Kittys Drawings

Hello!
On Friday I finished this pattern:

I’ve had this one for a while but wasn’t sure what to make it up from – I didn’t have anything in my stash that would fit the bill – the bill being a lightweight fabric with a lot of drape….Rayon? Yes. I don’t have a lot of it and what I do have is already earmarked for other things.
But then I saw that Sew Retro Rose had recently been to Spotlight and found RAYON there – tropical print rayon at that. WITH BIRDS ON IT.
Omg!!
She was so kind as to purchase me some and send it my way, and this is what I made – also a wrap dress but from the 40s instead of 50s.

This pattern came together really easily – complete in two and a bit sessions – probably about three hours all up. There’s really not much to it – I can’t even say what was the hardest part. Even the hand sewing is quite minimal, just tacking down facings. I finished the seams with rayon Hug Snug binding – though there are two French seams on the back gores of the skirt. I did a narrow hem as I think this looks neater on wrap skirts where the sections can flip up more than in a regular skirt. It also makes this a very economical dress – I used about 2m of quite wide fabric.

You can’t see the details too well in these pics – it’s the curse of prints I guess – but it’s more apparent in real life The gathers at the front are awesome – there’s five rows there and also some at the shoulders.

The closures are just two sets of hook & eyes and a tiny snap at the bust to keep it from gaping open (learnt this the hard way *cough*).
It’s a very breezy, casual and comfortable dress that is perfect for any more 38°C+  days that may be thrust upon us this summer. Plus this amazing fabric works with a LOT of colours, most notably red which always makes me very happy.

The shoes are Miss L Fire of course – I just had these re-soled so they get to be worn again. They’re a smidgen big though so can be annoying to walk in for long distances. I’ve put little heel stickies in them which has helped a bit. They’re my standard EU size 37 – does anyone else have Miss L Fire’s that *dont* have straps and can tell me if they ALL run large? In case I want to buy another pair of pumps…(likeliness of this happening: 100%). This is why I usually buy shoes with straps because then, a tiny difference in size isn’t going to have your shoe falling off your foot every fifth step.

Any-whooo….I don’t know what to start next! How bad is that! I’ve got some odds and ends that need doing – patterns to trace and things to mend. Not sure if I should get stuck into those?
My green coat is still on my mind too – I’ve found a place on eBay that sells heavier weight silk charmeuse for either $20p/yard for 100% silk or $10p/yard for 60% silk, 40% rayon. I need at least 7 yards just to be safe. Thoughts on what I should get? Both are an investment and this coat already isn’t cheap so cost, while it is a factor, I know I just need to suck it up.

Ugh – and my pics are pretty grainy and out of focus today – the camera wasn’t behaving….

Well that ought to be it for today. Till soon…

Hiya!!

So today I have for you a whole bunch of separates I’ve made since I had my little (big) blog break.

The skirts are both from the same 40′s Hollywood pattern (red is further down!) – it’s a ten gore and very flattering, though time consuming to make with all those seams. It’s easy to fit though! The seafoam green one is a linen blend or something – it’s got a nice drape to it. The red is a fairly coarse linen that will take some time to soften up. It goes super soft when it’s wet! I wish it would stay that way dry too I’ve added a lapped side zipper and zig-zagged the seams.

Next is a chou neck blouse – a 40′s Vogue pattern most kindly traced for me by the ever so lovely Tamara of A New Ball of String. Made from some leftover poly stuff I originally bought for backing a photobooth for my friends wedding (hehee!)…the fabric is pretty blah to sew and to wear but this was really a wearable muslin. I botched the sleeves but you can’t really tell. Yay for prints! The buttons on the back are my winnings here from Vintage Neccessities on Etsy.

Then comes this little polkadot number that Tamara also traced for me. It also has a button back (this time it’s tiny shell buttons from the same winnings) and a purple polkadot cotton. There are pleats on the front under the collar if you can’t tell

And finally, my favourite top and my favourite outfit right now….This AMAZING Vogue blouse pattern I recently bought off eBay. Has all those exceptional 40′s details like gathering and 5 tiny darts to give each sleeve shape. There back is yoked and the shoulder seam is slightly offset so it sits about an inch forward of the very top of my shoulders. The collar is cut in one and folds down into a very deep V neck fastened with one feature button and a smaller one below that hides under the skirt. Pretty risque actually!

This is the first time I’ve done a sleeve set into a band for the cuff so it’s pretty dodgy! I found the smaller red buttons at an op-shop in Huonville, Tasmania. I suspect they might be quite old and possibly made of celluloid or even bakelite? They are plastic but make a clinky sound when knocked together, unlike other plastic buttons which I have. Hmmm….
Very keen to make some more of this pattern, even though this is quite time consuming too with all the attaching collars, top-stitching and a million darts.

