Japanese Pattern Books and Pattern Magazines on Ebay Now
Patrones in all its linguistic forms
More to come over the weekend.
Everything above (and more) is on ebay right now. I’ll be adding more over the weekend including Designer Vogue, Jalie and Style Arc Patterns.
Yes I’m still alive. I hope you’re well also and gearing up for XMAS!
Vintage Drafting and Sewing Books now on Evilbay
All of the things are on ebay now. Also, the last of the Nani Iro double gauze.
Big ups to everyone that bought stuff over the past couple of weeks-you have no idea how much I appreciate it, seriously. Massive thanks.
Image heavy post below.
Here’s a bunch of cool images from the vintage stuff I’ve listed this week.
1900s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
Browse through at your leisure here.
Black Gold (or, the perfect shirt dress part deux)
I’ve been searching high and low (read, through all the pattern mags I already own) for the perfect shirt dress pattern. Comfortable, classy, formal enough to wear to work, casual enough for a night out.
Right now, this one’s ticking all the boxes (except the buttons that put the ‘shirt’ in shirt dress. That is a plus in my book though) and the stand-collar makes it ‘shirt’ enough to look dressy so.. onwards and upwards. (• ◡•)
The embroidery around the neckline and down the ends of the self-tie belt is one of the in-built stitch options on my brother ns20. I filled in the little leaves by hand sewing filler stitches with the same gold thread but that isn’t obvious here (I need a camera with a better sensor (ಥ﹏ಥ).
The nice new photo area is courtesy of the fine Victorian gentleman I’m seeing. This is the back porch of his family home. Great for barbecues and blog photos. I sewed an adjustable linen apron for him and I’m planning on making him a Liberty shirt for his birthday so you’ll probably see him here soon. (ᵔᴥᵔ)
Here’s the overall silhouette without the belt, great for camouflaging lunch babies and the like. BTW if you’re wondering about the perfect shirt dress part un, here it is. This one trumps that one in its buttonless-ness though. Please post links to any cool shirtdress patterns you’d like to recommend in the comments!
On a completely different note, I’m going through one of my cyclic periods of poverty and have put up a whole bunch of sewing stuff on ebay. More listings over the weekend-think of it as a donation ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. On another completely different note, here’s a nice tribute to Leonard Nimoy on FashionItSo (a very cool tumblr that focuses on the clothing in the Star Trek the Next Generation series) and another on NPR.
Check out this awesome chica. Lounging on the 15,000 dollar real Italian leather couch in her sea-side bungalow (say it like you mean it) waiting for her shirtless 25 year old boy toy to bring her some ice tea 17 year old single malt Japanese scotch. I didn’t even have to look at the line diagram to post-it this one as the ‘next make’ (then I put the mag away, forgot all about it and rediscovered the line diagram while searching through my pattern summary pdfs for a shirtdress ;).
Pattern: Knipmode, April 2011, Pullover dress 15 (with self fabric tie belt).
Fabric: Super light, black viscose rayon with accents in gold raw silk and gold silk embroidery.
Modifications:
- shortened 2 cm at the waistline, 4 cm at the hem and pinched out 0.5 cm vertically (from the shoulder down; I should have reduced 1-1.5 cm vertically.)
- omitted interfacing the collar and collar stand
- omitted the cuff tabs and the curved hem facing
- shortened the sleeves due to fabric length limitations
- finished the curved hem with a narrow hem using a rolled hem foot
Disclaimer: All non-self-generated images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for purposes of illustration, discussion and review.
Lace+Crepe
New house, new photo space. This is the last time I’ll be using the balcony-the light is awful (that top is way darker) and I don’t need the extra level of grunge courtesy the rainwater harvest system.
This is a pretty cool pattern for using tiny little scraps of fabric. Great for remnants and even better for using small (read, affordable) amounts of very expensive fabric for that totally luxe feeling.
I want to make another but probably won’t due to the blinding rage of having to piece it together from shitty little A4s* because the seller ‘lacks the time to recreate the pattern in a larger format’ (the file the A4s version was tiled from would have been more than sufficient). I’m all for supporting entrepreneurship but I’m not putting money down for something that turns my hobby into a chore.
It’s probably long enough to cover ‘coin slottage’ issues with low waist jeans (if made it up in an opaque fabric ;).
I bought this (and two other patterns) before I knew providing untiled pdfs was some sort of epic quest that required special effort and a twelve-sided dice (NB:I’ve sewn pdf patterns from Pattern Runway, Victory Patterns and Salme Patterns which were provided, on request, in untiled large/A0 format. Big ups to Lisa of Paprika patterns for including untiled, large format pdfs with every pattern right off the bat [on an unrelated note, big ups to Barbara for that lovely supportive email checking in on me. Lady, you’re a frickin’ legend and I appreciate your kind words more than I can express here. Many thanks].
Another issue with the back is back pattern, is the sizing. Using the correct size for my dimensions (34) results in a too-tight fit and sizing up (to 36) causes gaping everywhere. I compromised by using the smaller size for the back piece, the larger one for the front and grading the join at the shoulders with bias tape (and it shows. Ha!).
*Tiled pdfs are an unnecessary contrivance I f*cking detest because I want to spend my sewing time sewing, not cutting and pasting shitty little A4s together (and there’s a very affordable large format print shop near me which saves me from the said ignoble fate). This is also why I avoid patterns from burdastyle online. It’s not worth the hassle and there’s so much out there to sew that doesn’t require moving furniture and juggling glue/scotchtape.
Pattern: Vanessa Pouzet’s back is back (has bust darts and a yoke in the front). Jeans-Guess, Shoes-John Fluevog.
