mahaila made brocade jacket, shorts and top! Burda style!

It was a while ago now that this 'mahaila made' ensemble graced the front page of burdastyle.com. After all of the excitement, I forgot to post it on the blog, so here it is.

Looking back on this project, I can now see how it has shaped my recent sewing expeditions. Since tackling this tailored jacket head on and working through the pain (mainly due to the very poorly written instructions) I emerged with flying colours.... which on this occasion meant actually finishing the garment off properly. Attention to detail! 

Completing a garment off in a professional manner can be one of sewers most dreaded tasks. You can see the finish line, yet it is just so far away.I often find that I need to talk myself into spending that extra time on the piece. But it is all worth it in the end. A garment that you can be proud of (and you can show others without the embarrassment of tatty insides) and a longer lasting garment.    

mahaila made shorts, top and jacket

So what did I learn from these projects?

1. Create a draft garment/muslin.

It’s the way to go! It saves you heaps of time (honestly it does!) and you get a better product at the end. This is the time where you can make mistakes and alterations. It may feel like it is a long process, but the end garment makes it all worthwhile.

2. Create lasting garments, finish them properly.

I am definitely guilty of rushing through the finishings in an effort to wear the item for an anticipated event. Lately I have spent the time lining the garments, finishing off edges properly, and hand sewing the finishing details….before I wear the garment! This last point is important.

3. Don’t underestimate the power of hand sewing.

When I first started sewing, I hand sewed everything! I have recently revisited it in a big way! Hand sewing slows the process down and can allow you to achieve a better fit.

4. Treat yourself to good quality (even if it’s once in a blue moon).

Sewing can be an expensive hobby which means that a lot of us can’t afford fantastic quality fabrics. I have recently allowed myself to purchase a few items that I have had my eye on for awhile. It’s nice to reward your hard work with quality purchases :). Maybe save up all of those spur of the moment cheap fabric purchases and spend your well earned dough on something that you really want.

 P.S.
Oh and see the boned cuff detailing. I am fairly pleased with my decision to add them to this jacket and I think that I will be experimenting with them with future projects. Oh and I will be posting a tutorial regarding boned cuffs. So keep an eye out for it!

Run DMC

(Top: second hand. Shorts: Sportsgirl. Vest: second hand. Shoes: Friend Of Mine Hutton Boots. Bag: Alexander Wang Kirsten Satchel)

Three Things I Would Like to Point Out in This Post

ONE

My new lens! It made it's debut in the last post. My new f1.4 makes oh-so-slightly-distant things look oh-so-creamy. Why did I not purchase it sooner?!

TWO

My second hand Run DMC tank. I was at a friend's house and she pointed to a rack of clothing.  "Want dibs on any of this stuff before I sell it at the markets?" This top dangled on the edge of the rack. While I mumbled about how I loved it's grotty, worn raw-edged goodness, I shoved it into my bag.

THREE

My new hair cut. Blonder, shorter. 

I'm not sold. 

What do you guys think?

Kaye xx

Perth Royal Show 2011

(Top, jacket and boots: Asos <---- previously worn a while ago here. Shorts: Sportsgirl. Sunglasses: River Island. Necklaces: Gift from mum and Etsy.)

I have never liked The Royal Show, even as a kid. My parents took us once and it was a bit of a flop. My show bag was sold out (I was only allowed one), I hated the jolt of the bumper cars, the crowds freaked me out and I lost my favourite denim glittered hat. I also got a sense that my parents just hated spending money on novelty crap. Maybe it rubbed off on me because I seem to be the only adult I know who doesn't enjoy paying money to play an impossible (rigged?) game to win an oversized stuffed animal.

This year however, Robert lives so close to the Royal Show, that his neighbours are standing out the front of their houses with parking signs reading "$15". Might as well head over and see if I enjoy it more as an adult, right?  So while I avoided overloading my vestibular system on those blasted rides (how do people enjoy them?), I thought I would get into the festival spirit and eat my very first Dagwood Dog. OK, done. Now off to some wine tastings!! YUM!

With no show bags, no games, and no rides I really enjoyed the afternoon. Next time I should just go out to the Swan Valley.....

Kaye xx

CROATIA - Zlatni Rat Beach

CROATIA! Visiting Croatia during the peak season was a bit of a holidaying culture shock for us. Much of the coast line and towns were littered with beach bars, souvenir shops and there were MANY leathery sun bakers engulfing the pebbled shore lines. It was clear that sunny Croatia relies heavily on tourism. Despite this it was a beautiful country. The people were warm and friendly, the food was great and the weather was mostly sunny.

