August Finish: Miss Polly had a Dolly

July marked the end of this round of the Aussie handmade birthday club.

I had a lot of fun participating in this swap over the last 12 months. I've met some great ladies, and have seen, made and received some beautiful gifts.

All in all I'd call it a big success! A huge thanks to Tara for organising it, I know that these things can be a logistical nightmare sometimes.

So here is my very last make that went to the lovely Gina:

Hello!

Over the course of the last year, I have made bags, minis, more bags....and when I reached August I just wanted to make something different. But what?? After a bit of stalking through Gina's Instagram feed, I saw that she was joining in a doll swap and thought aha! I could make a dolly.

She's got spirit - check the twinkle in her eye

I set about hacking a pattern I had bought some time ago to make a mermaid for my niece (pre-Instagram, it was that long ago!). I kept the head and then just drafted up a body and away I went. I didn't have the mental energy / skill to draft up a set of doll clothes, so I just made the body of the doll be her dress. I snazzed it up with a sweet little four leaf clover applique "brooch".

She also got a stylish scarf (because it is winter!) and some sweet red shoes.

She clicked her heels three times and the magic of Australia Post took her to her new home

To finish the package off, I used my favourite crafty gift wrapping - a fat quarter with a ribbon!

I'll miss my little dolly, I might have to make one for my own sewing room (but I'll have to hide it from the kids!)

This is also my finish for August's ALYoF.

A VERY late post for a garment a month: July - the Ella Top

First up I should say that this post has been written since the 31st of July. I have just been too busy to get onto a computer and post it (don't get me started on the challenges of blogging on a mobile device...)

There hasn't been too much sewing going on at Casa Moobird recently. First off, it has been school holidays and we all went over to Western Australia for a much needed break. If you haven't been I highly recommend it. We all came home tanned and with a twinkle in our eyes. Ms Moo also came home with pink hair.

Then various work commitments have kept us all busy. However, knowing that July was going to be a crazy month, I chose a pattern that I thought would be reasonably quick. It was and I just managed to squeak in for the month (even though I was a bit tardy blogging about it)! I taped the pattern together and cut it out one night whilst watching tv and pieced it in a few hours the next night. I do love a fast sew!

Ta da! The finished top. Still havent mastered the art of a decent selfie. There needs to be a "selfie for bloggers"tutorial!

I thought the Ella top by Liola Patterns was a great pattern. Like the Sutton Blouse I made last month, the Ella looks just as good on the inside as the outside. 

Just as pretty on the inside. The internal finishes give me a great deal of satisfaction

It also has a pretty nifty construction where you bind the neck / armholes before it is completely assembled. It certainly made attaching the binding easier. I find that when the binding is attached to a completed neckline it is much harder to attach and it is harder to avoid puckers. 

This version was truly a scrap buster. I used the left over backing from my Sea Star quilt with a scrap of chambray from my Alder skirt. 

I really love the look of the contrasting yoke and the definition that little piece of chambray gives. 

So quibbles... Based on my measurements I made an XL and the neck binding wasn't long enough based on the pattern piece. Since I was using leftover fabric I didn't have enough to make a longer piece to had to sew a bit on the end. Not major since the binding is in the inside, but a bit of a pain.  

Also the way the top is constructed does result in a few bulky seams. To be fair, the pattern recommends lightweight fabric and I used quilting cotton, but some of those seams were hard core. I broke two needles finishing it off! 

These minor issues aside, I'd make it again, but maybe in a voile or lawn to combat the chunky seam phenomenon. I am keen to try out different fabric combos - with the yoke and binding there are so many fun options for putting your own personal touch on it. 

This is a finish from my Q3 FAL List. 

ALYOF August goal setting

My goal for ALYOF this month is to finish off my AHBC gift for our July birthday girl. I know! I am late, late, late....so this should be a good achievable goal.

Not too much I can reveal here, since I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say it is something that requires polyfill (that was my lunchtime getting my steps up activity as I had to run up to Lincraft to get it).

This has been a fun little make. As the last of the Birthday Club presents, I was a bit tired of the bag / mini / pillow / pouch routine and decided to go completely outside of that. No more hints though!

I am hoping to get a quick finish on this one since it is already late! I’ll sweeten the deal with some chocolate I think!

Linking up to the ALYOF August Goal Setting Party.