Tag Archives: Fashionary

16th – 20th March
(I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

from left:
blue chambray dress + ecru scarf
red silk ballgown
blue Pattern Magic top + hot pink shorts
white top with self necktie + red floral skirt
Japanese print dress
aqua dress with wave-y welted pockets

Definition of “fun”:  a old-school glamour-fest …  we attended a friend’s Oscars themed birthday party last weekend.  I frocked up! and so did everyone else.  It was pretty fantastic to have an opportunity to wear one of my ballgowns again, and I just love the rich and royal crimson rustling that comes with this one  ðŸ™‚ Makes me feel a bit Downton Abbey or something.
My husband wore his tuxedo.  Oh my: is there any sexier attire for a man than a well-tailored suit?? (fans oneself) I do not think so!!
The temps and humidity is easing off as of today, which is pretty fab.  I’m getting a bit bored with my summer clothes and I’m looking forward to branching out!

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10th – 15th March
(I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

from left:
billowy white shirt + embroidered yellow shorts
knots dress
billowy black shirt + black silk skirt w tulle underskirt
yellow pleated top, denim skirt, knitted green hoodie
charcoal refashioned top + charcoal skirt, raspberry jacket
eggplant dress, coffee net cardigan

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hello

4th – 9th March
(I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

from left:
blue denim/chambray dress + ecru jersey scarf
white cotton top with self necktie + red floral skirt
powder blue dress + white embroidered cut-out top
blue dress
white drape-y jersey top + lime print skirt
aqua dress with wave-y welted pockets

The last few days have been up and down.    More down than up, I’m afraid.  We are mourning the loss of my grandmother; in a not unexpected, but still very sad conclusion to a long illness.
My grandmother right up until quite an advanced age was just like all or any one of us who love to sew for ourselves and take pride in wearing our own creations.  She was a very accomplished self-seamstress and frequently made a lot of her own clothes.  I inherited a lot of my enthusiasm for sewing from her excellent example.  She favoured an early Jackie O silhouette, and tended to wear simple, solid colour sheath dresses with matching tailored cropped jackets and blazers when the weather permitted.   In winter she lived in straight pencil skirts with solid coloured sweaters and jackets, or plain twinsets.  Her tastes leant towards the unadorned.  My own style is moulded on this look to some extent too… she was a big influence.
She lived a wonderful, fulfiling and very long life, so I’m not writing this here to be sad, but just to give acknowledgement.  It didn’t feel right to not mention it at all, like nothing had happened.

On an up note; we’ve just attended Cassie’s graduation ceremony, and proudly watched as she received her Bachelor’s degree.  She has kept her job part time and is concurrently continuing with her Master’s degree this year, just as planned.

It’s funny/strange how life’s lows can be juxtaposed against life’s highs, side by side like that.  I’m just feeling … odd.

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the paper doll project

26th February – 3rd March
(I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

from left:

Hello  ðŸ™‚
Tuesday night saw us back at the Quarry amphitheatre for take two of our picnic followed by the Ballet, after last week was rained out.  It was a wonderful night, easily my highlight of the week.  The performance was breath-taking.  We decided it was our favourite Ballet at the Quarry, so far.
My maxi dress was pressed into service again.  It was a veeery hot day, but this really is the best thing to wear to a summer evening picnic… you can scramble about on the grass setting up and distributing nibblies with absolutely no danger of flashing anyone!
So.  Le stash-busting, pour le February…
I’m doing OK here; since another old thing from the refashioning pile (Cassie’s jeans) was remade into something new and useful (a sunhat), PLUS four more pieces of fabric have winged their way from Le Stash to be transformed into usable and wearable garments during February.  Namely, my piece of Liberty, the silver seqinned fabric, the large leftover piece of grey jersey knit, and a small piece of pewter silk dupion.  And no new pieces of fabric have joined the flock.  Yay!  Obviously, the piece I am most thrilled to have used is the 2m of silver sequinned fabric… not only am I thrilled with the results but it was sure burning a hole in my conscience!
Actually, I’m kinda amazed that any sewing has been done at all, since I don’t feel like I’ve been very productive lately.  More like a sad, wrung out old rag. Thank goodness today is cooler.  I might actually get something done.
Talking of baking bread… oh, we weren’t?  Sorry.  But we are now, right?  ðŸ˜‰  Anyway; I discovered this little gem on youtube.  This gave the whole family a real laugh, so I hope you enjoy it.  For the record, my husband does NOT bake bread like this, more’s the pity….
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the paper doll project, and a thermal

20th – 25th February
(I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

from left:

