I have a girl to sew for!

Okay, so she may be on the furry, four-legged side of girliness. But that won't be stopping me.

 This is Skylar (in handmade reversible coat and linen cowl, ahem). We picked her up on Friday afternoon from GAP - the Greyhound Adoption Program of SA - through their Foster to Adopt program. We've never had a dog before and it could have been dicey introducing one to our cat and chickens, so this was a kind of try-before-you-buy option.

 But heck, she's going nowhere.

Except back on her lovely cushion with Andy's slippers that she stole from the bedroom.
Skylar is 16 months old and was bred to race, but was apparently never interested. She's not very interested in chasing our cat or chickens either, yay! In fact Elodie the cat had her bailed up in Charlie and Jasper's bedroom last night, and Skylar was trying to hide her head in a drawer and pretend she wasn't there while waiting for her people to come and rescue her.

 Greyhounds evidently make fabulous pets. I've been campaigning the family for one for some years. Finally it seemed like the right time. On top of all the other fabulous things about these dogs, they have very little body fat and therefore actually need doggy coats and such loveliness. What fun! I traced a basic pattern off the L-Plate 'greyhound pet in training' walking jacket that came along with her as part of the fostering process and I'm sure I'll tweak the pattern in future.

Welcome to our family, Skylar!

- Jane x

Does my butt look tall in this?

Oh yes, you can bet I've had that post title in mind since before I even cut into this fabric. (Surely I am not the only person who composes blog posts in my head during the making process?)

I'm not normally an animal print person but giraffe print? I don't know, there was just something silly about it that I couldn't resist. I'm really hoping it says 'this is a fun skirt that is not taking itself at all seriously' rather than 'I'm trying to make some sort of animal print/sexy beast connection'. Plus, it's really lovely mid-weight cotton by Sevenberry of Japan, and it charmingly said 'Made by Japan' on the selvedge. Thank you, Japan!

This is, of course, another Grainline Moss skirt. I had put the fabric aside a while back with the idea of making shorts for one of my boys. However neither of the big boys seemed too keen and Clem, at the time, had plenty of shorts. And so it sat... until after I'd made my woodgrain Moss and had worn it so much I felt there was room in my wardrobe for one more.

A friend bought some of this fabric some months back and told me she'd made herself a skirt from it so there are two giraffe skirts 'in the wild' in Adelaide. Yay! I hope she doesn't mind me being a bit of a copycat.

Once again, love this pattern, hate the process of putting in the zip fly. Still. Managed it all fine this time except for the last part of attaching the facing/guard thingummy, which has the overlocked edge facing outwards instead of the neat-looking folded edge. I didn't realise this until I had the waistband on and it was all too late. It's totally hidden from the outside of the garment so only bothers me. But I later noticed that the diagram in the instructions has it shown around this (incorrect) way, although the written instructions say the right thing. I don't know if this has been corrected in the pattern since.

Nevertheless, I'm quite delighted with this and it is joining my other two Moss skirts on high rotation.

- Jane x

Deer and Doe Datura

I will be posting this make in more detail on The Drapery's blog soon, but I'm so pleased with how this turned out that I can't resist posting it here first. I'm a bit in love with Deer and Doe patterns right now... you know when you find a pattern company whose designs really appeal and they seem to fit just right? Yep, it's a rare thing so I'm going with it. Don't be surprised if there's more Deer and Doe from me in future.

The Facts:
Pattern: Deer and Doe Datura Blouse, View A
Fabric: Anna Maria Horner cotton voile, a leftover in my stash (yoke lining is from an old white cotton baby bedsheet)
Notions: wee bit of light interfacing in the neckline bias, 4 buttons from my big tin-o'-buttons
Size: 42
Alterations: none for fit, but I added an extra button at the back (pattern only calls for the top 3)

Technically, the bust darts sit a bit too high on me. But I am delighted with the fit and would worry about messing with that if I tried moving them.

We had some beautiful winter sunshine today so grabbed the opportunity for these photos, but in reality it's way too cold here for this floaty sleeveless top right now! But before we know it the mercury will be at uncomfortable highs again so that is not a complaint. See you soon, Datura!

Oh and because I have a hard time posting only serious garment photos on my blog, here's the 'looking at her pigeon-toed feet' blogger/garment model pose, just for fun:

Hmm, don't think I'm getting it quite right there, because that has to be the most unflattering angle possible for my thighs, haha!

- Jane x