Christmas in July with The Material Girl Australia

Hi Everyone,

Look at me go! I’m never this organised for anything! I have our Christmas outfits sorted 5 whole months in advance, that is certainly not the girl that most of you know… I’m usually up till 2am the night before an event finishing my outfit! Pre-orders are open for a huge range of Christmas fabric designs  at The Material Girl Australia, which gives us all a chance to order well in advance for our own families and businesses.

First up I used this gorgeous Design 3 – Mouse panel and matching coordinate to make a HEAVILY modified Hourglass set (Pattern originally from Rabbit Rabbit Creations), made from 220g cotton lycra knit instead of woven.

I widened the front bodice piece to accommodate the panel nicely. I didn’t want to cut too tightly around it and for it not to be shown in all its glory. I used the same side bodice piece from the pattern but omitted the elastic side casings.

I narrowed the back and changed the shape slightly by moving my pattern piece over the fold. I also added an extra inch to each strap length to accommodate this move. How gorgeous are the glitter prints by the way?

I laid all my new pattern pieces out side by side and compared the overall width to the Sofilantjes Solis I was also making and the width corresponded nicely, so I went for it!

I added a few inches in length to all the pattern pieces before I cut, because it is a short bodice and again I wanted to use the panel nicely, balanced with some negative space around it. I sewed it up similarly to the pattern instructions, omitting the elastic sides obviously and keeping the back a solid piece with out any need for fastening (because it is a stretch fabric).

Once I had the bodice sewn up I got my Miss to try it on… Phew, it worked just fine! I tend to use my common sense and just wing it a lot with sewing! It’s so nice to test yourself and most of the time I win the game 😉 At this point she squealed and was like – “A crop top, that will be awesome!”.

Ok, a crop and skirt it is! I cut a waist band from green glitter and a hem band for the crop from it too. No problem! Throw on your pink gym boots and away you go girl…

This was a much simpler and faster make let me tell you! I made the Sofilantjes Solis dress that I have made a few times before and followed the pattern basically! This is Lila’s favourite dress pattern I think!

I did make the skirt a little longer than usual, and I would usually make a circle skirt, but this was a project panel and so I didn’t have enough fabric because the print is directional of course.

This girl grabbed the Design 14 – Robin Panel and coordinating print straight away when we opened the parcel. They both actually agreed very easily that they got exactly what they wanted with out a fight!

Apparently it’s still good for all the Christmas activities you may partake in… Like triple jump? I don’t know what she was up to here, running around like the crazy person she is doing Grand Jete’s most likely

I cut the skirt to match the prints front and back and the Solis bodice is a great canvas for a panel. Most panels from TMGA have pictures which are around 18cm tall.

I used red glittler for the back and neck strap and I love this combination!

I fussy cut my bodice back to centre the print nicely, it’s those little details which really make the difference.

A curly pony tail, a gold scrunchie and black gym boots complete the look of course 😉

I saw the third print was a nice big piece and I thought – stuff you kids, this one’s for me!

I’ve not sewed for myself much lately. I have been busy being a Mum and sewing (and not exercising) and didn’t really want to make clothes for myself in this state… I tried to get active and completely tore my plantar fascia ligament in my right foot, so that backfired! Exercising is dangerous I tell you!

Then I saw a post by the lovely Katie Makes a Dress on insta, then a blog post by the gorgeous Marisa Ryniak from Laela Jeyne Patterns that kicked me back into gear. I might not be able to excercise for a while still yet (12 weeks down and who knows how much longer till I can walk long distances and run again), but I can still sew for me now! I deserve that.

You still might not see a lot of me, because I use too much fabric haha (that was a joke i promise), but I do promise not to hide in shame here completely while I recouperate. This dress is the FREE French Navy Orla Dress. It is made for wovens but I was happy with a loose fit, so I made it from this knit with no fastenings, added a little collar and cuffs in black and a wrapped knit binding for the neck! Easy!

My son took some pics of us all together and he did a great job. The sun is blowing us out in our full length shots but he got a couple of closer shots just beautifully!

I’m a lucky lady to have these 3 beautiful kids (2 in the shot, 1 behind the camera)!

This last pic I didnt edit AT ALL (apart from sharpening up just a little)! How clever was that! I’m just glad he didn’t cut our heads off… just 😉

Go to The Material Girl Australia Preorder to order your Christmas fabrics now! Orders close July 31st.

Merry Christmas in July everyone 😉

Brooke x

Idle Sunshine

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.

Little Lizard King Bristol & Newport

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to share these pictures with you! I made this sweet set using the Bristol & Newport patterns by Little Lizard King and I can’t wait to show you how cute they are together!

First up let’s look at the Bristol! It’s a woven top & dress in sizes 12m – 12 years. The dress version includes a simple skirt, ruffle skirt and double layer skirt options. I chose to make a tunic length top to pair with shorts.

It has a curved front bodice, which creates a high-low hem, perfect for showing off your favourite shorts.

It’s winter in the southern hemisphere right now, but this makes the perfect outfit teamed with tights, boots and a warm hat! It would also look great with a pair of leggings or jeans in winter! I can picture a faux fur vest over the top for a little extra warmth too.

I love the 3/4 sleeves with ties, it’s such a cute feature. This gorgeous floral print fabric comes from Dizzy Daisy Fabric and is called Hannah Blue.

The pattern calls for buttons & buttonholes, but I have an assorted rainbow of Kam snaps on hand which I love to use! Snaps are so easy and fast to apply, they are great to have in your stash.

