playsuit/romper.....CUT mag #5

Do you ever get the feeling that you are speaking another language? .... OK yes I am currently residing in a foreign land and I literally speak (well try to) a foreign language daily. I am referring more to those moments during a conversation amongst friends when you realise that nobody has ANY idea what you are womping on about. I bring this fact up during this post as I experienced this whilst attempting to explain what this outfit actually was. 

The incident went a little like this: 

I had just finished helping a friend paint her house and she had realised that some paint had made it's way through my protective painting shirt and onto my outfit and my friend said......

"oh look there is a little paint on your...... red ......um.... top short thingo". 

I then responded with an explanation, "well actually it is a romper or you could also call it a playsuit. It's not actually a jumpsuit because......" 

The stares of confusion convinced me to change the topic...quickly. 

Has this ever happened to you? When you are realise that you have a distinct group of friends/family who certainly do not share an interest in fashion/sewing?

I made this playsuit/romper from the pattern in the German sewing mag CUT #5. I was very excited when I saw this playsuit pattern in this edition and couldn't wait to have a go. I had this fabric in my stash and I think it worked really well. The antique buttons were purchased at the local markets.

    

On a side note. As an Australian, I find it interesting that the Germans like to transport fake beaches into their cities. As you can see from the photos we stumbled across a volleyball beach where people were enjoying the sun with their family and friends. I suppose that we are so lucky in Aus that we take our beautiful coastline and great weather for granted. Living in another country can sometimes make you appreciate what you have back at home:) 

Photos: Michael Dooney

Contoured bodice with more circles

The Germans are certainly not shy when it comes to supporting their local community. It is often that you will find yourself stumbling across a protest in one form or another. 

A while back we attended the community organised protest which supported the preservation of the very popular Berlin street, Kastanienallee. The council is pushing to widen the street which means all of the chestnut trees will disappear and in turn lose some of the character of the area. The protest consisted of; street side stalls, live music, performances, eating and drinking, children drawing with chalk on the roads and people enjoying the general 'buzz' of the event. And to add to all of the excitement Peaches was playing for free! Unfortunately we couldn't attend the Peaches performance.... still regretting that! We took the last few shots in our fav Berlin park Friedrichshain Volkspark.

THE DRESS: 

I made this little black dress using the contoured bodice technique. There are still a few adjustments that I need to make with my pattern (e.g. further decrease above the bust) but I am glad I got this one dress completed. I have had contouring on my 'to do' list for a while and have a few more dresses in mind. The skirt is a half circle skirt.... yes again with the circle skirts. I am obsessed! .. oh and stay tuned for my circle skirt tutorials (I assure you I will complete this soon... just need a few more hours in my day:) )

THE BLOUSE: 

I purchased this blouse from a second hand store in the DDR section. I love finding DDR treasures. Learning about Berlin's history makes second hand shopping all the more exciting! 

Photography: Michael Dooney

Circle skirts are on my mind

First of all I must apologise for our poor posting performance for the last week. Kaye has made her way from wintery Perth to the 'summery' (though the rain and lack of sun would suggest otherwise) streets of Berlin! YAY! We are in the same country again! We have spent the last week dancing, drinking, eating, window shopping, walking, cycling, photographing, grilling, sight seeing and boating with very little sleep! Kaye and I will be posting some of our German adventures soon. 

CIRCLE SKIRT and blouse
Lately I have been experimenting with the different circumferences and fabric grain lines of circle skirts. It all began a few years ago when my grandmother told my the full circle skirt formula. This particular skirt that I am sporting in these pictures is a half circle skirt. I will be sharing my adventures in a number of tutorials... so watch this space! The blouse is actually from the DDR times and I found it in a second hand store. I like the silhouette of the blouse, particularly the sleeves. 

Snow?

The white fluff that you can see in these photos is actually from a particular type of tree in Germany. It is quite magical when the seeds fall from the trees, it is reminiscent of snow. You can hear all of the kids on the streets saying 'guck mal mama, schnee!' Though it can get a bit annoying when you breath them in... not too pleasant. 

Photography: Michael Dooney