Tag Archives: Fabulous Fabrics

Champagne in the city

28/05/2010 9:18 am \ 7 Comments \

I am sometimes accused, by family members who shall remain nameless, of never wearing an outfit more than once.  Well, ahem, I do wear things more than once, but choose not to bore readers of this blog with repeat photos of the same outfit worn the same way over and over.  I do try to mix it up a little if I’m a posting a daily outfit shot, by mixing and matching items in my wardrobe for a slightly different look each time…
The Mossy Feathers dress I’m wearing today is one that can’t really be mixed and matched much; it’s pretty much a stand alone garment.  And today being such a beautiful autumn’s day I didn’t want or need to cover it up with a coat or cardigan.  And please excuse my fierce expression, my husband is always telling me to smile more in my photos…
Today I met up with some friends for lunch in the city and a fashion parade; Aurelio Costarella.  The dresses were gorgeous, natch.  All evening wear, which is his specialty.  He talked a bit about what he was up to; he is currently working on Winter 2011, having already wrapped up Summer 2010/11.  The garments we were seeing today were of course Winter 2010.  It was funny when he confessed that some of the looks today were like new to him, too, as he had forgotten about parts of the collection since completing it over a year ago!…  they work so far ahead in the fashion industry and are always moving on, always looking ahead and not back over old seasons…
A fabu-dabulous day out.

Details:
Dress; Vogue 2820, printed silk and chocolate brown net piping and necktie
Tights; Kolotex from David Jones
Shoes; Sandler from David Jones
Bag; Gucci

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Satisfyingly swishy skirt

26/05/2010 2:33 am \ 5 Comments \

Dug this skirt out again from the recesses of my wardrobe… I don’t know why I’m not wearing it as often as I once did.  I love it.  I made this last summer; not the summer we’ve just had but the one before that.  When I walk it twirls and swishes around my ankles in a most satisfying way, and always attracts compliments.  This morning on our dog walk (can you see Sienna’s furry butt behind a tree in this photo?) a lady crossed the street to say something nice to me about it… little incidents like that can give one a lift for hours, no?  I’m going to make an effort to give more compliments from now on.

Details:
Skirt; my own design variations, based on Butterick 3134, first posted here
Top; my own design, refashioned from my old 3/4 pants here
Booties; Django and Juliette, from Zomp

 

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Navy blue jacket

24/05/2010 6:13 am \ 7 Comments \

Digging through my winter wardrobe is producing some old creations…  This jacket I made about two years ago and wore quite a lot for the last two winters.  This year I looked at it a bit sideways, wondering if it would “do” for this year, but I think so…  Sometimes I feel as though this jacket is a bit “classic” for my taste.  I wouldn’t describe myself as a “classic” dresser.  I don’t know how I would describe my oeuvre, but it’s not classic…
This jacket is made of intense navy blue Indian silk hessian, I mentioned I used it here, for dying.  When I wash this thing the water is like ink.  Seriously, I kid you not…  I dyed a white shirt pale blue from the washings of this jacket once… yes, on purpose!  Amazingly the jacket is still as intensely dark dark blue as ever.
I had read somewhere that in couture jackets iron-on-interfacing is a huge No-No, capitals intentional, and they use a very light strong fabric instead.  So when I made this I decided to bypass the iron-on interfacing, as an experiment.  But what to use in its place?  I don’t know what they actually use, and short of pulling apart a couture jacket to see for myself I don’t know how to find out.  And is that going to happen?  No…!
In view of the clues “light” and “strong” I decided to try bemsilk, as both the sew-in interfacing and as the lining.  And do you know what?  It worked a treat!  It made the sewing process a bit more challenging as bemsilk is so darned slippery-dippery, but the jacket is, yes, it is light and strong, with no stiffness.  The beauty of the silk hessian is how it looks as smart and tailored as linen but without the very high crease factor.
The pattern I used allows for a lining in the shoulder/back area of the jacket but is otherwise unlined; I decided to line the jacket fully, sleeves and all.  And I’m very glad I did, not just for the warmth during winter, but also the aforementioned un-colourfastness of the fabric… all my shirts would have ended up with blue underarms if this jacket was not lined!!  Wisdom in hindsight!

