Tiramisu goes on Safari for Jungle January

This gorgeous fabric was in my stash and I thought it was perfect for my first Tiramisu and for Jungle January so we could join in on the safari fun arranged by Pretty Grievances

There's something about an animal print that brings out the fun wild side of us... and I couldn't help myself and just had to have a little fun with this one after seeing some of the pics the other ladies had shared for their makes for Jungle January via Twitter and what Pretty Grievances shared here

Ok... as you can tell Jungle January has made me a little crazy so now... back to my Tiramisu

First off I read all the instructions provided in the pattern which by the way is the first pattern from StephC from Sewing Cake.  There's also a 30 minute a day Tiramisu Sew-along you can join in on where Steph is providing lots of great tips and there's also a Flickr group which is super dooper active and everyone is sharing their projects and StephC and the rest of the members in the group are fully supportive of each other.

Next up I decided to trace out my pattern instead of cutting up the original pattern pieces like I use to do.  I don't tend to do this anymore as I've been losing weight and I might just need to access the other sizes in the pattern down the track a little :)

I also cut out 2 of the skirt pattern pieces instead of one.  This way I could pin and cut out all four pieces of the skirt at the same time and ensure I had sufficient fabric as I added 5" to the length of the skirt... lucky I did it this way as I was a little short of fabric and had to take 1" of the length... even then I only had 1/8" spare.... nothing like cutting it close LOL

With the waist band which was meant to be cut on the fold... I decided to extend my pattern piece so as it was the full width of the band (as shown in the pic above where you can see the join in the pattern piece) as I wanted to be able to have a little control over where the flowers in the print landed as I didn't want a flower in the middle of my tummy... but thought I'd place one in the centre of my back band which you can see below.  (Even our grass is looking a bit like a jungle and joining in on the fun)

Here's a pic of the back so you can see I centred one of the flowers in the waistband for a little fun.

I'm so happy with how my Tiramisu turned out and here you can see me having a bit of a belly laugh... my hubby always seems to manage to make me start laughing when it's time for him to take some pictures for me to share on my blog.

This picture probably give you a better overview of how the dress sits and how the skirt falls when I standing still.

Here you can see the arm and neck band a little clearer... next time I might just add a little extra width in the sleeve band area as I probably could do with a little extra room there.  But considering I didn't make any alterations to this pattern and it's the first time I made it I'm super super super impressed with Steph's Tiramisu pattern.  

So there you go another dress completed and another dress I know I'll definitely be getting a lot of wear out of it and my Tiramisu pattern will definitely be one of my go to patterns for a super quick and easy comfortable dress.

What's your thoughts about the Tiramisu?

Having fun with my new Janome 8900

Talk about perfect timing?

My brand new Janome Horizon MC 8900 sewing machine finally arrived after her 6000km journey from Brisbane to Port Hedland... and I can't tell you how excited I am to have some fun with her.

My new baby will be putting the icing on my Tiramisu which is the first Cake Sewing Pattern and the wonderful StephC is hosting a fabulous Tiramisu Sew-along.

Here's my new little baby... straight out of the box.

And here's the first project she'll be adding some icing to is my sweet Tiramisu :)

I just love this fabric and I think it's going to look great as a Tiramisu... what do you think?

Over 70 people or social sewists as StephC call us (love that term) have signed up for the Tiramisu 30 Minustes a Day Sewalong on SewingCake.com and I'm proud to say I'm one of them.

If you'd like to join in it's not too late... there's even a Flickr photostream page which is super lively and has a great community spirit... oh and StephC has been answering lots of questions and is really supportive of everyone in the group.

I have two other projects on the go... nothing like mixing it up and having a little fun!

There is my Sewing Dare.   

My Sewing Dare was to make a straight skirt using a woven fabric.

I've decided to use a gorgeous red silk dupioni and a rayon print for the lining which were both in my stash and I thought would be perfect to make up a classy straight skirt for myself. ... I love the print fabric and even better it feels great on my skin.

But wait there's more...

Another Sew-along with Rachel from MyMessing for the Hollyburn skirt.  I'm loving Rachel's posts as they are so easy to follow along with.  

I've chosen to use this print woven fabric and white lining.

I'm really looking forward to making this skirt as well and I love the colours and the print in this fabric... it's so summery and feels great... I think it's perfect for light weight summer skirt.

So as you can see I've got a few projects on the go and they'll definitely be a great way to test out my new Janome... so when I'm not at work I'll be in my sewing room having a some fun!

It's a Sewing Dare and I'm In

It all started with a simple little Tweet from Gillian 

Well... naturally when you're a little curious like me you can't help yourself but do a little investigating.  I started with a hastag search via Twitter search using #SewingDare and also saw there was another hashtag #SewingDares... and OMG there were so many Tweets and so many people getting involved.  That was it... I wanted in and was feeling up for a sewing dare.

