From straight to draped- a dress transformation

Hi all,

At the beginning of this year I was invited to spend a few weeks on the most beautiful Isle of Skye, it was a totally last minute offer and since going away was just what I needed at the time, I accepted it. 

I had a birthday party to attend upon my returning and no time to sew a dress. And since I knew there was nothing in my wardrobe that would immediately call my name, I had to take some unusual measures, find something online. It's not that I never buy online cause I do. But when it comes to clothes I tend to limit myself to only buying shoes (if I know I can return them). I always struggle to find clothes that fit so buying online would most likely result in disaster. 

Sometimes though, there comes a time when a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. 

Whilst on my vacation on Skye I bought a few dresses from Asos (they have a very good return policy) hoping that at least one would be satisfying.  

This is the dress:

When I saw this dress I instantly fell in love with its bright red colour whilst at the same time being aware that it was not the most flattering style for my figure. Rest assured though, I had a plan,  I HAD A GREAT VISION. I knew exactly what to do to make it fit.

My not so recent obsession with draping and ruching and numerous pattern manipulations, learning to understand patterns for draped garments came in handy.  It was a very quick job too. I didn't even have to unpick the sides of the skirt, just measured how much it needs to be shorten by then decide where I want the draping, gather the excess fabric, pin, stitch and voila!  

There was a pair of heels I had my eyes on for a few months and was waiting for a great bargain. They were Vivienne Westwood's Melissa shoes from her Anglomania collection, very pricey obviously. But the key is to always stay positive!^_^  It will pay off.  And so it did. I found them on TKmaxx's website for £30! And the gold colour was exactly what would be the most perfect match for my red dress! What are the chances?! 

As I said before- you gotta believe!!! ^_^ The shoes turned out so comfy too!

And these are the famous Melissa/ Anglomania heels by Vivienne Westwood.

You can see how beautifully the draping has turned out here on the side seam.

Malgosia
xx

Drape Drape Striped Dress

Hello hello,

Taking a stroll down memory lane today.. 

Looking through the files on my computer the other day I noticed that I still had some fashion outfits to share on here. Happy times!!

The photographs have been taken back in summer. I remember that day and how unbearably hot it was and how I longed for the shade and the shoot to be over. And now looking back I'd love to feel the heat on my skin if even for a brief moment. We're in mid October and in Scotland that means it is COLD!!!

The first striped dress is made of jersey and the pattern comes from the lovely Drape Drape book...

This is the design. It look very short, more like a vest, I had to lengthen it to achieve my desired look. I also added the same pleat to the other side of the dress.

Here is my version.... Jersey draped dress styled with fuchsia pink leather obi belt and gladiator sandals (may I add the comfiest pair of shoes I've ever owned!!)

I had had my hair done earlier on that same day and the colour is still so vibrant. Love it!!

Side drape close up..

The second dress is made of jersey too with lace shoulder detail and lace hem. It's just a simple 

H line design with short sleeves...


I like to pair it with shorts, worn as a top, one side tucked in..

Thank you for visiting.

Malgosia

xxx

I Love Short Kimono Shirts In The Summer

A few weeks ago I made a kimono in a shorter version, from the same red fabric that I used for my long kimono (you can find it in the previous post).
I love it so much and wear it very often, the rest of my clothes must feel so unloved right now!

I find this short kimono shirt to be very casual because of its plain colour, solid red.
It looks super cool worn with jeans or shorts, over a t-shirt or a simple vest, with trainers or flat sandals. It's light therefore great for summers to cover those burnt arms or for slightly colder days can also be worn over a close fitting light sweater.
The laid- back look of it is what appeals to me the most as there seem to be more causal situations in my life than fancy ones.

I still want a kimono with a more luxurious feel to it though (perhaps to wear for my 30th birthday that is coming up later on this year..). That's why I am in the middle of getting a really awesome floral silk fabric as a birthday gift from me to me. ^_^

But that's in a next post hopefully...

