Sewing Indie Month, The Hackers Part 3

We're down to the final stretch!!!! Today is the last day that you can enter your creations for a chance to win all the fabulous prizes. Now, it is early and there's a full day and night ahead of you, so there's still time to hack away. Take a look a the free patterns that are being offered here, http://www.rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/05/sewing-indie-for-free.html. Just download one and off you go. A great hack could be something as simple as taking the Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick Tee, chopping it at the waist and adding a gathered skirt. It doesn't get any easier than that!  So please don't miss out on a great opportunity!
Now, we've had a few more hackers come in since yesterday.
This is a hack of the Mathilde Blouse from Tilly and the Buttons. By lengthening the pattern and making a few other alterations, http://www.emmakespatterns.com/blog/2014/6/2/mqowvnt0cml3hh3lwosu6b38xntucr came up with a cute and versatile summer dress.
                      
This is a second hack from http://thehobbyharbor.blogspot.in/2014/06/Kristen-Tee-Free-Sewing-Pattern.html. Believe it or not, this is the Kirsten Kimono Tee from MariaDenmark. By the way, this is a free pattern :)
                   
This great little summer peplum top made by http://stitchandcappuccino.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/sewing-indie-month-cami-peplum-top/ started life out as the Cami Dress from Pauline Alice.

The Out and About Dress pattern from Sew Caroline was used by Morgan of Thread Theory to create this perfect summer maxi.  You can find her post here on the Britex blog, http://www.britexfabrics.com/blog/2014/06/02/maxidress/

And last but not least this morning is a great peplum made by Anna. She used the Elisalex Dress from By Hand London . You can see her post here, http://www.kollabora.com/projects/elisalex-hack-pink-peplum-top
         
For a little more inspiration, check out Pattern Hackers 1 and 2 here http://www.rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/05/sewing-indie-month-hackers.html and here http://www.rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/06/sewing-indie-month-hackers-part-two.html. Whatever pattern you decide to use, remember that the pattern needs to be one of the participating Indie patterns in order to qualify for the contest.

Once you've finished your creation, be sure to link it here, http://www.rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/05/announcing-sewing-indie-month.html
Good Luck!!!

Sewing Indie Month, The Hackers Part Two

The hackers are beginning to accumulate! What fun it is to see what everyone is doing with their pattern of choice. Last week I showcased 6 hackers and their wonderful creations, 2 of which had 2 entries. Way to go ladies!!! I don't like to leave anyone out, so I thought I would showcase the new entries that have come in.
First up is http://pootleandmake.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/fo-bhl-anna-dress/ with her lovely remake of the Anna Dress from By Hand London. Such cute fabric :)

Next up is a post from http://fabrictragic.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/finished-leisl-and-friedrich-von-trapp.html, and this is all about fun. You just have to hop over to her blog to read about the costumes that she made. The lederhosen were made using the Jedediah pants pattern from Thread Theory. I'm so happy that at least one man got in on the Sewing Indie Month action. If you would like to try your hand at a pair of men's pants, here's a link to the pattern,  http://threadtheory.ca/collections/store/products/jedediah

                      

A very different take on the Mimosa Top from Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick was done by http://sewingdreamsblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/mimosa-part-ii/ It's as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside. Be sure to check out her post.

The next entry comes from http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/tutorial-how-to-pattern-hack-coco-for.html, the brains behind Me Made May. She used the Coco pattern from Tilly and the Buttons and she turned it into a top perfect for breast feeding. Absolutely ingenious!

Combining 2 patterns and coming up with a real winner is what http://www.laurasinclair.com.au/2014/05/31/emer-mae/ did. She combined the Emery Dress from Christine Haynes with the neckline of the Mae Blouse from Blue Ginger Doll.

Here's another great take on the Anna Dress from By Hand London done by http://justkeepsewing.net/2014/05/31/peplum-top/ Great combination of fabrics too!

You saw my Kirsten Kimono Tee by Maria Denmark last Sunday. Here's a very cute color blocked version from http://notimetosew.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/indie-pattern-hacking-colorblocked-kirsten-kimono-tee/

Last but not least is another free pattern hack by http://thehobbyharbor.blogspot.in/2014/06/polly-top-in-sheer-chiffon-pattern-hack.html. She used the Polly Top from By Hand London. So very cute with those checker board pants!

I have a feeling that over the next few days the entries will begin to pour in, so I will do another showcase post on Wednesday. Remember, Wednesday June 4th is the last day that you can enter your hacking creations, so time is running short! Be sure to enter your hacking creations here,

http://www.rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/05/announcing-sewing-indie-month.html
Good Luck!!!!!