Fabric: The front is a light silk crepe, the back is two panels of fairly expensive lace that I pieced together (shittily, ha!) by hand.
Modifications:
- Back pattern pieces are of the recommended size, front pieces are one size up
- I pieced the back together from scalloped lace instead of using the straight centre back seam used in the pattern
- The back neckline for the lace portion was finished using a narrow hem foot before being sewn to the yoke pieces
Comments: Check the size chart carefully before buying. I went a size up on the do brasil dress based on my experience with this pattern and bad things happened (gaping neckline, shoulder straps sliding off, general irritation and the binning of a pretty block print voile from mum X(). I binned that pattern with the fury of Thor (in so much as a rolled up paper pattern can be slammed into a recycling bin ‘like a magical flying hammer’.
Disclaimer: All non-self-generated images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for purposes of illustration, discussion and review.
All opinions expressed in this post are based on my experience with the pattern used. Drama in the comments (why don’t you like her/why can’t you be nice/ waahwaah/boohoo) will be published and thoroughly mocked/ derided (not necessarily by me).
Welcome to the internet, even terrorists get mocked here (the last two vids on that page are pure gold).
White
Day 1 of Jenny’s weekend sleepover.
It started out all professional-like.
Then devolved into a gummi bear* fuelled giggle-fest.
Numerous bears tragically deliciously lost their heads (and other body parts).
Much hilarity ensued.
Then I scraped the duck poop off my shoes and we went home.
The day ended with wine (this one and this one-yes it’s a very pretty label and very sewing-relevant), Indian takeaway and the Thomas Crowne Affair (enjoyable in a predictable way) followed by House of Cards Season 1.
Oh yea.
Pattern: Kurai Muki’s Lalala Lockstitch 2-Pullover A4
Fabric: Soft wool knit in a very strange weave.
Modifications: None. And it fits fine. Which means it’s sized for midgets. Normals beware.
The sleeve cuffs are very long on me. Great for keeping my paws warm, but definitely not the length shown in the pattern image above.
Red Jacket here.
Thanks Jen, for the photos, the gummis, and the awesome company.
*Haribo for life.
Red
I love this dress.
It oozes a tonne of va va voom for what is, essentially, a basic sheath with front and back waist darts. The Oomph is in the silhouette-it looks like you’re in the middle of undressing. All of the time.
Details: Two toned raw silk (Indian dupion) fully lined in black Japanese rayon and faced at the neckline and arm holes in self fabric. Invisible zipper up the back.
Just want to say thank you to everyone that wrote to check up on me or just to say hello. I’ve been through a lot of changes since I last posted.
Thanks, also, to Jenny for taking these awesome photos (at the Bundoora Homestead) and sharing a weekend of hanging out and chillaxing.
Keep it real ladies.
Pattern: Burda 10/2009, Dress 116
Fabric: Red two toned raw silk
Modifications: Omitted the bow at the back, shortened at the hem by 5 cm.
Tights by Fiore, shoes Ristretto by John Fluevog.
PSA::@CreativeLive Photography courses
If you’re interested in learning professional Photography and image processing techniques and workflows (among other things) creativeLIVE have some really awesome stuff online. I’ve only viewed their Photography and image processing related courses so I can’t vouch for anything else but they offer the live broadcast of every course free to everyone that’s enrolled (you need to sign up and create a login, also free) as well as the subsequent re-broadcast.
They’re currently offering a pretty significant discount/sale on all their courses and continuous free re-broadcasts of some of their most popular courses (wedding photography, portraiture, outdoor shooting, image comp and processing, photography business etc).
So now might be a good time to try them out.
Disclaimer: All images (2 screenshots from the Creative Composition course at creativeLIVE), remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for purposes of illustration and review.
All opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not sponsored or funded in any way. My recommendations are based purely on the courses I’ve viewed, which I felt were great value.
Gratitude: A Photo Essay
Gratitude for the internet, and extraordinary adventures with people who share my interests.
Gratitude, for friends who accept me as I am,
-and aren’t afraid to show it on camera.
Gratitude for being here, the most beautiful city in the world
-and all of the resources that gives me access to.
Gratitude for the wherewithal to turn my dreams into reality.
Gratitude for great food
and great times
and most of all, for all of the incredible people I have been lucky enough to share these experiences with.
Thank you Yoshimi, Maria and Kristiann (and Simon) for flying out to Melbourne and spending the weekend with me. Thanks also to Yoshimi for the high-res photos, enlightening conversation and the big city sleepover, and Simon and Hui Nie for taking photos at various locations/events. Big ups to everyone that made it to the meetups: Claire, Hui Nie, Jenny, Kate, Nicole, and Raquel I really enjoyed hanging out with you all.
Thanks for all the memories.
Thanks to the staff at Masons of Bendigo for accommodating a big group with gracious service and delicious food. And finally, massive thanks to Leanne, the curator at the Bendigo Art Gallery for stopping by (on her day off) to welcome us to the Modern Love exhibit and spend some time with us. A good time was had by all.
Happy Thanksgiving to all those that celebrate it. And those that don’t.
Credits
Image 1: Me (burdastyle 04/2013, dress 108), Jenny (vintage), Kate, Kristiann (self-drafted), Yoshimi and Maria (in Victory patterns Nicola and Chloe which they changed into at the NGV), Raquel (RTW rub off top, Simplicity 1940s pants) and Claire (Collette) at the NGV International front foyer for the Edward Steichen and Art Deco Fashion exhibit. We then went to All that Glitters exhibit at the Arts Centre next door and the Textiles of Michael O’Connell Exhibit at the Ian Potter Centre up the street.
