Tag: summer

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Behind the Collection

behind-the-collection

Good design should empower the wearer. It should make them feel like they are the most amazing person and even if no one sees it, the wearer knows it to be true.

For me, my best design work comes from a need or a want being fulfilled and finding inspiration in the things around me.

So how did I end up designing a range of knickers?

I’ve had a rough start to the year. I’ve been unwell and instead of being out enjoying the amazing summer, I’ve been stuck indoors trying to get better. In doing so I did a few things

  • pledged to make a huge go of destashing my enormous amount of fabric
  • cleaned out my closet including the underwear drawer.
  • read Pride and Prejudice for the millionth or more time
  • got totally hooked on The Lizzie Bennett diaries – a You Tube series of the modern day version of Pride and Prejudice, highly addictive and awesome

In no particular order these things made me realise that there is a little bit of the Pride and Prejudice characters in all of us, that the story is still relevant in modern times and that miles of pretty fabrics and trims could be turned into really lovely practical, cute and sexy knickers.

Teaming up with my sister a professional patternmaker we got to work. I did the designs, she made the patterns, I made the samples, she did the alterations, I wrote the instructions. It was very much a back and forth with each of us using our strengths.

Now I like pretty knickers, but I know that for lots of people they just want something simple, no fuss, easy and that’s what I want some of the time too.

So how to design a product for the no fuss practical ladies and the ones who might want a bit more?

Easy, we have included you in the design process.

In each pattern pack you will get
1 – the pattern in sizes 6 to 18 (Australian sizes)
2- the instruction booklet. For many of them you can have your choice of woven fabric and sew it up as per the instructions and you will have a totally serviceable pair of knickers.
3 -The Designer Manual. Here we teach you the tricks of the trade, where you take a simple silhouette and you build on it with trims, colours, fabrics. You even get a page of silhouettes for you to come up with your own ideas.

Each style has been named after one of the amazing ladies of Pride and Prejudice. If you find yourself more like the wild and free Lydia then there is a style for you. More like the conservative and practical Charlotte then there is one for you too. You can see my Pride and Prejudice Pinterest board here and each style has it’s own Pinterest board as well so we can add all the variations of the style to help inspire you more.

Hopefully everyone finds a little bit of themselves in these styles and rewards themselves with some pretty knickers and a chance to try out being their own designer.

Take the inspiration from you around, from what you love, what makes you smile and design something that will make you feel like the amazing person you are.

 

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Sewing Adventures

Big weekend of sewing but most of the projects are not ready to share yet. This one is more of a toile/muslin* but looks cute.

colette nutmeg

It’s been getting warm at night and I thought that one of these sweet Colette Pattern Nutmeg‘s might be the answer, so I raided the scrap box and cut out the bralette top. With everything on the bias I went with a patchwork look. It worked out surprisingly well and looks adorable in real life.

You can see I have added a centre front seam to the top panel, this was purely to fit it into the limited amount of fabric I had on hand,  added some silk velvet ribbon as straps as I thought the colours matched well.

Construction wise there were some odd elements. The facing on the top edge is no end of annoying and will never sit in place unless I add another line of stitching across the top cup, next time I would simply cut 2 top panels and bag the entire area out which will not only eliminate the facing but also add more structure to the whole thing. At the centre back straps, it is finished with hand stitching, this would wear very easily, so I bagged out the back panels and moved the opening to the side seam and concealed it there. Much easier and much stronger. Despite these changes it came together quickly and everything lined up.

Once it was together I tried it on and it looks well, awful. Fit wise it covers all that it needs to cover and the elastic is in the right place and the straps are doing what they should, but the complete lack of support just made me look dreadful. I’m not large chested but it would seem that if you are bigger than a B cup that this unsupported style doesn’t do you any favours.

Thankfully it is only a test piece and it didn’t take too long to sew. I think I will look for something that has a different construction/support system and see how that works out?

*I’m never sure if to refer to my tests as toiles or muslins. At fashion college it was strictly a toile and I’ve continued to use that term ever since. However I see that muslin is the preferred term on sewing blogs when talking about test garments. So if I occasionally say toile instead of muslin you will know what I mean.

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Summer dresses

Today is going to be a scorching 39 degrees Celsius here in Sydney.

So naturally I’ve been up early, put up heavy sunblock curtains on the windows that face the sun and had all the blinds pulled down low since the sun came up.

With a day packed filled with meetings I did my weights session early, got the washing out on the line and selected a cool cotton dress to wear.

Walking into the city I saw so many women dressed in the most simple and stunning dresses. A red patterned strapless maxi dress was paired with a cleverly tied lightweight cotton scarf to create the illusion of straps and offer some sun protection.

A mustard multi layer voile dress had a fitted bodice and a tightly gathered skirt and looked the picture of summer ease, as it was atop a mint green step through bicycle with a wicker basket on the front.

Even now on the train I can see a zip front navy sweetheart neckline dress with teeny tiny yellow flowers scattered across it, a simple shift in a Liberty style floral and I’m wearing my pink Cynthia Rowley.

Thank goodness for the ease and style of a nice dress, it really makes the heat easier to cope with.

Stay cool today and try and avoid the heat!

(Update: what I had thought was a simple shift in a Liberty style floral, actually had a front filled with inserted lace details. Pretty!).

Here are some fantastic summer dresses, photos by The Sartorialist

summer dress