Tag Archives: Daily Outfit

The Indestructible Dress

09/03/2011 5:00 am \ 13 Comments \

Me-Made-March, Day 9
Today involved a visit to the vet, which required grappling with and stuffing two cats into one cat box, very much against their will, and a dog on her lead who was so excited at thinking she was having a walkies today with the pussycats in tow she wanted to drag me off at twice her normal speed.  And that is quite quite fast…
So I chose the Indestructible Dress, in anticipation.
So, this dress has been seen here before, I made it about five or six years ago.  I’ve even contemplated tossing it out a few times, through sheer boredom with wearing it.  But when something is this cool, and this practical, and this indestructible, and always turns up out of the wash looking as pristine and white-as-white as the day its fabric came home from the fabric shop, oh yeah, and no ironing required…  I think maybe it’s earned permanent hanger space.

Details:
Dress; Burda 8511, with fitting modifications and zip moved to left side seam so as to interfere as little as possible with the border print.  Made out of some sort of synthetic stuff.
Thongs; Mountain Designs
Nail Varnish; (appropriately named, given my morning’s activites, no?) Glamourpuss, BYS

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What day is it today?

08/03/2011 7:08 am \ 15 Comments \

Oh yeah.  The Tuesday after a long weekend always leaves me a little befuddled.  True, I’m easily befuddled.

Details:
Hoodie; adapted from Butterick 4985, added a hood and with different sleeves, white lace, more details here
Petticoat (not seen) Burda 8071, beige silk satin, more details here
Skirt; skirt “m” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like by Natsuno Hiraiwa, pinky-grey linen mix, more details here
Shoes; Country Road

 

I’ve been awarded an Awesome Blog award, by Stacy!  Thank you so much, Stacy!
Now I’ve got to think of 7 things about myself.  Oh dear.  This bit is really hard, because I can never think of a thing… but this blog is about sewing, knitting and fashion, so I guess I’ll try to aim in that direction.

1.  I can’t get enough of fashion. I subscribe to Australian Vogue, and I get so excited when I see my new Vogue magazine sitting in the letterbox.   Part of me just wants to dive in immediately and devour it cover to cover, but I’m strict with myself.  I only allow myself to thoroughly soak up little portions at a time, in quiet moments.  So I can stretch it out over the month.

picture from here

2. I hardly ever sew up a muslin.  That is how slack I am.  Once in a blue moon I will bother with this tiresome task.  99.99999% of the time I’ve felt no need to go down this path, and have just fitted with the garment along the way.  This has always worked just fine.   I just find muslins to be almost completely unnecessary.  Especially for simple daywear.  I admire people who go that extra (superfluous) mile, and admit the necessity when dealing with wedding dresses say, or very expensive or rare fabrics, but when it’s a simple little cotton or linen dress well really…   Of course I am completely contradicting myself because I recently published here exhaustive pictures of my glove muslins.  Yah, I’m a hypocrite, so?  And also having said that, I am planning a tailored jacket for this winter, for which I probably will do a muslin.  yawn.  I promise there will be no photos.

3. Commenting… I guess I might say something here about commenting in blogland.  Commenting is kind of tricky, is it not?  Everyone seems to employ a different MO.  I personally hop over to somebody’s blog to reply to their comment, or if someone has asked a direct question which I think others might wish to know I write the answer in my own comments section as well.  I also apologise in both our comments sections if someone has seemed offended by my blog post.  I try to visit everybody’s blog who has commented.  Sometimes in my travels I’ve noticed that other people reply to comments in their own comments section all the time.  This tickles me, that someone might be having a conversation with me in their own comments section.  If you have replied to my comment in your own comment section then there is a pretty good chance I haven’t read it because I never return to the same comment section again.

4. I just asked my son for suggestions, and he said “favourite colour”.  Thanks darling.  But even that helpful suggestion has me writhing in indecision, because my favourite colour changes seasonally.  Or monthly.  Or even weekly..?  I used to have a stock standard answer “white” to that question, to make it easy.  But really I love all colours and it would be impossible to pick a favourite!
Perhaps I could talk about least favourite colour combinations.  I definitely avoid certain combinations and especially in my apparel.  Black and red together is a big one.  I look truly awful in that combo.  Ill.

5.I’ve been sewing for about thirty years.  Wait I might have used that one previously, for some other award.  Meh.  It takes up another “thing”.

6. Knitting; I’ve probably been knitting for just as long, but less consistently.  My mother taught me to knit, as she did sewing too, and my first project was a dark green scarf for our cat Fluffy.  I struggled through a few rows, about 10cm worth.  It was extremely holey and weird; “arty” is the nicest way of putting it.  Like contemporary modern art.  My mother finished it off with her beautiful even stitches, and I forced Fluffy to wear it once or twice.  She was a patient cat.