Image 2: Maria, Jenny, Raquel (check out the fit on those pants) and me (Bendigo Art Gallery gardens)
Image 3: Jenny (best expression ever), Raquel and I (Bendigo Art Gallery gardens)
Image 4: Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne.
Image 5: The Fabric Store Brunswick Street, Melbourne.
Image 6: In front of the competition wall at the Bendigo Art Gallery’s entrance to the Modern Love Exhibit (reviewed here, here and here) in Patrones 273, Dress 23 by Hoss I might even review it at some point (big thumbs up, excellent pattern for upcycling saris, oh yea).
Image 7: The dessert tasting platter at Masons of Bendigo (the flowers are edible)
Image 8: Hui Nie, Jenny, Me, Maria, Nicole, Leanne and Raquel at the Bendigo Art Gallery
Image 9: Kristiann, Maria, Hui Nie, Yoshimi, me, Raquel, Claire and Kate at Gekkazan in Melbourne’s GPO
Image 10: The Melbourne Museum (we spent two hours in the Designing 007, 50 years of Bond style exhibit. Yes they have the Grace Jones dress).
Disclaimer: All images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for illustration and review.
Modern Love: A Preview. Haute Couture. Thanks @BgoArtGallery and @FIDMMuseum
Modern Love opens this weekend at the Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria. To set the stage, here’s FIDM Museum curator Kevin Jones’ favourite piece from the exhibit: A Christian Lacroix evening gown from the F/W ’91 collection.
Mais naturellement, it is haute couture
The dress was draped straight onto the mannequin in separate parts: each skirt layer was cut out of silk chiffon, individually hemmed and pleated, then draped in place and sewn on by hand.
The bodice was draped in silk velvet and attached to the skirt waist with leather and rhinestone trim. The neckline was then interfaced to hold its shape and finished with leather and rhinestones.
The pleats on the skirt consist of narrower sets at irregular intervals rather than being continuously spaced all around. I wondered if that’s what kept the hem even in those areas. It certainly makes for a more natural drape overall.
The bodice and skirt portions have separate closures: a concealed zipper (hand-picked) for the bodice and concealed snaps for the skirt portion.
It’s all good. We’re professionals, we know what we’re doing. Well, the one on the right does.
No shots of the closures-there was no way to get a camera back there to frame the shot. You should totally go see it for yourself though (and while you’re there, take a selfie and submit it to the competition)-everything’s set up for maximal viewing pleasure i.e. the mannequins are displayed so both the fronts and backs of the garments are clearly visible, closures and all.
My absolute favourite detail about this dress? It’s invisible. Unless you go looking for it. Like so.
It has an integrated body suit to thwart potential wardrobe malfunctions!*
They certainly don’t make ’em like they used to. Tickets here, related programs and events here and if you want to make a weekend of it, travel/accommodation tie-ins here.
I’d like to give a massive shout out to the Bendigo Art Gallery and the FIDM Museum for allowing me to preview the exhibit and to Kevin, Leanne, Dani and Christine for walking me through the exhibit while they were setting it up. I was happier that day than I was on the day I got my PhD (the latter was an anti-climax. The scroll was not made of Platinum. Or vellum. Or even faux vellum paper. Goshdurnit).
Thanks also to Carl for all the awesome photos.
*Yes. The bodysuit has poppers snaps.
CREDITS Christian Lacroix (1951-) Paris Evening gown fall/winter 1990-91 Silk velvet, silk chiffon, leather, beads,sequins & rhinestones Anonymous gift
Modern Love: A Preview. Part deux. Thanks @BgoArtGallery and @FIDMMuseum
Wait, what’s that? Is that a…?
Knip-tastic: Refashioned Denim Mini-Skirt
What my hair looks like after 20 minutes in a motorcycle helmet. Denim from an old pair of men’s jeans. Belt carriers, original.
After 20 minutes on the scooter. I should’ve left the pockets off but they’re functional and I like that.
This next one’s gonna be a bit of a shocker.
When the necklines’ so low you need to string a dead animal around your neck to appear ‘decent’ in public.
When the only images of the garment are on a dummy, or worse, on an invisible dummy.
When leaning forward is no longer a socially acceptable option.
Accept that the finished garment will PG-13 on regular humans.
No I can’t iron it. The iron does bad things to it even on a low setting. Also, I know I look like a debt collector. From the Sopranos
I love this pattern and I really love the mesh-backed sports knit that calicostretch sent me way back in September, 2012 (I made this months ago but it’s been way to warm to wear it.) but I definitely need to do something about that neckline before I make the dress version. I’ve used the top for yoga and silks practice with Emily.
The contrast pockets looked cute when I sewed them in but they’re totally useless for co-ordinating the skirt with anything in a useful manner. But this has already been discussed in detail.
Previously on denim jeans refashioning.
Top Pattern: Knipmode September 2012 Top/Dress 27/28 (I’ve made the top but the dress version is pretty much straight down from the hem on the top-i.e. no tapering from the hips on down).
Fabric: Sports knit from
Modifications: Shortened it at the waist.
Skirt Pattern:Knipmode February 2009, Skirt 3
Fabric: Denim harvested from Carl’s old jeans (I used the original belt loops as is), Robert Kaufman Kitschy Kitchen remnant for the pockets, hammered hot pink silk lining (it’s silk, it’s invisible, ’nuff said), cotton remnant for inner waistband.
Modifications: None. Though I’ll shorten it next time because the tapered hem interferes with my stride and my ability to get off my scooter and park it while simultaneously defying gravity.
