Hello Everyone!
Woowee am I excited to show you this latest creation!

EVERYTHING is awesome about it ;-P If I do say so myself! Haha.

Pattern: Butterick 3989 – from early to mid 40′s I think. From the amazing Evadress Patterns
Fabric: Awesome tropical print rayon WITH PINEAPPLES from eBay. This isn’t vintage as the selvedge mentions “Hoffman Internation Fabrics 2001″. How COOL is it!? I have another piece which has Plumerias and palm trees on it!

Notions: Just a heap of snaps and thread. Duh.

Cost: About $28 – The pattern was $20, the fabric I got three yards for $6 plus shipping, and snaps are cheapish. Still enough fabric left for a top
Changes Made: Made it knee length – easy! ZERO fit alterations – These patterns fit SO well straight outta the box! Yay!
Finishing: I used selvedge as best as I could, and rayon seam binding on most seams. The curve seam at the front I zigzagged.
Notes: I made a boo-boo with this! I don’t usually make any serious mistakes but here I did. I traced the front draped skirt piece to make a new piece, since I didn’t think I could do my usual trick of folding the pattern piece up to shorten it. It’s a bit of a weird shape and I didn’t want to hack at my pattern. Yes I am naughty and cut straight from precious pieces of paper that are older than my grandma (almost). Though this wasn’t the real reason I made a boo-boo, but it probably helped. See, this dress has quite a few pieces that are only cut once, so it’s important you’re cutting the right side of the fabric. Get where I’m going here? Yep! I cut this piece the wrong way round so I had two left facing skirt sections. Derpalina!
Easily fixed though and the rest of the make was easy….

Until I got to the sleeves…

Yeh this confused me for a bit. I couldn’t figure out how the little tiny sleeve section was to join the cap sleeve, and still be finished on the outside. I decided to just follow the instructions and baste each piece in (instead of taking a shortcut and sewing straight away) – and what do you know? Patience won out and it made sense once I’d basted it all together. It’s a bit of an interesting way to finish a sleeve – and involves less hand sewing than Mccall 6006.

The gathers are so cool, as well as the asymmetrical neckline. These details might have been more visible using a plain fabric but I LOVE prints so much.

Next project and other things – My 1940′s trench coat is cut out. I also found some lining online for my green coat. Silk and rayon blend from Vietnam – the price was very good so I’m hoping it’s nice when I get it. It’s going to be a rich purple colour – a nice contrast to the apple green. *GRIN*
Also went to Brunswick the other day and found some very light white cotton for the underlining of a very special project (hints are on Facebook). Savers was picked clean of anything good – Just got some dark green cotton drill which would be good for a pencil skirt, and buttons to match. Coincidentally I found some Jeffrey Campbell shoes today in the SAME SHADE for $65. Bought. Yep. No more spending til next pay-day so dont let me! Hah.
I’m not usually that keen on the crazy Jeffrey Campbells I see around the parts…I like crazy shoes, but not ones that make your feet look like giant hooves. Errgh. Anyways, you’ll probably see them eventually.

I’m continuing on with hair experiments. This one is a bit blah but the roll is cool. I don’t think my face shape is suited to have two rolls on the top of my head so one will do for now. I’ve purchased some setting lotion and lots of pin-curl clips and currently have my hair setting. Fingers crossed for a nice result tomorrow!

Enough rambling – time to go!

Ciao!

Hi Everyone!
Been a bit long since I last posted huh?
The parents were up last weekend so I was running around too much to take photos. Though you might have seen some on Instagram. I have no idea how to link my profile tho. Usually I’m good with techy things too. If you go to my FB page there’s a few Instagram pics there and I guess you can follow from those.

Sooo – this dress. I’ll do a nice list of details kinda like the Sew Weekly posts because they are easier to read aren’t they?

Pattern: Simplicity 3835 from the 40′s – early in the decade I think, but can’t be sure.
Fabric: Pastel green sheer with white floral flocking – possibly nylon? New Japanese made fabric bought from one of the little shops on Sydney Rd Brunswick.
Notions: A heap of snaps and 3 tiny hook & eyes.
Cost: About $13 – $5 p/m for the fabric – I used just about 2m. Snaps were probably about $3 – they’re so expensive here and I use heaps of them. Need to buy them in bulk from somewhere!

Changes Made: Lowered the neckline a smidgen (just by hacking at the front piece where the bow sits) since it was super high. That’s all! The pattern pieces are for the long skirt so I wouldn’t count shortening them as an alteration.
Finishing: Snaps and hook & eyes at waist with an opening on both sides. One side is lapped and the other with just the seam folded over and stitched twice. Narrow hem on skirt and belt ties. Seams finished using a double stitch, about 1mm apart and then trimmed. I couldn’t be bothered with French seams for this. Lazy!

