Butterick 4985 Archives - Page 2 of 3

On feeling cool

05/01/2010 2:18 am \ 2 Comments \ Carolyn

I decided to give myself a new pedicure last night, and chose this ancient nail polish I had called Litl (sic) Boy Blue by Artmatix. It’s so old it has a price tag on it $2.89; now, Australians, when was the last time you saw a price like that one?!! I think I’m on some pathetically hopeful but ultimately misguided attempt to psyche myself into thinking that if my toes look frostbitten then I will, ipso facto, then feel cooler. Hmm. So far, not working…
Since joining Wardrobe refashion I think I’d better get on and refashion something in time for my weekly post, as per the rules, and I am a sad stickler for rules. When it suits me, that is.
Currently I have been working on my autumn trench coat, which will be finished prob by the end of today. Extremely happy with it and ridiculously proud of myself. I do feel like a coat/jacket finished successfully is like the pinnacle of achievement for a seamstress. Especially the setting in sleeves bit… (steam coming out of one’s ears as one incessantly unpicks a multitude of little “tucks” for resmoothing and reshaping…) Enough said. Sleeves now set in successfully, so can leave that painful episode of my life behind.

Details:
Top; Butterick 4985, blue knobbly cotton
Skirt; da Vida, secondhand shop
Shoes; Anna, from Marie Claire shoes
Necklace; from Live!
Nail varnish; Litl Boy Blue, Artmatix

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, Sienna, top

Polka Dot

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

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

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Spotlight, top

Cool and casual for a hot hot day

21/12/2009 2:18 am \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

Remember this bright bright white top? Almost needed your sunnies just to look at it?

And do you remember me saying I thought I had way too many white tops and it was time for a dye-job?

So, I do from time to time use dyes bought in the chemist, or at a craft shop. But for preference I will use a natural dye, or something I already have to hand about the house. I wanted to make this top a sort of blotchy blue/brown colour, so hunted about for possible candidates to produce this sort of effect. I made last year a jacket for myself out of navy blue hessian silk, which has been a marvellous jacket, but runs like mad when it is washed. And I mean, like when it is dipped in the tub the water goes like ink. Luckily, being silk, I was handwashing from the word go…

Anyway, time to put this to good use. I also grabbed a half bottle of instant coffee that had been languishing in the pantry for months (now my husband has his coffee machine it’s nothing but the best around this place, although some of my friends fortunately prefer instant so I always keep a jar handy)

Did the coffee soaking first (24 hrs),

followed by the jacket washings soak (another 24 hrs),

and voila, I’m very happy with my “new” top. It didn’t really end up with the hoped for blue/brown splodges, but is more of an aquamarine/sepia all-over washed effect, and actually goes beautifully with the nacre buttons that I had already used on the shirt.

Other details:

Top; Butterick 4985, self striped white cotton, dyed over

Skirt; Diesel, bought in Rome

Scarf; Country Road

Hat; LLBean

Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, dyeing, Fabulous fabrics, Sienna, top, tutorial

Quiet study in neutrals

16/12/2009 9:11 am \ 2 Comments \ Carolyn

Today’s outfit is a little drab and neutral, however sometimes one feels like being drab and neutral. Especially if it’s the last day of one’s holiday (sad face). One is possibly overusing the impersonal first person pronoun here. However this is one’s own blog so one shall write however one damn well feels like it, no matter how silly it sounds…
I feel this outfit is nicely complemented by the drab and neutral tones of the tree bark in this photo. As well as by the rough weathered decking of our beach house.
Please note the floral fabric used as a facing in the skirt; a little secret prettiness known only to me, the wearer. Sometimes I like to add touches like this; plus this patchwork fabric I used is firm and flat so a better choice for facing than the thicker corduroy fashion fabric, which is a little stretchy too.
Btw, I did a double take when I looked at the photo of my skirt as it looks embarrassingly lopsided. It’s an optical illusion! I just measured the skirt and the side seams are exactly the same length, in spite of how it looks in the photo!
Notice the ancient grey cardigan, hiding behind the white blouse out of shame for its general mis-shapen shabbiness. It’s too awful for its own photo, but still impossible for me to part with this old favourite. It’s a perfect cardigan for days when I know will be several hours driving with no one to impress but my youngest son and Sienna.

