only affordable pieces allowed...

I don't like to post too many "I could never afford this in a million years" items.... because I'm sure we could ALL find a pair of $600 shoes that we want and can never have. I think the real challenge is scouring the Internet or local stores for affordable pieces that can add interest to your wardrobe and that compliment your own individual style. Or if you are as talented, ambitious and as patient as mahaila, you will just make it yourself... for those of you who are not quite that creative, these are some more affordable pieces that I would buy if I didn't just put myself on a spending diet....................

I'm loving these two pieces from the new Kate Moss for Topshop collection.............. so much so, I would wear them together in a heart beat. 

And hey, why not add these bad-ass JC Wrecker platform boots... looks like the Lita has turned hard-core...

And top it off with a filthy ring............ you can thank One Teaspoon for this one.

I would definitely pair all these things with a basic tee. I recently received some shiny new basics on my doorstep thanks to a recent Topshop splurge. I am IN LOVE with these tops. They are super soft and have a great fit....... I only bought one colour and I want more........

You will probably want some, uh, bottoms too...... Supre has a pretty extensive collection of maxi skirts at the moment... if you ignore the fact that the styling on the site is quite terrible, you can imagine these pretty things fitting quite nicely into your wardrobe (the sheer black one pictured below comes in about a zillion different colours including khaki). Why not tuck your tee into this one?

Booties and Birds

This spring in Berlin I started knitting again..... The last time that I picked up the old knitting needles was when I was 15 and I knitted my Aussie Football team, The Dockers! scarf. This time round I was motivated by the fact that everyone has decided to breed in 2010. So I decided to knit some little baby booties. I love this pattern for the booties as they are really quite simple and require little thought (which is fantastic for when I have the sewing blues).  After pumping out the many miniature shoes I decided to make some toys to send home for presents. I love this Knitted Toy Box blog. It is very nice of her to share her creations e.g. the birds. I have knitted a milk carton... I just need to sew it all together and knit the biscuit. I also love the mochi mochi land blog where she also shares some of her patterns.

P.S. An up coming challenge will involve me knitting a garment... which shall not be named at the present moment. And believe me.... this is a challenge for me!

Only in Germany...... the POTATO Festival!

Lately we have been disappointed with some of the events that we have attended whilst in Berlin. We were on a dry spell UNTIL Die Kartofeln Festival! Amongst the Grannies, kids and families elbows were out as we scavenged for worthy potatoes. A day full of potato harvesting, potato painting, potato stamping, potato eating, potato schnapps drinking.... and the list goes on. We even had a potato soup with none other then a long wurst sitting in it. Oh Germany.... you gotta love it. 

The jacket is a bit of an oldie....but still a goodie. I made it a few years ago and have always really loved it. It has a bit of a classic feel to it and I love wearing it with my black bow skirt and my Kleidermarkt Hamburg white blouse. I can ALWAYS see the flaws in this jacket, e.g. the section added at the front is a cover up for my dodgy ironing. When fixing the interfacing I applied too much heat and consequently gave it a bit of a warped look. It is definitely good to look back at your old sewing projects to see how much you have learnt and improved!    

Photography: Michael Dooney

CHALLENGE NUMBER TWO: PART TWO

So this is my attempt at the DIY turban that mahaila designed here. Challenge completed. Pretty successful, I think! Now trust me when I say if I can do this, anybody can. I don't have much patience and the longest I have been in front of a sewing machine is with mahaila by my side the whole time. For this challenge, with mahaila in Germany, it was just me. This is how it started out.........

Email communications:
Mahaila: I was JUST looking at some photos of turbans, do you want the headband version?
Kaye: Yeh I reckon the headband version. R u going to keep the one u make or do I get both? Hehehehe
Mahaila: i can send you what ever I make, but you need to make one too. It's pretty simple stuff. I haven't made it yet, but it won't be difficult. 

Well mahaila over-estimated my sewing knowledge. The good news is that I learnt a few things along the way:

1. The machine won't sew without the bobbin....... 
2. I now know how to re-fill the bobbin in a modern sewing machine
3. The RIGHT side of fabric means the side that you want showing.... mahaila is going to roll her eyes when she reads this, but I thought she meant "right" as in left and right (trust me, I'm not a dumb-ass, just a little ditsy at times)
4. When mahaila said to fold it, she meant LENGTH WAYS. On my first attempt, I folded it into some stupid little tube and sewed the top then had to unpick it and start again.
5. Measurements should be EXACT. After making my first one that didn't fit on my head, I decided to measure it properly. 

As mahaila previously mentioned, I wanted a turban made of velvet because I liked the fit and look of this one so much. So I went to the nearest op-shop and bought this little number for $4. I though I might use the skirt in an outfit and use the top for the turban.

I think you could make this out of a jersey or a stretch wool if velvet isn't your thing. And get creative! You could embellish the front (like on this Sportsgirl turban), or you could change the smaller section to a bow.

Email communications:

Mahaila: did you want a bow?

