Fool’s Gold

03/04/2011 10:47 am \ 17 Comments \

Last night we went to an April Fool’s party, dress code: well of course, something to do with “fool”!
So I remembered this skirt that I made about three years ago… guess what I went dressed as?  Oh, yeah, the answer is up there in the title, hehe.
Ironically I originally made the skirt for another dress-up party at the same friends’ house; the theme that time being “glitterati”  I’m so glad I kept it!
It hasn’t been seen here on the blog before.  Obviously I don’t wear it much, hehe.  Not much call for this sort of thing in my everyday life.  
Funny story, the last time I wore it, for the glitterati party, I had to nip out halfway to pick up our daughter from a school event, and it just happened to also be the day of the annual Perth Christmas Pageant, streets lined with people all watching the pageant, hundreds of people, nay thousands of people, or that’s what it felt like.  Naturally Murphy’s law had it that our daughter had to be picked up from the very middle of town, requiring me to park a little further away than I would have ideally liked, and walk the rest of the way to where she was waiting… you get the picture.  There’s me, looking at best like an act, a performer straight from the pageant; at worst a streetwalker who has lost her way and wandered in amongst decent law-abiding families sitting with their small children… embarrassed!  I felt like I was running the gauntlet and yes, I got some very funny looks, and a few wolf whistles, the last not something that happens to me very often any more I can assure you…
The skirt is made using my old favourite, Vogue 7303, out of that cheap stuff that has thin plastic shiny foil circles glued all over it.  Surprisingly easy to sew; those foil thingies are just like thin cellophane and the needle punches through very easily.  I inserted an invisible zip in the left side seam, and hand-sewed the coffee coloured lining all around the inside edges.  The skirt has a big slit up the right hand side, going up to just above knee level, partly so I can actually walk in it, partly just to add another element of something fun and party-ish otherwise it is a pretty ordinary shape.
I wore it with my gold chain belt, worn as a necklace here.
(btw, this is not photoshopped or anything.  The golden glow in my photo is courtesy of the light of the setting sun)

Details:
Skirt; based on the basic shape of Vogue 7303, synthetic gold glittery stuff
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Picnic
Sandals; Sachi, some little shop in Melbourne
Necklace; my own design, tutorial here
Bag; Glomesh, found secondhand
Sunnies; RayBan
Nail varnish; undercoat of One Voice OPI, top coat of Golden Peach, Nailfinity

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Me-Made March, a summary

01/04/2011 3:54 pm \ 10 Comments \

I thought I would summarise some of my thoughts on the Me-Made March challenge…
well, it was a challenge.  I made things more complicated for myself (ha, what’s new) by starting with vague thoughts not to repeat any garments, and then ended up following through on that.  So, once I had worn something for the month, I kind of shoved it over to the right hand side of my wardrobe, and tried to make new outfits out of things that hadn’t been worn yet that month… I think this worked sometimes better than other times.  On some occasions I had a complete outfit worked out in my head and then spontaneously grabbed completely different things instead.  Nearly every morning however I approached my wardrobe having no idea what I should wear that day…

I identified holes in my wardrobe, namely I don’t have a lot of me-made tops.  Funnily, I identified the same problem after Self-Stitched September and tried to rectify it, so don’t know what happened with that.  I guess a lot of my tops I couldn’t wear because of the heat.
Three of my dresses (pictured below) have migrated over to Cassie’s wardrobe.  I’m fine with that.  That is life.  I know they are there if I need them, although I’ve kind of mentally said goodbye to them and am already planning replacements.  And really she looks so much better in them than I do!  That’s the reality of having a teenage daughter…

Part of the difficulties lay in the weather; and here are some statistics to bore you with; and I’m not having a whinge but just stating the facts here
1.  Perth has officially just had the hottest March on record, yes, a record high month since they even started keeping records in the 1880’s.  This added quite a degree of difficulty to my clothing options, jeans and even a lot of my dresses, shirts and long-sleeved tops were out of the picture!  Well, only a difficulty because of the self-imposed no-repeat thing… 
2. We had a completely dry March; this has happened only six times before in our recorded history.  In fact, we haven’t had even one raindrop for 60 days, and there is still no rain expected in the foreseeable future!  Well, actually to be honest that didn’t affect Me-Made March at all, just thought I’d mention it just because… well, just because.
Soooo, that’s it.  It was fun, and that’s the main thing right?

