Spotlight Archives - Page 8 of 8 - Handmade by Carolyn

Romance in an everyday basic

18/11/2009 6:03 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Today the sky is white white white, and the wind is swirling and billowing about in the trees every which way. So naturally I feel compelled to wear a white lacy top and to try to curl my hair. Seems a bit random? well I can see the connection anyhow. Just seemed fitting. Wuthering Heights, again? Although me curling my hair is asking for trouble. I could hardly brush it after. Serves me right for dreaming up yet another way of procrastinating on all the work I need to do… As it turned out the sun popped out from behind a cloud just long enough for me to get a sunny picture…
The top I’m wearing today is an oldie. It was made from quilting cotton with crocheted lace strips inserted in the front and back. I used this pattern New Look 6483, with a few variations obviously. In my usual fashion, once a basic pattern has proved itself in terms of fit I then feel compelled to improvise with each use. I was trying to copy a top seen in a Vogue magazine, for which I’ve just hunted unsuccessfully and I can’t remember the designer I’m afraid. My version has been a very useful top; reasonably pretty, loose enough for warm weather and very comfortable for casual days.
This New Look pattern is an excellent basic pattern with no frills. It is a simple matter to add interest with a few minor variations. In this case I squared the neckline, altered the sleeves by puffing them up, inserted horizontal and vertical crochet strips on front and back, added a few pin-tucks, made a front bottom panel longer and gathered it to fit, added border crochet strips… Well quite a few variations, but I was just playing with it at the time and the end result seems to be a keeper in my wardrobe as it has resisted every seasonal purge. Admittedly white/off-white lace is rarely tossed out by me as I’m strangely drawn to it. The whole aura of nostalgia and romance as represented in late Victorian era photographs and illustrations has such timeless appeal, no?

Other details:
Jeans, Development

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: New Look 6483, own design, Spotlight, top

“Not too crafty” It bag

17/11/2009 6:40 am \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

Here is another knitted project, a bag that was knitted free-form with no pattern. After casting on I just randomly did a few cables and whatnot and literally knitted until the wool ran out. I popped a vinyl “bag” of the same size (made from padded table protector vinyl sold off a huge roll) inside for strength, and then lined with a blue and white print cotton on the inside of that. The gold chain is attached firmly to the vinyl inner bag so that the bag can take a reasonably heavy weight without sagging unattractively. Closure is by a magnetic snap, and the old diamante brooch is just pinned on the outside flap for looks. I’ve hardly ever used this bag, but after the lovely compliments I got today perhaps I should use it more often. Main problem; you can’t carry an awful lot in it just because of the small size. It’s really just an elegant day bag for a few essentials. (I forgot to put in a pen and had to borrow one; great secretary, huh?)

I wound up my secretarial duties today for the school Auxiliary and handed over my files and notes to next year’s secretary; as my daughter has finished school I will no longer be doing this job. The end of an era, still can’t really comprehend it, I guess it hasn’t really sunk in. I’ve made some great friends through that school so I’ll keep on seeing those friends I’ve made, hopefully. I can’t deny it was a relief to hand over the “secretary” bag, though! We had a lovely lunch after our meeting and I’m now sitting at my desk trying to recall what we discussed at the AGM for the minutes. Post champagne, this could be a problem…

Other details:
Diamante brooch; bought about 20 yrs ago from secondhand store at Fremantle Markets
Top; Tutte, from Mid 70’s, gift from my parents
Camisole; Country Road
Skirt; Rodney Clark; op shop
Sandals; Marco Santini, from Marie Claire

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: accessories, Knitted, own design, Spotlight

Tea Cosy, specimen 1

15/11/2009 12:55 am \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

Today I’m not wearing anything particularly exciting, so here instead is the tea cosy I gave my friend J yesterday for a belated birthday present. It is from Loani Prior’s excellent book “Wild Tea Cosies” which I saw in Calico and Ivy and bought for myself as a present. I made quite a few of these tea cosies in various designs and colours and gave them all away as gifts, so a new goal I’ve set for myself is to hunt them down and photograph them in their new natural surroundings for this blog. Be that my friends’ kitchens, or bottom drawers, wherever they now reside. As well as documenting my wardrobe.
Looking back over my blog I can see it’s turned into a bit of a daily outfit post, which wasn’t it’s original intention. Like the authors of books often complain that their lead character won’t behave as planned but develop a mind of their own, this blog is taking on it’s own character. Hmmm. Have to keep on top of this.
I’ve loved this tea cosy book; the only drawback is the abundance of designs that are purely for crochet, which I didn’t notice at first flip-through before whimsically purchasing. I. Don’t. Like. Crochet. I can tolerate it for very short stretches, but it’s really not my cup of tea (ha ha!)
J’s tea cosy here is the Roly Poly one from the book, which has small crocheted balls on the top, a manageable amount of crochet for me. The rest is knitted. It is actually lined! With a whole separate knitted lining! Perhaps to keep that teapot well and truly insulated.
The label (right) sewn inside the cosy is from a rubber stamp given to me by my Monday morning gals several years ago for a birthday gift, which gave me the name for this blog and which I now use for fun labels to attach to the things I make. The silver spoon in the picture above was made by my grandmother, and has my maiden name initials in relief on the handle.

