hello again!

Do you know the movie??

It is my big sister's favorite and mine too of course!

It is so funny, you have to see it some day.

Don't you love her outfits?!

 (Sorry about the picture's quality.)

Writing again after all this time feels like coming back from the dead, 

just like Shelley Long did in the movie.

I was pretty busy with work and I have to admit, 

that I dedicated more time to knitting/ crocheting than sewing:

 a new cover for my seat

shoes for a friend's baby girl...

More ideas about experimenting with cotton were rushing through my head but 

I soon realised that I had a wedding in a couple of weeks and 

had no time for all this, so priorities were reorganised.

I had to finish the dress to wear at the wedding 

and also I wanted to make a warm bolero,

because it is still chilly at nights, especially near the sea..

To see the dress finished you will have to wait a bit longer

but here is how the bolero is going so far...

I have completed the first sleeve and I am trying to finish the second one.

(The pattern is from here, slightly altered.)

Although life is moving fast forward, 

these things make me stop and enjoy:

1. the plants in my balcony

2. my new friend who crawls out whenever I water the plants

did you notice that he is slowly changing his colour?!

3. coffee, yeaaah! 

I will leave you with that.

See you again, soon!

transformation series #1

And here comes the next one!

Sundress #2

This one was easy to make, and quite fast, as it is NOT made from scratch.

Introducing the idea of recycling your clothes:

There once was this blouse from H&M.

It was in my closet for some years and was not worn not even once.
I kept it all this time having the good faith to wear it someday.
I really liked the fabric, pure cotton it is,
but apparantly the likings ended up there as, alas, it never left my closet.
Although I didn't know exactly what it was that I didn't like, I decided to give
it a second chance and transform it into a dress.
(I am trying to be more-of-a-dress girl, remember..?)
Maybe it was just the buttons' fault after all,
because as soon as I replaced them everything brightened up!


For the skirt I added a fabric in contrasting color.

I had to try many ones out and this polka dot fabric is the big winner.
It gives the neutral, and thus boring, beige coloured blouse a funny touch.

I tried to be more organised this time and document the various steps,
but soon I forgot all about it, so I have only these...

step1: marking the waistline 

step2: cutting it

step 3: cutting a rectangle for the skirt from the new fabric  

I reused the original pockets, of course,
(you can see them "hiding" in there..;o)

and made the sleeves a bit longer:
I prefer them at elbow height, almost aligned with the waistline.

changing fabrics for the various details, love it!


And here we have it, with hands inside the pockets...

...and hands outside the pockets!

 

Content with the result I would say.

Last but not least, a big THANKS to  

the photographers!

I get too serious when posing, I feel embarassed I suppose,

but they succeeded in getting me to smile! ;o)

pillows

The good thing about sewing, apart from the joy of being creative,
is that you can have fast and easy solutions
when you need them and exactly the way you want them.

In my case it was a couple of pillows for my new couch.

Some of you know that some time now I have a small studio to work in.

Searching the web for ideas and furniture I fell upon this 

by Kartell 

and it was love at first sight. 

It was exactly what I needed, as the space is really small.

After some search I found it online on sale, I just knew I couldn't say no...
and therefore one day it arrived in a (very) big box.

As I told you before I don't (or better said, I can't) throw away anything,
so you see the box was turned into a small coffee table.

Next step was to get some really large pillows,
as the sofa although very comfortable is only a bit too deep.
At IKEA I usually find something that I like, but not this time.

So I bought the fabric instead and made them myself.

Less time and brain energy consuming than searching the market for sure!
On one I used some of my favorite buttons (had them) 

and on the other one a plastic zipper for jackets (bought it).

This is their back side. 

And as this is getting too black and serious, 

I will leave you with a special love of mine:

my very first attempt with pillowcases. 

It was for my flat in Madrid, which was already furnished 

but not much in my style, 

and so this was an improvised funny touch.

Is it my imagination or doesn't the fabric remind you of granny panties?
My granny had more than one pair of that kind of fabric, only in white of course...:o)