November 2009 - Page 3 of 4 - Handmade by Carolyn

Not to judge a book by its cover

14/11/2009 3:50 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Today’s shirt pattern is familiar to those following this blog, I’m even getting a little embarrassed at how often it’s appeared here. It is Butterick 4985 again, this time with the addition of some little pockets on the front with lace flaps and the sleeves view B joined together at the top seam. I used baby blue nubbly self embroidered cotton for the blouse and topstitched the pockets and a few seams with double stitching in gunmetal dark blue. This was mostly to use up this particular colour in my thread stash. I also added an attached necktie in a bit of leftover border lace, again just to use it up. This can’t be seen very well in the picture because of the other scarf I’m wearing.
Today’s colour scheme is pastel-ly, with no white. I really like this soft combination of pale blue, yellow and pink, with the blue jeans. I have a confession to make: I realise how tragic this sounds, but I thought the cover of “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” to be such a beautiful balance of colours, and really inspired me to copy it in this outfit! Oh please, if I heard someone say that I would almost pity them, but it’s true! I suppose we are all find inspiration somewhere, and if you find it in the cover of a book then so be it. (I could expound the multiple merits of reading this book as it is superb and intelligent and full of pearls… but that is not the purpose of this blog)
I found my shoes yesterday in an op shop. They were $12, and hardly worn! I fell absolutely in love with them and had to wear them straight away. They are navy blue suede with elastic criss-cross straps over the top of the foot and a beautifully shaped heel. It’s often difficult to come across nice shoes in my size, even in commercial shoe stores as I have such big feet (size 10, or 41 in European), so this was an incredible find.
Today has been spent in pleasant industry and relaxation; I worked for several hours in the garden, did some grocery shopping and running a few errands, then met my friend J for afternoon tea.

Other details:
Jeans; Development
Scarf; unlabelled, bought in Labels (how’s that for an oxymoron!)
Earrings; selfmade
Shoes; Sandler, op shop

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: accessories, beading, Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, own design, top

Favourite skirt, styled in 6 different ways

13/11/2009 2:34 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Something different for today. After my office duties I am taking my daughter out for a special treat to lunch; Fashion Friday at the Globe, so I’m wearing this dress I’ve posted about before. Don’t want to post another picture of the same dress, so instead I’m delivering something I promised to do about a month ago, namely showing the versatility of my favourite skirt, first posted about here.
Its made of a slightly shimmery pale pink damask from my favourite skirt pattern Vogue 7303, with my own variation in the addition of three extra layers both front and back, joined onto the lining and separate from each other. So effectively it has eight different hems. And yes, it was extremely complex to make. But worth it.
For today’s post I’ve styled it to be worn as a casual skirt for summer and winter, as slightly more dressy (say if I’m meeting friends during the day) winter and summer, and finally as a semi-formal skirt again for both summer and winter. So you can see how versatile it’s been in my wardrobe!

Left; for casual summer wear, with a tank top and thongs(flipflops), and right; for casual winter wear

Below left; for nice-ish summer wear, and right; for winter wear (ie. if meeting other ladies or my husband somewhere for lunch or morning tea)

Left; worn as if for a semi-formal outdoor summer function and right; for a dressy winter function

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: 6 different ways, Fabulous fabrics, own design, Sienna, skirt, Vogue 7303

Major surgery

12/11/2009 1:37 am \ 7 Comments \ Carolyn

Today’s effort is the result of a little wardrobe surgery. A few years ago we went to a dress-up evening and our whole table went as 50’s style swing dancers. All the guys wore jeans, white T-shirts and leather jackets, and all the girls wore polka dot circle skirts and neckties, white T-shirts, black sandals and white bobby socks (see before photo). All us girls had matching outfits; we went out and bought purple, lime green, orange, turquoise and blue polka dot cotton, made our skirts and the neckties from the leftovers, and mixed and matched our neckties! It was great fun and we won a prize for the best dressed table.
So, fast forward four or five years and I still have this orange polka dot circle skirt sitting at the top of my wardrobe. Eventually it became patently clear I was never going to wear it ever again, so what to do? Couldn’t possibly waste all that fabric, and in my colours too! (apparently)
So here is the result. It is Butterick 4985 with view B collar again, with the sleeves taken from New Look 6252 but cut short. What can I say, I really like the fitted style of this blouse pattern!
Because the polka dots are really bright bright white I decided to wear it with a white skirt. I like the way the dull grey metal fittings on the skirt match the iron ore ball necklace, and the dull silver buckles on these sandals … maybe I’m overthinking all this … Anyhow, I feel its a nice bright colour scheme for what is shaping up to be an dull grey, overcast, drizzly day.
My daughter has a bit of a break before her next exam, so after completing my office work we’ll go out together for a bit of afternoon tea.

