Dressing up for grown ups

What's Comic-Con but an excuse for wearing costumes in public? Like I need an excuse....

I was a latecomer to the Firefly franchise, but figured I've got the hair and sense of humour for Kaylee - seated left, here: (I wish I had the hair, figure, looks and wardrobe for Inara - standing right - but one must be realistic.)

So here's what we were going for:

and what we got:

And a couple of photos from the Comic-Con photographers

All the bits and pieces:The jacket was made by cutting and sewing together a cheongsam. This turned out not to be the easiest way to make a jacket! Still, it was (close to) the right colour.

The parasol was a plain white one, $6 on Gumtree, painted with poster paint, freehand. I should have been able to work out that there was a way of ensuring the design was even - look at the design when the umbrella is folded - left (even design), and right (going a bit wonky):

I didn't get hold of a pair of overalls like Kaylee wears but went with a khaki shirt and pants. Iron-on decals from Spotlight, and a bear face made from scraps of fur.

Obre silk maxi skirt

In Sydney in the new year I went to Tessuti Fabrics in Chatswood, as I am wont to do... and saw this on the remnant table:

Let's zoom in on that label:











I actually placed it back on the remnant table after picking it up - after all, what was a mother of 2 with few opportunities to dress up going to do with 2m of ombre silk? I then realised that I would regret it if I didn't buy it - especially at that price - so I bought it.

And wouldn't you know, my middle school son presented me with an invitation to a "semi formal" night out, so I sewed the fabric into a tube (the rolled hem foot got another workout - see right), gathered it onto an elastic waistband, and wore it out:

Completing the outfit with an vintage rhinestone ombre brooch I picked up on eBay years earlier, just in case....

A dress from 5 rectangles

When I saw this fabric at Alta Moda in Bali:

it triggered a vague memory, of a dress I'd seen with lace inserts... thank goodness for Pinterest. The fabric is a polyester chiffon with sewn-in lace running the length of the fabric. It came in 3 different colours - a taupe / brown, the pink I purchased, and a green tone. It was around A$3.50 a metre. I almost left the store without it, as I'm not keen on polyester, but at that price....! I turned back and went for it.

Here's my plan of attack for the 2m of fabric I purchased:

Here's the inspiration - and the realisation:

Not having sewn much chiffon, and given the fabric was a bargain, I treated myself to a rolled hem foot to assist. True, the rolled hem foot came in a box with 14 other feet, but again, it too was a bargain - all 15 feet for about twice what a rolled hem foot alone would cost! Thanks Sew Much Easier!

Displaying a vintage board game

My 99 year old Nan is determined to die possession-less. She's Marie Kondo-ing with vigour. Luckily I get to intercept some of the stuff, and see if it "sparks joy" with me. This piece did, battered though it is:

I had an IKEA Ribba shadow-box frame to hand. which fit the board perfectly. I used double-sided tape to secure the board to the back of the cardboard insert in the frame. For a bit of interest, and given I had the depth of the frame to fill, I had my Dad drill a hole in a dice (die), and pushed a nail through from the back of the board, and mounted the dice on the nail, so it appeared to be caught mid-toss. Here's some closer views of it:

A new year, a new dress

I spent Christmas in Bali. Not surprising, as I live in Perth. Here's what the flight plan looks like:

Before leaving, I asked a sewing friend who had been to Bali if she had any tips for me. She referred me to her blog post about shopping for fabric in Bali. I was sold!

So, I hired a driver and set out one day for Alta Moda Fabrics. It was everything Meggipeg had promised. Floor to ceiling fabrics over 4 floors; "floors" being another word for "fabric storage space":

I came away with 4 fabrics, a total of 9 metres. The experience was definitely enhanced by the fact there was a 50% off sale on, so everything was half price. Here's my 4 purchases:

First up I chose to make a simple shift dress with the most expense fabric - an Italian cotton with a waffle weave and a brilliant graphic floral design. I think it worked out to about A$14 a metre and I only bought 1m:

The fabric was so rich I didn't want to make anything too complicated:

In order to squeeze the dress out of 1m of fabric there are no facings, but the neckline and armholes are finished with a vintage bias from my grandmother's stash. (I followed this tutorial to attach the bias.)

Sewing a holiday wardrobe. Well, a holiday dress!

When I spotted this knit rayon on the "marked down" table at Spotlight I immediately loved the colours and know what I wanted to do with it - a pillowcase maxi. Specifically a pillowcase maxi to wear on a trip to Fiji. Something that was soft and cool and packed well.

There are a number of tutorials on the web - I followed this one and this one. Naturally I had to complicate things by only sewing one side seam. Accordingly I had to cut then bind the other armhole (otherwise you'd just end the seam below your armpit, as you do on the seamed side).

Ever since Meggipeg mentioned it in her blog, I've been paranoid about pattern placement , so I knew I had to offset the pattern so as not to inadvertently lead the eye when you don't want it led (ie don't place a blossom smack bang over a breast - unless that's your thing, of course!). I hope I got it right:

And I found a hat to match!