Greige. I feel cheated. As if I’d been tricked into reading a ‘women’s interest‘ rag. Carl tricked me into reading the Daily Maul yesterday. This feels worse-possibly due to the fact that it works in both English and Dutch. My spirit rebels.
Disclaimer: All non-self-generated images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for the purposes of discussion, illustration and humour.
Wrap-Front Playsuit: Patrones 315, romper 31
Not a huge amount to say here. Love this playsuit. I’ve incorporated popper buttons (press studs? Snaps!) along the seam that runs from the inner left hem to the inner right hem. So it’s all cool. I’ve only worn it out once though. Over a bikini. So in that sense it is a bit of a blooper.
I won’t shorten it as much next time. Probably a good idea to modify the wrap front wrap drape as well. The actual garment has two little open-ended tucks at the shoulders that the pattern and the line diagram are missing.
I made the illustrations using Pebeo seta scrib markers. Similar to what I did here (but done months earlier. I made this romper and then winter arrived so there really hasn’t been an opportunity to wear it). Tutorial here.
Pattern: Patrones 315, Playsuit 31
Fabric: Outer-some sort of poly-cotton nightmare that wrinkles like crazy but has a really cute embossed net pattern on it. Lining-cotton voile.
Modifications:
- Shortened the top by 2cm (although 1.75 cm would have sufficed).
- Cut the sleeves with selvedge ‘hems’
- Added
press studssnaps/poppers along the ‘A seam’ from inner left hem to inner right hem - Lined the shorts portion with cotton voile.
Cotton tights by Marilyn.
Disclaimer: All non-self-generated images remain copyright of their owners and are used here for purposes of discussion and review.
Social Sessions. Make it so.
Social Sessions will initiate in two weeks time. And continue for as long as there are takers. I aim to organise these on a fortnightly basis.
This is not a sewing thing it’s a hang out with cool people and widen your social circle while having fun thing. You can bring your partner, work friends, interesting people you meet at Uni/gym/activities-essentially anyone that you’d like to spend more time with.
You can even invite that cute guy/gal/other that you’ve been dying to ask out (but flubbed ‘cuz ‘date‘ is such a formal word). This is your chance to hang out with them in an informal setting and not have to worry about being at some restaurant trying to eat without getting anything stuck in your teeth and struggling to think of awesome things to impress them with.
So where’s this thing we’re going to in two weeks time?
Where: Joe’s Shoe Store.
Why:
- it’s accessible by tram, train and bus so you don’t have to worry about driving there/home
- you can get awesome pizzas delivered from Pizza Miene Lieber next door (and eat them at Joe’s), they have Gluten-Free options or you can visit any of the other awesome eateries in the area
- the drinks are pretty durn good (they do cocktails and good whiskeys)
- the atmosphere is relaxed and the crowd is friendly
- they have an awesome toilet (that is always clean and never out of TP)
When: Friday evenings, 6:00 PM onwards (you’re free to show up earlier/later with your friends, or with a book if you prefer).
The next 2 sessions are:
- 25th October, 2013
- 15th November, 2013
It’s a good way to relax, unwind and start the weekend-so put it in your reminder app/calender now. The weather’s warming up nicely and it’s time to get out there and meet some cool people already!
Disclaimer: All non-self-generated images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for the purposes of discussion, illustration and humour. Featured image from here. All images linked directly to source.
MEETUP PSA
To all the awesome people that filled the meetup forms-you rock. Thank you. I can’t wait to meet you in person and have exceptionally interesting adventures with you.
To all the anonymous weirdos that entered random sh*t (especially the creature that submitted the same form thrice under different initials):
My delete-button thanks you from the bottom of its little plastic heart for all the exercise it’s gotten this week.
For anyone that’s thinking of signing up for either meetup, I need your name (not your initials) and your email. I’m not sure why this needs to be explained but:
- If I don’t have your email I can’t contact you about the meetup. And your ‘entry’ gets deleted.
- I don’t interact with anonymous online weirdos. Especially not in real life. (BTW, you know you’re never actually anonymous on the the internet right? It records things like IP and location every time you fill a form. Yup, even those forms for commenting on other people’s blog posts =D I.e. blogger, disqus, wordpress and all the other commenting platforms. Even redditors can be traced if someone really wants to find them. I’m sorry if I’ve popped your imaginary privacy bubble).
If you’re signing up for the Bendigo meetup, you can either meet us in Melbourne and get to the gallery with us OR you get to the gallery by yourself and meet us there. But you can’t do both (because you’re a person not a quantum particle).
Webcomic from xkcd. Cat gifs, unattributed, from this excellent tumblr on sweet, sweet couples romancing (mostly hetero, sorry). Possibly NSFW due to the presence of the odd kissing/making out gif and/or bare skin. Depends on where you work really..
Kristiann’s Big Day Out: Melbourne Meetup November 24, 2013
Kristiann’s coming to Australia.
Give that a moment to sink in. Kristiann of Victory Patterns is coming to Oz.
So Maria and I thought we’d show her a good time Melbourne-style. Which involves dressing up and galavanting around town oogling exquisite artwork and browsing for patterns and fabric fuelled by nothing but the finest coffee, chocolate and modern cuisine.
The National Gallery, the Melbourne Museum, The Fabric Store, Cleggs and Magnation are some of the stops on our itinerary. Lunch and dinner will be had in the city and we’ll head out for drinks after if people are up for it.
Everything will be public-transport-based (we’re sticking to the city centre) so you don’t have to worry about parking/designated driving.
It’s gonna be a big day so start saving, sewing, working out, meditating and doing whatever it is you need to prepare yourself for this most extraordinary of adventures.
