I hope I vwin!

Well, I've certainly never blogged about a project I haven't started before. But I was so excited I had to tell you all. I am making a ridiculously fabulous pencil skirt for the Tessuti / BurdaStyle competition to win fame, glory and perhaps a truckload of fabric. In my world fabric is a HUGE deal. I know I'm leaving it a little late as always (the deadline is April 2nd), but I needed to con my boyfriend into taking me to Surry Hills to get the fabric before I could get going on it. Did I mention I also have two assessment tasks due for uni and a few public holiday hours worth of pay to earn? Oh boy...stand by!

Nudie is better than Nude...

As a long time fan of Swedish denim giant Nudie Jeans, I have religiously and rigorously conformed to their 'code of denim', all in a bid for the perfectly kept pair. Yes, under their strict instructions I have; gone without washing them for six months, kept various shaped instruments in my pockets in order to create the perfect 'wear marks' and of course patched them within an inch of their life. I have collected 5 pairs over the years which have served me well and are still in high rotation in my wardrobe. As they age they mold perfectly to the body and start to feel like soft felt. There really isn't any other piece of clothing like a pair of jeans. Nor any other piece I would spend so much money on, or get so much wear out of. Nudie even have a blog devoted to the the 'living denim'.

These days I have become somewhat of an expert at repairing them thanks to my boyfriend, who quite frequently waltzes through my front door swinging a plastic shopping bag, containing one or two pairs and calls out 'Baby I've had another blowout!'
Now I'm not going to go into physics behind why guys wear through the crotch of their jeans quicker than girls, but suffice to say that 'someone' sat me down one day and very carefully explained why. So now I have no qualms about repairing his jeans whenever they need it.
If you would rather repair than replace, here is how to fix (and hopefully prevent) jean blowouts:

1) Using a good quality denim (an old pair of jeans is perfect) cut a suitable sized patch for the hole and surrounding area (that might have weakened).

2) On the inside of the crotch sew the perimeter of the patch while holding the hole closed. Then sew up and down the patch over and over again in the same direction until the hole is covered.
3) If any of the other quadrants are weak, reinforce them the same way you did the one with the hole (believe me eventually it will need it anyway).

Happy Sewing
P.s - Yes if you look at the photo carefully you can see that this is the 2nd time I've repaired this particular pair!

Diva Trash Bag

Ever cleared out your jewelry box only to find the majority of it is tacky, tarnished trash? Well I have. Who'd of thought that buying a cheap necklace here and a massive pair of glitzy earrings there would amount to a kg (yes that's right 1 kilogram) of unwanted, costume chaos! Imagine my pain when I thought of all this in landfill! Finally my bower bird ways had trap me in a nest of excess consumption.
I believe my addiction to bling started with a fruitloop necklace in preschool (but even that was handmade and biodegradable). So I think I'll have to blame my tacky tweens and my extended student years for the expedient growth of this disastrous collection.  

Here's what I made out of the salvageable pieces...

What's in your jewelry box? I wonder...

Karina's Gorgeous Gold Skirt

     Well you were promised and who am I to keep you waiting. Ladies and gentlemen I would like to present to you....Karina and her gorgeous gold skirt!
Not only is she the first collaborator to the SSS project but she's sewing up the first SSS original, designed from scratch. Designing, pattern making and sewing it ourselves meant that we could tailor this skirt to suit Karina's shape and create a look that is totally her own.
Before you go complaining that you don't know how to pattern-make, let me tell you that after an hour of flat pattern making we had created, wait for it...a perfect rectangle! So clearly I don't know how to do it either.

We measured Karina's waist, hips and height before drawing up the pattern. We pondered, re-measured, consulted and worked out that the best shape for her was in fact a straight rectangle.
My advice to anyone starting to make their own pieces would be:
1) Start with something simple or modify a pattern you have already worked with.
2) Make it up in calico (or a cheap version of your final fabric), you can always make alterations once you've tried it on.
3) When you finally have it right unpick, lay it over your fabric and cut it out. Afterwards you'll have a calico pattern, custom-made for YOU.
4) Still not confident? Then find a friend (who hopefully knows what they are doing) or visit a sewing blog (like this one), where hopefully someone can give you a few pointers. Or there is usually sewing and pattern making classes at your local community college. If you live in Sydney check out Tessuti for quality lessons in the Surry Hills area.
Happy Sewing!
P.s Yes the belt shown in this post is the same one from the 'New York Sundress' and the 'Prairie Top' posts. As the title suggests I can't exactly go buy another one. So if anyone would like to donate a belt to the SSS cause, please let me know in the comment box below!  ;)

Prairie Top

     I know that my projects of late have been more 'alterations'  than anything new and exciting, believe me, my wardrobe is feeling it!
It's only February and I am already having Frequent Fashion Fatigue (or FFF for short). Fashion Fatigue is where you stand in front of your wardrobe for 20mins, in your bath towel, and can barely muster the energy to flick the coat hangers back and forth. Frequent Fashion Fatigue is where this happens everyday for over a month! Sound familiar or is this just me...?
Well my last episode was enough to motivate me to sew into the wee hours of the morning. I started this top at 3pm and finally finished it at 1:34am!
The pattern is Simplicity 3964 but be warned it is deceptively complicated! Luckily I had my sewing buddy Karina on hand for moral support. Credit is also due to my long suffering mother who eased in the front insert for me (while I sobbed in her lap).

 I have been sewing with Karina for years now and every time we get together, I end up finishing in the first hour, while she perfects every seam till we both wanna throw her project out the window. The roles were quite reversed in this case and I sent Karina home early so she wouldn't see the dark side of my sewing. I just couldn't go to bed till I had a new top!

Look out for her gorgeous gold skirt in my next post...