Tag Archives: Top

Thankfully fashionable new shorts

02/11/2010 3:42 am \ 9 Comments \

After I had finished my greige corduroy jeans I had a bit of leftover fabric, not much but too much to throw away… and it didn’t take long for me to haul out a shorts pattern…  I totally love this look below from Ralph Lauren Spring/Summer 2011, tres cool no?  Except I think those Ralph Lauren shorts could be suede…  And so halleluia for corduroy, which is like the cheapie easy-care version of suede.  The same soft fluffily-textured luxe look without the high price tag and “watch out where you’re sitting” problems of suede.  Plus, love this colour.  In case you missed it, I just can’t get enough of this shade.
This is my now standby pattern, Burda 7723 and I made a few alterations; to lengthen, to widen the flare of the leg, the addition of a zip placket, and instead of a foldover waistband which would result in a double thickness corduroy waistband I made it halfwidth in corduroy and faced with thinner cotton lining fabric to remove this unecessary bulk from the waist band region.  Hehe, besides the fact I didn’t have enough fabric for the full width waistband…
Hmmm, I should really do a review of this pattern, it has been such a goodie and is super easy, plus uses a tiny amount of fabric.  In lieu of the usual two buttons on the waistband I went with an invisible hook and eye closure, to get a smooth uninterrupted waistband; this is a nice clean look and provides a slightly tailored effect, offsetting the casualness of corduroy.
And how nice is it when one discovers one’s own tastes co-ordinate with a new fashion trend?  According to the gurus in Paris shorts are IN; the super mini-skirts we saw everywhere last year seem to be out at the mo.  Thank goodness.  Although do we have to knuckle down and obey the edicts from Paris? well, of course not, but at my age I feel it does get a lot more important to look fashionably smart and up-to-date and avoid frumpy and old-hat looks.  So I am loving the re-appearance of shorts on the fashion radar, it is a good trend and I’m ready for them too.

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, with minor modifications, greige corduroy
Top; Butterick 4985, ivory embroidered cheescloth with lace overlays and lace tie at front
Cardigan; Country Road
Sunnies; RayBan

Later* realised I didn’t do anything Melbourne Cup-y today at all, not even a hat! should have worn my mirrored pony necklace, doh…!

Photo below from Ralph Lauren Spring/Summer 2011

 

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Hoodie McCloud

29/10/2010 6:43 am \ 15 Comments \

Don’t ask me why the silly name I’ve dubbed my new hoodie.  I have no explanation myself.  I surprise myself with my inner loon sometimes…
The lovely Mary had a giveaway and sent me this cute hoodie pattern, KwikSew 3667, and this is my first effort.  I just used some unexciting pale grey marle fleece to try it out, but am already in love with the hoodie in this fabric, and this pattern.  It was very very easy to make up.  Probably took oh, about half an hour, cutting included.  Yes!  (air fist punch)  The most difficult part was… no, I’m teasing…  There was nothing difficult about this hoodie!  I am definitely going to make this one up again, and again.  Not that I’m going down the path of ease and comfort above all else, don’t worry.  I’m never going to be that gal in the bogan tracky dacks.  And while I do like to be challenged in my dressmaking, but it’s also nice to have a quick and easy project every once in a while, a soothing gel to the ego when more difficult projects are getting one down…
Thankyou so much, Mary!
I’m really liking the way style has not been sacrificed on the altar of comfort in this pattern; I think this loose and simple shape is very chic and “now” while still being evening-on-the-sofa worthy.  Look at the below shots from the Dries Van Noten Fall 2010 and Celine Spring 2011 collections (and yes, I am planning this in white too as part of my white shirt challenge).  I loved the Dries Van Noten look when I first saw it and will wear it like this with a silky skirt one day…  But for today I am bike-riding with my friend S so the need for a bike-appropriate outfit.

Details:
Hoodie; Kwik Sew 3667 view A, grey marle fleece
Jeans; adaption of Burda 7863, rust corduroy
Sunnies; RayBan
Thongs (flipflops): Mountain Design

photos below; at left from Dries Van Noten, Fall 2010, at right from Celine, Spring 2011

