Hello there Miss Peplum

Glad to finally meet you. I know you've been a long time coming and you're still not perfect but you're pretty close.

Hope to see more of you soon.

Black and white all over

Took the new overlocker out of the box today! Got cracking on the striped skirt that I have had on my to make list for ages.  

The fabric was a lovely cotton lyrca mix - it's quite thick.  I got it from Joelle's - here. I think I should buy a metre or so more - just in case. I have already made a t-shirt out of it but it looks so square on me so I have yet to wear it officially.

To make my pattern I got out a tube skirt that I already had and measured it up. I made it slightly longer and a little wider for ease, I also added seam allowances and then I just drew the a big rectangle out on the fabric.

I love this look from Clothed Much so much that I think I will copy it. I have a dotty t-shirt somewhere! But I also think it will look great with a solid coloured top.  Me thinks that this skirt has some awesome potential!

Zara top inspiration

I saw this photo on Pinterest:

I can't find it on the Zara website anymore so they must have sold out or something. But you know I wouldn't have bought it anyway.  It would be just a simple gray marle t-shirt with a bit of lace running down the sleeve. I so want to sew that!!!

Here is some gray marle on Ebay:  Click on the photos to go to the link.

Then I did a search for some nice lace - I went with the chunkier lace

So all I need now is my TNT pattern and I'm all set.

But while I was looking through Zara I also found these great t-shirts that I could use for inspiration:

In my Ebay travels I also found the shop that I bought my last round of dark gray marle - the fabric is on sale for $2.50 a metre at the moment so I am going to stock up. I'm actually wearing the top I made out of it right now - I wear it one I week and the fabric has held up well.

It looks a little brown in the photo but it really it dark gray and would be great for that last Zara top.  I'm pretty sure I have some black pleather at home too!

Boots, Bling and Book

It was one of those ho-hum days at work. Got lots done. My friend and I have been put into the same office for next year - although we do work, we do gossip/complain a bit though.

But I knew that I had to leave work earlier than usual because I wanted to walk down to the post office today.  I walk everywhere even though it is so HOT HOT HOT!!! And lucky me - I got parcels. Even luckier me I met up with another friend who offered me a lift home. I luff her so much right now because there would have been no way for me to have taken all my stuff home.

What I was hoping for were these:

But I also got these:

And these:

And this:

 Click on the pics to go where I bought them from.

Weekend round up

Current temperature - 31.2C' - at 8:40pm!!!

My house is a sweat box.

This is a photo of me battle a phone app that doesn't do what it says it should - take multiple photos - in a room that has no air-conditioning.  So I'm not amused.  However I wanted to celebrate our awesome evening tonight.  We performed 'Oh Holy Night' at Carols by Candlelight - I had never heard of it before until last week - oh well. We did it justice I reckon.

Our outfit was of course the little black dress.

Dress - Autograph - it's a few years old now so I probably need to update

Shoes - Colorado - I walked there so I wanted something extra comfy

Necklace - I have no idea - it was a present from my step-mother-in-law

Last night was our staff Christmas break-up party. There were a few tears as quite of number of teachers are leaving use this year. Had quite a few Malibu and Diet Cokes though to make up for it :o)

I decided on Saturday morning - that's yesterday - that I wanted to wear something new.  So I went to my cupboard and pulled out this fabric that I have been hoarding, cut it up and made a top and a skirt. Put it together, wear a belt and I've got a dress.  I love the top by itself so I can't wait to wear it with skinny jeans.

I also got to have my first lesson in fine jewellery making yesterday. Our friend is a national award winning jeweler so I'm in good hands.

Anyways,,, after a busy weekend I'm so tired. So I might go to bed early,,, maybe.

Galazy

As you know as per my previous post of Black Milk - I lust after their stuff - especially their galaxy leggings. Which would never fit me.

I saw these this week on Domino Doll:

Click on the pics to open the links.

I don't know how I feel about this. They are called Galaxy Leggings as well. Part of me goes - oh yeah - leggings that might actually fit me, but then I think,,, hold on,,, poor Black Milk has been copied. Then I remembered that I wanted to copy them as well.  Anyhows enough of that seriousness.

I did another search for fabric that would work and wow!!!

It's the same fabric!!!

Which led me back to look at the baby doll dress Domino Doll has in the same print, which I love, but which I won't wear because of the long sleeves being too hot and the fact that it wouldn't fit well anyway. I showed the husband and he was like 'You should buy the fabric and make it'. So I took his word for gospel and bought the fabric as well as this awesome print...

When I was younger I loved splatter prints. I still do, so I'm glad they've made a bit of a comeback.

