None More Black Bustier Top

Hello, remember me? I fell off the blogging map for a bit. My excuse? The computer imploded, and despite being married to an IT genius, I had to survive on an ancient Mac laptop that was basically help together with several reels of sticky tape for the next few months. My hands have been far from idle during this period - this bustier is one of a number of items I've sewn up but haven't had time to blog about yet. 

I intended this to be a wearable toile, before cutting into my fancy fabrics. The material came from two old skirts - a corduroy one that had seen better days, and a velvet skirt that had already been partly incorporated into a pencil skirt. It was also lined with some scraps of double-knit jersey from my stash, to prevent any potential chafing situations. 

The bustier was based on Burdastyle 01/2012 #127 - it comes with a pattern for highwaisted pants which I will attempt sometime soon (in Spandex perhaps?). It's a relatively simple pattern, with three pattern pieces - centre front, sides and back. I also added some thick straps to it, which were traced from New Look 6675. The straps help prevent any embarrassing clothing malfunctions, and also stop me from having to hoik up the bustier every 10 seconds or so. The bustier was lengthened by about 1.5 inches, by attaching the waistband of the corduroy skirt to the bottom of the bustier. I felt that this gave it a more finished look, turning it from lingerie-style top to a proper 'outside' top.

I made it in a size 34 bust, and used the size 8 for the straps. Unfortunately, my shoulder-to-boob ratio (proper technical term) is slightly shorter than the long lithe creatures they usually design for, so the straps were just ever slightly too long. Which I only found out after wearing the top around town for a day, constantly fiddling and pulling them back up onto my shoulders. So I ended up unpicking about half the machine-sewn stitches and cutting about 1cm off the straps. The top fits so much better now but let me tell you, I could have stabbed someone with a seam-ripper when I had to do that correction.

The double-layer of thick fabric was perfect for April, which was when the bustier was finished and when these photos were taken. It was perfect over a high-waisted skirt or trousers, and under a light jacket or cardigan. However, the temperature has risen considerably since than, which means that I end up with a rather unglamourous line of sweat between my boobs. It's a very comfortable top for these warmer temperatures though, so I will be working on one of two more versions in the near future, made with much thinner fabric. 

Sunglasses - vintage (op-shop)
Necklace - op-shop
Denim jacket - Levi's (bought new about 15 years ago)
Bustier top - self-made
Belt - Sainsburys 
1970s skirt - op-shop

Black Poppy - Refashioned Floral Dress

The original dress (plus some wrinkles)

This dress, like so many of my other refashioned items, was found in an op-shop (for the bargain price of £2.99! I love Salvos!), and originally from Marks and Spencers. I loved the print and drapey fabric, and the bodice evoked 1940s dresses with its double-breasted opening. Unfortunately, it was a size 16, and way too long for me - the skirt went down to my ankles. The shoulders were also much too big, and padded as well, for full 1980s effect.

Out came my trusty seam ripper, and off went the sleeves and skirt. There was some elastic along the waist, so I gently unpicked that too, and saved it, just in case. I started by adding some bust and waist darts, and then took in an inch along each side seam, to bring in the bodice and make it a closer fit. The shoulders were still too big, so I cut off an inch at the top (narrowing it down to nothing at the bottom of the armscye). This of course meant the sleeves were a little too big when I tried to set them in, so instead of gathering and easing it in, I added two little pleats to the top of the sleeves. You can see how that turned out in the photo above - I'm quite pleased with it, although of course it means I have to iron them down after every wash.

After that, everything else got done fairly quickly and smoothly. I gathered the skirt and attached it back to the bodice, then reattached the elastic that I had unpicked from the dress earlier. The belt was still much too big though, so I added a couple more holes with the help of my trusty eyelet kit. I found mine in an op-shop, but you can find a similar kit here - trust me, it's more useful than you think it will be. 

The only thing left was to shorten the skirt. I briefly considered leaving it long, as I'm partial to a good mid-length skirt, but this just looked a little too mumsy for my taste. So I ended up taking a good EIGHT inches off, which left it at a nice just-above-the-knee length. Job done, and it's quickly become one of the dresses I reach for whenever I want to feel just a little bit (not too much) dressed up.

Short Shorts

Is it still too cold for shorts? It seems like Spring may never arrive at this rate, but I'm still optimistic and have churned out a number of shorts in brighter shades (that orange isn't really so fluoro in real life, the camera makes it look exceptionally vibrant for some reason). I'm sure I've seen several hipsters hobbling down Brick Lane in recent weeks sporting tiny cut-offs over thick tights in recent weeks anyway.