The ties in the sleeves are a great match for the tie sides of the Newport shorts.

The Newport shorts can be made in the same great size range 12m – 12 years. They have a flat front waistband, elastic back and a bubble hem with 3 choices of hem finish.

They can be made with a regular straight cuff, a button tab hem or the ties that I chose to make.

I used a Linen-Look Cotton called Mellow-Yellow from Dizzy Daisy. I find it a little scary trying to guess when ordering coordinating fabrics online, but I think these two fabrics work beautifully together!

Just look at those bows! Don’t these patterns work beautifully together?

I tell you what else works beautifully with this outfit, how gorgeous is this hat? I bought quite a few balls of this mustard coloured wool last winter for my lovely mother in law to make me a crocheted necklace I had seen a pattern for. I bought way too much wool so I have a full collection of mustard accessories now!

My MIL loves to crochet and knit and recently asked what else she could make from the left over wool, so I suggested a “slouchy lacey hat”. She didn’t have a pattern that would work, so she ducked next door to her neighbours house. She found a great lacey hat pattern deep in her files (the suitcase in the spare room) and added a little extra to get the slouchy look I requested.

It is exactly what I imagined and it looks like I either have to buy more wool or share it! You definitely have to wear your hair out under a hat like this and I didnt want the outfit entirely covered by her hair, so I got the curling wand out to shorten it up!

Oh hang on a minute, there’s 3 Kangaroos and 5 deer watching us! We shot these pictures at the end of our street where there are often deer wandering around.

I only had a 28-75mm lens on me, so I can’t show you any closer, but look at that white deer! We have a few of them.

Ahhh! Then some other mysterious creature kept making noise in the long grass behind me and she got out of there quick smart! Look at her move! That’s Australia for you my friends! 😉

Out of the long grass, feeling safe again!

Oh look, you can actually see she has on some little brown boots. These were a recent purchase and they are getting a workout! Brown boots were really hard to find this season, but they really are the most versatile shoe for winter!

Oh this girl is such a gorgeous spirit! Don’t worry, we didn’t let the curls and outfit go to waste, she insisted we take her out for dinner so she could show them off! I couldn’t argue with that request! ❤

Warmest winter wishes!

Brooke x

Idle Sunshine

Winter Sewing with The Material Girl Australia!

I love sewing fabric strike-offs for fabric goddesses! A suprise parcel arrives in the mail and I get to choose what I make with the pretty contents inside! I always have a huge list of makes on my to-sew list so I usually get to tick a couple of them off in the process!

These pretty fabrics arrived recently in a parcel from The Material Girl Australia! They are available as a Pre-order – open now until July 14th, 2018. They are both cotton lycra 220 weight, but are available to order in a great range of bases including cotton lycra 180, cotton lycra 260, woven, minky, swim lycra, peach skin, french terry, double brushed poly, sports performance and rayon.

I put my hand up for a couple of prints, but I didn’t really know what was coming until it arrived. I really hoped I would snag this gorgeous Design 14 – Birds print and I was lucky enough to get 2 metres to play with!

I immediately had this combination in mind for a Ainslee Fox Bonfire Jacket, which was released in One Thimble Sewing E-zine Issue 5, and it turned out just as amazing as I imagined! I have had the Bonfire Jacket on my list to sew f-o-r-e-v-e-r! It feels good to tick one off and I can assure you it won’t be my last.

I lined the body with a thin polar fleece for warmth, because where we live we need more than a light jacket in winter sadly. The ribbing is actually a double knit from my stash, which is fairly stable but it works well and looks amazing with the birds!

When I cut out the jacket I knew that I was also going to be left with enough fabric to make a beautiful twirly dress. It was the other design that popped straight into my head when I saw this print.

I used the Simple Life Patterns Skyler dress pattern which we tested recently and introduced on their blog! If you know me at all, you’ll know that I can’t leave a good pattern alone! I hacked the Skyler dress by slightly curving the corners of the low square back to create a low scoop ballet back. Isn’t it gorgeous? ❤

I used the circle skirt for maximum twirl and it makes such a fast sew. The Birds print is a directional print and so I could not cut the circle as a whole piece (unless I wanted upside down birds on the back), so I cut two semi-circles adding seam allowance for the side seams.

This dress is what little girls dreams are made of! Stunningly beautiful, yet comfortable as your pyjamas at the same time!

Print number two is Design 39 – Floral Deer. This is a sweet pastel print suitable for all ages! I can picture even a baby romper in this!

My brain went straight away to a pretty dress for this print, but I didn’t want to pigeon hole it. I knew it was more versatile than that, so I challenged myself to make something my big girl would wear.

This is a Little Kiwis Closet Cuffed Dolman. This pattern is my most often made pattern for myself and my girls closets are catching up! I used the long sleeve version as it’s for winter and I hacked the cutout back!

I used the scoop back from the Skyler dress I made above as a guide for the depth, and cut the scoop from the back piece of the dolman. I measured the neck opening front and back, minus the seam allowances and calculated the binding at 90% of the opening. After I completed the top, I created a strap for the back by sewing a long strip right sides together into a tube. I turned it right way out and pinned it across the opening a couple of inches below the shoulder seams. I adjusted the length of the strap until I was happy it held the cutout shape nicely and top stitched it behind the binding.

What’s your favourite winter pattern for knits? These are just a few I thought of to showcase this fabric. I hope you like them as much as these cheeky girls do!

Warmest wishes,

Brooke x

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.