Sewing
Ninja vs Incredible: book week costumes
It’s been a week of creativity here at Haywood Homestead. The dress-ups box was raided and the hot glue gun’s been going overtime, as the finishing touches were put on book week costumes. The doomed Lucky Prescott costume (see last week’s post) got replaced by Plan B: I converted the Ladybug Miraculous catsuit (made for…
Read MoreCountdown to Book Week costumes
Sunday afternoon was spent sewing things for Book Week costumes. It was pleasant to sit and sew in the warm kitchen, as the hail thrashed the windows and the trees bent over horizontally outside. For international readers, Aussie schools celebrate Children’s Book Week by inviting students dress up as their favourite book character. Our school…
Read MoreWhat Ken needs (apart from a decent haircut)
After sewing two jumpsuits in a row I badly needed a quick “instant gratification” project. What could be more perfect than swimming trunks for Ken! The poor doll has been swimming in the nuddy while Barbie’s been doing laps in her snazzy bikini. However, my favourite eight year old tells me he’s actually wearing a…
Read MoreHello! New taupe corduroy trousers
The departure of my old much-worn taupe corduroy trousers has left a void (see obituary here). Too many smart-casual country looks are going unworn since they retired…it seems that taupe corduroy trousers are needed in my wardrobe. Meanwhile, dormant in my stash, waiting for its moment to shine, was this stretch taupe babycord with a…
Read MoreMakin’ it Magic: the Japanese backpack
Some time ago, my mum went on a holiday to Japan and brought me back a backpack kit. It consists of a pre-printed panel and a single sheet of instructions. The instructions are in Japanese but, as is the case with Japanese pattern books, the illustrations are so clear and thoughtfully drawn that a person…
Read MoreBuilt by Wendy, FINALLY Sewn by Lizzy
It’s been a while coming, but the Built by Wendy sheath dress is….finished? I wish I could write that it is, and it very nearly is finished. I had hoped to wear it on the weekend since the weather was hot, but I got stuck on the buttons (more about this below; please keep reading).…
Read MoreBuilt by Wendy meets Puce Floral
Do you remember the Built by Wendy sheath dress I started back in September? Unfortunately I only got as far as a toile fitting before being paralyzed by fabric and styling indecision. Since then, though, I’ve dug through my extensive fabric collection and come up with a very old cotton sateen pink/purple/puce floral. I can’t…
Read More3 Useful sewing ideas
A short post this week, with three unrelated sewing ideas I hope you’ll find useful… Unpicker cover The Clover unpicker, while expensive, is considered by many to be the unpicker of choice, with its smooth sharp blade and comfortable handle. However, it comes with a flimsy sleeve to protect to blade (which I lost). …
Read MoreBuilt by Wendy, Sewn by Lizzy
The arrival of spring weather has given me the urge to sew a summer dress. Does this happen to you when the season changes? I was also inspired by a library book: Built by Wendy Dresses: The Sew U Guide to Making a Girl’s Best Frock. The book was published in 2010 and has had…
Read MoreOverlocking: A perfect beginning and end
A question that sometimes comes up during sewing classes is How do I secure the beginnings and ends of overlocking? There are a few answers depending on the situation… If the overlocking will eventually have another row of stitching or overlocking over each end (probable examples are side seams, shoulder seams and in fact,…
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