trapeze dress done twice

with warm weather in mind, I made these 2 trapeze dresses today using New Look 6700 and two very bright, colourful poly cotton prints from my fabric pile. These dresses were completed in just one afternoon of sewing (from start to finish). Luckily I read the reviews of this pattern first before sewing, as there's a ridiculous amount of ease allowance with this pattern. I cut two dress sizes down without compromising the dress style. I'm still undecided about the drawstring ribbon and bow - reminds me a little bit of vintage nighties. Still it was an uncomplicated, fun sew! 

the puletasi

The puletasi or pea is a traditional outfit worn by women/girls in Samoa. It's basically a top (can be varying styles and lengths) with a full length lava lava skirt. This outfit is worn on formal or special occassions, ie. church, weddings, funerals, parties etc.

For my puletasi, I used this fabric and a vintage Knitwit pattern to make up my top. The top is a very simple, pull over the head A-line style with bust and body darts to give it shape plus a matching long belt to tie at the waist. The lava lava is made up in a plain black poly cotton with waist darts and ties to ensure that it stays put.

ashanti

In the spirit of change, I decided it was time to reduce the number of bjd models that I had to sew for. So I ruthlessly sold off around 75% of my models. I was down to 4 models when Iplehouse advertised their custom doll system, where you can order a bjd in the sculpt, resin skin tone, body type that you liked within a 1 week period and paying the total cost up front. I'd missed out on Ashanti (pictured above) when she was released earlier this year, so this time round I didn't hesitate to order my own version of Ashanti. I like the idea of a darker resin bjd model and hope to find a male bjd in a similar skin tone sometime. 

on the walls

vintage ducks in flight on the lounge wall - the last duck always looks like it's off course. These were inherited from my in-laws and started off their flight in the kitchen but are now permanently in the lounge.

a vintage print of Sir Gerald Kelly's "Saw Ohn Nyun" from the local Sallies store resides in the hallway. I love the delicate beauty of this image - regal yet poignant.

an antique sea turtle shell that was a gift from my parents, hangs on the wall in the alcove by the entrance door. I grew up playing with this shell - I imagined it to be so many things. Now it's a way to remember my beloved Grandpa who passed away in 1984. He was many things including an artisan who handcrafted jewelry from tortoise shell, abalone shell, coconut and other materials. 

border print dress

it took just over 2 hours to make this dress yesterday and I'm really pleased that it's finished. I realised as soon as I had it laid out to cut, that this fabric was going to give me problems. The design was printed uneven and wobbley (I hadn't noticed this when I bought it) so it was a challenge to even line up the border print at the bottom. You can see that I sacrificed the design symmetry at the neckline to keep the lower part of the dress looking somewhat even.  Got there in the end and I'm very happy with the result. It's my version of the muu muu dress although it's 3/4s in length and not very full. Just perfect for tropical weather!

lava lava

I have a great selection of lava lava ( also known as the pareo, sarong, sulu etc ) that I've collected over the years. They're bright, bold and very colourful. At Spotlight today, I bought some cotton voile in 2 distinctive prints, each measuring 1.9 metres of 115cm wide fabric and then quickly hemmed the edges at each end to make up 2 lava lava. These are destined to be worn around the pool and beach in Samoa.

In the South Pacific, the lava lava is more than just an accessory for the beach or pool. It's an article of clothing that's worn by both men and women in everyday life. Although a lava lava is simple to make, it's being able to tie it (so it looks stylish) that's the real challenge. For the uninitiated, it can seem pretty daunting to find a flattering way to make a simple rectangle of fabric work. To get you started, there's 24 ways to tie a lavalava. My favourite lava lava styles are in the photos above. Let me know if you have a favourite way to tie a sarong.

giveaway winners...

drum roll please...

Congratulations Taylxx and Eryn, you're the lucky winners of the blogoversary giveaway. I've emailed you both. A big thanks to all who took part in the draw. Cheers!

giveaway

to celebrate my 2nd blogoversary, I made 2 of the above market grocery tote to give away. That means that there's 2 totes to giveaway to 2 lucky people. The giveaway totes are just like these bags I blogged about a little while back. These bags are handmade by me using new fabric and thrifted bias binding.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment to this giveaway post. One entry each please. Also don't forget to leave your contact details so I can contact you if you should be a lucky winner. The giveaway will run for 1 week (3-10 September 2010) and I'll put all the names in a hat and draw the 2 winners. Good luck!

2nd blogoversary today

today I'm celebrating my 2nd year of blogging. When I started this blog, it was "a means of documenting all the different avenues that my journey into sewing, arts & crafts will take." 340 posts later, it's become a a whole lot more! With all the stuff that's been happening in my personal life, I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to.  

Anyway, thanks again to all of you who take the time to read, follow, link, leave comments and email me. I really appreciate it! Don't forget to have a traditional blogoversary cupcake on me. It just wouldn't be a blogoversary without one!

PS: Don't forget to enter the giveaway, starts tomorrow (Friday 3rd September in the evening NZ ) and runs for a week.

spring

(Photo by Petr Kratchovil)

today is the official first day of the NZ spring. It's a relief to see the sun out and flowers beginning to burst out in full bloom. It's my 2nd blogoversary tomorrow and I'm planning a giveaway later this week to celebrate. I'll be giving away to two lucky readers, a handmade grocery tote each just like this bag. All the information about the draw will be posted on Friday. I'll keep the draw open for a week and all you need to enter is post a comment under the giveaway post.