Sewing Indie Month, The Hackers!

I haven't done a Wednesday Showcase post for a while as I've been busy with Sewing Indie Month. I've missed it terribly, so to get my fix and spread a little Sewing Indie love around, I thought I would showcase those who have jumped into the Pattern Hacker category...so far.
First up is http://naeh-connection.blogspot.de/2014/05/sewing-along-with-project-sewn-and.html

She hacked the Out and About Dress from Sew Caroline.
She has been a busy lady as she also entered this hack again using the Out and About Dress from Sew Caroline. You can find the post here,  http://naeh-connection.blogspot.de/2014/05/sewing-along-with-project-sewn-and_22.html

Next up is  http://fasewla.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/sewing-indie-month-mathilde-blouse-hack/with her hack of the Mathilde Blouse from Tilly and the Buttons.

Another combo entry comes from http://crafting-a-rainbow.tumblr.com/post/86596210200/sewing-indie-month with her hack of the Sewn Square One Go Anywhere Dress.

And her hack of the Laura Lounge Trousers from Maria Denmark. You can find the post here, http://crafting-a-rainbow.tumblr.com/post/86788902792/more-sewing-indie-projects-and-a-me-made-may-weekly

A little playing with stripes by http://dressingtherole.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/changing-your-stripes-coco-edition-plus-super-easy-pattern-hack/ She hacked the Coco pattern from Tilly and the Buttons.

Check out the lovely lace hack of the Anna Dress from By Hand London done by http://barbarajanemade.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/anna-top-pattern-modification-and-a-tip-for-sewing-lace/

Last but not least, http://tadpegs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/how-to-make-peplum-top-from-any-fitted.html?m=1 created this little peplum top using the bodice of the Elislex Dress from By Hand London. 

What a great bunch of hackers!! Be sure to get hacking and enter your creations here, http://www.rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/05/announcing-sewing-indie-month.html. The last day for linking will be Wednesday, June 4th. That's just a week away, so get busy!!!!!  

Thrifty Thursday

Yes, I know that it isn't Thursday. It has not been a very happy few days. When I opened my computer on Tuesday, it locked up, just froze. So it's off to the repair shop because of course, I have no earthly idea what is wrong with it. My laptop didn't have Word for writing documents. Everyone had said that it wasn't an issue to download and install. Great. So my husband purchased it and I tried to install it Wednesday night. No luck. The laptop took a ride to the computer store and rather than going into a lengthy explanation, I lost everything on the computer and that resulted in me having a meltdown, truly. At least I have saved some things to Dropbox. Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to get back into my account. In conclusion, I now have a brand new laptop. Computers, such a love hate relationship. I saw a piece on the news a few days ago about aggression in the work place. A hidden camera caught one man taking a bat to a computer, I can relate!
Time to just move on and I do have something very sweet and nice to share with you although I am a day late.

It's the Polly Top from By Hand London. I was initially attracted to the pattern, well, first of all because it is free, but I really liked the idea that it had been drafted for woven fabrics. Being able to wear a cool and comfortable little cotton top in the summer is always a plus in my book. If you have followed my blog for some time, you know that I don't make a lot of muslins, unless I'm using a very expensive piece of fabric. I measure the pattern and decide the size that will be best and then it is cut and go. I typically don't have a lot of fitting issues and if I do, it's usually because it's a poorly drafted pattern. I was very pleased with this pattern.

At first I thought that the center style lines were only style lines, but once I saw the pattern pieces I realized that the fit for the bust had been incorporated into this area. I laid the top flat so you could see that it doesn't just lay flat against the table. This little design feature gives a very nice fit over the bust.

The back is just a flat piece cut on the fold. It felt and looked a little too boxy on my, so I added darts. I'm rather small across my lower back so this made a very nice difference in how the top hangs on my body. Doesn't the top have a lovely neckline? So pretty for the summer.

 

Here you can see the darts on the inside of the top. If you feel a little apprehensive about adding darts, I would suggest adding a center back seam to the pattern. A center back seam is almost always a good thing and gives you one more seam for fitting changes.  

I plan to make a number of these tops for summer. The fit is good and the top is a snap to sew up. This pattern could easily be lengthened and turned into an easy to wear summer dress. Based on my experience with this pattern, I would not hesitate to purchase a pattern from By Hand London. You can find the Polly Top pattern here,  http://byhandlondon.com/products/polly-top. You will need to create an account, but I think that is only fair. Once you create an account, the pattern will be sent to your email address where you can then download it.

I will post a picture of me in the top later today. I'll look a lot better once I see my hairdresser this afternoon!!!

Wishing you a lovely and computer problem free day!!

Rhonda