If you’re attending both meetups (the Modern Love Bendigo Meetup is the day before) you’re welcome to crash at my place overnight.
You do not need a blog to attend. Sign up here by the 15th of October, 2013. Registrations closed. Thank you for your interest. Watch this space for updates.
Previous meetups recapped here.
All images remain copyright of their respective owners. Featured image by Kristiann, cityscape used under commons attribution license off flickr.
Scott & Bailey
Left: Perfect outfit on the blonde (Janet Scott). Modern, minimalist, grown up.
I got to bed at 3:50AM last night this morning after watching the series three finale of Scott and Bailey. British show, lady coppers, excellent wardrobe, good bit of eye candy for everyone. And unlike Luther (where I have to fast forward through all the creepy gory bits all the time) they omit the gore and get straight to the point: solving the case, being professional and having lives outside of work. Fair bit of humour too. Much of it provided by the lovable local idiot, Kevin, the rest pretty dry and involving the day to day interactions of syndicate police officers.
I love Janet Scott’s wardrobe (for the most part). The blouse at bottom left is too over the top for me (clovers and ruffles, what is this, Allanah Hill?) but for the most part it seems to be styled (well) by the burda style photo shoot stylist. All three seasons are peppered with a plethora of white shirts in various styles and silhouettes. Nothing here not to love.
All boxes ticked.
Every episode passes the Bechdel test (in spades) and the drama outside of crime solving, such as it is, is of the mature adult variety (by which I mean grown up, not inappropriate).
Characters of both sexes are fairly realistically fleshed-out with a healthy dose of nuanced greys (except Kevin. Kevin’s pretty uniformly monochrome because every show needs a lovable idiot).
I recommend it highly and am already experiencing extreme withdrawal following my weekend binge. Methinks a Scott and Bailey marathon-meetup might be in order (I’ll bring the projector).
And while we’re on the subject of things I like, have a listen to Wise up Ghost by Elvis Costello and the Roots. If you’re in Australia I suggest buying it off the Google play store rather than iTunes (unless you like paying the ‘Australia tax‘*)-you can get it immediately instead of having to pre-order and wait for the ‘release day’.
*Yea the Australian government is aware of this and they don’t like it any more than the rest of us (why should a digital download cost more here? It’s not like it’s being shipped here).
Disclaimer: All images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for the purposes of discussion, illustration and review. Don’t ask me where to find this, I am not your spirit guide (as those tend not to concern themselves with copyright limitations). Google might help though.
Guess who’s coming to the Modern Love Bendigo Meetup?
That map’s totally the right way up from where she is.. Totally. Because.
It’s Yoshimi! That’s right, the Modern Love Bendigo Art Gallery Meetup is now, officially, International.
Yoshimi’s blog, the flying squirrel was one of the first sewing blogs I came across back when I first started sewing. The fact that one of my earliest sewing idols is going to be here in Melbourne for this meetup is beyond exhilarating. Maria and I had a giddy over the phone geek out about the whole thing.
Which reminds me, I must sew something special for the occasion.
PS: WordPress.com has ads now (apparently they’re meant to be an ‘occasional’ thing). Because I hate ads (so much so, that I used the H word and started a sentence with because) I’ll either be moving to self-hosted, or sucking it up and paying for their adfree version. Obviously I’m hoping if no one clicks on the ads they’ll go away. Just know that I am against them and am not getting compensated in any way, shape or form so you needn’t feel obliged to click on them.
Featured Image Credits: Detail of Evening Dress by Alexander McQueen, Fall/Winter 2008-2009. Courtesy of the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles Museum Commission: Funds provided by Karen Coombs-Jordan (2010.5.73). Photography by Brian E. Sanderson The rest of the dress is here.
Blooper: Patrones 272 Dress 5
This is something visually off-kilter about the proportions of this dress (aside from the fact that the pearl neckline makes my head look like a lollipop). I should’ve terminated the front button stand at the third-last button (or between the third last and second last buttons). The stiff, low stretch knit I used for a tester doesn’t help either.
It’s a tad better with the collar ironed down, but this one’s definitely heading to the charity bin. I wore it to Uni once and it wasn’t spectacular. I meant to make it up in a drapey black silk jersey similar to the one in the pattern photograph, but I don’t think I’ll bother.
I wore it out with silk shorts under. It drapes a lot better that way but fit isn’t perfect. The sleeve mods are pretty awesome though.
Pattern: Patrones 272, Dress 5, Schumacher.
Fabric: Stable poly knit with a lining side on the inside (zero tights snaggage-priceless).
Modifications: Shortened 2 cm at waist. Didn’t cut one of the sleeve extensions on the bias due to lack of yardage. That made the sleeve too tight so I graded back the sleeve hem to fit.
Tights by Fiore.
All non-self-generated images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for purposes of illustration, discussion and review.
I’m on the Victory Patterns Blog!
For my Pockets full of Posies rendition of the Lola knit dress. Also, there’s a mini-tute on sketching on fabric. Over at the Victory patterns blog now.
Big ups to Kristiann for featuring my make.
Enjoy your weekend.
Image courtesy Alexander Shustov.
Meetup: Modern Love. Bendigo Art Gallery. November 2013
Meetup:Modern Love, Fashion visionaries from the FIDM Museum, LA
Modern Love is a selection of fashion objects from 40 of the most influential designers and design houses of the last three decades. The exhibit includes creations from the FIDM Museum‘s extensive collection and includes work by Westwood, Miyake, YSL, Lagerfeld, Versace, McQueen, Prada, Louboutin, Valentino, Thom Browne, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Commes des Garcon.