And here is my short red kimono:

What I am wearing underneath:

This is a bustier top that I made a while ago.
It was a bit of a disaster. I don't know if it was the pattern or me taking wrong measurements of myself or both. Basically it turned out too lose in the waist with the cups a bit too small, the straps kept slipping off my shoulders (that's the pattern's fault, I had followed the placement marks!) and on top of that the hook and eye tape that it originally had ripped as I was wearing it out at a party once! (tape cheaply bought from e-bay and I've learnt my lesson!).
I had to replace the tape with a zip (which I have to say I like A LOT more) and take in the sides, move straps.. A lot of work for such a small top! I got the pattern from the burda style website http://mycolourfultexture.blogspot.com/2015/06/i-love-my-handmade-kimonos.html 

Thank you for reading.

Malgosia
xxx

I Love My Handmade Kimonos

I've loved Japanese culture ever since I was a child; the food, kimonos, manga and anime!
I am dreaming of going to Japan one day to eat a lot of sushi, get a geisha makeover, wear kimonos.. ^_^

Making a kimono had been on my list of things to do for a while.
I made a kimono inspired dress 4 years ago. Beautiful peacock blue fabric with embroidered flowers. The dress has kimono sleeves. I was so lucky to find the obi with the separate bow in a charity shop for pennies! And it's in my favourite colour too! Still LOVE IT!

As you can see I have a thing for dressing up^_^

And today my new kimono comes in red, solid red colour in a light summery fabric. I like to wear red with my currently lighter hair and so I have quite a few red items in my wardrobe. Apart from the liking part I still have half a roll left of that red fabric, that's why I've been sewing a lot of red garments!^_^ 

.

I am wearing my red kimono with a fuchsia pink leather obi inspired belt.

I am planning to make a shorter kimono, probably in red too for a more casual style.

Thank you for visiting.

Malgosia
xxx

Royal Blue Loose Sleeveless Shirt

Finally, here it is! My new shirt in a very light and summery royal blue fabric.  

I designed it with sleeves, however, I had only bought enough fabric for one sleeve and when I went back to the shop this particular colour sold. As impatient as I am and couldn't wait for it to be back in stock, I went for a sleeveless design instead.. 

This sleeveless shirt in an awesome royal blue fabric has a contrast fuchsia pink top stitching detail and also (two first times for me) features hidden button placket and side french seam- both figured out as I carried on with this project.

And here styled with fuchsia pink clutch and obi leather belt. I just LOVE royal blue and fuchsia pink coupled together for this beautiful contrast. 

 And of course my lime green coat that goes with so many outfits had to accompany this look too!^_^

I have to admit I did consider one sleeve shirt.. thinking I could start a new trend:).


Thanks for popping over.

Malgosia
xxx

Ruched Black And White Stripe Dress

I have been working with the Drape Drape 2 book again.

 I am a bit of a bore here and sadly no new design to share. 

It's the same pattern with the altered top that I used for my first version in an awesome royal blue colour:  http://mycolourfultexture.blogspot.com/2015/02/royal-blue-draped-dress.html

Well I guess it's my favourite sewing pattern to use with stretch fabrics... ^_^

The hem of my new dress is slightly longer (about 2 cm), neckline simpler and the jersey fabric is a bit warmer. I fell in love with the fabric when I first saw it and since I don't have anything in stripes I really wanted to use it.

I was working on this dress when it was really warm and sunny and remember thinking to myself: 'Oh man, I'll have to wait until winter to wear this dress..'' with a sad face. 

How wrong was I! Be careful what you wish for as they say.. It suddenly got so cold that not only did I get to wear this striped dress now but I also took my green winter coat out again.

Note:  While sewing I experimented with a few stitches and machine feet and discovered that my Bernina can do a blind/ invisible stitch.  

 It's Bernina foot no 5 and looks like this:

Add caption

I was such a relief to learn that, from now on no more (or much less) hand stitching!^_^ 

When you try to achieve a minimalist look of your garment and don't want any top stitching then this blind stitch is perfect. I used it on the hem, sleeves and even to secure the interfacing around the neckline.

Malgosia