Wednesday 26 June 2013

My Mediocore Me Made May

FIRSTLY
This is almost a month overdue. Oops. That's what studying does to you! (which will pay off for you when I can show you the things I just completed!!)



SECONDLY
I did succeed with my Me May May 13', the reason it was mediocre was simply due to the fact that I had a very busy May. Well actually I think I am always this busy...but I really wanted to try and step it up a bit for this month.

Reasons I feel it was mediocre are also because....well the first week of May I was sick....it was sucky, and it meant for a lot of days I didn't get changed out of pajamas....
I also didn't get nearly as many photos as I would have liked, when I put these pics together I thought I had taken way more...apparently not!


I did go on a hunt at the beginning of May when I was sick and bought a tripod from cash converters for $12 which was a part of my Me Made May plan to take lots of selfies....But alas....it had no camera plate....and seeing as I have never bought a tripod before I thought this wasn't going to be an issue.
IT WAS! I had one i had ordered from eBay thinking they were surely all the same....they aren't. I ended up watching tutorials on how to make them out of wood and made 90% of a functional plate that fits....but I didn't have a drill to finish it off :'( so sadly it was never finished.

I jumped my housemates on the few occasions I saw them and made them take some dodgy lounge room photos with horrible lighting....

PLEASE BELIEVE ME I DID WEAR SOMETHING I MADE EVERYDAY I SWEAR!!


I actually felt that if I didn't I would have been letting myself down and would have felt awful if I had.

I did on a couple of occasions in the evening when I went out wore dresses that I hadn't made....but i wore something during the day that i had made so I'm not sure what the rules might be here? I felt guilty...but I felt it was kinda reasonable.

I figured a lot of things out during Me Made May', especially about what huge blaring gaps exist in my me made wardrobe. I lack basics.... a lot... the 'Too much frosting, not enough cake'
that Sewaholic blogs about definitely applies here. 

I ended up making some cake (two basic cotton t-shirts) during me made may which really helped :) However because of school I didn't manage to get much else done!

I think now that this is over I am going to joining the Seamless pledge! Go have a look! I wish I had seen it sooner :)

I hope everyone had a fun Me Made May, I will definitely be doing it again!

Wednesday 22 May 2013

A Wish List of Shoes

I can make clothes. 
So I obsess over shoes.
These are the ones that have stuck with me for a while now and might need to be added to my collection if my funds can bare it....

I will sadly probably never own any of the WXY shoes. They are so beautiful

Tara by Miista
Image 1 of ASOS HOLLAND Leather Heeled Sandals
ASOS HOLLAND Leather Heeled Sandals

WXY SHOES Pela's Studio - Canberra

Lo Res Pump's - United Nude
Val Tex by Miista
Im not going to deny it...this is the first time in....well....ever, that I haven't desperately wanted something from the new Melissa range...I'm seriously unimpressed by this...

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Lovin Bloglovin' & 1930's underwear

Finally jumped on the Bloglovin' bandwagon!

Can't believe how easy it is and that I can follow all the blogs I like from everywhere ^_^ 
Yay it's like a dream come true! Why did no one force this upon me sooner?
AND I already apparently have 2 followers via Bloglovin', which is definitely the most exciting part haha!

Anyway, now there is a lovely little widget on the left hand side! So get following....
Wait....if your reading this you probably already are....
I feel as though this post is now irrelevant and I didn't need to mention it...

Well it's typed now!

Here are pictures of 1930's underwear pieces that I am basing and making as a matching set for my 'Corsetry and Undergarments class'as a thanks for reading type of thing...



1940s garter belt or suspender belt for stockings - NOS - never worn - beautiful

   1940s garter belt or suspender belt for stockings

         All my patterns are made and I will be buying some pretty charmeuse to make it up in with some contrasting lace tomorrow!


Cheerio for now!

Love


Sunday 19 May 2013

Colour Block Linen Sun Dress and Garden Hat

One hell of an up-cycle and recycle project/combination!

