Lisette B6296 , Dressed in a Dress Jane Tee, Oliver+s Sleepover pjs and Schoolbus tee for Lidia, Matilda and Beatrix

 New matching pyjamas for the sisters.

Lisette B6296

Sleepover Pajamas

School Bus tee

My go to patterns.

Jane Tee

Plus a new (to me) which had become a staple.

Trixie really, really really wanted matching japamas with her sisters but I only had enough flannelette to make bottoms, as it was, Tilly had to have shortie bottoms.

Same pattern, just short!

As usual, all the piping.

Piped cuffs with enclosed seams (much neater)

For a touch of whimsy Tilly made a 'Silly Goose' cricut.

With a 'Silly Gosling' for Izzie.

And a pink version for Tilly.

With the scraps of pink knit I made Izzie another School Bus tee, this time with shoulder ruffles.

While I had the pattern out I made Trixie her first full pair of Listte pjs. 

A cute little stylised pig print flannelette.

Silly Gooses!!!!

Funny girls.

Good sports.

Oh dear!

Still my favourite pj pattern.

Thank you for reading... Stay well and safe xx Nicole 

Lekala Blouse #4379 for Lidia

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Thank you so much. x

More Clin blouse please Mumma, said my sweet girl. The criteria? Short sleeves, neat and professional and no ties or bows that can be grabbed (eeek)!

We chose Lekala #4379 . Lekala are a pattern company that make a PDF that is customised to your personal measurements.

There are several really lovely details to this blouse.

The rounded collar is modern and oversized, as is the collar stand. It 'sits out' from the neck in a pleasing, editorial fashion.

A concealed placket is always very elegant. I like to pre-fold and press the hem before stitching the placket. I then fold the hem in on its self, fold, press and stitch the placket, then hand sew the very bottom of the placket so it is a perfect finish. After that I machine sew the rest of the hem leaving an un-sewn few inches to sew the front to the back. Once the side seams are sewn I finish the hem. It gives a very tidy look to the garment.

The stitched down pleats at the neck sit beautifully and aid in the chicness of the  neckline.

Here you can really see the texture of the cotton, self checked fabric I found deep stash. The buttons are simple white plastic as I found a white blouse needs frequent Napi-san soaking and plastic holds up better than Mother of Pearl. 

The shoulder darts are another lovely detail that shape the blouse as is the back seam. Lidia has quite a sway back, a back seam helps me fit this with ease.

The focal point of the garment is the tulip sleeve. I finished this with a narrow hem.

The sleeve sewing was where I ran into a few issues. No matter how I tried I could not get my pattern pieces to line up. I ended up trimming that wee piece of overlap off.

In retrospect I think I should have gently pulled on the bias and used this extra fabric as, according to Lidia, the sleeve feels a bit firm on.

The front, back and sides all fit nicely with good ease.

However, when she lifts her arms there is definite restriction. 

So, a beautiful blouse but not quite right for Clinical Simulations.

Luckily Lekala has 600 odd more  blouse patterns to choose from.

Thank you for reading and stay safe and well. xx Nicole 

Rosys Patterns Romantic Empire Dress (Chloe) for Lidia

 A new to me pattern company, Rosys Patterns

After the disastrous Milkmaid dress from Etsy I was a little nervous sewing one up and then after perusing the internet and ending up on Reddit there was a number of people stating they were AI. 

However I had already purchased a 'buy 6, pay for 2' deal....

Romantic Empire dress

In for a penny in for a pound.

Lidia's measurements put her in a size Medium bust and X-large hips, so I drafted those two sizes, blending just below the waist. Then I made a muslin.

If in doubt, make a muslin, it won't take too long, I promise!

The fit was pretty good, I just pinched a little out of centre back above her derriere. 

The pattern comes with good instructions, not too wordy but I found them fine. They are described as beginner which I am not sure I agree with however Rosy promotes her WhatsApp group in which you can ask for help. I sewed the lining to the invisible zipper by machine for the first time ever. I always hand sew as I couldn't get my head around the machine sew method but her diagrams clicked with me!

Lidia choose a colour combination that was very similar to the pattern cover. The micro check Winter weight cotton was from my late Mums stash and I made Lidia an Empire line blouse from it. The sleeves are the gorgeous organdie that I also sewed up for Lidia in my most  favourite sew ever

This fabric came from an Australian designer called Dollscake . I purchased six huge boxes of her samples (and her samples are generous cuts) so I have some beautiful, unusual fabrics to use.

The pattern instructions are to shirr the sleeve cuff but I chose to use bias binding and run  elastic through. I have not had much success with shirring, it's one of those techniques I need to master.

I am not fond of invisible zips. No matter how much care I take I get some 'gaping'. I have found greater success using The Kenneth King application. This gave me a good result but I think if I was making this dress super fitted I would use a traditional zipper.

I did bind the arm sleeve (which the pattern instructions suggest) as it give such a nice finish when you have lined the dress. 

This style of dress really suit Lidia.

Its so sweet and twee!

I didn't fit the dress quite as close as the designers as Lidia wanted to be comfortable.

I added length to the dress when I cut it out but I ended up hemming that away. That said, a nice deep hem does make a short dress sit nicely.

As always, I make Lids little  shorts (fully lined) to wear under her short dresses.

They are not visible with normal wear.

But make her feel more comfortable.

We went with a cotton broderie lace at the neck, with a satin bow and two little velvet buttons.

In conclusion, I am very pleased with my first Rosy Sews pattern.

They are not cheap at $44 AUD however she offers lots of specials which half the price. I see a lot of YouTubers making very quick variations which they can sew one night and wear the next day. I spent a bit more time on mine but that was my choice. Why can't sewing be accessible and fun?

Rosy also offer lots of video support via her You Tube channel and the few times I have reached out for her support (IT stuff) she has answered me promptly.

Rosy also offers a complete shop package and if my girls like enough of her patterns I will seriously consider buying it. It gives you every pattern in the shop plus automatically any of her new releases.

Thank you for reading and stay well xx Nicole