How to create your own symmetrical lace design

I have recently been experimenting with some different textiles and techniques which I don't often use. This was a lace applique project.


Here is the tutorial for my lace top (previously posted here).

1. TULLE BASE:
Create your desired top with the tulle. I used the Colette Laurel pattern. I altered the pattern by shortening the sleeves 

2. Sew a straight line down the centre front of the top, so that you have a central reference point to base your pattern on.


CHOOSING THE LACE
3. I chose Guipure lace (also known as Venice lace) for this applique lace. If you want the design to be symmetrical, make sure that the lace pattern runs both ways. You can see from the photo above, that the flowers are running in opposite directions  


More info on different lace types here too

4. Arrange the lace. Place and pin in the desired location. 

5. And you are ready to sew away!(I hand sewed the lace, but you could probably machine sew it).

MUSIC: The Knife New Album, Shaking the Habitual

  The Knife

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Knife/+images/205642

A few years ago I lived and worked in a town 5 hours north of Perth, which meant that I spent a great deal of time traveling to and from the city. Hours and hours spent traveling meant that there was a constant rotation of CD's playing. One particular CD which featured constantly within the confines of my tiny car was 'The Knife'. They were perhaps one of the first bands which really encouraged me to appreciate electronic music.7  years after the release of their previous record, Silent Shout (2006), they have now released 'Shaking the Habitual'.

'Shaking the Habitual' is certainly a  grower. If you are not an electronic, industrial,experimental, ambient music lover, then this album may not appeal to you, but it is interesting to listen to. The first few songs are the most accessible. I am a big fan of bands using found sounds to create their music and The Knife do it so well. Very inspiring stuff!  

The Knife: A Tooth for an Eye

If you are not familiar with the band, perhaps the track Heartbeats will jog your memory

The Knife: Heartbeats

 

My Crazy Crustaceany Crab Creation

I made this crab dress JUST in time to enter it into the Colette Laurel pattern contest. It was a race against the clock! My own little project runway contest... but I had to stop half way, and go to work:( BUT I finished it just in time!


THE CRABBY CRUSTACEAN PRINT
The night before the competition ended I created this crab print which was inspired by the lobster dress from the 30's. 

VOTE here at Coletterie if you love my quirky crustacean creation:) and take a look at all of the lovely Creators sewing up a storm!

                                                                                                   

(LEFT)

This Schiaparelli & Dali collaboration  inspired me to create my crabby crustacean print. 

(RIGHT)

This Les Heal lobster dress is awesome! Perhaps it can be the next source of inspiration:)

My Dead Docs :(

On May day I was out and about enjoying the intermittent sunshine, when I felt a strange dragging sensation under my foot...... this was the beginning of a sad soleless Dr. Marten day. On this public holiday, no shops open. No tape to temporarily fix the problem. I was forced to made use of some resourceful McGuiver inspired thinking. The lanyard on my keys proved to be the hero. I tied it around the nose of the shoe... all fixed!....Until the other shoe started to follow his partners example. This time the elastic in my jacket came in handy!

This rather embarrassing situation made me reflect on my love for the Dr Marten boots. My black doc's are worn daily and are still going strong, but these more 'showy' doc's have not lasted more then a few days. 

Has anyone else experienced something similar with their docs?

Experimenting with lace + the 'w' word

THE 'W' WORD
I have recently spent a little time researching and thinking about my 'w' dress (I get a little sick of hearing the wedding word so I will refer to it as 'w'). One major problem I am having with my research is that I have cast these huge self inflicted expectations upon myself. I feel like I should be making my ultimate  dress... this is where my predicament begins. I would love to applique and even embroider the fabric, but I just know that this is impossible. Time restraints teamed with a tiny budget is what will dictate the outcome of the dress. So I just have to get over this 'ultimate' thing and see the dress as being the 'ultimate dress... for this period in my life with time and budget constraints'.
So I am still experimenting with fabric manipulation techniques whilst clamping down on this 'ultimate' expectation.

THE LACE TOP - COLETTE LAUREL PATTERN
Rather then sewing from my own self drafted patterns I have began to sew from published clothing patterns again. My sewing skills are in need of some work, so this is my solution, and of course looking up sewing blogs. I didn't realise how many sewing blogs are out there now. A heap of good info! 

The Colette 'Laurel' pattern was a nice basic pattern to use for creating this simple silhouette. Perfect for experimenting with appliqueing. 
Whilst 'w' dress fabric shopping, I found a few different types of lace to muck around with. This particular lace is a guippure lace. It's a great one for appliqueing as it is easy to cut out. I entered this top in the Colette Laurel pattern competition (along with a crab print dress, but I will show that one off later) which you can find here.

SEWING THE SKIRT
Whilst visiting Hamburg the other month, we popped into Kleidermarkt. My favourite second hand store in Hamburg! I headed straight for the reduced items and found this sweet skirt. When I got it home I realised that the waist was tiny! So after calculating the best way to increase the waist measurement, I got cutting (this is always the scary part).  It actually worked out... except for the fact that when I sit down it looks as though a large bulge is coming from the stomach area. I suppose I just can't sit down. Problem solved:) 


 

TUTORIAL FOR APPLIQUE LACE
is on its way!

To my one.....

to my one... happy 9 years. Gee we're getting old! :)

'Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same' 

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

May Day + Spring.... FINALLY!

YAY! It is May Day. A day off work teamed with a wonderfully sunny-ish Berlin day. We are off to check out the festivities and celebrate that Spring finally came. Woo!

 

 I have been listening to Blouse a bit lately. I really love the mixture of electronic sounds and soothing melodies. Perfect for a sweet spring day. Take a listen.