Handmade by Carolyn

The B1,B2 shirt

03/12/2010 5:41 am \ 23 Comments \ Carolyn

Hehe, I realise only Aussies are going to get that reference. My daughter suggested the name at first sight, and the similarities had up until that moment escaped me. But mean wife that I am, I informed my husband that he still has to wear his new shirt, nonetheless…
To explain; Bananas in Pyjamas is a favourite Australian children’s television show, starring (of course) B1 and B2. My kids all adored this show as littlies…
As the Bananas are always “coming down the stairs” I just had to make my husband come down the stairs for this photo…!

Prior to my daughter’s brilliant observations, I was pretty pleased with this latest addition to my husband’s wardrobe. Oh, OK, I still am pretty pleased… particularly with the buttonholes. They are on the diagonal!! Cool, no? I had seen a shirt in a very expensive menswear store with diagonally placed buttonholes, and decided they looked pretty interesting; a tiny little twist on an otherwise standard shirt, so I decided to incorporate this feature in the shirt. And I do like to experiment with different effects, even in something as basic and potentially unexciting to the home seamstress as a men’s casual shirt.
To draw attention to this feature I also placed the buttonholes in pairs, and used bright contrasting buttons. Well, they deserve to be noticed, right?! My husband had put in his boring request for white or navy buttons, but has conceded now that the yellow buttons are a bit more fun and casual. And definitely more interesting.
I had also used contrasting fabric for the collar and cuff lining, a feature I’d seen on other shirts in the same expensive store, and had decided the yellow buttons were sort of necessary to tie in somehow with the yellow fabric I’d used here. I just felt the shirt needed a little zing to it, as the fabric was so… conventional. I had bought the striped fabric about a year ago always with the intention of making a men’s shirt, but had not got around to it. I think now I just felt uninspired with the prospect of a kinda blah end result, but with the slightly off-kilter extra details I’m now very happy with it and don’t feel it is at all boring!
And yes, my husband likes it too!

Details:
Shirt; Burda 7767 with the usual custom fittings, navy and white striped cotton

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burda 7767, Craig, Fabulous fabrics, mens shirt

Floral floaty dress

02/12/2010 8:16 am \ 16 Comments \ Carolyn

Finished!
In sequinned and embroidered silk chiffon from the Alannah Hill outlet in Melbourne, and using Vogue 1152 again. This second time in making up this pattern I followed the pattern faithfully. Except to add about 5cm in length because I felt like my previous version is on the short side. And I hemmed with a handrolled, handstitched hem, so the dress is technically just a leettle bit longer than intended because of this too. I went with the original styling because I figured that the floppy sheer fabric would droop quite satisfactorily and thus work better for this “loose-fitting” pattern. And it does, too.
Note to self; when the pattern envelope says “loose-fitting”, pay attention.
For the piping I used the tiniest scrap of some leftover fabric that my daughter dyed in a shibori method, as part of a school project. And because I didn’t have any piping cord handy, I substituted boot shoelace; just as effective, imo.
Because the fabric is er, like, completely sheer and I don’t wish to make a spectacle of myself, I am wearing it over the champagne silk petticoat, made here using Burda 8071; and it couldn’t be a more perfect fit, cut or colour to work with this dress also. A very useful petticoat, indeed!!
To read my review of this pattern and the previous alterations to the denim version, go here.

Details:
Dress; Vogue 1152, sequinned and embroidered silk chiffon
petticoat; Burda 8071, champagne silk satin
Socks; knitted by me, white cotton
Shoes; Francesco Morichetti

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burda 8071, dress, petticoat, Vogue 1152

An unappreciated skirt

01/12/2010 2:58 am \ 8 Comments \ Carolyn

Rummaging around in my wardrobe I came out with this skirt which has only been worn a mere handful of times; poor thing. I was so pleased with it when I had finished it, so I’m not sure why I haven’t been reaching for it more often. I think, even though I’ve been trying to work my way through the wardrobe evenly, I still stubbornly and faithfully go for the same old favourites. I think we fall in a habit of wearing certain items. You know, you reach for the “safe” clothes time and time again, even though they may be looking a little shabby and past their best, and you fail to notice some of the new-ish clothes that you haven’t quite worked out how to work into your ensembles yet… exhibit A; this skirt. I’m going to ease it into circulation more.
Also these shoes, which I bought probably seven or eight years ago. They are really cute, but I haven’t worn them in about three years. I’d been looking for a new pair of flattish black shoes to fit my very strict shoe criteria. This is an annoyingly vague rule; shoes absolutely must excite me with some sort of “it” factor that I can only recognise when I see it. Also, preferably, to be manufactured in a country with ethical employment practices… but my search was failing dismally. Then I came across these tucked away at the back of the wardrobe.
Jackpot!!

