Crepidula

I have been having a bad week at work, there are some incredibly selfish people about who just manage to make life difficult for everyone else.  So it was doubly good when my friend phoned and told me she was going to a craft shop at Stony Stratford (link to hcscrafts) she wanted some yarn for a jumper she is knitting.  I didn't actually plan to buy anything, but I just couldn't resist this Riot chunky yarn from King Cole. 

 It's so lovely I had to take another picture of it in the bag.

 I knew it was just what I wanted to make up the Crepidula sleeveless cardi by Brigitte Beyenburgerin (available free on Ravelry).  A pattern that I had been thinking of knitting for a while, its knitted top down, so I can make it longer or shorter depending on what looks best and how much yarn I have.

I started yesterday afternoon and took this photo before it got too dark.  It's actually grown quite a lot since I took the photo, as on was working until late and I was busy knitting and watching old episodes of Poirot whilst waiting for him to finish.  The yoke is half finished now and I'm hoping to make more progress this afternoon.  Now I've started I really want it finished for daughter's birthday in three weeks time, it should look really good with an olive green floor length jersey skirt I made a few of years ago.

The ruffle dress begins

I've been busy stitching again.  This time it's a fabulous fitted dress with a ruffled front and zips fitted into the sleeves. It's made in this lovely burgundy cotton and I was a bit worried that the cotton would be too stiff for the ruffles, the pattern stated wool but I didn't have any.  It's to be worn to my nan's party, so with everything else happening I needed to get it started.  I've sewn the main seams and now it's waiting to be have the collar and seams hand finished - hopefully will be finished at the weekend.

Woolly Kimono

A few months ago in my Burda magazine there was a lovely kimono pattern, but I never got round to making it.

 In the pattern book it was made from lace with a satin lining but I didn't have lace or satin and quite frankly that didn't seem very warm with winter just round the corner.

 I did have a long piece of navy marl knitted fabric.  I got it as a bit of a mistake, I wanted a different fabric which I bought on the internet in a sale.  Then the seller told me there wasn't enough of my first choice fabric and so I chose another fabric to make up the quantity.  Then in the end, due to flaws in the fabric, I ended up with not enough of my chosen fabric and a huge quantity of the navy marl.  C'est la vie.

Then this weekend in my panic that I won't have enough warm clothes for winter, I realised that I could make the kimono.  So I set to work....

 and as the pattern was very simple I soon had another nice warm jacket cum cardi.

As it's not very warm in my house tonight, I'm wearing it right now.

More winter clothes need to be made soon.

Winter warmer

 Remember this wrap from the 6 September blog? (link)

I finally finished it earlier this week and I have been itching to put it on the blog but haven't been able to get any decent pictures in the evenings because of lack of light.

Here it is.  It's a bit skinnier than I wanted it to be so it can be worn as a wrap or a scarf.

 I love the texture of the bouclé yarn. 

and I did have enough yarn to make the long tassels.  I mixed the bouclé wool with some normal yarn from my stash so they are really long and full.

I'm beginning to feel that I might just about be ready for the coming winter cold. 

Mary looks very bright today

That is what my colleague (the only man in our team of 6) said first thing this morning, and this is what I was wearing: 

It is a rather close fitting patterned jersey tunic with a rouched front panel.  I made it earlier this year and wear it with black jeggings (sorry I did mention black again).

and here's a close-up that shows the pattern on the tunic better.

 I mustn't forget the picture of my newly beribboned shoes.

It's amazing the effect of changing the laces (ribbons) in a pair of shoes.  I have worn these shoes to work hundreds of times and yet today my colleague told me how nice they were and how she really liked what I did with the ribbons.

I went window shopping at lunchtime today for more inspiration and at one point I felt as if I had fallen of the shop display as it was exactly the same pink and black!  Apart from that I have heaps of ideas for Autumn outfits that don't need me to make or buy anything new.  Well OK I did buy a few new pairs of thick tights.  And since I came home I have cut out a grey jersey tunic that I want to sew tonight - but I have to take the dog first so I must go now.

A new Jacket

I had another sewing sunday today.  I made a jacket from some suade faux suade.  I used a new pattern, and I had some problems with it and although I made some alterations, I'm not sure that I'm happy with it.  Here's the first picture of the finished item.  There will be more on the pattern and my modifications later this week, as I must go to finish the Sunday roast now.

Glamorous ???

 I love these three quarter lenth peg or harem style trousers, they are so comfy to wear but I never seem to get the look quite right.

