Saturday 27 October 2012

Steampunk dress!

Well I haven't posted at all have I?
But I thought this dress deserved special mention :)
Made for the Dunedin Steampunk ball, this is my creation!


I deviated from the normal blacks and wine reds of your usual steampunk, mainly because I like bright colours and there's no reason why a steampunk has to be gothic, I'm a cheery steampunk.

The fabric was a dream to work with, with a slight stretch in it so therefore comfy to wear with enough ease to sew well. 
I wanted to combine pleats with lacing and a traditional bodice shape. For quite a while now I've been fascinated with points of bodices merging into the skirt of a dress. And now I have made my own pattern for it!

The lacing on the front are simply strips sewn on crisscrossed. The real lacing is at the back of the dress, and was very difficult to do. Those little metal hammer on eyelets are a pain! They smash so easily and leave scratchy edges on the inside. Fortunately I made a facing to cover those rough edges :)

I think I will definately make more of these kinds of dresses, perhaps next time a more extravagant one... It fits like a glove and stood up to crazy dancing on the ball night.

It's great to design my own clothes, I should do more of that.
And asymmetry is a great idea too.


Sunday 8 July 2012

Update and a new cause

I've decided to post more pictures of my creations on here. In fact, I really do need to take more photos of my creations, especially sewn clothing because I have no other record of it.

So tomorrow when the light is good, I'll take some photos and pop them on here :)

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Here's some funky grace jones costumes to oggle at (Grace jones was my singing hero as a child, I admire her confidence and her costumes as an adult, they are out of this world!)


Wednesday 27 June 2012

Our future dream

To own a house with perhaps an acreage, A vegetable and fruit garden, GOATS - One female milk, one whether mohair, Pigs -spotty ones!,to make cheese, grow mushrooms and brew mead.

Sunday 26 February 2012

Op-shops are amazing...

Went to the local Salvation army this last friday looking for fabric to marble and scored for $4 a double bed sheet, four pillow cases and a length of fabric all pale or white, perfect for marbling.




 I also have all the supplies i need for marbling now, except an iron for making my fabric nice and  flat and eyedroppers for handling the ink. I spent the afternoon yesterday looking for all my supplies in two dollar shops. A comb, a tray, a mixing tray and paintbrushes. I also have the perfect bottle to store Methocel in. Not sure what Methocel is like as a thickening agent for placing the inks apon but it comes with the Jacquard kit so it must be useful.



I'm planning to buy an iron in the next week in time for next weekend when I'll have proper time to play with the inks, which should arrive this next week :)


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Also found a funky new pillow case for myself (from the same opshop).



If all goes to plan I should have something to show on this blog next sunday :) Very excited about this!

Finished beret.

New beret which I am wearing right now. Keeps my head so warm!
Yarn is hand dyed by me with food colouring.

Thursday 23 February 2012

A marbling kit :0

I just ordered a jacquard marbling kit from www.hands.co.nz which is pretty exciting. I tried marbling in my last year of high school and loved it, all the beautiful colours you can blend together in endless combinations with patterns. Now all I need is a tray to do marbling in, a mixing tray for the inks, a comb and plenty of fabric to marble with! Weekends won't be completely wasted craft wise anyway if it turns out good :) Expext to see plenty of pictures of brightly coloured fabric soon.

Went sailing on the Otago harbour yesterday with my dad, (he's learning to sail). It was pretty wet and not quite enough wind but I can see why he likes it, how exciting to be flying along the water watching all the other ships, steering your way around the bay and enjoying all the sights. The ships, the water and birds flying overhead were quite inspiring, I'd quite like to sew some clothes along the line of a sailing theme now...

Sunday 19 February 2012

The details of a new life

Felt this afternoon like doing some photography, the light is quite good and I felt like capturing the little details of my new life in dunedin which are new or interesting :)

These are my new work boots, though i haven't actually worn to work yet, i'm getting there - slowly wearing them in everyday. They're Mckinley's which are made in Dunedin, how cool! I've seen the factory where they are made. My mum and dad also have a pair each for bushwalking. I think the buckles are cute, and they make me taller, as tall as my boyfriend!



We have been trying to grow basil on our suuny porch but the weather isn't very warm so it grows quite slowly. I think we need a green house here in Dunedin! This is Oscar's attempt, you can just see the tiny little second leaves coming out. Hopefully the rest of feb is warm and then we can have pesto with pasta. Oscar's mum taught him a very good pesto recipe!


The strange thing about this house is the wall colours in each room. I grew up in a house with plain white walls so colour is pretty novel for me on the walls. My dad's room has too be the funkiest, yellow walls with purple window trim! Quite a cheerful room, more than the others which are blue and the kitchen green.

This beautiful box was given to me by Oscar for Xmas. A little treasure chest for my jewellery with a purple fuzzy inside. I love the details on it, the twisted metal, stamped flowers and the actual box itself the way it's made out of pieced shell.


One day at work we were peeling onions - a nasty job but with the bonus of lots of red skins left over, perfect for dying! I asked my manager if I could take them and he said go ahead. Must buy some white wool to dye with this... There are lots of little bonuses to working at produce store and this is one of them :)

On the day I got my job I felt like buying a little reward - some fabric! So I went to the local sewing/patchwork/yarn store and bought this half price fabric. Not sure what I'll use it for, but I have to start my fabric stash somehere....

Found some cheap New Zealand yarn at the local opshop, $3.50 for 8 balls of four ply. I plan on using this yarn held double, i can't use 4 ply for knitting or crocheting and I won't, so slow! But the colour is pretty, stone blue it says on the label.

There are some interesting things in the kitchen including this 60's tile bench which I love. the colour in this picture isn't very accurate, its more of a deep turquiose blue. The wall behind it once had swirling black and white patterned tiles on it too but it was painted over. Which I think is a shame, they would have been a great combination!

I think I'll be doing more blogging from now on, just little projects I do till my long awaited sewing machine comes back.

Sunday 5 February 2012

In Dunedin and things are happening!

Well that was a long break from blog posts!But I'd like to get back into it because it helps me think about things :) I still don't have my sewing machine with me, but it will be coming back soon from Australia with my mum in her suitcase. But now I'm involved in a theatre group helping with getting together and making costumes. Haven't actually started yet but next week we meet again and then I hope creativity starts! I also got a job, HOORAY! Anytime not spent working will be relaxing and knitting :)

The weather here really is quite cool for summer, though we did have some hot humid weather this week. I'm wearing jeans and jumpers everyday, which compared to 35-40 C heat is really nice in comparison! The hill from the bus stop here is quite a pinch to walk up everyday, but its becoming easier.

My boyfriend managed to find a very cheap (20 bucks plus 15 delivery) but pretty good upright piano which sits downstairs in the garage. I'm trying to teach myself how to play and I have to say that reading music is coming back to me okay but the added bass celf is quite confusing with the treble at times! Playing duets with osk is lots of fun and makes it easier - he's very good at playing himself. :)

I finished a pair of warm fingerless gloves which now make my total of mittens three. Still working on my stripey scarf (king cole riot yarn) and a turn a square hat by jared flood. Thinking that this year I will get a lot of wear out of my hand knits :)

Now that I'm actually meeting some people here in dunedin, its starting to feel a bit more like home. Glad to be here! Though I still get lost sometimes....