Verdict: Love it!! I’ve wanted to make something with this fabric for a while – and it’s been planned for many things but I settled on this pattern in the end. I love sheer dresses and want to make more! I’m only wearing a nude coloured slip under this but wearing a bright layer would be so cool – the possibilities are endless. It’s not really winter clothing but who cares? It’s not really colder than wearing any other dress in winter. Plus it WILL be awesome when the hot weather rolls around. It was really easy to make but there is quite a lot of hand finishing – I guess these earlier patterns don’t come with all the facings either. I was instructed to cut my own bias strip to finish the neck edges and to cut a piece for the bow.
The double side openings are interesting too, because it only says to lap one side. If I made this again, I’d do a lapped opening on both sides because it’s tidier. Even if it takes more work.

(look – seams! Hehe. And my hair is freshly ‘redded’ – yay!)

My makeup – since I thought I’d show you….The lipstick was a gift from the always fabulous Super Kawaii Mama for when I helped her out with the vintage bridal talk she had at the Love Vintage fair. The colour is so rich and the actual lipstick smells like cinnamon – nice!

I don’t always wear the Laura Mercier powder – sometimes opting for Revlon Colorstay, but this one is really good. It has great coverage. I bought it off StrawberryNET so the colour is a shade too dark – will go lighter next time! Not that you can tell in the photos.
The concealer I always rave about to everyone who will listen – I’ve had it for ages and it’s the best concealer in the world – covers EVERYTHING. And you only need the tiniest smidgen.
I could rabbit on about the other things but I wont. Heh. If you have any questions, do ask!

Now onto other news: I’m making another dress – haha! Surprised? I went a bit mental this month and bought a shitload of different rayons. Some from Denver Fabrics and the rest from eBay. Dad also bought me some really amazing black and purple pure wool plaid from the Vic Markets. It will become a wiggle dress with an empire waist and black bow at the back. I’ve never matched plaids so wish me luck with that one!
The coat is still going nowhere – waiting for payday so I can get some lining for it. I’ve not found anything good online so I’m going to try my luck out at Brunswick or maybe hit up Tessuti.

Umm…what else – Work has been crazy-busy lately – 12 hour shifts in front of the computer are intense. It’s not going to let up for a while either. There will definitely be less time to sew next week. But I should finish my current project.

Bla blah – okay I think I’m done! This post has taken me ages….Time to go relax and watch a movie. I haven’t even done any sewing today – might leave that for Sunday.

Oh and thanks for all the comments on my shirt post I’m really behind on replying but I will get to it eventually!

Ciao for now!

Hi All
Ack! Mega late posting! To think I wanted to get this up on Saturday! Bah!
What did I DO with my weekend???
Well it was pretty busy in fact – if you count going out and drinking quite a bit on Friday, recovering Saturday, talking bridesmaid duties Saturday evening and theeeennnn….What DID I do Sunday? Oh that’s right – I made another version of last weeks Butterick top for a friend!
Isn’t it crazy how the days can get away from you?

So…To drawing…These were the last two weeks of The Drawing Salon. In week 7 we covered stripes and wool texture. As well as being taught how to draw your own croquis template. This was a really neat technique which I’ve actually done a tutorial for. If you want to see it let me know – and I’ll have to ask Angie if I’m allowed to divulge some secrets!

I’m not sure I’m too happy with this one …. Surprised? Haha. It’s a bit too – overworked. Meh. These watercolours will take a while to get used to.

Week 8 was lots of fun too. The topic was collage and we used fabric and paper to make our images. The 3D aspect was neat – My gown was much puffier but then I carried it home jammed into my sketchbook and proceeded to flatten it further with the scanner *cough*.

The flowers on her head are cut outs from some fabric.

Annnnnd that’s about all for now. Got a few things coming up next week so I’m hoping I’ll find time to take pics of more sewing stuff amongst it all.
My folks are coming to visit next weekend which will be ace! I haven’t seen them in a year almost (I think!).
Also, heading to Sydney for the day on Saturday, with a nice roadtrip back.
Busy busy.
Well, must run!
Till soon…

Hullo Everyone!
Why look, I have a sewing post – at last! It’s not the one I intended to write about today…that didn’t happen because yesterday the batteries for the camera went flat as I was about to take pics. And then I found a lipstick stain on my dress. Bummer! So now it’s in the wash and I’m showing you Butterick 6740 (view A) instead.

This pattern isn’t mine – I borrowed it off my epically stylish best friend > Brand New Armour so I could make it for her. And then I made myself one. And then I will make her another – cos it’s such a neat pattern.

It’s SO easy to make – even though it came with no instructions, you don’t really need them. The envelope tells you enough – the neckline gathers into a band which ties to make a bow. The sleeves I faced with bias tape (blue satin in this instance) and they are all cut in one with the bodice.

My fabric is a poly cotton blend found at Savers. It’s nice and lightweight and has just the right amount of body. That said, you could make this shirt in a lot of different weights. The one I made for my friend is much lighter and slightly sheer.

I made a few teeny changes….brought the bust in a bit because this one is big for me and even then it has TONS of ease. The neck band needs to be twice as long!! YES. I don’t know what kind of skinny necks chicks in the 5o’s had but if you followed the pattern, you’d be strangling yourself and not even have enough to make a nice looking bow.

