Let's try that again.

It's been a while. Again!
I don't quite have the hang of regular blogging yet.

One of the reasons for the extreme absence was Beauty & the Beast kind of took over my life temporarily.
It was such an amazing journey. I was working on my list of costumes single handed until the two weeks before opening, when I final got the assistance of a couple of spare sewers. It's one of those shows that you just wish you were performing more than just 5 shows, due to the amount of effort.

Castle object motif fabric

Plate girl sample

Mrs Potts Teapot skirt

Mrs Potts Spout & handle

the teacup & milk jug travelling home on the train.

• Bells's 3 outfits
• The Beast body - which it turned out I was allergic to.
• The tea set including Mrs Potts, Chip, the Jug & the sugar bowl
• Cogsworth
• Babette's accessories
• Madame skirt & accessories 

Belle's blue bodice & skirt & blouse

Belle's Gold Dress

Beast body in progress

Babette's Collar & feather epaulets

Madame de la Grand Wardrobe skirt

Eyebrow decorations

Hat decoration

But I'm back, hopefully more committed to the blogginess & I've just entered my wedding dress into the Craftsy Wedding project competion.

It would be great if you could pop over there & vote for me.

December Wedding Dress

You Are Not Special Speech

Some selfish Vintage sewing for me.

After what seems an eternity of shows, jobs & sewing for everyone else, I decided it was time to have a day to sew for me.

Not for Beauty & the Beast: my latest show. Not for Alex Perry; dress design legend. Not for the kids ballet & band uniforms. Not for any styling jobs. It was time to use some stash fabric & break out some vintage patterns, just for me.

So yesterday, after an early trip to get fabric for Bride & Prejudice, my August production, I came home & made a blouse & pair of high waisted jeans.

I had already trialled the jeans pattern with some linen some time ago & found I needed to lower the waist about 4cm, lose the cuff & make the darts a bit bigger, as I am quite petite.

I used denim with a slight stretch that I was given about 10 years ago by the Tsubi guys(now Ksubi).
I also moved the zip opening from the front to the side seam. I didn't feel like fussing with a fly front in stretch fabric & I much prefer a side zip in high waist pants.

They are so comfortable. 

The blouse was made with some beautiful self printed voile I picked up in Paris last year. 

3m for 10euro. Bargain! 

So soft & sheer, an appropriate undergarment is a must.

I made View 1, but again, due to my petite size the 3/4 sleeve is neither wrist or 3/4 length so I rolled them for the picture. I might add a cuff to make them long or just tack in the roll, as I think it looks quite neat. Very Lauren Bacall.
I'm also thinking of extending the darts up to the bust point for a more fitted look.

I think the blouse will work better with a skirt, but they look ok together for this picture.

Fashiony Goodness Served Cold.

I've been getting lots of work as a mobile seamstress lately. 

And what, you might ask, does a mobile seamstress do? I'm afraid it has less to do with sewing natty little covers for mobile phones & more to do with packing up your work room & hauling it all over town to do alterations.

At trusty Bernina sewing … something

I used to work as a head dresser on fashion parades & then after suggesting I could make a petticoat rather than sourcing another seamstress to do it for the stylist, my job description changed forever.

I went from drafting running orders, setting up backstage areas & cajoling dressers into getting their models on the catwalk in the correct outfit to slaving away with my trusty Bernina to make those size 10 samples fit on bustless size 6 models.

Backstage fittings. That's me on the floor. ^SS2009

View from my sewing machine AW2008

Waiting for it all to start 2007

'Backstage' for the Myer windows parade 

Walk & smile & don't fall over. SS2009

Headpieces I made for Jayson Brunsden dresses

Magadalene bodysuit sized down to a  size 6 AW 2011

Swimsuit by Cozi, skirt by me Myer SS2011

Backstage Autumn Winter 2012
- My workspace is by the yellow box.

Really, it's fun, crazy busy & I get to work with some amazing stylists. And BTW I'm a miracle worker, or so I keep being told. That just makes me laugh. All I do is temporarily alter clothes… but if you insist, ok!

Celebrity dressing room

Recently it's evolved again. 

As I work with all these fabulous stylists, they ask for my business card & they call me and say stuff like "Megan Gale is flying in tomorrow (Friday) & we need a dress altered on Saturday for her to shoot Project Runway on Sunday. Can we courier the dress to you Saturday at 1pm & pick it up at 10am Sunday?"

Which my answer is invariably "Yes, but it will be double time for a rushed job."

Mt Franklin Lightly Swarovski covered swimsuit

There have been Melbourne Cup outfits, Logie outfits, Mt Franklin ad campaigns, catalogues & the like over the passed few months. There's usually only a few days notice & a 24 hour time frame to complete these jobs. 

Except with the Swarovski swimsuit. I had four evenings to do that because I was working on the Myer Autum Winter 2012 launch parade 10 hours each day.

And sometimes I just wonder whether it's all worth it & then I walk down Lygon Street & see a floor to ceiling image of a dress I made for a Sportsgirl campaign & the crazy schedule melts away.

On Thursday it was a Portmans shoot with Abbey Lee Kershaw, an Aussie model who has made it big, no huge, on the international scene & Trevor Stones, stylist. 

