Tag Archives: Vogue 7880

Bleached crinkly cotton

19/01/2010 12:54 am \ 3 Comments \

I was on the verge of throwing this skirt out, or re-fashioning it (I am getting so into this re-fashioning it’s not funny, I think it’s becoming an obsession with me) because I ripped it the last time I wore it.  But something about its soft sage green loveliness just kept me back from doing something extreme that I may later regret… a common whimsy of mine that can be a problem.  And with the current hot spell I’m finding myself drawn more and more to my fall-back creams and whites, particularly my collection of crumpled off-white embroidered cotton garments that look a little bit slept in (they’re not), bleached and faded and a little bit shabby, the embroidered flowers are subtle but add a puckered texture to the clothes that I love.  I feel the rumply look is as though one had just arisen from a hammock stretched out under a tree leaving a childhood favourite book open on its spine…  Dreamy summer days of languid heat…
I mended the tear in the hem of this skirt (see below, I don’t think it really shows), and gave it a second chance.  I’m wearing it today with my new scarf; “new”, but it’s actually re-fashioned from the lining of my daughter’s old puff skirt which is why it looks old, thin and washed.  The scarf picks up the black rolled hem edging on the skirt.  I like a tiny hint of black in an summer outfit, I think it adds a bit of an edge and some definition, particularly when all else is pale.  My jade and mother-of-pearl bracelet with its alienesque matte silver prongs was a birthday gift from my parents.

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7880, sage green embroidered cotton
Top; Morrison
Scarf; own design, refashioned from net skirt lining
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, from Hobbs shoes
Bracelet; gift from my parents

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A dye-job

13/01/2010 1:17 am \ 8 Comments \

Looking through my wardrobe searching for new combinations of my clothes to wear each day, I am continually struck by how many of my shirts are … white… Yes, can’t seem to break my white shirt habit; I just love white shirts and always seem to have multitudes.  By white, I’m including off-white, cream, beige, etc.  My Mum would confirm it’s all I wanted to wear as I was growing up, just a white T-shirt and jeans/denim skirt.  I still can’t stop buying and/or making them in the dozens.
This particular tank top I’ve had for about three years and in duplicate, and I have a hankering for a yellow top, so it was off to rummage through the spice box…
Ground turmeric, in my opinion, is a very reliable yellow dyer, with a pretty good colourfast factor.  You only need a tiny quantity, and it’s a damn sight cheaper than purchasing a commercial dye, not to mention kinder to the environment, so is the dye of choice for a small item like this one.  Of course, if you’re dying a whole sheet set, say, and you don’t want your bedroom smelling like a curry house because you failed to rinse sufficiently well; perhaps a commercial dye may be wiser.  Of course a thorough rinsing would be essential anyway if you want to avoid waking up in the morning looking like a serious case of jaundice has struck during the night…
Woah, getting off track like I always do, we’re not dying a sheet set here, just a simple tee, so…
Before…

I soaked the tank top thoroughly, sprinkled a few shakes of ground turmeric into my wash-bucket (probably about half a teaspoon)  A little bit of this goes a long way, and I wanted a gentle yellow wash not a really garish bright yellow.  I’ve got nothing against garish bright yellow, but not this time…
I used about half boiling water straight from the kettle, then about half cold water, then dunked in the top in one swift plunge…. followed by lots of swirling, whooshing (technical terms), soaked for a few hours for good measure, then rinsed THOROUGHLY.  And I’m a good greenie, I poured the rinsings over all my pot plants…

And I have a great “new” tank top to mix and match for some new looks.
This skirt I’ve posted about previously, it’s the same pattern as the skirt I posted about yesterday, but view C.  I love this new colour of the top; its an almost lime-y acidic yellow which I think will carry me through autumn and should combine well with and cheer up the grey beiges, greys and even blacks of winter.  Am I starting to fantasise just a leetle of autumn/winter already? that’s because I saw on the news last night we are expecting a couple of days of over 40C, oh, joy… 

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7880 view C, printed cotton
Top; Country Road; dyed with ground turmeric
Hat; Rusty, from the surf shop at Dunsborough
Sandals; Anna, bought from Marie Claire

