Yearly Archives: 2009

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Morticia? Is that you?

16/10/2009 11:12 am \ 1 Comment \


Friday, 16th October 2009

This is one of my more recent creations, made in the last few months. I was inspired by Prada’s Autumn/Winter 2008 collection of black lace “suits” (see below). Yes, I realise its taken me quite a while to get around to it…
I had managed to get black lace from the remnants bin on a foray to my favourite fabric shop, Fabulous Fabrics. The top is Butterick 4985 again, view B (nipped in at the torso as always), but with sleeves hijacked from a dress pattern, Burda 7897. The bottom of the blouse, sleeves and the edge of the collar were edged with black border lace. The skirt was constructed by making the lining from my trusty ol’ favourite Vogue 7303 out of gunmetal blue bemsilk. I then used the same pattern to cut out a partial front and back skirt from the lace, then got creative and added random strips and pieces of the same lace around my dressmaking dummy (Bessie) to “fill in the gaps”. I oversewed the joining seams with a wider black border lace and left the long strips hanging down past the hem of the skirt. The final effect is of a slightly random raggedy handkerchief hemline. I didn’t bother hemming or finishing the lace, as it won’t unravel.
The blue lining was chosen because I liked the interesting contrast under the black(also because I had a perfect size length left over in my stash which needed using up!). I managed to find the perfect buttons to match this colour at Calico and Ivy; beautiful tiny heart-shaped, blue shell buttons; there are four down the front of the blouse. All in all, I’m very pleased with the final effect, and I felt quite dressy enough when I met some friends for lunch at the this month’s Globe Fashion Friday!
Other details;
Camisole; Country Road

Shoes; Micam by Joanne Mercer,
Hobbs
Photo below from Prada Autumn/Winter 2008 collection, www.style.com, see here
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Photo-bombed!

16/10/2009 11:03 am \ 2 Comments \

By the way, I didn’t realise it but this was happening in the background of one of my photo sessions last week! Thanks, Tim! I guess I’ve been photo-bombed…



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Rescued from the clothing graveyard

15/10/2009 4:03 am \ 3 Comments \


Thursday, 15th October 2009

I made this one about 4 or 5 years ago, and it was a favourite for a whole summer. Then the weather turned cold, I got tired of it, and it was relegated to a plastic bag on the top shelf of the wardrobe. There it sat for a few years, coming out on rare occasions. In the biannual clean-out it was contemplated but always managed to stay, given that it was the first really creative thing I had attempted. It was made freehand, by just throwing together a mishmash of matching fabrics in a wild and crazy pattern with no real planning or forethought, although I was inspired by a very expensive Didier Parakian design I saw in a boutique. A zip was inserted, and the top was darted to fit around the waist. I attached a long white cheesecloth underskirt, for stability at the waist.
I love its hippy-dippy feel and always get compliments about it. So I guess it is here to stay. A good casual skirt for a coolish summer day, “coolish” as the aforementioned underskirt makes it quite warm.
Other details:
T-shirt; Country Road
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Dress, worn once

14/10/2009 2:04 am \ 3 Comments \

Wednesday, 14th October 2009

I made this dress about three years ago and came across it again in my recent clean-out of the wardrobe. I’ve worn it precisely once, when we went out to dinner in Santorini. I keep putting it aside thinking its too old for me and I’ll start wearing it when I’m … dunno, sixty, maybe. But my new resolution is to wear Everything I’ve Got. So, here we go.
Its Vogue 2538, and the fabric was picked up from the remnants bin at Fabulous Fabrics, my favourite store. Its silk, with self stripes in velour, embroidery, beading, small cylindrical wooden beads; sounds a mishmash but its lovely. I mistakenly lined it with white lining rather than cream, and I used an ordinary dress zip when an invisible zip would have been SO much better. I also took it in considerably at the side seams of the torso as it was too sacklike for my taste in its original form. So. Welcome back to my life, beautiful beaded dress.
Looking back over the photos I’ve taken and my wardrobe, I’m appreciating how colourless all my clothes are. Does this make me a colourless person? Our persona we present to the world is very much represented in our clothing, I really believe that. Maybe I need to spice up my wardrobe… and my life…
Other details:
Belt; Country Road

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Favourite skirt!!

13/10/2009 6:54 am \ Leave a Comment \



Tuesday, 13th October 2009
Today I am wearing my favourite skirt, from my favourite skirt pattern ever, Vogue 7303. I’ve made this up countless times and its so versatile. Unfortunately I seem to have inadvertently thrown away the skirt front piece, so I always have to compromise by using the skirt overlay piece folded along the centre front, and guestimating the rest. Also the skirt back piece has a few holes and sections missing, as well as being held together in places with sticky tape. This is a result of the pattern fluttering in a slight breeze on my table one day, whereupon it was pounced on by a cat who then went into full hind-foot-kicking attack mode. Gaaaa! Little sweetie, not. I’ve still managed to use it on numerous occasions since. Where there’s a will there’s a way (gritted teeth).
I did my usual variation of moving the rear central zip to the left side, and using an invisible zip. Also, in this incarnation, I tried to put in welt pockets, thus elevating it from a fantastic skirt to a perfect skirt. However being a closefitting number the pockets gaped most unattractively, so I ended up sewing them shut and cutting away the now useless pocket bags inside. Sigh.
However, the final result has still been the most useful skirt of all time. Its made out of pale pink, slightly shimmery damask print, with (my added detail) layers that were so complicated please don’t ask me to ever explain how I did them. Not repeatable. It goes with all neutrals and lights, and I have worn it in any situation all the way from very casual through to formal in all weathers. Its not a ball dress however. Damn, an excuse to make a ball dress. That’s all I need.
Today I wore it in summer shopping mode, as I was doing my grocery shopping. Over the next few weeks I’ll included some other photos to illustrate just how versatile this little number has been in my life. I’ve worn all of these looks in the last few months, and they’ve worked every time.
Other details:
Tshirt, cardigan; Country Road
Belt; had forever, Country Road
Sandals; Vicenza, from Soletta
Bag; Gucci
To wear for a winter lunchtime date:
Black top; SexyWoman, secondhand shop
Biker boots; Sunday, bought from Uggy’s in
Dunsborough
Bag; Gucci
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No homemade today

