Planning my summer makes...

With the summery weather starting in Hong Kong, I've been thinking a lot about the garments I would like to add to my wardrobe. I have already added some summer garments in anticipation of my Bangkok and Singapore holidays. My most recent Lilou (here) will be perfect and both of my Alders were made for this purpose too. In addition to those, I have made a 4th and much improved Sorbetto.

 You can see the neckline of it here and a little view of the fabric (sorry, no time for modelled shots). On my recent trip to Tokyo for a school trip, I decided to sneak to a fabric store in Shinjuku (Called Okadaya and it's amazing!) I picked up this stunning little Liberty print lawn fabric that is actually made in Japan. It was approximately $160 HKD for a metre and a half (what a bargain!) I added more than an inch to the length of the Sorbetto as my previous ones weren't quite long enough to look good with shorts. The making of this top is so simple, although attaching that much binding does get tedious. 

What to make next is the big question. I certainly need some knitted dresses. I've had the Colette Moneta pattern taped together for a while, but never quite settled on a fabric. I'm still on the look out. I've been looking online, but with some steep delivery charges to Hong Kong, I'm a bit reluctant to order. So if anyone knows a good website for knits, I would appreciate the knowledge! 

In addition to my 'kinda' planned Moneta, I hope to add a further Lilou (I also bought fabric for this in Japan) and another Anna dress from the rose print fabric I picked up in Sham Shui Po over Easter. I've also got another Sorbetto planned with my new improved pattern (You're going to love the fabric for this little number!) 

The last addition that I definitely want to make to my wardrobe is some sleeveless shirts. I love making my Alder's so much that I can't wait to make more shirts. However, my desire to only wear skirts/dresses with leggings underneath means that more Alder's does not make for totally comfortable summer attire. I've seen some stunning ones in Gap (super thin cottons) that would be great, so i'm now on the look out for suitable fabric. I've downloaded the Grainline Studios Archer (simple choice) as my pattern, so i'm ready to make! 

Photographs of my makes to follow soon - time for sewing and modelling needed!   

Two Alders for the price of one...

After a few busy weeks at work, which included a 9 day school trip to Japan; I have finally found time to blog! I've managed to do some selfish sewing during this time and these are the outcomes! 

After making my husband a shirt for Christmas day, i've been looking for another opportunity to make a shirt. The process and and the amount of different steps makes them really enjoyable to make. I started to shop around for a pattern I liked way back in February. I eventually settled on the Grainline Studios Alder. This shirtdress is much blogged about, so I sought lots of advice and opinions before setting off on my Alder journey. 

whilst doing my frequent browsing on fabric websites, I stumbled upon these beauties from modes4u.com. I loved the japanese origami pattern of the fabric above and the birds below really stood out. Both are lovely and summery prints on a lightweight quilting cotton, so I just had to order them! 

Tracing the pattern off and sticking together the 51 pages of this pattern were very long processes and meant that the manufacturing of my Alder's was very drawn out and done in many different sessions. I've only ever made one Grainline Studios pattern before, which was the Linden sweatshirt, so I had to check sizes carefully. I pretty much fit into the measurements provided, so I just cut a straight '12'. 

The sewing of my first Alder (the origami one) was very satisfying and mostly done in one session. I left the buttonholes, armholes and hem for another occasion. I stuck to all the details of the pattern and was pleased with the outcome. I made some small fitting adjustments to the waist as it was quite baggy, but other than that the fit is pretty good. The loose style means that it's going to be lovely to wear in the sticky Hong Kong summer. 

No sooner had I finished my first Alder, I knew I wanted to make a second. I just love doing all the different stages and I absolutely love doing topstitching (strange maybe?!) I made some changes to the pattern, including the shape of the collar stand (more rounded to allow for larger buttons) and the collar (rounded shape instead of the original points). I took approximately 2cm off the waist seam in order to match up with the fitting that I did on the original. 

As you can see, the birds really are stunning! The exaggerated grain of the fabric is also a nice addition. 

As with the original, this Alder went together like a dream. I'm so pleased that I decided to make this pattern up, because it's awesome! The outcomes will certainly be a staple of my summer wardrobe and will probably be in my suitcase for my upcoming trip to Singapore. 

I wonder how long I need to wait before making a third one?