Tag Archives: Sienna

Last day of autumn

31/05/2010 5:06 am \ 5 Comments \

Today is the last day of autumn 🙁
So I thought I’d mark it by wearing my favourite autumn made garment; my trench coat.  I’ve got it on over a Tshirt and skirt here, but I like how trenches can actually pass for dresses on a warm day, which it is today, sort of.  I was quite toasty here in this photo and wishing I could take something off…  well, I always feel warm during our dog walk in the morning and only start to slowly freeze when I get into the office.  Australian weather being like it is we don’t have central heating here like northern hemisphere dwellers have.  I’ve got the little gas heater warming up my toes right now…!
I left off the belt I made for the coat and instead donned an old black leather belt I’ve had since teenage years; and I like how the accents of black set off the sandy beigeness of the coat.  The black buttons, black legs, black booties, black belt… the colour of winter is creeping insidiously into my wardrobe and before you know it Perth will be clad all in black and grey, yeah it’s hard to believe on a bright sunny day like today! but it will happen!  One thing is for sure, I will be wearing this coat all through winter too, it’s so comfy and feels so nice to throw it on; instant outfit!  I’m so glad I’ve got it!

Details:
Coat; Burda 7786, modified by me to be double breasted and with added wrist tabs, beige cotton
Belt; had for donkey’s years
Tshirt; Country Road
Skirt; Vogue 7303, olive green corduroy
Tights; Kolotex, David Jones
Booties; Django and Juliette, from Zomp shoes
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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Ruthlessly cutting off 4 inches of python…

19/05/2010 4:04 am \ 10 Comments \

Something had been bothering me about this python skirt (first posted here) and I finally realised what it was.  The length.  It just wasn’t me.  I think skirts suit me best when they are either quite long, like mid-calf to ankle length, or above knee.  Just below the knee or sitting just at the knee is not a good look for me.
It’s a peculiar thing how a skirt length can suit some women so well, and just look frumpy and awful on others.  One’s OK hem length is a personal thing.  It’s taken me a while to work this out, and I’m realising it’s no good fighting this innate truth.  Once you have determined your OK Hem Length (let’s call this your OKHL), then it’s a good idea to stick to it.  Yes, hem lengths are dictated to us by current fashion trends, but every once in a while you just can’t wear it, no matter how fashionable it is.  It may be the OKHL for some fashion mavens but not for you.  Luckily the hem lengths of today’s fashion change faster than anyone can keep up with so any one of them will still be in keeping with a current trend from some design quarter…
Determining her own OKHL is every woman’s quest in her sartorial life.  It takes time and persistence and, yes, mistakes to get this right.  We’ve all had this experience.  You come across it in a boutique, the most fabulous skirt you’ve ever seen, has you racing into the changeroom with inner whoops of joy, already mentally buying it and the trying on a mere formality to see for yourself in the mirror how utterly gorgeous you are going to be in your new skirt… then it’s on, you look in the mirror, whoomp.  All your excitement evaporates at the hideous reflection of yourself in that skirt in the mirror.  It’s all …wrong.  You feel like it’s you.  The skirt is perfect, but its you who are not.
Well, my friend, at least half the time it won’t be you that is the problem, but the hemline of your fabulous skirt.  It’s just not your OKHL.
It’s no coincidence that a lot of the “re-fashions” I see on Wardrobe Re-fashion are simply either the shortening of a too-long dress/skirt or adding-on of strips of fabric to lengthen a too-short number.  OKHL’s are being realised here.
I feel a lot better about this skirt now.  What do you think?
Have you determined your OKHL?  What were your experiences in working it out?

Details:
Skirt; my own design variations on Vogue 7303, python print satin
Top; Metalicus
Shirt; from Tinga Safari Lodge, borrowed from my husbands wardrobe
Belt; from my cargos
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire

 

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Cosy brown cardigan

16/05/2010 7:09 am \ 13 Comments \
Wintery weather is well and truly upon us today (glum face).  We even got a little wet on our beach walk here today.  Just a light misty shower thank goodness…  eau de “wet dog” is not my favourite fragrance to have around in the house and car…
Traditionally as the weather turns cold and stormy and wild my thoughts start to turn to knitting and I get more excited about getting out the old knitting needles and hunting through the available wool and yarn stores.  I’m not there yet, still daydreaming about my current sewing projects for now, but it won’t be long before I’ll be curling up in front of the TV of an evening with the rain and wind battering on the windows and with a knitting project in my lap.
As well as the usual socks, which are always in the process of construction (ooh, haven’t shown you any of my socks yet!) this year I plan to make an infinity scarf, a few of which I’ve seen on the net, and a slouch beanie/beret or two.
This is a cardigan I knitted last year.  I bought 7 balls and just made it up as I went along.  It’s a very cosy cardigan and colourwise I just love the tiny flecks of gold and burgundy mixed in with the rough brown/grey marle.  My favourite part of this cardigan is the button on the front, handmade by Dad.  He sliced a bough of birch tree (grown in Mum and Dad’s own garden), drilled two tiny holes in it, and hand polished it to produce this perfect button.  Isn’t it the most beautiful button ever?  Dad is an extremely talented craftsman, and his handmade items are always hotly sought after prezzies at Christmas time…
Details:
Cardigan; my own design, Jo Sharp Silk Road DK Tweed in Brindle
Jeans; Development
T-shirt; Country Road