At 7am start on the coldest autumn day in a photographic studio that had inadequate heating, I worked my magic yet again on a suit, 3 dresses, 2 coats, a cute pink jacket.

 I get to work with a fabulous team, meet some very cool people & bask in private joy when I see 'that' person looking fabulous because I made their outfit fit like it was made for them. 

Next stop a new season of Project Runway & the production of Beauty & the Beast, I'm designing.

Sometimes public transport can be scary

Today I caught the train to work. There is nothing unusual about that.
I was on an express train to Richmond so i jumped off at Box Hill to wait for one that would stop at either Camberwell or better yet, Auburn.As I & 3 others entered we noticed someone had left a shopping bag under a seat near the door. A guy who exited chased after the only other person who alighted, with the bag.
Just as the doors were closing he came back saying "it's not mine' and threw it through the closing doors & it slid towards my seat, where it had been left.
'How odd?' I thought & proceeded to have a look in case there was evidence of it's owner.
Just a shoe box, that was heavy & taped up.
By now my Spidey senses were tingling, actually alarm bells were sounding, really loudly.
The guy in the next seat asked what it was.
So there was a bit of discussion, some further investigation, one guy actually shook it, which was a bit unnerving, but it had been thrown into the train without mishap.
We sort of skirted aound the obvious, without actually voicing that we all wondered if it was an explosive device.
At that point I suggested pushing the red button. No one was to excitied about that prospect, but I also didn't want to be blown to pieces. So i pushed the red button & spoke to the voice & we were told to take it off at Camberwell & it would be investigated there.
One of 'us' we alighting there, so he volunteered to take it.

My heart was racing & I was so relieved when it was gone & prayed that it was some innocent mistake. A parcel some one was planning to post, an assignment for school or uni.

So now I'm at school & calmly sewing costumes.
An embroidered skirt for Lady WIndemere's Fan & then Belle's ballgown.

The next big thing

Wow, it's almost the end of April.
I knew I'd been busy since school started but I had no idea I hadn't posted in all that time.
This is how the last 3 months panned out.

42nd Street

Myer Autumn Winter Launch

Mt Franklin Ad campaign

L'oreal Fashion Festival

Logies

Hayley Lewis in Alex Perry, altered by yours truly

and now I'm designing Beauty & the Beast & just about to get into discussions about collaborating on a new musical. It doesn't rain but it pours. Which is great.

Since the wedding I have also been able to put enough money away to start designing our new kitchen.  It will only be a flatpack, but who cares. A new kitchen! That has me excited in the home front.
Which leads nicely into my next project which also very exciting & full of kitchen ware, Beauty & the Beast (B&B)

I worked on the Professional production of Beauty in Sydney in 1996-97.
It was one of my all time favourite jobs & my first official paid for costume work. - I don't think $75 a week at Billanook really counted. I don't think there could have been a better place to learn all about costume as there were so many facets to Beauty. Objects, Beasts, Humans, pyrotechnics, cast change overs, shoes, jewellery, a couple of hundred costumes, dancers, singers, oesteopaths, prosthetics & beading galore. I was in heaven for the 11 months I work backstage.

Sharon, Markham, Chelsea, Katrina & Carolyn Sydney 1996

Silly Girls Disney production 1996

We're going for something a little darker than your usual sugar coated, brightly coloured, very Disney show. It's not a light & bright tale, so I'm edging towards Steampunk Tim Burton-esque, red, black, gunmetal, gold & cream. I've bought rolls of gold fabric for the Castle Objetcs & trying to design them to be as fantastic as possible, but also easy for teh parents to manage in 9 weeks.
Here's a couple of patterns that we're using.

Madame D'arque

Babatte's hat

Let the magic begin…..

Vintage Bikini mark II

1950's beach babes

I've been researching Vintage swimwear a bit more & trying to find some examples of what I could try in cotton fabric. It seems like the high waist is still going to be popular in the coming year & I really like the idea of  recreating those no stretch styles of the 1950's & 60's. After all there are so many girls who go to the beach or pool to be seen in something fashionable & not swim. I guess I also want them to be functional.

My search came up with some fab screen sirens in publicity shoots, as well as great bathing beauties of the time

Betty Grable

Carol Landis: So in love with this set. I think I'll try it next.

Janet Leigh

Grace Kelly

Ava Gardner

Ruching & skirts are super cute & perfect for someone who might want to distract from a touch of cellulite.

The gorgeous Norma Jean aka Marilyn Monroe

I love the frilled trim & skirt on this early Marilyn Two Piece below

The redrafted top didn't quite work as planned with the straps, so back to the drawing board I went. I tried a couple of different styles and finally came up with one I was happy with. It has great shape & sufficient support for a 10D. 

Now I just have to work out how to grade the sizing for different cup sizes.

However I have discovered this amazing website called Pattern School, a fabulous resource for drafting & making all manner of leotards, swimwear & lingerie. I just have to sit down & wade through the formulas & diagrams.

The pants were less problematic with the insertion of three lycra panels, but I'm not sure about the V in the back. I'm still having my usual issues with getting my elastic inserted just right, but these don't look too bad & they are super comfy. I guess I should do a water test to see how they react when wet.

Excuse my lily white skin.

So the learning curve continues.