Maria (is flying down to Melbourne!) and I have booked our tickets for the 11:00 AM session on the the 23rd of November, 2013. We’ll be leaving Melbourne at 9:00 AM and driving to the Bendigo Art Gallery.
If you’d like to come with us (Melbourne to Bendigo) or join us for lunch (in Bendigo), you have till September 30th, 2013 to register your interest. Registrations closed. Thanks for your interest. Watch this space for meetup announcements and updates.
Unless you’re bringing a car, we’ll be renting one and splitting costs. Lunch will probably be around 12:30 at the Dispensary Enoteca (unless you have a better suggestion). A group of 10-12 means you can order what you want, any more and it’ll be a set menu of 2-3 courses. They need reservations a month in advance for large groups.
If I know you (through your blog/twitter/real life) and you’re thinking of flying to Melbourne for this event you’re welcome to crash on my couch and join Maria and myself for the trip there and back.
Book event tickets here and set up a reminder for yourself on Google calendar (or whatever calendar syncs across your devices).
Here’s a cool article on the resurgence of artistic endeavours in regional Victoria (it includes numbers for the last couple of big exhibits at the Bendigo Art Gallery: ‘The Golden Age of Couture: Paris & London 1947-1957′ and ‘Grace Kelly Style Icon’).
I strongly suggest dressing up.
Image Credits: Image 1: Alexander McQueen Evening dress, Fall/Winter 2008-09. Courtesy of catwalking.com Image 2: Blouse, John Galliano for Christian Dior. Paris Fall/Winter 2003/ Courtesy of catwalking.com Featured Image: Detail of Evening Dress by Alexander McQueen, Fall/Winter 2008-2009. Courtesy of the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles Museum Commission: Funds provided by Karen Coombs-Jordan (2010.5.73). Photography by Brian E. Sanderson
Blogger’s Meetup:Outfit Posts
Thewallina recently suggested some sort of blogger’s meetup for the express purpose of taking ‘outfit shots’ (and to forego the effort/embarrassment/safety hassles of taking an expensive tripod/camera/autoflash to a ‘public’ place for posing).
This is an awesome idea. So I’d like to organise one on a monthly basis.
It’ll have to be a place with:
- interesting scenery/backdrops
- changing rooms/clean washrooms with room enough to change in
- lockers/coat check where we can leave all our stuff during the photoshoot (this means bringing in more than one outfit+multiple changes=taking shots of everything you need to blog about)
- proper light and enough room to back the #### up for proper framing
- great food+drinks nearby to sustain us through the photography sessions
A couple of places that tick every box are: The NGV (both of ’em), ACMI, the Museum and the Royal Exhibition Building. For example: I could call up Industria to let us shoot there for an hour or so and then we could head to Arcadia for lunch and then on to a (free) tour of the Royal Exhibition building and more shots in the gardens. Lots of backdrops, a bit of socialising + food around the city.
Carl: The coat check guys are gonna hate you. XD
Me: It’s their job. They love it.
Alternatively, there’s a park and reserve near my place and the Uni gardens are nearby so we could totally do that if you’re willing to make the pilgrimage to the suburbs (not a complete waste as Darn Cheap Fabrics and The Cloth Shop are also doable. In fact, DCF has a park nearby).
Sign up to dropbox and the files can get transferred while we lunch.
What do you guys think? This is something I can set up once a month on an ongoing basis if you’re into it. Yes, you can come along if you’d like photos (of yourself) for Flickr/Twitter etc.
Now all we gotta do is bring Thewallina to Melbourne to partake. That, I’m still working on.
Images 1, 2 and 3 by Öykü Öge. Featured image by Ormond Gigli. Click on the images to visit the artists’ pages. Images used for illustration and discussion under an ‘Attribution no Derivatives’ license and remain copyright of their original owners.
Geometric: McCall’s 5926
Panda-eyes from too much over-enthusiastic late night coding.
Yep I sewed up something from one of the big four. Accidents happen. All cool as long as you don’t make a habit out of it. In my defence I cut this out over two years ago and sewed it up a year ago (I don’t like leaving things unfinished and the fabric was a gift from Carl).
Modified French darts integrating pockets. Good reason to use a busy print.
The pattern incorporates the usual baggy/oversized ease bad-drafting/vanity-sizing that is the hallmark of all McCall’s patterns (the envelope says I should cut a size 10-the size I’m wearing is a 6). Happily the front is ruched/gathered so if it’s too big on you just keep gathering it till it fits. Worked for me.
Spring looks to be on its way. Which means the light should get a little better in the outfit shots..
I’ve gotten a fair bit of use out of this. I wear my Ottobre silk shorts under it for scootering around (and preventing tights/fabric interactions).
Rotating the collar allows you to omit the turtleneck of modesty.
Pattern: McCall’s 5926 (out of print)
Fabric: 100% cotton that Carl brought back from Japan (I don’t think it’s garment-weight but it’s definitely thinner and nicer than quilting weight).
Modifications: If you want to see this made up in all its unmodified glory go check out Leith’s version (post links through to her featured post on the Tessutti blog).
- Shortened 2 cm at the waist
- Chopped off 8 cm at the hem (the original pattern is a badly drafted tulip shape that essentially hobbles your stride completely)
- Rotated the collar piece so the drape is spread out evenly instead of slopping over the front
- Hemmed with a narrow hem presser foot.
Geometric tights: Ravena by Fiore (not the usual microfibre they’re famous for. Go two sizes up from your usual size-especially if you are tall).
