All posts filed under: Crafty stuff

Welcome to my sewing space(s): The WSB sewing room tour

Published by The Dreamstress

A month or more ago, the lovely Gemma of the Wellington Sewing Bloggers Network had the cunning idea that we should all show off our sewing spaces ‘as they really are’, to show people how we sew and organise (or don’t 😉 ). I though: Fabulous idea!  Of course I’ll be in! And then I realised my spot on the tour would cooincide with absolute madness in my life: hosting a party with dozens of people through the house, teaching in the day at uni and every night of the week sewing classes.  Plus working on a massive sewing project.  Not to mention that my sewing space has never actually been turned into a ‘space’ since we moved in – it’s just had stuff shoved in it.  So you REALLY are seeing my sewing space in the raw!  It gets a LOT tidier than this (I can be obsessively neat at times), and will be getting much better organised, and more thought out as I figure out the space. So there is my caveat!  Now …

Dressing the house: Lampshades & Lampshade making

Published by The Dreamstress

I teach sewing classes at Made on Marion in Wellington, but for the last couple of years Maryanne has been teaching lampshade making classes, and I have been soooo envious. Not because I want to teach lampshade making (for one thing, I didn’t know how to make a lampshade), but because all the lampshades that came out of the class were sooo gorgeous, and I desperately wanted to take the class and make my own! Unfortunately, out old flat was really, really small, and there was simply no-where to put a lamp, plus, I didn’t want to make one that might not go with a house if we managed to buy one! But, yay, back in Feb we bought our house, and as soon as we did I was on the hunt for lamps and lampstands! In June, I had a lampstand (and some lamps) and a free weekend, so major excitement: class time! Not only did I get to take the class, but I got to take it with Madame O: sooo fun! Madame …

High heels for kings, empresses and Nana

Published by The Dreamstress

For my Historical Sew Fortnightly ‘The Politics of Fashion’ challenge I present a carry-on from my Art submissions.  I’ve knocked off another little bit of Manet’s Nana’s outfit by making high heeled  1877 evening shoes. Like Nana’s shoes, mine feature very high Louis heels, a black velvet or suede ground (mine are faux suede), and gold decorations on the toes  – I went for gold lace with gold beading. I made my shoes by taking a pair of 1990s shoes that had the right basic silhouette, and (most importantly) the right heel: a high Louis heel. Unfortunately, they were cut far too high in the foot, so I had to cut them down. Then I bound the edges (an endeavor that required pliers to pull the needles through, bent one and broke two) where I had cut them. Next, it was time for the lace.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have any suitable gold lace in the stash because I de-stashed my 1990s gold bridal lace bits because (duh) they were 1990s gold bridal lace bits, and …