The buttons are amazing blue cut glass – possibly from the 30′s. These came from Etsy and I just love them. The colour is such a vivid and deep blue.

Comes together in a couple of hours…And so flattering. I do need to make more for others – share the love….The variations are endless for this. You could even do a contrast neck band. Or make it out of something quite slinky.

Yays!

Check out my shoes too. I am so in love with these. They are Miss L Fire (of course), with little raffia flowers on them and a carved wooden heel. I also tried to do something with my hair – only just passed as a moderate success….maybe. I suck at hair! Must keep practising. I saw a girl at a cafe yesterday with an amazing green coat and a fluffy grey fox around her neck – she had long black hair and bangs….I think I want a fringe…Maybe. But it’s one of those things that if it doesn’t work out, you have to live with the blah for months til it grows out. Anyways – the length is getting better….It needs a trim but I will wait a bit longer.

Other news: I have a drawing to post but I’m a bit blah about that too. Might put it up during the week with the final Drawing Salon class results.
The green coat is coming along nicely (check Facebook for a preview). I’m at a standstill now…next week is payday so I will buy some more green wool for the facings and sleeve (I am thinking of re-cutting so they aren’t tapered like in the pattern)…shame about all the wastage of the amazing fabric *sad face*. I’ve put all the seams together apart from the side ones. Which is a good thing because I’ve decided it definitely needs pockets – what kind of coat doesn’t have pockets? – so I will use Tasia’s Cambie Dress pockets and insert them in my side seams. This should be pretty easy. Except I need to make them out of the lining fabric. Which I don’t have yet. I’ve been looking for an interesting rayon stripe but not had much luck. I might just go with a solid colour.
Do you think a rayon lining is a good idea or should I go with silk?
I don’t want anything too thin – my current winter jacket (RTW) has got the crappiest lining that is literally falling apart and it’s only in it’s second season. I know a lot of clothes are ‘throw-away’ these days but is it too much to expect all the components of one garment to at least have the same life span? The outside is fine and holding up beautifully, but each mend I make on the lining, the next day there is another tear. GRR!
So yeh, I want something that’s going to last as long as my coat will. Ideas?

Erm – I probably have more to ramble about but it’s time to hit the sewing machine…

Ciao!

Hi All!

I sure am behind on my sewing posts aren’t I?! The weekends have been too blah to take any photos, though I have been sewing. I cut out three garments like a madwoman on Saturday. And made an apron. And did a tiny bit on my coat.

But – to drawing. This week it was Fur & Shine. Fur is tricky as hell to draw! All those soft edges you can’t actually draw because then it won’t look like fur.  Shine was a bit easier – reflective surfaces usually have harder edges.

Not sure I like this one too much. Didn’t think it through hard enough before starting to paint. Should have done a very light wash for the skin tone before doing the fur. Need to experiment with creating soft tones and variations for skin using watercolour.

Anyways, promise to have sewing stuff on the weekend.

Ciao!

Hi All

Fly by post today. Cleaning the house duties mean I have no time to write much.

So – this week’s topic was watercolours, patterns and lace.

But first, some ‘extra curricular’ activity. Sketch done in low light so I couldn’t see my colours properly. Inspiration take from Julia Trotti’s amazing photography (new discovery – um, WOW!). Yes, I did some drawing without playing tricks on my brain to start it.

Anyways – class work. The original photo that we used as ref had a big green skirt but we had to make it leopard print instead. Watercolours are so versatile – and fun! I want to try more techniques with them! For these effects I wet the paper first and then washed over the paint. Then using a watercolour pencil I drew in the spots. The wet paper blurred the pencil and gave it that fuzzy, velvety effect.

The lace was done in a similar manner but with the pencil super sharp.

There’s still lots to learn, and the random and unpredictable nature of watercolour means you’re never quite 100% sure of what you’re going to get….Something I think you have to take advantage of instead of fight

Well – til soon! Next post should be sewing!

Hi All!

The Drawing Salon this week was all about legs and learning how to use paint markers – or whatever they’re called – those Copic pens.  I bought 5 off eBay which arrived just in time. A grey, a skin tone, a colourless blender and two more contrasting shades, a pink and a green.

Legs are really fun to draw because you can make them so shapely. We practiced first on some bleed-proof paper.

Then onto the main drawing – A fairly tricky pose, especially with the sneaky addition of those hands. And the way the leg twists is an awkward one to capture.

I really got into it though, and I’m loving using natural media again. The pens are interesting – they behaved very differently on the two papers. The blender will take a bit of learning too. I also used Derwent watercolour pencils, which when mixed with the pens can give a lot of flexibility with colour mixing and textures. Lots to explore there!
Some detail…

Annnnd thats all for now. On the weekend I will be heading to the Love Vintage fair – most likely on Sunday so if you see me – say Hi! Other plans are a secret for now but I may have some cool pics for you next week. And if I get a chance, I will photograph the latest dress I finished. The coat is being worked on – I’ve underlined it now with my silk organza. When I start putting some seams together, I might even be able to show you.

Anyways, time to go!
Ciao!