All posts filed under: Sewing

Things I sew – historical and modern

Labyrinth with Wearing History Nanette Blouse thedreamstress.com01

The Nanette Blouse goes geeky

What do you do if you realise that if you add a wig, grey leggings and a vest to the Wearing History Nanette Blouse, you have a perfect Jareth from Labyrinth costume? Obviously you have a Labyrinth photoshoot! And what do you do when your friend’s 11 month old looks exactly like Toby from Labyrinth had a twin sister? Obviously you make little Tobie a red & white striped top and leggings, and steal her for your photoshoot! Don’t worry, I gave her back before the 13 hours was up! It turns out that Labyrinth is a great theme for a kiddie photoshoot, because you get to use fun sparkly props. They are perfect for keeping the wee one distracted and looking in the right direction. My sparkle is a Czech glass necklace and the prism top from a decanter – I was improvising! My makeup is another improvisation. It was all done with a single $5 eyeshadow palette! I’m not a makeup expert (to put it mildly), so I was really pleased with …

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hedgehog [Shorts]

Published by The Dreamstress

It’s been a very warm summer in Wellington. The warmest summer on record in fact. So I’ve been making, and wearing, lots and lots and lots of shorts, and lots, and lots of short-sleeved Scroop Miramar tops. I tend to make my shirts in solids and stripes, but I like fun, patterned bottoms. Summer shorts should be a wee bit silly. You’ve already seen my Smaug Shorts as a pretty good example of that. When it comes to fun and wacky, my latest pair of shorts leaves the Smaug shorts well in the dust. Yes. They have hedgehogs all over them. In green and fuchsia purple: I just couldn’t resist when the fabric came in at Made Marion Craft. It’s a beautifully soft cotton drill, and Hedgehog Girl is my superhero alter ego after all (she rescues hedgehogs). I know it’s slightly ridiculous to wear hedgehog shorts when you’re on the dark side of 30, but I’ve embraced the fact that slightly ridiculous is something I’m OK with being. Fuchsia and bamboo green on taupe-grey …

Scroop Patterns call for pattern testers scrooppatterns.com

Scroop Patterns – Pattern Testers Needed!

Published by The Dreamstress

UPDATE: Thank you all, applications to test this pattern are now CLOSED. I’ve got a new Scroop Pattern ready to be tested! I did a general call for pattern testers a year and a half ago, and that gave me a fantastic pool to work from. I’m incredibly grateful for all the amazing people who responded, even if the sheer volume meant I wasn’t able to use everyone as a tester. After 18th months (and now that there are so many new Scroop fans – thank you all!), I realise that people may no longer be in the same position to test. From now on I’ll be doing calls for pattern testers for individual patterns. So, who wants to test my next pattern? The Pattern: It’s a modern zipped hoodie pattern with design options ranging from very classic, to very quirky. The pattern comes in the full Scroop Patterns size range, from size 30-52 Sizes 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 Body Measurements in Inches Bust 30 32 34 …