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Monochrome maybe

January 4, 2013, 3:39 pm
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I am in love with this outfit from the Whistles SS13 collection.



Looks they are going to be incorporating monochrome prints and I have no complaints. Such a fun, eye-catching print, and I love how the top is outlined by that thick dark trim. I'm still itching to make some kind of playsuit or summer jumpsuit - so I might bear this in mind, but I love the trousers in this picture.

I am definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for some cool monochrome fabric - better if I can find some vintage yards needing to be turned into something wonderful! Oh and if I make something, I promise to have my photo taken staring at a piece of painted black MDF ;)
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My vintage treasure chest

January 10, 2013, 3:13 pm
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Or...as my cool friend Claire says, fabric porn! :)

Last summer, I was very lucky. I went to Canada to visit my husband's family and my mother-in-law told me that she was storing all her mother's fabric in her shop warehouse, and that I had to take a look. She told me there was a lot but I was not prepared for how much. We went to the warehouse and the boxes filled a good sized room. It was heaven! We spent the whole afternoon going through yards and yards of beautiful fabrics, of all different blends, colours and lengths that Baba (my husband's Grandmother) had carefully stored over the years. She's in her late 80s now so I am guessing her fabric ranges from as early as the 40s through to recent years!

She was a brilliant dressmaker and lucky for me the same size as me, so I have some awesome vintage handmade clothes as well!

Unfortunately, I couldn't take it all. That would have been one expensive shipping bill. I returned to the UK a week earlier than my husband and I wasn't sure what I was more excited about seeing, him or the fabric ;) On his return,  he was a hero and brought back a massive holdall of some of my favourite pieces. I have stored it under the bed and from time to time I sit and go through all the lovely pieces.

Now that I am doing The Pledge it's time I started thinking seriously about what I am going to make. Today I laundered a few pieces to freshen them up and I can't wait to get started.

So I thought I would show you all some of my treasure. This might be part 1, as there's a lot more to show!



I love this. The photos are taken on my iPhone so don't do it justice. It's a thick wool blend with bright pink squares. I want to use one of the vintage patterns I have, perhaps a little 60s dress. I think this would look great against black tights, and maybe sleevless so I could put a cute 60s blouse underneath.


I love this fabric. Again the photo is a bit rubbish. It's a gorgeous burnt orange with a sheen on a rich black background. I am thinking it would make cool cigarette pants! Bit crazy but why not?


I have so much of this fabric! It's a very light, chiffon style fabric. So pretty. I would love to make a day dress out of this for late spring/summer. There's so much of it I could probably make some type of blouse too. Or I've always wanted one of those sheer robes that you wear over your swimsuit as you walk around thinking you're Elizabeth Taylor :)


Now this is cool. I have four pieces like this as they were curtains that Baba once had, maybe 50s/60s? They are in perfect pieces and I am thinking I may combine them to make a full skirt. I love the leaves on this and the colours. I might even be able to make a little strapless bodice to go with a more fitted skirt - or even a playsuit?


I love this crazy pattern. Again I have alot of this one too. I would love to make some trousers with this too, but it might make a nice holiday maxi dress. There's so much of it, I could do a couple of things. I see a collection coming ;)



This is one of my favs - and sorry,  I should have photographed it earlier today in daylight. It's a beautiful delicate pink with this pattern. I love the bird on this (again, should have put the photo the right way round!). I am wondering whether to make cushions out of this for our forever house or maybe incorporate it into the quilt I would like to start making? There's about  metre and a half I think.


This is really pretty - I think it would make a really nice little rockabilly top for the summer. Again bad lighting but it's a pretty pink with some bright red and yellow flowers.


 This is a bit bling but I love it! Gorgeous olive green with a sparkle but not over-the-top. It's a type of jersey, so I am debating even turning it into a t-shirt because I think that would look quite cool popping out under some outerwear. We'll see.

There's so much more and lots of different types and colours! Do you have any other ideas for my stash? And what's your best vintage find and what did you do with it?
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Cheer up Charlie

January 16, 2013, 9:36 am
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Feeling a bit crappy today so maybe writing a new blog post might help a little. A sneaky biscuit and the first of episode of the new Girls series helped somewhat, but I'm still thinking about just calling it a day and getting into bed. *hand on head a la Greta Garbo.

I just wanted to share a couple more bits of fabric. It's curtain fabric and from the vintage stash from my husband's Grandmother. She was a funky lady! It's so kitsch. I am saving it for when I finally have a home of my own and it will be the curtains to my sewing room. In there I want it to be this sugary, flamingo'd, Elvis shrine that I escape to, one that is pretty and just the way I want it. With a reading chair when sewing gets too much (and it always does), candles, a record player...will I ever emerge into daylight again?



There's also this - also curtains, but I am going to remove the lining and create a day dress out of it - definitely in time for my holiday to Egypt as I think this looks a pretty perfect print.


I want to make a dress similar to what Joan Blackman wore in Blue Hawaii. I love her in that film. So beautiful. Ahhh maybe I need Elvis.


I have some updates on The Pledge that I am doing (no buying clothes in 2013, only sewing!) but I will save that for another post. I am working on having 2 dresses finished by the end of this month...she says!
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Perfect is banned!

January 20, 2013, 3:23 pm
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Do you all strive too much for perfection in your sewing?

I know I do and I think I need to ban the word perfect. I have almost finished my faux leather yoke dress and it fits and I 'think' I like it, but it's not....perfect.

It's stupid (the thought, not the dress!) as according to my amazing husband it looks fantastic, but I think husbands are programmed to say that. But, I always do this to myself. I spend hours meticulously making something and then at the end I pan it, and see only the crap bits. Yet, if I am kind to myself I will see that I a) drafted the whole pattern myself b) worked with difficult fabric c) made a brand new, cool dress to wear to my work conference next week and d) executed some really good skilled work such as exposed zipper, princess seams/yoke design etc.

So, on the basis of this, 2013 has another thing added to its to-do list.

So far I have:

1) The Pledge: Not buying clothes only making them
2) Make my first quilt
3) Better my knitting
4) Ban the word perfect and love the things I make
5) which means love myself more and be kinder to myself AND be proud of myself. I made my wedding dress for pete's sake yet I still doubt myself
6) See each garment as a stepping stone to the master seamstress I want to be - my hero being Susan Khalje

To achieve all this I am going to think of Cupcake. No, not gorge myself into a food coma and deny I need to do anything, but the awesome Cupcake Brown. If anyone needs a great book to read you MUST check out:


A teenager, forced into a world of abuse, rape and neglect, Cupcake Brown grew up to become a full time crack addict and alcoholic, with her life literally at rock bottom and close to death. Yet incredibly, she now works at one of the top law firms in the US. Her story is just mind-blowing. I haven't stopped thinking about this book and how nothing is impossible. She came from nothing, had nothing, yet a little hard work each day has put her through education and law school. It's inspirational, she is inspirational. I heartily recommend this memoir. I have printed her picture and stuck it on my fridge as an incentive to really push for what I want - and to remember you can't just be what you want overnight, it takes hard work and dedication and MISTAKES. So I am going to embrace the mistakes (not just sewing, but in my life as well be it bad reactions, negative thoughts, frustrations, work etc etc) and see them as these wonderful, insightful, helpful things that will build up a big beautiful 'patchwork' of experience to draw upon.