These photographs show off how wonderfully beautiful and interesting the Croatian islands can be. This particular beach is the Zlatni Rat Beach, which is on the southern side of the island Brac.

OUTFIT
TOP
I made this top from the Port Elizabeth pattern. I wanted to add a little colour to it, so I inserted the magenta and orange to the basic pattern.I love the shape of this top and have used it previously in pink (blogged here). I am a little crazy about colour at the moment and are consequently on the look out for bright coloured fabrics! (I apologise for the wrinkled clothing..that's what travelling does:)

SHORTS
I wanted to make some shorts to match the top, so I utilised one of my drafted shorts patterns...but the waist sits rather strangely and  as a result the shorts look frumpy. I will have to revisit this pattern and make some alterations. I added some coral coloured pockets. I like the concept of these pockets but they contribute to the wide hip frumpy look. 

More Croatia posts to come! 



Photography: Michael Dooney

Burdatyle high waisted shorts + art

 

Photography Michael Dooney 

The shorts
I made these high waisted shorts from the Burdastyle Easy magazine. My poor German language skills ensured that there were a few mishaps along the way. After tracing and cutting the pattern pieces and fabric I pinned the shorts together to check the fit. I had great difficulty trying to squeeze into the shorts and decided to add lace panels to the sides of the shorts. Amazingly the panels solved the sizing problem and I later found out from my German sewing friends that these mags don't include the seam allowance. Once again I have learnt 2 lessons the hard way. Always add your seam allowance for the Burdastyle magazine patterns and for goodness sake work on your German language skills mahaila!

The earrings 

If you look closely you can see my Pacman earrings. My friend E bought them for my birthday. I love them, they're so cute!

Berlin + Art

On this particular 'Burdastyle striped shorts wearing weekend' we visited some galleries for the Gallery weekend - Berlin. I seem to have developed a love/hate relationship with the art world. I find myself incredibly inspired one minute and then completely uninspired the next. One piece which triumphed head and shoulders above the rest was the interactive installation by Tim Noble and Sue Webster named Turning the seventh corner. I felt anxious as I followed the dark passage around several dimly lit corners. This anxious feeling soon shifted to intrigue as we turned the seventh corner and found the light and shadow sculpture. I found this such an interesting piece as it was so simple yet complex at the same time. Love it!

 

Tim Noble and Sue Webster - Turning the seventh corner.

Finds at the Berlin markets: Ostbahnhof antique and Mauermarkt

Here in Berlin, there are sssooooo many markets to visit. It all depends on what you are looking for. I purchased this jumper for 2 euros at the most famous market : Mauermarkt. Many girls and guys take their unwanted clothes down there, so you can be sure to find a diamond in amongst the many roughs. The major down side to the Mauermarkt is that it's fame has resulted in overcrowding. You end up shuffling along with the rest of the herd peering through the many bodies, trying to sneak a peak at the many stalls. My advise, if you intend to find a treasure Go Early! Otherwise you can just hang around on the "grassed" (really it is sand) area and watch the famous karaoke show cases. 

The Ostbahnhof antique markets is a history lesson in its self. The selection of stalls are interesting: old postcards, stamps, coins, antique jewellery, DDR artefacts, antique house hold goods. I found this little DDR bird brooch for 1 Euro. I suspect that it is a kids brooch... what can I say? I am a fan of primary colours, birds and cutesy things! So it was a good find for me. 

I made these shorts a while back and wore them for the Berlin Beer fest (blogged here) and in Vienna (blogged here). I love these shorts. They are very versatile as I can wear them with heaps of stuff. I definitely need to make another pair!

These photos were taken whilst venturing up north into the German forest. The forest surrounds numerous lakes which are really lovely. I often feel a little nautical when wearing this jumper, and therefore thought that it would be appropriate to take photos near the water. This location was certainly serene. Aahhhh the serenity.... buzzz, buzzz (sorry having flash backs to the film 'the castle'). We were just missing our fishing rods. Maybe next time. 

