Giveaway Monday: Me-Made 'Skirt' Skirts!

** UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO THOSE WHO ENTERED**
 

This is the fifth and last instalment of my month of Giveaway Mondays. There will be giveaways round these parts again in the future, and some of them may even land on a Monday, so don't mourn its loss too hard. This week is another chance to acquire some items from my former little clothing label. 

I have two of what I imaginatively called my 'Skirt' skirt design, one is a Small and one is a Medium.  The Medium skirt's waist measures 85 cms / 33.5", so if the level you like to wear your skirts at measures a bit smaller than that, then these should fit you (or whoever you'd like to give one of these to) just fine. The Small skirt's waist measures 77.5 cms / 30 1/2", so similarly if your own measurement is a bit smaller than that at the point you like a skirt to sit, then this size should be the one for you. From top to hem, both of these skirts measure 34.5 cms / 13 1/2 ".

They are A-line mini-skirts made from black poly-cotton blend with satin-stitched 'skirt' design in contrast red thread. The fasten with a concealed side zip, and have contrast gingham facings. 

To enter the giveaway to get one of these skirts, just leave a comment in the comments section of this post telling me which size you'd like and what you'd do with it if you won (e.g, you'd give it to a loved one; or how you'd wear it, etc... not for any particular reason, I'm just nosey). If I can't access your email address within two clicks, please include it in your entry comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are one of the two lucky winners of this giveaway. 

This giveaway is open internationally and the winners will receive the skirt completely free of charge. The giveaway entries will close at midnight GMT Sunday 25th November and the winners will be chosen by random number generator and contacted Monday 26th November October. Good luck, my skirt-skirt-loving friends!

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Bow Detail Sweatshirt Dress

Happy Friday everyone! Today's inspiration point is undeniably similar to last week's lace yoke detail sweatshirt dress! That lace yoke dress was well received so I thought I'd offer a variation so people can see how else to interpret the basic idea. 

As you may well have figured out, the basic dress has been made in exactly the same way as last week's, using two unwanted men's sweatshirts that are the same colour. As you can see if the image above, one of the sweatshirts was a raglan style so the final dress has ended up with this cool shoulder seam effect (if you are wondering why the image below doesn't have those seams, it is because I made a few of these dresses and ended up photographing a couple). 

I wanted to keep the red dress really fun and youthful, so I used some candy-striped cotton to make simple bows and applied them to the shoulders. Winter and cold-weather dressing can so often be drab and dull, so I wanted to make something bright yet still snug and warm. You could really amp up the effect by combining this dress with equally bright and vivid coloured tights!

How about you? Do you have any strategies for avoiding drabness when dressing for Winter weather? 

Giveaway Monday UK-only Edition: 'Just Sew Stories' Book

*** UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS IF YOU ENTERED ***

If ever the was a publication that proved craft and sewing has moved on from it's stuffy, old-fashioned image it's 'Just Sew Stories' by Katie Allen. It would take a week to explain to your grandma all the influences and cultural references behind the projects in this neon-hued book.  It is interesting that Allen (who is a regular contributor to Mollie Makes magazine) references her grandmothers as her source of inspiration in the introduction of this book, but you cannot deny that she has taken the techniques they taught her (cross-stitch, patch work, hand embroidery etc.) and translated them in a direction that is very much her own and for her generation. 

The design of this book is delightful: cute collages of inspiration, clever typography and geometric elements make flicking through this book a joy. As with most books of this ilk, she starts by imparting some basic techniques that you'll need to complete the projects within. But this is no detailed 'How to Sew' book: mastering skills is not the objective here. You get just enough under your belt to get going with the projects, so if you are looking for a comprehensive sewing guide, you'd best look elsewhere. But in this sense it is perfect for it's intended audience.