If you're wondering what I'm on, I just had a big yummy vegetable balti and a little slurp of Cobra beer. Curry in my belly always makes me feel good :)
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Pleather Peacock

January 23, 2013, 8:32 am
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I've been mentioning this faux leather yoke dress (such a mouthful, it needs a new name so going with Pleather Peacock, although you can't really say that fast either) for a while now and it's finally done, photographed and ready to be blogged.

It's also my first official garment made within The Pledge! My pledge not to buy any new clothes in 2013 only make them.

I wanted to go outside and do something a bit different for photos but 1) my husband has hurt his ankle and I felt bad for making him hobble down two flight's of stairs and 2) it's already getting dark in London (not to mention bloody freezing!) so you're stuck with boring old indoor photos I'm afraid and I had no time to do anything with my hair, moan moan moan!

Okay first up is my attempt at 'modelling' this dress.


Strike a pose. I'll stick to the day job.

So here she is. The peacock pleather! The fabric is a very light woven fabric, has a nice drape to it but frays like a gooden! It's in this lovely paisley print but reminds me of a peacock. The pleather is a lovely soft faux leather, which was surprisingly cooperative to work with!

I drafted the pattern myself. It has princess seams front and back stopping at the yoke line. It's fitted but not too much as I like my dresses to have movement and not be too clingy. It's a straight skirt finishing above the knees.

I lined this dress because I knew the type of fabric would 'stick' to my tights and cause that 'riding up the butt' look. Not good. Now with a nice acetate lining it feels slinky. I left the sleeves un-lined to reduce bulk and sweatage!


My best mannequin pose.


Back view - see my exposed zipper. Love this. 

I used an exposed zipper technique for this one as I wanted the chunky zipper look. I am in love with the zipper I found on Ebay. It has a cute little chain and silver ball on it, handy for self zipping! The zipper actually sits on the outside of the fabric with the zipper tape fully exposed. I really like this look and works well with heavier fabrics like the faux leather.


Inside look - all lined and tidy



Several sessions of hemming (main dress and lining then lining to dress)


New dress to wear - yey!

For the Pledge I am keeping a nerdy spreadsheet detailing my costs so here's a breakdown.

Fabric: Free! From my mother-in-law, thanks Can Mom!
Faux leather: Only 9.99/metre and I hardly used anything so let's say a pound.
Zipper: 1.65
Lining: 3.50

So roughly this dress cost me 6.15 pounds (sorry my mac is American and doesn't have pound symbols!) which is pretty good for a custom fitted lined dress if I do say so myself.

Hope you likey!




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AWOL in Amsterdam

January 31, 2013, 12:36 am
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I haven't blogged for a while as I am currently in Amsterdam for work. I'll be returning on Saturday and once I have caught up on all my sleep - seriously, 6am alarm calls (Dutch time!) do not suit me at all - I will be getting back to making, mending and doing.

On my to finish list is the 60s knit dress - the cool checker board style fabric. Looking forward to finishing that although still upset at my stupid oversight on the seam finishes. Self-reminder: it's a learning curve, don't sweat the small stuff!

On my new project list: is my VERY FIRST QUILT Y'ALL! I don't know why I felt the need to end that in a Southern accent, maybe because I'm seeing Elvis in the Summer...did I not shout that out loud enough before ;) I have all the fabric, my quilting ruler has been delivered and I have a pattern. I am all set and have @sewexhausted at the touch of a Tweet to help me ;)

I also want to draft up a couple of little summer clothes for the next work trip to Malta, and my vintage Aztec (not vintage as in, something the Aztecs would have worn maybe a bit chilly and I certainly don't have the bod anymore) but a 50s/early 60s day dress using my cool vintage curtain material. This will be the dress with the dart manipulation - going to incorporate a triangular dart formation. Watch this space...

I also want to start thinking about my Graceland outfits. I need to still purchase some Flamingo fabric, and I need to find a cool lightning bolt pendant to make a necklace. Taking Care of Business!

So, that's my plans.

Amsterdam is cool - I don't get to see much of the city but maybe tomorrow/Saturday before I return to London. I've had lots of attention due to my new marital name and some people disappointed to find I am but a little British girl and not actually Hungarian. Must learn some Hungarian for next year!
My hotel room is very cool and I made an awesome new friend who's from Texas - she loves knitting and Ryan Gosling and wants to go to Graceland - Perfect. So all in all it's been good apart from the severe exhaustion which is currently washing over me. Is it lunchtime yet?

Afscheid!
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Knowing when to ditch a project and feel okay about it

February 12, 2013, 4:17 am
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Bad news I'm afraid.

The 60s knit dress has been retired. But! This is good for me. I really struggle to stop mid-project if isn't working and feel okay about it. I keep going and going and end up frustrated and with a half-assed garment I don't like, fueling more disappointment. So, in my journey in becoming better to myself and well again (stress blows!) I am learning to throw in the towel and feel okay.


Here it is, collapsed in a big sad heap. Sigh.

All will not be lost. I already have some ideas for the fabric. I could cut it up into little squares and turn these into coasters or parts of a future quilt idea, or I could make it into a patchwork cushion, or maybe a little purse - the latter would be quite nice. Perhaps a little 60s clutch. Ideas welcome!

The main reasons I decided to quit is because it kind of started to go wrong from the get go. My own fault really - I was so happy to have finished my pleather peacock dress, which I self-drafted that I think I rushed into a ready-made pattern not thinking ahead enough. Stabilising the seams on a knit, seam finishes (my overlocker almost ate this knit for dinner!), measuring the pattern against myself....I know...scandalous! But obviously good reminders for the future when working with ready-made patterns again.

So next I need a gentle project, one which won't cause me too many problems as I focus on recuperating and avoiding stress.

With a great recommendation from Cathy on Twitter I ordered a Megan Nielsen pattern. I need some basic t-shirts in my wardrobe and of course I'd usually run to the high street and buy them but I am on the pledge! Plus I have never made a t-shirt before so looking forward to doing something simple and easy for a change. No big complicated wedding dresses or faux leather yokes :)

This is my pattern of choice:


I am going to make the longer version of this, but the cropped version will be on the to-do list for summer/holidays. Now on the look out for some nice jersey to do the job.

Oh and look at what she's holding in the pic! A cute little clutch/purse. So that settles the future of the 60s knit dress. It will be resurrected! :)

I hope this works out, I need a sewing win.

Also, if you're wondering what I keep whining about, I have created a new blog about what's going on with my health at the mo! Don't worry, it's not too depressing :)

http://dixielousadrenals.blogspot.co.uk

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The wonder of you: my sewing room

March 11, 2013, 7:55 am
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Oops, it's been a while...again. But since my last post I have moved flats and went on a work trip, so forgive me!

My new flat is incredible. A wise move from Dalston (East London) to Greenwich (SE) has given us so much more space, including a whole spare bedroom! I can't believe it. And, my wonderful husband has let me have the whole space to myself for sewing and work.

It's still 'under construction' - as in I still need to get it perfect but I am loving it so far. Here's a little corner shot of my fabric stacks, with the new vintage stack from Canada ready to 'filed'.