Parka Pattern Overview
I went through the whole ‘sorting through patterns available for Parkas’ thing a while back. So here’s an overview/recap similar to my trench coat inspiration post as a launchpad for other sewists looking to sew parkas (is this the same thing as an anorak? It seems the same to me-i.e. raincoat-y but not made of raincoating fabric and less structured than an actual trench).
The perfect parka pattern for me, has a massive collar, obvious design details (i.e. not something that could be quickly assembled in a sweatshop) and preferably, an adjustable hood. Most of the patterns below suited most of my requirements:
Any of the above would’ve worked but I wasn’t in the mood for grading so..
These were pretty cool too (particularly the first one) but were avoided for the same reason as the others.
The Burda Easy ones didn’t need grading but were a bit too plain.
The smirk on Scarlett Johansson’s face-I wanted to sew up that pattern just for that (and the collar and pockets). But I didn’t want to have to grade it down to my size.
So I went with this Knipmode Parka (May 2009, #1, how awesome is their fabric?)
I’ve had this cut out and ready to go for a few months now (the zipper took a month to arrive from the US and I only found the waterproof seam sealant last week). I plan to add mini (usable) pockets inside the large external ones and omit the elastic.
I’ve come across two other cool parka patterns since: 
The one on the left has nice simple lines but no hood. I still have some waterproof fabric left so I’ll probably make the one on the right at some point (once I’ve graded the pattern down).
All the burdastyle/ burda world of fashion patterns can be viewed as full magazine browse-throughs on the French site and pdf versions for most (if not all) of these should be up on the burdastyle shop by now. There’s also a couple of parkas in burda’s FashionLine set of patterns (available as both envelope patterns and downloads-Stef kindly picked up this one for me). Both of these (regular, plus) downloads are cool too.
Disclaimer: All images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for the purposes of illustration and discussion.
Pocket full of posies: Victory Patterns’ Lola at the Dior/Yamamoto Meetup
‘Cuz you need flow-ahs for the ladies. Moi, Raquel and Melanie outside the NGV International St. Kilda.
1 in 3 Melbourne denizens is wind-proof. The guy we roped into taking photos wasn’t.
We visited the Dior/Yamamoto exhibit and had lunch at Cookie. Meaningful adult conversation with intelligent ladies that are into the same things as you: priceless. Also, we all own the Feb 2013 issue of Burdastyle now.
This pattern is an awesome canvas for all sorts of artwork (and I don’t do beige). I doodled the berries for a bit before realising all the other plants were pretty realistic and adding the twigs and leaves to the berries ‘anchor’ them.
Everyone should go buy this pattern right now. Seriously, do it, I’ll wait. It flatters every curve just the right way and the pockets are great for hand-warming purposes (but drop a phone in there and you’ll be hiring someone to fish it out).
I want to make at least 3 more of these. And decorate them.
I printed the pattern in large format at the Ivanhoe Copy Centre (because sewing time is for sewing, not for gluing shitty A4s together. Also, because it’s cheap and Ben is both efficient and professional*.) I think it cost me A$6 to print this multi-sized but I did it over a year ago so I’m not sure (it sat under the bed cut out and ready to sew for a year because summer + procrastination = other people’s makes have to remind you to get your sh*t together).
Pattern: Lola by Victory Patterns (Kristiann, if you’re reading this please, please release more knit patterns. I’m a modern woman and I get around on a scooter-kaftans and woven fabric dresses are not for me).
Fabric: Super light heathered knit with a netted inner (not sweatshirting, hence the unfortunate highlighting of past excesses.. XD).
Modifications: Shortened the pattern by 2 cm at waist and 4 cm above the hem.
Made a centre back seam to work around the giant hole in the centre of the remnant fabric I was using.
Sketched a bunch of plants on the side panels using Pebeo Seta Skrib markers and Tsukineko Fabrico markers (no fabric paint, wood block stamps or stencils this time).
Big ups to Kristiann for graciously providing a large format version of this pattern in lieu of the tiled one and for being such an awesome pattern drafter and all round cool lady (evidenced here, here, here and here).
Cotton tights by Marilyn.
*I haven’t been paid to recommend Ben-I really appreciate the service and efficiency (and not having to waste sewing time piecing patterns together). BTW he also has a large format scanner you can scan burda pattern sheets on. I’m not saying you should, mind. I’m just saying, hypothetically speaking, it is technically possible for you to digitise all your sewing magazines and dump the deadwood on evilbay.
Disclaimer: All non-self generated images remain copyright of their owners and are used here for purposes of discussion and review.
July Sewist Meetup: Dior/Yamamoto at the NGV
Proposing a visit to the Dior/Yamamoto exhibit at the NGV International on Saturday the 27th of July, 2012.
Followed by lunch/dinner at BangPop.
The route map from the NGV International to Bangpop is here. Menu below:
If you’re interested in coming along fill in your details here by the 24th of July. 2013. If you’ve already entered your details for meetups you’ll be getting an invite from me soon.
I need definite numbers so I can make a reservation for the food (the exhibition is free so you can make your way there whenever or give it a miss if it’s not your kind of thing).
Plan B: Cookie
Plan C: Ramen Ya (Parliament)
Previous meetups here and here.
See you when I see you.
Disclaimer: All images remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for the purposes of illustration and discussion.
The Bra Sewing Survey
I’ve been playing with a couple of commercially available bra sewing patterns. Needless to say I’m unsatisfied with the fit, instructions (or lack thereof) and sizing. So I’ve decided to jump on the drafted bandwagon.