(this isn’t Fluffy but she did look a bit like this…  I found this picture on the internet, here)

7.  A final thought, about fabric in sewing; I think the fabric you choose is the deciding factor in how well your garment is going to turn out.  Truly, locating a really good fabric supply is the seamstress’ best asset.  I once formulated a theory, that you should be able to make something really fabulous out of any fabric and that a person is only limited by their imagination.  I do still harbour that belief; but I temper it with this truth, that with really beautiful fabric you are much more likely to have a fabulous result.  I might add, that’s been theory hard tested around here and a truth hard won…

picture from here

So now I’ve got to pick 5 wonderful bloggers to pass this award on to.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it….
Veronica, from Veronica Darling
Sherry, from pattern ~ scissors ~ cloth
Sharon, from Communing with Fabric
Terri, from Rags in the Machine
Jacinta, from ModelMumma

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Labour Day

07/03/2011 6:08 am \ 5 Comments \

Labour Day; to commemorate the rights of workers, is always held here in Western Australia on the first Monday in March.  So, that is today, people…  Specifically celebrating the utopian ideal for all workers of a day comprising eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest, introduced at various dates during the late 1800’s for various states throughout Australia…  And pondering this titbit of history brings me naturally around to the subject of, well really people, what would we do without Wikipedia, hmmm?  Such a modern-day marvel…  Trivial information, tantalisingly eluding one’s memory, is now but a google away.  Not that the history behind this day is trivial, far from it, but you know what I mean…  I mean that all these sorts of historical dates and events we had to memorise in primary school and probably had to write multitude little projects on to drill it into our young brains so that we could just pluck out said information easily in the future… sadly optimistic, as these facts are often lost to me now and have to be looked up each time all over again.  Well, realistically my amnesia for historical facts was a career choice;  ask me a chemistry question and I’m OK but history has been a long-closed book…
Having to look it up just now was good for me because I’ll probably remember it now…!
Whatever, we took the opportunity to go kayaking out on the river with some friends, followed by brekkie at a divine little cafe on the water’s edge.  It’s been one of those magical mornings.
And although you can’t see them in the photo, my bathers (worn for the actual kayaking) are on underneath my shorts and top too, so unlike other days in which my underthings are shop-bought, this is a wholly me-made day!
(Oh, and re the original look of these bathers, I’ve long since taken out those bra cups.  They were moving around during swimming and bugging me.)

Details:
Top; Burda 7834, silver crepe, and striped cotton/spandex trim, a review of this pattern is here
Shorts; Burda 7723 modified to be more flared, charcoal grey gabardine 
Sunnies; RayBan

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Sunday, and thoughts on black

06/03/2011 4:44 am \ 11 Comments \

Me-Made-March, Day 6
I’ve decided to try wearing clothes I hadn’t worn during Self-Stitched September, to mix it up for that group a bit.  That means going through the wardrobe and pulling out things that haven’t seen active duty for a while… this black dress was originally part of an evening-y ensemble, that included a black lace overdress, which I cut up for something else at some point.  Since then I’ve worn it as a petticoat occasionally, but not for much else.  However, I should wear it more because it is a perfectly good dress by itself.  The fabric is a thick glossy synthetic satin which does feel quite nice and ripply/flowy to wear.  It’s real easy-care, just toss it in the machine.  Er, actually come to think of it, I just toss everything in the machine…   
I added some leftover black lace at the front of the bodice, so it wasn’t too plain.  The straps are just out of skinny little satin ribbon, which combined with this type of fabric and the style makes the whole thing feel a bit lingerie-y, so it really needs a cardigan over the top, for public viewing.  I think maybe I don’t wear it much because black isn’t really my thing.  Putting a little neutral beige cardi over it is “me-ifying” it somewhat.
Why don’t I wear much black?… is something I think about sometimes.  You see it everywhere.  Lots of people wear a lot of black, a lot.  And I don’t much.  I associate black with funerals, and goths, and depression.  That’s when I put it on myself.  Paradoxically, when I see someone else wearing black, I often think they look quite smart.  With-it, cool and out-there.  Not always, sometimes I mentally wish serial all-black wearers would be a bit more imaginative, but usually black is a colour I like.  On others.  Just not on me.  Weird, huh?
A big plus about black; it’s real easy to mix and match, and you can always find shoes to go with your outfit.  When you’re into colours it’s a darn sight more challenging!

