The Update of Excitement

Since my last post I’ve sewn up four different garments, three of which I’ll be covering today, but first: I present to you, ba ba ra bup bup ba Jeyco’s One Cool Thing, One Strange Thing Swap make!

So beeeeautiful… *sniff* And the suit’s awesome too!

The patterns weren’t in her size so she re-drafted them from scratch (oh the humanity)! Read all about it here.

In other +1/*1 swap news, I received my +1/*1 parcel from Oona but couldn’t blog about it earlier because it contained an item that Oona had yet to review. So I’m just going to skip that item and initiate adventure-mode because I feel like it *cue dramatic music*.

So this is the +1/*1 haul from Oona, who brattily* went out and bought stuff instead of raiding her stash for notgoingtobeused-ables (in all fairness, she was light years away from home).

The post-lady asked me if it was my birthday week (I’d received a couple of things including one from the dashinmarmot).

And so it began; I thought I’d start with the red-brown checkered fabric and the green burn-out satin swatch so I cold-washed them along with six metres of white synthetic lining (which I meant to use for another project and which doesn’t dye with natural fibre dye-I’ve tried it before). The wash cycle ended with one brown seer-sucker piece (the red brown fabric shrank to about 50% but only along the one plane giving it an awesome seer-sucker texture), one piece of orange-green burnout satin and six metres of coral coloured synthetic lining (which I could not un-dye and which shall never be mentioned again).

Having learnt from the born-again seersucker, I dove straight into the black knit without pre-washing it; I interlined it with some of my awe-tasticly groovy holographic 70s style knit and made this Mila Schön bubble skirt (#14 from Patrones Extra 264) the very same day.

I made the pockets and pocket facings out of fur so my hands stay super warm.

A *virtual* great minds toast to prtynpnk who also sewed up her first +1/*1 make the same day her parcel arrived from the dashingmarmot! Can’t wait to see what she does with the second lot.

A couple of days later I draped the seersucker fabric onto my mannequin and made this boat neck top.

I really like these two colours together.

Inspired by Freshlygiven’s blouse tutorial (that is one inspired dame) I used the entire length of fabric, cutting away one panel to make a draped scarf across the back (I hand-crimped and sewed flowers from its ends).

The scarf drapes across the back and is attached at the shoulders by the flowered ends.

The skirt is one I prepared earlier using stretch corduroy and the 119 skirt pattern from Burda World of Fashion 09/2008.

Unfortunately I don’t have a dog to model with..

The blazer is from an awe-f*cking-tastic knit pattern from Knipmode May, 2011. I made it out of a butter soft cotton double knit and it fits like a (slightly loose) glove. Great for when it gets a little colder and I have thermals/ layers on. I’ve been sewing up one previously incomplete thing for every new thing I sew and seeing as I’d cut that blazer out last winter, it was time to bite the bullet. Turned out to be well worth it, I’d like to make a few more in other colours.

Tights from galstern on etsy (I don’t recommend these, they’re sagging, everywhere after just a couple of wears..), shoes from John Fluevog – worth every frikkin‘ penny (these are the most comfortable and well made heels I have ever owned) and photos + processing as usual, by Carl (merci gorgeous).

Patterns used (no, I don’t know why the dog’s in the boot-he should be driving, he’s obviously the only sober one).

*Spell check tried to change that to brutally: yes spell-check, I understand that fabric shopping can be quite brutal, but I don’t think this was one of those days..

All non-self-generated images are used with permission and remain copyright of their respective owners. Pattern images are utilised under fair use for purposes of review.