Hi. Have now got some photos to add.....

 

I think the sleeves could be a fraction shorter, but they're pretty close to being right.

The shirt length is perfect so am happy with that.

Most importantly, Garry likes it ;-)

 

 Really like this shirt... so comfy.

OMG has it really been that long???!!!

 

Hi there.
Wow, I didn't realise just HOW much I'd been neglecting my blog until I noticed the date.... 2011???? OMG.
Well I guess I did sell my house, pack up & move interstate, change jobs 3 times & move house twice. And not necessarily in that order....
And I am currently doing battle with my landlord over roof insulation. But apart from that, I have no idea where the time went.
I have been sewing (of course), just not getting around to sharing what I've made.
I have been doing my usual collecting of patterns, buying fabric on the internet & trying to hunt down a half decent fabric store in Canberra or Queanbeyan (sadly no luck on that front just yet). I really do miss my favourite fabric store in Brisbane (East coast Fabrics, Lawnton), but storage space is limited here so its probably just as well I haven't found something similar!
Also, because of the aforementioned insulation issue, its been too stinking hot here over summer to have done much sewing recently.
But now that the weather is starting to cool down, I'm ready to gear back up into production line mode.....

Well onto what I've been making.
Recently I've discovered LEKALA patterns. They are Russian based, created by a lady by the name of Natalia Lekala, & she has several places to get them from.
Lovely designs, custom fit (you supply the measurements & the patterns are delivered via email in YOUR size - cool!) and CHEAP!!!!
Be warned though, the russian translations are shocking, so you really have to have a fair idea of how to assemble.
But if you can get around that issue, they are well worth the extra time it takes to prepare (printing them out & sticking them all together).
Here are a few addresses if you want to check them out:

www.leko-mail.net/ (this is the one I prefer)
www.lekala.co/
www.craftsy.com/user/917455/pattern-store

Melissa from Fehrtrade wrote a great article on how to order their patterns which is well worth a read, & they are also on Facebook:

www.fehrtrade.com/article/493/how-to-buy-lekala-patterns 
 www.facebook.com/lekala.co


SO now to detail what I've made (So far....)
First I trialled one of the free patterns. (yes, they have some freebies! Nice ones too!)
I made the Men's shirt pattern 6026, a straightforward long sleeve men's shirt.


I haven't had a change to try it on Garry yet, as he's been back at work for the last 2 weeks, but he'll be here tomorrow to try it on.
But I did fit the pattern on him before he left & took a squillion measurements, so I'm confident it should fit.
It came together beautifully, everything matched up nicely & it looks good so hopefully he'll like it. I'll take a photo of it once her's here to try it on.

Next up I made a ladies drawstring tunic 5763.
This one was made for Garry's mum who is only 4'10".

I used a lovely peachy coloured lightweight linen & it too made up beautifully.
It actually fitted me very well (I'm 5'5"), so I'm not sure how the length was on her (she lives 300km away from here) but Garry said it looked really nice on her (I asked for a photo but didn't get one!!).
Sadly, she felt it was too loose fitting (even though I explained to her it was meant to be), so lucky for me this one is on its way back to me as she didn't like it enough to wear it.
I, on the other hand, LOVED it, so I am quite pleased it is coming back.
Again, will get a photo taken once I've got it back.

Lastly I made a skirt for me using pattern no: 4229.
I had a $2 remnant of blue crepe fabric which fitted the pattern perfectly. I decided to line the skirt too, so just used a plain skirt pattern for that (which was a bit short - oops! but no-one can see that bit. will see if I can find some mathcing blue lace to extend it a bit)
It turned out very well too, & fitted perfectly. The front pieces were interesting shapes, but they all came together well. I changed the top of the skirt a bit as I didn't like how the folds sat or where the little band was, but apart from that I made it as per the pattern. Excuse the funny angle - my 10yo operating a camera does not ensure the most flattering of photos!

So far I have downloaded about 50 Lekala patterns, & have been giving my poor printer a major workout. but I just LOVE these patterns so much, even more so because they fit pretty much straight out of the box.
So watch this space (I promise I won't neglect my blog for another 2 years!!), there's bound to be more on show!