Other details:
Skirt; Vogue 7303, olive corduroy
Top; Butterick 4985, selfstripe white cotton
Cardigan; Country Road
Sunnies; RayBan
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs
Bag; Gucci

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, Sienna, skirt, Spotlight, top, Vogue 7303

Traditional beachy colours

15/12/2009 4:51 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

I’m realising this blog is becoming way too “holiday photo album” and not enough about the handmade clothes. Yesterday particularly, and I really wanted to only include other photos if I feel they’re related in some way to my creative inspiration or are pleasing artistically to me in some way. So today it’s just about the clothes, although my colour inspiration is clearly the sun, sand and sky. Plus I’m running out of combinations for the garments I’ve brought on this jaunt…

I’ve included a close-up of the Burda 7723 shorts I first posted about two days ago and I’ll tell a little bit about my experience with this pattern: they were very quick and easy to make and I’m super happy with the pattern. I’ll definitely make these up again. I like the high wide waistband, which fits snugly around my waist, making a nice change from the low-waisted pants that have been inescapable fashion-wise for the last few seasons. This higher waist eliminates any danger of muffin-top that can pop out unexpectedly, and feels comfortable and secure when wearing it. I shaped the waistband a little to accommodate my slightly sway back, and added rear pockets (for a photo of these, see two days ago). I feel the flared leg is flattering and chic.

The cardigan (dyed by me) and top I’ve posted about previously also. And just to forestall any suspicions that the cardigan is a dye-job disaster, it’s meant to look blotchy!! I aimed for this effect! You can achieve this marble-y effect by dunking the DRY garment in the dye bath (not pre-soaked), and leaving it undisturbed in the bath with minimum swirling.

Other details:

Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen

Top; Butterick 4985, baby blue nobbly cotton with lace trim

Cardigan; Country Road, dyed by me

Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

Hat; Country Road

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burda 7723, Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, shorts, top

Sandy salty toes

08/12/2009 5:54 am \ 1 Comment \ Carolyn

So, here we are at the beach house, and blissfully happy. The sun is broadcasting diamonds upon the water and the sand is scrunching white and squeaky clean under our bare feet. This morning the tide was so far out we walked over a hundred metres out and we’re still just cooling our calves.

Today I’m wearing my white linen pants that I drafted from my favourite jeans, and a white top made from some leftover fabric that I posted about previously here.

Other details:

Pants; white linen, self-drafted from other pants

Top; Butterick 4985, view B collar, view A sleeves, white self-striped cotton

Cardigan and hat; Country Road

Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

Sienna is in heaven when we’re on the beach. She’s whizzing and scampering about like a mad thing; its as though she too senses the ordered chaos of city life has gone.

Btw, have you ever seen ducks on the ocean? Lookee here! Who would have thought?!

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, own design, pants, Sienna, top

Sky blue and coffee; off to the beach

07/12/2009 3:09 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Feeling a kind of warm pastel-ly comfortable vibe happening today. The sky is a soft, not-too-harsh blue today with a few puffy clouds scudding across, golden sunlight warming the limestone walls of our house… I love how the glossy blue threads in the fabric of this skirt are picked up in the baby blue of my top. And baby blue is a difficult colour to pull off at the best of times, but I feel it is nicely complemented by coffee and gold tones. Setting the mood for the beach house… can’t wait, we’re going down to the beach house for a well-deserved break for all of us.
I’ve put together a holiday wardrobe for the next ten days, hopefully will be up to the demands of my clothing blogging. We’ll see how we do, if all else the beach as a back-drop will be nice to look at even if the fashion isn’t!

Other details:
Top; Butterick 4985view A sleeves, view B collar, blue cotton
Skirt; Vogue 7303, fabric handwoven by my mother
Sandals; Marco Santini, from Marie claire Shoes

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, handwoven, skirt, top, Vogue 7303

Not to judge a book by its cover

14/11/2009 3:50 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Today’s shirt pattern is familiar to those following this blog, I’m even getting a little embarrassed at how often it’s appeared here. It is Butterick 4985 again, this time with the addition of some little pockets on the front with lace flaps and the sleeves view B joined together at the top seam. I used baby blue nubbly self embroidered cotton for the blouse and topstitched the pockets and a few seams with double stitching in gunmetal dark blue. This was mostly to use up this particular colour in my thread stash. I also added an attached necktie in a bit of leftover border lace, again just to use it up. This can’t be seen very well in the picture because of the other scarf I’m wearing.
Today’s colour scheme is pastel-ly, with no white. I really like this soft combination of pale blue, yellow and pink, with the blue jeans. I have a confession to make: I realise how tragic this sounds, but I thought the cover of “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” to be such a beautiful balance of colours, and really inspired me to copy it in this outfit! Oh please, if I heard someone say that I would almost pity them, but it’s true! I suppose we are all find inspiration somewhere, and if you find it in the cover of a book then so be it. (I could expound the multiple merits of reading this book as it is superb and intelligent and full of pearls… but that is not the purpose of this blog)
I found my shoes yesterday in an op shop. They were $12, and hardly worn! I fell absolutely in love with them and had to wear them straight away. They are navy blue suede with elastic criss-cross straps over the top of the foot and a beautifully shaped heel. It’s often difficult to come across nice shoes in my size, even in commercial shoe stores as I have such big feet (size 10, or 41 in European), so this was an incredible find.
Today has been spent in pleasant industry and relaxation; I worked for several hours in the garden, did some grocery shopping and running a few errands, then met my friend J for afternoon tea.