Details:
Jacket; Simplicity4698, navy blue silk hessian
Skirt; Vogue 7303, bottle green cotton velveteen
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus
Stockings; Metalicus
Boots; Fornarina, from David Jones

 

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Cloudy with a chance of brights

22/05/2010 5:04 am \ 2 Comments \

Yes, (air fist punch) we got rain!  And lots of it.  And my favourite kind, overnight rain.  The garden doesn’t smell at all now … well, OK just a tiny bit, but not like yesterday.  When the timing of these household maintenance chores turns out so right, you can feel so undeservedly pleased with yourself at your own wisdom in hindsight…
Today I was a soccer Mum.  And popped into Spotlight to pick up a few bits and bobs to complete some top secret projects I’ve been working on…  got some family birthdays coming thick and fast in the next month.  Not to mention my own selfish winter sewing plans, well, since I started on the Wardrobe Refashion pledge to buy no new clothes, ipso facto I now have to make them.  This is no hardship since I love sewing, but I feel like I have about a million plans in my head, and am realistically only capable of producing a limited number of items each week…
All I can say is it’s a good thing my family is happy with simply cooked food with no fancy trimmings…
Speaking of good plain fare, the grey cardigan I’m wearing today is so old but so comfy, it’s like an old warm cuddly friend now.  Comfort dressing, the sartorial version of scrambled eggs on toast for dinner.  And whenever I wear this little mirrored pony necklace it takes me right back to when I got it, on my girls’ weekend away with my friends A and D.

Details:
Skirt: Vogue 7303, burnt orange silk hessian
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Country Road
Necklace; from some little shop in Melbourne
Boots; Enrico Antinori

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Need a deluge; now

21/05/2010 5:39 am \ 9 Comments \


Please take my word for it that my hair looked quite nice before I got to take this photo; an sudden evil wind struck up out of nowhere and I went from looking unusually chic, smooth and polished to my usual messy-haired self…  and I even used a hairdryer this morning.  I don’t know why I bother.
After a quick attendance at a Biggest Morning Tea (for cancer research) this morning and a few errands I have Dynamic Liftered my whole garden and now have my fingers crossed for rain!  (for those unacquainted with Dynamic Lifter, it is pulverised chook poo)  You can imagine the rich heady aroma now wafting through our open windows…  I thought rain was forecast for today, but about five minutes of light drizzle and that’s been it…  desperately need a downpour to water in that smell!
As I’m typing this, brilliant sunshine is bursting through the few patchy clouds remaining in the sky to taunt and tease me.  Oh, I love the sunshine, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the divine weather we are having, but… we need some rain!  
Does anyone know a good rain-dance?

Details:
Dress; Burda 8511, purple/blue silk hessian
Cardigan; Morrison
Shoes; Timberland
Bag; Gucci

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Pattern Magic; project 4

14/05/2010 11:43 am \ 14 Comments \
It might seem as though I’ve forgotten about my pledge to work my way through the very excellent book Pattern Magic by Nakamichi Tomoko but I haven’t.  It’s just that other sewing projects (such as ballgowns) have intervened and new wardrobe requirements have surfaced as the weather has got colder.  Lately a few naughty new additions to the fabric stash has meant the door to my laundry cupboard no longer closes without Bessie standing outside, her firm butt and her steel foot preventing an absolute avalanche of fabric…  so it was time for me to self-discipline and get back to the to-do list!  And I had purchased this fabric ages ago from the cheapie table at my favourite fabric store and it was just sitting there, waiting to be made up into something… anything…
Anyhoo, here is my latest effort.  I hadn’t got very far into drafting this particular pattern before I realised I was totally going to wear it.  Not only was the colour of this fabric close enough to the air force blue I am currently craving for my winter wardrobe, but I think the dress design is so delightfully different from your run-of-the-mill shift dress without being so odd as to attract sideways glances in the supermarket.  I think an avant-garde pattern made up with a very plain utilitarian fabric such as this sober blue crepe is a happy partnership that works pretty well, if I say so myself!
I started with the bodice drafted at the first stage of the book.  Next step to take a few body measurements enabling you to extend the bodice to get a simple undarted front and back of a shift dress, you then cut out a circle on the side seam and slash the pattern in a sunburst from this circle and fan out the resulting triangular pieces; this is how you achieve the gathered hole at the side seam… hard to explain, but the excellent diagrams in “Pattern Magic” illustrate how to draft the pattern very clearly. 
And here is the dress…  Different, no?  I think my husband was anticipating a bit of flesh exposure happening with this dress, but nooo! … 😉  Plus it’s now definitely too chilly in Perth even for teens to be in their midriff tops!… (Chilly being a relative term here in Perth!)
I just love Japanese sewing books for this reason, their illustrations are so excellent as to make understanding the language not so necessary that you can’t follow the instructions.  I’ve recently acquired through a loan from a friend another superb Japanese pattern book that I plan to work through straight after this one.  Being totally and completely in Japanese though, including the title and cover page, I am unable to supply the name of my borrowed book until further internet research has been carried out…
Details:
Dress; from Pattern Magic, by Nakamichi Tomoko
Top underneath; Metalicus
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire
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Toasty warm layers

