back!

how long it has been! clothes (or the making of them) have taken a back seat during uni/exams (including the missing of one)/end of exams/laziness etc. but this is what i have been working on for the past few days.

(aforesaid laziness has led me to take pictures on photobooth; hence the a) bad quality and b) unasked for look into my bedroom)

the dress is made off the same pattern i used for the orange one of a couple of months ago, but with a collar and little capped sleeves added. the fabric is a dusky pink silk blend, i think (following up on my decision that i ought to wear more pink clothes). my mum descibed it as "very '50s Chanel"... though i doubt very much that Chanel would make anything that is so poorly finished on the inside, and has a visible hemline.

oh well.

writin' essays

is good for creativity. unfortunately not the academic type. so i ripped off an ugly-ish dress i already own and made it again in pretty fabric.

it was actually super easy, i just put the paper on the dress and (somewhat haphazardly) traced the lines and the darts. added in seam allowance (looking back i definitely should have added more, the dress is a little constricting) and just sewed.

(my sister takes photos, "do something with your arms!")

the fabric is this lovely cotton/linen... stuff... from the Fabric Store in Fitzroy, it it permanently crumpled and i am terrified it is going to shrink into unwearability when i wash it, but it's a pretty az colour.

jumper plus

...because it was kind of boring before. lace came from my grandma; beads from diva.

for my deer friends

more laminator art! it is seriously so easy, just draw and cut and laminate. then some handy work with pliers and you have a pretty necklace. e-z.

jump jump

i had a whole bunch of material left over from el cape, so i made myself a lovely soft jumper that i am wearing now and it is oh-so-comfy.

how-to pix coming soon.

cape II

so this is cape numero dos, which i made for my sister for her birthday. it's a lovely blue sweater kind of material, it feels so nice!

and i know, she's in her school uniform, but it looked kind of cute. like she was about to go and skip through the woods to school.

and aptly, i guess, the cord is made from the lanyard of my old girl guides whistle.

who needs diamonds

when you have a texta, a laminator and superglue?

vulture dress

it's been a while coming... after a couple of weeks of being 'busy' doing 'study' for 'uni', i returned to the sewing machine to make something for my birthday party.

here you go : the vulture dress.

it ended up being somewhat slapdash - ie. "I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO AND IT DOESN'T FIT ME" but it didn't fall apart, which i suppose is a good sign.

it took an age to cut out the back, and i still didn't get it exactly as i wanted- it tends to gape a little.

fabric is a scanlan & theodore from the fabric store in fitzroy; buttons from clegs; feathers from ebay.

also thankyou to amie (Amourette) for design help, and the amazing shoes

spruik

at the peril of sending this out into the blogosphere and no-one reading it...

introducing

stegosaur designs

jewellery

accessories

clothing

extras

stay tuned (bookmarked?) for more information or to get in contact.

undies, part II

not undies at all, to be honest. bikini top! it's pretty easy, hopefully the pictures are demonstrative enough.

the straps are a bitch to turn inside out, but worth it (and arguably necessary). for another bikini top i made i sewed elastic onto the top and bottom of the lining, just to make it stay a little more. i also thought about interfacing the lining, which i think would make it a bit more sturdy (which it probably needs; it is a garment most suited for sitting by a pool and not moving very much)

undies party

this saturday night is undies party; underwear is to be used as a form of self-expression. so in preparation of this and pre-emption of summer i am making some (possibly slightly gaga-style) briefs that shall, come warmer weather, morph into my new bikini.

they're super easy- all you need is half a metre of lycra/other stretchy fabric; the same of lining; a sewing machine; a leotard that fits you.

1. trace pattern (as high/low as you want)

2. cut fabric, lining

3. pin lining, fabric together

4. sew. turn. press.

5. sew front and back together.

6. waistband.

6. ta-dah!

swimsuit top is forthcoming...

collier

i'm not going to lie, this wasn't my idea. i copied it from the ensemble project, which i think in turn was inspired by an anthropologie piece. it was super simple, just a brooch from savers and some stiff cord from spotlight (it holds itself, no treatment needed).

the ensemble project version

my version

necklesses

just a bunch of jewellery i've made over the past couple of months.

raided the farm set. they're pigs, what of it

this was an earring that i found on the ground in berlin

...and this is just my diamond.

possibly the dodgiest piece of apparel i have made- its not even a scrabble tile, just a hangman tile blu-tacked to what was formerly a small girl's costume ring. but it gets the most comments.

caped avenger

i haven't done much avenging. yet.

but i have been having super cape jealousy, especially now it is the winter months and wearing something that resembles a blanket is really attractive. after a few weeks of trawling on ebay, i found a super butterick historical cape pattern (i don't know if you can actually buy it, i couldn't find it on the butterick site). cue visit to the fantastic fabric shop in fitzroy, and the purchase of a whole lot of velvet.

it took about a week to make, maybe a little longer. the pattern was useful, but i honestly think you could do it without- it's a fairly simple shape, if you think about how full and long you want it to be.

then i saw a girl with a powder blue wool cape with a fur trim. the cape envy just goes round in circles.

hosiery

these stockings by lucette, from the rosemount australian fashion week, blew me away. you'd think that bejewelled footless tights would be gaudy, yet they manage to be sophisticated while still making me go, 'GLITTER!'

next task: to replicate them.

basically i went to spotlight and bought a whole load of discount sparkly things, then spent a good three hours sewing them onto little patches. note- if you do this, it's a really clever idea to hem the patches first, otherwise you will have fraying edges all over your sophistication.

i then sewed the patches onto a pair of black stockings. second note- i sewed the patches on while i was wearing the stockings, which resulted in attractive squares of pinpricks on my knees, so don't do it before an important event.

results:

third note- not suitable for dancing, walking up stairs, crossing legs, close proximity to other objects, breathing.