Those two in the pictures above will make an appearance in the Etsy and Folksy shops - just as soon as I get to cutting out and sewing another pair. The ones up there are available in the Tea Rooms in a size M, and I've got enough to make a few more pairs of each. The blue border print pair below is a one-off in size S, made with the last bits of fabric from the HUGE vintage kaftan that was used to make the cushions in this post. Always match your clothing to your soft furnishings, that's what I say!

In one more bit of shop news...I've finally caved in and joined Twitter! You can find me over there under @BobbieandLola, and I believe I've added a button on the right for you to click on to. Join me, I'm lonely!

Recent Refashions

Alright, let's move on from those rather hideous Halloween photos onto something more pleasant, shall we? I think it's been a while since I've done a sewing-related post. It's not that I haven't done any sewing, it's just that most of the finished products have been for work, which mean the pieces usually come straight off the sewing machine and into the stall, with time only for a couple of quick snaps. 

First up, this khaki blouse. I forgot to do a 'before' shot, but it was just a standard fitted men's shirt originally from Joseph Conran (but which I probably purchased in an op-shop). As you can see, I cut the back off at waist height, then cut and sewed the front at an angle. The front of the shirt ended in points at the middle, so the middle can be tied up once the last two buttons are undone. I also unpicked the sleeves, cut it off about halfway down, then gathered and sewed the sleeves back to the top halves of the armscyes. 

I bought the next shirt because I couldn't tear my eyes away from that crazy pattern. It's a huge men's shirt, made with wool. There were some tears and holes just above the bottom hem of the shirt, so that had to be cut off. The collar went as well. 

 

I also unpicked the sleeves, and tried a similar trick to the khaki shirt above, except I cut them slightly shorter this time. To make the shirt narrower, I sewed some darts to the front and back of the bodice. The shirt was still much too wide, so I decided to add some elastic around the waist. I swear the elastic has been sewn on straight in real-life, even though it looks crazy cooked in the photo below. I also shirred the shoulders a little so they weren't droopy-looking. Lastly, some remnants were used to make a removable bow, which you can just barely see in the picture below, pinned to the top of the button placket. 

Finally, this rather florid men's shirt, foisted onto me by a very persistent friend who clearly didn't understand the phrase 'no-i-don't-want-it-take-it-away'. Faced with yet another oversized men's shirt, I decided to do what I usually do with them, and cut it up.

 

The shirt was made of a very soft viscose, and looked much livelier once it was given a wash and iron. I removed the sleeves, and finished off the edges with some bias binding folder under. The top collar was next to go, while the collar stand was left on for a Mandarin collar look. I then cut a two strips of fabric from the unpicked sleeves, and attached them to the sides to form a couple of ties. The refashion was nearly complete, but I felt it needed something more. MOAR! It was then I remembered some soft vintage lace I had in my stash. I cut off a long length of it (about twice as long as the hem of the shirt) and gathered it to the bottom hem, which resulted in a new, asymmetric hemline. The lace also helped add some much needed length to the shirt, transforming it from tunic-length to proper dress-length. 

I've just finished a few more refashions, which will be featured in another upcoming post. Stay tuned!

Park Life - Refashioned Dress

Nope, not auditioning for Singing In The Rain, in case you were wondering why I happen to be posing with a umbrella. These photos were shot on a afternoon when the sky went from frowny nacreous grey to a honey golden light - the kind that Tumblr dreams are made of - all in the space of the less-than-five-minutes it takes to walk to the local park. 

Anyway, back to this dress - another op-shop find which I rather uncharacteristically resisted buying right away, only to keep thinking about it and go back for it two days later. Of course, it was still on the same rack. What, no one else finds a sack-like, shoulderpadded 1980s muumuu desirable? You fools!

It's awesome pointed collar and lovely, soft fabric with that sort of 1950s print was what convinced me. I took it home, and decided to chop off the sleeves, unpad the shoulders, and remove some of the length. That made it a lot better, but it was still too wide. I looked like a green square. I got some elastic, and sewed it to each side of the waist seam, which brought it all in and made the dress a lot more fitted. 

Verdict? This dress is so comfortable that I've already worn it three times in the first week. It's now in the laundry suitcase waiting for a wash, and then it'll be worn again and again and again and again and again...I sure, it's like wearing pyjamas in public, except I don't look disapprovingly at my reflection and raise the corner of my upper lip. The picture below shows you exactly how smug I feel when I wear pyjama-comfy clothes in public - it's practically cheating!