It all started with a $4 Millers linen dress bought from the Vinnies down the road. 
I only bought it because it was linen and navy blue!
It was a size 14 also....and had a hideously pointy collar.

 

I swear I took before shots....of course now they are no where to be found.

I chopped off a good 50cm from the hem, took off the hideous collar and redrafted it and used a natural contrasting linen, took up the sleeves and added a contrasting tab, took in the arms and the side seams, added back darts, and replaced the buttons because they all broke or came off!

 

 


Helen Kaminski

 

  In my first term of costume, one of my classes was millinery. While I did study millinery last year, it was all blocking, but this time, a combination of flat pattern and blocking was taught. 

For our more complicated assignment we drafted a hat pattern from the Helen Kaminski hat above. 
While none of ours turned out perfect, it was a great exercise and I am mostly happy with how mine turned out.

I had so much linen left from cutting the hem from the dress I decided to use the same linen to colour block the hat as well.
                 
Unfortunately the fit isn't perfect. It's actually too deep for my head. NOOOO!!!

But I think I might head along eventually to the markets and sell some handmade things :)



I haven't posted anything actually yet about my course. But hopefully this can be changed :)

Hope you are all enjoying Me Made May!

Thursday 16 May 2013

Better camera's make better blogger's.....?


This is relevant....in a backwards way.
I was in Canberra over the holidays, and after taking some pictures with my dad for my blog of a hat and dress outfit, and the I had a  play with his new camera.

These are some very amateur photos I took in our yard.

Point is. I want a better camera. 
As of course..... it would make my blogging that much more beautiful. 
Ha.

A real post is coming soon. 
Promise.


 
    




Wednesday 1 May 2013

Missed My First Birthday - Lip Mag Article Feature!

That's right, you read right....I missed my own blogs first birthday.
How embarrassing and shameful. I only just realised then when posting about Me Made May '13.
BUT in other news!!! I did have a feature article in an Australian mag, Lip Mag's 23rd published issue!


A great year has gone past. But honestly, I feel like I have done so little with my blog since starting it.
I have a few things that I want to get done in it's second year!!

1. Reconstruct my blog a bit and make it look more like a real website, including updating some logo's and learning to be a bit more blog savvy!

2. Buy myself, and learn how to use a good camera. Buy a camera which is compatible with a remote so I can take some nice selfies! 

3.  Get this thing going a bit more regularly and with more consistency

4. Reach 50 followers! I am half way there!

4. Organise my first giveaway!!! (hopefully this will be the first thing to tick off the list, so stay tuned ;)

Did you have new aims when you reached your first milestone as a blogger? Please share!


And now for the more exciting part of this blog post....





Late last year Zoya Patel, editor of Lip Mag, asked if I would be interested in doing an interview! She sent me some questions, I answered them...and here we are a little while later.
Lip publishes a mag quarterly, but otherwise runs an online magazine where there a new things posted daily!
Hopefully you can read a little bit from these pictures...

 Lip_Issue23_Cover-1
You can still buy their 23rd issue by clicking here!


P.S FIRST DAY OF ME MADE MAY '13
woo!

Thursday 25 April 2013

Ruffles Me Made May '13

me made may 13

This will be my first year participating in Me Made May, run by the lovely blogger So, Zo...What do you know? 
Last year I had only just started my blog, so I had not had the chance of discovering such fun blog related challenges yet! This year however, I am jumping right in, and here is my pledge below!

 'I, Katie, from Ruffles Gazebo, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. 
I endeavor to wear one piece of Ruffles made clothing each day for the duration of May 2013'


I made a lot of hats during my first in costume that just passed. I do believe they will be helpful in this challenge hehe

Can't wait to see everyone's progress and success!!

Thursday 11 April 2013

Bunnies & Buttons

 If only they arrived 4 days earlier, than I could have worn them to the Lolita Easter Egg hunt that was organised for Easter Sunday here.


