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.

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…..