Fendi-ing for myself

Since i started my pattern cutting class, i am extra inspired when I read my magazines, knowing that i can put my learning into practice to recreate some of the things i see.

This term we have been drawing our bodice and sleeve blocks and learning about how to adapt them to different styles. It feels like progress has been slow this term, but i think it is just that those are quite complicated things to draft, and also take a bit more concetration to make up the toiles (i spent one evening just fitting in a sleeve!)

For my class project, i have decided to recreate a shirt dress i saw in the catwalk collections - this Karl Lagerfield dress for Fendi. I think it will be good practice for a lot of different block manipulation features. And i like to think i can have something that has been designed by Karl Lagerfield (although perhaps not with the same production skills as the house of Fendi. time to put to use this book i think)

I am now at the stage where I have created a mini version of the design using these miniature blocks. It's a good way to work out the techniques and mathematics needed without getting involved with massive pieces of paper.

Here are the mini pattern pieces i made from the mini blocks. I have managed to do away with the darts and create panels with curved seams, and added a collar to the front (needs some work!) With the sleeve block i put in some darts at the shoulder to make them boxier.

And here is the minature toile to see how it worked...

I am pleased to be at this stage. The mini dress is only put together very roughly, but it was useful to see how the pieces fit, especially with curved seams. I think it was good to have a little practice or i might have been a little daunted. I have some things to consider for the final pattern drafting too so this has been a very useful stage indeed.

good job!

Yours coming along,

Emilia xx

skirting around

It feels like ages since i have made anything new to wear and it is beginning to show in my wardrobe i fear. So last week i decided it was time to get back to some dressmaking.

I found some lovely blue grey fabric in The Stitchery at The Riverside in Lewes. It is quite light weight but hangs well and i really fell for the colour. it was a bit pricey so i only bought 60cm of it but managed well enough. Thrifty!

The skirt i chose to do was this old faithful 1978 a-line pocketed design. I have a couple of these and really like them. Easy to make and easy to wear.

i like to put my hands in the pockets

Wonderful!

Yours, bird in a skirt,
Emilia. xxx

drew back the curtains... oooh ohh

I am enjoying this first proper weekend in my new house. it has been far more relaxing than the last - and better to focus on the fun tasks rather than the unpacking and cleaning type jobs.

The next thing on my list after 1. tea cosy and 2. table mats and coasters was 3. curtains for the sitting room

I had to be quite careful when purchasing materials as there are two of us with quite different tastes to please. instead of opting for florals, i decided something more neutral was in order. i went looking for something heavy to help keep the warmth in and had in mind some orange, woolly check fabric. unfortunately i couldn't find anything to match my specifications but instead got this brown and grey tweed. I think this was a good choice for our room. especially for when our sofa arrives (charcoal coloured - soon i hope)

the fabric in close up - it's nice and soft

because the weave of the fabric is quite loose, it caused me a bit of a problem with squaring them up and attaching the lining. i didn't manage to get them perfect, but now they are hanging they look okay (although we could probably do with  few more curtain rings)

it's hard to photograph curtains - a real issue with lighting

i am very happy with this day's work - what a difference they make to the room. And i think they are keeping us cosy too.

Yours from behind the curtains,

Emilia xxx

Be Square

I am devoting lots of attention to making our new flat into a warm and inviting abode and the next thing on my list after 1. tea cosy was 2. a set of coasters and table mats (because we have a table for eating - quite grown up)

My first idea was to knit some using one of the lovely stitches in my reader's digest book, but realised that this was making quite a lot of work for myself. Instead i decided to use a few icecream colours i had in my leftover wools and made some granny squares, inspired by some lovely coasters my friend Debbie gave me a couple of christmas ago.

I have run out of wool now, but have 4 table mats and 4 coasters. This should be enough as so far we have only had two of us for dinner. Guests soon i hope.

it is nice to be making useful things for the house and not just clothes. I have also had a go at some flatpack furniture. i am pleased to be expanding my making skills!

yours at home,
Granny

a cape crusade

On sunday it was the SYBC show and i got to see my creations on the stage! All the children did such a good job, and with the full effect of costumes and lighting, and all the chocolates we ate during the performance, it was such a very lovely evening.

It was such a good feeling to see my costumes in action and at the end of the show i got called on to the stage to receive a thank you gift. i was scared of walking in front of all those people, but it was nice to get an applause.

This week i was asked to make some capes for a school production of Alice in Wonderland. that's sweet then. I don't like to say no to such tasks - so despite being in quite a need for a rest and quite ill with a cold, i said yes.

I am pleased with this one - a cape for the eagle. i cut out some feather shapes which really swish when you flap.

 i am ill

it is a shame i won't get to see this show, but this was a fun little task. i like all these costume projects.

this weekend will be spent with my feet up!
Yours the caped crusader,
emilia bird xx

Dancing queen

For the last three or four weeks, my time has been very much dedicated to making some costumes for the youth ballerinos of sussex (both of them!)