Details:
Dress, worn under as petticoat; Burda 8071in embroidered cheesecloth, to see this styled in 6 different ways, go here
Skirt; drafted by me, made from leftover linen scraps from my husband’s shirts, here
Cardigan; Country Road
Scarf; made out of an old tanktop, here
Shoes; Jocomomola

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burda 8071, dress, own design, scarf, Sienna, skirt

What were we wearing in the early nineties?

30/11/2010 1:50 am \ 11 Comments \ Carolyn

I am wearing here an outfit I wore to death. I mean the outfit’s death, not mine, obviously…
This photo is marked in my album “4 1/2 months”, which is the age of our eldest son who I am adoring here; isn’t he sweet? Ah, the days when I measured the age of the children even down to the half month!!
I have no idea of the pattern I used… but it comprised a pair of very loose shorts with an elasticised waist, and a very oversized button up shirt with two large breast pockets. In the very best early-nineties tradition. I made this version in a cool light linen mix, in co-ordinating fabrics. It was comfy and easy to wear, and being so super-sized I managed to wear it during the best part of two pregnancies as well as when not pregnant, and still looked quite fashionable, believe it or not. Such were the days when the in-look was for HUGE clothing. Funny times. An elasticised waist is an anathema to me nowadays.
I wonder what will characterise the styles of today, when we look back in ten or twenty years time?

(Oh, and if you would like to see what this cute little tike looks like now, go here)

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: ancient history, shorts, top

Green quilt

29/11/2010 1:45 am \ 7 Comments \ Carolyn

Sometimes I forget that I set out to document all my handmade stuff here. Including the old stuff.
This is a quilt I made a few years ago. The fabrics are all green based, and all “floral” in the sense they all are leafy, fruity, and/or vegetable-y (I do like to make up words when I feel like it) I collected fabrics over about six months until I had found enough to satisfy my criteria, in both the quantity and in the prints. There was almost NO leftovers when I had finished, making the quilt “green” in a colloquial sense too… That’s the beauty of quilts based upon basic square shapes, you can plan them to be very economical with fabric.
The patch arrangement is based upon a Kaffe Fasset design from his quilt book. The edges are hand bound with bias binding, made using two of the fabrics. The top is all machine pieced, and I started hand-quilting the three layers together before I lost enthusiasm and finished the quilting on the machine.
Purists will shudder, but… meh.
It measures approximately 210cmx240cm (7ftx8ft) perhaps a little smaller, but not by much.

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: handcrafts, home wares, patchwork, quilt

Further from yesterday

28/11/2010 3:58 am \ 4 Comments \ Carolyn

Thankyou so much for your thoughts yesterday … and many of your comments resonated quite clearly with me and my own thinking on this subject; I also read a little bit more on Natalie’s findings and summary of her yearlong challenge here. The bit about recognising the work of experts in their field (ie. shoemakers) and not trying to metaphorically reinvent the wheel, spoke to me. I also had been feeling, like a lot of post-modernists, that I should be doing more for myself and making as much as I could… relying less on store-bought. This is rooted in good intentions, but has limitations. I can’t see myself attempting to make my own shoes or sunglasses, for example. Is this a cop-out? Well, no, because although I like to set myself challenges and rise to them, I do understand the findings of the makeshift project that some components of a project can be just so much wasted time for an amateur and that unnecessary self-imposed hardship could be viewed as just plain silly. And just to clarify: I don’t view Natalie’s challenge as at all silly, on the contrary; I have enormous admiration for her achievement…
On the subject of challenges, well I have already committed myself to not buy any new clothing for myself, and I feel quite comfortable with that one, and actually not particularly challenged by this rule at all. Thus my need to search for a new challenge?
I also feel that making new garments for myself, like basics such as Tshirts… when I have perfectly good ones already sitting in my drawers, is counterproductive. So perhaps I’m just not ready for this particular challenge. The notion of not allowing myself to wear certain items of clothing in my possession just because they happen to have been bought in a store, is not practical, and really doesn’t prove anything to anyone.
But I will continue to make my own clothes, and as the old store-boughts get to the stage of being consigned to the rag-bag, maybe I will be ready to do this challenge for myself.

