I finished my dentistry course in December last year and have now been working for 3 months. The ‘adult life’ of full time work means I haven’t had as much time for sewing, so it has been a bit quiet on this blog and my instagram. Also there’s the fact that I haven’t had much inspiration of what to sew… until now.
Peppermint Magazine’s Peplum Top by Emily from In the Folds is available for free download. The loose, flowing fit is lovely for warm Summer weather, which is when I made it, but I’m only getting around to writing about it now we’re into Autumn in Australia…
My sister bought the blouse on the left above from a retro warehouse sale of second hand clothing. She didn’t try it on at the time. When trying it on later, she found that the fit was unusual and generally unflattering so didn’t end up wearing it much at all. It sat in her wardrobe for a while until I saw it. I liked the fabric print and saw the potential for an upcycling project.
When I went to Korea in September last year I bought fabric from the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex. I bought a couple of meters of various polyblend fabrics (in 4 different prints) and a couple of meters of navy blue hanbok silk.
I have not yet used all of the fabric I bought, but do have plans in the works. So far, I have completed two projects!
First up, I made a tie for my dad’s birthday present using the hanbok silk. This was my second time sewing a tie. Last time I made a skinny tie, but this time I made a regular tie. Both style of tie will use the same pattern, but when you get to the final stage of folding the sides to the centre, for a regular tie you do not need to fold it in as much as for a skinny tie.
Continue reading “Korea fabric haul part 1: a tie and a top”
Happy New Year, dear readers!
This was my last sewing project of 2016! A bikini top using Madalynne’s free Noelle halter bra pattern. I’ve had this pattern downloaded for a while but never had the time or fabric to make it. I was browsing through other bloggers’ versions of the Noelle, and was inspired to make it a bikini top. I had some lycra that was intended for another project that I didn’t get around to doing and I was expecting hot swimming weather in the upcoming Summer holidays, it was a sign that the time to make the Noelle was now. Continue reading “Noelle bralette bikini top”
The day after my last dentistry rural placement was our Graduation Ball. I wanted to sew my own dress for the ball which meant I had to complete it weeks before (rather than days before like my last gown :P) as I wouldn’t have my sewing machine in rural SA.
I knew I wanted a two-piece outfit with a midi skirt. After looking on Pinterest for inspiration I came to the decision to sew a box pleat midi skirt and tulip open back cropped top.
I found the fabric for the skirt at my local Salvos op-shop. I think it was a table cloth or bed spread/throw? It was a heavyweight white fabric with a raised woven design of flowers and leaves. (I don’t have a ‘before’ picture of the skirt fabric as I was in a hurry to finish the outfit) The top was made from double face satin from Spotlight in an ivory/pale pink shade. Continue reading “Two-piece ball dress: up-cycled midi skirt & cropped top.”
Hello readers! It has been a long time between posts. The last couple of months I have been busy with my final exam and assessments. Just under a month now until I will be a qualified dentist! I was finally able to use my sewing machine guilt free, just last week, and have started on a few projects. In the meantime, today I am posting up a past project.
You may recall seeing this skirt in my first project post, paired in an outfit with the upcycled wrap crop top! The fabric was bought from my local op-shop. It was my first time using velvet fabric and I learned a couple of lessons from this project.
