Kristy!
Pop me an email at mrsbcrafty@gmail.com and I’ll post your books out asap! Congrats!
And big thanks to everyone who entered.
As of the new year I’ll be running my monthly vintage pattern giveaway again so keep your eyes peeled!
Hello there!
Apologies for the silence the last couple of months but my work load has been off the charts both in my full time job and my copy writing freelancing, but the good news is I am now free to sew and craft!
First off, I have picked the gorgeous fabric for my dress and riffled through my vintage patterns to find this stunning late 50s dress.
I’ll be making the pencil dress version, I would love to make the overskirt but I think it’s a little too fussy for the works christmas do.
The fabric is a gorgeous retro christmas pattern and the gold is metallic so shines beautifully under the light.
Only worry is matching the pattern but I have a good 4 metres so fingers crossed it wont be too much trouble, any advice gratefully received though – please comment below!
Secondly, I purchased the fabulous Doodle Stitching: The Holiday Motif Collection, which is just AMAZING. I can’t recommend enough to any Christmas crafters out there!
I have already traced some patterns for the tablecloth and napkins I’m working on for Christmas day. Updates to follow soon!
Thirdly, and finally, I am giving away two Christmas craft books this year:
Fa la la la Felt and Make Me, I’m Yours: Christmas – to enter simply comment below, or retweet the below tweet.
The winner will be announced on 1st December, giveaway closes on the 30th November midday (UK time)!
I thought it was time I pushed myself away from the cotton and towards something a little slinkier, so when I saw Gertie was starting a slip sew along back in February I thought I’d give it a go. The massively underestimated my time so I only got around to it this week.
I opted for purchasing one of Gerties slip packs from Etsy as I thought it would save me a lot of traipsing about or online searching for the little bits and bobs and of course I went for yellow.
Yellow is my favourite colour because it’s the colour of sunshine, how can you NOT like yellow?
The main material is micro jersey fabric (poly/spandex blend) and the lace is stretch. I decided that I’d go for a contrasting yellow cotton while sewing as I like the effect it has on it, give it a little cheat style decoration. I missed the bows off because I didn’t really like them all that much, and much prefer the slip all plain Jane.
So off I set. The pattern was relatively easy to sew up and I was surprised at how easy it was considering all of the stretch in all of the fabrics. This would have taken me a day to complete if I’d had a whole day but it took me several nights and half a day in the end and I am very pleased with the result.
The only problems I had were with:
Double sewing the dart on the bust. One side, if you look really close up, doesn’t look as neat as the other, I had a bit of an incident with the slippy fabric but trying to go as slow as possible on the other side was fine. So less speed required from me in future.
The straps; it took my dyslexic brain a while to figure out which way round the straps were sewn once the extending fastening pieces were threaded through, I got there in the end though and this is the finished result.
Next up on my sewing table are the pants (we say that up north, rather than knickers, or panties across the pond).
Last weekend I made my way into town for a decoupage jewellery making class with the Ministry of Craft. This is the first course of theirs that I have taken, I have been aware of them for a while and finding myself at a loose end this weekend as Timbo was away with work, I thought I’d see what was on.
This was my first foray into decoupage; sure, I was one of those kids with a scrap book pasting in pictures from birthday and Christmas cards I’d cut out. A very clever and cheap way of keeping me and my sisters entertained when we were kids (well played Nana!) but I’d not even picked up the paste since then.
The course took place in the basement of Fred Aldous (again, I never even knew the classrooms down there existed – even though I’ve been in the shop several times) and we were met by Sam, the course tutor, who was extremely friendly and chatty and explained the process very well, guiding us through step by step and helping out where she could and was needed.
I chose some decopatch paper which was a map of Manhattan and got to work on covering a bangle, followed by a pendant and a brooch, all with different districts from the Island. I chose the garment district for my bangle, I thought it would be quite apt!
I really enjoyed the sticking and glazing process, even though I chose something which in the end turned out to be quite time consuming as I had to ensure that all of the sections of map lined up which meant applying them in small strips rather than chunkier ones, but in for a penny in for a pound.
I’m really pleased with the results and shortly I‘ll have a few bits and bobs for sale alongside my hairflowers, the proceeds of which will be supporting my ever growing adventure into sewing.
The workshop was well run, well supplied and expertly taught and I would have no problem recommending this to anyone who’s looking for a fun creative afternoon. For £29.50 you can’t complain as you get three items to take home (you’re shown how to build origami gift boxes too) and you get 10% off in the shop too – which is kind of worth it’s while but a note – Fred Aldous is known for being particularly expensive compared to online shops and other retailers.
This month I received my first Lucky Dip Club box. I’m not new to monthly box subscriptions, I’ve subscribed to a certain beauty box for around two years until recently when it lost its shine and I was overloaded by creams and perfume samples. And fake tan. For me. The quintessential English rose.
The lovely Kate over at I Get Dressed in the Morning (check out her tumblr here) posted about July’s box on facebook and I am so glad that she did.
A lovely themed box filled with craft and vintage styled goodies with personalised items? Yes please!
So along came my first box and I wasn’t disappointed, it’s chocca full of gorgeous bits and bobs in pretty packaging and I love the fact that it comes with an inbuilt crafting project, this month’s cute little ice-cream buttons will be a welcome addition to sprucing up a cardigan as suggested but I’m thinking more along the lines of decorating a large piece of ribbon for my beehive.
