Yesterday evening I went to a Christmas party for the company who books our corporate travel for work. They always organise a themed party - last year was The Great Gatsby which was lots of fun, but this year the theme was The Wizard of Oz!
I had a feeling that most people would dress either as Dorothy or the Wicked Witch of the West, so I went through my wardrobe to see what I had that was on theme.
I decided these shiny silver shoes would do the trick for dress as the Tin Man or in my case, Tin Lady.
I had also ordered some grey fabric to make a shift dress, and a sparkly red brooch for the Tin Mans heart, but unfortunately they never arrived in time...
I know I shouldn't have counted on the delivery taking the same about of time as normal (1 week) but you know... I sort of forgot about Thanksgiving and how the US mail goes on holidays too!
Speaking of Thanksgiving - the restaurant at work served up a menu with all the traditional Thanksgiving foods, as well as Pumpkin pie and candied yams.
The yams were... interesting. Are they supposed to be really sweet? It was certainly a confusing taste for me - marshmallows and sweet potato - good on their own, but together I could only manage one bite.
Please tell me! Are they actually really good when made by your mum and not by some grumpy chef in an industrial kitchen?
Ok back on track...
Being a lover of craft and brooch-less, I decided to make myself one from fimo and painted it with some cheap-o clear nail polish so it would be shiny
I paired it with a grey marle t-shirt and a mini skirt which I made myself awhile ago. This is the pattern I used for this skirt. This shirt and one other top are the only grey I own so I guess the outfit turned out ok!
And I also painted my nails to match with a sweet little heart as well
Me, Dorothy Gale and some fairy floss
In the end, I was right about there being multiple Dorothy's and Witches. All were in really excellent costumes and quite close to the movie originals. One of the Dorothy's had even made her own dress as well!
It was a pretty fun night all in all. Do you have any upcoming parties that include a theme or that your currently sourcing an outfit for?
Take care my pretties! (and your little dogs too!!!!) Cat xo
First up is a simple favourite - Peter pan collar and cuffs. The idea of this tutorial is to teach you how to modify an existing dress. Either one you've bought new or second hand or something you've had in your wardrobe for so long and needs a new lease of life.
Ideally this tutorial is being done on a dress or top that already has facings or finishes, which you can unpick and layer the collar between, but not all garments are made in this way and can be tricky to resew - so were going to sew the new pieces on and press them so that they are neatly hidden away.
I'm so excited to finally get this idea started! For the past few weeks I've been busily sewing away 4 somewhat identical dresses for this special post series
Inspired by The Great British Sewing Bees segment in which contestants are all given the same garment and are challenged to do them up with fabric, trim and other decorative bits to create different looks. In much the same vein I'm going to take 4 long sleeved shift dresses and do them up with the following embellishments to give them more of a 60's look and feel.
• Peter Pan Collar and matching cuffs
• Pin tuck bib with lace trim
• Ruffle lace collar jabot and cuffs
• Band collar and cuffs
The idea of this series is to give you the ability to fine tune your modern purchases or those dowdy tired garments in your wardrobe. While its lovely to buy new things, its also important to recycle and buy second-hand. So if that means taking the time to do some sewing to improve the look, silhouette or style of a dress, then it will make you feel useful and clever in the end, and you'll have an individual and special item all of your own!
For most of these tutorials you will need a sewing machine, but I will also have some ideas for those of you with only a needle and thread.
All of these techniques can be applied to new dresses, second hand finds or something you've made yourself. For those of you who don't sew currently this would be a great starting point! Modifying clothing is a great way to introduce yourself to sewing and get to understand sewing terms and techniques.
The decorative elements for this project should all be easy to source at your local fabric store. You can even try op-shops and online to find genuine vintage or one off bits
Lace, ribbon, button kits, trim and plain cotton
In tangent with these posts I'll also be offering some insight into the foundations of the styles and how they became popular
Well I'll leave you with that little teaser for now - I hope you'll come back for the first post later this week!
While the 60's may belong to swinging London, attracting many Aussies to venture to the motherland to experience the excitement, fashion and music on offer, a few clever antipodeans decided to stay at home and start their own swinging Sydney.
One such pair were Merivale and John Hemmes.
The names Merivale and Hemmes now are more commonly known for the Merivale Group of bars and hotels, and their entrepreneurial son Justin Hemmes. You don't need to go too far in Sydney to find a venue owned by Merivale, one of the most popular being The Ivy nightclub on George Street along with delicious restaurants such as Mr Wong, Mrs G's and Ash St Cellar
But before they were in the Hospitality and entertainment industry, the Hemmes' were more well known for their fashion boutique - House of Merivale
Did you have a good weekend? As miserable as Mondays are there are always some good things to look forward to in the week.
That parcel that's due to arrive, the new shoes you plan to wear when it stops raining or seeing your friends next weekend. Mondays don't have to be so bad!
My Monday was made that little bit better by the arrival of this new pattern - you may remember that this pattern was the original that I wanted for my Pattie suit but I couldn't find it to buy at the time.
I spent way to much time this last weekend looking at all the 60s patterns in Etsy, and picked up 3 new pretties to add to my collection. It also reminded me that I need to continue with my series on 60's sewing pattern appreciation...
So here is the next installment of Dressing the Decade - 1963!
Its been a rainy Monday - how I wish I could have spent it lying in the warm grass with flowers and sun-rays and not soaking wet and cold on the train.
This song seemed most appropriate for my imaginings of where I'd rather be
Burda released a new range of dress patterns on Tuesday, one of them was this lovely bow back Maxi Dress. I may never get to make and wear this dress cause I don't often get invited to black tie events so I'd thought I'd bring this loveliness to your attention (and then maybe you can make it!)