Sneakers; Lute, from Betts and Betts

 

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Dog Beach

29/04/2010 5:28 am \ 9 Comments \

We’re having a real indian summer in Perth so this morning I took Sienna to Dog Beach and it was.  Just.  Heaven.  There was only a handful of people on the beach, being a weekday.  So normally I don’t like to get all pose-y in my photos.  Usually I just stand there feeling self conscious.   But today I felt in such high spirits I just did it.  Maybe I’m too old to be striking a pose like this but there was no one about to see me, so I thought what the hey!
After our long backpack-hauling slogs along the beaches on our trek I wasn’t sure I could ever again adore beach walking as much as I used to.  But this morning the old love for the feel of soft warm sand between my toes and the cool salty splash of the sea over my feet was reignited.  Bliss!

Details:
Top; Burda 8497, python print satin
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

 

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Dogged loyalty

20/03/2010 4:51 am \ 12 Comments \

Today I’m wearing my charcoal gabardine shorts made from Burda 7723, which were my first Wardrobe Refashion project.  I love these high-waisted shorts, and I prefer this flared leg silhouette I incorporated into these ones after making up my first version in white linen to the pattern.  I’ve worn these charcoal shorts a few times in these early balmy days of autumn and the heavy fabric is perfect for the ever so slightly cooler days…  Paired with a bright raspberry cardigan to cheer them up my husband referred to me this morning as a raspberry chocolate treat ( yes, he is slightly colourblind, but I appreciated the compliment nonetheless!!)  Admittedly the shorts do take on a chocolate hue in the shadows, that’s the beauty of old fabric in that it fades and wears to a subtly complex and varied patina.
We are beachwalking today, and have a three hour hike planned for this arvo, but took a moment out for me to get my outfit shot, and I have to put here the below photos to show you what a faithful sweet dog we have; even though she is emphatically NOT one of those dogs who bound joyfully into the surf and voluntarily dunk themselves in (she’s a bit of a woose, actually), she braved the ocean to swim out to join me on my rock here… she’s such a sweetheart…

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, refashioned from old puff-skirt
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus
Nail varnish; thongs (flip-flops) Mountain Design

 

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Pattern Magic; toile 2, detsubori top

16/03/2010 8:35 am \ 5 Comments \

Actually that should read toile 2, and er, 3 as well, as I had a hiccup in the making of this one and had to start over.
Thanks to the wonderful and inspirational Karin of ancien-nouveau who was so incredibly helpful to me with Japanese terms  I managed to decipher that the name of this project is (I think) detsubori.  My (uneducated) guess is that this translates to perhaps “sail-collar” or some such, as that is how it looks.  I drew out the first version of the pattern and made up a toile out of some very cheap and nasty fabric bought for toile-making purposes.  In the making of this toile I initially sewed all  the back darts inside out, so they had to be unpicked and re-done; beginner’s mistake and I don’t think of myself as a beginner any more and was pretty cross with myself, grr….  Kept on with the toile and put it together properly this time…. For some reason known only to me-in-the-past, I finished this toile off with sew-on snap tape and finished the sleeve holes with bias binding, haven’t a clue why as the fabric didn’t suit the blouse and really is a bit nasty….  Sometimes when I get into sewing mode I’m like a robot and later on even I’m like “what was I thinking?…”and was pretty much finished…

It suddenly hit me like a thunderclap that this didn’t look much like the picture in the book.  Yeah, I’d made another boo-boo.  See the unpicker pointing to the bust dart in the photo?  Yeeeah..those bust darts aren’t supposed to be there.  At all.  The pattern is supposed to be drafted to eliminate this bust dart…  Oh…right, and this is not un-pickable…  (get out the paper and start drawing out the pattern again…)
Finished the second toile in like half the time of the first, so there had to be some advantages to all my blunders first time round.  Here is the second toile, note no bust darts… the sail is on the other side this time, well variety is the spice of life…

So I had some linen to make my husband another shirt and I managed to squeeze the pieces for the detsubori top out of the leftover fabric, except for the sleeves…  I made it into a little crossover top with a waist tie and a single button and little cap sleeves in a contrasting white, see the nautical colour scheme? that’s the influence of the “sail”.  I wonder if it translates to something completely different!!
In the front-view picture I’m holding up the sail as it has an annoying habit of going “flopsy” (that’s a highly technical sewing term, I’m sure advanced seamstresses would recognise).  It has been interfaced with quite stiff interfacing, but it still doesn’t stay up as smartly as the toile version.  Probably this is because linen is a much heavier and denser fabric that the light polycotton I used for the toile.  When I launder it I’m planning to give it a hefty spray of starch to keep it standing to attention.

 

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