My weekend was mega productive. I am working on a muslin for my first 'client'. My friend has asked me to make her a dress before she goes back home to Australia, so I am in a rush to get a muslin and fitting done. It's the first time I have drafted a pattern for someone else, so I am really up for this project. Luckily, my husband arrived home from Canada in time to assist me with some fractions - why is my math so bad???


Here's the bodice. I've used some cheap white cotton for the muslin and after cutting out the fabric, I used carbon paper to trace all my seams and markings - a good lesson learnt from Susan Khalje's book. Hopefully will make fitting and changing the pattern alot clearer. 


The back of the bodice with zip seam and waist darts.


The two together.

So, now I have to get my friend to come over for a fitting! Over to Threads to brush up on that me thinks.

I also made up a shirt muslin for my husband. I am making him a shirt from Kwik Sew 3883 http://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/kwiksew/3883/3883.jpg

He doesn't like the curved bottom so I'll be adjusting that but otherwise he was happy with the fit! Yey, easy client :)

I also started on a cool little t-shirt from Megan Nielsen. The Briar t-shirt.

http://megannielsen.com/collections/sewing-patterns/products/briar-sweater-and-tshirt-sewing-pattern

I love this pattern - it has so many variations. I am making the longer style with short sleeves. Here is how it's going so far:



Do you know, I have never worked with knits before? In all my sewing life! I don't know why I havent, because I am really enjoying it so far. I ordered this cheap and simple coral jersey from Ebay, pre-washed it and it's been a dream. I am so pleased with how the neckband turned out. I was expecting some warping but it was so friendly to work with. YEY! Looking forward to finishing this tonight.

So that's what I have been up to. After the t-shirt I will be hoping to make a little dress to take to Egypt, using the vintage curtains with the Aztec print.

More to follow! :)
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Rockin with Rolls & Rems

March 18, 2013, 8:27 am
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It's so nice to find out that a really great fabric store is on your doorstep.

I've just moved to Greenwich and I remembered that the Lewisham branch of Rolls & Rems is just over a 10 minute walk away. Before Saturday, I had never been to this branch before, only the one on Holloway Road, which I thought was okay but nothing to write home about. However, the Lewisham branch (as I have heard on the sewing grapevine) is tonnes better!

As soon as you walk in the door they hook you with a huge remnant bin. I felt like a hungry scavenger rooting through the bargains while my husband stood by patient as ever.

Here's what I got:


This is my favourite. It's an end of roll knit and I just love the pattern! My iPhone hasn't done this justice, the rust colour pops out more. There is so much of this material, nearly 3 metres so I am either going to make my first Tiramisu dress or create a cool maxi dress.


My husband picked this out, he thought it would make some cool head scarves. The pattern is super fun! I think it might be a top for my trip to Canada in the summer. We're going to stay at the camp, which my husband went to when he was younger, so I think this would be perfect for some strolls in the forest!


 These are two smaller remnant pieces, which I am saving for crafts/quilting. I kind of like them together too.

Combined with a couple of metres of muslin I found as well, this whole lot cost me 11 pounds. Pretty pleased with that, especially considering how much knit I got. I told my husband he should get my name banned like in a Casino!

In other news, I am really excited about the dress I am making from the vintage curtains. I successfully changed my bust and waist dart into one two diagonal darts shooting up from the centre of the waistline. I used a great Threads tutorial for guidance. I made a muslin first and was pretty surprised that I didn't have to alter anything else - this is using my own drafted bodice block as a base. I have done the same for the back bodice and am loving the way it looks on this fabric. I am hoping to finish it this week so that I can take it to Egypt on Saturday.

Blog to follow on that!

Do you like changing your darts? Have you tried any adventurous dart manipulation?



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The Sixties Cleopatra

March 22, 2013, 3:29 pm
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So, do you remember these curtains?


My husband's Grandmother gave me these curtains (thank you Baba!), I think they're from the 50s or 60s. With some encouragement from Twitter, I decided to turn these into a little 60s dress in time for my holiday to Egypt - I leave tomorrow by the way and I am typing this as my nails dry - yep I'm a cool multi-tasker (probably with smudged nails)!

In thinking up my design, I thought this would be the right project to try a little dart manipulation. I recently read a Threads article, which showed a nifty way of changing the darts to a diagonal formation. That is, changing both bust and waist darts to a kind of V-shape design. 

As per usual, I can't just be straightforward. Even with my looming Egyptian deadline, I have to get complicated. 

I drafted up my usual bodice block and set to work changing the darts.


Front bodice block: A new dart leg was drawn up to the bust point, then bust 
and original waist dart were closed up to create new dart


Back bodice dart: Same principle - the new dart finished into the
zip seam to recreate the v on the bodice front


I checked all my measurements and everything seemed to add up (waistline etc) so I prepared the muslin.


 
 I was pretty happy with my first attempt! Everything seemed to fit perfectly. I pinned the muslin, which is why it looks a bit 'on point' in the booby area. Once I was happy with the fit (thanks to some expert zip seam pinning from husband, he's a dab hand at it now) it was time for the curtains to have a new lease of life.


Back bodice: Something's wrong, I don't feel right
Front bodice: Oh pull yourself together
Back bodice: I can't do that anymore

Wow I am funny!

Okay slight digression.

So, the curtains were now officially dress fabric and even though they're a thicker fabric than I usually work with for dresses, they were a dream to put together and did exactly as they were told! Good curtains.

I decided to have a little fun on the inside of this dress and found some great yellow and white polka dot bias binding to bound the seams. I loved how well it went with the Aztec print.



For the skirt, I drafted up a basic skirt block and changed the front darts to a central pleat, which would sit directly under the point of the v-shape bodice dart. Leaving the waist darts on the skirt would have looked odd. For the back, I had the zip seam so I couldn't replicate that design, so instead I just converted the back darts to two pleats. I think in hindsight, I could have inserted a side zip, then I could have matched the design. 

Here's the finished look - The Sixties Cleopatra



The dress has a scoop neck on the front and a deeper scoop neck on the back to give it that 60s look. I finished the hem just above the knee - oh and here's a little cheat I did. I used the hem of the curtains as my hem...any way I can save on extra work, I will ;) 


The back view - wishing I had Joan Holloway's curves here! And Don Draper for that matter. Maybe he's waiting outside the window, captivated by my sexy curtains. Little does he know I have a pair he can actually unzip.

Okay back to reality.

Here's a close up of that dart manipulation:


I really love this technique and will definitely incorporate it again, or try different types of dart formations. 

For the zipper I went old school and did a lapped zipper. My intention was to go invisible but could I find a matching zipper? NOPE. Matching zippers are a big pet hate of mine, I never seem to find the right colour and always end up ordering multiple options online. I didn't have time to do that for this dress, but luckily the Dixie Lou Haberdashery came up trumps and I found a cool mink-coloured zipper in my sewing supplies. I actually think it works quite well.



Am I ready for Egypt?



YOU BET!

(Actually I still have a billion things to do...but thankfully none of them involve sewing.)

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Walk like an Egyptian

April 2, 2013, 6:07 am
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Wow, so Egypt was pretty cool!