Today is probably going to be be my final day working on these and i am going along to do a spot of sewing whilst getting a sneak peek at dress rehearsals!

le bleu pour le pas de deux

For one dance which is called a pas de deux, i have made white shirts and dupion silk waistcoats. This is a picture of the blue one and the other is cream. I haven't taken a photo of that one though as i am trying to forget about it. it caused me a lot of trouble.

My final job today is to add all the embellishments to really make them stage ready. They will look lovely with their partners who are in blue and cream tutus.

The other dance is a rather grand big group ballet piece. the ballerinas are wearing some black and some maroon tutus so for the boys i have made maroon shirts and black velvet waistcoats. I didn't realise how the girls would be dressed for the dance when i started making the boy's outfits, but once i saw how well they fit in i was so delighted.

I am nearly there now with these, but some of the gold needs a straighten up and proper sew down. it is hard to work on velvet - everything slides!

This has been a big project for me, but a very lovely one to be involved with (despite my hook and eye hand stitching induced bleeding thumb) however i feel that i am all the more experienced a dressmaker for it and developed my skills in fitting sleeves and linings and collars and buttonholes especially.

The show is next sunday at Roedean school theatre! I think it will be a goodun.

Yours theatrically,
Emilia. x

Tea and cosy

At the moment i am thinking a lot about things i can make for the home. that is mostly because i am moving to a new flat next week and am thinking about how lovely it will be. we have been having quite a lot of fun making some grand purchases of the essentials (bed, sofa, retro coffee table, expensive tea towels) but i always find a lot of joy in making and very much joy is being thrifty. Kirstie would be proud (i have been watching an unhealthy amount of this recently)

Here is a bright red tea cosy i made with the left overs from a jumper i knitted a boy for the Lewes bonfire procession a couple of years ago (he is in Southover society - red and black)

tea-berry

I am so pleased with it! i have started knitting tea cosies before but never finished one so it is a personal triumph as well.

For tea cosying purposes, I decided to use a blanket rib stitch which is so fat and warm - i think it will be good insulation. I found out how to do it in this GREAT book that i got for christmas:

over 900 great stitches

a peek inside

There are so many stitches all arranged in categories with good pictures and instructions and a guide for how difficult they are. (Daisy stitch is for the experienced knitter apparently - it doesn't mention how much patience is needed though)

I made up my tea-cosy pattern as i went along, but it worked out okay. Here are my steps retraced for future reference! i could probably have got away with fewer stitches as mine came out quite wide. maybe about 32, but I think a little room won't hurt.

Using chunky red wool and 5.5mm needles, Cast on 36 stitches.

row 1: kfb every stitch across the row

row 2 k2tog, p2tog, k2tog, p2tog all the way across the row.

Complete these 2 rows until 36 rows have been worked (or to desired length)

row 37: knit

row 38: knit 1, knit 2 and pass the first over to cast it off. knit another two and again pass the first over the second to cast off. Cast off every other stitch in this way until the last stitch which you just knit.

row 39: knit

row 40: pfb of every stitch 

row 41 as row 2

repeat rows 40 and 41 twice or three times more (this makes a little ruffle on the top, so it is up to you how much ruffle you think is right) and then cast off.

Repeat to create the second piece and sew the two sides together at the top and bottom, leaving gaps in the side for you handle and spout.


For the finishing touch thread a ribbon through the gaps left by casting off every other stitch and gather up.

And voila! it is a joy.

Yours, no more tepid seconds,

Emilia. xxx

Pattern Junkie

I am very pleased with myself after this weekend as have finally sorted through the bags of knitting patterns my Nanny handed down to me at christmas. There were so many gems, but a lot of nonsense too and it definitely wasn't reasonable to keep the whole lot. So instead i decided to make a knitting pattern file of all the best, and let the rest be gone.

Along the way I did run into a few little amusements i wanted to share (you might be able to enlarge them if you click there)

 I like how these patterns are adressed to the woman: "for yourself, choose this smart jacket in two tone tweed wool; for a boy friend, brother or husband, a sturdy pullover"

 I like the idea of matching aran patterns for good companions. just the thing for hiking scootering or watching sports.

there are a lot of funny expressions on the faces of the child models

 

This is a comfy sock! Splendid.

eighties does vintage

i like this man posing with a cigarette. i came across a lot of men with pipes too.

for the youth of 1958

this one came from a booklet called 'family knits in royal style' this is the prince andrew style jumper - described as: "double breasted jacket; smart for all young Britons under five" 

I like the rabbit.

is it a jumper? is it a scarf? no, it's called a vestee (and i want one!)

the belted sweater look - this is a man by the way

a white crochet bikini + bathing = bad news

There were too many to put here but if you like them, you should see the Pattern Junkie blog - it is full of vintage pattern gems and rather entertaining to boot.

