Black Circle Skirt

Hey look, another black jersey item...how exciting! 

Yes fine, it's not the most challenging make, but I'd argue that a good circle skirt is a pretty essential part of a wardrobe. Especially when that wardrobe has to fit into a rucksack and spend the next two weeks travelling by rail and bus through Poland, Germany and France. 

It was for that very reason that I chose this black, textured double-knit jersey from my gigantic eBay haul of a couple of years ago. The fabric's weight gave the skirt a nice drape, while the all-over crinkly texture helped disguise most packing wrinkles. I was able to shake it out of the bag and put it on without fussing with an iron. Best of all, it helped me look and feel slightly more elegant - even when I was just wearing a t-shirt - then the pair of shorts and crumpled trousers I'd brought along. 

The lovely team at By Hand London brought out a circle skirt app several months ago - if you haven't tried it yet, what the hell are you waiting for? It's helped simplify things so much, and was what I used to make this skirt. I've used it before to make another circle skirt - a navy and white striped piece that has yet to be blogged. And now I keep wanting to make more skirts! I'm currently restraining myself from making 20 different circle skirts, but it's hard to do when the app makes it so easy and the results are so comfortable. 

There's not much else to say about this skirt really - other than I really LOVE IT and have worn it A LOT. So much, in fact, that I have to make a conscious effort not to wear it every week so the people I work with don't think I only have one set of clothes. I really should make one or two more circle skirts in other fabrics to change things up a bit. 

What else? It's got a lapped zipper, and a waistband made of the same fabric, which unfortunately stretched a bit but is really useful for when I've eaten too much. Oh, it's also got big, deep pockets, lined in big pink fabric. For keeping my hands in, either on cold days or when I'm feeling awkward and have no idea what to do with them.

 Sunglasses - Shotgun Wedding at the Tea Rooms, T-shirt - op-shop, Skirt - self-made, Bag - op-shop, plimsolls - John Lewis

Hip To Be Square

Apologies for the rather embarrassing title. I've been in a cushion-making mood recently. They don't take much time to sew, and they always help me feel like I've done a whole lot of work when in fact all I've done is to join up a bunch of straight lines. 

These two crazy patterned ones above were a housewarming gift for a friend. If you were thinking 'Wow, she's joined those fabrics really well!' I'm sorry, but I didn't . The fabric came with this pattern - or rather, 4 strips of insane patterns, running side by side down the whole length of the fabric. Because whoever designed it felt that having just one wasn't enough. 

This rather Christmassy creation was the result of a hideous acrylic poncho that a friend insisted on giving to me. So I cut it up and used the material for cushions! I made two of these - one is available on Etsy (along with a slightly different design, and the other is available at the stall. Send me a message if you want both of them.

The cushions in these last two photos are also currently available at the Tea Rooms stall. The fabrics for these came from a  some op-shops in Poland, and were originally a child's tunic and a massive kaftan, respectively. In the bottom photo, you can see both the front (left) and back (right) of the kaftan cushions. the fronts were cut from the kaftan, while the envelope backs make use of some fabric from my mother-in-law. 

Making cushions always help me feel very accomplished and efficient, so don't be surprised to see more of these here in the near future!

After The Rain

A colony of mushrooms sprung up after a rainy weekend in Stalowa Wola, Poland. 

Polish It Off

Manbacon and I spent the first few days of October in Poland, ostensibly for his cousin's wedding, but in reality we were getting fed until we were fit to burst. Not that I'm complaining. 

We drank lots of kompot, which is basically fruit (in this case, apples) boiled in plenty of water, and sweetened with sugar. 

Lots of cured meat products, including sausages, bacon and plenty of ham - for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between snacks. 

Manbacon caught a cold which he then thoughtfully transferred to me. His parents made us this rather interesting concoction of milk, butter, garlic and honey to drink before bedtime. I know it sounds disgusting, but it was honestly rather pleasant. 