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Jewel tones

12/01/2010 12:39 am \ 6 Comments \

Today I feel a bit old-world-jewel-y, like Aladdin’s cave wrapped around me somehow (yeeah, my similes sometimes, oftentimes leave much to be desired).  I’ve always loved this fabric, bought on first sight at my favourite fabric shop, and felt inspired by its gorgeous shades of of gold, bronze, copper and raspberry, mixed in with a whole kaleidoscope of other random colours; it feels rich and warm, and yet in a light floaty fabric that can be worn on the hottest of days.  OK, if I’m honest, the cardi is probably not going to stay on all day, forecast for a warmish one.  Given the up and down nature of the temp it could be on and off more times that the proverbial … something (brain refusing to come up with any proverbs, here)
Take last night, was a bit chilly so I had to put on my woolly winter dressing gown to get my weekly TV fix of Bear Grylls doing his usual manly surviving stuff.  Hmm… yes, ok…
Back to the fashion, I like how the general clash of brights actually go really well with this skirt.  The shoes.  Even the pedicure fits in, miraculously.  Amazing how this baby blue nail varnish has actually complemented all my outfits, er, I’ll leave that one for others to judge, but I’ve loved it.
Got a few appointments today, and errands, been working on my weekly Wardrobe Refashion project (I’m pretty pleased with this one although its been more complicated that first anticipated), and its now off to walk the pooch….

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7880, view B (minus the odd hanging thingys), burnt-out polyester chiffon
Camisole; Country Road
Cardi; Alannah Hill
Necklace; Sportsgirl
Shoes; Neo, bought from Nine West (I think?)
Nail varnish, Litl Boy Blue, Artmatix

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Another walk on the foreshore

03/12/2009 3:52 am \ 1 Comment \

After dropping my youngest son off at work experience I swung by my old childhood neighbourhood to take my photos this morning.  This is a stretch of beach I’ve always loved walking along; it soothes my soul and recharges my batteries and all that jazz.  Not sure if its just the childhood memories, but being around water and the beach is somehow necessary to my well-being.  Where we live now is (not coincidentally) also on the water, just twenty minutes up the road.  
When we lived in rural Pennsylvania, USA a few years back, the lack of a coastline brought home to me how important having one was to my state of mind.  I wonder if people brought up in other environments feel the same way about their surroundings…
I posted about this outfit here recently, but Mum rightly commented that wearing a cardigan over the top (as I did because it was a bit nippy that day) means that the outfit cannot be seen clearly, so here it is on its own. Its actually getting a bit washed and worn; the fabric is so thin in some places I accidentally ripped it by treading on it’s hem taking these photos, a quick repair job and then maybe off to the Samaritans’?

Other details:
Top; McCalls 4454 view C
Skirt; Vogue 7880 view B,
both in sage green self embroidered cotton and edged in black rolled hem
Thongs(flipflops); some little shop in South Africa
Bag; Gucci

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Ghost Paw

22/11/2009 3:17 am \ 2 Comments \

Yesterday at the nursery we bought three of these new kangaroo paws, the colours of which I think are absolutely stunning.  The stems are dark purple and the paws at the top are sage green.  So unusual.  We are pulling out a bed of roses that have never performed all that well and replacing them with these and a few other native plants.  But while they are still in their pots I decided to use them in today’s photo shoot.
I made this outfit for last summer and wore it a lot then; the top is McCalls 4454 view C and the skirt is Vogue 7880 view B.  The straps and edging on the top are a lovely thin natural coloured crochet border with black velvet ribbon woven through, some of the latter I used to make a little bow on the bodice also.  The bottom edge of the top and all the edges on the skirt are finished with a black rolled hem done on the overlocker.  The fabric is a self embroidered soft sage green.  The days are warming up but this purple Metalicus cardigan is thin enough to wear on a mild day like today.
After a bit of gardening we plan to visit my brother for his birthday ( and photograph my sister-in-law’s tea cosy!)

