Sometimes love just ain't enough

I did go and sew and I had a little disaster too. What seems like another century ago I downloaded and started to cut out the Ute pattern from BurdaStyle, as I mentioned yesterday. What I did not mention is that I printed it wrong. I never checked the square to see if it had printed out the right way.

Hence the sizing was way out. So I fiddled and meddled (with much frustration) and I was going great guns and it was looking pretty cute, cue pic below...

Then just at the last moment it ripped! In the armhole, beyond the seam line. So, so, so ANNOYING.

Yup I got mad and decided that sometimes, very rarely you have to make the decision to give up and move on. I have just enough to cut a new panel... but its back on the UFO pile and ... erm ... right at the bottom.

To smooth out my nerves and make me feel like downloading and taping A4 sheets of paper in to a pattern are worth it I made up the Madeleine Mini-Bloomers from Colette Patterns. It was a free download and by golly I they wiped themselves up in a thrice.

I have been wanting to try one of these patterns for a while and this little item of lovely makes me want to try out the Sencha and Ceylon patterns. I will use these for night time pursuits but intend to make more as they are ideal for under a skirt in windy Wellington.

While rummaging around the gallery on Collete Patterns I linked to Casey's site (she made a divine Ceylon) and it is rather yumsious. One more to add to the blog roll.

I am now going to assemble some pictures of my Wellington Cup outfit for another post.

Ta ra for now.

xx

If I could paint a picture...

What handsome couple... they are in fact my two amazing fur babies Floyd and Isla painted by the very talented Rins Dekker. This painting was commissioned by my dear friend and collaborator on the Light Dress, Karen Curley as a gift to me for my graduation and I LOVE IT to pieces.

I love the costumes, the nessie in the background the colour and falling blossoms from the trees. I have never meet Rins but just through some images of the dogs and my blog for reference she created the perfect painting for me. I am a very, very. very lucky lady. I gave such a belly laugh of glee and contentment when I received it and unwrapped it from its wonderful wrapping paper, also by Rins!

Thank you! xx

So just to finish of my major work pictures here is the final one with a link to my workbook (in which the fabric samples are empty, I printed the journal out then added actual samples).


Click on the PDF icon to download and view my journal for my major work. Leave a comment if you have any problems.

xx

Fringe benefits

I needed to make something for my night out at World of Wearable arts... WOW in another word. The dates for the show are half way over and I can't think why I have never mentioned it before for in a Make a Date post! I went on awards night and the array of costumes or really works of art are quite amazing. But I needed some thing quick to go with my Graphic Ruffle skirt and black shirt (from my $20 bag) that I was going to wear... accessory time.


I saw a similar necklace on online magazine N.E.E.T via a post from Sally Jane Vintage and I thought I would attempt to make one. Here is what I did.


1. I got my supplies together. Some upholstery fringing in different colours and lengths. Length of gold chain and links from the bead shop (but you could reuse and existing chain) and got out and needle and thread and jewelry tools!




2. I arranged the fringing the way I wanted it for the finally placement and sewed them all together... with invisible stitches. I then made up my chain but forgot to take pictures, sorry.




3. The next step was to attach the fringing to the chain. To do this I doubled up a thread in a colour as close to the blue fringing (the one at the back) as I could find. Then I whip stitched it to the chain.


It worked and looked really good with my skirt and I think it will work well the a white tee and jeans too. Now for the finally hat installment, it is Make do and Mend, yippeee!








Click to download the pages from my workbook for my Make Do and Mend Hat. Just leave a comment if you have problems.

xx

In the pink

I do have another hat file for you to look at but its short so I thought I would update you with some of my recent-ish opshop finds. In Wellington it is raining... as I type... and what could be more delicious than banishing rainy days in the pink. I found this raincoat in an opshop and apart from the lining having seen better days and no matching belt it is GReaT. I adore the little hood at the back with its button to keep it in place when not in use, or you can just take it off.

The little woven bag was another steal, it is made in Italy and will be perfect for summer days with floral dresses. It had a rather ugly plastic cord on it but I swapped it with a chain from another bag I have.


I bought a skirt via an auction site not that long ago and I think its the perfect companion for these two lovely items.

Mmmmm, well, well as I promised here is another hat installment. We all had to make a straw hat. I saw a lovely picture of a Lanvin hat c1910, in the amazing Lanvin book and decided to recreate it. The book as also inspired my graduation dress along with fellow Scot, Christopher Kane but that's another post altogether :)



Click the PDF icon to download my workbook page for my Lanvin-esque straw hat. Any problems just leave a comment.

xx

First up... felt

I did promise, so I shall deliver. I have taken photos of my visual diary for the felt hat and then placed them in to a PDF. I typed in all my notes as I don't expect anybody to read my hand writing :)


Find out what the door above has to do with my hat and more insightful insights. I have just put up my design process so this is not a 'how to', sorry. I hope it will be interesting enough to peek into the inner working of my mind.



Click the PDF icon to start download of the felt hat file. Is 8.86MB, post a comment if you have trouble downloading and I will sort it out pronto.

xx