Lots more to catch up on still! I’ve finished a stunning 40′s dress out of navy rayon. A total PITA to work with but it’s turned out good. And today I went fabric hunting and found quite a few goodies – have a look on my Facebook or Instagram for some sneak peeks!

Next – a 40′s wrap dress made of amazing parrot printed rayon – purchased from one of my favourite Melbourne sewists, Sew Retro Rose – seriously she is amazing! The gorgeous stuff she makes is out of this world! She is making a 50′s wrap dress out of the same fabric so I thought it would be great to do a compare and contrast of the decades! Stay tuned peeps!!

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!

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 Guys!
EEP – I am really behind on blog stuff! Lots of things I can’t even show you. And little time to take pics of what I can show.

Here’s another item from my wardrobe for the meantime….

I bought this dress from Small Earth Vintage quite a while ago now. It came from the estate of a lady who was a bit of a fashion fiend and she just so happened to be right about my size…at least, the same height and waist measurement. Her bust was bigger, so I’ve taken this in a bit to fit better there. I also have another dress from her collection as well as a shirt or two (I think). It’s from the 50′s by the way…..as if you can’t tell

(look at Boofy strut)

I’m almost certain this is hand made as there is no label and a lot of the stitching gives it away. It’s been well loved and I’ve had to mend it a couple of times but it’s just such a great dress. It’s 100% cotton so it’s light and airy for summer. Perfect for picnics!

In other news….Well there’s a lot of it right now:

I did some more testing for another blogger who has her own pattern line. I shan’t reveal what it was until testing is completed and the pattern is released. All I can say is the pattern is AMAZING….and I finished it in one single day. Wow.

Also, I’m signed up for The Dreamstress’ corset making class at Thread Den which happens next week. Super excited about that! I really can’t wait to learn how to make corsets – I’ve been obsessing over them so much lately.

And, this weekend I’m off to see the Grace Kelly exhibition in Bendigo.  Wow! I love country Victoria too. It’s going to be great fossicking around in little antique shops and checking out amazing dresses. Will be frocking up for that one and I’m hoping it will be cold enough to wear my Lilli Ann swing coat (even with the cat-clawed collar).

Hmm

There’s other news I think but I forget it all now. More later!

Ciao!

Hello everyone!

Apologies for the lack of posting last weekend. We didn’t get back from Blaigowrie til quite late. The big ride on the scooter was quite a success…I won’t tell you how I managed to get more scratches in it (eep) but I will tell you that I got down there and back without anything seriously bad happening. For those folks not from Australia, Blairgowrie is about 100kms south of where I live in the inner suburbs of Melbourne (depending on which route you take)…It’s right at the bottom of Port Phillip Bay and is a popular spot for city people wanting to get away for the weekend. Mind you, it’s hardly ‘country’ or even remotely isolated…Melbourne is such a spread out city that the entire trip down the bay is built up with plush beach houses of varying scale and style.
Anyways, we had a good time – playing board games, drinking and just blobbing about. Yay

So on to this week’s sewing project…

This has been the first project for the year following my new resolution of taking my time and finishing things properly. I’m so happy with this top that I can even show you the insides The pattern is Mccall 6475 from 1946 and I used a cotton blend of some description in a nice orange floral. I don’t usually go for orange but I loved this print as soon as I laid eyes on it. It’s another one from Savers from way back. The fabric has a really great drape to it and is soft and airy. It may be a rayon/cotton blend…Not sure. It washes ok from the little swatch I tested….so who knows what’s in it.

A few notes about the pattern and finishing:

• I made view C which you can’t see on the cover but the only difference from view B is the peplum at the bottom isn’t gathered as it’s designed to fit under a skirt.
• I don’t think this would work with anything but a super drapey fabric. There’s a lot of gathering that needs to fall nicely. I’m happy with my fabric choice!
• It’s VERY blousey – considering how small the size is, and it IS meant to be roomy, but there’s a LOT of room. Tight, structured waist definition is absolutely essential for styling this!
• The cute details are a bit lost in this print but I would love to make this out of a plain, maybe even sheer fabric

• I finished as many seams as I could with rayon seam binding.
• The side seams are zig-zag stitched because I ran out of that colour seam binding!
• I made a narrow hem finished by hand.
• The side closure consists of three snaps and a hook & eye on a placket. This is SO much better than a zip – And yes I will keep going on about that forever.
• I omitted the shoulder pads….for obvious reasons. I guess some light ones wouldn’t look too bad and they are very much essential for the era…One day I will make some and see how they look.

Yay! I’m really pleased with this top and I definitely want to make more versions of it. It took about a weekend to do – The bound seams were fairly time consuming but if you omitted those this would take no time at all to make. Once again, this is another one of those 40′s patterns with neat little details. I love how the sleeves attach to the neckline. Mccall’s patterns from the 40′s are especially excellent. Side note: I’m actually waiting on a heap of patterns to arrive from Etsy, eBay and a super special Mccall’s from Patterns From the Past.

