Meet Lady Luella Lovelace

Inherit has struck again! This time with a vintage velvet NZ made jacket, a nz designer skirt and some lovely doilies to add a bit of lacyness.

I had initially paired up the velvet with the tartan school kilt, however it didn't quite look right. Then I discovered a gorgeous nz made skirt an the $3 op shop and added with a bit of lace, it looked perfect! The lacing came from another nz made $3 opshop shirt, with laced sleeve detailing. I have to say it was hard to let this one go - especially as it fitted me perfectly!

Inherit is underway

So my latest jacket is based on a fiesty female Pirate Captain who loves a bit of swashbuckling shennanagins! Introducing Captain Betsy Bonnie:



I had lots of fun creating this one - the skirt offered lots of fabric so i went for full sleeves and a pleat round the hem. Still lots left for another upcycle



I used the cotton tape around the hem to create the stripes on the lapel to give it a hint of militaryness. Now all she needs is a tricorn hat, plume and sword and she is ready to sail the seven seas.


This jacket is available to purchase at Clockwork Emporium, New Regent St, Christchurch. http://www.clockworkcafe.co.nz/

Inherit - Freedom Fashion

What started as a project at Fashion School 3 or so years ago, has quietly reimerged as a creative outlet. Inherit was the label i created for a branding and marketing project. After finally taking some of my work into Clockwork Emporium, I realised this label could lend itself to the steampunk genre. Bit more suited than redflax methinks! The tag line 'Freedom fashion' goes with the upcycling theme rather nicely too So here is the very first creation for Inherit. One thrifted Portman's jacket and a petticoat. (Got a bit excited and took off the grey buttons before i had taken the initial pic). Anyway, I added some lace and brass buttons, waved the magic upcycling wand and out came Mistress Morganna's steampunk travelling jacket (or something like that). Pretty happy with it. However I have to fight my overactive imagination in this design process. The difficulty for me is to keep it simple. If I am going to sell my creations they need to not take me many long labourious hours, or its just not worth it. So I have the sage advice from a former tutor floating in the recesses of my mind "You need to edit, edit, edit!" Too many ideas and tangents is my design nemisis. Perhaps 'Inherit' will help me 'tame the beast.' We shall see.

Oversew Fashion Awards entry - progress

I have come to a halt with the leather vest, as i am waiting for some black venise lace to arrive from ebay. This is what it looks like at present: I have placed darts in the bust area to get rid of the gape, and resewn the front to get rid of the stud closures. I am playing around with the old collar, and still trying to work out how to incorporate lace into the design, other than as the sleeves. It looks a bit baggy as i can't pin it properly being leather! So anyway today i tackled the spats - or gators or whatever they are called. After going over my pinterest boards, i finally came up with a method - very simply - wrap fabric around my leg and draw a line down the centre back and centre front, then cut and sew and adjust until a nice shape eventually appears. It seems to be working so far. So tonight i cut out the sample spats pattern in some tartan i have had forever. I am sewing a centre front leg seam and they will lace up with eyelets along the centre back leg seam. I am thinking i will make them from the leather jacket sleeves, and add lace here and there to go with the theme for the show. So here are some pictures of the pattern i came up with, and the cut pieces ready to stitch. And here is one sample spat all done with a touch of lace. Fits quite well, Yay! Oh, and i have finished the celtic cross patch for the back of the vest. My next big challenge will be to come up with a pants design which works for the tartan fabric from the skirt...So thats all for now - and with 11 weeks to finish it i think i am on target!

O for awesome in Oamaru

Having started feeling reasonably ambivilant to going down to Oamaru Heritage Week for the long weekend, I finished our getaway with fresh inspiration and a head somewhat distracted by design possibilities. Work/home/life in general has had more than its fair share of stress lately, so going away seemed like just another thing to get through. However leaving Christchurch gave me the opportunity to leave my worries behind as well. And just enjoy myself - have some much needed family time and fun. Andy was in the demonstration team for Bike Polo (which came about in the late Victorian era by the way) - who would have thought?!?!? Except back then they played on rather unforgiving bikes on grass. Its a bit more technical these days. Anyhow, I have taken some pics of my experience of some of the Victorian themed Heritage week. Interspursed are some rather exciting Steampunk costumes - Oamaru being the Steampunk Capital of NZ - that celebration happens in June each year, so that will definetly be on the cards for a visit!

the final frock stars refashion

Day 4 and 5 sorted of blurred into each other, and culminated in a late night of slightly wobbly hand stitching and blurry eyes

back view

bow detail at the bodice

front view

i decided to make a head piece with the belt

It's not entirely how I wanted it - I think I could have done a bit better, but I'm happy with it considering my short time frame due to my rather busy existence of late!
My lovely husband got it overnight couriered for me down to Fairle...and i am looking forward to seeing all the before and after images of shock frocks to frock stars! Yay!

Day 3 of Shock Frock to Rock Frock

So day two was a wee while ago - in between it has been school holidays - which had us juggling work and kiddies and a lovely trip to Hamner with family...Speaking of family, my amazing bro-bro in law (my sisters bro-in-law to be exact) made this amazing brazier - he never does things by halves:

Isn't it amazing - he made the words out with a gas cutter

Anyhow - day three of my frock remake is looking like this:

the collar has become the bust ruffle

This is the back - not sure why it wants to be sideways!?!?!

and this shows the slashed sleeve detail

I slashed the sleeve, edged it with vintage satin bias binding and stitched vintage pearl buttons along it - a bit of a medieval touch!  The satin underskirt is some leftover fabric i was given by a friend who had been sewing up bridesmaid dresses...

So anyway,  i have to post it off on the 7th of August - which is coming up fast! Best get cracking... :)

Day two of shock frock to rock frock!

I got to use my new sewing shears for the first time today - i am still mourning the loss of my old Toledo shears - they were cruely butchered by a person who was supposed to be sharpening them!
However here is the progress from day 2:

the upcycling begins

I tried the collar look, but it immediately gave an Elvis look, so ditched that idea for now.  Have cut the pleated skirt and soaking it to get the pleats out, which will give me more fabric to play with.  I am currently searching through my stash to find some floaty fabric that goes with it, to experiment with a flowing skirt look.  

Stay tuned for the next installment of  my frock stars upcycling project!

A much needed breath of fresh creative air

I finally got to run a workshop - and it was an upcycling workshop - my favourite type!

It was sooooo much fun - partly because it has been such a long process to finally run a workshop.  My first few contacts for running workshops sounded promising, but fell through - which was quite hard to recover from - hence the gap in my posts of late.  Suffice to say its been a really tough month of soul searching, general confusion and angst...
However Saturday's workshop was a breath of fresh, creative air.  My brief was to help people find op shop clothes and transform them into costumes for the Lyttelton Projects Festival of Lights Parade next week.
A perfect situation of the op shop being down stairs and the workshop room upstairs.  After a few trips we were ready to start.
Check out the lovely Sacha - she has always wanted her own tutu, so we set to work.  One girls raincoat, two woman's dresses,  a cosmetic bag and soft toy later, and she was all set to rock the parade in her tutu.  And if it rains her tutu is waterproof, so she won't get wet legs!

isn't the wee softie cute!

some ties attach the cosmetic bag around her waist for a hand pocket

awwww!

my trusty elna supermatic finally getting some action!

So that was one of the lovely outfits upcycled from opshop treasures. It was such a privilege to be part of Sacha's exciting upcycling learning curve -and so cool to see someone so happy with their creation!