Introducing the new pattern: The Winifred dress (+10% off!)

Introducing the Winifred dress!

Follow me and let me  introduce you properly to  Winifred:

 THE WINIFRED DRESS

The Winifred dress is the perfect everyday dress. Easy to sew and comfortable to wear this dress is designed for the beginner sewer. Featuring a front tuck darts that are designed to flatter the waistline as well as create a lovely flowing skirt. An elastic waistline on the back of the dress hug the curves as well eliminating the need for any closures, making it easy to just throw on the dress and get on with your day. Finishing off the Winifred dress is a cute belt design feature on the back of the dress.

View A - Features short kimono sleeves

View B- Features longer 3/4 sleeves.

Perfect for a range of fabrics and seasons, The Winifred dress will become your go to dress!

 View A - Featuring short kimono sleeves.

View B - Features longer 3/4 sleeves.

Design Features:

The elastic waistline on the back of the dress not only  hugs the curves but eliminates  the need for any closures, making it so easy to just throw on the dress and get on with your day. 

The cutest part about the Winifred dress and what i think really finishes off the dress is the belt design feature on the back of the dress, its super cute. Wrangle up some vintage slide buckles for an added bit of spesh to your Winifred dress.  

The skirt design of the dress also nicely skims over your hips  and the front tucks on the dress front are  flattering  in the way that they nip in at the small of your waist. It also loosely skims just over your hips but still with enough fit that you aren't completely lost in the skirt and have that 'I'm bigger than i actually am look', it actually creates the  maximum amount of  figure flattery for your curves.

Also including a flattering V neck collar to finish off the dress.

 

BEGINNER SEWISTS

Beginners you'll love the Winifred dress with no closures to insert, the  dress sews up quickly and easily. A great pattern to practice your tried and true sewing skills as well possibly learning a few new techniques such as inserting an elastic casing and the elastic or creating the perfect V neck collar.  It is also easy dress to  fit with only your bust and waist measurements needed. A quick muslin of the bodice is all you’ll need before sewing this beauty up.

FABRIC SUGGESTIONS

For both versions of the Winifred dress i recommend fabric's such as cotton and cotton blends, lawn, batiste, shirting, linen voile etc

 Bike friendly dress length 

The Winifred dress has been certifiably tested and has been given the A-OK with riding a bike!  The flowing fit of the  Winifred dress  allows for  little bit more extra flow and movement as well as the  length falling just above the knee not only for a feminine look but will keep your modesty in tact when on you bike, oh and also you want get trapped in your bike chain! 
 Also keep in mind  if you prefer the skirt longer or shorter  then  it's super easy to amend the pattern  to your preferred length.

 

Your pattern

Once again the Winifred pattern will come in the cute Bluegingerdoll envelope packaging, all individually stamped by me! Included with the full multi- Sized paper pattern with clear, concise instructions with lots of detailed images AND with a sew-along coming soon on the blog.

I want you to  celebrate with me and enjoy the release of the Winifred pattern.  So for the next week, finishing up on the 9th of March you can  receive a 10% discount off, Yay!

The Winifred pattern is now  available in the shop or  the Etsy shop  and all pattern prices
 ( in both shops) have been marked down already with the 10% discount, so there is no coupon code to enter just add your patterns to the cart and purchase. Sale includes both the PAPER and PDF versions of the pattern too.


I hope you like the latest addition and i totally  can't wait to see all of your versions start popping up all over the place! Argh exciting times!

Abby

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PICK UP YOUR COPY NOW!

Introducing the newest pattern.... The Stella blouse!!!

I know i say this each time, but releasing a new pattern is so exciting and i truly cannot wait each time to show you all! It is the  the best part of the whole process. So here you go, here  is the latest sewing pattern offering from Bluegingerdoll patterns, i hope you love it!

 THE STELLA BLOUSE

Let me  introduce you properly to the Stella blouse:

'The Stella blouse is a simple, versatile blouse which exudes elegance. Featuring front and back waistline darts to create a fitted and feminine fit. View A has 3/4 sleeves and View B is sleeveless . Both versions of the Stella blouse feature a cute patch pocket design with pocket tabs on the front of the blouse. Both close with an invisible zipper in the centre back.  The Stella blouse is perfect for day or night and a huge variety of fabrics.'