Other details:
Skirt; Old Khaki, bought while on holiday in South Africa
Necklace; bought in Egypt
Sandals; Sportscraft, bought in David Jones

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Sienna, Spotlight, top

Achieving a perfect fit (thanks to Bessie)

11/11/2009 4:53 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

I decided last night to wear this dress today, long before I remembered it was Remembrance Day. Seemed fortuitous when I saw the RSL poppies being sold on the streets.
This dress is derived from McCalls 4453 view C, which is actually a halter neck top pattern. However there were many things I wanted for this dress that didn’t correspond with the pattern, so I really only used the bodice fronts from the pattern and the rest was designed by me using Bessie, the dressmaker’s dummy. The bodice is quite close fitting, with no elastication. Also the skirt has been elongated, and altered a lot. Actually I just typed in a whole paragraph detailing how it was altered, and reading it through I decided it was boring, so deleted it! The result is my own vision, originally intended for a beach dress, but great for a light summer dress too. The fabric, bought on super special from Fabulous Fabrics, is blotchy red and pink polyester chiffon, with multicoloured and silver sparkles all over.
I really like my colour scheme today, with just a touch of black. As a rule I don’t like black and red together as it makes me think “emo”, but I think the stone white of my cardigan makes it all OK.
My sister-in-law asked in a comment how I found the sizing of New Look patterns. I find them to fit fine, with my usual adjustments. Through trial and error over the years, I now manage to achieve perfect fit on my own garments pretty much every time. I’ll summarise my procedure on sizing my own clothing just in case this helps others:

I always use as my starting point the sizing recommended on the pattern envelope. Depending on what you are making, either the bust, waist or hip measurement will be the most important consideration. For top and blouse patterns the bust size is crucial, for flared skirts the waist size is crucial, and for more fitted skirts and pants the waist and hip sizes are the most important measurements to consider when choosing your pattern size.
During the cutting stage I take into account my own personal body shape. All women will have a pretty good awareness of their own shape, and will already know if they are pear-shaped, hourglass, boy shaped or petite (lucky you), round, top heavy, etc. I myself am slightly pear-shaped. I take a smaller size blouse or top than I do in pants or skirts. So, when I am trialling a new pattern of a dress, I generally adjust by cutting the top to my (smaller) bust and waist measurement, then from the waist to hip taper out to the (larger) hip measurement.
To use another example, for a woman with a big bust but small hips, she may cut her tops to her larger size bust, but taper down to a smaller size going on down to the hip.
Patterns usually have the waistline marked, and the hipline is sometimes marked, you may have to work this out yourself but its generally at the widest point below the waistline.
No matter what garment I am making, I usually fit the pieces to Bessie to check during the sewing process, and/or try them on myself several times also to check if everything fits where it should. I do the fitting for a garment before I do any seam finishing (overlocking or pinking) or ironing, as adjustments can be made quite easily during these early stages. Once I am satisfied that the garment fits everywhere it should, and I’ve made the necessary adjustments through the addition of darts, letting out seams or whatever is required, I complete sewing the seams and finishing.

Other details:
Cardigan; Morrison
Beaded thongs (flipflops); bought at some little shop in South Africa
Poppy; for Remembrance Day

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: dress, Fabulous fabrics, McCalls 4453, own design, Sienna

Wrapper’s delight (and the memories you wear each day)

10/11/2009 4:19 am \ 1 Comment \ Carolyn

Please excuse the terrible pun above, but today’s outfit is an entirely wrapped affair. The top is New Look 6252 view C, a nice little sleeveless top that wraps and ties at the back (the knot can be a little annoying when you are sitting in a hardback chair, but hey, nothing’s perfect). I know its boring, oh yawn, yet another white top. Actually I’ve realised since my clean-out I have way too many white tops, and its time for some serious updating in the form of dying and/or embellishment projects. However, this was made from the leftovers from another project, which excuses it a little bit.
I wish I could say I made the skirt, but I actually found it in a secondhand shop. It’s silk, with a slight gilding on the leaf print, which appears to be hand painted although I can’t be sure. Its a wrap skirt, with a beautifully flared panel on the front that billows and blows around when you walk.
I love shopping in secondhand shops and op shops, not just because of the cost-saving factor, but of all the invisible stories emanating from the clothes. Everything is jammed in and stuffed in all any-old-how and I love how you have to burrow and delve about through treasure after treasure. Everything is so unexpected and completely unrelated to the items all around it, unlike in a boutique where new items have been carefully chosen by a buyer, arranged in colour and/or type and presented all pristine and ready for you to buy. In an op shop you find yourself speculating on individual items, and why they have been discarded. Something may have obviously been bought in Greece, say, with a label all in Cyrillic, perhaps bought on holiday and now no longer loved. Myself when I buy something on holiday it becomes like a souvenir that I can’t possibly part with, simply because of the memories bound up in its purchase. I rarely go shopping by myself and just buy things; my shopping excursions are usually with a friend, or on holidays or some such, so that my wardrobe is often a reminder of those occasions. For example, today’s skirt was bought when I was out with my friend E and we discovered this secondhand shop. And the top is leftovers from a trench coat (posted about here) I made with a Fabulous Fabrics gift voucher given to me by the Monday morning gals for my birthday last year.
I bought the beads etc for the earrings when my friend J drove us to the Gypsy Bead shop (now sadly no more) and a bunch of us all got madly into beading. Oh, the hours we spent around each others’ dining room tables, stringing beads, chatting…

