I manifested this dress. No joke! A few weeks ago I said to my friend, Elle "I want to look for electric blue sequined fabric today. I'm going to make a hot party dress! It's going to be above the knee and have big shoulders and it's going to be FABULOUS!" An hour later we discovered Love Story, a sensational pop-up vitage store in Surry Hills, and the 'Blue Tiger' dress was there! The fabric was incredible and the dress was in such good condition. The dress itself wasn't quite what I had imagined but this was great because it has given me the chance to Revamp it! As you can see, the dress was originally very rectangular and straight. It was also a bit long for me (below the knee). Now... I'm a curvy lady so I've created a solution where I've created shape in the waist, and I've shortened the dress whilst maintaining this fabulous Bam Bam hem - no cutting required! Step 1 Mark where you would like the new waist to be. *Measure from the hem up, to get the correct measurement the whole way around the waist. Use coloured thread to tack a running stitch around the waist. This is your fold line. Step 2 With right sides together, fold dress on the fold line. Step 3 Measure around your waist and cut a piece of elastic (2.5cm wide). Stitch the ends together to make an elastic band. Step 4 Place the elastic band in the crease of the fold line and pin folded fabric below the elastic. Step 5 Using a zipper foot, stitch around the waist, beside the elastic, so you create a casing. Voila! That's all it takes. This method is quick and easy and there is no cutting required.
*It's best to avoid cutting sequined material if you can, as reinforcing freshly cut sequins can be a long process.
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This week's Revamped D.I.Y ended up being a special treat for myself! I love hand beading and I've been doing it for years. I even do a bit of hand beading work for sensational Aussie designer Rachel Gilbert. I was updating my Winter wardrobe this week and came across this cool shirt at Zara. It was baggy and silky and had these cool shoulder pads which were exposed on the outside of the shoulders. Well I couldn't leave it just plain now could I, and I happened to have all of the crystals and beads I needed at home! This Revamp didn't cost me a cent! Something you may know about me is that I love crystals! If my sewing machine is having an off day, I sit my rose quartz crystal on it, have a break and when I get back to work, my machine is sewing like a dream (seriously, this has happened)! I was very excited to find in my box of beaded treasures, a rose quartz bracelet which was falling apart. What a find! Along with the rose quartz beads, I've included Swarovski crystals, fake pearls, silver seed beads, large sparkly glass beads from a necklace, and some plastic stars and other shapes which I found in a container of gems I got from Spotlight. I don't mind combining the good quality, expensive beads with some cheaper ones. As long as they're not too 'plasticky' I'll throw some in there. This keeps the cost down (which makes clients happy), and also takes some of the weight out. The expensive beads are often a bit heavier and can really weigh a garment down! I also like using stars. I'm such a sucker for stars! I'll never grow out of them. I love my new shirt. It's nice to know the healing energy of the crystals are sitting on my shoulders! I find that when I wear my own creations lots of people smile at me and talk to me about what I'm wearing. It's a wonderful way to make news friends and share with people what I do! If you're inspired to do some hand beading grab a needle and thread and put your favorite movie of TV show on! It's a great way to be still and calm. It's like meditating! * Just be sure to start and finish your threads off securely, and when you wash your beaded items it's probably best to dry clean or hand wash. As always, please share your creations with our Revamped community! Post your pics on the Facebook page and inspire others with your ideas :D |
AuthorI am a freelance designer and stylist who creates avant-garde fashion and costume. I specialize in custom making costumes for musicians, physical theatre, and dance companies. I love what I do and I love to share my passion and teach others :D Archives
April 2017
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