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in 52 Week Sewing Challange· Flosstyle Patterns· Upcycle Challenge 2018· Zoo

52 Week Sewing Challenge – Week 42

This weeks Challenge: Something Orange or Black (Accepted)

This week is also week 3 of the Flosstyle Upcycle Challenge – The Zoo Collection.

This week I decided to use a t-shirt that someone bought for my other half but was too small for him, it’s been sitting in my pile of things to upcycle (or things I don’t need but don’t want to throw because one day I might need them).

I wanted to make a lined Giraffe/Elephant, using the shirt gave me enough fabric for the outer front and back and the snap panels, I used some black cotton lycra from my stash for the lining layer. My little monster loves it and even wore it to bed lastnight so that must mean it’s good.

   

 

Happy Sewing

xx Gail

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· Paradise Dress· Upcycle· Upcycle Challenge 2018

52 Week Sewing Challenge – Week 41

This weeks Challenge: Socks or Tights (Rejected)

I’ve had this shirt sitting in my stash for an upcycle project for at least a year now, so when deciding the challenges for the upcycle challenge I wanted to make sure to choose a challenge that would allow me to use it.

I decided it would be perfect to turn into a Paradise Dress. I struggled a little with the placement of the pattern pieces until I decided to take the pocket off, which gave me a little bit more room to move the pieces around, I managed to save the existing hem. Once I had my pieces cut I used the left over parts to cut strips to turn into binding for the straps. Once the dress was finished I relocated the pocket to the bottom of the skirt.

 

  

   

 

I love the look that keeping the button placket has given the dress and am now even more excited to make something from the other shirts in my stash.

 

Happy Sewing

x Gail x

 

 

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· Whirl Skirt

52 Week Sewing Challenge – Week 29

This weeks Challenge: Something Stretchy (Rejected)

Choosing which pattern to sew this week was the easy choice, the new Whirl Skirt is the newest member of the Flosstyle family and the obvious choice. The hard choice? Choosing which fabric to make it from. If you haven’t already go and check out all the amazing photos on the Whirl Skirt listing, the testers did a great job!

I couldn’t find anything in my stash to suit the vision in my head or the orange pompom trim I had decided I must use! After visiting the fabric shop (or 3 or 4..) I found this perfect fabric, it wasn’t quite as rainbow as I had planned but matched the pompoms exactly!

 

  

Cutting and sewing was a super quick process and the skirt was finished before I knew it. Next problem, I didn’t have a little girl to put it on for photos. I managed to convince Mr 3 that he would like to wear it for me to take a few quick snaps, but by the end I had to argue with him to take it off. He loved the way it swished when he danced and how it twirled when he spun around quickly!

      

 

Oh and it’s reversible.

What have you been sewing this week? I’d love for you to come and share in the Flosstyle Fair Group on Facebook.

 

Happy Sewing

x Gail x

 

in Guest Blog Post· Pattern Release· Whirl Skirt

Whirl & twirl back into sewing

Hey there Flosstyle sewers 🙂

It’s Jess here to tell you a little about the new Whirl skirt pattern and my reintroduction to the sewing pattern world after – can you believe it – 2yrs!!!!
Wow that totally flew. They say time flies when you are having fun, but the last 2yrs have been anything but fun.
I’ll tell you what is lots of fun though, sewing up Whirl skirts 🙂

It all started with Flossy (my almost 6yr old) of course.

We were going through her wardrobe and removing the size 5 clothes to hand down to her little cousin who just loves handmade. It’s Winter here right now, so all I needed was enough tights and jumpers to see her through the next few months in a size 6, but she HAS to have skirts to go over her tights.

Off to the shops we went in search of skirts to wear over her tights in Winter and then through the coming Spring. Well, weren’t we disappointed by the available clothing to buy (again). Instead we ended up taking a detour to the fabric shop on the way home to pick out some skirt fabrics and then home to pick a pattern. On the way home she was very excited to be getting new mama-made skirts. Rambling about how they were going to have rainbow buttons and a pretty trim on the bottom and they were going to twirl! The girl knows what she likes…

I underestimated how much fabric a full circle skirt in a size 6 was going to require. The challenge was now set – to design her a twirly skirt that only needed 80cm or less of fabric.

Pencil in hand at the drafting table, I couldn’t get my mind to stop thinking about making this a really quick and easy sew for someone like Sonia (a favourite tester 😉 ) to make to sell.
Having hardly touched my sewing machines for way too long, I spent the next 3 days straight in the sewing room making skirts! I loved it…
The Wrap version was a little experiment with knit fabric that turned out just perfect for ballet!

As I was sewing, in my head I was mentally wording “Pin the two centers right sides together….”. A habit from many years of making patterns! In no time I had graded it right up to a size 14 in girls (which is roughly an 8 in ladies – so that I could make myself one too).
Excited by my new skirt design, the next question was how to go about publishing it? A quick photo to Gail and presto – we knew what to do.

This would be our first co-pattern. I sent her the pattern pieces and instructions and she formatted it into her new page layout. Two heads are better than one 🙂
I really, really, really enjoyed making this pattern. I’m so glad I did. It has re-ignited my love of sewing and being able to just focus on the pattern, but leave the responsibilities of running the business front to someone else is ideal for me right now. I just want to sew. I hope you enjoy sewing the Whirl skirt as much as I have <3

You can find all the info about the Whirl skirt pattern here on the website. There are loads of photos from the tester team to check out too. Find even more photos on the facebook page and facebook group

– Jess
(Founder & designer – Flosstyle Patterns)