Delicious homemade golabki (go-womp-kee), served with a sort of cabbage and meat stew in the second picture. 

These two pictures above are just a couple of dishes we were served at the wedding. However, after all that delicious homecooked food, the food here paled in comparison. The pork was dry and chewy, and most of the other dishes were just uninspiring. 

More photos to come in the next few posts!

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. 

Green

Stalowa Wola, Poland, July 2011

Melody Makers

Manbacon's father is a pretty damned awesome accordion player. We, unfortunately, are all filler and no killer. 

Two

Rusty Pencil Skirt

When I was in Poland this past summer, my mother-in-law decided to offload some fabric and asked me to pick out some that I thought I could use. This velvety soft needlecord was one of the ones I choose - I was  feeling ambitious and thought I would use it for a 'light autumnal jacket' but then of course I realised that I probably wouldn't be able to make it in time for cooler weather so shelved the idea for a bit. 

Feeling the need for a casual skirt recently, I set about looking through my stash and remembered the needlecord. I love corduroy skirts and trousers - as a teenager I owned a particularly soft pair of jeans in builders's-tea-brown that I could hardly bare to put in the wash, I loved it that much.

This skirt is basically a shortened version of my pencil skirt pattern - minus four inches at the hem, and with a thinner waistband. It has a lapped centre back metal zipper and a vintage plastic button to close the waistband. The short length also meant I didn't have to put in a vent at the back to help with walking. 

The skirt isn't lined, because I plan on wearing it even in the summer - it's definitely thin enough for that. However, I did try to make the insides extra special with some minty-green cotton bias binding around the raw edges and hem. I've become quite a fan of Hong Kong binding recently - it just seems to finish off items so prettily and it feels like a little present to yourself everytime you put on the skirt/dress/whatever. It's an immensely comfortable skirt  that will see quite a bit of wear from me. 

Jacket - found on street, blouse - Toast, skirt - selfmade, tights - supermarket, shoes - Converse, brooches - vintage

Bits of Krakow

Dragon's Den on Wawel Hill (nope, not that Dragon's Den).

 Lovely buildings covered in greenery. Probably not great for preventing damp or letting much light in, but still gorgeous nonetheless.

 Stare Miasto - the old town.

P-p-p-poniesssss!

Eating Europe Part 4 - Poland

Ate soooo much in Poland - this is just from the first couple of days. 

Manbacon's mother presented us with this wonderful meal as soon as we arrived home in Stalowa Wola - freshly made breaded pork and warm, buttered new potatoes with dill, as well as the obligatory plate of pickles. The perfect meal for two tired travelers on a rainy afternoon.

I got hungry during a walk around the neighbourhood, so we headed in to Ekspres Bistro for a pick-me-up meal of pierogi, served with a garnish of crispy fried lard.

Delicious homebaked goodies (again, made by Manbacon's mum) - raspberry cake with a jelly layer on top, as well as Polish-style apple cake-pie.

Oh, and bread from a street stall in Krakow - it was so deliciously chewy I forgot to document it until very nearly the last bite. You'll see little old ladies selling these behind blue metal and glass carts all over Krakow. Did I mention I went to Krakow too? Well, I did.

More to come soon...

Summer Safari Dress

The fabric for this dress started life as a duvet cover, before I chanced on it in the op-shop. Imagine that, someone had a zebra print duvet cover! I want to meet that person and talk to them about our mutual love for animal print furnishing fabrics! They probably didn't love it that much though, since they gave it away. 

 I was going for a simple 1960s-inspired shift dress look, and decided to draft the pattern myself. It's a simple sleeveless bodice, with two slanted pockets on an A-line skirt. The whole thing closes at the back with a vintage metal-toothed zipper. I'd also drafted a Peter Pan collar for the bodice, but decided to forgo it due to the print's busyness. 

 

Dress - selfmade, Scarf - market stall in Krakow, Black tights - random, Shoes - market stall in Stalowa Wola