We only went for a week and stayed in an all-inclusive resort - an attempt to claw back our honeymoon after its disastrous start back in September (I won't horrify you with the details of my sickness!).

Lazy days of hot sunshine, turquoise waters proved I had entered complete bliss! We slept in, ate a late breakfast and swam and snorkelled in the little sea lagoon at our hotel.

But on to more important things. My dress!

We decided to take a day trip to Cairo to see the Pyramids and I thought this would be the perfect setting to photo my Sixties Cleopatra dress in Egypt.

We boarded an Indiana Jones style propeller plane and set off for the hour-long flight to Cairo. Unfortunately, Indiana himself was not there to get me embroiled in some exotic danger ending with a big sweaty dirty kiss.

When we first got to Cairo, we were so excited. Our first stop was the famous Mosque of Mohammed Ali - not the boxer - and was built between 1830 and 1848. To enter the mosque I had to cover up in a big robe - my husband thought I looked hilarious. I wish I had known, I could have made something with a bit more pop ;)



After the mosque, the next stop was the Museum of Eqyptian Antiquities. I completely fell in love with this place. There's a weird surreal feeling when you look at something that has so much art, thought and beauty, yet is almost 4000 years old. It's hard to comprehend. Before us were sculptures, hieroglyphics telling ancient stories, jewellery, it was breathtaking. Our favourite pieces were the coffins and belongings of King Tutankhamun - that boy loved his bling! He was seriously 'golded' up, it was unreal. Unfortunately, you cannot take photos in the museum but here's a link to his funeral mask  which is supposedly 24 lbs of solid gold! My kinda guy!

Right, on to the dress...

After the museum we took a short boat ride on the Nile and stopped off for lunch. Then it was time for the pyramids. Words cannot express the feeling you have when you're standing before the pyramids, it's just breathtaking and you instantly transport your imagination to another time, trying to understand how these men built such a spectacular construction.

Obviously the same goes for my dress, thousands looked on in wonder....KIDDING.

Anyway, here it is. The great Pyramids of Giza starring The Sixties Cleopatra.



I bought a scarf in Hurghada to protect my shoulders/head from the heat. I think it goes with the dress quite well, don't you think?


So, that was my latest project being treated to an international photo shoot!

I think my next garment might be a bit jealous when the normality of shoddy photos against the backdrop of awful curtains returns!


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Swapping on an international level

April 11, 2013, 5:03 am
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A while ago I jumped in at the chance to be part of the International Craft Swap as organised by Rachel at The House of Pinheiro.

I was paired up with a lovely girl in Norway by the name of Christina. Rachel paired us up because we have similar interests (veggie, animals, sewing - obviously!) and we seemed like a good fit. Once we established contact we set about discussing what we would make and swap.

We are of differing sizes so I suggested a circle skirt as then we would not need to worry about fitting too much. However - the plan changed for 2 reasons:

When Christina sent me the skirt she made (more on that later) she said she went more for a dirndl version so she didn't need to worry about hemming a circle skirt. Good thinking!

In the end I also made up a dirndl skirt as when I started to do the math for the circle skirt, I just became disillusioned - no, my math isn't THAT bad (although husband would completely disagree) but more often than not a circle skirt may end up bigger on the waistband than you want and I of course couldn't just nip over to Norway to check the fit.

So dirndl it was.

Christina had told me she liked turquoises, pastels and 'chalky' colours. I went to Rolls and Rems in Lewisham (my new regular haunt!) and found some really cute polka dot cotton in a kind of sage green. I just thought it was really pretty and could see it working in the summer with a little t-shirt or blouse. I hope now it's not too 'dirndl' looking for Christina, but hey ho, she might be planning to go to Oktoberfest this year ;)

I decided to add in some pockets to make it a bit more interesting.


Mid construction - pocket inserted

To make up the pockets I used a really cool little tutorial by Amber at a blog called Very Homemade - great tutorial. I chose to keep my lining as the polka dot and I also added a vintage trim I had in my stash, which I totally love. (Luckily I have a lot of it so there's still some for me! Greedy Dixie Lou!)


I tacked (basted) the trim onto the pocket first. I'm a strict tacker through and through and rarely sew with my pins. It might take me longer but everything is pretty much stitched where it should be. Anyone else big on tacking/basting? 

I stitched the trim with a zig zag stitch just kind of going with the flow of the trim. Some edges were left loose, but I kind of liked that effect.

Inside I thought it all looked pretty 'off the hanger'. I overlocked all seams, which pleased me ALOT because it's very rare that me and my overlocker get on with each other. It's a torrid love affair. I love him (it has to be a him, to give me so many problems) when he works and think about dumping him when he's just being pigheaded and stubborn. However, he must like dirndls because he serged like a dream on this skirt. Bit wobbly, but that was more my fault - probably over excited that I was actually serging!

I also slip stitched the waistband so it all looks nice and clean.



Unfortunately I don't have a pic of Christina in the skirt yet...ahem as I only just posted it to her! I also don't have a pic of me in her skirt, as husband working away in Europe right now. But maybe I could do the old Photo Booth thing on the mac again. Watch this space for an update (should you have nothing else to do in your life, that is!)

The skirt Christina made me was very pretty! Loved her fabric choice and finishing, and it fits perfectly. She sent me the most gorgeous parcel. All nicely wrapped up in pretty tissue paper, as well as an extra present of a toiletry bag filled with Norwegian chocolate. So kind. 

I really loved doing this Swap - it felt really nice making something for a stranger. It took me back to being younger and having a pen pal again. 

Thank you to Rachel for organising this. 
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I go to Berlin, I buy fabric

April 16, 2013, 2:23 am
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I just had a fun weekend in Berlin with my husband and father-in-law. We saw the majority of the all the sights, and on Sunday my husband and I found an awesome vintage and flea market in trendy Prenzlauer Berg. It was huge. If I lived in Berlin, which I would very much like to, I think I could easily kit my house out in the coolest vintage furniture. Oh and those tea cups for my wedding I spent months hunting down? This flea market was full of them. Next time, I'll get married in Germany!

As any good seamstress would do, I did some pre-trip investigative work on the old web and found a fabric shop in the district we were staying - Mitte.

We left my FIL at Checkpoint Charlie while we quickly hopped on our bikes and rushed off to Frau Tulpe before it closed. If you want to see me cycle fast and break a sweat, tell me there's an awesome fabric shop but it's closing in 30 minutes!

I didn't know what to expect - the website looked awesome with a multitude of retro-inspired prints. I could also see that they stocked Michael Miller so I was hoping to find that elusive flamingo fabric I am after. When I got there, I felt like I was in Project Runway. "Right Designers, you have 30 minutes." Less than 30 minutes to choose from a fabric sweet shop?



Okay, Tim, but I am not promising anything, plus do you have a towel to wipe my sweat moustache?

First of all I chose my Michael Miller fabric. Alas, no flamingos but they did stock the 'ant maze' that I love. I think this print is so cool. Not sure what I will make from it yet, but for now I just like looking at it.



Somehow, I managed to summon up some order in my dizzying head and asked the sales assistant if they stocked fabric that was made in Germany. She showed me a little shelf with the cutest prints. These are 100% cotton and produced in Cologne.


