verypurpleperson

Author: Novita

womenswear
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Dress with hood

I really like this red dress I made sometime ago and wear it almost everyday. So when I found yet another wall-hanging fabric, I decided to make a variation based on the pattern. The bodice area is lengthened and a hood added. The hood pattern was traced from my husband’s hooded cardigan, with the neckline adjusted to the neckline of the dress. I also made a pleated area on the front, but instead of stitches, it is held by two buttons; creating an illusion of front opening. The sleeves are on fabric selvedge so I didn’t have to stitch the […]

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menswear
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Black shirt with red button tab

This is an grown-up version of Sidra’s shirt with band collar for my husband. The pattern is the same as his grey nani IRO shirt, and I only changed the front opening and collar area. I think the feeling is very different from Sidra’s shirt because of the contrast between the red button tab and the black shirt. My husband said that the shirt reminds him of Startrek uniform. The sleeves and the shirt hem are not finished because they are on fabric selvedge. There’s something about the selvedge area of a fabric that always get me interested. I always […]

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kidswear
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Dog jacket

This dog jacket and pants use the same pattern as the sailor-collar jacket. I make the pockets bigger and change the collar to a hood and add ears, eyes, and the mouth part to make it look like a dog’s face. For added warmth, I lined the jacket with the same type of fabric in mustard yellow. This is my first attempt in lining a jacket, so there was a lot of trial and error along the way. But I’m quite satisfied with the end result. The pockets are also lined because I like the yellow fabric kinda peek a […]

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making other stuff
5 Comments

Cloth pads

Okay, you might say, “Eww!” or “WTF?”, because that was kinda my first reaction when a friend mentioned that she’s using reusable cloth pads. But then she said something like, “But you cloth-diapered your son, isn’t that just the same?” That got me thinking. As a baby, Sidra were using cloth diapers all the time. My mother sewed a bunch of them for him (it was really a lot, like 50 or something so they lasted the whole babyhood). He never got any rashes, bumps, or any problems on his skin; and I think he looked happier in cloth diapers. […]

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kidswear
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Band-collared shirt

The fabric was sold in pre-cut package, and it was only 50×110 cm. It is double-gauze cotton fabric, very soft and comfortable on the skin. I also like the soft colour and tiny white apples and ducklings on the pattern, so I thought it would make a nice shirt for Sidra. Because the fabric was very small, I just sketched a simple short-sleeves shirt with band collar. The opening is just a slit on the front, attached by a button tab. I also sewed a piece of linen ribbon in place of the label. I’m quite satisfied with the result. […]

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kidswear
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Sailor-collar jacket and wide-legged pants

Summer is over, and the weather is really nice right now. But it’ll get colder so I think Sidra is going to need a new jacket. I found the fabric in my favourite store, Yuzawaya, and really like the colour and texture. Apparently the 2 meters fabric is enough to make him a little suit. The jacket has sailor collar, two front pockets and coconut shell buttons. The pants have wide legs with turned-up hems, invisible front pockets and big back pockets. This is a casual jacket so I don’t put any lining (another reason for my laziness). Sidra wants […]

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womenswear
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Apples dress

I think I’ve wanted too many things when I started sewing this colourful cotton fabric; pipings, collar, princess seam, ruffles. It ended looking like a toddler dress, and when I put it on, it looked so costumey. So it went back to the sewing room again. I just chopped off the old bodice and made a new one. Fortunately I’m on the small side, so the scraps are enough for a whole new bodice. This time, I only played with a little pleats on the button area and use bindings to finish the neckline and armholes. There. Now I’m happy.

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kidswear
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Autumn apples shirt

These apples fabric were on sale in Yuzawaya, Kichijoji. They are just too cute I can’t choose between the two, so I decided to buy them both. This shirt was pretty easy to make, mostly because cotton is one of the easiest fabric to sew. The pattern is from a Japanese pattern book. I especially love the buttons, which have nine holes in each instead of the usual four. When they were sewn on, the thread makes interesting starburst shapes. Sidra said that he’s going to wear his new shirt to school tomorrow. Pattern is from simple+one.

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