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The dress that wanted to be a skirt

31/03/2011 4:12 am \ 19 Comments \

This skirt was originally a dress.  I posted about my dissatisfaction with it here, and Terri brilliantly commented that she thought this dress wanted to be a skirt.  Well, that revelation was like a bucket of cold water over my head.  Oh, I mean that in a good way, actually in this weather, a bucket of cold water over the head could be a very welcome thing.  I mean it was like I woke up and looked at the dress with new eyes and saw that yes, it did indeed want to be a skirt.  Thank you , Terri!
Was able to fashion some facing out of the old bodice, luckily.  I cut off the top of the invisible zip and held the top ends of the same over a candle flame to melt the top couple of plastic spiky zip bits into a biggish round blob, so the zip pull won’t come flying off the top when I pull the zip up.  Yikes, has anyone else ever ever done this??  I have, once, years ago by accident, and learnt my lesson, never ever take that risk again.  Re-attaching the zip pull back onto an invisible zip is NOT FUN!   
Aaaand bob’s your uncle.  New (very) high-waisted skirt.  I think I like this style, especially worn with my husband’s white linen shirt tucked in, and all oversized at the top, setting off the slimline-ness of the skirt.  It is Craig’s shirt, but I am allowed to wear it this month, since I made it.  But poor Craig.  Perhaps I should make myself my own oversized crisp white linen shirt, so I don’t need to go hijacking his all the time…

Details:
Shirt; Burda 7767 with minor modifications, white linen, details here
Skirt; Burda 8071, the skirt part only, faced at the top; embroidered silk

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Brighty tighty

30/03/2011 5:26 am \ 19 Comments \

Me-Made March, Day 30
I’m not 100% feeling this outfit.  Both the top and the skirt are getting old and have been kicking around in my wardrobe for a few years… both were part of my earlier plan to inject some colour into my life when I first started this blog.  I’m not sure how that’s panned out for me.  I feel a little conspicuous whenever I wear bright colours, so maybe they are not for me after all.  And combining two really bright vigorous colours like in this outfit is really pushing my comfort barrier…!
Actually, I’d forgotten how much I liked this skirt with its sharp kick pleats.  They lend such an old-fashioned ladylike air to an skirt, no?  Maybe I should bring it back into regular rotation.
And although I’ve enjoyed this month-long me-made challenge …. just one day to go!  (squeee!)  My camera will be glad of a break!

Details:
Top; Butterick 4985, orange polkadot print cotton, refashioned from a costume skirt here
Skirt Vogue 1023 shortened, some turquoise synthetic stuff, details here
Sandals; la soffitadi Gilde, from Zomp shoes
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset

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Clad in plaid

29/03/2011 4:39 am \ 21 Comments \

I deemed today cool enough to wear one of ma newbies; a plaid shirtdress made using pattern no. 111 from Burdastyle magazine 05/2010.  Naturally with a one or two little adaptions…
The brushed cotton is stash fabric I’ve had for yonks, and have finally got around to using… actually initially intended for a shirt for one of the boys but I decided to be selfish and waylaid it for my own devious purposes instead, mwahaha.  The reason for my lack of motherly thoughtfulness; when I was out shopping the other week I tried on a delightful little plaid shirtdress in Country Road and fell in love with the style.  Had to have one.  Just had to.  So searched through my pattern collection until I found this suitable candidate and added to it some features that were absent from the pattern but are nice finishing touches for a classic shirtdress.  
My alterations to the pattern were namely, the addition of buttoned arrowhead tabs to the shoulders and also inside the sleeves so the sleeves can be rolled up and buttoned to elbow length (probably the way I will wear it most of the time!), the addition of inseam side pockets (well, really, why are these not in the pattern anyway, hmmm? tut tut, just no excuse, imo), and hemming the lower edge in a nice classic shirt curve.  Plus, instead of the straight up and down side seams of the original, mine is shaped slightly to give it some vague hint of a waist.  
Also I left off the belt carriers, which in the magazine photograph (below right) show the belt to be at a supremely unflattering spot just above the hips, and just underneath the tummy.  Err, no…  And incidentally this is right where one would want one’s pockets to go anyway.  If I am going to wear a belt with this dress, it will be up around the waist where it should be.  I love Burdastyle magazine, but just occasionally their styling options leave a bit to be desired…
Oh, and please note, it may not be obvious from the photo but my plaids front and back match up perfectly!  Plaids not matching up is one of those little things that I find pretty irritating if I see it… (yah, neurotic, I know)
Below is the review I submitted to Pattern Review, if you’re interested.

Details:
Dress; Burdastyle magazine 05-2010-111 with minor alterations, brushed cotton
Shoes; Bronx, from Zomp shoes
Sunnies; RayBan

Pattern Description:
Slightly flared shirt-waister with long front polo fastening and flapped breast pockets
Pattern Sizing:
38-46,  I sewed a size 38.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Pretty much.  I added some bits and made a few variations.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the basic pattern.  It was a bit too basic for what I had in mind, so I added a few details.
Fabric Used:
brushed cotton
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I added buttoned arrowhead tabs to the shoulders (purely decorative) and also to inside the sleeves so the sleeves can be rolled up to elbow length and buttoned in place.
I added inseam side pockets.
On my version the straight up-and-down side seams are slightly shaped to give some vague hint of a waist.
I omitted the belt carriers because I saw no need for them, also to put the inseam pockets at this level of the dress.  If I wear a belt with this I will have it around the waist.
I put only one button and buttonhole on each of the breast pocket flaps, because I thought the two buttons per flap looked a little fiddly and would be annoying to open and close.
The lower edge I hemmed in a nice curved classic shirt curve.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
If I needed another shirtdress I probably would use this pattern.  And I would definitely recommend it to others as a good basic pattern.
Conclusion:
Great pattern, very easy to make, and I love it!  I wasn’t initially excited by the picture in the magazine of this dress, well to be brutally honest my first impression was that it looked awful, and outdated.  I think the belt was the problem.  But with the little added extras, lifted from RTW mens’ shirts and ladies shirtdresses I’ve seen around, I’m now super happy with how it turned out.