The length, full skirt, pleated back and bows reminds me of something you might see in a 60s movie, worn by some ambassadors wife at a fancy ball, before the movies protagonist comes stumbling in spilling wine down her silk brocade gown...
Ahhh so much day dreaming...
Also! If you are in the US, or anywhere near a computer really - the first issue of BurdaStyle Magazine US was released recently. The editors plan to have a reoccurring feature where they call upon BurdaStyle members to share their sewing tips. This month they wanted tips on buttons and I submitted my tip on measuring buttons for a button hole and happily they featured it!
You can buy an online version of the magazine hereor wherever you might normally find sewing magazines in your town
I hope your all enjoying your week - Friday is almost here and then the weekend! Cat xoxo
Are you like me and tend to do all your sewing on the one machine? Not
everyone might own an over-locker, especially beginner sewers, but there is a
way to finish your edges very easily without having to buy or lug out your over
locker for what might only be a small job.
Most modern sewing machines come with a range of feet - one of which is the overcasting foot. It's a rather distinct foot and only serves one purpose - albeit a very good purpose.
A few months back I read Donovan's biography Hurdy Gurdy Man. Sarah from Where the Roses go and I were planning on doing a joint post, but Sarah is no longer at the blogging helm sadly!
How nice it is to finish projects - especially those which are so simple and leave you feeling like an expert!
This sewing project was an aim to get back to the simpleness of sewing and 60s design. A shift dress with contrasting collar and cuffs. No fussy bows or ruffles, just plain, simple and easy.
Something reminiscent of the mid-60s. A simple silhouette which suited many, and which was so different to the dresses of the previous years. A Peter Pan collar to recall the clothing of their childhood and cuffs to balance.
Do you often have those periods where everything seems
overwhelming? Since returning from my little work break, life has been quite a
full on little bastard. Mostly with work and lack of sleep and other issues
which I never managed to balance out properly. And then the massive wave of
tasks at work somehow took over my life to the point where I wouldn't leave
until 6pm. That's not a good finishing time for someone who has to commute an
hour sometimes and hour and a half home. I had started Yoga before my leave but
stopped due to a lack of time (and money)
With the recent bushfires in the Blue Mountains and also
thanks to a little visit with my friend and her baby, Jamie, It really has made
me learn to stop and enjoy my life. Work will always be there, but everything
else will pass by unnoticed if I don't take control of the boat, so to speak.
Waking up in the morning and feeling exhausted before I've even gotten out of
bed isn't a good feeling.
It's funny how we put this pressure on ourselves, but just
end up making mistakes and being exhausted from things that are totally within
our own control.
This is why I love spring. I honestly feel like there is a
coat that I shrug off when spring comes both physically and
metaphorically.
Getting back to owning my time and reassessing what I'm
doing, and not worrying about what I should or shouldn't be doing. Stopping
myself from putting up barricades and not getting angry when others keep theirs
up - these are all things that are motivating me right now.
Don't worry, this isn't an announcement to say I'm stopping
blogging or anything, this is just my mental release of everything that swims
around my head from time to time and brings me down.
The best way for me to asses my situation is to remember
those things that I love the most that make me happy or giggle lots.
Would you like to know some of those things are currently
keeping me sane happy?
Watching - All the Wes Anderson films. I started my Wes
Ander-thon on Sunday. A bit late to start one, but I'll pick up from The Royal Tenenbaumsthis
Friday
Eating - Bananas, in all forms. I'm not currently able to
bite, thanks to my lovely braces, so bananas in the form of cakes, bread and
smoothies are good easy and yummy
Listening to - Led Zeppelin. Last year I had a similar
listening obsession with Led Zeppelin, but that was an initial getting to know
their work, this time around I'm listening more carefully and understanding
their techniques. A lot of their music is quite up lifting to!
The Rain Song - from where the title of this post comes from
Obsessed with - Spring, her lovely flowers and the abundance
of sunlight that comes with it. This is when I start to like Sydney again and
spend a lot of time staring out the window at the trees and also the baby ducks
that are living in the pond near my window at work.
Sewing - I'm yet to name her, but the black dress with white
collars and cuffs is my current project. Making this most basic of dresses is
also helping with my stress release
Worried about - the bushfires in the Blue Mountains. My
Boyfriends cousin lives at the base of the mountains and they were on "watch an
act" alert, which is the next down from evacuate. They have a beautiful
property and we have lots of family parties there. Their doing ok and the
bushfires have been downgraded for now.
** You can make a donation to the Red Cross here to assist
those who have lost their homes
Or if you are an animal lover you can also make a donation
here to WIRES who are doing a very good job rescuing and treating animals that
live in the bushfire affected area **
Something new - My Kikki K purchases. I do actually do a good job at work and sometimes people give me "reward points" which I always spend on Kikki K vouchers
A sentence a day diary, to do list, gold stripe pen and cute magnetic bookmarks
Also the new collection from Yeye Vintage Boutique, with lots of 60s and 70s gorgeousness to buy
Excited for - summer holidays! I've put my leave in for work
- 3 lovely weeks of relaxing, celebrating and of course sewing.
Life in general - Is pretty good! I'm healthy, my braces are
doing their thing and it's my favourite time of year - why shouldn't I be
happy?
How's everything going for you dear reader? I hope life is
being kind to you! Feel free to tell me your own list of things that are making you happy in your comment
Mmm Peter Pan collars. Aren't they just delish? And paired with matching cuffs on a cute shift, make for the idyllic 60's dress. I'm not sure how this trend started. Perhaps it was to replicate men's business shirts with the white collar and cuffs on a contrasting fabric? But with a cuter, sweeter edge. Regardless, I'm smitten with this neat mod look and as such my next project is very much influenced by the following images.