 These beige harem trousers were my first attempt at making them about this time last year.  They are much higher waisted than the pictures I have found this year.  I wore them a bit last year but couldn't really decide on a top.  Working on the black and beige theme shown in the first picture above, mine is in reverse, I teamed them with a black chiffon blouse that I made a couple of years ago and wear a lot.  It does look better on me than on 'Millie'.       

My second attempt used an original eighties trouser pattern and some black jersey fabric left over from a top I made this Christmas.  I had to make some alterations to the pattern as it wasn't made for jersey fabric and came out much too long.  Overall, I'm quite happy with this look (again it looks better on me than on 'Millie').  The shirt was made from chiffon a few years ago as a tunic, but it got caught on something and ripped at the bottom.  Worm with these trousers it can be tucked in and is them long enough to pull out to balloon over the waist.  The juries still out on weather this look will work well for me, it's very differnt to what I'm used too.
I wore these too work on Friday with a black velvet jacket that was a present many years age.  At lunchtime I went for a mooch round the shops as I had forgotten to take my crochet to work, and I was so pleased whena shop assistant in Next stopped me and told me how glamorous I looked.  Perhaps these are more of a success than I thought!!

I'm not sure this is fashion

 I'm not sure that culottes are ever considered high fashion, but there they were in denim and remarkably also in shades of brown.  I do rather like this denim outfit but my outfit is in chestnut brown corduroy and was made eight years ago for one of daughter's parties.

Unfortunately 'Millie' didn't photograph very well in this outfit but I think that you can see that the outfit is a pair of culottes with a sleevless boat neck top.  It is actually remarkably similar to the fashion magazine denim version the main difference is the 'fashion' version has sleeves.  The brown culottes I saw in the magazines didn't include tops and were only small pictures that I couldn't photo.

My culottes have large back pockets

More fashion flowers

Here are more flowers.

 

 This outfit teams a flowery skirt with a plain black top so it's not the most exciting.  The skirt was originally part of a sixties inspired shift dress which made years ago and shortened to a skirt a couple of years ago.  The black wrap top was bought in a charity shop many years ago.  It's very versatile and has been worn with many different outfits over the years

    As the flowery skirt outfit isn't very exciting, I'm showing a second outfit based around 3/4 length peg top trousers and a jacket.  It fits in this section as the trousers also have flowers on them. 

The trousers were made seven years ago from some embroidered denim material.  They have a inegrated belt front fastening which I made using a bickle from an old broken belt.  The jacket I bought a few years ago because I loved the colour.  Originally the trousers were full length and flared, but after a while I didn't really like the flares the material wasn't thick enough and they flapped around.  I put the trousers away until I decided what to do with them and so here they are reinvented as three quarter length trousers with cuffed bottoms.

 I even added button's to the cuffs as I had seen in some pictures - unfortunately only three on each side not loads.  I didn't have enough matching buttons in my stash for more than three each side.

Spring Flowers - the inspiration continues

I hope that nobody got the wrong impression about my following fashion.  I'm not a slave to it.  But I do like new things and if I can't have new then a change is as good.

This year I seem to be in luck, flowers are everywhere and I have loads of flowery things, as they are a favourite of mine.  Today's outfit features flowery maxidresses, another favourite of mine.






And here's my version, without and with a black jacket.

This almost floor length maxidress was made about five years ago.  I got the material very cheap on the internet and the pattern was free with a magazine I used to buy at the time, this version of the dress has a V-neck front and back with a zip up the back.  The ric-rac was given to me by my nan to help create the seventies look.  The black jacket was a present (also from my nan) so many years ago that I have fogotten.  I haven't worn the dress for a few years now, but in the past I have been stopped whilst in the supermarket and told how lovely it was.  I can see me wearing this a lot this spring.  With a long sleeved white top underneath and thick black tights and boots to start with, then moving to bare legs and sandals when the weather gets warmer.

Inspiration

 

I love fashion.  I always have.  Even now that I am older, I still love trying new looks and adapting existing items to create new looks.

Although spring is still a long way off, there are new looks in the shops and in the magazines.  So instead of a sewing Sunday, I got out my suitcase of clothes from the loft - the ones that I haven't been wearing for a while - and armed with a magazine for inspiration started to put together some new looks.  I spotted several lacey looks.  I had a short top that I made many years ago, but haven't worn for a while.  It's a nude pink colour rather than white but the colour is still quite prevalent. The top was open at the front as I used to wear it as an overshirt.  I sewed up the front to make a dress, and added a lot of jewellery.  The seam up the front is not as noticable when I wear it as in the picture.

As the weather is still cold I will need to wear it with tights and I'll need a long sleeved T-shirt underneath it but I love trying out new looks as the seasons change.  More new inspiration later this week.