New Dress

I found a great new place to buy fabric and so picked up a nice piece to make a dress for work.

I recently made my own pattern that fits me perfectly, after reading a pattern making book, and so this was my first test run of using this.

This is the facing:

The pattern pieces cut out:

And the final dress:

I've been to the library

I took a trip to the library as I have a bit of time over the next few weeks and wanted to get looking at some pattern books for dressmaking. I wanted to improve my techniques a bit and so I rummaged through the library for pattern making books.

Some of these books are better than others, some are a bit old.

But I have been looking at how to make blocks, there seems to be a couple of ways to do this, either following the mathematical approach or doing it on the model. Now I am trying a few different ones, a couple of the 'make it on paper' types and also using on the model ideas.

I'll keep you posted on how it all goes. So far I have been cutting out lots of versions of paper patterns on newspaper and have made up one in fabric and am altering it on the model I haveto get it just right.

Office Dress

Ok, so I have made quite a few items of clothing, have followed (and not followed patterns), admittedly being more successful when I do follow patterns. But inspired by something I saw on TV and a dress I've seen on the net, I got going on making my own pattern and dress.

First step was to make a pattern. I based it vaguely on part of a dress pattern I have used before. I had a bit of inspiration and made it from newspaper, then remade it.

Then was cutting it from fabric.

I made this from a dress that was not so successful and a man's shirt that was being thrown away.

I have been doing a lot of sewing and adjusting and this is where I am at now. There is a lot of work 2 go. Pins are still holding a lot of it together and some bits just aren't right. So I'll keep you posted.

Making Flower Necklace

This post shows how I made a flower necklace.

I drew my design on to some recycled plastic and drilled two holes into it.

I then cut out another flower from aluminium and drilled two holes in this one.

I then placed the two flowers where I wanted them.

I then added a link to hold the two together

I cut out a flower charm and added this with seed beads and wire to my necklace.

Making butterfly necklace

This post shows how I make my pieces of jewellery. I have shown the process of making a butterfly necklace which is a new item on my website

http://surfjewels.onlinewebshop.net/

First of all I design my item on paper and write down the materials I will be using and sketch out the rough shape and design.I then drew out my final shapes on tracing paper in the size and shape I wanted them, I then traced these onto the aluminium I used for the charms.

I then cut out the shapes from the metal with a piercing saw and this is what I was left with.

I then got some wire and bent it into the shape to hang from the butterfly.

I then used a drill to put holes where I wanted them.I then threaded the wire through the bottom hole and bent to shape and then decided roughly where to put the flower charm.

I then decided on what beads I wanted to use I then threaded them onto some cotton thread


I attached the flower charm to the end of the seed beads and to the butterfly and then strung the pendant onto organic hemp cord that I plaited by hand.

Knitted vest top

A vest top that I knitted from 4ply yarn, took a while, but i'm very pleased with the result.
And this is me wearing my creation! :)