Other details:
Cardigan; Metalicus
Thongs (flipflops); bought in some little shop in South Africa

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We will fight them in the sewing rooms…

20/11/2009 8:29 am \ 1 Comment \

When I saw this happy sunny cotton print at Fabulous fabrics last year I had to make something out of it immediately.  I love the bright bright colours of this fabric and the sort of vaguely exotic ethnic print on it, a mix of paisleys, florals and medallions all overprinted and shadowed on each other.  I made the skirt from Vogue 7880, view C, a pattern I’ve used quite a lot as I like all the random overlays.  This is the longest version, the one my daughter complains about when she sees me making it up (“why do you always make skirts too long, Mum?!”)  On this particular pattern I’ve usually finished the edges with a rolled hem on the overlocker, and it was making this skirt that I discovered a golden rule of overlocking; always use overlocking thread on the overlocker.  For this project I was using a mix of leftover threads in various colours, some overlocker threads, some ordinary sewing machine thread, and boy, did my overlocker chuck a major hissy fit.  I got so frustrated with it unthreading itself, thread breaking etc I was ready to heave it straight in the bin.  However I managed to breathe deep and regain a zen-like calm (ha!) and eventually got it finished.  And by “eventually”, I really mean “eventually”.  Like hours later.  Yes!  I am master of my overlocker.  This skirt is the spoils of a war with my overlocker that I WON and my overlocker now knows to submit to me.  Yeah, right…
Had a very pleasant day today (except that I’m now facing office work); visited a nursery with my friend E, then spent some time with my sister-in-law, before running a few errands.  Looking forward to the weekend!

Other details:
T-shirt; Country Road
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs
Cardigan; Nine, bought at Labels
Pendant; bead from Gypsy Bead

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I’ve got a grey cloudy feeling…

05/11/2009 1:22 am \ 3 Comments \

Please excuse my funny facial expression in this photo.  I think I’m suffering from early-morning-itis.
I think of this skirt as a sort of shabby bohemian look.  It was made from Vogue 7880, although you probably wouldn’t pick it from the pattern thanks to the mad improvisation going on.  I used view B minus the weird hanging bits, the view I like the best as it has such a random jaggedy hemline.  The upper section is out of soft grey and fawn cotton, printed to look like patchwork.   All of the skirt pieces were shortened by about 8cm and joined as per the pattern.  Then I sewed together random strips and panels of a mixture of lace and broderie anglaise cheesecloth to the lining to make a “shabby chic” frothy petticoat underneath.  
I originally bought about 2m of this embroidered cheesecloth on a whim and made this top, then used the leftovers to make today’s skirt and this dress!  So it was a worthy investment of, oh, about $30 for two and a half garments (this skirt being the half)!
Its a grey and overcast day today, so I am matching the weather in my attire, how Wuthering Heights is that?!  See, I can be quite literary in my shallowness, when I choose to be.
After my usual “walkies” this morning (not wearing these shoes!) I’m just working in the office today, in between taxi-ing my daughter to and from exams, and later I will visit a friend who has hurt her back.

Other details:
Cardigan; Metalicus
Camisole; Country Road
Sandals; Vicenza, bought from Soletta shoes
Necklace; bought from Live!

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Good hair day

23/10/2009 8:06 am \ 2 Comments \

Friday, 23rd October 2009

Had a sociable day today; met some friends this morning, went on a long walk along the beach later with another friend, and wound up the day with a hair appointment. Ah, isn’t getting your hair done one of the most self-indulgent and luxurious events in one’s life? I love sitting and flicking through the latest fashion magazines, getting a cup of tea, having my hair washed and head massaged, followed by the blow-dry that makes it look so much nicer than I can ever achieve myself at home! Such a treat…
Today’s skirt is one I made last summer using Vogue 7880 view B, but without the silly hanging bits that are illustrated on the pattern cover. I’ve always left these off actually. I used a lovely burnout polyester chiffon in a wild kaleidoscope of yummy colours; chocolate, raspberry, lime, lemon, pistachio… Don’t you love how colours are defined in terms of food nowadays? Makes you salivate just describing them; a sort of feast for the senses. Maybe that’s the point. You don’t hear a garment described as a brown top any more, its alway a chocolate top, or a coffee, mocha or toffee top (as appropriate).
Even though the fabric is chiffon and quite luxurious I’ve used it as a casual skirt from day 1, even bike-riding and beach-walking, like today! The skirt has many layers and bits hanging down all around which flutter and ripple in the breeze in a lovely feminine way. As the fabric is see-through I extended the front and back bemsilk lining so that it formed a self petticoat underneath, and just marked the original length as to where to attach the skirt bottom pieces to it.
This has been a great pattern, although I have to admit that the first time I used it I found it quite complicated and attached the lining pieces to the bottom skirt pieces inside out and had to unpick it all; its a pattern that you have to concentrate on and trust that it will all come together all right in the end – it does!
Other details:
Top; Metalicus
Camisole (under); Country Road
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, from Hobbs
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