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Bernina foot # 12 Bulky Overlock foot

Although it's called "Bulky Overlock" I don't how to use it to "overlock".  I bought it because I want to use it for piping. It came really handy when I was sewing the Simplicity 2848 dress.

There are two horizontal piping on the front and the back. I made the piping firstly with the narrow zipper foot. Then I pin it between the yoke and the main fabric.

Slide it under foot # 12, and start sewing. The bulky part with the piping should sit under the groove and the needle position should be align to the marking on the foot.

The seam is impeccable.

Classy checked dress - perfect for work

I know, this dress is old fashioned. I've had this Simplicity 2848 pattern sitting in my drawer for a long time and I finally had enough courage to make it. I was first attracted by the cover image of the red dress worn by the model. Such a little cute dress. It's a classic and perfect for work. 

The fabric I used is Grey with Black Check Wool Blend Flannel. I used an orange piping to match the thin orange stripe on the fabric. It turned out to be great.

The instruction only tells you to line the yoke. I fully lined the dress to make it a good shape and comfortable. Here is the photo of the lining inside. I have my dummy Ruby to try it on. :)

This project involved techniques to sew piping. I have taken a lot of photos to show you. 

For the piping between the yoke and the main front, see this post as I was reviewing the Bernina foot no. 12.

The piping around the neckline is one continuous piece. I sewed the piping with the zipper foot and then attached it to the main fabric.

Then with right sides together, I sewed the neckline of the lining, piping and the main fabric. I also understitched the lining.

Here are more photos of the lining.

I learnt more about lining and piping in this project. The piping adds a subtle contrast to the pattern and colours of the fabric. 

Butterick 5603 dress

This is another popular pattern by Butterick. I bought the blue flower print fabric cheap from a warehouse a while ago. It's supposed for quilting. 100% cotton. I am happy with the fabric and the pattern overall. Here are the pic.

The skirt is easy to make. The only challenge is the neck bank, specially the v-neck at the back. It took me long time to figure out how to sew. I took some on the v-point.

I think I need to do more research on how to sew v-neck band. I am thinking it may be a good idea to attache a collar. But I have not make a collar ever, so I think I should do some projects with collar first.

The armhole is a  bit too small for me, even though I cut size 10.

I learnt how to sew lining on this project. Lining is so good. It makes the garment more comfortable to wear and looks more professional. It takes a bit of effort on the slip stitching the lower edge. But it's worth it.

DIY: easy Sleeve Ironing Board

How to make a sleeve board?

I always want a sleeve ironing board. I got lucky the other day when browsing stuff in an op-shop and found a old and dirty sleeve board. It give me the wood board and the metal leg so I don't need to cut them myself.  But if you can't find one, HERE you can find out how to make them your own.

Step 1. Here are the materials your need:

• the board and the leg (on the left in the photo)
• Webbing tape 
• Calico (or other cotton fabric) 6 inch width
• Staple gun
• 5mm thick foam sheet 

Step 2. Cut calico to the board. You need the a piece for the top cover but another piece for the back cover. Also cut form to the shape of the board, allowing 1.5 inch away from the edge of the board.

Step 3. Staple the back fabric to hold them in place.

Step 4. Fold the top fabric and the foam to the back of the board. Staple as you go.

Step 5. Trim off excessive fabric.

Step 6. Fold the fabric edge inward and staple.

Step 7. Staple the webbing tape to cover the edge of the fabric.

Step 8. Screw on the leg.

Dah Dah. It's done.

Aussie Macadamia nuts

During the Easter, I visited my partner's parents. They have a Macadamia tree. The tree seems to be quite healthy and produces good quantity of fruits. Often you get Macadamia nuts from the shops for more than $30 per kg. 

Macadamia is a native Australian fruit. It is crunchy like other nuts and has a little sweet and creamy taste. Yumm

Here are the home grown Macadamia.

And here is the old nutcracker bought 20 years ago. 

It takes a lot of effort to get the kernel.

We visited Yarramalong Macadamia Nuts Farm. The grower told us that it takes 7 years before the tree fruits. We tried to buy one of the nutcracker for the nuts grown at home but they were sold out :(.

The new nutcracker they have looks like this. It takes no effort to crack the nuts with this tool. We have to wait for them having the stock again.

My version of BurdaStyle Peplum Top 08/2012 #113

First top I made!! I found this pattern a while ago and it seems to be one of the most popular patterns on BurdaStyle website. And my wardrobe was missing a Peplum top. So I decided to give a try.

I am just a beginner. So I immediately disregard the cap sleeves. 

To my surprise, the original version, which was 100% according to the pattern, fitted terrible. Below photos show I was trying to pin and fit it. 

The back view was worse. The peplum was too long. The neck line was too high. And I needed a small bust adjustment. I made a lot of adjustments:

• I shortened the peplum and the bodice, because I intend to wear it under a jacket. 
• I moved the seam of the back bodice and the peplum higher so that it got closer to my waist line.
• I have sloped and small shoulders. So I corrected the shoulder seams and the armholes. 
• I made a wider neckline.

Here is a much better version.

Do you notice anything wrong from the muslin? -- The hem line doesn't look natural! I put a jacket over and drew the hemline on the muslin just under the jacket to find the correct hemline

The fabric was lightweight stretchy cotton. When installing the zipper and sewing the side seam, it’s very important to make sure the horizontal seams need to be matched, shown at the three spots I circled in the below photo.

For the neckline, the pattern has neckline facing. Because my fabric is so sheer that you will see through the facing inside, I decided to use bias binding. I learnt this tip from Moonbeam’sblog.

After all the modification, there is the final product:

Oh. By the way, I also made the skirt from McCall 3830 with my sewing teacher.

Not Bad for a beginner huh? :)