Next thing you know I landed on this blog post via @GillianCrafts website and then on this blog post via @LBreton and my little fingers couldn't help it they just typed away saying I was wanted to join on the fun of a Sewing Dare.

So... what's my Sewing Dare?

This is what came back to me after Gillian and Leila visited my blog to get an some ideas.

I love what my new sewing friends Gillian and Leila suggest for my Sewing Dare.

I've opted for a pencil skirt especially after Leila tweeted this

Here's hoping I can make up a skirt that not only looks awesome but also feels awesome to wear as well.

I'd also love to sew my hubby a shirt as this is something I've always wanted to do and haven't never tackled yet... and I shouldn't always be such a selfish seamstress LOL...

I think Gillian and Leila suggested great dares for me and I sure am up for the challenge and looking forward to sewing both of them.

Do you have any skirt patterns you can recommend for a curvy girl like me?

If you have any pattern suggestions or recommendations for either a high-waisted or a pencil skirt you think would suit and look good on a curvy girl like me please feel free to let me know as I'm now on a hunt for a pattern... and some fabric :)

I owe that cute little Twitter Bird and the lovely Gillian and Leila for bringing some sewing fun into my life and as an added bonus have made some great new sewing friends and I'm sure I'll meet many all thanks to a simple little Tweet for a Sewing Dare.

Would you like to come and play

If so... Here's the Sewing Dare rules

1. Have fun. Stop if it is not fun
2. There is no rush - Do your dare whenever you want!
3. Did I mention to have fun? 

As you can tell by the rules the most important thing is it's meant to be fun... you can take as long as you like with your dare... it's your dare and it's up to you to complete your dare at your own pace.

If you'd like to join in it's super easy... you can either leave a comment below with a link to your blog and I'll come and visit and let the others know you're in for a Sewing Dare or you can connect with us on Twitter.  You can find me on Twitter here.  Between us all I'm sure you'll get a great Sewing Dare that you can have some fun with.  

Once you're happy with your Sewing Dare, Gillian will add you to the list of those who have taken up a dare on the Sewing Dare page here

Remember the most important part of the Sewing Dare is to have FUN!

New Look 6609 skirt completed

It's the first skirt I've made for 2013 and I love it!

What I really like about this pattern is it's simple lines and how easy it is to sew... it's definitely a great pattern for anyone who's new to sewing and is looking for an easy pattern to start with.  I made a couple of minor changes to the pattern including adding 4inches to the length as I don't have the best looking legs you've ever seen and added a lining.

Looking at these pictures I think I could have added another couple of inches as I wouldn't have mined it even a little longer.  I was a little cautious and didn't want to add to much length in case the flair around the lower part of the skirt didn't look right but I think it would have been fine.  I've made a note of this on my pattern for next time I use this pattern.

This is the New Look 6609 pattern and the fabric I used which is a rayon challis from Fabric.com and was only $5.58 per yard and I only used around 2.

The pattern didn't call for a lining but I added a lining as the fabric was a very light weight rayon and a little sheer.  I used some black Bemberg (Cupro) lining I had in my stash (I think I paid around $5 a meter and bought about 10 meters of it).  

Bemberg lining is the perfect weight for the fabric I used as it added a little extra body without taking away from the drape of the fashion fabric.  The added bonus of the bemberg lining is it's lightweight, cool to wear, breathable, and feel fabulous against your skin.  It's the perfect lining for where I live as it get extremely hot and humid in Port Hedland and even our winters are mild.  

If you have a peak under my skirt you can see just how light and sheer this lining really is.  By the way I don't go lifting my skirt for everyone to see what's underneath.  This is just for you so you can take a little peak and see my lining :)

If you'd like to know a little more about the lining I used in this skirt below is a comparison of the different characteristics of linings from Asahi-Kasei the lining I used is Cupro (Bemberg Lining).

Liner materials-fibers, origins, and characteristics

Fiber type Cupro Viscose rayon Acetate Polyester Silk

Fiber category Cellulose Cellulose Semi-synthetic Synthetic Natural

Starting material Cotton linter Pulp Modified pulp Petroleum Silk cocoon

excellent; good; fair; poorBemberg™is a trademark of ASAHI KASEI FIBERS CORPORATION in Japan and other countries.

Here's a few more happy snappy shots of my New Look 6609 skirt all seamed up

In the background is Finucane Island which is where I work

Personally I think the New Look 6609 pattern is a winner and a keeper and is quite flattering and slimming for a fuller figured woman like myself. 
I'd love to know your thoughts on the New Look 6609 pattern... is it a keeper?

Have you made a skirt using this pattern?  If you have tried this pattern and have blogged about it please feel free to leave a link so I can come and have a look and so others who might be thinking of making this skirt can have a look too.