wearing a hug
I lined the body in a teal satin and the sleeves with a stripped knit fabric for comfort.
Back view
Wearing this is like a warm hug , I am very happy with it , feels glorious on and it will work with the wheelchair so that’s good. The quilted knit is lovely and soft and the colours are wonderful. I will use this pattern again but may modify it next time. I would like a bit more length at the front to cover my body changes.
A few weeks ago I went on a road trip with my lovely sister in law. We were both very excited to see the Alexander Macqueen exhibition at the NGV in Melbourne. We also caught up with my son who lives there as well. For me to take a long road trip 9 hrs from my home to Melbourne we needed to break it up. So we left Thursday afternoon and got home Monday afternoon.
We left on a Thursday afternoon 3 hrs to Jugiong and stayed at the St George Hotel ,in an accessible room which was good. I could wheelchair easily to dinner and the room was very comfortable. I drove at the start of our journey to Melbourne the next day and then Anne took over for the remainder of the trip.
We found easy disability parking at the NGV and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Breakfast before exhibition
We checked into our hotel it was one I would always stay at prior to my diagnosis and realised that there was no accessible room so that was disappointing we managed but it wasn’t great.
The exhibition was wonderful so worth seeing. He was an incredible artist.
After the Alexander Macqueen exhibition we then went to the NGVA meeting up with my son , and saw the Melbourne Now exhibition it was really good .
My son Conor and I
Dinner at a suburban winery called Jamsheed in Preston completed a wonderful day .
Lovely big coffee to start the day
On Sunday we went to Queen Victoria market after breakfast. We had a lovely few hours wandering. Before heading to Albury for our last overnight.
We had an accessible room in Albury and it was great and the footpaths were nice and flat and easy for me to navigate. Dinner at a pub called Bended Elbow was really good, it was a short stroll back to the hotel .
The trip home was uneventful and we felt really happy about our trip . It was wonderful to travel to Melbourne it’s a city I love to visit , and will again.
I love a shirt dress ,that piece of clothing that is a bit more versatile than a dress or a jacket as it is both. I am a fan of clothing that is multi purpose that has some scope to play .The pattern is V9299.
I have had this pattern V9299 for a while I love the sleeves.
I managed to purchase some lovely vintage silk from The Sewing Basket a charity shop in Newington NSW. I wanted to use the whole pattern so it is quite long .
As a jacket Back view
This is the view D with a straight hem. It is very nice to wear. I love silk .
A few years ago , I was given some lace by my friend . She had received it from a deceased estate that had been left with her. It wasn’t something that she would use so she gifted it to me. Not long after I received it I made some things.
I spent a bit of time deciding what I would make and settled for a cropped bomber jacket and a long jacket .
This is the bomber jacket pattern I used . It looks very cute but not on me so I gave it to a dear young friend . This is more my style
I made the long version self drafted with a split sleeve and side splits and used vintage glass buttons and thread loops to close it . As I like long tunic style tops, I have a self drafted pattern I use, (although now unless they have split sides I can’t really wear them sitting in my wheelchair). I am adding split sides to lots of previous makes these days, so that I can still wear them.
It is a light layer to wear . I don’t have a picture of me in it but I have worn it a few times.
Hope you are enjoying your week . May creativity fuel your days. I have loads of garments to share with you over time hope you like these.
suessewbyme 