Notice I also got my replacement grey shoes from Asos? The 38 fits much better.

Well that’s all for now. I have to start on a new project…I don’t even know if I’ll have anything new to show for next week! I think I’ll have to actually do some drawing! How bout that!

Heh…

Ciao then!

Hi Guys!

We’re back from WA! What a whirlwind trip that was. Totally forgot how FAR everything is from everything else there. It’s a good 3.5 hour drive to Margaret River from Perth and we did the trip 4 times in as many days. Crazy! We didn’t actually spend that much time in Perth – mostly hanging around Freemantle and then off down to Marg River to sleep. The weather was beautiful and HOT the whole time we were there – so hot that it was perfectly reasonable to go swimming at the lovely and secluded Redgate beach at 8am.

The wedding of course was awesome. The bride wore the most amazing lace dress with little attached bolero thingamabob and elegant fishtail skirt. Dinner consisted of scallops for entree, steak for main and some sort of parfait thing for dessert. All was delicious as to be expected from the winery it was held at. And the wine was great – goes without saying really (even though I just said it) .

As for what I wore…You’ll see that soon enough….

Anyways – Onto what this post is supposed to be about….My “Summer Collection” (haha that’s intentionally wanky sounding)….Of which there is only a couple of pieces so far….Isn’t “piece” a wanky word too? Heh. Oh dear. Carry on. Um. So yeh – I whipped this up using my Butterick 2633 pattern and made view B this time round. I used a purple floral cotton I bought off Etsy (from the same seller as I got the pattern off). It’s “vintage” I suppose – I’ve no idea what era its actually from – it’s fairly thin and I’m vaguely guessing 70′s but I could be totally wrong.

These are the things I changed/added:

• Lined it with a white cotton sheet. It’s super soft and great to wear when it’s hot
• The side zipper I carried all the way up to the armpit cos I hate struggling into dresses and smooshing my shoulders through a narrow gap.
• Took a V shaped wedge vertically, out of the middle of the bodice since the last dress I made gaped a bit at the bust.
• Also narrowed it on the side seams.
• Somehow had to fit the extra skirt into the smaller bodice so added another ‘tuck’ or pleat or whatever.
• Drafted my own kick-pleat for the back as the original pattern has NO vent in the wiggle skirt. I don’t want to wiggle that much – just not practical for a day dress
• Brought the side seams of the skirt in quite a bit to account for smaller hips than the pattern.
• And shortened the skirt of course….

I’ve decided I don’t really like pleats and/or tucks instead of darts in a skirt. Why would I want to make my hips look bigger? They bunch up when you sit down too. I know they offer more freedom of movement but I like to keep things slimmer around that area to try and balance out my relatively narrow shoulders. Despite that little design flaw I’m rather happy with this dress. It’s proved excellent for the hot weather. AND it matches my peppermint lolly Miss L Fire wedges perfectly. I didn’t plan this but realised they would go well together about halfway through making the dress. Add the little white belt I made and my new green bag and YAY, new outfit!

The green bag by the way, is the same brand as the yellow hexagonal one – how’s that for vintage karma?? After my years of trawling the internet, it’s not often you find such things…For clothes yes, but accessories like this are harder to come by.

Other news: I should be able to get back on this blogging bandwagon a bit more regularly now. There’s quite a few things I’ve got in mind for the next few weeks. Including a giveaway – IF I reach 100 followers So when that happens I’ll host something. Not sure what yet. I don’t have the resources to get my art printed at the moment though I could supply something digitally. Even though that’s kind of lame. Is it? Or some sewing bits and bobs – or something else? Clearly I have to think about this a little more….

Also – I’ve decided to become mobile, and get my scooter license. Yup that’s right – I don’t have a license. Any license. At almost 28 years old I think it’s about time I got myself some wheels. The BF has had his bike for a few months now and has been encouraging me to get a scooter. What finally pushed me over the edge from procrastination into action was the news that our People’s Chariot (Trains, trams and buses) are increasing their fares by an average of 8.6% on New Years Day! The scoundrels! That’s more than double the current rate of inflation. In the 8 years I’ve lived in Melbourne, there has been no significant improvement in public transport services, certainly not enough to warrant the guaranteed price hikes every year. It has now become more economical for me to purchase a scooter and drive to work. So I’m off to do my license test at the very end of this year and by 2012 I’ll be joining the ranks of petrol guzzlers (albeit daintily sipping not guzzling – heh) on the roads every day.

Pictures of my new ride when it arrives from Adelaide…For those that aren’t Facebook friends, you can take a potshot at exactly the kind of scooter I will be getting and I’ll bet you’ll be right

(aaand – look it’s Puss)

Till soon!