Next month’s box theme is “Magic Forrest” and I can’t wait to see what’s inside, big thanks to Leona Thriftola for thinking up such an amazing idea for all of us vintage crafting lovers out there!
You’d think from my lack of sewing posts I’d been laying the needle down but I have been sewing, honest! I recently made two circle skirts on commission for some soulies I know.
I’m holding off the full post about this as I’d ideally like to get some pics of the ladies in question in them and a short clip of them dancing away.
So until then, here’s a little pic of one of them on my dummy and an awesome soul tune that you should dance about to!
If you follow me on Instagram or facebook you may have noticed I’ve been making hair flowers to sell.
Today I finally finished taking shots, editing them and setting up my Etsy store.
Each high quality hairflower is encrusted with Swarovski and Preciosa crystals in complimentary colours and fixes to your hair with a crocodile clip.
They’re on sale here if you like to mosey on over and I’ll be at retro and vintage events selling them, so if you’d like to keep any eye on where I’ll be when please like my facebook page.
A couple of weeks ago me and the hublet went camping for a week (I know Vegas then camping, I am spoiling myself!).
As a day trip out and while Timothy was on his course I took a trip to Polsden Lacey, a National Trust house and grounds in Dorking. I wasn’t expecting too much, I knew little of the place apart from that it was near where I needed to pick Tim up, but the sun was shining and I thought a wander about a big house and grounds would be quite nice.
How wrong I was not to expect too much.
Polsden Lacey is a Edwardian House and was once the home of the society hostess Margaret Greville. It turns out our Margaret was well known for holding the best soirees British society’s had ever seen, counting royalty amongst her guests. Architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis, responsible for the Ritz Hotel – London, remodelled the house for the Grevilles and it really is a beautiful place to wander about.
The piece de resistance is the Gold Room, set for entertaining Kings and Maharajas and so full of bling it would make Vegas blush.
The rest of the house it beautiful. The furnished rooms downstairs are like something straight out of an Agatha Christie novel (swoon) and upstairs, although sparsely decorated with furniture, has the original marble bathrooms which would have matched the Ritz.
I finished the day off with a wander around the rose garden and then the gardens, stopping to watch the jazz band on the steps to the garden then I went to the cafe for a scrumptious cream tea.
So strange thing to be blogging about in a sewing blog, yes?
Well, there’s a very good reason for this. It really was an inspiring place to be. Whether wandering around the rose garden and translating what I saw into the perfect rose printed fabric for a summer wedding dress, or imagining the gold room full of glittering 30s gowns and gests dripping in diamonds, it really has given me a lot to think about and maybe, just maybe, I could dig deep and make something very special based on my thoughts and experiences of this beautiful Country Manor.
What I am trying to say is, inspiration can come from anywhere and to not post about such a beautiful house could do myself a disservice when considering what I might make next time I have formal occasion.
What are you inspired by? Do you look at vintage clothes to get inspiration or do you look to works of art and architecture? I’d be really interested to know.
While I was off on my camping adventures I finally got to have a good read of a book I’d had my eye on for a while an which was gifted to me by a friend as a thanks for embellishing a hen’s dress for her final night of freedom.
Fifty dresses that Changed the World promises a lot and on the most part it delivers.
Maybe I’m just more attuned to vintage clothes and therefore don’t see that Julia Roberts Oscars dress from 2011 (a 1982 original) really was a dress that changed the world.
People had been wearing vintage for some time by that point and while I accept it thrust vintage into the limelight and made it more acceptable for people to look to the past when considering what to wear, I don’t think it changed the world.
It is however a really nice little coffee table book and is full of treasures such as the Delphos gown, the Chanel suit, Mary Quant’s mini-dress, the Paco Rabanne disc dress (I really REALLY wanted to wear this in the 90s – even in my teenage years, highly inappropriate) and of course the devastatingly beautiful creations of Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell.
We can all learn a little by looking at the beautiful lines of these garments for inspiration and this book it great for a little pick me up to think outside the box when considering where to go next, or when comparing currently lines of fashion houses and which era they may be looking back to.
A great book to flick through, read through and even to learn a few new names to research.
Oh and special mention for them putting Cher in with her 80s Moonstruck Oscars dress (Bob Mackie). The showgirl in me LOVES IT.
This is a little late in coming I know but I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to vote.
As you know (If you follow me on Twitter) I didn’t win BUT I was so happy and proud of myself for getting through to the finals alongside two of my fellow Manchester bloggers!
The awards ceremony was held in Birmingham and below are a few snapshots of the night.
It was great to meet so many new faces and see some old. Norton of Morton won the award and he so deserved it. It was good to finally meet him and the same goes for Helen from Mancunian Vintage, who is a complete doll.
I wore the dress I’d made for Vegas (and just about managed to squeeze myself into it) and accessorised with the sparkles I’d bought while I was away.
I had the absolute honour of hanging with “Vintage Personality of the Year” and my lovely friend KiKi DeVille. I’ve known Kiki for a good few years now, as we’ve both been involved in the burlesque scene and she’s given me many a colourful and always funning introduction to the stage over the years.
If anyone knows Kiki you’ll know how hard she works and how dedicated to the Vintage movement she is, especially those involved in the burlesque scene. So well done Kiki, you really do deserve the award and then some!