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Roundabout

28/03/2011 5:43 am \ 12 Comments \

Me-Made March, Day 28
This morning my Monday morning gal pals and I were discussing Mad Men and the fashions within, and it was fortuitous that I happened to be wearing this dress and my friends noticed and admired it… fashion trends come around to these parts slowly and sometimes not at all, as I mentioned in this post previously.  I can never tell when I make something for myself inspired by an overseas trend whether or not it will “fit in” for around these parts.  I would have to say this particular trend for early sixties inspired, big-skirted, floral dresses such as this one has not taken hold here (at least, not yet), and I look pretty unusual when I wear it.  To say I stick out like a sore thumb wouldn’t be too far from the truth.  Sadly.  It’s such a feminine fashion, maybe too prettily feminine for the likes of our extremely isolated little city with our strongly beach-y outdoors-y lifestyle.  I feel I look a bit like an extra from Hairspray, or something…
However that is certainly not going to stop me from wearing it!  It’s super comfy to wear, the sort of dress that makes you feel like skipping and humming when you have it on, and I feel good in it.  Let’s face it, not many of my dresses inspire me to head over to the playground equipment in a playful mood…  And I think it has enough personality that it can stand a little styling fun.  I’m already looking forward to toughening it up in the winter with boots and a biker jacket, or even my new khaki army jacket…

Details:
Dress; Vogue 8555, with pleated bodice of my own design, printed cotton, details of the bodice drafting here  and my pattern review here
Thongs; Mountain Designs
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset

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Cleaning up

27/03/2011 6:22 am \ 8 Comments \

Earlier in the month I wore a silk dress for general gardening.  Today I have selected black lace… to clean out the garage and shed.  Don’t worry, it’s not expensive lace just cheap-ish polyester-y stuff.  But it is lace, meaning cool and open to breezes; a priority.
Every six months local councils around here organise a verge pick-up.  That is, you get to toss out all your unwanted old junk onto your verge, and theoretically the council will come around and pick it all up for you to cart off to the tip.  Theoretically.  In reality however, everyone’s rubbish pile is reduced to a fraction of its original size by the time of the pick-up because this is just the best neighbourhood re-cycling scheme ever devised. Cars cruising very slowly up and down the streets become a common sight; people checking out everyone’s rubbish piles and periodically hopping out to retrieve a few treasures to stash in the boot for their own house and garden.   Kudos to the clever cookie in the public service who thought this one up.
And for once, this time we have managed to not pick up anybody else’s junk, although we had a close call when Sam spotted an old TV on the way home from volleyball yesterday… and I had to talk firmly and convincingly about how not only did we not know whether it actually worked  (sometimes people put a helpful note on the top telling you whether things still work; not this time which tells me it probably didn’t) but that personal TV’s in one’s bedroom are unsociable and unhealthy and not conducive to study, blah blah blah.  None of these points of view being particularly relevant arguments to the teenage mind.

Details:
Top; Butterick 4985 with different plainer sleeves, black lace and blue nacre heart-shaped buttons
Shorts; Burda 7723 modified, ivory corduroy, details here
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset

Later: I lie.  We just got an old beautifully decorative ironwork gate from next door.  Score!

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A new shoe day is a very good day indeed

26/03/2011 5:58 am \ 10 Comments \

It’s actually too hot to be wearing my new shoes today, but I don’t care.  Wore them anyway, because I  just couldn’t resist their ever-so-slightly blotchy ivory leather, their pinked-edged, laced-up, strategically placed cut-outed charm.  Wore them to volleyball (we won).  To the supermarket.  Now they are off because my feet were swel-ter-ing and crying out to please be free of hot closed-in footwear… but I am already looking forward to wearing them again, soon.  Tonight, in fact, at a family barbecue…
All the other garments today are basic old favourites, all made years ago, including the necklace.  Comfort dressing.
Me-Made March has held an unexpected challenge for me in that we have had such an unprecedentedly long hot summer.  This first month of autumn has brought temperatures more like we would expect in January, meaning pretty hot.  So I haven’t been able to even think about wearing some of my old or new autumn things as planned, some of which haven’t been shown in that me-made group before.  I’m a little disappointed that most of my outfits have been just plain… well, plain.  I like to play around in my wardrobe and layer and mix things up, but when the days are an unending parade of 35C* one is limited to an unimaginative unlayered approach. Even so I’m pretty pleased with myself I’ve managed to (so far) not have any repeats, apart from my beige, sorry, sorry! nude petticoat.  The obvious inference from the fact that I am even able to do this is of course that perhaps I have too many clothes…

Details:
Top; my own design based on the basic shape of NewLook 6483, ivory cotton and crochet trim
Skirt; Vogue 7303 lined, ivory wool mix
Necklace, my own design
Shoes; Bronx, from Zomp shoes

*35C=95F in the old measurements

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