Oversized knitwear

16/07/2010 5:16 am \ 3 Comments \

The latest Vogue magazine has been singing the virtues of oversized knitwear for this winter.  This isn’t a look I go for very often, but I thought for once in a while, why not?  Granted the fashionable colours for this year are more of your putty greys, beiges, caramels, charcoal and black.  Sometimes it is nice though to splash out with a taste of cheery warm scarlet to brighten up the day.
For today I dug out this jumper that I had made for my husband, very early in our marriage.  Definitely pre kiddies, anyhow…  I don’t think he’s worn it for at least ten years.  I mentioned in a previous post how I occasionally borrowed my husband’s clothes, and Caroline commented how her husband’s clothes would be HUGE on her, well, lookie here, people, at what my husband’s clothes actually look like on me, too!  I think “oversize” and “loose” are being achieved here satisfactorily, no?  I think an oversize jumper can look very cute and sexy, when it is styled right.  It’s best worn with close-fitting, if not tight, pants or a skirt; so the big loose top part of your ensemble is balanced out by a sleeker, streamlined lower part.  We have no desire to go out looking at all “dress-up box”, now, do we?
This jumper is made using Patons 8 ply, an Australian pure merino wool that sadly seems to have disappeared from the knitting aisles… it came in a fabulous range of pure self colours which lent itself beautifully to fair isle designs as well as one colour affairs such as this one.
I followed a pattern which has long gone so I can’t share with you here, sorry.  It was my first go at cables, and once these were de-mystified for me in the making of this jumper I’ve not looked back.  Now I’m just like, cables? meh… no biggie.

Details:
Jumper; made by me, using Patons 8 ply to a Patons pattern
Jeans; made by me, Burda 7863, khaki stretch gabardine
Top (underneath); Metalicus

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“Welcome” plaque

15/07/2010 8:22 am \ 5 Comments \

While sewing is my first and fiercest love, I have once upon a time also indulged in other artistic pursuits; including folk art painting.  Anyone else who once joined in the “folk art phase” please don’t remind me how long ago that particular fad was, let’s keep it our little secret…
I did quite a lot of folk art stuff but gave most of it away and only have a few things left.  The last time I stayed down in the country with Mum and Dad I took this photo of a “welcome” plaque I made for them…
The design is my own and the flower painted on it, for non-Aussies, is supposed to be a grevillea.  It might not be a perfect grevillea but years later I’m still quite pleased with how it turned out.

In sewing news, I am making a wool coat for spring from grey wool flannel which is coming along very nicely, thankyou for asking.  I am getting through that mountainous stash like nobody’s business…  But for every handful of strides forward one must expect the obligatory backward step once in a while…  Last week my friend J asked me if she could borrow a favourite dress to wear to a  cocktail party so I went to my wardrobe to hunt out something… and felt deeply depressed at all the lacklustre gowns hanging there.  I hated all of them.  I need some new evening wear, soon!  She borrowed this dress again, a dress I’m still OK with.  Well I’m not ready to toss it out just yet, put it that way.  But I seriously feel in need of a classy evening dress with some pizzazz.  A new one.  Something different from my oldy oldies that have been worn for years…  Something smart and modern.  So I bought this today and some silk dupion in an old gold colour with the evocative name of “Antique”.  Excited!  Watch this space…
Oh, I still have about three or four evening outfits I haven’t put up here on my blog yet, and will do so at some point.  Promise.

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Noro baggy beanie

14/07/2010 3:48 am \ 5 Comments \

So, here is the other baggy beanie I’ve made for this winter.  This is made using one ball of Noro Kuryon? I think?  I bought it a few months ago, and have lost the tag so colourway is unknown, sorry!…  It’s my own design, but obviously there’s nothing tricky or difficult about making a beanie.  The beauty in this beanie is in the lovely knobbly wool, and it’s woods-y shades of moss green, heather-y purple, a touch of fungal yellow, all shades of brown and deepest charcoal.

Tension: 12 sts and 20 rows to 1ocm square

Cast on 60 stitches.
k2, P2 rib to end
repeat for another 11 rows (12 rows rib in total)
Continue in stocking stitch (K 1 row, P 1 row) for another 24cm length, Decrease for crown as follows:
K4 K2 together, repeat to end of row (50 stitches)
P 1 row
K3, K2 together, repeat to end of row (40 stitches)
P 1 row
K2, K2 together, repeat until end of row (30 stitches)
P 1 row
K1, K 2 together, repeat until end of row (20 stitches)
P 2 together until end of row (10 stitches)

Cut thread leaving tail of 15cm, thread through wool needle, pass through stitches left on knitting needle, pull tight and tie off.  Sew up seam of beanie… done!

Can be worn long and baggy, or the ribbing rolled up to make it a little shorter  🙂

 

Details:
Beanie; made by me to my own design, Noro Kureyon
Skirt; made by me, Vogue 7303, olive green corduroy
Top, tights and cardigan; all Metalicus
Boots; Andrea and Joen, from Uggies

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Bedsocks

13/07/2010 3:27 am \ 2 Comments \

These did not start out life as bedsocks, but as proper socks deserving of wearing outside of the house.  Now they look just awful and I’m a bit embarrassed to put them up here, but they are handmade by me so here they are…  Unfortunately these were one pair of the three victims of that notorious Day of the Disastrous Too-Warm Wash and have shrunk (you’ve seen all of these now), and have been delegated to my daughter’s sock drawer.  I’m so lucky she has smaller feet than me (I have HUGE feet) and can wear these socks… 
These were made using the Pastonyle sock wool, which has a very high wool content and a low synthetic content, a no-no for sock wool as it turns out…  it’s my own fault for not separating them out from the general washing pile of garments that are a little hardier.  Nowadays I wash all the socks on a wool cycle and have no more nasty surprises when I hang up the washing… we live and learn.