All up the cost of the galaxy fabric including postage would have cost me the same for both items, but I can make sure that they will fit me, and I hopefully would have a little left over for maybe a top.  But as we know, sewing isn't about saving money sometimes, most of the time it's about being able to say, 'Thanks, I made it' and blow people's minds.

Aussie Curves - Dark

Although I wear a lot of dark - this week seems like I have had no opportunity.  So busy... so hot... 42'C is not fun weather to wear dark. I've been moving furniture into my new office, running after kids, dancing and dancing, walking down to the shire hall two days in a row for practises...

Tonight our school can take a deep breath - a first in over a few weeks - because we are now on the down hill slide until HOLIDAYS!!!

We had recital night tonight and my class of year 7 and 8 students got up and performed to Tyler Swift, Cher whatsherface and Gangnam Style. We had a few compliments after they were finished and I am so proud of them. Next week we are going to have a sleepover at school,,, so we'll see if this pride will last that long :-P

Next up, Friday's Christmas Fete for which my husband is baking cakes for as we speak. Saturday, Staff Christmas break-up. Sunday, Carols by Candlelight in which I will be performing with three other music/al teachers. So a few more chances to dress up!

Skirt - Rockmans - years ago

Top - Suzanne Grae - even longer ago

Necklace - gift from mother-in-law

Shoes - Tulula Valu - I love the name Talula!  

Tulula not so much - I didn't even know that until I just googled it!!!

 So yes, let's agree that I'm not all that keen about the photos still. 

At least you can see the bun of gargantuan proportions.

Laser beams on stun!!!

I wish I could have tucked the top in - but the zipper doesn't do up. Shhh!

Oh yeah, while my hair is up and my glasses are on... 'sexy librarian look' LOL!

Seat of my skirt sewing

Last night I decided that I wanted to sew.  I had already cut this skirt out a few weeks ago so I figured I would just sit down and sew. It took me just under 2 hours because I ran into a few problems --- like ---

• Finding out that I had chopped  the zipper I had planned to use up for a previous project. 
• Finding a new zipper to use. 
• Finding out that my zipper foot had gone missing, searched the sewing room mess, was almost about to use a normal foot (OMG!) when I saw a glint of metal shining from under my sewing machine. 
• Danced a dance of joy that I had found my zipper foot. 
• Had to search for some bias binding, ransacked for fabric cupboard only to remember that I had put them in the second draw,,, right beside where I sew so that I could find them easily...
• Almost finished... run out of bobbin thread.

Not too bad.

This pattern is Vogue 8603. I traced the pattern ages ago and made two skirts from it, but a few weeks ago I re-traced it and combined the panel pattern pieces to make the seams into darts instead. Does that even make sense?

Anyway - wore it today and realized that I have to really take it in because I've lost a weight since I last made this pattern.

Also wanted to share how I 'baste' in my zippers. I use applique pins!!!

Note the fabric,,,  made me a floral pencil skirt. ASOS - $59.95. Me - maybe $15. Not including the time taken to make it because it was fun. Much like shopping is fun and you never include the amount per hour to the price of clothing that it took to find it, try it on and buy it...

Top - Avella from Big W

Skirt - Me

Necklace - leaves - Diva? It's from a long time ago

Sandals - Ko Fashion

Look - another cat bomb!

Inspiration

Bit of Pinterest browsing today between tracing off patterns and marking assignments.

  Nasty Girl - Jeweled Crop Knit for $48

 I love this - maybe because I just want to buy lots of plastic jewels!

She Inside - Blue Apricot Striped Long Sleeve Lapel Blouse for $32.80

The cute little collar with a matching sleeve cuff. 

How to make dressing professionally,,, fun?

Bad habits

Does anyone else stay up until midnight looking at out of print patterns on Ebay?

Did I mention that yesterday I got a kind of promotion that will take place next year?

Does that mean I have to start jazzing up my wardrobe? A little less casual?

I bought some bubble necklaces off ebay to celebrate. I think every fashion blogger that I read has got at least one.

Talk of t-shirts

So the other day I ordered the pink t-shirt fabric that I mentioned back in the leopard top post.  I so love that top still! But!!! I forgot to order the leopard print :( doh! I'll have to check out her shop this weekend.

But anyway - I have more than enough of the pink for a second top, I also got a black and white stripe too.  I'm always wary of horizontal stripes - seriously with as large a frontage as I have I really do have to be carefull. So I went and looked for stripey tops that aren't all stripes...

