new year, new sewing

I think that there has been a bit of a delayed response with my blogging this year (so far).  It kind of goes like this.. do some craft/sewing/see something inspiring. Think about blogging about it.  Then watch the time slip by... 

So now I am seizing the moment, and finally blogging about something (if only about a week too late!)  I had been hoarding some luscious Liberty 'Mim' fabric for some time, and have finally turned it into something worthwhile: version 3.0 of the 'ever versatile top'- this time a ray of sunshine!  This time I had accessorised with some very cute little cross-stitch buttons from the lovely Heleen at Ruby In The Dust- which I had purchased at a craft fair earlier and just happened to be a perfect match colour-wise!

little collars

These little peter pan collars are ridiculously cute.  A sort of a mix of something that references jewellery and clothing all at the same time.  And did I mention that they were cute? And ric-rac is now the best thing since sliced bread- I can't believe that I haven't used it before in my crafting...

ghost grey

If I was making a range of clothes, I would be sure to call a shade of grey like this 'ghost grey'. Unfortunately, due to my photography skills, the photos do not do this top justice! I have been dipping into my fabric stash as of late, and this is my newest piece. I thought that I would play around with some stitching detail this time, and have wound up creating an art deco meets handcraft bit of stitching on the yoke, which is very endearing...

a blouse-y top

I've managed to do some sewing at last. At this stage it is a matter of not getting precious over my stash of Liberty fabric. No point in wasting fabric or time waiting for the 'perfect' project. Here I have used Liberty Christelle along the neckline and Liberty Jean B, all available from here. I really like the mix of fabrics, and the vintage buttons look very cute. This is a great style to wear tucked into skirts as it has a nice amount of volume. I'm going to make another one or two of these in different fabrics, and I suspect that I will probably do a bit of altering to the pattern (hey! I am a patternmaker afterall!)

And in case you're wondering, I used McCalls pattern M5538, which is easy to find as it has a Rachel Bilson lookalike on the cover.

a little bit of craft

Sometimes, a little bit of craft is all you need. I made this cute little pincushion for my sister. I'm really liking this working with text and embroidery thing at the moment. I thought that the green colours would go perfectly with her vintage sewing tin (unfortunately the photo of it turned out frighteningly bad, so you can only see a snippet of it in the first photo).


This little sewing tin has some seriously good finds in it, including 'The Glenda Double Fold Bias Binding' and the remains of an old- fashion rose sewing kit. Very tempting to use I say, but somehow they just belong in that tin- I think that it would almost be a waste of a little time capsule (and lovely vintage typography)...

...don't you think?

warding off the craft guilts

With much of a flourish I can now cross That Top off my list! This morning I decided (especially after writing about it in my last post) that I would definately finish That Top. After locking myself in my room for an hour and a half (soundtrack: The White Stripes- Peel Sessions CD, and White Blood Cells) I emerged with a completed garment. Now I can no longer complain about finishing the top... but I'm sure that there will be a sneaky project slip in and push everything else down the list! :)

rain

Today it is raining. And raining. And raining.

I have a bad case of cabin-fever, which I think is due to it seeming like it is 5pm all day. My work day has been very very slow and I have been figity. It is one of those days where staying at home is very inviting. In that repect, I am very much looking forward to going home (and that means braving the rain- I take the bus- and hoping that my umbrella survives the journey) and sitting down to work on my embroidery.
I have moved onto the next stage- Miss E herself, who is holding some balloons, wearing an auntie dress with 'funky girl' tights (spotty). Sounds simple in concept, but has been a bit of a nightmare- I have changed the eyecolour back and forth about 4 times! (at the moment it is bright aqua). I'm also starting to think ahead to the cushion it will be turned into- I'm thinking of a cream or tea-stained felt background, trimmed with a border of Liberty fabric scalloped edges...

And while I'm in a crafty mood I'm getting quite inspired about perhaps making myself a patchwork quilt- nothing fancy like you see in magazines, just small squares of lovely fabrics stitched together. I don't know much about quilting- I don't have quilters in my family, so it will be all about learning. I am particularly inspired by the lovely Chocolate Box Quilt on yarnstorm... However this quilt idea would be a long term plan- so for now I will hoard fabric and dream...


Oh look! The rain has gone and the sun has (kind of) come out...

ridiculously cute

Wow, I can scratch off something from my listy-list! I have been busy sewing these auntie dresses for my nieces. I love making these- minimum input, maximum impact. There is something satisfying about making children's clothes, especially since they are almost always cute.

I have contemplated making these to sell on Etsy... but it would be quite a process, that may conflict more than a little with my plans for The T-Shirt Project (more about that later...) I really love this fabric- its double-sided (but I have make these garments in a reversible way)- stripy on one side, dotty on the other.

And for talented creative people- a big congratulations to my friend Emily, who was placed 2nd in the Vodafone ID Dunedin Emerging Designer Awards!

Other news is that I have decided not to enter The Triplets into the Hokonui Fashion Awards- I am so over looking at the same drawing of the same designs that it doesnt really interest me any more- I have worked with the same group of ideas for about a year, so they are definately stale. A bit of an executive decision there, but I don't want to waste my time on something that doesn't inpire me anymore. Onwards and upwards with The T-Shirt Project- my new design baby

the anti-procrastination craft weekend part 2

Well kids, The Anti-Procrastination Craft Weekend was a sucess. I think that telling as many people as I could that I was going to be having a crafty weekend really encouraged me to live up to what I had been saying.

Sooo... here is what I achieved:

I finished the dress for flatmate- so very important, it was great to see it finished.

As a thankyou gift/payment she gave me this great origami book, called The Origami Handbook by Rick Beech (also known as The Handbook of Origami). I love origami, and some of the designs are quite amazing. I couldnt resist making the cute little origami bunny (it is now just asking to be made in gingham origami paper).

And I finally mended those jeans (whew!).

My favourite part was working on this dress for my niece. It was meant to be for her 4th birthday, but since I chose to make a size 5 dress I am confident that it will fit her. Puffball shapes and kids work so well together since they are both fun.

I made a decent dent into the scalloped neckline top ( I now have a bad fear that it will kind of resemble a bad bridesmaid's dress from the early 90s.....). I got that pain that is called bias binding done (yaaaay!), and the majority of the top together. Now all I have to do is the hems on the sleeves and the neckband facing, which I will reserve for the weekend.

Oodles and oodles of bias binding- so how will it all turn out? Will keep you posted...