The projects include appliquéd glasses case, sequinned hair fascinator and bloomers. They are cute, fun and quick. But I'm not going to pretend otherwise: this book probably isn't for the readers of my blog, not even the younger ones. This book is for their teenage-ish daughters or little sisters: individuals who have expressed an interest in making stuff but don't currently have the patience and/or desire to master a sewing machine or figure out sewing/knitting patterns. Obvs I'd like to say this book would appeal to sons and little brothers too, but alas vintage-style aprons, retro head bands and puffy bloomers are unlikely to draw many young creative dudes. However, the projects are 'cool' enough for the teen market who would like to have a bash at them (I'd imagine) but also quick enough to get a finished result before Hollyoaks or Skins comes on the telly.

The eagle-eyed of you will have noticed that this post is another instalment of my Giveaway Monday series, so it may not surprise you to learn that I have one copy to give to a lovely reader of my blog.  And with Christmas coming up, this giveaway could be a great opportunity to encourage the creativity of a young crafter or crafter-to-be at no expense to yourself! Unlike the 'Sew Over It' book I gave away a couple of weeks ago, I don't have the publisher stumping up the postage this time, and because books are heavy and I am skint, I'm afraid this week's giveaway is UK ONLY. Sorry overseas-peops. 

To enter, just leave a comment in the comments section of this post telling me why you fancy getting hold of a copy of 'Just Sew Stories' (no reason, I'm just nosey). If I can't access your email address within two clicks, please include it in your entry comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are the lucky winner of this giveaway. To reiterate, this giveaway is open to residents of the UK only and the winner will receive the book completely free of charge. The giveaway entries will close at midnight GMT Sunday 18th November and the winner will be chosen by random number generator and contacted Monday 19th November October. Good luck, my UK-based, book-loving friends!

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Lace Yoke Sweatshirt Dress

If you are somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere that is as chilly as my studio in Brighton, you may be looking at this dress and thinking, 'That's what I need'! That's a damn cosy dress pictured above there, I just wish it was mine... I'm thinking a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath (something like Winnie's, perhaps), woolly grey tights, boots and a mustard cardigan!

If this refashioned/remade garment is looking a bit familiar to you, it's because it is a reworking of a previous idea. The grey sweatshirt I made for myself and the navy version I made for Jane share the same lace yoke detail. However, for the dress I went for short puff sleeves rather than the 3/4 length ones, and added a skirt section. This remake took two second-hand men's navy sweatshirts which were thankfully almost exactly the same shade. It's semi-fitted and just pulls on with no fastenings. I used the original neck ribbing to remake the new neck finishing, and harvested one of the waist band ribbing to fashion the sleeve cuffs. There was, joyously, very little wasted sweatshirts at the end of this remake.  

As with most refashioning projects, the original sweatshirts threw up some extra challenges. One of the sweatshirts had some permanent marks on the front, rendering that panel pretty useless. I used the good back panel from the sweatshirt to cut the dress's front piece and opened up one pair of sleeves to cut out the dress's back piece, forming a seam along the Centre Back.

Who says refashioning/remaking garments is only about taking shirts and T-shirts and making pretty, flimsy, whimsical tops?! Happy Winter-Refashioning, my friends.  

Honeymoon in NYC!

I'm guessing the last time you saw some images of NYC, the ground was covered with water and bits of tree were in places you wouldn't normally expect to find them. It has been crazy to see the wreckage brought by super-storm Sandy on the place we were honeymooning in just a month before and I feel awful for everyone who has suffered because of it. That said, I know that some of my lovely readers would like to hear a bit about how our honeymoon went, so here we go...

We spent a week in total in NYC, spending two nights in a hotel in midtown Manhattan and the other five nights in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that we rented via air bnb. Oh my goodness we had a good time! The whole place was sooo interesting, and we walked about seeing, eating and drinking as much as we physically could! 

During the first couple of days, whilst dealing with our jet lag, we put ourselves on those open-top tourist buses which gave us a fantastic over view of Manhattan and helped us to decide which parts of it we wanted to head back to and explore more thoroughly. Our criteria for 'places we'd like to head back to and explore more thoroughly' basically involves interesting, old architecture with fantastic looking cafes and bars. Using this criteria we found our way back to Greenwich Village, the East Village and the Lower East Side. 