Other details:
Silver spoon; made by my grandmother
China; all from op shops or secondhand shops

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Calico and Ivy, Knitted, Spotlight, tea cosy, wild tea cosies

Major surgery

12/11/2009 1:37 am \ 7 Comments \ Carolyn

Today’s effort is the result of a little wardrobe surgery. A few years ago we went to a dress-up evening and our whole table went as 50’s style swing dancers. All the guys wore jeans, white T-shirts and leather jackets, and all the girls wore polka dot circle skirts and neckties, white T-shirts, black sandals and white bobby socks (see before photo). All us girls had matching outfits; we went out and bought purple, lime green, orange, turquoise and blue polka dot cotton, made our skirts and the neckties from the leftovers, and mixed and matched our neckties! It was great fun and we won a prize for the best dressed table.
So, fast forward four or five years and I still have this orange polka dot circle skirt sitting at the top of my wardrobe. Eventually it became patently clear I was never going to wear it ever again, so what to do? Couldn’t possibly waste all that fabric, and in my colours too! (apparently)
So here is the result. It is Butterick 4985 with view B collar again, with the sleeves taken from New Look 6252 but cut short. What can I say, I really like the fitted style of this blouse pattern!
Because the polka dots are really bright bright white I decided to wear it with a white skirt. I like the way the dull grey metal fittings on the skirt match the iron ore ball necklace, and the dull silver buckles on these sandals … maybe I’m overthinking all this … Anyhow, I feel its a nice bright colour scheme for what is shaping up to be an dull grey, overcast, drizzly day.
My daughter has a bit of a break before her next exam, so after completing my office work we’ll go out together for a bit of afternoon tea.

Other details:
Skirt; Old Khaki, bought while on holiday in South Africa
Necklace; bought in Egypt
Sandals; Sportscraft, bought in David Jones

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

The sadness of predictability

08/11/2009 2:12 am \ 2 Comments \ Carolyn

Today we’re going to some friends’ for lunch, so I’m wearing these white linen pants that have been mainstay smart summer pants for about three years now. They are New Look 6497, very easy and quick to run up though sadly has no pockets, and I used high quality fine handkerchief linen which has helped them go the distance they have. They are now decidedly too baggy around the waist (have pinned them at the back for today), so I will have to make myself a new pair. After all, every woman needs a pair of white linen pants in her wardrobe for summer, right? They look cool and fresh, they go with everything and they just look so right for this time of year and all the activities inherent. Think boating, barbecues, beaches; white linen is essential. I’m using the word here in the sense it is derived from the word “essence”, which is the fundamental characteristic of a thing, rather than in the sense that the fashion police is going to come a-knocking if you are lacking a bit of white linen in your wardrobe. Just think of the constants of summer, and you think of … yes, white linen.
In fashion; predictability is boring, however basics are still handy, to offset the more trendy and fanciful items you love for one short season …. thus. White linen pants.
We all try to express ourselves through the individuality of our clothing; as it is the most obvious first impression we give to the people around us, and the standard by which we are immediately judged upon meeting each other. Thus the desire to avoid the cliches of “fashionable” dressing, unless you particularly want to look like a slave to current trends. Equally we aspire to stay away from a look that is old-fashioned or boring. At the same time, nobody wants to look weird. Thus the necessity of including clothes in your wardrobe that are neither exciting, nor trendy or fashionable.

Other details:
Cardigan; Alannah Hill
Necklace; had since childhood
Shoes; Micam by Joanne Mercer, bought from Hobbs

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: New Look 6497, pants, Spotlight

Rescued from the clothing graveyard

15/10/2009 4:03 am \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

Thursday, 15th October 2009

I made this one about 4 or 5 years ago, and it was a favourite for a whole summer. Then the weather turned cold, I got tired of it, and it was relegated to a plastic bag on the top shelf of the wardrobe. There it sat for a few years, coming out on rare occasions. In the biannual clean-out it was contemplated but always managed to stay, given that it was the first really creative thing I had attempted. It was made freehand, by just throwing together a mishmash of matching fabrics in a wild and crazy pattern with no real planning or forethought, although I was inspired by a very expensive Didier Parakian design I saw in a boutique. A zip was inserted, and the top was darted to fit around the waist. I attached a long white cheesecloth underskirt, for stability at the waist.

I love its hippy-dippy feel and always get compliments about it. So I guess it is here to stay. A good casual skirt for a coolish summer day, “coolish” as the aforementioned underskirt makes it quite warm.

Other details:

T-shirt; Country Road