A Garment a month: March - Bess Top

Ok, I know you are wondering what happened to February, right? I'm claiming my Roly Poly for that month. It might be small, but it's still a garment.

Anyway, this month my infatuation with Imagine Gnats patterns continues, this time grown up size. For March, I made a Bess top. I'd seen this on Pinterest in different versions and thought that I'd give it a go. I liked that it didn't have sleeves to set or darts in the bust (I'm starting off easy, remember?). 

I had a panel of Nordika fabric by Jeni Baker that I loved and was reluctant to chop up. Plus I (still) have a load of that sheer chambray, so a Bess top they were destined to become. 

Now, I stayed up late last Thursday finishing the top so I could wear it Friday and I got instant gratification. A complete random in the park came up to me and said she liked my top and where did I get it? Ka-Ching! Doesn't look handmade then. Next up I got a compliment in my local quilt store. Double Ka-Ching!! So clearly I must make more clothes. 

Slight downer was the discovery of this hole later in the afternoon

But I stitched it up and it seems to be holding so far. 

I made the pattern pretty much per the instructions with the exception of using a knit to bind the neck / arm hole / hem. I didn't have any on hand and I didn't want to buy some just for this, so I used the finishing method from the Wiksten tank and bound it with the chambray. 

Next time round I think I'd like to try French Seams down the side. I don't have an overlocker and I think a finished seam looks so much nicer than pinking / zig zagging. Plus I think it may be a bit sturdier construction for people that have small children hanging off them. I suspect that the pinking may have had something to do with that hole...I don't know for sure, but the seam looked a little skinny there post pinking.

Regardless, it was a quick and easy sew. The pattern says intermediate because of the sleeves wrapping around requiring some thinking (I thought ''I have to do what?'') but I just went ahead and sewed and it was pretty straight forward. I would definitely not class myself as an intermediate garment sewer and I had no troubles following this pattern at all. I am pretty happy with how it all came together and I think there are more Bess tops in my future.

This is also my finish for March ALYoF (I was #40 in the original goal linky). Now I have to start planning for my garment for next month.

Sierpinski Mini Quilt

Back in the day (a long time ago) I got myself a math degree. One of the subjects I had to study for the degree was called Topology and Chaos (hi Professor Morris!) and in that subject I was first introduced to the Sierpinski triangle.

Now, the Sierpinski triangle is way cool for a whole load of maths reasons, but in addition to that (math pun unintentional) it is also very aesthetically pleasing. Ever since that first introduction the ST (as I am going to call it, it's onerous to keep typing it out) has remained in my mind as my boring meeting doodle of choice. Late last year I was at a work conference, so loads of doodling to be done, and as I sketched out a ST I thought "could I make that a quilt? Even better a rainbow quilt?" And so this quilt was born.

This is my mini for the Rainbow Mini Swap in Instagram (check out the #rainbowminiquiltswap hashtag for some eye candy) and also a finish for my Q1 FAL list. 

So the deets...I paper pieced the smaller triangles. Having never sewn triangles before I didn't want to lose all my points. Then once the smaller triangles were pieced I did regular piecing til it was all stitched together. All in all it came together pretty fast.

(PS: isn't my quilt holder cute? Lucky it's a mini since Ms Moo is a shorty. She loved being my "assistant").

I quilted in the ditch around all the coloured pieces and then I echoed the pieced pattern in the background using Aurifil in white. I am quite happy with how this came out. First, I think it looks pretty good and secondly I managed to do it so that I did not have to bury one single thread. (well, one, but only because the bobbin ran out). Every time I quilt something I definitely feel myself improving.

I backed it in this awesome rainbow stripe from Spotlight (why oh why did I only bu one meter? At least I managed to get a few strips for binding) and bound it in this Lotta Jandsotter print from her Sylvia line that I bought on sale a while back for binding.

The finished mini is approx 24 inches x 36 inches (shhhhh, don't tell the mini quilt police - I had some quilt math issues).

Princess Twilight Sparkle cushion

This week one half of the power duo who are the namesakes of my blog turned five.

Ms Moo is going through a high intensity My Little Pony phase and so I thought I would make a MLP cushion for her. I asked which was her favourite which resulted in her naming all of them, so I made an executive decision to make Princess Twighlight Sparkle. 

I got the pattern from here. It is paper pieced and finishes at 10 inches square. Let me just say that there are a lot of teeny tiny pieces in this. See that eye? Twenty six (!!) pieces. Still, it was relatively easy piecing and I banged it out in a few nights. The process was greatly expedited by sticking pins through the end of the sew lines and marking them with a heat erasable pen. With the number of pieces and dark fabric there was no way that holding it up to the light in the garage was going to work. 

I backed it with fusible fleece to quilt as a few of my seams were quite scant and I thought that might give the pillow some extra longevity. Of course, I backed it with the Mustang ponies - there was really no other choice. I put a zipper in using this tutorial from Svetlana at s.o.t.a.k handmade. This was the first time I have used binding on a pillow and I love the way it turned out. 

So how was it received? With a maximum of excitement. The only gift that topped it was the Rainbow Dash play doh thingie. I did get told that it was missing the horn, but that hasn't stopped it being slept with every night since her birthday. I would count this as a success. That level of excitement about a gift is definitely one of the things I love the most about being able to sew. 

March ALYoF Goal: a Bess Top

Last month, I cheated a bit on my garment a month challenge and made my little one a Imagine Gnats Roly Poly out of Wee Wander fabric. Technically, it is a garment, just not one for me...

This month I am back on the wagon (so to speak) and making something for myself. Another Imagine Gnats pattern - this one a Bess Top.

I have seen a few of these on various social media and they look quite flattering and comfortable. Hopefully also a relatively easy make. I am trying to ease my way into more complex garments.

I just cut my fabric. I am using one of the panels from Jeni Baker's Nordika line. I remember when this first came out and I was so in love with it. I bought a fat quarter bundle and then one I got came with half yards of the two panels. Perfect for the front of a top! The back is the same lovely chambray I used for the Roly Poly.

(Crap photo, sorry, but it was midnight when I took this so I wasn't up for getting a better one)

I hope it suits me because I will be cross if I have wasted this lovely panel!

This is my March goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes

A finish: Noodlehead Envelope Clutch 2.0

Okie...here we go again. This was my second crack at this pattern and fabric line (see previous attempt here).

Having made the pattern before, I thought it qualified as reading the pattern, but I read it again nonetheless. I learnt my lesson! 

Also, having made the pattern before it was a quick sew. I would have had it done in one night but I sewed my finger and decided to call it quits for the night right at the end. 

Anyway, this one turned out much better. Peacocks remained intact (although I still managed to butcher my FQ in the process). 

This is for my handmade birthday club. The recipient is the very talented Ms Midge - it's her faux birthday. I hope she likes it! And can overlook the imperfections (perfectly imperfect??). 

And that's another one off my Q1 FAL list. I'm finding having the list quite a good motivator. 

Next month is my month for the birthday club. I am VERY, VERY excited. It is a pool of very clever ladies that I'll be receiving gifts from. I must say I feel slight sorry for the ladies at the start of the club since my sewing has improved a lot since then! Sorry girls! I've done my best and managed to make a few things off my Pinterest list. I'll keep you posted on the goodies I receive this month.