Whilst we were in Manhattan, it may not surprise you to learn that we headed to the Garment District. Thanks everyone who made suggestions of where is worth going, all your suggestions were very helpful. I could easily have spent a whole day going to each location, but I was very aware that it was Pat's honeymoon too, and I would have felt bad dragging him to more than a few fabric and notion shops, no matter how many book stores I took him to in return. 

Seeing as I wasn't messing around, I went straight to Mood fabrics. Thanks very much to the ladies that explained how to find the entrance! No obvious to the uninitiated, eh?! I ran round that place like a game show contestant, trying to see every single section. Notice the mild panic in my expression in the picture above as I desperately try to see every damn roll of fabric. Just because I don't tend to buy new fabric and try to stash-bust instead, doesn't mean that I don't want to gaze at it all! As I mentioned in my previous post, I had decided that I would allow myself to buy some fabric if I fell in love with some. 

I was on the look out for some red, mustard or jade stretch denim type trouser fabric, but nothing there seemed quite right. I did, however, buy one yard of this ex-Just Cavalli leopard print twill with elastane content. It was $25 a yard, so although a pair of trousers in it would be epically awesome, I think I'll have to settle for making a high waisted pencil skirt!

I also visited a couple of notions shops, but there really is only so many anchor buttons a girl can own so I walked away empty handed from those. I did also visit Metro Textiles, another well hidden fabric cave owned by the inimitable Mr Kashi. Check out Erica B's amusing video to see this master salesman at work. As some people have noted, if you don't like very attentive salesmen, this shop might not be for you. I was able to deflect his attentions onto a couple of Canadian students and viewed his Aladdin's cave in peace. There are probably some awesome bargains to be found in there, but nothing particularly caught my eye. 

I also walked in and then out of Spandex House. Once again, I'm sure there are bargains to be found in there, but with all the off-putting super-synthetic leotard fabrics positioned at the front of the shop, and a cupboard full of jersey already in my flat, I didn't feel it was worth spending valuable time there when Happy Hour was fast approaching. Another shop, away from the Garment District in the Lower East Side opposite the Tenement Museum was a predominantly upholstery fabric outlet called Joey's (or something) which seemed like bargains lay within (see above). As we've previously discussed, at the end of the day who's to say what is curtaining and what is dress/coat/skirt fabric anyways?!

The Tenement Museum, incidentally, was incredibly interesting and I'd definitely recommend their Sweat Shop tour for learning about both how the immigrant population lived and how clothing used to be produced. It was really eye-opening and I felt super pleased we went on it.

Also in Manhattan, we were very lucky to spend an evening with the very lovely and gorgeous sewing blogger Janice from She's In Fashion (pictured above). It was great to meet her and have a chance to ask a New York resident lots of the questions Pat and I had by then racked up! And who would have guessed it, Janice practises martial arts so the conversation switched regularly between ninja stuff and sewing!

In terms of creative stuff, I could talk more about the inspirational markets, fairs, shops and so on we found in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but I could equally expand upon the epic Mexican food, Moritos (frozen Margarita and Mojito blends! Seriously Karen, that's a thing!), crack pie and so on that we experienced. Instead, I'll share a few extra little nuggets from out trip. 

A chicken caesar salad on a pizza! It was hot but somehow the lettuce was still crunchy. I don't claim to understand science. 

Somehow, as big as this flea market store was, there wasn't one thing I wanted in here. Weird.

Inspiration for my Autumn/Winter wardrobe.

Whilst we were drinking our coffees, a woman sitting close by announced loudly on her phone that she was stalking our table. We stayed there for ages longer that we otherwise would have. 

Moritos!!! It took me a couple of these to realise I would have been happier with a straight up Margarita, the fake mint flavour was dragging it down.

