Where disability politics, feminism and craft collide.
This winter I was on the search for a comfortable jersey dress, one with long sleeves and reasonably thick fabric which wasn’t a mini. You’d think that would be an easy ask, but apparently not. After scouring the shops, both local and online, I resorted to making my own. I ended up making two dresses using two similar patterns, so if you’re the kind of sewing nerd who likes detailed pattern comparison (or a PATTERN SHOWDOWN), read on!
I’ll confess – I love a good skivvy. It has this gloriously daggy connotation, and reminds me of a childhood wearing out our VHS tape of The Wiggles’ Big Red Car.
Continue reading “Pattern Fantastique Glacial Tee – Skivvy Variation”
Warning: contains GIFs
I went on a knit-sewing session a while back, resulting in my ponte skirt and a couple of long-sleeve tees. I actually meant to blog them together, but the weather has been so offensively hot this Autumn that I’ve had to wait until it cooled down enough that I could wear long sleeves without swooning like a 20s film star.
Even though I’ve been trying to keep up with my blog posts, I haven’t really been sewing as much lately as is usual for me. Sitting at the machine requires a lot more effort than I can muster most days, so my output has slowed considerably. This has led to a rethink of my sewing strategy: I can’t buy a lot of fabric with the guarantee that I will burn through it quickly, so I’ve been taking stock of what I already have and working out what to do with it.
Continue reading “Maria Denmark knit ponte skirt (self-drafted)”
After a few successful garments, I’m back to sharing one of those creations which I love but will likely never wear. I really should have known better – I overheat easily over summer, and tend to spend my days inside in cool cotton and viscose, huddled near the air con. Yet after extolling the virtues of wool fibres and seeing Amanda’s gorgeous merino Plantain tee, I couldn’t resist making myself a merino knit t-shirt.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my first attempts at sewing with merino jersey. Although my pink Paola Turtleneck Tee wasn’t a winner due to the lightweight fabric, my other merino jersey projects have been far more successful – starting with this Pattern Fantastique Glacial Tee in Argent Grey 100% Merino Jersey Knit 200g from New Zealand Merino and Fabrics.
It started with a top. This top, to be precise:
Suddenly I had visions of a wardrobe filled with long sleeve merino tops – warm, moisture-wicking and odour-repelling.* A few online orders later, and I had enough merino jersey meterage to begin my wardrobe plan (more on the other garments later). Continue reading “Merino Paola Turtleneck Tee”