I can't tell you how much I love this Little Red Riding Hood print. I bought whatever was left on the roll, which I think was just under 2 metres.


This fabric is also German and features foxes, bunnies and squirrels.


Not to be left out, my husband picked this out for a shirt. Funky Mr Szabo.

Scarily, those four pieces alone came to around 150 Euros. I think it was a good job that I only had a little time in that store, it could have got messy. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to look at their trims or buttons - they were quite strict on their closing time, but I guess they didn't care much for a sweaty girl from London.

At the flea market in Prenzlauer Berg I of course stumbled upon a fabric stall. And this fabric was a much happier price of 3 Euros per metre! I found this awesome monochrome material.


This actually feels like a silk cotton to me. The seller burnt a corner and it smelt right and burnt right, so I am pretty happy with this purchase! Bargain.

Shortly after I found these vintage German shoes! Only 10 Euros.


So, any suggestions for this collection of fabric? Keep it 60s and Clarey :)
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The Sassy Librarian blouse gets fruity

April 18, 2013, 2:33 am
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Back in January when I was sick and in bed feeling sorry for myself, I stumbled across Craftsy. I had never really paid it much attention before - I guess the name suggests crafts to me more than sewing, but feeling bored I decided to check it out.

There was a sale on classes (I feel like there is always a sale, like those sofa adverts) and the Sassy Librarian blouse caught my eye. I don't normally work with commercial patterns as I can draft my own and prefer to as it saves me tweaking someone elses 'fit', but as Leila from Threedressesproject once said to me, it's nice to change the pace. And I thought, yeah, this would be a great pace changer - just sitting and watching a video and being told what to do! Sign me up!

Plus, being a bit of a 1960s girl, I instantly liked the retro feel and the contrast cute bow and arm bands.


So I opted for this (the sleeveless version with the  bow, or if you like, the girl looking over her friend's shoulder thinking, yeah I can make that pattern better than you bitch) and thought I'd blog about my first experience of a Craftsy class - here goes. The blouse is not finished yet, I'm actually a bit pissed off with it. But we'll get to that nail-biter later!

Fabric

I have a tonne of fabric in my stash but all my cotton is either too precious or reserved for my first quilt. However, on a recent trip to Rolls & Rems in Lewisham, I finally found the cherry fabric I had been looking for and thought it would work perfectly. 



Getting started

At first I quite liked sitting and watching the video, but it quickly dawned on me that this could be a slow process. Reading some of the reviews, I agreed that the class should also include a written set of instructions as reference for more advanced sewers. I also found that I didn't necessarily agree with some of the methods Christine Haynes used. Ooooh get me! So, like what?

Well, pinning. She pins parallel to the fabric. When laying out a pattern, after I have checked grain and all the other bits and bobs, I always pin across like this. I had a wonderful yet scary teacher at Sewing School who would scold you for pinning any other way. Doing it like this helps to prevent the fabric from moving under the pattern, whereas pinning parallel risks movement as the fabric can slide up and down the pins. Note: if my sewing teach saw this pic she would go mental as the pins are too spaced out. She ran a tight ship! However, pinning on normal paper sucks!



Pin tucks

I have never actually done pin tucks before - it's not something I have incorporated into design, so I am really glad I took this class to get a basic understanding of placement on the pattern. They are mega simple to do but effective. I like how they look with the cherries.


Main construction

The construction of the rest of the blouse was simple although I hit a rocky patch with the facing, but that was owing to the torrid love affair I have with my overlocker (serger). Last week, we were back on, skipping through flowery fields, me feeding him thread like a King, him serging my edges so neatly, but this week he lets me down again and eats all the facing. Maybe it's because it had cherries on it, or maybe it's because I got crazy and serged a curve but looked at the needle instead of where the cutting knife is. At the end of the day, I always blame him, and he blames me. I guess it's just the way we are. 

So, I had to re-cut the facing. No problem except that I had bought end of roll and I barely had enough, meaning my facing is not on grain and was cut at any way it would fit. However, I at least had enough so I redid that and made my overlocker watch while I used my sewing machine to zig zag the edges. I'm such a bitch.

Road block

So, last night everything was going to plan and in between listening to Christine's videos, I switch to watching a bit of Don Draper. It was a harmonious evening of sewing and lust. Until I start on the arm bands, which turn out to be about 3/4 inch too short - even Don leaves the room. 


Hmm. I re-pinned but nope, too short. I checked the class questions and doesn't seem like anyone else had this problem. I feel that it's unlikely that my armhole stretched and 3/4 is quite a big change. This kind of annoyed me as it wasted the cute strawberry fabric I bought especially for the contrast - yep this blouse will be full-on fruity. To remedy this I cut two more pieces but made them an inch longer. This seems to be fine and stitched okay, but that's as far as I got. I got tired, Don had left, and Christine had pissed me off by not replying to my question. 

Again, to note, Christine pinned parallel whereas I pin like this:


I just don't see how pinning parallel works. Surely it would increase the risk of warping your band/binding? But if it works for other people, great, but I prefer to be extra careful or extra goody-two shoes if my old teacher is listening ;)

So that's as far as I have got with the Sassy Librarian Blouse. I have a feeling too that the back of the neck is going to gape. Great. Shoulda done that muslin I thought about. So I may have to take apart the neck and add a couple of darts. Maybe. Depends how much I like the top, but it would be a shame to waste those cherries. 

Update to follow...

Meanwhile in the Dixie Lou Sewing Studio...I have also started on a shirt for Mr Szabo. I am using Kwik Sew 3883 and doing the short sleeve version from some cool fabric I bought from Ray Stitch in Islington. That's all cut out, tweaked and ready to go. A muslin was made for this and approved by Mr Szabo - so I hopefully shouldn't run into any fit problems.

Has anybody else done this Craftsy class? What did you think? 
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The Road Tripper

April 28, 2013, 5:41 am
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The last thing I made my husband was some tattoo print boxer shorts. That was a long time ago (way before he was even my husband!) and he's been hinting that I really should make him another shirt.
So, several selfish sewing projects later....

I did.

The last shirt I made for him, I used Burdastyle's Jacob shirt, so for a change I opted for Kwik Sew 3883 as it had a short sleeve version, which he wanted.

I found some awesome fabric from Ray Stitch in Islington, London. It was in their sale section, still priced at 12 pounds per metre, but it's a really good quality medium cotton. It also had my husband's favourite colour, orange, so seemed like a no brainer. I made up a quick muslin, which Mr Szabo approved, and then got started.

Here's the outcome!

I'm loving the look of the rolled up sleeves. Wonder who styled him for this shoot? Oh yeah, me!

I reckon he's done this modelling thing before. 


The construction of the shirt was pretty straightforward. It included a double yoke as well as the standard shirt pieces (collar, collar stand, button placket etc). The sleeves were were added to the armhole before side seams were sewn up. I've only ever done this method on knits, but it worked really well and also no armhole easing. YEY. We found some very suitable buttons in Rolls & Rems (Lewisham) yesterday that were a similar orange with white edge. Overall, I really liked this pattern and will definitely use it again for his next shirt.

Dixie's Tips!