Other details:
Skirt; da Vida, secondhand
Sandals; Anna, bought in Marie Claire
Earrings; self-made

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: accessories, beading, Fabulous fabrics, New Look 6252, own design, top

What to do when the “whites” wash turns out pink

09/11/2009 1:39 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

I used my old favourite Butterick 4985 to make this top out of pink embroidered “bobbly” cotton, with the sleeves snitched from a different dress pattern Burda 7897. I narrowed the torso region as always, and constructed a loop closure for the buttons, instead of the usual buttonholes. When it was finished I felt it was too plain, so I then sewed on random strips and bits of leftover lace, broderie englaise and rick-rack I had in my leftovers tin. Then I felt it was too “pretty”, and needed some punking up. So out came a red T-shirt that had been a proven “runner” in the past. That’s runner in dying terms, obviously. Yes, it had mistakenly been included in a wash load of all white garments, which I discovered upon opening the washing machine had all turned a lovely shade of pink. Take a deep breathe and count to ten. Yes, I did have to purchase all new socks and T-shirts for my sons, but this situation doesn’t have to be all bad.
I could put this quality to good use. What’s the old saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? This is the home seamstress’ version.
I soaked the offending T-shirt with my new blouse, purposely scrunching the blouse in a way to result in a random blotchy effect, and hey presto! I LOVE this final look, and wear this a lot. Every now and then the pink blotches start to fade a bit, then I just repeat the soaking process.

Today I’m meeting the Monday morning gals, and decided to ride my bike as the weather is perfect, warm with a slight breeze, but not too hot that I’m going to turn up like a sweaty exhausted wreck. I also visited a friend for her birthday, then rounded up the day with riveting challenging work in the office (ha ha)

Other details:
Skirt; Morrison
Shoes; Timberland
Necklace; self-made during my beading fad

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: accessories, beading, Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, own design, top

The sadness of predictability

08/11/2009 2:12 am \ 2 Comments \ Carolyn

Today we’re going to some friends’ for lunch, so I’m wearing these white linen pants that have been mainstay smart summer pants for about three years now. They are New Look 6497, very easy and quick to run up though sadly has no pockets, and I used high quality fine handkerchief linen which has helped them go the distance they have. They are now decidedly too baggy around the waist (have pinned them at the back for today), so I will have to make myself a new pair. After all, every woman needs a pair of white linen pants in her wardrobe for summer, right? They look cool and fresh, they go with everything and they just look so right for this time of year and all the activities inherent. Think boating, barbecues, beaches; white linen is essential. I’m using the word here in the sense it is derived from the word “essence”, which is the fundamental characteristic of a thing, rather than in the sense that the fashion police is going to come a-knocking if you are lacking a bit of white linen in your wardrobe. Just think of the constants of summer, and you think of … yes, white linen.
In fashion; predictability is boring, however basics are still handy, to offset the more trendy and fanciful items you love for one short season …. thus. White linen pants.
We all try to express ourselves through the individuality of our clothing; as it is the most obvious first impression we give to the people around us, and the standard by which we are immediately judged upon meeting each other. Thus the desire to avoid the cliches of “fashionable” dressing, unless you particularly want to look like a slave to current trends. Equally we aspire to stay away from a look that is old-fashioned or boring. At the same time, nobody wants to look weird. Thus the necessity of including clothes in your wardrobe that are neither exciting, nor trendy or fashionable.

Other details:
Cardigan; Alannah Hill
Necklace; had since childhood
Shoes; Micam by Joanne Mercer, bought from Hobbs

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: New Look 6497, pants, Spotlight

A spy is amongst us…

07/11/2009 2:09 am \ 1 Comment \ Carolyn

Hey ho, it’s Saturday. We didn’t get to go to the art exhibition last night but that’s OK. Around at my brother’s yesterday afternoon they had set up karaoke for my niece’s birthday party, and we mucked around on that for a bit before the girls got there. Hilarious! I tried to do “Bat out of Hell” and realised that Meatloaf really had a very good voice after all. Boy that’s a difficult song to karaoke to! Furthermore, it was demonstrated why it was a good decision for me to drop out of choir.
This dress I’m wearing today is a recent creation. It’s New Look 6699, with a few modifications. Namely the bodice with strap arrangement in the pattern was reshaped into a proper one-piece bodice front and back, and instead of gathering the bust section into the midriff I made three tiny pleats each side. I inserted a sash to be tied in back of the midriff, and moved the zip to left side seam. The skirt is flared slightly more that the “straight” one in the pattern. The best modification is the addition of these huge pockets!!! Major upgrade of the dress!
I really like the two contrasting fabrics I used, each is white based, with splashes of unusual “ugly” colours and a touch of black. The necklace adds to the overall random hodge-podge effect.
Confession time: when I made this dress I used an invisible zip I had already, and it really was not long enough. Meaning that when I take the dress off it would make a hilarious spectacle to an casual observer. Sort of like a mad battle with a strait-jacket.

The close up photo of the pot below shows my little spy, who is not visible in the other photo…

Other details:
Necklace; Surf shop on Rottnest Island
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, bought at Hobbs