And here is my bulging knitting pattern file! More knitting than i can ever hope to do in a lifetime i expect. a few great projects in there though.

sorted!

I will have to share the beauties with you soon too.

Yours a fan of knitwear past,

Emilia. xx

cross stitch progress report - at 1 month

I have found some great delight in settling down to a bit of cross stitch this weekend after so much sewing of costumes (more on those soon - they are looking rather great) and so here is a little progress report on my sampler, 1 month in.

how the garden doth grow

It is pleasing to be adding new colours and when i get to move on to a new part of the design. I managed to do quite a bit whilst watching Inception last night, although meant that I didn't really keep up with the film all that well. Never mind. 

Yours criss cross

Emilia.x xxx x x

Midwinter Mixtape

With all the costume making, patchwork quilting, knitting, cross stitch and other little projects, January slipped past me almost without a mixtape. Luckily my partner for the month was very understanding and this week i pulled my socks up and managed to put together a little collection fit for january (and hopefully appropriate for february too).

I really liked the africa inspired mix tape i received from Joe in January as it was very good at blowing off the cold weather blues. I have decided that Chris from Stockton-on-Tees is not going to be uplifted though and for him I have made a collection of wintery songs to help him really wallow in the last few cold and dark weeks of the season.

I don't really know what it means: Winter is all over you, but I like the way it sounds. 

I asked Joe the mixtape organiser if i can have february off from mixtapes. this month is going to be quite a busy one. maybe i will have time to make a valentines mixtape for my boyfriend though.

yours better late than never,
Emilia. x

The Black Swan

This week has been very ballet themed for me.

Last night i had a cinematic experience and a half when we went to see The Black Swan. It was fairly intense to say the least and I found it very sad and also very scary and walked away quite shaken. But I am pleased I saw it and think it's good to have a shock sometimes. It was nothing a good pasta dinner and a bottle of beer couldn't shake away. And despite the darkness of the film, it was grand to have a glimpse of some ballet dancing- it is an amazing discipline.

At the moment I am involved with Sussex Youth Ballet Company (SYBC), helping to make some costumes for their forthcoming show. My task is shirts and waistcoats for the Ballerinos. There are just two of them and they need two sets of costumes each, so it is not too much work, but it is enough to be keeping me busy for the next few weeks. I have made good progress on the first set of outfits, black velvet waistcoats and burgundy shirts. The girls are wearing black tights with burgundy tutus and perhaps I will be allowed to trim those with gold too.

work in progress -much to do

The other set of costumes are lighter and brighter and more fantastical so I am looking forward to getting started with those. I am finding costume making quite a lot of fun as there is a bit less pressure for perfection than with clothes, and much more room for flamboyance. And it is going to be so exciting to see my creations on the stage.

a little tribute to the black swan i made

Ton, pas da deux,

Emilie. x

The Tyranny of Choice

It was a long long time ago when i first started thinking of making a patchwork quilt. I had put off the idea though because to start with I just found it far too difficult and overwhelming to choose from the fabrics, and designs and all the possibilities.

However, it has remained in the back of my mind as something to do and after a little innocent browse on ebay, I was kicked into action when I came across a seller who does small squares of Cath Kidston fabric in patchwork packs. I love those designs. So i bought some (perhaps that was a bit impulsive, especially when i already have a lot of projects on the go - but maybe it was good for me)

two of the designs included. they are cut from Cath's Haberdashery fabric and it is nice to have a samp - le it would be good to use for summer dresses.

I bought three packs of these and knew that it wasn't really enough, but felt I didn't want to go over the top. it was enough to start the ball rolling though and i managed to find some scraps of fabrics (and cut up some old dresses) to make enough triangles.

trianglation - i did these by cutting 20cm squares into quarters

Late last night was not a god time to start to put them together - but i did have an attempt and this was quite a revealing process. I have a lot of different patterns and colours here so it makes it hard to know how best to arrange them. I thought that random might be good because patterns might naturally form, but i think now that it might just look too messy so I managed to draw a design which will form overlapping star shapes.

it doesn't look much, but it took a lot of my effort!

When i tried laying out a couple of squares, i realised that I also needed to think about how i want to cluster my fabrics. I have grouped my triangles into colour but (especially with white background) there are lots of different designs in each set. my first thought was to mix them up as much as i could, but now I am thinking maybe clustering like fabrics together and having something more symmetrical would be nicer.

ARGH! who knows when i will commit to sewing my squares together, but I am pleased that i have made a start on this project.

yours, weighing up the options,
Emilia. xxx