13/05/2010 4:21 am \ 9 Comments \

So you can probably tell by my windswept hair in this photo that the weather today is a blustery foretaste of winter to come here in Perth!
On a whim this morning while trying to decide what to wear, I put this op shop skirt on under the purple heather dress and it felt so warm and cosy I kept it on.  And I really like how the three striped layers of colour looks from top to bottom of this outfit.  Previously I wouldn’t have thought of wearing a skirt under a dress but I think it works in this case when both are straight and plain and in lovely toning colours.  They look a little off-parallel here, but trust me, that is the wind effect and the hems actually line up quite well indoors!
And remember when I announced I would be replacing the lining of this skirt because of its annoying tendency to cling to my legs?  Well today being so brisk and all, the lining-clinging-to-the-legs feature of this skirt turned out to be a plus.  Toasty warm legs!  The lining’s going to stay after all!

Details:
Dress; Burda 8511 with minor adjustments, purple hessian silk
Skirt; Salvation Army op shop ($2!)
Cardigan; Country Road
Boots; Enrico Antinori
Bag; Gucci

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Khaki jeggings

11/05/2010 5:55 am \ 21 Comments \

I’ve submitted my first Pattern Review … er, review. This is for Burda 7863, the slimline pants I’ve just finished for winter. I wanted slimline pants this season so I could wear them tucked into my biker boots, and I’m definitely planning to wear these mostly in this way. However only half the legs are visible when boots are on, so for my review photo I thought I’d better show them in their full length as here. Without further ado, here is my review…

Pattern Description: 
Ladies slimline pants in either three quarter or ankle length with fly front, button up waistband, curved inset side pockets, patch back pockets with flap. Waistband sits at natural waistline. For two way stretch fabrics only
Pattern Sizing:
European 36 (US10) to 48 (US22)
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I made up the ankle length only but, yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
very easy
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It was a very simple pattern to use. The envelope rates it as average difficulty, I’d say a beginner could easily make these pants successfully. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. What I didn’t like; according to the Burda sizing I have size (US)12 hips and size (US) 10 waist. So I laid the pattern pieces down on some well-fitting jeans I already have and was suspicious the (US)12 hip would be too big, consequently I cut my leg pieces to accommodate size 12 hips but basted them together along the size 10 sewing lines. As it turned out the size 10 fit perfectly and I finished the seams to size 10 and removed the extra allowance.
Fabric Used:
Khaki/grey stretch gabardine for the pants and the back pocket flaps were made in a contrasting beige cotton. Topstitching in contrasting light tan thread, pewter shaded metallic buttons. To reduce chance of “pocket shadow” on the front of the pants I used a scraps of a very lightweight brown synthetic I had for the pocket piece.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
No pattern alterations. Instead of double rows of topstitching as recommended in the pattern instructions I used single long stitch topstitching in a lighter coloured contrasting thread, as I like the more simple look this gives.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would definitely sew this again! I already have some black stretch denim waiting with this pattern’s name on it…!
Conclusion:
I chose this pattern because I wanted slimline pants for winter and all my other pants patterns are widelegged because I had it stuck in my head slimline wouldn’t suit me. I am thrilled I took a chance with this new pattern type and felt very trendy and hip the first time I wore them! With the waistband sitting high at the natural waistline the pants are a big improvement on the low-rise skinny jeans of the last few years; the higher waist removes the risk of muffin-top happening and using a firm stretch fabric results in a figure hugging, body sculpting silhouette that I couldn’t be happier with…! This are definitely not “mummy jeans” but stylish and smart.
I would class them as “jeggings” the new name for pants that are too thin for the name “jeans” but too tailored and smart to be labelled “leggings”

Details:
Pants; Burda 7863, khaki stretch gabardine
Top; Cue
Ivory scarf; Country Road
Blue scarf; My DIY version, from a refashioned tank-top
Belt; from Salvos op shop
Booties; Django and Juliette

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