Ooh a new little feature to my blog. Thought I'd share some tips I already know or that I learn with each project.

As shirts often have problematic lumpy bits (such as the seam allowances in the collar stand) it's traumatic watching your machine foot trying in vain to move over them. Plus you get those silly little tiny stitches where it's just stabbing in the same position over and over again. Yep, not gonna move. One tip I read was to use your zipper foot so that more of the foot is positioned over the fabric.


This definitely helped navigate those lumps. However, I'm still going to order a walking foot for future Mr Szabo shirts. Walking foots are not just for quilting. They are really "great for topstitching which can be inconsistent due to irregularity of stitching. This is often caused by the bulk created with the seam allowance especially around collars and reveres. Using the walking foot for topstitching will eliminate this problem and give perfect stitching every time." (Taken from Janome).

My other helpful tip today is for buttonholes. After you have done a super duper amazing buttonhole the last thing you want is to get overexcited with your seam ripper and create something bigger, and unwanted! Um, yeah, I'd prefer my chest hair not to be peeping through that button hole, thanks.

One thing I like to do is place a pin at the top of my button hole, which prevents me from ripping too far up (oo-er!)



So, there you have it. The Road Tripper shirt for my husband. I can't wait to see him wearing it when we hit the roads of the deep south in the summer!



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The Sassy Librarian Blouse Update

April 29, 2013, 1:10 pm
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This is the crowd outside my house right now because I just completed the Sassy Librarian Blouse.

I actually thought it would end up hanging on my dress form for some weeks because I knew I had to correct that gaping back neck, which meant unpicking both topstitching and the seam line. Groan.

But by the power of greyskull I did it!

(That's He-Man in case you didn't know).

So here is my 'fruity' take on the Sassy Librarian Blouse.


Despite his cool photoshoot yesterday, Mr Szabo was too cold to spend any time photographing my new blouse, so here's me against a tree outside our flat.

The fabric is a kitsch cherry print and the trim (arm bands and bow) is a navy fabric with a strawberry print. I got both from Rolls & Rems (Lewisham).


I chose some light brown plastic buttons, which although not very clear in the pic, finish the blouse off nicely.

There's a back shot of the two darts I added to resolve the neck gaping. It wasn't the crappy job I thought it would be. I literally just unpicked the seam, found the centre and then played with dart widths either side. In the end I ended up with having to take in a whopping 3 1/2 inches. I then took that amount from the facing and sewed it all back up. It looks a bit wrinkly on the back shot but that's the effect from the release pleats at the waist.

And voila, a new blouse and the first me-made item that's going on the road trip to Graceland. The countdown starts as to how many garments I can squeeze in before the 26th July!

Dixie's Tips


Um, yeah, as we all know MAKE A FRICKING MUSLIN. Don't think, "oh this would be nice for the London sewing meet up. I'm sure it will fit." Nope. It won't. It will gape like a clown's pocket on the back neck. So yeah, make a muslin FOR EVERYTHING.

Don't be frightened to add extra darts that aren't in the pattern. They can invariably make for an added design feature as well as a good fit!








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God help the guy who gets The Bitch

May 1, 2013, 9:20 am
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We all know the London Sewing Meet Up gave birth to some fabulous things: fabric indulgence, a mother of all swaps, budding friendships and a unanimous love of Lebanese food, preferably in large quantities. 

The day also used some premium diamond-studded DNA to produce an idea, albeit in its infant stages,  for the sew-along of all sew-alongs. 

Before I reveal exactly what this will entail, allow me to share a bit of background nonsense.

As a veteran of random conversations, I'm always excited to meet a soul sister or two who will indulge this loony part of me. So, enter (with full 'Stars in Your Eyes' spotlights and smoke machines) the wonderful Rehanon and Nicole. 

I'm not sure exactly when, it may have been in the cafe of the V&A, but at some point I began a beautiful whimsical chat with Rehanon, which took us on a magical journey into the land of the diva. A ferocious territory, it really is only ruled by a few legends. New divas come and go and try to set up a little chihuahua-infested stakehold, but they either have to sell up and move out, or they fall prey to the wicked seduction of drugs, or men who get you on drugs. It's a slippery slope. Yet, true divas are opulent warriors, with shields of lacquered hair and cleavage that will trap any man who dares to buzz around its glorious hills. They also have their portrait of Dorian Gray firmly in the attic, and ain't nobody getting hold of the key to see that painting.

Rehanon and I quickly established that one of the best divas still punching holes in the ground with her stilettos is... The Bitch a.k.a Fontaine Khaled.

Who is the Bitch? Well as the epic movie trailer says, she comes from the same stable as The Stud, and I bet that's one filthy stable! 

The Bitch is without question the ever glamorous, satin-coated, rouge chiseled, Queen of England. 

Joan Fucking Collins OBE. 



Have you ever seen Joan without a finely lacquered wig, make up that deserves its own dressing room, and shoulder pads to rival scaffolding? 

She's a legend. From Paddington, London, she's most famous for pissing everybody off in Dynasty as the badass Alexis Carrington. Forget the ex-wives club, Alexis went solo and fucked shit up. Season 1 of Dynasty got off to a ropey start with average reviews, but thanks to Sophia Loren turning down the role, Joan strapped on the XXL shoulders and was nominated six times for a Golden Globe. Go Joan. A former ABC executive said, "The truth is we didn't really believe that we had this thing done as a hit until Joan Collins walked down that courtroom aisle."

A woman who obviously knows how to get a job done and a true professional who doesn't take any shit. Actually, I bet she doesn't even shit. This face was not born to strain.


And check out young Joan. What a beauty! I love the eyeliner on this next picture. I also think I might adopt that pose when my husband tells me to stop buying fabric.




Back to the V&A and I hadn't yet met Nicole. Little did I know I was to meet another soul sister!

In the pub after the meet up, Nicole's glamorous ears perked up at the mention of a Joan sew-along. Yes, readers, a Joan Collins sew-along. Who wouldn't want to step into the realm of fantasy with some truly nasty polyester satin, some ruching (can't wait to see Rehanon's saucy day-to-night ruched affair), and 10 layers of shoulders pads? This could be serious fun. And, come Halloween there could be several Joan Collins' tricking or treating. How apt for Alexis.

Doing a quick search on eBay for patterns has me more pumped than the hair in Working Girl.


Bet Mel really cringes at that side profile. Double en chin.
(Sorry Melanie, I do love you).


Check out this pattern on eBay right now. When you make 
these dresses your hands instantly flick to a 45 degree angle. 



Enter Diva Number 2

Last night, a small group of us gathered at Drink, Shop & Do for a little goodbye to the lovely Lizzy who is flying back to Australia on Saturday. Wahhh. Such a lovely person! After a few bottles of wine, Nicole and I took our love of Joan and decided to throw in a large busty dose of the world's most awesome blonde, Dolly Parton.

This woman is a pocket sized atom of big hair, boobs and brilliant song-writing to boot. I also think she invented smiling.



Look at young Dolly. So pretty.

She is perfection, and like Joan, has stood the test of time - as have those boobies defied the calling of gravity. She must have the back muscles of an ox to carry those melons. Again, what a warrior. Beauty aside, Dolly doesn't just wear sequins like a second skin, she's also a smart savvy business woman not to mention an amazing song-writer - she's composed over 3,000 songs! She's also been married to her husband for 45 years, what an inspiration.

