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Showing posts from March, 2017

My Headbands

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If you've been following my blog or Facebook page you will have noticed headbands feature quite heavily in my wardrobe, they are one of the few designs I consider almost "perfected" and when I start to sell my work in the future (when I actually have time) they will be the first to go on sale. As a former toy maker, working on smaller, more intricate designs is actually more my comfort zone compared to larger works (which is the opposite of what most people have told me). The idea to make my own headbands came from two situations, the first being when my daughter found a headband that had glued on flowers and leaves (like the standard ones you find in store) and absolutely trashed it, the flowers were too easy to pull off. The second was when I ordered a beautiful handmade headband off one of my favourite fashion designers only to find that again, every time my daughter got her hands near it, a flower would come off! I also noticed that headbands mounted on a ha

The Hanky Hem Saga Part 2

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Two Layer Cherry Blossom Skirt   After realizing that I had bitten off way more than I could chew with the 6 layer skirt, I went back to perfecting the two layer. This is the first skirt I am actually happy with. The second layer is short enough that is shows off the bottom one without looking ridiculous. I've worn it multiple times a week since making it and absolutely love it! The bottom layer is made from the standard poplin that I've been using but the top is pure cotton lawn, which I like much more than the broadcloth as it is super light and good for those intense Australian summer days. Unfortunately I had yet to fix the undie flash problem when I made this one, so it's still very awkward to wear on windy days. Ideally I'd like to make this a three layer skirt, but (other than the edging which I was deliberately lazy on as it's still a trial) this is the "perfect" two layer combo. Three Layer Mermaid Skirt This skirt has been my bigges

The Hanky Hem Saga Part 1

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Sewing clothes has always been a bit nerve wracking for me. For years I just sewed toys, dolls and home wear. The closest I have ever gotten to garments is hats, scarves and headbands. Many people have told me over the years that I should take my drawings and designs and make them, but I've always been to scared. You see clothes need to FIT, they need to be comfortable and they need to be able to withstand wear and tear. Dolls don't complain if their clothes are too tight, and they don't move around so the garments risk minimal damage. But I've decided to bite the bullet and force myself to start experimenting with sewing clothes, and so, I give you, the hanky hem saga! Technically speaking, this is the easiest style of skirt you can make, once piece of fabric sewn onto a piece of elastic, and yet I have somehow made about six of these skirts and still haven't nutted out exactly how I want it. I've only been using a very cheap polyblend poplin fabric t