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A whiter shade of pale…

27/10/2010 8:02 am \ 7 Comments \

Today being slightly cooler (and on a side note, man has this been a delightfully warm spring…!) I am finally able to wear the scarf that Sam brought me as a gift from his trip to France.  It is a soft-as-clouds woven chenille; ivory, or white, the colour he told me I wear the most and is convinced is my favourite colour.  Hmmm, I’m always fascinated when people tell me what my favourite colour is, since I’m so unaware myself of what it is… he could well be right.  Possibly my favourite colour changes a lot, even daily, depending on my mood.  But there’s no denying white and variations of are a recurring theme for me in my wardrobe…  Even though my skirt is technically green and my top is technically blue, they are really both now just slightly off-white themselves.  A few years of laundering and drying out in the sun has bleached them to a faded shade of nothingness to satisfy even the most die-hard lack-of-colour lover such as myself…  And with a snowy ruffle of petticoat peeping out from my skirt, and pristine new bobby socks, well today I’m just a symphony of paleness, merely lacking a picnic and a hanging rock…
I have mentioned it before on this blog, my personal love for white shirts and how they are not just useful but beautiful.  As if there is an international synchronicity of minds, Barbara has started a white shirt sew-along (button over there in the side-bar), and how could I not but join in?  This is good.  My obsession with white shirts has been legitimised and sanctioned with an official outlet.  I don’t have to invent a reason to make a white shirt. When debating whether yet another white shirt is actually a reasonable addition to the wardrobe, I can now easily self-justify, well, I’m committed to The White Shirt Project.  Yes.  End of story.  Permission granted. Purchase of white, and even lacy, fabric may now proceed, guilt free.
And I can semi-cheat, hehe, having just completed two white shirts quite recently… specimens 1 and 2 below…

Details:
Top; Butterick 4985, blue self-embroidered cotton with lace details
Skirt; Vogue 7880 view B, sage green self-embroidered cotton
Petticoat; Metalicus
Socks; knitted by me, white cotton
Scarf; gift from my son, Paris
Boots; Francesco Morichetti, from Zomp shoes

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Crisp white shirt; check

25/10/2010 4:40 am \ 27 Comments \

A while ago I identified a hole in my wardrobe; supposedly a basic that no woman should be without, and have now dutifully filled it.  One crisp white shirt; check.  Now my husband can relax that his white linen shirt will be safe from my clutches.  Well, mostly safe, hehehe (cue evil witch cackle).
I used Burda 8497; a wrap front and tie-at-the-side-of-the-hip style that is flattering to a person of my proportions, I think.  And a very feminine style.  Rather than a button up, which is a little more masculine.  The fabric is a poly-cotton, easy wear but not luxe, so I left the edges all nice and snowy-pristine with no topstitching and I think this ups the stylishness factor a touch.  This pattern just allows for ordinary fold down hems on the sleeves, which can be a little boring and middle of the road; so for this shirt I drafted sharply pointed fold-back cuffs which are each permanently sewn closed with two pewter buttons masquerading as cufflinks.  This gives the cuffs a vaguely evening-y or business-like air to them, yes?  And adds a bit of interest to what is otherwise a quite featureless sleeve.
And for my morning tea with some friends this morning I jazzed it up with a screamingly colourful in-your-face gypsy-ish skirt of many layers.
Aaah, the weather is so divine at present.  Walking along the beach yesterday and this morning was a sheer joy.  Everybody is making the most of these days to the max, whilst simultaneously trying not to whinge about the lack of rain …

Details:
Shirt; Burda 8497, white poly-cotton, pewter button “cufflinks”
Skirt; Vogue 7880, printed cotton
Sandals;  lasoffitadi Gilde, from Zomp shoes

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Details…

05/10/2010 1:02 am \ 16 Comments \

Some details of the skirt and top from the previous post; top “a” and skirt “m” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, (hmmm, yes, the title is a bit of a mouthful…) by Natsuko Hiraiwa.
The skirt is a big rectangle with the lower hem shaped in a slight curve…

The dress zip is inserted in the top edge of the skirt, perpendicular to the body… I added a skirt hook and eye closure at the top.

The fabric is a lovely crinkly linen/cotton mix, with both salmon pink and grey in its colouration.  The skirt is lined completely with soft taupe muslin.  The lining and skirt are attached together at the top seam, and hang separately down on the inside of the skirt, and I hand-stitched the side slits together on the inside of the skirt… why?  Because I can’t bear for a skirt lining to slip in and out of view through the slit in a slit-sided skirt, I reckon it looks real sloppy when you see it happen.

The top has two long sashes inserted in the shoulder seams; these can be worn either both hanging down in front (as seen in the previous post below), with both draped around the opposite shoulder:

or with one hanging down in front and one draped over the opposite shoulder as in the top picture; my preferred way.  Or you could tie them loosely in front, like a sailor-inspired look, will have to try this one out next time!
Got loads of washing and house-sorting-out to do after our lovely sojourn away, so…. later, dudes!