Irregular Choice's 'Flopsy' Bunny rabbit wedges heels!
These babies have been hand painted and were released a couple weeks ago on the website.
I may have bought them in the first 2 hours....
Investment really, as I think most of them have sold out already....I can only imagine how much they will be on ebay later.
Pretty box to go with the pretty pretty shoes!


Unfortunately, even within the first two hours, my shoes were still the second batch to be posted out. Maybe if i'd ordered an hr earlier i would have gotten them for Easter....OHHHH and how they would have matched the dress I made!

Kiss on the Lips


 I like how much detail irregular choice puts into everything, it really makes their shoes a bit above the rest, and makes them feel so special and exciting! I can seriously spend a lot of time on their website!

The only issue is, both pairs of Irregular choice I have, arent the comfiest shoes. They just feel....I dont know...heavy and very hard. They don't rub or anything, but especially since both the pairs I have include a feature heel, they are odd to wear because they are so heavy at the back. My other pair have a resin heel!

Num num num



On a completely different note, (only related because they rhyme)
There is an amazing button shop here in Adelaide! with over 350 000 buttons inside!
It is also the only place I have ever found to sell real Petersham/Grograin ribbon in real life and not on the internet!!!


Once again my lovely friend Ben Davies took the below (and the above) pictures.
He bought me a cute little sewing related button which I then turned into a broach!



Its a great shop, it is expensive....but there is no way you would find the great service and these buttons online!

Exhibit A

ALSO
Im holidays next week. Hopefully means so more updating.

Misson for the near future. Make. Blog. Better.






Thursday 4 April 2013

The 'Firsts' Dress Post

First place, first dress in a new home, first complete dress made in Adelaide, first dress for the first day of being back at school, first dress in a very long time where I have chosen to make a whole toile to begin with!


FIRST FRIEND TO VISIT ME IN ADELAIDE AND TAKE SOME PHOTOS FOR ME (YAY)=^_^=

I made this dress by drafting a simple shift dress by combining my blouse block, and my skirt block. I moved the darts into the side seam and created a curved french dart which I liked from another pattern I had.


I made a full mock up of it and you can see in the pictures below that I made a fair few changes!


I took in a bit of excess through the center front, shaped the darts a bit more, took some excess out above the bust, and pivitted some of the neckline out as well.


I don't really know if you can tell from the picture below...but the sleeve around my (huge) bicep was too tight


I used the below alteration to make it fit :)


Unfortunately, I did not re fit the sleeve....and when I went to make my first version of this dress, it was too tight. This dress also needed lining as well....as I think it is some wool/acetate blend? I got it from the fabric shop when it was on sale, and it is really gorgeous and fits perfectly, but the first time I wore it the restricted arms annoyed me so much that I cut them up....and now I have to un-pick them all together and put tiny half sleeves on!


I wanted to have this as a shift block essentially, so I really made an effort to get this one right. 

The night before my first day at he Adelaide College of the Arts doing my Costume I  decided it meant i needed to make a new dress. I bought fabric a couple days earlier...but didn't anticipate making it so soon.


I matched the stripes from the dart down, and did my best to match them at the sleeves also. 





I decided to do a hand picked zipper also.....whiiiiiich I feel is maybe not suited to side seems so much as it is back seams. I have done one on a dress which just needs to be lined, and it's at the CB and it looks damn awesome. Thoughts?



To me this is old news now, but it's still the first 100% completed garment I have made since moving to Adelaide, and now the first dress post I've done since moving here!

When I finally get around to finishing those sleeves, ill do another post! The dresses both look so different, I can already tell I like this pattern ^_^

My friend Ben who visited me from Canberra came and stayed for a few days not too long ago, he is a lovely Canberra photographer, and we had some few adventures where he took some lovely photos, and I will share a post which features those very shortly! 

So thank you to Ben for these lovely dress pictures : )