So, with the alcohol fueling our creative genius, Nicole and I developed the mutated giant of a Dolly and Joan double act. From now, Nicole is Joan Parton and I am Dolly Collins. Wine is a beautiful thing! Granted, this could end up like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, but who doesn't want to aspire to be Bette Davis or Joan Crawford. However, I think this is just the start of a beautiful friendship caked in alot of gold, hairspray and red lipstick.

So...here's the idea. A Joan/Dolly sew-along. Think big, think cheese, think huge earrings and massive hair. Think fabric that needs to order a court injunction against any kind of spark, heat or fire, think massive shoulders and stilettos. Unleash your inner diva and let the sequins shine free!

So, if you're interested in being completely ridiculous with us and joining this sew-along let us know. Maybe Joan or Dolly could pick the winner. I'm sure Joan has had worse offers in her life, and like Rehanon said, surely this is right up her alley.

Oh and if you're in any doubt about the magnificence of Joan. Just watch this trailer. (At this point I feel like I have a moral duty to warn you that boobs are exposed, sex is simulated and Joan is just outright fricking amazing - just incase you're still at work or in the presence of a young one, but whatever you do, WATCH IT and try and tell me you don't want to hit that nightclub! I won't believe it).





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Sew Dixie Lou - Liebster Award Nomination

May 7, 2013, 10:46 am
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Super cool news from the world of Dixie Lou. My blog got nominated for the Liebster Award. It means I not only win a date with Ryan Gosling, but I have to fit him for a new pair of trousers - a tight-fitting pair of trousers!

Okay not really.

But my blog did get nominated for a Liebster Award by Gemma at the cool blog EDiS (Every Day I'm Stitchin'). Thank you, Gemma for liking my blog enough to consider nominating me - that made my day :)

So what's The Liebster Award? It's a neat idea to help bloggers who have under 200 followers. It enables them to get to know other bloggers, as well as promote their blog to get more followers.



I think this is a cool idea and I am definitely up for taking part.

To accept the award there are a few rules to follow:


  • Each blogger should answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
  • Choose eleven new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award on to and link them in your post.
  • Create eleven new questions for the chosen bloggers.
  • Comment on their page to tell them about the award.
  • Each blogger should post eleven random facts about themselves.
  • No Tag Backs!!!

So here are the questions Gemma set for me and my answers:

1) If you could only be creative in only one medium, what would it be?
I definitely think that I have chosen the one creative medium I love the most. I love the construction of clothes, fabric and possessing the ability and skill it takes to make something wearable and unique. When I read articles and books from gurus such as Susan Khalje (if you don't know already, I LOVE HER!) it inspires me so much to be able to slowly gravitate towards that level of skill and excellence. 

2) What are your first creative memories/projects?
I specifically remember making a farm out of a paper. At one point in my young life I was into farms. Mum bought me a tractor and little plastic farm animals and I wanted a whole 'scene' for it. So I coloured in paper as grass (little did I know this was the start of downloading paper patterns), stuck it all together, constructed 3D fences... I was quite the agricultural architect. 

3) Chocolate or crisps?
I do love a packet of crisps, but a woman needs chocolate. 

4) What has been your biggest creative disaster?
I think it was actually earlier this year. The little 60s knit dress I was making from some cool vintage fabric I had. I 'forgot' to serge the seam edges before construction, not only to prevent warping but also so I didn't have to serge the small seam allowances after. My overlocker knew this and taught me a lesson by eating everything up. *shivers*

5) What has been your biggest creative success?
Without doubt my wedding dress! I've banged on about this before, but I am still as proud as punch. I got married in September last year and made my wedding dress from scratch including the pattern. *punches air*. You can see the finished result in my blog post called...um...oh yeah The Wedding Dress!


6) What is your favourite song?
I'm going to say two because I'm a rebel. The first is from my main man Elvis and it's 'It Hurts Me' and the second is by Ryan Adams and it's 'Dear Chicago'. I'd marry either of these men. 

7) Where do you mostly find your inspiration?
I have always loved the 1960s and I particularly love the fashion and music from that period (1968 Comeback Special anyone, get your man in that leather suit!). I'm also a big film fan, mostly films from classical Hollywood, and find alot of inspiration there. I also like modern fashion and love designers such as Erdem, Stella McCartney and Rodarte, as well as high-end high street brands such as Jaeger and Whistles. 

8) What was the name of your first pet?
Nibbles, my rabbit. 

9) Shoes or Bags?
Despite my awkward big feet, I do love shoes. 

10) Who would you choose to be stranded on an island with?
My husband. He's smart and tough so he would make sure I was fed (I get cranky otherwise) plus he went to camp so I think he would know how to light a fire. He's also my bestest friend and the person I can spend most of my time with without feeling bored. Otherwise, I have Joaquin Phoenix on speed dial. 

11) What is your favourite ever possession (no living beings' allowed!)
It would have to be my sewing machine. I use it nearly everyday and it lets me create whatever I want. My husband also bought me my new machine last year to accommodate the big job of my wedding dress, so it has sentimental value too. 


And now for the 11 random facts about me...

Starting off big, I once spoke to Rod Stewart on the phone. Yes... it's not everyday you get to talk to one of your heroes on the blower, but it happened. One of my favourite days ever. 

I've seen the Rolling Stones three times now. Huge fan.

I once had both big toe nails removed after injuring them from playing hockey at school. Yes, it hurt. Both times. 

I chose my husband from my kitchen. I joined a dating site and me and my Mum thought 'Canadian Mike' seemed pretty hot. However, I have since learnt his pics with a surfboard and guitar were false advertising ;)

I'm vegetarian and a huge animal lover and welfare campaigner. For a birthday present in 2011 my husband arranged for us to spend a week volunteering at a game reserve in South Africa. A snake landed on his chest while we were falling asleep. Unforgettable. 

Using a Threads tutorial, I discovered yesterday that my left shoulder is higher than my right. Woohoo, hello fun shoulder alterations!

I randomly met Greg Dulli (singer with The Afghan Whigs) in a bar in Havana, Cuba and he let me taste his rum. 

I get sentimental over inanimate objects. Like the robot that's stuck on Mars. Somebody bring him back!!!

I am a huge Elvis fan. I fell in love at the age of 13 and it's been my longest relationship since. We even got married.  



I share my birthday with Madonna, but she never ever wants to throw a joint party. 

Thanks to the support of that awesome husband again, I did a full time year-long course in pattern making and advanced sewing techniques. So I can draft my own patterns and (in theory) sew them quite well...she says.



So that's enough about me!

Here are the blogs I am nominating in return for the Liebster Award.

One of my favourite people on Twitter and her blog makes me laugh every time I read it

All round loveliness - my awesome friend Claire

A true partner in crime in all things Joan and Dolly

A soul sister if there ever was one

I love love love Laurie. Such a great person and Quilting supremo!

I'm sure Leila has more than 200 followers but I just wanted 
to big her up anyway because she is simply fabulous and my Twitter homegirl

Steffen Horak
He doesn't have a blog yet, but I believe he's working on it.
A guy who sews. Awesome. (To be updated - that means, Steffen, get your blog going!)