Black felt hat - vintage, antique umbrella - available at the Bobbie and Lola stall, faux leather jacket - Primark, dress - refashioned, tights - Sainsburys, purple suede brogues - Marks and Spencers

The Playtime Playsuit

This post has been rather a long time coming. I finished the onesie (or playsuit, if you prefer) months ago, and waited patiently for a sunny day so I enact a photshoot featuring the onesie and I frolicking in the park. This being London in 2012, the rare sunny days seemed to fall on days when I was at cooped up inside. So I settled for my hospital-blue bedroom wall instead. 

The item in question came about relatively easily - a Frankenpattern involving my trusty bodice block and the highwaisted shorts I made around this time last year. The darts were moved to meet up at the waist seam, and the waistband of the shorts where removed before joining it up with the bodice. Lapped zipper at centre back to get in and out, finished off with a hook-and-eye at the top to prevent any embarrassing mishaps. Still not the most convenient of outfits to wear if you find yourself needing some...relief, though. 

Hat - Topshop, Onesie - selfmade, Belt - vintage, Tights - Sainsburys

You know what the best part of this outfit is? Besides the fact that it is a onesie, that is. It was practically FREE! The blue chambray-looking (but actually most likely polyester) fabric came from my mother-in-law, while the blue and white nautical-themed collar come by courtesy of the divine Miss Valentine. 

Quite pleased with myself that this little experiment turned out the way I thought it would. However, since I'm unlikely to wear this onesie much, I think it end up in my Etsy shop or Tea Rooms stall instead. 

The Picnic Dress Refashion

Dress - refashioned, Belt - vintage, Satchel - op-shop, Shoes - Brussels, Sunglasses - op-shop

Some of you might remember this dress from my 'Handmade Holiday' post earlier this month. Well, glance down to to view its original incarnation. 

 

I know, it looks like I got swallowed by a picnic blanket, right? The dress was discovered - as with so many of my other clothes - in a local op-shop. It was clearly waayyyy to big, but I can't seem to resist red-and-white gingham. So I bought it, with the idea of harvesting the fabric to make...something. 

After trying it on back home, I realised that with a few nips and tucks, it would make a fairly nice little sundress-type thing. Grabbing my trusty seam ripper, I proceeded to unpick the skirt from the bodice portion. To make the bodice more fitted, I added waist darts to front and back. The unflattering sleeve length was dealt with, by simply hacking off a few inches. I then hacked more length off the bottom of the skirt, to bring it up to above-knee length. To finish up, a gathering thread was sewn through the top of the job, before I gathered it slightly and re-attached it to the bodice. Voila! 

Well, not quite...the puffy sleeves still made me look like I was an American football player in drag. Not exactly a good look on me. I dealt with that troublesome area by cutting two tiny pieces of elastic (each about 5cm long). The elastic was then stretched and sewn along the underside of the shoulder seams, to give a shirred effect and reduce the shoulderpadded look. 

Despite the darts, the waist area was still a little baggy, and I found it looked better with a belt around it. The dress is made of a very thin polycotton material, which turned out to be very see-through - er,  diaphanous, I mean - especially in bright sunlight. Problem? Meet solution - a part of shorts. It's the same thing I did back in school, and it makes me feel so much more confident when wearing short skirts. 

Handmade Holiday

I've just returned from a short but intense week-long holiday to Belgium and France, during which I set myself a challenge to wear at least one handmade or refashioned item everyday. 

Day 1 - London to Brussels (by Eurostar, so glamourous)

Sunglasses - op-shop

Faux leather jacket - Primark

Vintage silk scarf - Wimbledon car boot

Refashioned grey dress - op-shop (originally handmade by someone else too!)

Vintage canvas bag - op-shop

Vintage Coca Cola duffel bag - op-shop

Tights - 60 denier Pretty Polly black tights from Sainsburys

Shoes - Black school plimsolls from Bata, Singapore

Day 2 - Brussels to Bruges (taken at the Atomium)

Sunglasses - op-shop

Red silk blouse - op-shop

Rust brown corduroy shorts - Handmade (finished the day before I left, and yet to be blogged, but pretty much the same pattern as these shorts, except with slanted pockets)

Canvas bag - op-shop

Day 3 - Bruges (excuse the fluffy post-wash no hairdryer/comb hair)

Sunglasses - op-shop (same again...)

Refashioned gingham dress - op-shop (also finished just before I left so as yet unblogged)

Pasty white legs and bruised knees - all mine, baby, all mine. They have seen no sun for about 5 years. Nice

Canvas bag - op-shop (it converts into a backpack too!)

Black trainers - 10 euro purchase from a random shop in Brussels because my plimsolls were hurting me. 