FABRIC SUGGESTIONS

For both versions of the Stella blouse i recommend fabric's such as Cotton & Cotton blends, Chambray, Linen, Wool & Wool blends.

You can pick up a copy of the pattern on the website or in the Etsy shop. Also for the next week until the 25th November 2013 grab 10% ( in either of the shops) off the Stella blouse using the coupon: STELLA2013

I hope you like the latest addition and i totally  can't wait to see all of your versions start popping up all over the place! Argh exciting times!

**  Stay tuned for the dates of the The Stella  blouse sew-along which is scheduled for early 2014, due to the fact that the crazy holiday season is upon us! Yay Christmas time!  ***


Abby
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The Peggy Skirt sew-along starts 11th November!

The Peggy skirt sew-along will start on  Monday the 11th November 2013, Woo Hoo!

We will cover the usual sew-along topics fabric, fit etc and also all 3 versions of the Peggy skirt waistband variations. Beginners this is a great chance for you have a helping hand whilst sewing up the pattern.

You can pick up a copy of the Peggy skirt pattern here, if you need to.

We will chat about all the important stuff you need to know in the coming days, so you are interested in participating then tune back in soon.

 I hope you can join in with me, in what will my 3rd sew-along for me and Bluegingerdoll, exciting stuff :)

Ooops i  nearly forgot....  The flash sale i held over the weekend will be extended until the 6th November   (I feel the festive season coming on!), so you can pick up a copy of the Peggy skirt at 15% off, as well as all the other patterns in the shop until then, yeah!

Enjoy
Abby
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A Scout Tee

Some of you may have already seen a sneak peek of my Grainline Studio Scout Tee on Instagram i recently made for myself, but i thought it deserved its own blog post because i'm in love and this fabric is ace. I have worn my Scout Tee 3 times now and its awesome.  I stumbled across Grainline Studio a while ago and have had the scout tee on my sewing list for ages, but never got around to it or had any me time sewing lately.

Sometimes i overlook the simplicity of designs because they are that, simple, but i am finding that i need to remind myself that they are usually THE BEST sewing pattern designs out there.The scout tee is one of these simple design i speak of. It is a perfect platform for being able to go a little bit crazy with your fabric choice or if your not crazy inclined the Tee is perfect to be sewn up a thousand times in solid colors to get you through the warmer seasons. It is the perfect  handmade t-shirt to add to your wardrobe.

Now, I know i could have easily drafted my own T-shirt pattern, but i simply didn't want too, i wanted to support ( And you should too!)  another Indie pattern designer even if it was only a small amount. I'm proud to be a part of this sewing community and also grateful to be alongside some pretty cool designer chicks, who are doing such great things within our little sewing world, Go Indie!

This cotton fabric, which i might just add is amazing but big sad face i only really had enough for a small project like this, it would be perfect for a dress. Its a cotton voile nice and light and super comfy perfect for the upcoming scorching Aussie summers that burn a ginger like me to a crisp in 1 second flat.. thank god for sunscreen :)

The t-shirt is a pretty loose cut and i did find that it wasn't really making my top half look all that good, a little bit on the ole boxy side. I wanted a slight bit of definition without adding darts and while still keeping it as a loose and comfy Tee. So i  just simply added a small inverted pleat at the neckline just to give my boobies and the Tee a little bit of shape, its only subtle but it seemed to do the trick. And its easy to do because the scoop neckline is quite wide.

Hey!

Look...

It totally loves being tucked into  my Chambray Peggy skirt!

This is the Peggy skirt i used to release the pattern to the world, luckily Michelle my lovely model is the same size as me, so all my samples were made up in my size! Win!
 I still made Michelle her very own  Peggy skirt cause i'm nice like that.

I love this Chambray fabric, it is so soft and comfy - only one bad point it creases like crazy at even the slightest movement and ends up looking like i have been sleeping on the street, bad chambray.

I finished the neckline off with some bright pink bias binding for some added fun and the armholes i got a bit lazy and finished them off simply by creating a small hem and stitching it down.
Lazy sewing, YEAH!