Drunken boy!!! Very cute.

Basically a warehouse full of Mad Men era furniture. I nearly wept. 

A Homage to Saint Chihuahua. I assume.  

Brooklyn Bridge! Sunshine! Hurrah!

Pat could easily have moved in to this Mexican restaurant/bar. I'm lucky he finally chose to come back to UK with me. 

Seriously?! ANOTHER amazing cafe/bar/restaurant?! You know my Achilles heel, New York. 

These croissants don't look as big in this picture as they were in real life. They were more the size of a new-born infant. They could sustain a girl for days. Or at least until the next lovely cafe/bar/restaurant.

Street Art! Boom! Did I mention that we saw TWO street art books that Pat has written for sale in New York book shops? No? Well, we did.  

Another food item the size of my face!

Giveaway Monday: Me-Made Rockabilly Swallow Skirts!!

** UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**

A bunch of time ago I made a range of cute skirts to sell. First I tried to sell them on a market stall in London, with little success. Then I tried to sell them on Etsy, also with little success but I did nothing to promote or re-list them so that was not very surprising. Then when I started to organise a Brighton-based craft market, I sold some of them there. And finally I stocked the remainder in the awesome Handmade Co-op shop in Brighton (RIP) with much more success. Hurrah!

Right now our little one bedroom flat is stuffed to the gunnels with (my) stuff and I've been having a hunt for items that can be given a new home. During this hunt I found the final few pieces from my skirt range and thought maybes some of my lovely blog readers would like them, rather than stuffing them back in the cupboard!

Today's giveaway is for the final two Rockabilly Swallow A-line mini-skirts. I've got one left in each of the colour ways I made them in: a rich, tomato-y red and a dove grey. Both are a 'Medium', but in reality that's pretty freakin' small. 

The waists measure 33.5", so if the level you like to wear your skirts at measures a bit smaller than that, then these should fit you (or whoever you'd like to give one of these to) just fine. They measure 13" from waistline to hem, pretty damn short! 

They are made from a poly-cotton blend and have contrast cotton gingham facings. They fasten with a concealed side zip. The swallows are leather appliqués, I'd recommend a gentle hand wash in case the leather dye leaks. Some of these skirts have been washed many many times with no problems, but a couple have released dye when machine-washed. What can I say? You're getting these for free!

To enter the giveaway to get one of these skirts, just leave a comment in the comments section of this post telling me which colour you'd prefer and what you'd do with it if you won (e.g, you'd give it to a loved one; you'd wear it with some killer platforms, etc... not for any particular reason, I'm just nosey). If I can't access your email address within two clicks, please include it in your entry comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are one of the two lucky winners of this giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally and the winners will receive the skirt completely free of charge. The giveaway entries will close at midnight GMT Sunday 11th November and the winners will be chosen by random number generator and contacted Monday 12th November October. Good luck, my skirt-wearing friends!

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Lace Heart Cut-out T-shirt

Today I present to you a pretty revamp of an old unwanted mens grey marl T-shirt. Using a smallish piece of lace, I created soft puffy sleeves and a heart cut-out back detail. The original grey T-shirt was one of those super-soft ones that feels slinky against the skin, which I think chimes well with this girly refashion. 

Using a self-drafted T-shirt block, I added a scoop neck line which I bound in a strip of the jersey I made from the removed sleeves. The puffy sleeves have a cuff made from more strips of sleeve. The shoulders and upper arms are visible through the sheer lace, but still kind of obscured. This T-shirt wasn't made for me, but as a woman with largish upper arms, I like sleeves that slightly obscure but not completely hide this area of the body. 

The heart cut-out is created using reverse appliqué. The lace heart-shaped panel was pinned to the wrong side of the back garment piece. I then stitched two rows of straight stitch close together around the heart shape and carefully cut away the grey jersey from the inside of the stitching, mindful not to snip the lace as I went.   

Happy refashioning/remaking, my crafty friends.