Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Burlesque Circus Sans Nipples
I found this dress while I was hunting for potential steam punk costumes and I'm thinking that it may have been a formal or bridesmaid dress.
The biggest clue was the suspicious-looking stains right down the front. Red wine? Or something less palatable...
First I cut off the skirt and pulled up the stained fabric to reveal...
THIS! I think that it's a bit circus-meets-burlesque-in-a-non-nipple-revealing-way.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Escape Artist Dress
I found this interesting-looking homemade 1940's dress at an op-shop. It had a beautiful sweetheart neckline and I could tell that it would fit just by looking at it. But there was one problem...no way to get into it. I'm not sure what shape the creator was, but it is a fitted dress with no zips, buttons or hooks. My theory is that the maker finished it and realised her mistake. Sometimes it's better to get rid of the evidence by giving it to an op-shop that to undo all your good work. Or she may have been an escape artist...
Sweetheart neckline with black piping.
Seams finished with pinking shears. Haven't seen that for ages.
I unpicked one side seam and added a white zip. Problem solved!
It's not the sort of thing I'd wear on a regular basis, but with a red cardigan and post-war hairdo, it'd be great for a 1940's event.
Sweetheart neckline with black piping.
Seams finished with pinking shears. Haven't seen that for ages.
I unpicked one side seam and added a white zip. Problem solved!
It's not the sort of thing I'd wear on a regular basis, but with a red cardigan and post-war hairdo, it'd be great for a 1940's event.
Here's a little show and tell from one of my favourite vintage shops in South Australia. It's the Bazaar of Strathalbyn, which is a place which probably won't mean anything to most people, but it's where most of the film 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' was filmed. Only the scenes at Hanging Rock were filmed in Melbourne.
If you want to see what the countryside around Hanging Rock looks like, you can check out 'Hanging Blog' where our friends Mr and Mrs Mac now live.There you go guys, as Ritchie would say, I've given you a 'mensh on my proge'.
It's crammed with the sort of industrial furniture which I love and is generally VERY overpriced in Melbourne.
It's like a museum where you can buy anything you particularly like.
I was very restrained this year, but last year I came back with a 1930's hearing aid, a set of 1920's sheep clippers and a turn of the century type setters tray.
I can just imagine myself reclining to the fainting couch and listening to the gramophone.
When my thesis is finished...
Silk scarf halter
I know that it's been a bit quiet at 'A Sow's Ear'. I've got four weeks to finish my PhD and I'm trying to resist all other distractions. However, after my trip to South Australia, I picked up a few things which almost make themselves.
I found a big silk scarf for $3 at an op-shop in a very funky purple and green pattern.
Tie around Genevieve and knot at the back.
I already had a few silver collar necklaces picked up in Melbourne for 50c each.
It was just a matter of sewing one seam across the top and threading the necklace through.
The top's a bit revealing in the back area - I'll probably wear a singlet top underneath.
So there you go, a piece of upcycling which took less time than uploading the photos to this blog!
I found a big silk scarf for $3 at an op-shop in a very funky purple and green pattern.
Tie around Genevieve and knot at the back.
I already had a few silver collar necklaces picked up in Melbourne for 50c each.
It was just a matter of sewing one seam across the top and threading the necklace through.
The top's a bit revealing in the back area - I'll probably wear a singlet top underneath.
So there you go, a piece of upcycling which took less time than uploading the photos to this blog!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Spontaneous table cloth
Cam and I are not really dining table people. 364 days of the year, our table is my desk. That doesn't really leave much time or space for entertaining.
Tonight we had 5 people sitting around our table simultaneously consuming food, which created several immediate problems:
1. We do not have 5 matching plates
2. Or glasses
3. Or mugs
4. Or chairs
5. We don't own a table cloth
Problem 2 was solved by a quick visit to the $2 shop. Problems 1,3 and 4 meant that one person had to use a square plate, sit on a desk chair and drink out of a novelty mug.
Problem 5 was solved by...UPCYCLING!
A quick dive into my fabric bags revealed a long piece of green wool cloth found at an op-shop MANY years ago and a left-over piece from the homemade study curtains.
I cut the green piece to the right length, but didn't have any thread the correct colour for hemming (will have to do that later)
Then I trimmed and hemmed the curtain remnant into a table runner. Instant table decor!
Tonight we had 5 people sitting around our table simultaneously consuming food, which created several immediate problems:
1. We do not have 5 matching plates
2. Or glasses
3. Or mugs
4. Or chairs
5. We don't own a table cloth
Problem 2 was solved by a quick visit to the $2 shop. Problems 1,3 and 4 meant that one person had to use a square plate, sit on a desk chair and drink out of a novelty mug.
Problem 5 was solved by...UPCYCLING!
A quick dive into my fabric bags revealed a long piece of green wool cloth found at an op-shop MANY years ago and a left-over piece from the homemade study curtains.
I cut the green piece to the right length, but didn't have any thread the correct colour for hemming (will have to do that later)
Then I trimmed and hemmed the curtain remnant into a table runner. Instant table decor!
Anything can be a brooch - Part 1
Here's my new philosophy: ANYTHING can be a brooch. All you have to do is stick a pin on the back.
Exhibit A: A mahjong tile brooch for a very dear friend
Exhibit B: Red bakelite domino
Exhibit C: Three stacked buttons
If you have any pictures of something quirky that you've made into a brooch. Feel free to leave your link in the comments section!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)