Below; another little face that popped up at me, a sad face this time…  It’s strangely ironic that this face appears to be crying, on a day when the skies are weeping copiously too, no?

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The pared back menswear look

12/07/2010 4:07 am \ 10 Comments \

My ensemble today is inspired by the minimalist pared back look of this Chloe outfit (below)I spied and coveted in my Vogue magazine.  I assumed at first it was from the spring/summer Celine collection that I have raved about in a previous post; an uncluttered simple look that suits me to a T… but no, it is Chloe, Fall 2010.  Obviously the designer Hannah MacGibbon was just as “inspired” by Phoebe Philo’s collection as everyone else.  I won’t say “copied”, these are supposed to be paid creative professionals, after all…!, but you just head over to style.com and have a quick squiz at these two collections side by side and you might raise your eyebrows a little too…
These are the linen pants I made back last year, using Burda 7944.  I love their wide-legged comfortable Annie Hall appeal.  For winter I am wearing my tights underneath and a thick thermal under my top, and I’m warm as warm can be!  So nice the weather has warmed up a tad now the winter rains have come…  
On a different note; when I started this blog I was determined that I would be spicing up my boring wardrobe by trying to accessorise more but looking back I can see my natural look is to be minimally accessorised and I seem to be slipping back to that more and more…  should I fight this?

Details:
Pants; made by me, Burda 7944, gunmetal blue linen
Top; Metalicus
Belt; Country Road, had since a teenager
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire shoes

Photos below; at left Chloe Fall 2010 RTW, middle Celine spring/summer 2010 RTW, right a still from “Annie Hall” filmed in 1977

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Pattern Magic, page 13, sleeve 2

10/07/2010 4:08 am \ 8 Comments \

OK.  I know this is a bizarr-o looking sleeve.  Luckily Bessie is an uncomplaining model.  Trust me, this isn’t the strangest looking thing in this book, but I still consider the drafting exercises in Pattern Magic by Nakamichi Tomoko to be a terrific learning tool for the self-taught seamstress, aka me.
I did remember to take two progress pictures of the paper pattern making process but then got caught up in the whole measuring, cutting, re-arranging, taping side of things and forgot to take any more pictures, sorry.
And the piece of lurid yellow fabric I used for this toile is calico; the victim of one of my old dyeing experiments, this one involving curry powder…

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Little charcoal skirt

09/07/2010 3:19 am \ 8 Comments \

Today is the most miserable of days Perth has to offer; we’ve had tons of rain in the last 24 hours and it’s windy and stormy to boot.  Good news for the farmers, though, this rain has finally broken another very long dry spell that has my friend J worrying over their crops…
On the plus side, today I am having my hair cut; one of my favourite self-indulgences where I get coiffured and pampered and swan out of the salon looking smart, sleek and suitable for public viewing once more… and tomorrow my sister-in-law is taking me to my first Burdastyle Club meeting!  I’m a bit excited, but also nervous about meeting new people and don’t really know what to take…  Maybe it would be safe to just take some fabric and a pattern for cutting out for this time.
Oh, what am I wearing, well after finishing this top from Pattern Magic I had a bit more of the charcoal stretch jersey left over and made this very simple basic little skirt to go with it.  It is the simplest of skirts; no darts or zips and a waistband of 3cm wide black elastic sewn around the top to hold it up, then hand-hemmed.  I think probably too simple to even bother putting up on Burdastyle…
In this outfit and with these lovely textured charcoal tights I feel appropriately sombre, rumply and skewiff, much like the stormy swirling storm clouds up above me in the sky… 

Details:
Top; made by me, drafted from Pattern Magic by Nakamichi Tomoko, charcoal stretch jersey knit
Skirt; my own design, charcoal stretch jersey knit
Tights; Spencer Lacy
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire

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Menswear: collarless white linen shirt

08/07/2010 4:06 am \ 6 Comments \

I made this new 100% linen shirt for my husband, at his request.
Using Burda 7767 again, with the usual custom fitting modifications.
The design variations this time are in the collar, there isn’t one!!  And in the pocket.  I made a double welt pocket with a loop button closure.  I included a picture of the inside to prove that it is indeed a working pocket!  A clothing feature that I loathe is “fake” pocket designs, such as a welt pocket that isn’t actually a pocket at all, but a decorative detail; massive pet hate.
Of course now I’m looking at that picture and thinking I should go back and properly finish the inside pocket edges with Hong Kong seams… might still do that…  I’ve never “learnt” how to make a welt pocket, or followed any instructions on how to make one, as I don’t have any patterns that feature this detail.  Instead whenever I’ve wanted to put one in I just follow my instincts and make it up as I go along.
Now, on a related note, I occasionally, not frequently, borrow my husband’s clothes.  Well, (sheepishly) he goes to work early, they’re hanging in the wardrobe in all their desirable menswear glory just looking perfect for some outfit I have in my head, and I figure they’re fair game…  This is a shirt I can see myself appropriating on a regular basis.  Well, for one thing, all the fashion style magazines advise on the essential-ness of “the basic crisp white shirt” in a well-dressed woman’s wardrobe, do you think I have one??!!  I need a classic crisp white shirt.  Until the time comes when I get around to making one for myself (I have about a zillion projects lined up before I get to that one!)  I’m nicking Craig’s new shirt.
Expect to see it in future outfit posts!

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