Golden green cocktail dress

02/01/2010 1:06 am \ 4 Comments \

Today I have pictures of a cocktail dress I made for my daughter.  The spring green crinkled silk was a remnant, and the beaded net was leftovers from a dress that she had made for herself.  The pattern I used as the basis for the dress is Burda 8613 that I had bought about 6 yrs ago to make a dress for her!  Obviously her shape has changed a lot since she was twelve!, so I adjusted and fitted to get a good look for her…  Luckily for her she is slender enough to carry off a sheath dress like this one.
I love these colours on her; she has green eyes and strawberry blond hair and these greens and golds just glow on her…  

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Happy New Year!

01/01/2010 4:00 am \ 5 Comments \

New Year’s Day is a time to reflect on your life over the past year and to dream up a few resolutions as to how to do it better next year…  Hmm, well apart from the usual suspects; get fit, keep in better contact with loved friends and family not in my immediate orbit, eat more healthily (not so much chocolate and more salad)… I’ve not got much to wish for, things are good and I feel very optimistic about the coming year.  
I suppose if I’m to hope for anything at all for 2010, it is for a calm, restful and peaceful year, and that is reflected in my dress today; calm, restful and peaceful colours, but with sparkly shoes for a tiny bit of pizazz…  I made my necklace during my beading fad a few years ago.  I’ve worn it only periodically as its kind of showy for my tastes… but I like how its mass of pearl beads are kind of like bubbles in a glass of champagne, sort of celebratory, which seems appropriate for New Year’s Day.
Today the boys of my family are going sailing together and I will walk on the beach, afterwards we are visiting friends for a BBQ.

Details:
Dress; Burda 8071, cream broderie anglaise cheesecloth
Petticoat; Metalicus
Cardi; coffee and white net, my own design
Shoes; Anna, from Marie Claire shoes
Necklace; my own design

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Autumn sewing plans

31/12/2009 4:45 am \ 3 Comments \

I bought this great fashion diary (called a “Fashionary”) online before Christmas, one for me and one for my daughter.  It’s great for planning outfits as it has figures pre-drawn very lightly on the page ready for you, which makes it so much easier for a non-drawer like myself, with no worries about getting the body proportions right…  Lots of fun to be drawing and colouring in just like in kindergarten again!
I’ve mapped out an autumn sewing plan, with some items I’ve already completed recently such as the blue/grey pants, navy blazer and the green/brown print silk dress, other projects such as the green knitted cardigan, beige trench coat, blue skirt and mustard top are all currently in progress.  The other fabrics were bought the other day.  Actually feeling like I was a bit too conservative and perhaps I should have bought more fabric … may have to go back while the sale is still on…
I’m trying to put more effort into finishing garments off properly and perfecting something so I’m completely happy with it.  In the past I tried to finish things off quickly so I could move onto the next thing, but now I’m more about the process.  It’s the journey, not the destination , as some wise person once said…

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Polka Dot

30/12/2009 9:50 am \ 1 Comment \

All polka dotty today!  I can’t believe I didn’t think of this combination before; I love it!  Especially as I’ve still got my Santorini Sunset nail varnish looking OK, so the orange and taupe combo is perfectly matched from top to bottom!
I had a wonderful day shopping at the fabric store yesterday, and I’ll post pictures of my purchases and plans for autumn tomorrow.  I’ve got lots of lovely projects for myself on the drawing board; some of them completed, some of them in progress and some just bought yesterday.  However as today I’m looking smartish for a family lunch at my husband’s parents’ place I thought I’d put in my daily outfit for today.
As posted about previously here, this top was made from a skirt I had made for a costume dinner and realised was never going to don again.  I included some close-ups of the details; the hems were all finished by hand as I didn’t want topstitching.  The skirt was picked up in an op shop for $3.  It’s a gorgeous skirt; made in France, in perfect nick and fits me perfectly.  Can’t believe someone was getting rid of it.  Although I’ve tossed out pretty good stuff in the past and lived to regret it.  Deeply.  The skirt has two labels in it?? One says “Louie” and made in France, the other says “Rodney Clark”.

