delfinelise

Markal/Shiva Paint Stiks are awesome!

March 6, 2012 in burda, color, crafts, fabric, knitting, prints, sewing

All the way back in November I announced that I had played around with some fabric print using a type of oil paint sticks. For some reason, they go by two different names. They are called Shiva in the US and Markal in the UK and here in Sweden.

They are a little bit like giant crayons, you know, like the one designed for the littlest of kids, only they are filled with permanent oil based gorgeous color.

I used them with a rose stencil that I made, and tested it out on both silk and denim. Just to see how the color responded to different kinds of fabric.

This is how it looks on a very dark blue denim. The colors I have chosen are iridescent, which you probably can tell from the picture.

The skirt by the way, is another version of BurdaStyle Magazine 02-2011-107, my new favorite skirt pattern, seen here and here as well.

On the silk fabric, the colors turned out like this:

It might not look the same in every monitor, but I am amazed by how the color behaves more or less the same way on the denim and the silk. It was equally easy to work with on both types of material, and the great part is, you set the color by ironing, and then you can wash it like you normally would! Fantastic. I really love the vibrant colors you get from this, and how you can use the PaintStiks in so many different ways. To get some inspiration, have a look here.

I will most certainly make more use of these magical coloring devices, and try them on other types of fabric as well.

I printed a little rose on the back of the skirt as well, just for the fun of it!

At last, another view up close, this time teamed with my new knitted best friend. The cardigan (ravelry link) is knitted in alpaca, and it feels like wearing a blanket. Sooo comfy!

Tags: fabric paint, markal paintstiks, sewing, shiva paintstiks
26 Comments »

That´s Sew Cinematic!

March 2, 2012 in sewing, That´s Sew Cinematic

I am back with more fun that you could imagine! Starting now, and continuing throughout May, there´ll be a new sew-along in town. Say hello to:

Sarah of Rhinestones and Telephones, Veronica from Veronica Darling, Meg from Meg the Grand, Debi from My Happy Sewing Place and myself are introducing a new fabulous sew-along where we are getting the inspiration from the Silver Screen – That´s Sew Cinematic.

This sew-along couldn’t have a better source for personal inspiration: creating garments inspired by your favourite actors/actresses from film, stage and television. You can create items from every category or only a few – whatever best suits you!

By using movies as inspiration, the options are endless. That´s why we´ve come up with some categories that might get you started:

FROCKS FROM THE FLICKS
From Givenchy’s iconic black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Marilyn’s white halter dress from The Seven Year Itch, to Scarlett’s velvet curtain dress from Gone With the Wind, frocks of all styles and eras have left their mark on cinematic history. Whether you are inspired by an icon or simply by a pretty frock only just glimpsed, this is the place to let your dress dreams run wild!

TINSELTOWN TOPPERS
There are so many beautiful blouses and tops that have graced the silver screens, both large and small. Katharine Hepburn’s masculine tailored white shirts, which she wore throughout her life, is one that easily springs to my mind. Whether you are inspired by crisp tailoring or flowing lines, toppers of all styles are welcome here.

FEATURE FILM FOUNDATIONS
From Rizzo’s slinky black trousers in Grease to Marsha’s fabulous flares in The Brady Bunch, to Joan’s sensational pencil skirts in Mad Men, skirts, trousers, capris, and shorts are the way to go here!

SLIP INTO THE SILVER SCREEN
Elizabeth Taylor cornered the market on slinky sultriness with her simple white slip inCat on a Hot Tin Roof. Whether you want to channel your own Inner Liz or mould you figure to a more Lilly Langtry frame of mind, this is the place to sew yourself some small clothes.

THE SWEATER GIRL
Nothing says silver screen style quite like the sweater girl. No sweater girl is better remembered than Lana Turner. Whether v-neck, pullover, or cardigan is your style, knitted inspiration can be found here. For those more inclined to sew, how about a Pink Ladies jacket? Let’s not forget our headgear, either! Here is the place to show your outerwear!

THE ABILITY TO ACCESSORIZE
Accessories of all sorts are welcome here! Nifty hats, lacy shawls, beautiful brooches, and natty socks. Whatever puts that finishing touch on your ideal outfit should be shown off here!

So, there you have it, are you as excited as I am? This is going to fit so well together with my idea of making fun garments. Next week, I´ll share with you my ideas and plans. Come on and join the fun! If you´d like a button for your blog, stop by Sarah´s and get one, and there is also a Flickr group you are most welcome to join.

I can´t wait to see who´s in!

Have a lovely weekend!

Tags: sew along, sewing, that´s sew cinematic
14 Comments »

Some progress

February 21, 2012 in crafts, knitting

I’ve been kind of busy the last couple of weeks, with little time for sewing. I took some time this morning, though, to make a little case for my knitting stuff, like stitch markers, pens and such. This is the result:

I’ll be back with more exciting projects as soon as my workload is under control.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tags: crafts, diy, pencil case
10 Comments »

Hem…

January 22, 2012 in sewing

Roobedoo posted a question on my last post regarding the length of the header dress: She wondered wether this was a new length for me. An excellent question, and I know she has elaborated a bit on the topic of work appropriate lengths on a recent blog post of hers, you should definitely check it out!