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Yes, Japanese

03/10/2010 8:33 am \ 12 Comments \

My newest ensemble, my first two projects from the Japanese pattern book, Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa.  This is top “a” and skirt “m”.  I apologise for the poor quality of the photos here, even though I am blessed with a helpful photographer, the most wonderful location thanks to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, and the soft light filtered down flatteringly and greenly through lofty overhead leafy boughs bathing all in an pretty fairytale glow, my poor travel camera is on its last legs and is cursing me with grainy cruddy pictures, so my apologies.  To make matters worse the battery is very dodgy, meaning I currently do not have enough juice to take any detailed photos of the latest creations, these will have to wait until I am back in Perth…
The top is made out of white swiss voile and has two long sashes attached in the shoulder seams, which can be worn long and hanging down either front or back as pictured below, or with one flipped nonchalantly and in a cool sophisticated arty way over one shoulder, which may be made out in the above picture.  I like it the latter way…  The top buttons closed down the left side seam, and for this I used four buttons of blue-y grey/green nacre.
The skirt is of some crinkly fabric; a cotton/linen mix in a smudgy slightly greyed shade of apricot, bought from Tessuti fabrics on my last trip to Melbourne about eighteen months ago.  As it was a little sheer I lined it completely with a soft taupe coloured, thin cotton muslin.
All the side seams for the top and the skirt are finished with French seaming, and the corners on the top sashes finished with mitred edges.
Oh, and thankyou so much to Donna, who gave me a Kreative Blogger award!  As I have already received this previously I won’t fulfill the award requirements again (if you wish to have a read of the ten things about me for the award then you can click on that link in my sidebar), but it was so sweet of Donna to give this to me, and I am honoured and flattered that she thought of me, thankyou!

Details:
Top; “a”, from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa, white swiss voile cotton
Skirt; “m”, from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa, grey/apricot linen/cotton
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

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Gardening gracefully

29/09/2010 3:33 am \ 5 Comments \

Today I am wearing a little sundress I made a few years ago, with the intention of it being a beach dress to pop on over bathers.  As it turned out kind of fancy and pretty I’ve ended up wearing it on loads of different occasions…  I used the halter bodice from McCalls 4453 which is a top pattern, and altered the design to have a side zip opening.  I drafted a skirt that is a sort of faux wrap around design.  Long at the back and with two tapered fronts lapped over each other and both secured in the side seams.  The dress is fully lined with pale pink lining.  I like the softly pretty luminous effect this has under the sheer red swirly pattern of the fashion fabric, which actually has sparkles.  Bonus!  
And the little lace cover-up has been another pretty as well as useful little thing that is my own design and was whipped up on a whim.  
Today I felt the need to be a bit … colourful and quietly cheerful.  After all life has to be appreciated and celebrated and lived.  With spring springing all around us and new growth bursting relentlessly forward in the garden one cannot push away the quiet and inevitable mechanism of new life.

Details:
Dress; partly McCalls 453, partly my own design, pink/red sparkly polyester chiffon
Top; my own design, cut-out embroidered linen
Sandals; Pedro Miralles, from Soletta shoes

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Domestic diva X

26/09/2010 2:23 am \ 5 Comments \

Woah, same skirt as yesterday; snap!  Though this version is view C and is made out of a bright cheery, bohemian, gypsy-ish print.  This is another skirt pattern I’ve used a lot, although not as much as my old standby Vogue 7303.  Come to think of it, if I’d kept all the skirts I’ve ever made using these two patterns, I could go a whole month of Self-Stitched September with no double-ups, no worries.  I’ve used them both heaps of times.  (I know, boring)  Don’t worry, I’ve been branching out lately and have a few new exciting summery items and patterns to post here once this month of self-stitching documentation is over… one photo a day is enough imo.
The top is my own design, made from an old pair of three quarter pants; for the original story and a short tutorial on how to do this see here. Although the pants in their original form were dag-city, the fabric was in very good condition and I loved the soft yet still sharp citrusy colour of the linen.  So I saw potential.  Took the scissors to them and never regretted it.
We’ve got a nice afternoon planned seeing our friends; it is my friend E’s birthday too, and we are looking forward to having a drink (or two) and viewing their latest holiday snaps.

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7880 view C, printed cotton
Top; own design, made from an old pair of green linen 3/4 pants
Sandals; Anna, from Marie Claire shoes

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