Details: 
Shirt; Butterick 4985, with sleeves from another pattern, orange polka dot cotton
Skirt; Rodney Clark, op shop
Shoes; Marco Santini, from Marie Claire shoes
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset, Napoleon

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Heat Wave

29/12/2009 2:03 am \ 1 Comment \

It’s just about trying to stay cool today.  Really.  Hair in a messy bun and as light clothing as possible.
We saw Avatar with Sam Worthington in the lead role last night (cinema packed with people trying to get out of the heat).  Stupendous.  Wonderful to see a local boy up on the big screen looking good.
Off to the fabric store (20% off sale!) now to spend lots of money…

Details:
Dress, own design by me, adapted from McCalls 4453, red polyester chiffon (with sparkles!)
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

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Cool and comfortable

28/12/2009 1:51 am \ 1 Comment \

Today is to be a scorcher, 40C forecast, and at even 9am in the morning you can already discern a shimmer in the air.  On days like this an oppression and stillness hanging heavy over all, sapping strength and dulling wits.  The sky is intense and vivid blue unrelieved by any hint of cloud.  I found one lonely rose in the garden as yet unwilted by the recent hot spell, its shady spot is its saviour and no doubt by the end of the day the edges of its soft petals will be crinkled, dark and crisp, and its colour will have faded to a veined shadow of itself… 
I think I’ll probably be spending most of the day in my bathers, but will need to be decent for some activities, such as watering out the front and popping off to the shop for milk and essentials!  Thus this outfit.
This skirt and blouse are light and airy and allow for maximum flow of air on the skin for when a cool breeze happens to waft by … one can only hope… 

Details:
Skirt, Vogue 2894, floral cotton
Top; New Look 6252, white seersucker
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset, Napoleon

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Tea Cosy, specimen 6

27/12/2009 2:38 am \ Leave a Comment \

Here is the tea cosy I made for my friend S, the very first cosy I made form the book “Wild Tea Cosies”by Loani Prior.  S couldn’t find her teapot on the day I arranged to photograph it, so I brought it home and set it up on my coffee table with my teapot!  The mug in the photo was made by my brother, and I like the rusticity of the rough wooden table and the handmade mug against the soft garden-y colours of the cosy.  This was a very easy cosy to make.  The pattern in the book is called “Red Comet”, because the sample is a red cosy.  I guess this one must be a golden green comet…

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Boxing Day by the pool

26/12/2009 4:15 am \ 1 Comment \

Boxing day, and a quiet day by the pool planned, with just a few trips in and out to drop off/pick up my eldest son who is working.  I briefly considered going to the shops while dropping him off today to see what was on offer at the post-Christmas sales, but the crowds of determined looking ladies striding purposefully into the shops was a big deterrent…     I HATE crowds…  I’m hanging out for Tuesday; my sister-in-law, my daughter and I are going to Fabulous Fabrics (early) for their 20% off sale.  Really can’t wait and I plan to spend up big!!  I don’t really have a stash at the moment, and apart from my autumn trench coat and a blue skirt I have currently in construction I will be needing some new projects for the New Year.  Perhaps “wanting” is a more accurate word to use than “needing”!
Today I am wearing my cream light wool skirt from Vogue 7303 that I made about two and a half years ago, and I’ve included a few close-ups of the zip region with the lining sewn to the zip by hand on the inside.  I always attach the lining at this point by hand as I’ve not managed to do this successfully by machine.  Once or twice I’ve attempted it, but it hasn’t really looked very good to my eye and I always end up by unpicking it and re-doing by hand.  I think a far superior finish is achieved this way.
Obviously I’m still influenced today by the whole Christmas colour scheme, but I like to think in a subtle way.  If anyone ever sees me wearing a Santa hat, or Christmas baubles as earrings, please shoot me…

Other details;
Skirt; Vogue 7303, cream lightweight wool
Top; Morrison
Necklace and hat; Country Road
Shoes; Neo, bought at Nine West?
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset; Napoleon

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