Archive for October 2012
October 28, 2012 | 
Author 
Hello you! lets add a soundtrack to this post, press play here and shoulder shimmer your booty back here.
For this post we are staring at my pants but by all means swish your eyes around, I’m running around the busy grounds of Victoria’s State Library dodging suits, seagulls and giggling school kids in my handmade get-up. Vogue Pattern 8738. third time around and still I refuse to sew them in the suggested fabric, total badass! and talk about getting the most out of a sewing pattern- Vogue Patterns are not cheap unless you are smart like me and save up all of your coupons and use them when the pattern sales are on. I think I’ve gotten my money’s worth so I’ll stop making them and move onto something more challenging.
This pattern was a godsend for this weeks challenge, I’ve been on the busy side so I needed something quick and easy to put together. The fabric is a mixture of rayon and linen which I found buried deep in a pile of marked downs for $5 at my local Spotlight store. The earthy tones were what made me say ‘yes please’. I like the way the fabrics pattern complements the texture, I’ve imagined wearing them with a fitted waistcoat or a light airy kimono top that drapes along side the drape of the pants. I like the way they move I can only imagine how they would look if I made them in a two way stretch. Yum!
Pinterest has really gotten me inspired, I pin the shizz out of that thing it’s like one big amazing magazine filled with all of my favourite images that I can stare at for constant inspiration I like to have it open at work so I can get quick bursts of inspiration in between working on the not so inspiring stuff. I’ve been pinning fancy editorials and amazing graphic design layouts it’s gotten me all excited so why not amp it up here? with all that inspiration it has to go somewhere right? Do you like my almost editorial post or do you like micro-shots of super tight serged edges?
I think I’ve gathered enough images for this post to show you these pants in full flight, I should tell you why I’ve sewn with these colours, it’s the Fall Palette Challenge over at The Sew Weekly so I’m sewing my Spring/Summer Palette, earthy colours! but one would argue that these colours are indeed fall colours? I told you last week how I’m all about breaking the rules baby, anything goes. I’ve teamed these pants with a khaki green and yellow headwrap/turban-thrifted net fabric, like the fabric worn by Madonna in this Holiday video. The fur shrug was made for this outfit- I wear it too much. The neck piece was made for this yellow challenge which I get a lot of wear out of too, its ability to twist and mould into different arrangements is a win for me. My belt was thrifted and because I’m a total tightarse when it comes to clothes I’ll splurge on shoes because I can’t make them. These ankle boot wedges are Jeffrey Campbell’s. Absolutely the most comfortable shoes e v e r .
and that’s about it. Oh! Dimestore Diamond is a Gossip song from their killer album Music for Men, Beth Ditto is the business, I picked up her Memoir yesterday can’t wait to dig into that and just to clarify I’m no Dimestore Diamond I just love the song and the rolling base line.
Pop back next week I’ve just finished a little something from the this Pattern Magic book, I have to try and get good photos of it today, it’s black so that could be a challenge. Have a creative week and Happy Sewing.
Do you recognise this dress? Yes, it’s the Gatsby Dress, I’m trying really hard to ‘work it’ it’s a bit of a disaster really, no time for anything this week. This week over at the Sew Weekly it’s the UFO challenge which means- unfinished object, because I’ve had a big week and visitors over this weekend it was best I kept things simple so I could get to work on other things. Using the Gatsby dress was my best and most fastest way out of this challenge, I thought i’d try and make it into something more wearable? that— I believe is called a refashion? I know, I know but I’m all about breaking the rules baby.
Can you pick what’s wrong with this dress? I think we were destined to never get along. After chopping off the bottom of the Gatsby dress I placed darts in the back, chopped off those flutter sleeves replacing them with these capped sleeves, reinforced all the seams with stay tape, tried it on for a final fitting deciding I was happy then proceeded to dye it black.
Once it was dyed and dried, I placed the peterpan collar on, threw it over my head, stood in the mirror and just laughed, a big belly laugh, the thing shrank up to my thing. What do you do? From what was a very large tablecloth that would of fit a queen bed to now, a barely wearable dress all I can think is what. a. disaster, what next? should I sew a crotch and wear it as a swimming costume to scare the sharks off the beach, a new take on the one piece perhaps? Ha! Oh please, feel free to laugh along. I’ll send you a bag of lemons!
I was going to line it but why would you bother. I had to take the photos in my backyard, my butt was hanging out the back, my hubby was like, yeah! that’s hot!! *eye roll*
Maybe I can make a bolster cushion of sorts? Hmm, the ladies over at The Sew Weekly give the best advice and I appreciate all of their lovely comments but I’ve decided to bin the thing. Totally defeated and still happy to show you that things don’t always go to plan even though I’m smiling in the photos—believe me it’s not the dress it’s my new haircut. Ah well. Hopefully next weeks garment puts my sewing mojo back on track. See you then. Have a great weekend.
This ones called Grace-one of my favourite Supagrass songs.
Hola Amigo!
I was kinda stumped as to what I might sew for this weeks Western challenge, I’ve never had the chance to wear the dress I danced in for last years challenge; I think my taste has changed and I feel it’s too young for me now or maybe it was a case of what the hell was I thinking? So to narrow things down a western shirt or gingham number I know I wont wear anytime soon, so I settled on this self drafted jacket, a take on the Mexican poncho I guess. Sure I could of made a poncho but where’s the challenge in that, I need to move on from the squares, you know what I mean?
I found this Mexican stuff in the cheap pile of the furnishing section of Spotlight, it’s a serious woven, I grabbed two metres and whilst I was there I grabbed a couple of metres of stay tape, I knew that any pressure put on these seams would be a total disaster so I needed to reinforce and that I did, side seams, shoulder seams and the back of the neck facing.
That horse seems to be mocking my hat, I don’t have an appropriately themed hat OKAY!
Here I am out on the ranch ready to hail a pony, let’s call this styling ‘mexican irate pirate’ for the making of this jacket thingy, I measured myself up and cut the back panel first then I folded it in half and used it as a guide for the two front panels extending the lapel out and sewing the underneath section to the shoulder seam, lost yet? the lapel then folds over and sits over my shoulders this is where I added the two longer sections that cross over one another onto my back matching the rhythm of the fabrics pattern, you cant notice the join at all. The arm scyes were serged and turned under and pressed into shape.
I placed pockets on the front, you need pockets. I was in two minds as to whether I should place the pocket inline with the fabrics pattern or not, I decided to place it off line so you knew it had pockets, now I wished I did side pockets. I placed stay tape on the right inside of the jacket seam and on the inner left hand side of the lapel so you could tie it up before you folded the right hand side over, you know like a dressing gown does. This way it stays put and I can round up the irate Pirates & Amigos for some tequila’s with confidence. The pom poms were thrifted and finished things off nicely. The only thing missing is a sombrero moustache and cactus ha! the styling’s a little off, it’s probably why this thing went down like a lead balloon but managed to get the Thursday spotlight? strange. I didn’t have anything on hand for my head, and really wasn’t feeling it this week. Ah well.
I do like this but feel it adds pounds to my shape. I have broad shoulders already so making these lapels big and with the stripes and all make me feel a tad frumpy. Where would I wear this? Camping? night-time BBQ? My local Touché Hombre? Who know’s, I’m sure there will be a place for it somewhere, sometime.
These babies are what I call my Boots of Awesome. I DIY’d them from a thrifted pair of boots a while ago. You can see more of them here.
Despretador! song 3 from El Mariachi Bronx, get it in your ears Amigo!
Happy Sewing