Details:
Dress; an adapted version of NewLook 6035? (I think?? it’s been a while since I made this thing…) black synthetic satin and lace
Cardigan; my own design, coffee and white net, grosgrain ribbon

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Garden of Weedin’

05/03/2011 4:33 am \ 10 Comments \

Gettit?  Oh, I’m such a comedienne…  not!
This post so named because I got a whole lot of gardening and outdoor tidying up done today, haha.   As well as, the silk for this dress is printed in a heavenly mishmash of leaves, feathery wings and otherworldly foliage  that always makes me think of some untouched wonderland.  What’s more, the atmosphere around here is a bit paradisiacal, as the wished-for cool change is happening today, thankfully.  Finally a day cool enough to to motivate one enough to get something done… so it was out with the lawnmower, the hedge-clipper and the leaf blower, and I also cleaned our barbecue and outdoor eating area.  I feel so productive!!
Actually this makes me think of some Me-Made-March and Self-Stitched September participants I read occasionally who own up to putting something on just for a photo or a small part of their day and then getting back into old sweats and a Tshirt for their actual day, well, I just don’t get that.  When I put a picture of my daily outfit up here, then that is what I am wearing that day.  I put it on first thing in the morning and wear it for all my daily activities (bar hopping in the swimming pool, natch) and it is on all day and put out for washing that evening.  I guess I’m over thinking that I am going to ruin something nice by wearing it.  In case you’re wondering I took this photo after the morning’s gardening activities, so you can see I managed to not ruin it.  
But I admit to not wearing the sandals whilst gardening!
Thank you for those nice comments yesterday about that dress, and it will stay in my wardrobe.  I am feeling a lot more optimistic and buoyant about my sewing efforts, and actually about all life in general today.  Nice weather, and a few nice comments, will do that to you… thank you!

Details:
Dress; Vogue 2820, printed silk and with chocolate net edging, piping trim and tie (first blogged about here, and a better picture…)
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, Hobbs shoes
Sunnies; RayBan

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Not your daughter’s dress

04/03/2011 10:06 am \ 17 Comments \

Me-Made-March, Day 4.
OK.  Want.  Autumn.  Now.  If I look less than cool, calm and collected here, it is because I am.  Less than, I mean…
I’m actually wondering if I should give this dress to Cassie.  She looks so much nicer in it than I do…  well, she is at the age when everything looks a lot nicer on her, and will do forever after from now on, I already accepted that a few years ago.  
I still like this dress, and I feel good in it.  It’s comfortable and cool, (silk chiffon is wonderful for hot days) and I think it looks not awful on me.  But I also have this thing where if something doesn’t look like it belongs to me, then perhaps I should pass it on.  After all, as I learned in Self-Stitched September, and am re-learning again in Me-Made-March, I have heaps and heaps of clothes, all made by me, so that I could probably do several months of this challenge and not double up.  However not all the things hanging in my wardrobe are super wonderful on me.  Lately I’m feeling indifferent about just about all my stuff… I wonder if it is time for a clean-out?
Although perhaps tomorrow the hoped-for cool change will refresh and revitalise and reinvigorate, and there is a chance I will love my clothes once more.  Fingers crossed…

Details:
Dress; Vogue 1152, embroidered and sequinned silk chiffon
Petticoat (under); Burda 8071, beige silk satin
Sandals; Vincenza, from Soletta shoes
Bag; Gucci
Sunnies; RayBan

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Keepin’ cool

03/03/2011 6:22 am \ 10 Comments \

I’m sorry I’m not very exciting today… just keeping cool.  I flopped slid gracefully into the pool as soon as I got home from walkies.  And this is the second day in a row Sienna has wanted to be in the photo with me.  Often she is there, somewhere, not necessarily in the frame but popping about in the background sniffing at trees and doing her own thing.  Lately she just wants to sit down where I am, so it must be hot for her too…

Details:
Dress; Simplicity 3745, modified to be more streamlined, white swiss dotted voile and lace
Scarf; a strip of turquoise silk chiffon, with a rolled hem edge
Thongs; Mountain Designs
Nail Varnish; Fool’s Paradise, BYS

Now the above picture isn’t at all exciting, but lets move on and have a look at some really interesting fashion-y stuff…  I watched our recorded Oscars last night, and I agreed with Beth that while a lot of the gowns were sadly unexciting this year, Cate Blanchett had the standout most beautiful gown of the evening.  Givenchy Haute Couture; a little part of me kinda hopes she will one day select something Australian for one of these events, but truthfully if I was in her position I’d be going Parisian too, probs. Whatever, Cate Blanchett never disappoints on the red carpet, and this was no exception.  The details of this gown!  I adored the little touch of gold at the shoulders and going down the back, setting off the soft feminine lilac to perfection, and I wished the camera was able to zoom in and show us exactly what those little bobbly things were going down the front of the bodice.  Whatever they were, they added just the right amount of decoration and interest.  I also loved that boxy square line of the sleeves and bodice; unusual and therefore a touch above, beautifully proportioned and realised.  Really, there was nothing not to love about that gown…  and the colours were perfect for her complexion.  She looked magnificent, as she always does.

