Sewing small projects

 I'm working on a couple of garments that need slow sewing, so to give myself satisfaction, I'm also doing some quick win projects too.

OK so with NZ in semi lockdown and mandatory mask wearing, the shop is selling them almost as fast as four of us can make them. I've made at least 25 for the shop, but I'm also making some for me and for friends who have specific tastes.

My friend who shares a love of Frida and Mary is getting three masks, these are just cut out so far but I love the so much!

As for me, I've made a couple with plastic stays going across and up/down, to try and create space to breathe. They are a bit beaky but I don't care. I LOVE this rose fabric

This one is a gorgeous ombre of fizzy bubbles and I love how it reads different colours on either side.

As well as masks, I've been feeling the cold footwise and find that socks bite into my ankles and slippers are all so synthetic they feel yicky.

So, I made some! Using the Twig and Tale Wayfarer Shoe pattern, I made these cuties. Outer is a pair of old jeans, lined with some Liberty cord, and the sole is suede. All out of what was in the house. They're just enough warm for the house in this early spring weather. They were so easy, I think I'll make some warmer ones for winter.

So there you go, small wins. 

I went back to the office on Monday, quite eerie with only about 20% of our team coming in. But it really has helped me to get my head back in the game. Swapping slipper for masks.

My sewing wrap up of 2017

In 2017 I EMBELLISHED a LOT! I made a few things too. Overall I got more done than I thought I had so this is a useful exercise!
I'm not including the denim jacket and stool I wrote about already, or the mending I did after Christmas but that was most satisfying too.

1. Robe for CC 

 I cut this out but Kat my sewing fairy made this up as I was up against it early in the year. Made from Wearing History's rayon with musical notes on it, so beautiful! It has CC on the back. It's good to have a robe to throw on over costumes so as not to reveal too much before the show. Here I am with Penny and Hans before the Clever and Constance show in Feb.

 2. The Wedding!

Our Sarah got married in March I overhauled her imported dress with new lace and beading, after remaking it a lot to tidy it up. It was very pretty! Me on the end in my Liberty sundress. I also overhauled June's dress (Matt the groom's Mum second from left) which was gorgeous. The petite lovely in dove grey is Sarah's Mum, Bronwyn. I love that woman.

3. And now, show stuff!

 OK, this outfit is a purchased jacket and me-made trousers, both embellished with a pink sequin trim, by hand, Big job! Same with the pink purchased corset. I love the trousers and am making some flowy ones in rayon for summer.

 Me left, Debbie right being hilarious. A purchased dress embellished with gold sequin motifs for more stageworthiness.

 My pink kaftan. I am not in love with this to be honest - I feel a little like a Nigerian noble in it. Shiny though!

 More embellished RTW from City Chic. This lovely blue flowing top now has a fancy sequinned and beaded neck feature, and I'm slowly sticking rhinestones onto it. Embellishing can be Agile - delivery a Minimum Viable Product and building on it!

This dress I love so much, after I embellished this one with shiny oranges, I bought another for day wear. Sadly it is so polyester I feel in it like I am wrapped in gladwrap. But I have cut a pattern from it as a basis for an outfit. Not the same - besides the ethics, I don't like aspects of it as much as others.

This is a screen grab from our video playlist as I don't have a photo of it. Little blue 3D butterflies on an embroidered net - each of them carefully brushed with tacky glue and "flittered" (fine glittered). It is much more impressive in reality!

4. Flashback!

That's not everything but it will do. And now for a wee flashback to the past - about 1985 I reckon!

An about 20 year old me in my favourite shirt at the time, naturally known as The Sneeches shirt. I don't remember the lass beside me, but she's wearing a similarly shaped shirt! It was a boxy, drop shouldered style popular at the time and I had several of them in different fabrics. TNTs are not a new concept! I think I wore this until it actually fell apart.

And that's me for now xo

Actual fabric and sewing! Well, eventually!

Well today for the first time in ages, I went fabric shopping for ME. this means, no sequins, no metallic. Oh my word, what a surreal experience!
The Fabric Store, aka GlobalThatWas (GTW) (because really, it's a difficult name otherwise) was my destination. Because, they advertised 18 Liberty prints for $18m.
Now I don't know if you're studying my tasted in fabric that much, because, well, stalking, but I love the Liberty prints that are hard core pre-WW2 in their vibe. I love most of the actual fabrics - tana lawn, baby cord, Lantana etc. So, I get excited to the point of needing a slap over about 5% of the offering, and that's fine with me. Nobody wants to all like the same things, amiright?
This wee moment of absolute indulgence yielded three purchases:

1. Silk chiffon in the warm colourway of Alma. This is my all time favourite Liberty print - I have an entire dress in the Tana Lawn version. So I bought a half metre to make a floaty scarf to tie back me hair. This intense matchy matchy thing really appeals to me! I bought a length of the Lantana wool/cotton blend in the softeer colourway of this print a while ago that it will also look delish with.

2. 2.5m of baby cord in this amazing Bloomsbury vibe print in a range of colours that just scream, "Wear me with Denim!" It's a perfect weight for the spring weather, or the autumn weather because it may take me that long to make it Erk.

3. This Tana Lawn called Karm A, was what I went in to look at. It's quite green, and I love green more than it loves me, but I had to have it. Because Paisley!!!

My photo was so meh, here's the photo from their website. OH MY GOSH!
I bought 5m because I had a plan to also make something for Jack, who considers paisley to be his favourite colour. But after today, I am not so sure; this is why:
I texted in fun to say I was leaving the office*, going to GTW, and if I wasn't at the shop in 30 minutes, to stage an intervention (he was working at the shop) Well, it took a bit of time to get there and honestly I hadn't been there very long when their phone rang. The lass who answered it seemed a bit confused, but I realised soon the call was about me. I saw her writing something on a piece of paper, clearly under instruction, and handed it to me. One word, INTERVENTION! cheeky monkey.

His paisley privileges have been temporarily withdrawn. No doubt I will relent though. If only for the embarrassment factor of being dressed alike!. ;-)

*People I have a day job now. I am dipping my toe back into corporate life again. Only part time for now, and it's working very well - the shop doesn't need me full time thanks to awesome staff, and it's good to have Options.