Sandal making with Shoe Camaraderie

I did this course in April but for some reason took ages to get nice photos.  Literally the minute my sandals had cured, the warm weather went away and never came back.

Lisa runs the workshops out of Brisbane but has them in various cities.  When I signed up for the course I was struggling to make any long term plans and booking this one month in advance was the riskiest move I could think of!  Here is her website.

The class size is pretty small and Lisa requested that we make measurements of our feet and choose a style ahead of time. We had flexibility to change out minds, and I did - opting for multiple straps instead of a single slide. 

We started by gluing the pigskin to the underpiece of the foot. 
Then we built our straps which takes ages and lots of trying on. 
Once I had my straps half done, the sandal wouldn't fit onto the plastic shoe model anymore so I had to just hold them.

I hadn't meant to make the easiest sandals in the class, but my three straps were really straightforward so I had lots of time sitting around while the other class members went through the long process of getting the leather bits trimmed and glued in place. 

Then we glued on the bottoms - Lisa cut the edges so we wouldn't mess up. 
After that, we applied a nice supportive rand, which makes it look very professional.

Finally the heels!

Because of all the trying on, of course the pigskin lining of my shoes was already a bit dirty...

I like these sandals. It is cool to have something you made yourself. The shoemaking process, it ends up, is really straightforward, not unlike sewing.  It mainly just includes different supplies and different tools.

But they aren't broken in yet so I don't know if they will become comfortable as the leather stretches. I also think that technically, the pigskin sole should have been larger - these were prepared ahead of time by Lisa according to our foot measurements.  They were exactly the size of my feet.  Well, my foot is wider above its base and so I think about 2-3 mm extra room is necessary for comfort - as it is, my actual foot and step is onto the edges of the sandal because they are cut so precisely to the line of the bottom of my foot.  They have not been comfortable to wear.

It would be interesting to do a course elsewhere and see how someone else's teaching and supplies compare. 

Also - my class was the last one where we used leather bottoms for the sandals - Lisa was planning to go to rubber soles after this.  So I had the soles rubbered by my local shoe guy. 

Colette Mabel miniskirt x 2 and a bonus tank top comparison

I went to work one nightshift, and in the middle of the shift realised the thing missing in my life was a miniskirt.  The Mabel Colette miniskirt.  Because, like everyone before me, though I know I could draft my own or muddle my way through, the interests of a well fitting miniskirt in 1 hour flat trumped any interest I had in the self-drafting learning process.

So two days later I had two miniskirts!

First of all I took that pattern home and decided to sew the size S, based on my hips.  I shortened the version B by a few inches - making it 19" long.  The version A is supposed to be 17" long.  I removed the kick pleat.  This is a lovely purple stretchy merino with a funny texture that almost looks felted, which I have had around for a long time and really adore.  I'm happy to finally be using it.  The skirt turned out way too big though, hanging on my hips pretty loosely.  I also used a zig zag that was pretty loose and so my stitches came undone rapidly.

Version two is view A, size XS, and in a funny merino that is smooth faced with a terry like interior that is scratchy.  It is a blend with some poly and retains its shape well.  It is the perfect miniskirt, and I'm hoping the scratchiness will go away with time.  Despite that I have worn it a lot!  I've worn the other one too even though it was big, but I plan to take off the waistband and take it in when I can get to the overlocker.

The pictures of Skirt 2 are with a bonus Deer & Doe Givre tank top.  It's a size 36 at the bust sloping to a 38, and other than needing a little scoop out of the armscye it fits great.  I was comparing it to the Patterns for Pirates Essential tank, though I know they have quite different shapes I was curious how they would compare.

The P4P top is a size XS.  I shortened it by 2 inches but kept the shape of the hem.  I made these two tops too fast, and so the hems are not done very well.  That bothers me a lot.  The shape of this tank top is otherwise really nice and I like the racerback.  Probably it's good to have both some racerback tops and some plain tops in my wardrobe.  I also find the Mission Maxi tanktop to be a perennial favourite (that's what the jungle plant top is, above). 
 

A Review: True Bias Hudson Pants

My sewing friend Tessa went crazy over Hudson pants.  I tried to talk her into making Anima pants since I am basically a specialist in them (see here, here and here) but something about the Hudsons had stuck in her brain.  So of course like the lemming I am, I decided that I had to do a comparison test and see why Hudsons have gained a cult following.

Size 4.  (I'm 5'4" and 27-37)
Fabric is Charley Harper organic cotton from Ugh Spotlight, and the bands are a merino wool ribbing blend by Helmut Lang which I bought at The Fabric Store last year, snagging the last 30 cm piece.  That's why I went with such a dull main colour - I wanted something to go with these bands, and the organic cotton is so soft and snuggly.

Well, making the pants is nothing special.
I skipped the drawstring.

Overall, I found the fit very different from the Anima pants.

The Anima: is very long; I remove 10 cm usually.  It has a fake fly (wtf?) and the pockets are the usual fold over types which can bag out.  They are pretty high waisted and are otherwise loose around the bum and hips.  In the Anima I've been making the XXS though it took a few tries to settle on that and stick with it.  I have permanently removed a 1 cm wedge from the front waist which makes them slope down so the waist isn't quite so high, but I'd call the fit easy - they go pretty close to the natural waist.

The Hudson: has a modern, low waistband which is thicker than the Anima.  It sits low.  I would be tempted to add an inch of raise to the back to accommodate my amazingly muscular bum.  In fact I could add that inch all the way around.  The pockets are lovely and I like the addition of the bands on the pockets, which adds heft.  The pocket construction means they won't flap out.  The fit through the bum and hips is snug.  These are short.  I didn't modify the length at all, and I think I'd prefer another inch of raise...because they are so short that if I bend my knee I feel it pulling down the waistband.

I think the Anima pants are awesome loungepants.  But the Hudson pants actually if you made them in the right material, you could wear out of the house.  I guess that's why they've become so popular.  I like them despite my dedication to Papercut patterns.