Sewing for Moi!

Happy Australia Day everyone!! I hope you enjoyed whatever you did on Saturday - hopefully something around sunshine and water, lamb chops, pavlova, perhaps even Tim Tams or a milo cheesecake with chocolate crackle. I would have done all of the aforementioned except I didn't get time for the milo cheesecake... but it looks really cool!!

Now for what this post really is out about...Sewing something for myself at last!

I had fun sewing this. Mostly. I didn't have fun ironing 24m of bias binding. No kidding. I measured it because I was...like...OMG...there is SOOOO much.  I cut 50cm (20 inches) of 150cm (59inch) wide fabric into 4cm (1.5 inch) wide bias strips and stitched them together. After looking at this pile of bias on my sewing room floor for a week, I finally ran it through my 18mm bias tape maker. That took, oh a while. I did iron 6 business shirts first for Ever Thankful Husband. Luckily I did that first, or I would never have go to them.

And then I wound it only a piece of card. Then unwound it to measure it because I was loving that I made so much and wanted to be able to SHARE with you how much. And how great I am at it now.

And to answer a question I had and couldn't find the answer to, you need 5 metres of bias binding to make the Poppy Tunic. The pattern says to use 40cm of 115cm wide fabric, cut into bias strips.  And a half yard (45cm) of fabric makes around 9 yards (8.2m) of half inch, double fold bias (so I'm told), so I was figuring I'd do a bit more of my bit wider fabric in a narrower cut (as specified by the Poppy Tunic pattern) and then I'd have enough to make two. Well. I could make three of these babies and still have left overs!

If you're looking for a quick guestimate on how much bias tape you can make from your cut of fabric:
* 45cm x 115cm makes 8.2m of 12mm double fold bias (or  25mm wide single fold)
 * 50cm x 150cm makes 24m (yes a whopping 24m) of 8mm double fold bias tape (or 18mm single fold)
OK a pretty huge variation in lengths depending on your width of bias you cut and the width of your fabric, there is probably some great mathematical formula. I should ask my friend Warrick. He knows maths!
Confused about the folds? Visit Dana here.

I ironed and ironed for what seemed like hours (probably was close to an half hour), I got back to my Poppy Tunic and here it finally is! I love it. I think Husband does too, though he would like the next one to be a little shorter! I laughed because I did actually make this one 3 inches longer, as Toni did with her own tunics at Make it Perfect!

I wanted to get a photo of me in it, before I wore it and got little people's food over it. I asked Keegan to take a photo of me. This is what he got. He did well, considering I was sure he was looking off to the right the whole time.

And then I tried to get myself!

Do you hate it when people look at you over the top of their glasses? My Husband does! The time is coming for new glasses anyway.