Anyone remember this bad boy from early 2016? I had made it to go as Bond Girl to a 1960’s-themed New Year’s Party. It was made by tracing existing clothing onto the lâmé fabric, and sewn by serger. The original top is in halter design, and getting the right fit on the pants took several iterations.
This month I just updated the top to get a curved neckline, for an event I was singing in. Continue reading Gold lamé cat suit – top re-do
Here is my second attempt at a men’s shirt, this time more successful. This is a McCall’s M6044 men’s shirt pattern, very popular for this kind of garment. I tried the variation with contrast lining for the collar and sleeve. The fabric is from the “Cotton+Steel”‘s Rotary Club collection and is called “Ring Ring Red Navy”. The look for this one was geometric overload, and I picked a contrast lining that was primarily blue to complement the infrequent navy in the main pattern. Continue reading McCall’s Men’s Shirt with Contrast Lining
Here is my first attempt at an Indian kurta for Diwali, using raw silk. I find the traditional clothes sold in Little India or other Indian stores in the GTA either too bead-covered, too synthetic, or just too floweryfor my taste. A couple years ago, I first saw the decent Indian fabric collection at Asiyans in Scarborough. So this year I actually got my act together and
Every year, July hits and I realize I don’t have any skirts! The thing about living in a four-season city like Toronto is that, in the dead of winter, you don’t think you’re ever going to reach for anything other than thick corduroys, and wooly socks. Then comes spring, and you begin to remember what the sun feels like on your arms. Finally, when summer gets here, you really want to bust out those skirts and go wheeling around on your bike in the city. But …graaah! No skirts; now what?
So this year, I bit the bullet and just made a bunch – okay, three – skirts. Done, done, and done. I used the Butterick Simplicity 2226 pattern (“Learn to Sew”). Continue reading The Summer of Skirts
Photo credit: Sachin Rao
My guy and I attended a 60s/70s costume party as Bond and Bond Girl. How many times in life do you get the chance to strut about in a gold lamé jumpsuit/catsuit? If you’re anything like me, once. Carpe diem, I say! Besides, it was either that or gold body paint, and this was a family event.
Another good reason to sew the catsuit (reason? you need a reason?) is that my proportions don’t work well with standard-issue pants. Finding the fabric at Fabrictown on the Danforth really cinched the project. This outfit was quite easy to make, which I find very, very surprising.
