How exciting! My new years resolution has actually come to fruition. I have released a new sewing pattern called Pin Pegs Mini skirt.

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Update 20-4-2015. Thankyou for your responses to a call for Pattern Testers. I now have enough testers for my pattern. Much appreciated!

Hi fellow sewists,

I have been working hard in between regular work and family commitments on a new pattern to be released soon.

This will be my first pattern release and I am in the very final stages of it.

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Happy Esther, I mean Easter! Couldn’t help myself….I hope you are enjoying your break.

We have visited my in laws who live in a little town on the East Coast of Victoria. Gorgeous wild beaches and plenty of bike riding to be had. What I particularly love about visiting is that my Father in laws wife loves to sew, mainly quilts but recently has started to get into dress making. She has the most amazing sewing space and lots of bibs and bobs and books to look at for inspiration. I always bring some sewing down when I visit. Continue reading →

Life has been busy lately but the sewing room has been calling my name. I pretty much knocked up this skirt in a day, give or take a few kiddy breaks in between. You know like when you are in the middle of sewing a button hole and you hear “mum, I need a drink” or “mum, I’m hungry….now”. Gorgeous little munchkins they are but frustrating at times. Anyway, I did manage to finish this cute little vintage polka dot skirt and wore it to School pick up on the same day.

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I made this dress for the Perfect Pattern Parcel #6. It is the Odette dress pattern by Bluegingerdoll.

At the time I made it my partner who is my resident photographer was away on a surf trip so I didn’t get as many shots up as I’d like. I met up with him on the surf trip and he managed to snap a few shots off for me.

As I mentioned in the previous post the dress was an easy one day sewing project. Cutting and pasting the pattern was probably the most time consuming but once that was done it was a very easy dress to sew.

I used a gorgeous Liberty print from Tessuti fabrics which has colourful little pears all over it. A very retro vibe to it which fits well with the Odette dress pattern.

I didn’t add the little insert at the centre front as I thought it looked a bit constricting so I added some buttons for decoration instead. I also shortened it so it sits above the knee. It made me look a bit frumpy below the knee as I’m very “petite”.

I would definitely recommend this pattern for beginners and intermediate sewists.

This is the latest Pattern Parcel #6. I have been super duper busy lately and haven’t had any time at all to sew so this dress was made in a day and I have had to do some “selfies” as my partner who is also my photographer is away on a boys surf trip. I tried to get my kids to take some photos but it just didn’t work out at all.

As the sale ends today I figured getting any shots up at all is better than nothing. I will put some better shots up soon I promise.

I decided to go with the Odette dress by Bluegingerdoll this time around. I love all the slouchy knits in the parcel but I had a gorgeous liberty print which I purchased from Tessuti fabrics that I was dying to use. It’s has all these cute little colourful pears on it which fits in perfectly with the vintage vibe to this dress.

The pattern took me FOREVER to cut and paste together. I think I took more time doing this than actually sewing it. Once the fabric was cut it was a pretty easy dress to sew. The only design on the dress I wasn’t keen on was the little insert at the centre front. I decided to delete it as it looked like it was really constricting. I may add some buttons as an accessory later down the track.

The fabric was lovely to sew and really suits this style of dress. The pattern came together really well and I would definitely recommend it.

Under construction

Pattern Parcel # 6 includes
Syrah Skirt by Lauren Dahl (exclusive release!)
Bronte Top by Jennifer Lauren
Julia Cardigan by Mouse House Creations
Hudson Pant by True Bias
Zsalya Dress by Kate and Rose

BONUS PATTERN: Odette Dress by Bluegingerdoll (this is the one I have sewn).

Bonus Pattern:
Choose a price of $32 or greater for Parcel #6 and you will automatically also be sent the Bonus Pattern! That’s only $5 a pattern. The Bonus Pattern for this Parcel is the Odette Dress by Bluegingerdoll. Vintage inspired silhouette is had two flattering necklines and a gorgeous skirt. The Odette Dress pattern goes from a size 4 through a 24!

How Pattern Parcel Works:
Here at Perfect Pattern Parcel, we believe in supporting independent pattern designers. It’s our opinion that indie patterns are just, well, better than big box patterns, and we’re pretty sure our customers think so too. So, we allow customers to show their support in naming their own price for each Parcel. We also encourage customers to allocate part of their Parcel price to the charity Donorschoose.org in order to help classrooms in need. Pattern Parcel donates all profits after expenses from Parcel sales to the charity as well. Together we’ve raised over $12,000 for classrooms in need!

I made this cute little shirt for The Perfect Pattern Parcel #4. The theme is boys this time around which is great as I have two little models waiting and ready.

Originally, I decided to make the shirt for my eight year old but when I finished it, it was a little small as the largest size is 7/8 so my six year old was the lucky model for this project. The shirt pattern I chose is the Maxwell Top by Shwin Designs. I’ve been super busy lately (Bali, Skiing, racing bikes poor me) and haven’t had a lot of time for sewing so I only managed one outfit.

I used a gorgeous Italian100% printed cotton which I picked up at Tessuti from the remnant table. I only needed just under a meter for this shirt. I have another meter left so I think I’ll make a little something for myself with the left over fabric. I added some reflector tape to the pockets for a bit of interest and a skull woven badge I’ve had stashed away for a while on the back yoke.

The instructions are a little tricky so I would recommend if you are a beginner to go slowly and read thoroughly before jumping into it. The studs drove me crazy to start with because I couldn’t figure out which pieces went together. Once I figured it out I hammered them in no problem.

In the end I’m happy with the result. Noah loves it and I couldn’t ask for more than that.

Just a recap on what The Pattern Parcel is all about.

“Here at Perfect Pattern Parcel, we believe in supporting independent pattern designers. It’s our opinion that indie patterns are just, well, better than big box patterns, and we’re pretty sure our customers think so too. So, we allow customers to show their support in naming their own price for each Parcel. We also encourage customers to allocate part of their Parcel price to the charity Donors choose.org in order to help classrooms in need. Pattern Parcel donates all profits after expenses from Parcel sales to the charity as well. Together we’ve raised $9,800 towards eliminating educational inequality.”

Here are the patterns included in the parcel.

Maxwell Top by Shwin Designs
Zippy Jacket by Blank Slate Patterns
Schoolboy Vest by Sew Much Ado
Small Fry Jeans by Titchy Threads
Jet Pack Bag by Betz White

Bonus Pattern:
Choose a price of $26 or greater for Parcel #4 and you will automatically also be sent the Bonus Pattern! The Bonus Pattern for this Parcel is Knight Hoodie by Charming Doodle. This pattern is a unique and fun spin on the traditional hoodie. Thorough instructions and pictures help you create an amazing and memorable hoodie that will inspire creativity in your little one.