But not the shoes!!

Details:
Skirt; my own design, based upon a basic three (six?) gore pattern Butterick 3134, printed polyester chiffon
Top; Tbox
Hat; Country Road
Tongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs
Sunnies; RayBan

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 3134, my views, own design, Sienna, skirt

The makeshift project

27/11/2010 4:04 am \ 7 Comments \ Carolyn

Oh, I am in a much better mood today since my family turned up here last night… I swear I was getting a minor case of …something mental… here all by my lonesome and carrying on one-sided conversations with the dog; her contribution was just supportive tail-wagging and loyal loving looks… kinda like one of those weird psychological films.
So I apologise sincerely for any escalating grumpiness over the past few days.
Last evening while internetting by myself, I discovered an awesome blog, makeshift, where a clothing designer went for a year wearing only items of clothing made by herself, including shoes and underwear, oh and sunglasses too!! I only wish I had discovered her at the beginning of her journey as her year is now over and she doesn’t seem to be making many entries in her blog since she finished a few months ago. Such an impressive feat; and not only has her determination inspired me but I adore all her clothes and designs, she looks modern, comfortable and edgy in all her outfits. I want to be edgier too now, my current clothes are boring me at the mo. Practicality is winning out over style here…
The concept of going all self-made is something I’ve toyed with in my own head before, although not to the extreme of making my own shoes; this is beyond my capabilities. Not to mention I love my current shoe collection too much… Though, is there a shoe-making course to be found in Perth…?
I am going to give this some thought. I do think I could go a year all self-made. Bar shoes, oh and underwear … as I don’t see the point of making a new set of underwear when I have perfectly servicable set already. Plus I’m not convinced making underwear is an interesting or worthwhile fashion statement. I’ll only go to this extreme the day I can’t find underwear made in Australia anymore…
In my initial excitement I pondered doing this beginning the 1st January 2011, but realistically this will not work as we have an overseas skiing trip planned for January and I couldn’t possibly make my own snow-worthy gear… well, not in time. I’m sure it is possible and some clever seamstresses out there have probably done it but for the climate where I live it just wouldn’t be worth my effort, honestly. It has never snowed here in the history of time and probably isn’t going to any time soon.
Keep you posted.

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen
Top; Country Road
Cardigan; my own design, jersey knit

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burda 7723, cardigan, own design, shorts

Thoughts on coat-hangers

26/11/2010 5:15 am \ 12 Comments \ Carolyn

A smocked dress for a coat-hanger…?

A friend was telling me recently about a local woman whose business is to come out and assesses one’s wardrobe. Yes, apparently there are some women out there who do not do this simple and very personal task for themselves… but I digress… this lady visits you in your own home and helps you go through your wardrobe and decides for you what does and doesn’t suit you; sorts out what to keep and what to cull and “enables” you to fill gaps in your wardrobe (translation; goes shopping with you to spend even more of your money)

The particular lady we were discussing has a firm belief that one’s coat-hangers must be all matching, and definitely not the old wire variety either. She recommends white and plastic. She tosses out every single coat-hanger you own that doesn’t conform to this strict rule and makes you buy all new identical white plastic coat hangers … apparently one simply cannot be a well dressed woman if one’s coat-hangers do not match… I know, how ridiculous. Some of my most treasured possessions are the coat-hangers that have crocheted, smocked, knitted (or whatever) covers; made by my great-aunties and great grandmothers who are now gone…

And not only are these a sentimental memento of my female role model relatives, but they make the best, bar none, hangers for delicate slippery tops and dresses…

I have covered only one coat-hanger to pass on to my daughter… this is it. So while it makes me cringe a bit to look at it, hopefully she might feel some nostalgic attachment to it some day.

Disclaimer: as well as my inherited hand-crafted beauties, the rest of my coat-hanger collection is a veritable zoo of different varieties, including lots of old wire-ys…

Below; a daily outfit photo. Looking back over my blog; the days over the past year that are clearest to me are the days in which I have a photo of myself. Seeing me in that day’s outfit really helps jog my memory of the events of the day and my feelings… So if I get the time to take a photo, I am going to put one in.

(On another note; I was surprised yesterday at the number of (albeit nicely worded) comments telling me I was just showing off. I didn’t think I was showing off, just trying something different. And seriously I’ve heard of ladies in their eighties who can still do hand-stands. I really admire those ladies who don’t let age get in the way of their fitness routine, or anything else in their lives for that matter, and would like to hope I could be one of those ladies)