February Monthly Stitch Challenge - UFO Showdown

This year I've decided to try and do more challenges from The Monthly Stitch, which if you're not familiar with it is a sewing community that has monthly challenges. It's run by some of my Wellington Sewing Bloggers Network friends so I thought it was time I joined in!

The challenge for February (which I am posting in March, but I promise I finished up in February) was UFO showdown!

For those of you who don't know, in sewing/general crafting terms a UFO is an UnFinished Object and I have a BUNCH of sewing UFOs.

There are a bunch of reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that for some reason I REALLY like cutting out pattern pieces. So often if I'm having a bad day I want to cut out new pattern pieces, but not actually sew them up. This means lots of bags of half finished garments in my sewing "cave".

I could have actually finished off a bunch of projects, but I chose just one for the "showdown" I  do have a few more UFOs that I should finish off before our trip as I began them with the intention of taking them on other trips to warmer climates.

The project I decided to finish up for the UFO showdown is made using a vintage Maudella pattern gifted to me my Vix. I've made this pattern multiple times including here, here and here.

So I cut out this dress like a million years ago and sewed up most of it, but I didn't add the sleeves and hem it because reasons. I actually made this version of the dress a lot longer than the previous versions and I'm not sure if I'm into that or not - time will tell (well how much it gets worn will tell).

I bough the fabric from Arthur Toye (RIP) and I loved it so much I was scared to cut into it - but no more! It's time to use the "good" fabric because there will always be more good fabric in the future!! By the way I'm standing by the lemon tree that was basically dead when we moved into our house a year a go (We have been homeowners for a YEAR now!) but now its going strong! My friend Emma did a bit of a pruning session when she visited last and its really  sprung into life. Also maybe it got better because I added the flamingo to it that Ria gave me a couple of Christmases ago to its pot - I mean, that HAD to have lifted the lemon trees mood right?

Here's a close up of the fabric and also the cute sewing themed necklace Rich's mum bought me for Christmas. I teally love it, too back the spool of thread is sideways in the picture as that's my favourite charm!

That's my first monthly stitch challenge for the year done (I totally missed January, I thought about doing it, but it turns out I thought about it too much and it never happened) next months theme is "Sew hot right now".

I'm going to be honest, as much as I like clothes I find fashion strange and confusing. I just wear things I like, sewing "on trend" will be a little hard for me! Then I guess that's why they call it a challenge. From my limited research (walking down Lambton Quay where there's a bunch of chain stores) it seems that both the nineties and the seventies are "in"  right now - that's when I think I'm heading with this challenge. Do any of you have any idea what's "sew hot right now"?

Space Dress part II and fabric-a-brac finds

I've been taking it easy this weekend as I'm starting a new job tomorrow (eek!) and I've had a busy few weeks.

However as you guys know, I find it almost impossible to sit still, so even though I had a fairly quiet weekend I did STILL do some sewing. This project is a refashion, well, it is sort of a refashion.

Some of you guys may remember a while back I made a dress from space fabric - I was just crazy for the fabric, but the dress ultimately didn't end up being as great as I thought it would be, I actually didn't like it at all.

 When I don't like a project, it usually gets sent straight to recycle boutique, because why keep something that makes you feel unhappy? Especially if there is someone else out there that is just perfect for the dress you're not crazy about. But for some reason I COULDN'T get rid of this damn space dress - I don't know why! I loved the fabric and I had actually spent a fair bit on it (which to be honest is pretty unusual). So instead of being sent to recycle boutique it just hung out in my mending pile for months.

Then enter my current phase - my obsession with knits, as you know I've gone nuts for the Moneta and have already made two versions, here and here.I decided that I could use my Moneta pattern to rejig my space dress to make it into something I would actually wear and MUCH to my surprise, it actually worked out! Behold Space dress version 2.0.

I chopped off the top part of the dress just below the original bust darts and kept that part of the dress for the skirt on this one, so its an A-line rather than a gathered skirt. I used the Moneta bodice, but due to the leftovers that I had from the original version of the dress the bodice has a seam running through the front and the back as I had to stitch together a few pieces to make it work - but I think it actually looks ok (I thought perhaps it would look super weird).

Overall I'm pretty stoked with this dress - Rich even said I should make more dressed like this! I think I will, the  fabric is what I think is called scuba? It really does remind me of a wet suit, or at least it did when I was sewing it, but its as comfortable to wear as any of my other wonderful knit dresses (knits forever!)

Just a new dress selfie - I bought the necklace a few weeks back at a market Rich, Ria and I went to and yes they are teeth. I find teeth equal parts gross and fascinating - so I was pretty stoked with this!

I also went to a fabric-a-brac at the Dowse Gallery - this was a special fabric-a-brac event that's part of a new exhibition they have at the gallery right now "The Age of Aquarius". I didn't go to the exhibition as I'm waiting to go with Ria when she comes back from Australia (so I'm sure you will see photos of that sometime - just not today). I did find some great stuff thought, including four Maudella patters!

There were also some fabric finds - the brown fabric is so lovely, but I only have a small amount, I'm hopefully it's going to be enough for a top. I love the green lurex (obviously) and the other fabric really speaks for itself! I am hoping I will be able to make something from this fabric to attend the exhibition - it just seems like the right thing to do!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend - wish me luck for my first day tomorrow!