Sonia by Sonia Rykiel t shirt (see more stripe t shirts)
Verdict: This is a little too cute:
Price: $107.28 $53.64 (50% off)

Marc by Marc Jacobs t shirt (see more stripe tees)

Verdict: The stripes, the gathering - 'HEELLLLLOOO ladies!' Cries my boobs to everyone that cares to look in my direction.

Price: $110.26 I think

Tokyo Fashion t shirt (see more striped t shirts)

Verdict:  This is more like it - included the right colours, but far too much ease for me

Price: $28US

Maymaylu Dreams t shirt (see more long sleeve tops)

Verdict: Even better - still a little loose but I like it

Price: $19.80

T shirt (see more stripe tees)
Verdict: I really do like this - but could it work without the print?
Price: $29

Essential Ts

Getting in a little sewing this weekend.


Remembering that I needed more casual clothes that could work both as PJs and exercise stuff, I dug out my TNT pattern from Ottobre Issue 2/06, Obviously it's been worked over - a full bust adjustment, removing excess from my shoulder back, adding length.

I made up two t-shirts using a dark grey marle and a steel blue. Both are cotton lyrca/spandex mixes and were lovey to sew. The marle was from an ebay seller I can't find anymore so I'm glad I got metres of it. The seller made a mistake, an instead of sending me both a skin colour lot and a grey colour lot she send me 6m of grey - but it's lovely and soft. The steel blue is slightly thicker and I got it from Joelle.

I'm trying to move my neutral colour from black to grey. It's actually hard to find a lot of grey clothing but grey fabric pops up on ebay fairly often.

This time around I added 3 cm to the short sleeve and attached a band so I wouldn't have to do a proper hem. I sew this on the Renfrew top. Works so well.

I also added an extra 2cm to the hem so that I could fold the hem up 4cm and do a extra wide hem. This makes sewing easier and added a bit of weight.

Instead of making a dart, I instead eased in the extra fabric to make a little bit of gathering - this is easy, comfortable and makes room for my boobs. I got this tip from Eugenia's Fabulous World of Fashion. Admittedly it looks a little funny, but once it's on my husband says it looks great. For the steel blue top I took a little off the side of the dart area because I felt there was too much.

I also used my pinking shears almost everywhere - normally I would have just left it straight but I thought why not?

 

Whenever I sew t-shirts my husband is so amazed that they look like shop bought ones but fit so much better. 

Next up? I really want to make my yellow skirt or finish up my magenta maxi skirt.

Leopard Patchwork High-low Sleeveless Pink Blouse

Yesterday I spent sewing and adjusting a pattern so that it fits me perfectly - I think I'm done. But after that my husband and I made a duct tape dressmakers dummy of my body. Bler! It took just under and hour of being wrapped up tightly in plastic - I was so hot and sweaty by the end but the dress form after I was cut out is pretty amazing. I have almost finished stuffing it and boy it is scary.

Anyhoo  check this out...

Leopard Patchwork High-low Sleeveless Pink Blouse. 

This is like a heap of current fads all meshed in together to make one item of clothing. I love it.

We have

• animal print
• salmon pink
• high-low hem
• useless pocket
• colour blocking
• shoulder pads

Did I miss anything?

Oh yeah - it only came in one size apparently - miniscule - way to go there!  I am so making my own.

Although I already own some leopard print chiffon I would want to make the back out of something opaque - Joelle has some fun looking nylon lycra and the pink fabric too.

Off to a start

I've started sewing my magenta maxi skirt today.

I saw a similar skirt as the ASOS aztec one I posted earlier - but it was is the girl section. I could have bought 2 of them and made my own bigger version but oh well. I couldn't fiind any fabric that would match the neon pastel colours.

So I bought the ASOS skirt instead - it was on sale too.

I think I have found the fabric for the ASOS dress and the body

I also saw some similar print on ebay but there wasn't much of it - barley enough for a tube skirt...

Gimme Gimme Lucy

 Hands up if you can make this dress yourself?

Oooh, That's me. I know this one! Pick me!

(you'll just have to imagine me enthusiastically waving my hand around to catch the teacher's attention.)

I have a pattern I have patterns that look just like this.

No I just need the fabric... cotton silk... Radiance Silk by Robert Kaufman fabrics...

Original price $168 ( I can't believe I just typed that).

My price $80 at the most expensive price I can find including misc.

ASOS dreams

While I don't frequent Anthropology, I do like Asos. The prints are usually so fun. I could so make this dress easily with some black and white print.

This skirt is just a tube with elastic!!! I love the fabric. 

 Would this skirt give me enough reason to buy this fabric from Tessuti?

After buying a body myself and noting how easy the pattern was - I really want to make my own - I want boy legged ones though.

I have almost the perfect fabric for this.