I keep on trying to figure out how best to keep up with blogging.  I really WANT to post everything I make here on the blog.  Not only is it a good reference for me, but I feel as though I am contributing to the general sewing community.  But I am SO behind!  I might try alternating between one of last year’s unblogged garments with one of this year’s.  I am fortunate to be going to Sewjourn not once but twice in the next month (hip hip hooray) so really do need to catch up!  I do post things on Instagram as soon as they’re made, but those are usually quick snaps in whatever light or location is available – so they are often on Ada (my dress form).  Anyway, enough navel gazing.

This dress was sewn for Stella when I was at Sewjourn in November. The pattern is Simplicity 1435. Where WAS that fabric from? Wracking my brain….ah yes, it was a remnant from Rathdowne Fabrics.

Stella really liked this dress when she first tried it on, but I have to admit that I haven’t seen it worn a great deal over summer! I sewed a mixture of sizes. This one was a 7 for body width, 7 for armhole depth and and shoulder width and 9 for lengths. Phew!  Size 9 doesn’t actually exist in this pattern – it goes up to size 8 – I just cut it longer.

Really, this sort of dress is SO easy to sew. There are some gathers at the sleeve cap, but the skirts are circular so there isn’t even much faffing around with the sewing machine to run gathering stitches. It was pretty much constructed on the overlocker, and I only needed the machine for those aforementioned sleeve cap gathers and to twin needle the hems.

I always like a jacquard knit, although sometimes they can stray into the territory of looking “old-fashioned”, depending on the colour ways and patterns that have been knitted into them. I wasn’t certain about this one at first, but Stella really liked it and purple is always a lovely colour on her.

I went through my knit fabrics yesterday (and weeded out the odd woven that had snuck in with them) and sorted and organised them better on my shelves and in tubs. I have some really lovely pieces – including some knit jacquards. So much I want to sew! My biggest issue is what to do with the “scraps”. I don’t mean little pieces of the size that quilters would keep – those go straight into the bin. I mean pieces that are large enough for a pattern piece or two or another small garment. At the moment I have TUBS full of these. Sometimes I use them, but clearly I often don’t, and they are taking up a LOT of space. What do you do with yours? Should I just turf everything that isn’t large enough for a complete garment? What to do!

And for those of you who might have been wondering how my new job was going – I feel as though I’ve finally turned the three month corner. It’s still all incredibly new, and it will be a year before I feel competent, but I’m not quite as exhausted by it all and my brain is no longer exploding quite as much. I’ve probably been lucky to start at the time of year where there are a few public holidays so I’ve had some rest days! Adjusting to working a permanent three days a week has had some challenges too in terms of how I organise my unpaid work life (you know – home, kids, family organisation – let along sewing). It’s all good, but like any change, it’s has come with a few stresses. Thank goodness I’ve got sewing as therapy!