Sewn: 70s floral dirndl skirt

This is another project that I completed many months ago. I think I finished this in autumn (around May) but never got around to wearing it, taking photos of it or blogging about it. But here it is! I wore it the first time to the Priceline Pout Day which I talked about a while ago.

Butterick 5935 (via)

Floral print which, according to my friend, seems Laura Ashley-inspired

Pattern: Butterick 5935, option B (pictured on the right)
Fabric: Polycotton, Laura Ashley-inspired floral print
Modification(s): I shortened the hem (as usual).
What I dislike about this pattern: I think a dirndl skirt is meant to be a full skirt. But for some reason, my dirndl skirt simply isn't as full as the ones shown on the front of the sewing pattern. I am definitely unable to stretch my legs out and run quickly when wearing this skirt. But I guess it doesn't really matter that much. 
What I love about this pattern: The mere fact that the pattern is from the 70s makes my heart sing. Oh, also, THERE ARE POCKETS!

That's all for now folks! I've wasted 343264735 hours on the computer trying to fix a problem that I have been having with the system. Now that I have (sort of) fixed it and written a blog post, it's time I continue working on my thesis........................

xx g

Priceline Pout Day

When there is an opportunity to get free make-up, you grab it. So, when I found out about the Priceline Pout Day in Sydney, I dragged my friend along to get the freebies and to become part of the Guinness World Record for the largest makeover class.

Lipstick, blusher, mascara and a mirror

We also had lunch at Bills and desserts thereafter at the Strawberry Cream Continental Patisserie. 

Cordials

Full Aussie Breakfast (and Beef Miso Sandwich in the background). The scrambled eggs was rather disappointing. But my friend was very pleased with her sandwich.

Outside Strawberry Cream Continental Patisserie

Cheesecake, sacha torte, cappuccino and piccolo latte

Most importantly, I finally had the chance to take photos of another skirt that I made (a long while ago)! More to come. Stay tuned! x

Wearing: Brown ankle boots, Valleygirl; 70s style floral skirt, DIY/handmade; brown satchel bag, Sportsgirl; mint green top

Sydney Summer Love Vintage Show (and a dress called Edith)

Edith

This post just cannot wait. As everyone who has been following me will know, I am not very good at keeping up to date with my posts. But this post simply cannot wait. 

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was making a dress to wear to the Sydney Summer Love Vintage Show. I was almost certain that I was NOT going to finish the dress in time as the date of the show drew near. But I did it. I finished the dress 2 days before the show and I think it's most probably the loveliest thing I have ever made. So, behold, my favourite dress at this very moment - Edith. 

Wearing: Handmade vintage-inspired 60s dress, nude Rubi flats, white vintage purse, white ASOS sunnies

Oh, I also made a matching bow

Don't ask me why I'm calling it Edith. The name just popped into my head as I was admiring it. 

Anyway, the Sydney Summer Love Vintage Show was amazing and I loved every minute that I spent there. There was a sign outside which said no photographs of the stalls were allowed, so I didn't take many photos at the show. But I did take a couple at a stall with the permission of the stall vendor. 

Mustang Sallie

And here are the things I got at the show:  

Vintage red luggage bag, $30

Vintage Australian Home Journal (1951), $18

Vintage handmade crochet gloves, $12. My life is now complete.

Vintage dress, $10. What a steal! 

Vintage sunglasses, 2 for $25. My friend bought one too.

The details of this sewing project will be discussed in another post. Stay tuned! x

I'm making a dress to wear to a vintage show

There is a vintage show coming to Sydney, called the Love Vintage show. It was here in Sydney back in March but I missed it because I simply could not find the time amidst the hectic uni workload. This time, I will not miss it for the world.

And, I'm making a dress to wear to the show. This is the pattern and the fabric that I am using. Ahhhh!! Summer!!

I've sewn up a muslin for the bodice and it seems that I have to alter the rather poofy back a little. But that should not be a huge issue since the zipper is at the back of the bodice. I can always take more in as I insert the zipper.

Wish me luck! x

P.S.: Oh, and a reader commented on one of the previous posts and asked me about the camera I use and what I do with my photos. I am using a Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS which I have been using for 4 years. My recent photos have been edited using the Photoscape, a program that can be downloaded for FREEEE!! I highly recommend it to everyone!!

SEWN: Polka Dot Cape

Pattern: Simplicity 2030 (Sew Simple)

Fabric: Velour, navy polka dots on white background

This cape is made of velour, just like Zapp Brannigan's suit. But this cape is more awesome than Zapp Brannigan's suit. I think I bought this fabric earlier this year when it was on sale. The polka dots and the plush, shiny look of the fabric blew me away the very moment I laid eyes on it and I knew I had to get it. I don't know why, but for some reason, the fabric screamed, 'KATE SPADE!' to me. 

Wearing the cape with ASOS sunnies, DIY denim, and red lipstick

Within a minute of deciding that I was going to buy the fabric, I also decided that I was going to make a cape with the fabric, regardless of the suitability of velour as a material for making something that is meant to keep a person warm in winter. Oh, and also, the pattern does not recommend the use of velour at all. Sense 0 - Sensibility 1. 