As well, Helen Mirren look superb, a serial Best Dressed lady in my book.  With Vivienne Westwood she could hardly go wrong, no?  VW is usually so out there and her designs incredibly intricate and architectural; often gravity defying in their artistry, one of the reasons I find her so inspiring.  But for this occasion she toned down her usual flamboyance and produced a restrained and superbly structured gown, the soft sheen as well as the drab grey/pewter-y colour of that fabric showing off so well the elegant folding and draping that that designer is so admired for.

And I also loved the Dolce and Gabbana gown worn by Scarlet Johanssen.  Of course she is a natural beauty who would look good in anything, but even so her choice of gown this time was particularly stunning.  Form-fitting lace in that deliciously sophisticated berry colour, backless, and a divinely shaped skirt with a train?  Just too beautiful…

(I would credit these photos if I could remember which particular site I found them on.  There are many many many copies out there in the internet…)

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Burdastyle 10-2010-111A, a pattern review

02/03/2011 5:50 am \ 15 Comments \

Remember I wrote I’d made some matching shorts to wear under this little sundress?  Well, here they are.  Whew, they are so so short and flimsy I probably wouldn’t be wearing them on their own like this if I didn’t have a completely quiet non-sociable day dog-walking and house-cleaning planned, oh, yeah, hehe and of course a bit of office work too (I have to say that bit because my husband sometimes reads this…)  These little things are no more substantial than boxer shorts, so I feel a bit underdressed in them here.  But on the beach I was OK since there were not many people, and those that I did encounter today were equally if not more sparsely attired.
Actually I made these about 2.5-3cm longer than the pattern stipulated, as long as my scrap of fabric allowed me to make them, so can you imagine how tiny these would be otherwise?

Details:
Shorts; Burdastyle magazine 10-2010-111A, Japanese cotton
Top; “b” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa, white cotton
Sunnies; RayBan

Here is the review I submitted for this pattern:

Pattern Description: 
Shorts with fly front, faced waist, welt pockets, slanted front pockets and underlay with button for internal closure.  This pattern basically does for three different garments in the magazine; short shorts, bermudas, and longer trousers, with a few different pattern pieces and modifications.  To save myself future effort, I traced out the pieces and variations for all three at the same time.
Pattern Sizing:
34-42.  I traced a size36, graduating out at the hips to a size 38 because I like a bit of flare, plus I was using flimsy fabric that wouldn’t have looked nice in a form-fitting garment.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Now here I have to be honest and say no, they were not, particularly!  If you’ve never sewed a welt pocket before, the instructions provided for sewing these would be awfully confusing.  I’ve sewn plenty, and these instructions still had me scratching my head a bit over what was the joining line, the abutting line and the stitching line.  And as for the instructions for the underlay, zip and the waist facing, well these were VERY confusing also.  When I read the instructions out aloud to my family it sounds hilarious because they are so crazy confusing….  like trying to build a space station or something…  I misunderstood the zip attachment and sewed the zip in place with a nice curved topstitching on the shorts front.  This turned out to be wrong.  Right near the end I had an a-ha moment and had to unpick the zip almost completely to do it the right way NOT attached the the shorts front, but only the facing, so I could insert the waist facing all neatly tucked in and finished around the zip tape and underlay as the pattern intended.  This was one of those times when an illustration ala how the envelope patterns do it would have helped a tonne.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like that only a tiny amount of fabric is needed for these shorts.  I think I had roughly 60-70cm of 115cm fabric, which was just enough except for pocket innards, for which I used other scraps.  The pattern is well drafted and fits together well.  I like the clean lines of the shorts, no pleating or waistband gives them a contemporary and streamlined look.
What I don’t like; if I’d made them up to the pattern they would have been too short for my liking!
Fabric Used:
Lightweight cotton.  The pattern recommends brushed wool.  I think a thicker fabric like this would work really well.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I added about 2.5-3cm in length.  These would have been way too short for me to wear out in public otherwise!
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I do recommend this cute little pattern, and now I “get” the instructions I will sew these again in a more appropriate fabric, such as corduroy, and definitely adding the extra length.  Although if you are under the age of twenty, the shorter length would be fine.
Conclusion:
I sewed these to wear under a short little sundress of the same fabric, for modesty.  Their streamlined non-bloomer-y shape makes them perfect for this purpose.  So I am very happy with them.

 

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