Crafting a Rainbow
Gillian is such a lovely Tweeter and encouraged me to make my first knit

Again, I think Sally has a big following, but the garments she creates are so 
incredible that they're worthy of even more followers! 

Caffy is such a cutie and I love seeing what she's been making

New sewer Amy's blog is really cool and helpful - and she looks pretty fab to boot!

Last but certainly not least, the gorgeous Emma who is as fabulous in person as she looks!

(I think I nominated 12, but technically Steffen doesn't have a blog yet so that's okay!)


And to round off this rather long post here are my eleven questions to my nominated blogsters...

1) If could sew an outfit for someone famous who would it be?
2) If your sewing machine could talk, what's the first thing you would ask it? 
3) Where is your most favourite place in the world?
4) What's that one song that can make you feel better about a bad day?
5) How would your friends/loved ones describe you in five words?
6) If you could go back to college what would you study?
7) The one thing you can't live without?
8) It's date night and 1985, who do you pick to go out with and why? Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez or Judd Nelson?
9) Who is your style icon?
10) You just got detention? What's the thing you most likely did to get in trouble?
11) You're playing spin the bottle. Who DON'T you want it to land on? 


Thanks again to Gemma, and I look forward to reading all your answers!
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Baby, what do you want me to do?

May 13, 2013, 2:20 pm
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This is my question to Elvis as I look at the long list of garments I told myself I would sew for Memphis. What do you want me to do next? At first, I couldn't hear him as he does tend to mumble and combine that with a mouthful of peanut butter and banana, well he could be saying anything and I could be agreeing to anything. Unfortunately, he said do some tracing and cut a muslin. Boring.

But, I have 11 weeks until the trip and I know that is going to fly by.

11 weeks is not too bad, but in sewing terms it's really not long at all. Not when real life tries to get in the way. Um hello life, sorry, but I'd rather lock myself away in my spare room and sew. I'll see daylight and people when I am done.

Come July, I might look like this:


But who doesn't love Gary Oldman as Dracula? My fav Drac of all time.

This is Gary in true Dracula hotness. I'd give him my neck willingly
and curl his hair everyday. 


How do I get distracted by my fantasy boyfriends so quickly? Back to matters in hand. Yes, 11 weeks. Unfortunately I don't have any finished garments right now as I am knee-deep in pattern drafting, tracing, muslins...you name it, all the fun stuff. 

Almost finished is the 'Jungle Room' pencil skirt from some remnant material Mr Szabo picked out in Rolls and Rems - I'm just waiting for some cotton lawn to line it with. The fabric is lovely but ever so slightly sheer and also quite thin. I think the lawn will give it some support when I am up to no good in Graceland. The tie waist blouse is remaining cold and aloof. I am just not yet happy with the muslin and the notched/rever collar is proving to be an asshole. So knowing I have 11 weeks, I'll put that in my WIP pile (I have new shelves and this is banished to the top!) and think of it as a challenging little puzzle to sort out in my spare moments. (I am convincing myself here of a bright positive side).

Tonight I traced the Laurel pattern. It will be my first. Thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon and I have some great fabric from Mood, which will be perfect for it. If all goes well, it will be renamed as the "It Happened at the World's Fair' dress. Yep...everything from now on will be Elvis themed. Of course, right?

I also cut my Vogue trench coat pattern in some cheap curtain lining I got hold of. This pattern is not necessarily for the trip, but it's something I have wanted in my wardrobe for a long time. However, whether it will be made this side of the summer is anyone's guess, although living in England there will be plenty of time to wear it.

I better go, Gary Drac needs a pint of blood and Elvis now wants a milkshake. Seriously, these men in my head are so demanding!
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It Happened at the World's Fair

May 28, 2013, 2:53 pm
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I know I've been a little AWOL from my blog - but, I've still been sewing. I have a few things on the go at the moment, so I've been busy juggling the sewing plates and trying to finish them simultaneously one by one.

First finished is my version of the Colette Laurel dress now renamed as It Happened at the World's Fair dress. I just wanted a simple easy pattern so I could make a cute little dress to bag for the Road Trip. (Not long now peeps...think it's just under 9 weeks...and incase you don't know where I am going...I'M GOING TO GRACELAND!)

So, simple easy pattern? Yes, technically speaking it's VERY easy in its construction but AFTER you make a series of alterations to make it fit.

Regrets? I've had a few. I can draft patterns and I kind of wished I had just copied the thing -  whaaaa, me? shhhh - okay, I meant just draw up a basic shift dress pattern. Would have saved me a whole lot of time. Why didn't I? I don't know, patterns are fun to buy and receive. They make me feel like I am sewing before I even open them. Anyone else have that feeling?

I know others have made some lovely versions of this dress, and I am pleased with my finished result, but it's kind of a smile through slightly gritted teeth.

But it's done, I like it, and it's for my date with Elvis when we go to the fair.

Here's my date having to babysit while he waits for me to turn up. I like to keep him waiting. I hope the little girl gets lost when I turn up. The cool red dog can stay.


Sorry I'm late, Elvis, I was in the middle of a photo shoot.

Don't even think about it Joan O'Brien - he's mine. 


I would now tell you the sordid details of what actually did happen at the world's fair, but I don't kiss and tell about that particular shaking pelvis, so instead here's the details of my dress.

The fabric is from Mood Fabrics, NYC. I bought this last year when me and Mr S hit NY before going to Canada to see family. It's so pretty and dainty. It's quite a sheer cotton, so I underlined it with some plain cream lawn.

As per my little whine above, I made quite a few alterations. When I first made this up in a muslin I thought it looked pretty shapeless and I felt like a sack, but that could have been the calico or me just not being able to rock a sack. So I tapered in the front a fair bit and the back even more - as well as deepening the waist dart as well.

Most commercial patterns seem to love giving me a gaping back neck. I either have a head that sits too forward (according to some research...but, wait does that make me like one of those car bobble heads?) or it's my rounded shoulders. Whatever, another gaping neck fixed with neck darts. Luckily, my date is in 1963 and neck darts are IN!

I also think the shoulder seam sits too far back on this pattern. The internet tells me most commercial patterns are guilty of this. I found that in relation to this the back pattern was pulling the front up. Only slightly, and probably not obvious to most, but I could just see it. So, I slashed the back pattern from about midway of the armhole straight across and added 1/2". This really helped.

Related to this issue is the bust darts. For a tall girl, they sit up far too high. Even when adjusting the back I still had to lower my bust dart point 1/2".

For the sleeves I added a little band at the bottom with slits and a cute little button. I left the neckline as it was, as by the end of making this dress, I felt I had done enough with the fitting alterations and didn't have the desire to add a collar. I was done with this dress and the fair was just pulling into town.

On the inside I french seamed all the seams including armholes and hand sewed the hem.


And that's my version of the Laurel. I'm not sure I'll make it again. I do have a half done wearable muslin in a mock denim blue cotton, which can sleep in my WIP pile for a while, but for now it's back to finishing the Jungle Room pencil skirt. Only the waist band to go after a tricky fiddle lining a vent. Let's promise to never line vents again! ;)
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