Spring Palette Challenge

I have decided to take up the Colette Spring Pattern Challenge . The idea is to collect inspirations, fabric and patterns and make these into clothes or accessories by March. I am a little behind but here is my design board and colour palette.

My main inspiration is from some images I took when I was in Scotland this year, I love the contrast between the white of the snow and the amazing pastels in the sky (main background picture).

I also went to see the Ballet Russes exhibition at the V&A while in London, it was incredible and I loved the detailing one costume in particular (second image from bottom right). Even the garments in the poster were very sweet (second image from top left).

Out of my Japanese fashion books I loved this Suffolk puff headband (top right) and cowl neck drop waisted dress (second image from bottom left). I also love the detailing on the red drop waisted dress (bottom right image).

I think Michelle Williams has great style and I have had this skirt in my fashion folder for a while now ( middle image bottom).

The floating images of the two tops in the upper left are techniques I would love to try. Beading and ribbon detailing. On the sleeves of the bow blouse the stripes are made by making thin tubes of the main blouse material and then sewing it on to the plain sleeve fabric.

Lastly the vintage Dior Cloche, love the colours and feather detailing. Want to make a hat as an accessory within this challenge.

Right, now I am going to get on a select fabrics and patterns!

xx

Japanese sewing books

Phew. I am working at the Queensland Theatre Company right now. Making costumes for Grimm Tales. The costumes are amazing and if you are around Brisbane I would recommend going to see the show.

One thing about sewing all day is that you don't really feel like sewing all night when you get home. So tonight I thought I would post about Japanese sewing books and imagine that I have a magic sewing fairy in the cupboard. My three sewing wishes would be...

The first one I have is Feminine Wardrobe and I love this sleeveless bow top! 

The second book I have is Sweet Dress Recipe and  really like the pin tuck details on the skirt and dress (two wishes in one?)

Finally I have an accessories book and I love, love, love this back draped (deceptively simple from the front) cardi. YUM.

So where to get them if you are interested!

I go to Pompadours Craft cafe on Esty to look inside them and I have bought two recently(she also runs a Ebay store and often has more pictures of the inside pages there). The postage can work out to make it more expensive than the second option which is yesasia (I have linked to the Pattern Magic book, if you scroll down it gives you other pattern book options) 

I could not get one of the books I was looking for on yesasia so that's why I ordered from the esty shop. But if you buy from the yesasia over a certain amount you don't pay postage, so it can work out cheaper.If you want to navigate to the endless scroll of Japanese craft books on yesasia here this is the route via mouse clicks: 

Japanese>Books>Lifestyle>Home Arts

I found it useful to get the authors name from the esty store and then put it into the search on yesasia

If you can't be bothered and want to pay about $10 more per book plus $10 delivery go to Tessuti, but the others are cheaper.

Alrighty, if you do order some here is a site that gives you translations for simple sewing terminology.
 I have read that the clothes patterns are for those up to 160cm tall and you have to add 1.5cm seam allowance to all patterns.

Plus if you want to get your hands on some english versions of these pattern book The Book Depository has Pattern Magic for $22.92, much better than the $45 dollars in some of the shops in Brisbane. There is free delivery too. yes one is winging its way to me now... naughty.

Phew! Hopefully the weekend will free me up to draft my undies patterns and get cutting.

xx

Swings and Roundabouts

I can now officially work and live in Australia as I got my visa! I just had to go back to New Zealand to get it... so that's were I have been! It was a chance to see friends, drink cups of tea ( and the odd cocktail), get some wonder op-shop finds and add to my material stash.

I took the plunge a couple of weeks ago and bought two Collette patterns, Macaron and Ceylon. I had made the Mini Madeleine bloomers from the free pattern on the Collette website and the pattern was fun and a great fit. The Ceylon dress is so pretty and Casey made such a great job of hers that I really wanted to get down to it and make my own version.

The pattern itself is soooo pretty!

It is an envelope that turns into a bound book with the instructions and the pattern in the back sleeve.

I have some material in my stash that will be perfect for this 1940's inspired dress, I just have to wait until the stash clears Aussie customs along with my sewing gear... oh how I miss it all.

One other book to add to my library is The Undies Book by Nanette Rothacker.  I got mine on Esty.

What a plethora of under wear patterns. I have really wanted to be able to create my own camisoles, bras and slips as I always hanker after luxury ones I can not afford. I reckon from all my left over pieces of silk etc I can make some panties and lounge bras. Whoo hoo, before you know it I will be wearing fluffy feather mule slippers and Doug will think he is living with a Hollywood starlet of yester year.

