Long Sleeved Red Dress with Draped Skirt

Hello friends,

It seems that my love for designing and manipulating draped patterns is eternal. It must have been at least two years when I first came across one of the Drape Drape books by Hisako Sato and fell in love with this artistic, playful and full of possibilities pattern design and fashion style. Now I've got two Drape Drape books in my private library and numerous inspirational images saved on Pinterest which I often go back to for reference. 

Even though there are so many exciting projects in both of the Drape Drape books I have only managed to sew a couple of garments and instead just keep going back to the same pattern manipulating it or just drafting my own with ruched details. 

In fact, lately I tend to add draping to every single pattern I draft! Even workout leggings (pictures to follow in the future post). I guess it's just a phase and I will grow out of  it in due course but for now I still very much enjoy it :).

My red dress with ruched skirt and sleeves is so versatile as it can be either very causal or more dressy depending on shoes and accessories worn with it. With the neckline not being revealing at all and long sleeves this red dress worn with simple ankle boots gets transformed into a very laid- back look (perfect for bowling^_^) and at the same time because of its striking red colour a quick change of shoes makes it a perfect dress for a night on the town.

Thank you for reading.

Malgosia
xxx

Red and Pink Summer Circle Skirts

Hello friends,

Lately I seem to be finding more and more pictures from last summer that somehow I failed to share on my blog...

These two circle skirts were sewn for my summer holidays that I spent in Poland in the very hot month of July.

It only really strikes me how white my skin becomes during winter when I look at the summer shots. I don't go to tanning salons so the difference is massive. We hardly ever get enough sunshine to tan in Scotland and so it's only in my summer photographs taken abroad that I look tanned.

I have to say my handmade summer outfits look a lot better with the tan. :) 

Taking pictures while having the hair and make up look fresh for the duration of the shoot can be quite challenging in the heat of 37 degrees (Celsius).

However, I love how sharp and crisp the colours are and how nice the images turn out in general when taken in the natural sun light, hence I tend to choose the time of the day when it's still pretty hot. Despite the heat though, I really do enjoy the overall experience of modelling in the outfits made by myself. My sister is usually the photographer; I know it is not something she likes doing too much, and therefore I'm even more appreciative of the time and patience she puts into it. Thank you sis!! 

Drafting a pattern as well as sewing a circle skirt is super easy that's why I decided to make two skirts in one go. :) 

They both have a pretty wide waistband, the red skirt comes with an exposed matching zip, whereas the pink one has an invisible zip which, in my opinion, looks a lot better.

I like how the circle skirts look with stretch tube tops.

Thank you for visiting.

Malgosia
xxx

Oversized Fuchsia Pink Shirt

Hello my friends,

I'd like to share with you a shirt I made last summer.

All pictures were taken in the summer as well, hence the lovely tan. ^_^

I miss the heat after those endless cold winter days, in fact I bet we all do! 

I am missing wearing light summer dresses and shirts without having to layer them with woolen sweaters or cardigans and tights and scarves.

But since summer is almost around the corner I've decided to start preparing for warmer days by making some new shirts. I recently came across some lovely floral cotton lawn fabrics, I could envision beautiful loose shirts just by feeling their texture. Cotton lawn fabrics are a fine woven cotton material with a silky soft finish- so you get the picture, you touch them, you want to have them wrapped around your body^_^.

First I needed to manipulate the shirt pattern that I drafted last summer so all of my shirts wouldn't look exactly the same.

Sewing a shirt is a long process with so many pieces to cut and stitch together. However, I've discovered that I really do like sewing shirts. I like that crisp look of pressed and top stitched cuffs and collars as they come together.

 I am still working on my new floral shirts and will share them together soon and in the meantime here are some photographs from last year taken in the summer sun:

This shirt is loose in style with asymmetrical hem and hidden button placket

As you can see these oversized shirts can be styled in so many ways. They look great both with sandals and trainers, shorts or long skinny trousers. Casual and relaxed or a bit more elegant.

Thank you popping over.

Malgosia

xxx

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