The Bridal Shower

A few weeks ago, I help put together a Bridal Shower for my friend. Because her wedding theme was Dusty Pink & Black, I wanted to tie in the Bridal Shower by using the Dusty Pink color. 

I DIY'd the Cake Stands, Spoons, Paper Pom Poms and the cake was made with some help of the Bride to Be's daughter. The DIY elements help to provide that little personal touch. 

Loving: Alias Mae shoes

Thanks to Erin at Love Shop Share for introducing me to Alias Mae Shoes. I love to support Australian brands and these guys have some beautiful shoes. Here are my favorites

Agnes in Orange/Natural $99.95

Cicily in Aqua/Tomato $139.95

Yeva in White $119.95

Get in my stash!

Brisbane girls, if you have not visited The Fabric Store recently, you need to get yourself there tout suite! They have got some lovely summer silks in plains & prints in all colors of the rainbow. I also spotted some beautiful linens and they even have leather, I don't know how I restrained myself from not buying any of that.

This is what I did buy and also some inspiration for their final destination. 

A lovely black silk twill, very lightweight and super drapey. Inspiration is this skirt from Country Road, basically a straight skirt with a fluted hem. 

Green silk, this reminds me of cheesecloth texture. Inspiration is from this draped shirt from Topshop, I have a pattern drafted and ready to go.

A lovely sandwashed silk in stone, a little thicker weight so would be great for something with a little more structure. Inspiration is this tank from Country Road which has panelling detail on the side seam and shoulders.

Silk twill print (yes more silk!) this has a lovely sheen and beautiful drape. Inspiration is Tessuti's Suzy Pants Pattern.

It's funny how quick my mind changes though, I will probably look back at this in a months time and wonder what the hell I was thinking. Women's prerogative I guess.

Sewn: Tan Silk Top

Meet my new wardrobe favourite.

This top is based off Simplicity 5092 which is courtesy of the Op-Shop. I used the pattern for a shirt previously and it's proving to be a versatile pattern. 

I shortened the sleeves considerably to make it suitable for Spring/Summer, I also did a slash and spread on the back to add some fullness and swing so it's a nice fluid shape. In the process of doing this, I decided to make it a hi-lo hem shape which I quite like. 

The pattern has forward shoulder seams with gathering. Once I did this and tried it on, I decided the gathering was a little too formal looking so my "design feature" came along in the form of epaulettes.

The fabric is some kind of silk mix that I cant recall, it has a small amount of stretch to it but I've treated it as a woven. It has a lovely fluid drape to it so has lots of movement when it's on.  Another great buy from the Fabric Store in Brisbane.

Because the hem has both convex and concave curves to it, I had to be careful with hemming. I used this tutorial from Grainline for the hem and went super slow and it turned out a treat. 

I used the same technique on the neckline so I didn't have to worry about any fiddly bias facing. 

Welcome to my wardrobe, I'm sure we'll have a great time together!

Leatherwork

I love working with leather. As unforgiving as it can be, I adore watching a transformation from a flat piece to something gorgeous with character and texture. Here is a collection of images from my Pinterest page

1. Commes des Garcons

2. Keecie Mini Me

3. Wooten I-Phone Pouch (via I Am The Lab)

4. Lorayn Leather Card Holder

5. Unknown (via Silver Blonde tumblr)

In Progress - Leather Panel Top

Here's a little sneaky peak of a top I'm working on.

The material is devine, it was purchased from the Fabric Store in Brisbane last year. I wish I could remember the mix of it, it does have a silk content to it which gives it lovely drape. 

I am trying to sneak in at least 10 minutes of sewing every day, this goes a long way to keeping me sane during a hectic working week. Do you have a plan for your sewing time?

Inspiration for Spring/Summer

Have you seen any of the new season pieces from Country Road? They are one of my favourite go-to brands, something of theirs always catches my eye either through a gorgeous print or a modern take on a classic silhouette. Another one of my favourite shops is Seed Heritage, their design aesthetic seems to be evolving into something a little sporty but classic all at the same time.

I am using them as some inspiration to kick off my Spring/Summer sewing and I think Brisbane is going to have a long hot summer so there is no better time to start planning.

1.  Country Road Kimono Sleeve Tee

2. Country Road Silk Splice Shirt

3. Top Shop Casual Drape Top

4. Seed Heritage Minimal Pleat Soft Pant

5. Top Shop Drape Sleeveless Top

 

The tops from Country Road are fairly similar.It should be a fairly easy style to execute, I am thinking of a basic loose fitting tee pattern with wider sleeves.

The drape tops have me a bit stumped. I have the Drape Drape books (available at Tessuti)which I am going to use as a basis for drafting my own pattern. 

The pants are a challenge, I have sewn the one pair and they need some more fit adjusting before they become something that I could work off. There just might be something in the op-shop pattern stash, knew they would come in handy one day.

I'd love to see what you have planned for the upcoming season!