Now in reality, one other thing about this edition of the book is the illustrations. I just love the them, art nouveau with a dash of folk loving 1970s style.

So cute! There are 25 patterns in this book and I intend to make every single one of them, even the Crocheted Victorian Valentine Undies and the Knitted Ski Snuggies ...so I will add a category called The Undies Book to my list. This may turn in to be my life's work, haha, finally finishing those snuggies for my 60th birthday, te he.

I got some rather nice op-shop finds while in NZ, but I will leave that for another day. Have fun.

xx

Sunshine state

G'day! My first post from Brisbane, Australia where I now reside. Its been quite exciting so far and I have made friends, caught up with old friends and have generally been enjoying a warm winter.

One other thing that I have been doing is checking out some local op-shops *surprise* Well with no work visa yet and time on my hands what is a lady suppose to do (apart from house chores).

So here is my first lot of Aussie op-shop finds.

We have this really nice line of coloured glass windows in our new pad and I thought it would make a pretty backdrop, but it just makes everything a bit yellow... anyways...

First up a wonderful china tea set for one and novelty spoon with a butterfly motif... great for sipping cold tea on the veranda while contemplating the city views...

Bags, oh how bags and shoes are addictive... the antidote to the 'it' bag is the woven bag ladies, its true, honest!

Then for a bit of lovable tat, the New York compact mirror with hologram effects, this mirror as the State of Liberty, a big red apple and I Love NY on it depending on how you angle it... a tad over done, nah.

Lastly, Guide to Modern Clothing c1962. It is a gem and worth of useful advice.

For example in the section, Planning Your Wardrobe, it has this advice, which for me is relevant being a lady of leisure/house fiancee.

Clothes for home... For house work, such as Saturday cleaning, wear simple, washable clothing which is comfortable and will not get in your way as you work...When you dress neatly and comfortably for the job of housework, you are more attractive to your family, and you help yourself to get at the work and get it done.

Oh dear... I don't think daggy pj bottoms and raggy t-shirt would qualify as attractive to my family, least it explains why Doug greets me with indifference as I hand over a duster to him.

 The book deserves a blog of its own really. The pictures in it are awesome. Here are some of my favorites.

I wish I had the time to put bows on the top of all my hangers... really I do.

I also want to look this stylish when exercising...

 Kinda love this outfit...

Kinda think this one is in the 'working in the garden and looking attractive to the gnomes' section...

Lastly, what colours do I suit, why let me think...

I could go on and on with this book but I shall depart and leave you to ponder on your new fabulous cleaning outfits, toddle pip.

xx

Drum roll please...

Thanks so much for all your very sweet comments on my refashion and engagement. The winners of the give away are BagQueen and Amy, picked at random by Doug who closed his eyes and aimed at the screen twice :) I really like doing the give away, so expect more in future posts!

I will be making up your envelopes of craftiness as soon as I get back from a short break next week, I shall post them to you :) Just need your addresses, email me at minnietheminks(at)gmail.com

Here is a pic of some of my other recent op-shop finds.

These shoes are so sweet on and I plan on making one of the 1960's tops from this cute pattern I picked up, I think view two below...

Love her hair and lippy! One other great find was a book of the first 10 years of fashion in the life of Princess Diana. The book is jam packed with pictures, which can be great reference for me if I ever make costumes for a production of her life, te he. But they are also quite funny too, lots of bad 1980's fashion going on.

There is still some fashions that I really liked...

Cute flats, yummy pink dress and a huge overcoat!

Big belt, printed top... maybe ditch the match-y shoes!

I love this whole outfit from the sunnies, bag, collar on the blouse, big chunky bracelet, stripey pants and you know she does get away with that hairdo!

I will be absent from the blog for the next 5 days as I am off on my last holiday in New Zealand for a wee while. Looking forward to soaking in the natural spas, bliss.

xx

And the winner is...

Hello, hello! There has been a lot going on in my world some of which is all a bit hush hush (very mysterious) but here it is at last, my round up of the Wellington Cup... which was a few weeks ago now but hey better late than never :)

First up was the Couple of the Carnival. In the picture below the couple in the left won this category. I get that they match but for me the outfit looks a bit like funeral directors wear not sunny race day wear. My pick , on the right, is this delightful couples outfit, wonderful colour combinations, eye catching detail and they looked like a race day couple enjoying the sun!

Next was Designer of the Carnival, of which I entered! So the outfit on the left won. I like the modern fabric used, but was not a fan of the black asymmetric fabric across the torso or the lace fingerless 80's gloves. I thought the outfit on the right stood out, I really loved the hat, twisting spiraling feathers!