This last couple of weeks here in Melbourne we have been having a shit cold snap, it feels like Winter all over again, it's meant to be Spring....I say bring on summer!
Me thinks this definitely will be my summer uniform.

I plan on making a shit load more of these Tee's  for little ole me, its a great basics pattern and i highly recommend this pattern to a  beginner sewer,  hands down easy peasy.

Tell, me have you tried the Scout tee? Do you love it as much as i do?

I will also be announcing the date of the Peggy skirt sew along, i'm thinking starting it next Monday,  thoughts?


Abby
xxx

Me, myself & Peggy...

I thought it about time to take some photos of one of the many Peggy skirts i made for myself. This polka dot Peggy was actually one of the very first samples of the Peggy skirt View A with the button tabs that i made it up to test the actual design of the skirt to see  whether i liked it, if it would work, is it comfortable and most importantly does it look good on the old bod! 

The last two patterns, Billie Jean and Mae i modeled the patterns myself which was a lot of fun and definitely an experience in getting over being really self conscious in front of the camera.. Ok i'm still kinda awkward and uncomfortable, but i'm working on it and no doubt i will do some modelling again for future patterns. But for the Peggy skirt i was so grateful when my gorgeous friend Michelle kindly accepted my invitation to model the Peggy skirt for me and freshen shit up a bit, it occurred to me you may possibly be sick of seeing my face! And what a fine job she did, she's one good looking chick, yeah? 

I'm really enjoy the  little kick i still get when i am wearing one of my pattern designs out and about... I really  don't think this is will ever get old, this pattern designing gig, i love it and  i think i may have just found my passion :) But in saying this i also  think it is  important to show the patterns i design actually on me, the designer. As i said i am very, very  proud of each design and i want to show them off to you and their versatility in fabric or wear etc, i also want you to see there is nothing hidden in the pattern designs and lastly and most probably the main point is  i want to show you how they look on a average gal, like me. 

Because sometimes there is an illusion created, i think, with fashion design especially be it a  pattern design or clothing that it can  sometimes  lack any kind of  authenticity or realness  and basically looks downright  fake  when shown on a professional model, who would look amazing in a hessian bag amirite? And yeah the photos look amazing in the end  and totally should be in a magazine but what about the real world? What would it look like on a girl that isn't a size 0? Or has more junk in their trunk? Big boobs? Has some tum tum area? Or is the total opposite of these things? You get my point. I don't want to do this with Bluegingerdoll, not from the very beginning, EVER . I wanted  to to show  some kind of realness  and authenticity with my pattern designs and it is as real as its going to get when on me, because i am that girl i just described above with the  junk in the trunk, tum tum area the whole list.  So here i am, in all my realness and  not a professional model ( obviously and  neither is Michelle) just a  girl who is just proud of her pattern designs and wants to show them off and is just trying to have a go at something she loves doing while keeping shit real, rant over, now  enjoy:

Oh yeah i finally got new hair... only took me a million years.. I'm one of those people that inst really a fan of going to the hairdressers for some reason i akin  it to the the dislike of dentists some folks have.

 With my samples i tend to  choose pretty standard fabrics and as cheap as possible. Doing this means  i can still  re work ( pull apart and use the fabric for something else)  if i have too or still wear it as a 'wearable muslin' that will slide into my wardrobe rotation, that's if i decide that its a shit design idea and its not going to work. The many samples i make for each pattern design tend to get A LOT of changes made to them so obviously no point using that rare vintage fabric that i have as well. Hence the choice of this discounted polka dot cotton fabric that i have like a millions yards of laying around, but totally still looks cute though and is very versatile in my wardrobe. 

In case you haven't noticed the Peggy skirt has way cool pockets... See I'm being helpful and pointing them out :)

This particular Peggy skirt i made a tad shorter, so it would sit just above the knee and its still totally cute. The original Peggy skirt version shows it sitting below the knee which  is still very much a flattering length, but just to show you short or longer the Peggy skirt will still look super cute!

****Don't forget to enter the competition to win yourself a copy of the Peggy skirt, check it out here, ends this Friday.***

Abby
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