Hello!
It’s been an up and down week, weather wise.  We had tickets to Ballet at the Quarry for Friday night which we look forward to so much every year! because it is outdoors under the stars, very casual sitting on the grass, and you always take a picnic to enjoy before it starts.  The performances tend to the contemporary; raw and athletic, and set against the backdrop of gum trees and stars it is always a mesmerising evening.  And just before starting time the heavens opened, we had a sudden, crazy rainstorm; and the performance had to be postponed!  (gobsmacked)  We simply could not believe it!!!   Of course rain, is always very very welcome here … since Perth has been as dry as a bone for about four months.  But it had to be right then?
Looking on the bright side, the garden had a good drink and we still have the ballet to look forward to now.  I’ll be making another picnic.  ðŸ™‚
I’ve made a top.  This will be a thermal.  Ha! anyone in Perth reading this will be laughing hysterically that anyone here is even thinking about thermals right now!!  but while the temperatures make it feel like we’ll never be cold again, of course we will!  If I am going to get through winter in only my own handmade clothing I am going to need at least a few long underthingies.  Plus the fabric was already sitting out after I had cut out the lining for Cassie’s dress so (shrug)
This is a prototype.  There will be one or two more before winter arrives.   The lower hemline when pulled right down sits over my bottom  ðŸ™‚ I know, oolala, tres uber sex-ay, non?  Non! but these things are a necessary part of any seasonally well-stocked wardrobe!
The fabric is a thin, clingy, soft, and slightly fluffy jersey knit, the last of the leftovers from this drape drape dress, and the lining from Cassie’s Pisces dress.  I used my self-drafted Tshirt pattern.  btw, just a reminder, this pattern started out as Burdastyle 06/2011, pattern 120, but has been fiddled and diddled with it so much there is literally not a single cutting or stitching line remaining that is original.  Which is why I’ve taken the liberty of giving it self-drafted status.
Anyway, it is now a perfectly custom fitted-to-me Tshirt pattern.
The neckline, sleeve and lower hems are all finished with self-fabric bands, attached as per this tutorial.
In general blog housekeeping, I have made the decision to disable Anonymous commenting.  I feel a bit sad about this, since I do get lots of kind comments from real and genuine people who seem to prefer the anonymous option.  But I’m sorry; the spam was driving me crazy! and I just had to.  Saturday night was the last straw, in just 24 hrs so many new spam comments got through the filter that it wasn’t funny.  I had to go through my published comments, and individually “spammed” about 60 NEW comments… I wish I was exaggerating or kidding, but I am not.  It was crazy.  And that is not even counting the comments that had been caught by the spam filter… then I went into the spam box and there were ALSO over 650 new spam comments there.  And I had cleaned it all out only 24 hrs previously!  I usually flick briefly through, to check that no “real” comments have been erroneously marked as spam, and occasionally I get a laugh out of some of the whackier spam comments.  Sadly spammers are getting boringly repetitive and unimaginative in their spam nowadays, and I’m over it.  So, I’m really sorry to my lovely genuine Anonymous’s.  Like every other blogger I love genuine comments and feedback, so maybe you could create a google or an open ID, or something?  ðŸ™‚
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the paper doll project

14th – 19th February
(I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

from left:
pink lace dress over pink satin petticoat
border print dress
Bamboo shoot top, embroidered yellow shorts, ivory hat
navy/white check top, green gingham shorts, green knitted hoodie
blue top (worn as pictured in the last look here), white shorts, ivory hat
dress made from an old polo Tshirt

You can see we had a brief but refreshing and energising cool spell.  Sunday felt positively wintery after the last few sweltering weeks we’ve had, so I actually had a woolly cardigan on hand for early morning and late evening.  Today it’s back to 38C.  Craziness.

eta: Thursday was Valentine’s Day  ðŸ™‚ so I wore my most romantic dress.  I made a picnic of pate and bikkies, prawn and avocado salad, and strawberries, and we took it along with a bottle of champagne down to the river, to sit on the grass and watch the sunset.  Just lovely.

Have you joined “Map the Sewintists”?  A fun and informative initiative by Vicki, of Another Sewing Scientist.  If not then get thee to Google maps posthaste and pin yourself onto your spot!


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Paper dolls

8th – 13th February
(if you’re new, I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)

Black Issey Miyake dress, gold stilettos
aqua dress with wave-y welted pockets
blue top, hot pink shorts
purple-brown dress, ecru scarf
blue dress
Japanese print dress

I apologise if it seems like everything is way too repetitive with my paper dolls’ daily outfits.  The fact is that I am not a fashion blogger; I’m making all my own clothes and so my wardrobe is really not all that chocka with stuff.  I am going to be repeating myself, on a regular basis.  But y’know what?? I’m absolutely fine with that.  It matters far more to me that I have a small number of garments to suit any particular combination of expected activities and weather conditions and man, it’s been hot!!!… and that I love and value each of those garments highly enough to reach for them over and over.

And then, there are the special occasion pieces, which by their very definition are not meant to be frequently worn.
I included above a black Issey Miyake dress that was worn twice during the week, for evening wear.  Firstly, our family went to a swish-o restaurant to celebrate my daughter’s birthday on Friday (thank you to the commenters who wished her a happy birthday!), and secondly, we hosted a big party for her at home last Saturday.  The party was formal; rellies* all arrived dressed to the nines, all the girls in gorgeous little cocktail dresses and towering stilettos, all the boys in suits.  Cassie looked lovely in a dress I had made about six years ago and all my boys wore shirts made by me (happiness!)  Of course the hors d’oeuvres wielding, drinks topper-upperering, cake bearer (moi) had to look presentable too… so I frocked up in my serious LBD and gold stilettos, hair up in a chic, messy bun.
The party went like a blast!!  lots of laughter and chatter, cool jazz music and dancing, funny speeches and good food.  The cleanup was fabulously easy.  Our children are at the age where their friends are quite civilised now.   I had to laugh; the following day, Craig said to me; “… and no one threw up so it was a good party”  I was like “ohhh, we have such low expectations!”

*transl. “rellies” = relatives

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the paper doll project

3rd February – 8th February
(if you’re new, I’ve pledged to wear only clothes handmade by me this year and to sketch my daily outfits in my Fashionary.  I’m calling this the paper doll project)


A thought:
would it be helpful for me to list the garments with links to the construction posts and real life photos?

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