Moving on now to Man of the Carnival. There was lots of men is smart suits, which was great to see, oh yes it was :) The winner of this section is on the left but I just think the guy on the right looked a lot sharper in his suit... more Don Draper

Can not really remember the exact order but up next is Mature Lady of the Carnival. There was lots of well dressed mature ladies who proved that style lasts longer than fashion. The lady on the left won but I have to be complete biased and say I think my mum rocked black and red with more razor sharp style.

Classic Lady of the Carnival. So many to choose from. The winner wore a lemon, grey and black combination that just did not inspire my senses. It was the lady on the left that I thought looked amazing! I love, love, love the use of the black lace on the jacket and her skirt was draped beautifully. From her shoes to her hat it was classic, classic, classic.

Last but not least was the Contemporary Lady of the carnival. The winner is on the left, the photo is not that great but I thought it was quite a safe choice for this category. Much more fun and alive is the entry on the left. How super amazing is that hat! It picks out the detail from the dress amazingly well. The hat won the peoples millinery award and was made by no other than Amy Jansen-Leen... of course!

So there you have it. If you want to see more pictures of the Wellington Cup fashion in the field click here to go to Snap Star where I got all these photo's.

You may be thinking what did I wear, but that's for another post, hopefully tomorrow!

xx

Have you heard of Glee?

I have not been doing much blogging of late as my parents are here visiting from Scotland. I am however still reading the blogs I am interested in everyday with my morning coffee.

I have mentioned Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing before and while reading it today Gertie linked to a site called What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear? which I found quite entertaining. From what I can gather Emma is a character from a show called Glee in the USA. Anybody seen it?

I did go to Fashion in the Field for the Wellington Cup Races on Saturday and it was a scorcher of a day. I will devote a blog post to it soon. Promise!

Until then, have fun in the sun (or snow, rain, wind).

xx

Musing muses

Hello :) Another day of delightful millinery was had... berry danish and lemon tea too. Yummy. Even more yummy is the fact that tomorrow my mum and me are having a girly day.

We are going to the birth house of celebrated female NZ author Katherine Mansfield. I have often pasted in the van on the way to purchase fabric and wanted to stop and go in, but tomorrow is the day. The house has been restored to what it would have looked like during Katherine's era. That will be great to see.

Katherine did live in the UK and was part of the infamous Bloomsbury set. How exciting! I read a book not long ago on the Bloomsbury set and they didn't mind sharing lovers, of either sex, the odd drink and it seems a far bit of art went on too in all its forms.

Very inspiring.One other lady that is inspiring me is Elinkan from Sweden. She sure knows how to put an outfit together. The images are lovely too, check out her flicker, but below are some of my favorites.

xx

Planets align

You know when you have been thinking about something and then whammy in the next few days it happens... like somebody you never hear from and then you think about them, then they ring. Well I have had a sewing related version.

In my sewing tool bag the one thing that lacks is pinking shears. I was saving to get some. I was researching the perfect pair. Then yesterday I took my parents on one of my Opshop hunting days and there waiting for me were a pair of pinking shears.

I gasped and asked the lady if she had some spare material I could cut. I looked at the label, Mundial, I looked at the price $10!!!!!! I held my breath, I cut the fabric, they worked beautifully. I smiled a smile only fellow sewers would understand.

Then while my glow was at its zenith I looked around and found some vintage tapestry covered buttons, could this day get any better? Hell yeah!

When I came home a parcel awaited me... from my dear friend Kelly Pringle... inside was Cadbury Wispa's, Dairy Milks, Chocolate Buttons and Monster Munch crisps, I smiled a smile only those far away from home would understand :)

But wait there is more! Wrapped inside some gold star covered paper was a most amazing book, Vintage Fashion, collecting and wearing designer classics, so perfect, so well timed and from such a great friend.

I don't think days like that happen very often and I am still smiling now, I just had to tell someone.

xx

Square Stitch

I just went for the longest walk to try and work off some Christmas cheer. Trifle seems to last the longest... well if you have had nearly 5 servings over 3 days it does tend to want to stick around.

I have not gone near my sewing machine and I have heaps of refashions and make news to do, but I am feeling really lazy. I thought I would show you a little item that I picked up when I was away on my little holiday after I graduated.

That is one of the best things about holidays, new op-shops!

The bambi, the bowl of flowers, the jug of flowers reflecting in the mirror, its so super cutey. It is in fact a fire guard and I use it to hide the little mess pile that seems to appear when I start to sew something in my studio.

Right now I am trying to sew a green silk dress that I cut out ages ago but the sun keeps on luring me out and about, but at least it gets to hide some where in style when in between construction stages.

Maybe I should sew it up right 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

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