some pre-blog sewing

That's a very dull post title isn't it? My apologies.

Seriously, with Andy overseas and three kids home on holidays, plus playdates, appointments and squeezing in some paid work, my brain is about the consistency of the lovely new lot of corn-fibre toy stuffing that arrived today.

Quick, a photo.

You know when you take a piece of exquisite fabric, and cut it just so, to use almost every scrap, and create a piece of clothing that you think your child looks utterly edible in?

So of course, child refuses to wear it? Yeah.

I made this over a year ago from some precious Liberty Tana Lawn - a half metre from eBay - to a pattern I sort-of traced from an existing top. It has French seams, side splits, neck binding painstakingly unpicked and re-applied to make it perfect. He's probably worn it about five times. So when he actually chose it from his wardrobe recently I had to take some photos.

Have you ever hugged a child wearing Liberty Tana Lawn next to their skin? I highly recommend it as one of life's most delicious sensations.

A disclaimer for the following photo: the clothes sit better than this when there is not a gale-force wind plastering them to me. Top and skirt both made, I think, pre-blog.

Top: New Look 6808 in a Japanese double-sided double gauze. This is really comfy and totally doesn't need the invisible zip I painstakingly inserted down one side as per the pattern, but then I like it loosely fitted. I added the contrast band down the bottom, and put an old glass button on the collar instead of the bow in the pattern. I thought a bow would be a bit twee added to the whole picnic tablecloth effect I have going on here. I think this pattern would look good extended down in an A-line shape to make a dress, don't you?

Skirt: Anna Maria Horner Proper Attire Skirt in a bamboo denim that I have used previously for Charlie's shorts.  I love this skirt, wear it to death and this photo does not do it justice at all. It's a reminder of how much wear I get from really good, plain basics. It's fully-lined, has great pockets and a really lovely shape.

The waistband is cut on the bias and the denim has a lot of stretch, even though interfaced. Next time I'd take the time to hang the cut waistband up to stretch then re-cut... a technique I saw somewhere and can't Google-find now, drat.

The photo above was taken on a day out at the Barossa Valley. It's a world-famous wine region but you can guess how much fun it is going wine tasting with the three boys in tow. One of the best parts was visiting a sculpture park set at a lookout with views over the whole valley. The boys had fun on, in and around the sculptures.

That Witchard, he gets around the place! (Oh yeah, he'll wear the dress-up garment made of nasty synthetic stuff... but I'm not complaining about that.)

- Jane x