Day 4 - Bruges to Lille (sweating it out in front of the Frietmuseum, which we did not visit)

Sunglasses - op-shop

Blue cotton shirt - stall in Bangkok night market

Yellow shorts - handmade

Canvas bag - op-shop

Day 5 - Lille (much cooler weather so the legs went back into hiding)

Sunglasses - just kidding, didn't bring them along today!

Faux leather jacket - Primark 

Blue cotton shirt - Bangkok night market stall

Green rayon blouse - handmade 

Rust-brown corduroy shorts - handmade and as yet unblogged

Black tights - Sainsbury's Pretty Polly

Pink socks - Bangkok night market 2nd hand stall

Black trainers - 10 euro purchase from a random shop in Brussels (these were my first purchase in Belgium)

Day 6 - Lille to Calais (with special guest star Peter Falk aka Columbo)

Sunglasses - same old, same old

Faux leather jacket - Primark

Red gingham dress - Refashioned vintage dress, found in op-shop

Canvas bag - op-shop

Red belt - vintage, MVE

Black tights - Sainsburys

Shoes - random shop in Brussels

Day 7 - Calais then back to Blighty

Sunglasses - same as above

Blue cotton shirt - 2nd hand stall at Bangkok night market

Red silk blouse - op-shop

Yellow cotton shorts - handmade

Black tights - Sainsburys

Pink socks - Bangkok night market stall

Black trainers - random Brussels shoe shop

Whew! A whole week of mostly handmade, remade, vintage and secondhand! I try to pack as lightly as possible for trips, hence the constant repetition of several pieces, but I'm happy to report that my handmade items held up brilliantly throughout a very active week. 

More photos of the trip to come soon...

Bloomin' Marvellous

Limited numbers of handmade Bobbie and Lola bloomers are now available from I Heart Gallery in Sydney, Australia! Run by fabulous Sunny, the shop stocks a number of indie designers from around Australia, as well selected vintage items. Sunny also regularly organises markets and other fun events - check their Facebook page for more information. 

These bloomers are made from vintage tie fabric which was originally produced in Germany. If you're interested in getting hold of some but aren't anywhere near Sydney, feel free to get in touch via my Etsy shop and I'll be happy to make them to order! 

The Red Packet Dress

Red envelopes filled with money, known as red packets or 'hong bao', are often exchanged during the Chinese New Year. Which was the reason for my trip to Singapore - so I could give out (and receive) some of those delightful envelopes! It is also traditional to wear a new outfit for the Chinese New Year, and although I never need an excuse for a new outfit, I was very happy to work on a new dress for the occasion. 

It may have been a 'new' dress, but the fabric certainly wasn't brand new. The shiny, red brocade fabric came from eBay about six months ago - I think they started life in the 1960s destined to become curtains, but were left somewhere and forgotten about, until I got my hands on them. Curtains? No way, they were much too magnificent for that!

Dress - selfmade, Tights - Sainsburys, Shoes - Hongkong (a very long time ago)

The dress itself is fairly simple - a sleeveless, jewel necked bodice, with darts at midriff and bust, and a half-circle skirt on the bottom. I lined the bodice with some cream habutai silk - very luxurious, and very comfortable too, especially in the tropical heat. I also put in a lapped zipper in the centre back seam, using a vintage metal zipper from my stash. 

The brocade fabric is fairly thick, so I ended up with a fairly heavy dress, and I was worried that I would be sweating in a very unladylike manner throughout the day. I'd even thought of bringing a petticoat along to give the skirt even more floof, but then decided against giving myself heatstroke. Good thing I decided against that option! When the time came though, the dress actually turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, and the perspiration was kept to a very bare minimum. I'm pretty sure the habutai lining helped in keeping cool - I'm definitely a fan of it now. It may be more expensive than other kinds of lining material, but I think it's worth the expense. 

Lastly, I finished the hem with some horsehair braid (following Gertie's tutorial) to give it some shape. That handsewing very nearly defeated me - I was frantically catchstitching just hours before my flight on Friday morning. I think it was worth it though - the hem certainly stands out nicely instead of hanging limply around my knees. 

Looking like a walking, talking red packet certainly seemed to pay off during the Chinese New Year, as I ended up collecting quite a few of those wonderful envelopes during the course of my holiday!

Handpicked

Burdastyle has been rather generous to me this month. I'm still trying to get my head down to its usual size after being featured recently, so imagine my surprise when, while scrolling through it's December Handpicks just now, I happened upon a rather familiar looking refashioned shirt?! Thank you Burda!

P.S. The aforementioned shirt will be available in the shop soon, once I get my arse into gear and list it.