Which brings me to:
The Bra Sewing Survey
I’m collecting data from women interested in bra sewing concerning the following:
- The size range required
- The best style to start with
- General expectations on what constitutes a good bra pattern
I’m aware that this is a big ask in terms of time and effort (I need eight measurements in cm taken with a non-stretchable measuring tape) and I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone that completes this survey, with a copy of Basic Fashions for Women and Teenagers by Enid Gilchrist.
This is a vintage (1950s) pattern drafting book with illustrated instructions for making mid-century style skirts, blouses, dresses, suits, coats and accessories.
I’ve featured Enid’s work in one my Friday Freebies here and sewn up one of her styles here.
Includes petite-size drafting-because Enid=awesome.
But wait, there’s more.
Make your own Frothy Mess©. Or not. L to R- Enid style vs MadMen Style (there is a Betty-style pattern included)..
Woman in a nightie holding a vaguely phallic object pointing at her face. I wonder if this was the height of ‘sex in advertising’ back in the day. Edit: No. It wasn’t.
Bra-sewing survey here.
If you’d like to be a pattern tester for the beta version of the pattern, please leave a comment saying so. If you know anyone interested in bra sewing please share this post with them.
Disclaimer: All non-self generated images under active copyright remain property of their owners and are used here for purposes of discussion and review.
The copyright for the book, ‘Basic Fashions for Women and Teenagers by Enid Gilchrist’ (previously owned by New Idea, Australia) has expired, putting the book in the common domain.
Mystic Trench + Moss Go-Go Dress
Like a cross between something out of Game of Thrones and something out of MadMen-raised by Klingons..
I cut this trench out for velosewer’s Trench Sewalong (inspiration post here) right after finishing my mini-trench (donated to the op-shop not long after) but my sewing machine gave up the ghost halfway through and spent the next two months at the shop.
Yes it is winter here. Which explains the strange light and overall lack of saturation..
This style is very unstructured (and drop shouldered-why didn’t I notice from the line diagram?) with no fastenings-which works fine because I cross the fronts and tuck the outer one under my bag when I’m out and about.
I will eventually sew in a pair of magnets in the front (when I come across free fridge-advertising material with an acceptable level of magnetism).
The waist (surprisingly) hits exactly at my natural waistline (I’m a Burdastyle petite i.e. 2 cm shorter than average). The back skirt has a bunch of box pleats that emphasise the area somewhat..
Pattern booby-trap alert: the cowl is way too narrow to get a human head through-and not just on my graded-down version either: after sewing it up without a care (Patrones patterns fit me out of the box yo, why bother? Famous second-last words-the last words were all four lettered) and realising I couldn’t actually get into it I measured the neck width on all sizes and realised whatever garment it was based off of probably had a centre back seam invisible zipper (helpfully omitted from the Patrones version).
I narrowed the cowl seams to the absolute bleedin’ (fraying more like it) edges and now I can just about get it over my head. Lucky raw silk has a lotta give. Ha.
Anyway-it’s great for any event that involves eating. Using a stiff fabric instead of the drapey stuff used in the magazine means the dress has a firm inverted cone shape that successfully masks any lunch-baby curves.
Also great if you plan on being a backup singer in a soul group.
How awesome were the seventies? Every single person in that video is fit.
Which reminds me: the next SoulAGoGo (which looks interesting based purely off their Facewank page) will be on the 6th of July, 2013 and Roxy’s getting a bunch of sewistas together in wiggle dresses for a meetup at the event. If you’re in, sign up at her blog.
Speaking of sewists’ meetups, here’s a bunch of us at the V&A Hollywood Costume exhibit at ACMI:
From left: Kathleen (blog-less and fancy-free), Nicole, Emily (bustin’ out the medical tricorder for a last minute scan), moi, Jenny and Roxy (the only shot out of seven that didn’t feature blinking/haze/shakiness/or other seizure-inducing effects).
If you’d like to come along for the next day/night meetup, enter your details here and I’ll send you an invite to the next do I organise.
Pattern Details
Trench Pattern: Patrones Extra 284, Trench 29
Trench Fabric: Crushed faux silk (super warm due to being 99% non-breathable)
Modifications: None. Be warned: this means it is a petite pattern.
I omitted the pockets and shortened the shoulder width because I don’t like wearing drop-shouldered styles but this was for style not fit. The fit is perfect for me as is.
Dress Pattern: Patrones 306, Dress 20
Dress Fabric: Raw silk in dark Moss, cowl faced with gold charmeuse silk
Modifications: Shortened 2 cm at the waist, widened neck by a whopping 1.8 cm
Inner seams and hems for both garments finished using a narrow hem foot.
Deco tights by Fiore.
Bag Pattern: Bag 30 from Umami by Yoshimi Ezura
Bag Fabric: Avocado faux suede furnishing fabric lined in pencil print vintage cotton
Modifications: Sewed and lined it normally instead of externally as shown on the felt version in the book
All non-self-generated images and videos remain copyright of their original owners and are used here for the purposes of discussion and review.
This is me.
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The Perfect Nose 
Contact me. Within reason.
I’ve been getting a lot of strange emails lately. I don’t mean requests for used undies or the like. I mean things like*:
And my favourite:
There are no stupid questions. Just people that expect others to Google things for them. To quote the internet:
Actually, I made a handy flow chart instead. Hopefully it’ll help the poor dears deal with the complexities of life on the internet-without having to contact me. Said chart is now above the contact form on my ‘Find Me‘ page. Click to enlarge.
All emails fulfilling the ‘go away’ criteria will be banished to the spam folder. Forthwith.
Happily I haven’t been asked to ‘practice my sewing’ by making free clothes for anyone yet.
*My actual email responses are polite and to the point. So please don’t contact me telling me to ‘be nice(r)’.
More hilarious hideousness here.