To answer the question, the answer is no, this is not a new length for me, but the fun thing about this question is that it got me thinking about hemlines. What is a good skirt length for me? And what is a good skirt length for others? I went through my closet, and pulled out some skirts I have made the last couple of years to see if there were any similarities in lenghts:

I have taken a pic of all skirts wearing the same top, tights and shoes, just to make it easier to compare the lengths.

The results are inconclusive. I seem to wear all kinds of lengths! Although most of my skirts are “around knee”, I have some that are shorter as well, for instance, I have made Burda 8237 three or four times, so shorter lengths attract me as well as longer. The funny thing is that a lot of the skirts I make come out shorter than I intend. I am ten centimeters taller than the average height that the pattern companies uses, and so I really should add at least ten centimeters when I make skirts, but I end up adding too little, and most of my skirts thus become shorter than I plan for them to be.

I love pencil skirts that has a mid-calf hem line, but I never seem to manage to make one for myself. Actually, taking these pictures of myself, made me aware that I think that my skirts are longer then they in reality are! Both of the Vi 3324 patterns for instance, are intended to be tea-length. Yeah, right. They are both obviously ending just below knee. The same goes for Burda 02-2011-107 too. I was supposed to make it below knee, but there was too little fabric. Note to self: If I want a skirt to be both high-waisted and mid- calf, I need 90 cm of fabric, not 60 as I in my imagination think I need…

It´s funny that a seemingly insignificant detail of a garment like the length can cause such a stir. I mean, how many other parts of a garment have been affected by the stock market? Some women are very specific about their hemlines, I have friends who only have a small flexibility between just below knee and mid-thigh, others never go above knee, then there are even those who never wears anything but maxi skirts. Fascinating.

With all that said, I fuss very little about the length of my skirts. I seem to wear whatever length. I am aware of that having those extra ten centimeters makes more hemlines available for me than for others. And so to my next point.

I try to sew for others as often as I can, but most of my friends and family live far away, so fitting becomes difficult. And since I know that hemline placement is an issue for others, it´s tricky to know how the length of a garment will look on that person. I know that there are some opinions out there that say that shorter women should stick to knee- or above knee length. What do you think, are there any general rules of what is flattering on women of different heights and shapes, do you think, or is it a individual thing, depending purely on the tastes of the specific woman? I´d love to hear you opinion on this, and also what your favorite skirt lengths are!

I for one, will try and make at least one mid-calf pencil skirt this year!

Tags: hemlines, sewing, skirts
24 Comments »

Fun! – The Header Dress – Pattern Review: BurdaStyle 01-2010-130

January 9, 2012 in burda, fabric, fun!, pattern review, retro style, sewing

Thanks for all the great feedback on my new layout, I have made the post text font bolder, and hopefully that´s made it easier for you to read.

Today I present to you the first installment in my new segment Fun!. If you are interested in joining in on the fun, you are more than welcome, just grab the code below, paste it in one of your sidebars, leave a comment about it here, and off you go. I´d love it if you´d tell me if you are joining me, the more the merrier!

This dress was made on a whim last autumn, but I haven´t actually begun to wear it much until now.

The inspiration for this dress is a combination of two things. I really wanted to make a navy dress with lace inspired by this incredible dress that Zoe made, and I thrifted the lace for this dress (it´s really a table cloth) ages ago. My second reason for making this was a longing for clothing with no waist definition. Now, don´t get me wrong, I love high- waistedness, thoroughly documented here, here, here and here, but after a summer of wearing mostly waist-clinching garments, I longed for something that was a bit more relaxed.

Personally, I believe that the main reason for the fashion change from the fifties to the sixties, was women who wanted more breathing space!

Well, here you have it, my review of this pattern, it is yet another BurdaStyle pattern, the only obvious change I made was to skip the sleeves.

BurdaStyle Magazine 01-2010-130 Shift Dress

Pattern size: European 36-44

Avaliability: BurdaStyle Magazine and BurdaStyle.com

Pattern Description: Cap Sleeve Shift Dress

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Apart from the fact that I omitted the sleeves, yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? I didn´t follow the instructions much (although I probably should have), but what I used was quite clear.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like the simplicity of the pattern. A really classic style, that can be used for lots of different styles.

Fabric Used: I used a heavy cotton sateen with quite an amount of stretch, not entirely suitable for this style. I wouldn´t recommend this fabric for this type of dress – try either something really stiff and heavy for a boxy effect, or something with a better drape for a softer shape.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I omitted the sleeves, as I didn´t want it for my version, I made an FBA on the bust darts, and because my fabric is stretchy, I omitted the back zipper.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I might make it again, perhaps with the sleeves, and I would recommend it to others.

Conclusion: A really simplistic design, and a nice shape for a shift dress. A good pattern!

Tags: burda, dress, pattern review, patterns, retro, sewing
12 Comments »

Aaaaaaaaand we´re back!

January 6, 2012 in this and that

I wanted to make some changes to the ol´blog, so I went into maintenance mode yesterday, and have been working on changing the layout of the blog, making a new header and adding some tabs.

Hope you´ll like it!

Oh, and if you find any bugs, don´t hesitate to tell me about them!

14 Comments »