Kaye: I don't want a bow on it because, as much as I like my black one, I get called "cute" alot when i wear it and one of my girlfriends told me she "just wanted to cuddle me and play with me". So I'd like one without a bow this time.

We hope you guys have fun creating your own unique turban... and the cash you save by doing it yourself!! Please let us know if you give it a crack and send us pictures  :)

waiting for a train

(Top: Your Eyes Lie. Jeans: Supre. Shoes: ShoeBox. Bag: Jim Thompson. Rings: eBay and Fashionology)

Robert and I had dinner at Jus Burgers in Leederville last night. Delicious gourmet burgers with real onion rings. So bloody good. 

This nebula top was an impulse buy from Asos... I wasn't sure how much wear I would get out of it (seeing as I'm not usually one for digital prints as I find they can 'swamp' me) but now I'm convinced I'll be wearing it throughout the summer. It gives that extra kick of grunge to an outfit. 

P.S. My half of Challenge Number 2 is coming up........... I'm taking a crack at the DIY turban/headband that mahaila created a couple of posts ago.... let's see how successful I am. Because let's be honest, if I can do it, anybody can. 

sun science

The arrival of the Princess Polly dress that I posted here. Now I just have to wait for the weather to heat up...

CHALLENGE NUMBER 2 ......How to make a turban / headband

 

OK, so this is challenge number 2.... perhaps a little later then initially planned. Our first challenge involved kaye creating an outfit around a top made by myself. This time kaye must sew a turban type head piece for herself using the DIY instructions below. 

We encourage anybody to have a go at making this piece... experienced sewer or not.... If you don't not have access to a sewing machine, hand sewing is also an good option (I used to sew by hand A LOT before I got my sewing machine. I still find myself reverting back to hand sewing at times). For information on sewing techniques (both with and without the machine) go to the Burdastyle learning section of the website.... otherwise youtube can be helpful. 

I must worn you that I definitely do not pretend to be an expert... so perhaps these dimensions/techniques won't work for you.But as you can see by the photos, it did fit my head.

What do you need?

* FABRIC - suitable for a headband. Kaye had previously mentioned that velvet is a good option as it is more likely to stay on your head. Though velvet can be difficult to work with (info sewing with velvet). You also need to consider the grain of the fabric. You need to make sure that the fabric has some stretch in it so that it can fit on your head. Test your fabric by finding the lengthwise grain (more information on grains here)

We need 2 rectangle shaped pieces of fabric measuring
Bigger section  - 22 inches (58.5 cm) x 10 inches (25.5 cm)
Perhaps measure your head first then use this measurement add 2 cms (on every side... this is the seam allowance).
Smaller section -  3.5 inches (9 cm) x 4.5 inches  (11.4 cm)
* Needle
* Thread
* Enthusiasm! Creativity (make one with a badge at the front instead or a bow!)

 1. I chose to buy a velvet top from a second hand store, Alexander Platz (Humana) 

2. Cut out the large rectangle (includes the 1 cm seam allowance)

3. Fold the right sides of your fabrics together and pin the top section (leave a 1 cm seam allowance... as shown in the photo). 

4. Sew straight across the top with a 1 cm seam allowance.

 5.  Turn your fabric inside out so that the right side is on the outside.

 5. Then make sure that the seam (which you just created) is facing upwards.

 6. Now we need to create the front section of the turban.

 7. Sew this smaller piece like the bigger version. 1. right sides together, 2. sew the seam 1 cm seam allowance. 3. turn the rights sides to the outside

 8.Bring the 2 ends together. You can either finish like the bigger section (e.g. sewing so that you don't see the seam). I chose to bring the edges together with a zig zag stitch. (If you don't want the small section to be so big on the finished headband sew a 1 cm seam or make take a cm or so off the initial small rectangle)

9. Now slip the small ring onto the head band. Make sure that the 2 seams on the 2 pieces are in alignment (we don't want to see any seams on the finished garment when it is on your head, so all seams need to be on the inside).

10. If you are happy with the width of the small section on the big section, you can bring the big ends together. Start by bringing the 2 seams together (so that we don't twist the garment) putting pins in with a 1 cm seam allowance. Work your way around until you are no longer able to continue (you will get to a point where you have a gap where you can not pin or sew.... we need to sew this section later).  Take out the initial pin that you put in (the one over the seam) so that you can continue further around. We want the seam section to be in the middle of where we hand sew.... this is the underside of the garment (aka the ugly seamed section... we want all of this to be in one area so that it is not visible when we wear the headband... I hope this makes sense???).

11. Now sew the pinned area with a 1 cm seam allowance. Then finish with a zig zag stitch on the end. 

  

12. Now pull the fabric to the outside, like shown here. You should have a small section left which we need to hand sew with a blind stitch. Before wearing make sure all of the seams are not visible. Pull them to the inner side.

Now you should have a new turban/headband to wear!

Let us know if you have made one. We would love to see it! Don't hesitate to ask questions. 

Good LUCK! Viel Spass!