Tuesday 26 February 2008

Outfit Number Thirteen

Here's yet another Holly Hobby Dress, It's the Built by Wendy Pattern I ALWAYS use, but this time I didn't use the curved sleeves, I made it with an idea that I'd give it to my preggers friends, and thought she wouldn't want to look wider because of her belly, so thought the sleeves looked better for her cropped.

What do you reckon?




The thing is, now that I've made it, I'm not sure of the colour and the material, it's kinda cotton, but creases really easily and if I was pregs I wouldn't want to do ANY ironing! I do like the colour, but wish it was a thicker synthetic material.

I'd like to be a bit more daring in my sewing, and think I'm playing it safe by using the same pattern over and over. Plus I guess people really like the Holly Hobby Style. So perhaps I'll keep making them for the fans, and churn out a few different ones as well. I have SO much material at the moment!

BUTTTTT speaking of material - I'm headed to Adelaide this week with hours of opshopping on Thursday - where to go? Is there a massive op shop out there ????

See ya guys!

Monday 18 February 2008

Let's get cooking for Outfit Number 12

Hey pals, well, it should really be a table cloth, or a few handy tea towels, but this material headed straight to my machine and became a dinky little yee-har dress!

I think the material came from a Victorian opshop on my summer road trip just gone, and now it's a simplicity pattern form, which was from lincraft (I don't like buying new patterns, but I thought this was sweet and modern, and had time to kill in the shops pre-Christmas). So here are the pics:



The front! Doesn't Diana look posh (in a Dolly Parton kinda way)???



Diana from the back, with the zipper ! I had to try 3 times to get the zipper in the right place, it gaped a lot at the back.



Me wearing the dress! Woo!

I must admit, it's not really the most flattering style of patterns I've made. I was a little disappointed to find 'petite' sizes here meant I'm the largest size (size 12) and as I like making other sizes for my friends (as I did with my Holly Hobby style dress below in previous posts) I might not be able to do that for this pattern (unless I'm making for tweenies). AND the bodice kind cuts your boobs into a weird shape, so it's not really for mad canned girls like myself. Hence the tweenie idea again, or if you're flat chested, and super skinny.

Anyways! It's still pretty cute, and entirely thrifted and opshopped (although not sure of the thread & definitely not the interfacing), the zipper, the lining (white old bed valance) and the material. So what does that make it? 70 percent thrifted?

Here's another pin cushion for my friend as well, I made one for my mum too, and she liked it!

Tuesday 12 February 2008

Outfit Number Eleven - Heaps Belated B'day Gift

Yay, here's a total reconstructed outfit for Number Eleven. My pal Neens gave me a huge mu-mu type dress is the best fabric!



It's blue cotton with puffy (but not total puff paint) paint screened over with Australiana pictures. Now, pretty revolting in a baglike state, but check out the recon here:




I'd totally wear it! Luckily it just fits her, and even though it was her material, I gave it back to her as a B'day present because I was going to make her something in Dec (and bring pasta salad to her party) but I felt too sickie with a flash illness.

I'm getting used to the early starts now, and finally leaving work at a decent hour, there's so much happening at the moment, but I think I'm getting a handle on it!

And Hi to my new sewing friend (I gave her the green pincushion below!) and good luck in starting out!!!!! Yay!

Friday 1 February 2008

Outfit Number TEN!

Here's a 60s maternity dress, from a second hand sheet! I got the pattern at an Orbost in country Victoria, and am into a bit of big billowing dresses (no I'm not preggers - just fashionable in my own way) at the moment, so hence the 'swing' style. I also watched Edward Scissorhands recently and you'll know if you've seen it that a lot of the women wear bright bold colours in swing style tops or dresses.

Check it out:




I wore it over black half leggings to work the other day, with black thongs, and I think it was pretty alright! Got a few comments, but I think people have given up commenting on my clothes as most things are hand made and new.

SO, my friend mailed me this and I think we'll have to go be part of the clothes swap as I have way too many clothes and perhaps I can swap them away (But not take any in return!)

xoxo

Yay for Outfit Number 10 - that's 10/100 so 1/10 of a way through my goal!

Dongmen Lu Fabric Market

Happy Wednesday! Time to get some fabric inspiration from the Dongmen Lu Fabric Market here in Shanghai! Can't believe how quickly 201...