But hey, the end product isn't too bad! I didn't make a muslin but simply made some alterations to the pattern based on my... intuition... and how the cape looks on the white silhouette on the front of the envelope. These are the changes that I made:


- Raised arm holes
- Shortened cape
- 3 hook and eye instead of the 4 prescribed by the pattern
- Additional topstitch all around the bottom which was not stated in the pattern. I did this to make the fabric stay in place since my fabric is quite light. Without the topstitch, the bottom of the cape looked puffy as the velour is not heavy enough.

The cape

Detail

I reckon the arm holes can still be raised a tad more. Regardless, I am still happy with how the cape turned out. Now, let me lay the cape to sleep into my wardrobe and I shall find an opportunity to wear it when I'm back from my clinical placement in Albury.

Let me know what you think of this polka dot cape! :)

DIY: Coffee Sleeve (inspired by Jimmy Choo)

Yes, I made the coffee cup sleeve that I talked about a while ago. I made it using just a small bit of the faux snakeskin that I have from an XL skirt I thrifted 2 years ago. That's the same fabric that I used to make my snakeskin and studded clutch. I don't exactly have a tutorial for this project, but I'll just share with everyone how I made it.

I cut the original sleeve that came with the tumbler, put it on a piece of paper, then traced the shape out and added about 0.5 cm to the ends. Then, using the paper pattern, I traced out the shape on my faux snakeskin fabric. 


Following that, I cut the faux snakeskin fabric and then sew the dotted ends together with a straight stitch. Finally, I trimmed the seam to make it short (as seen in the second picture) and used a zig-zag stitch to secure the seam. That's all!

♥

My re-usable and insulated tea tumbler will never be the same again. :) Also, I still have a bit of the faux snakeskin leftover! I wonder what else I can create with the leftover... 

Image of Jimmy Choo's Coffee Sleeves via here

Image of inspiration board created using Polyvore and can be seen here

Sewn: Polka Dot Rain Hat (inspired by Cath Kidston)

I am a big fan of Cath Kidston's designs and I've actually been eyeing the Cath Kidston Spot Rain Hat for several months, always 'umm-ing' and 'ah-ing' over whether I really should buy the hat. Firstly, I already have many hats. Secondly, I have a hat pattern in my pattern stash which I thrifted a while ago and I knew I could make a similar one if I had the right fabric. Then, the day came when I found a PVC polka dot fabric remnant in the remnant bin in Spotlight. It was just enough to make one hat! I can't even remember the cost. I think it was probably less than $2! Lucky~

Sewing pattern circa 1989

Work in progress

Close-up of stitches. I had fun making the exterior stitches. No, that was not sarcasm.

Pattern: Simplicity 9135 (Hat No. 2)
Fabric: Polka dot PVC and royal blue cotton



The Simplicity 9135 hat pattern is really quite easy to sew. But unfortunately, it's a tad too big for my head. I didn't bother to alter the pattern to make it smaller for this project. I think I can make do with a big hat - for now. Perhaps I will resize the pattern when I make another hat with the same pattern... 

On a similar note, the weather here in Sydney has been bizarre. It's the middle of summer but there's no clear blue skies or the warm sunshine. The sky has mostly been crowded with dark heavy clouds that seem like they would burst into tears any moment. 


But honestly, I don't really care because I spend most of my days hiding away from the world in a clinic for my uni placement. Also, if I do go out on the weekends, I have a rain hat to chase those grey clouds away. 


xx.


Image credits: PuglyPixels, Pretty Poodle, ASOS

Sewn: Vintage-inspired 'Country Road' Dress

All right, ladies and gentlemen! I present to you... *drum roll* the 4th clothing item that I've sewn from scratch! I actually completed this dress a while ago but haven't had the time to take the pictures for a blog post. 

Left: Front view, Right: Back view

Left: Dress with belt; Right: Dress without belt

Pattern: New Look 6824 (A+H+J)
Fabric: Green and purple gingham cotton

New Look 6824, circa 2011/2012

I made this dress using the vintage-inspired New Look 6824 pattern. I bought the pattern because I felt that the dresses really reminded me of the 60s. When I first saw the pattern, I even thought that lady on the cover was Betty Draper from Mad Men! 

Dress with belt

Dress without belt

The version of the dress I made comes with a sash that is supposed to be worn as a belt. But I think the belt looks better wrapped around my head as a headband rather than around my waist as a belt. What do you think?

The seam between the bodice and the skirt

The zipper and button closure

The skirt hem

I decided to call this dress the "'Country Road' Dress" because wearing it really really makes me want to pack my bare essentials into an old leather suitcase, hop on a bus and sing "Country Road" by John Denver while I stare out in the vast empty lands on my way to a quiet countryside. But alas, I don't have an old leather suitcase and I certainly do not have the country to go to a countryside on my own. I also do not have the ability to hold a tune, unfortunately.