Photos: Michael Dooney

mahaila knitted shorts...FINALLY

I ALWAYS feel anxious when sending post from Germany. Once I made some booties for my cousin and they ended up flying around the world for so long that by the time it reached the kid, they didn't fit. Then I sent one of my knitted birds to a friend in London and it is still flying around or it died on the journey. 
So when I sent my many months long project, the mahaila knitted shorts to Kaye in Aus, I was EXTREMELY anxious. We decided to take photos just in case they  didn't make the long trip. AND I spent so much time with them that I had to give them a good send off. Michael had access to a photography studio and we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Plus the weather is still really cold here in Berlin, so I was happy to stay toasty and warm indoors. 

After deciding to take some photos with the shorts, I felt that I needed to make a top for them. I ended up with this little blouse. I am generally not a fan of the 'no waist definition' blouses and I must say I am still not very happy with them, but I did enjoy using the lace curtaining on the yoked section. I am also a fan of utilising tucks and pleats in garments, and I will continue to experiment with these techniques.  I flared the back section and I believe that this was a bit of a mistake. Overall, I think the top turned out OK.

Before knitting the final pair of shorts, I knitted a sample. The orange thing around my neck is what I created. Kind of like a pair or shorts if you were a pole. If you look closely, you can just see the pattern which I later decided to scrap. It was a really nice complicated pattern, but I was scared that it would distort the shape of the shorts and pull in all the wrong places. So I ended up with some more cabling. I LOVE cabling.... makes garments look so interesting and it is so easy to do..... if you can count.

Bye bye shorts. Have fun in Aus with Kaye! Kaye I hope you like them. They look great on you!

Making of the shorts blogged here

Photos: Michael Dooney

Good old Fremantle

Good old Freo.... having grown up in Fremantle, I can't help but love the place. The general laid back community feeling, the fact that you can walk around with bare feet without receiving strange looks (not that I have) is what Freo is all about. The best of Freo is not immediately apparent. You really need to step away from the cappuccino strip to find great food, coffee, fashion and entertainment. 

For me the best cafe in town is Aubergine in South Fremantle. The coffee is wonderful and the food is really nice. I love to sit outside with my coffee and home made muffin. Yum! If I am in the middle of Fremantle I would generally head to Angels Cafe on Essex street. It is a nice quiet, relaxed place. Gino's is one of the better coffee places on the strip, but I find them too inconsistent to give them a good reference. 

One of my favourite streets is High street. I love visiting the fashion boutiques Hustle and Love in Tokyo  . Loop has some nice jewellery, particularly for men. The New Edition Bookshop is my favourite shop in Fremantle. It has the best selection of classics. Strangely there is a fashion store called fi & co  located inside the bookshop. I find this concept kind of weird, but I do love the vintage pieces and jewellery in this store.

Market street is worth a look for fashion. There are a number of shoe stores, little boutiques and some more established boutiques such as Subway DC and Billie and Rose.

You definitely can not go past Little Creatures. It is one of my favourite pubs! I love going there in summer and having a wonderful beer in the sun. Love it! Other pubs in Freo which are nice for a beer are Clancy's Fish Pub, the Norfolk, and the Mad Monk. If you like seeing local and international bands the Swan basement, the Fremantle Arts Centre, Mojo's and the Norfolk basement are worth a visit. 

I used to buy items of clothing off ebay and this top is one of them. I minimised the ruffles, as I felt a little too puffy in it. I do love this top, it is one of my favourites. I made the shorts to match a top which I previously blogged here.


Photos: Michael Dooney

The Lodge........Bathroom

(Top: Sportsgirl. Blazer: Cue. Faux leather shorts: Mink Pink. Shoes: Sam Edelman. Rings: Fashionology and eBay)

These shots are taken at the same place as the photos posted below.... the lodge at our Gran's retirement village. So again, these were taken a while ago when mahaila was still in Australia and I had long hair. This is the sweet little bathroom in the lodge. 

I'm pretty addicted to these shoes. The removable arrow head harness and cleated soles make for something quite special. The blazer is another favourite in my wardrobe and was a sort-of present for my 21st. A friend gave me an $80 gift voucher for Cue and this blazer was 70% off........ on top of that I still had to put $110 towards it. So yes, its one expensive blazer and I would never be able to afford it normally. But with the cute little folded bit at the back (I have no idea what its called...... mahaila????), the maroon colour, beautifully tailored cut, and it's ability to artfully clash with white leopard print, I couldn't leave it in the store. On top of that, it was the last one and in my size.... destiny?

Kaye xx

Photos: Michael Dooney