12/10/2009 2:36 am \ Leave a Comment \
Monday, 12th October 2009
I’m not sporting any homemade garments today, but still took a photo for consistency. Bit chilly today, hopefully the last cold day this spring as I’m ready for summer! Had to scrounge through my winter stash that I’d put away last week for my boots.
To bring a bit of cheer into my chilly overcast day I cracked out some brights. I’m wearing some of my Metalicus tops; the red V-neck long sleeve T (worn backwards as I always do as I prefer the high neck at the front) and my new cardi that was a birthday gift from my Monday morning gals. Love that sharp pink! It goes beautifully with the scarf my parents gave me from their trip to Italy. Thanks, Mum and Dad!
Have finished my new dress yesterday and very pleased with it, will feature it in a future post on a warmer day! Will spend the rest of the morning on errands and chores, hopefully go out for a drink with hubby when he gets home.
Oh, and finally mastered the timer switch on our camera! Yay!
Other details:
Top & cardigan; Metalicus
Jeans; Soon, from Aura woman
Scarf; gift from my parents, from Italy
Ankle boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire
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Day 2 of new blog

11/10/2009 5:30 am \ Leave a Comment \

Sunday 11th October 2009

I know, I’ll get more creative with titles as time goes on, I’m sure.

Today will be a quiet Sunday, what with hubby working, oldest at Uni, middle studying for exams and youngest on camp. So I just took Sienna for a long walk and will be spending the rest of the day sewing, houseworking and trying to understand more about this blog thing.
My picture today is of my typical dogwalking gear, my blouse and cardi were made about a year ago. The blouse is Butterick 4985, view A sleeves and view B collar. Its been a favourite pattern, but even though I’m a size 10 by the envelope it swims on me, so I always take it in by about two inches each side tapering to normal measurements by the hip (I’m pear-shaped). I made it out of cream broderie anglaise cheesecloth, and randomly sewed on leftover bits of cotton lace from another project around the bodice for interest. I also added cotton crochet border lace around the front openings, and sewed on a waist tie of the same stuff to pull it in at the waist at front. The buttons were a rather lovely find; brassy type with like a blue jewel inset, rather like grandmother’s engagement ring. I didn’t hem at all, just topstitched the raw edges with pale blue stitching about 1cm in. I like this look more with each wash as it has frayed and rolled gently, sort of shabby bohemian.
The cardi was originally going to be something else clever out of crinkled polyester net. Ahem, unless you buy the stuff already crinkled no amount of boiling, scrunching or generally attacking is going to crinkle polyester net! There must be some special chemical process by which they achieve this! I eventually had to settle for an uncrinkled look, and finally traced out the pattern from a favourite Marilyn Seyb cardi I had bought in New Zealand and wore to DEATH (but can’t bring myself to ever part with). My version is two layered, the inner layer white net and the outer coffee, sewn together on the serger. The front opening is stabilised with white grosgrain ribbon, simply zigzagged stitched around up one front, around the back neck and down the other front. A single brass rimmed small white button forms closure. This cardi pattern I have used elsewhere and I love the simple open shape of it.
Other details:
Cargo pants: Ezibuy
Camisole: Country Road
Thongs(flipflops): Mountain Designs
Thanks to Tim for taking photo; note to self, must find out how to use camera auto timer…
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First post ever!

10/10/2009 3:30 pm \ 4 Comments \

Saturday, 10th October 2009

Hey, this is my first post ever. Scary! I’m new at this whole blogger thing, so we’ll just see how it all goes. My motive in producing this blog is to keep a record of all my sewing and knitting efforts. I’ve made myself so many garments over the years, most of which have gone the way of the “hamper in the sky” (ie. Good Sammys bin) and I have no record of those hours and hours of planning, pinning, cutting, basting sewing… Ok, Ok, unpicking too. I’m not young or trendy, well a little trendy I hope, but I’m still working on my own personal style. Speaking of Good Sammys, I also love to shop there too!

My first picture I’m posting is of a cocktail dress I made about two years ago, using New Look pattern 6699. The only adjustments I made were to reshape the back bodice to be a “proper” one piece bodice as opposed to the rather sundressy two piece back bodice in the pattern with adjustable straps. The dress is made of coffee/black lace over cream silk, from Fabulous fabrics. I’ve loved it and worn it quite a lot. The necklace is my own design and also selfmade, from a beading fad I went through.
Thanks to my son Sam for taking the photo, next on my list is to work out how to use the timer on our camera, big challenge for a technophobe like me.
Other details:
Shoes, Micam by Joanne Mercer, bought at Hobbs
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