Altering A Nightdress Into New Clothes

I picked up this incredible night dress in Kolkata last year. It was clearly too big for me, but I couldn't ignore the gorgeous green script print fabric and bold colour combinations so I decided to buy it with plans to alter it into something more wearable.

When it comes to be being ruthless I'm very brave so I started by cutting it in half to create a top and bottom section.

Originally I was thinking of changing the shape of the collar but when I tried it on it didn't need anything so I just brought it in at the sides to make it fit better by trimming off the edges with an overlocker before hemming the ends. 

The skirt was more complicated. I held it against me to choose the kind of length I liked and then decided to create a waistband which was cut separately. The waistband was going to be made from the excess green fabric but in the end I settled on a wide band of red cotton which was folded over and padded with interfacing. I also used a gathering foot to pull in the fabric to create a more wearable shape.

The most exciting part of this project was that it was the first time I used a button hole foot to affix buttons and make button holes. 

And here are the two finished garments just in time to wear for the summer! I love the flare the skirt has and the ''50s diner theme' of the top.

To be honest I feel like this blog post makes it look really simple but it did require patience, especially for the skirt which has a zip and buttons and there was quite a bit on unpicking but I got there in the end. It's definately given me the confidence to have a go at altering more garments - especially charity shop finds that don't fit! 

Book review: DIY Fashion Photoshoot Book

Photoshoot in Brighton 2010 Image by: Nick & Jolekha Shasha

The aspect of Selfie culture I like the most is these days the average person is so much more creative when it comes to taking photos. It's no longer just about standing in front of a building to remember you went somewhere, even if you're not a photographer, photography is an accessible form of creative expression. I'm not on Instagram but I do enjoy taking and starring in photos; especially when there are colourful backdrops involved. A few years back I directed myself in photoshoot just for fun one Saturday afternoon in Brighton (my brother-in-law and sister had the honours of being behind the camera.) This was a random wall we discovered down a random street, which just happened to have half my name on! Sometimes you can't plan for when and where a great photo could take place....but with a little help from this brilliant new book, you can make sure you're prepared for it. 

Aimed at the teenage market this is the book I a) wish I had when I was younger and b) wish I had written! Filled with kooky, crazy pictures and ideas, craft projects and inspiration about creating your own fashion shoots, it's the ultimate book to put to use over the school or college half-term holidays. It's written by We Are Photogirls, an organisation that engages young girls through the media of fashion, style and photography and is run by Emily and Celia who met at art college. Printed on sketchbook style matte paper and with a clean yet quirky design, it's good for flicking through as well as reading page by page.
These are some of my favourite sections. Be warned. After reading, you most likely will want to grab the nearest camera and take some photos!

MANIFESTO

The first page in the book sets the tone. There is no right or wrong in photography, it should be treated as a full-on creative experience without ever feeling intimidated by the professional industry who they point out is all airbrushed anyway. It's a positive message and one you can read over and over again.

IDEAS

Every page in the book has ideas but the one that I remember the most is this - taking a drawing and trying to recreate it just because of this remarkable example - a live installation of what was originally a children's sketch. I absolutely love this concept. 

MAKE-UP

Make-up isn't just about contoured cheekbones and false lashes...I've always been a fan of make-up but for this age group, it's often not explored in the right way. Instead of copying celeb looks as most mainstream magazines talk about, the books looks at make-up in a much more creative way like experimenting with face-painting techniques. 

Craft Projects

There's also an informative section about Art Direction which explains about the visual composition of an image like considering whether it's indoors or outdoors, what backdrops may be needed and if you can't source the props, tips on how to make them yourself. 

ORIGINAL CONCEPTS

It couldn't have been easy deciding which imagery would make it into the book but their choices are spot on. They've selected some seriously cool pictures to provide the visual eye candy. 

INSPIRATION

I love this concept too. Rather than just keeping scrapbooks filed with ideas from magazine clippings they, suggest taking one photo a day of something that grabs your interest. No need for flashy snaps either a quick mobile phone pic does the job. I need to follow this advice myself.

STREET STYLE

Finally they haven't overdone the street style element. They could have filled pages with it but limited themselves to the best street fashion in the world, Japan....oh how I wish I had a rubber duck necklace!

DIY Fashion Shoot Book by We Are Photogirls is out now and is published by Laurence King. 

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

Quick crafting: Ladybird Shoes

Everyone should own a pair of red shoes. 
I got my first pair when I was a baby. 

When I was seven, I slipped over in a pair and ended up in hospital, and missing weeks off school. My last pair were worn to death until every last bit of the sole had withered away. Sad times - they were very comfortable.

So I recently bought a new pair..only thing was they were a bit too ordinary looking, so I grabbed a black permanent marker pen and drew spots all over them.

I wasn't keen on the bows so I snipped them off, they were easy enough to remove, just held on by a few stitches.

Of course I couldn't leave them like that and they were obviously screaming out ladybird!

I made some from craft foam and glued them to the fronts. (Each piece is double-backed to make them strong).

 Then I wore them to the park.

All in all it took around 10 minutes and they make me feel happy.

How to get a new skirt: the cheat's way!

It was love at first sight the I moment I spied this gorgeous floral print cotton fabric in my local haberdashery Roll & Rems. I knew it had to be worn to be celebrated properly, but at the moment I don't have time to make new clothes from scratch. Customising on the other hand is the perfect alternative...

I found a black mini skirt lurking at the back of my wardrobe. I had originally purchased it in a charity shop but have never worn it. I rarely wear black, but I bought it as it was cheap and just incase I ever need a black skirt...(yes that old chestnut!)

I laid the skirt on to the fabric, unzipped the back and tucked the edge over the top hems.

Once this was pinned in place, I folded the fabric in at each side and lined the edges up at either side of the zip so that they would't get caught allowing the zip to still work. 

TOP TIP: Don't pull the fabric across the back too tightly, otherwise you may prevent some of the natural movement of the garment, making it a tighter fit. It's worth trying it on at this stage to check.

I also trimmed off the excess that I didn't need.

Finally, I stitched the fabric in place on my sewing machine. Firstly across the top hem, removing the pins as I went. Then one side of the zip, and then the second, overlapping where both sides met at the bottom, under the zip, so that there was complete coverage  and no black skirt peeping through.

Voila! A completely new skirt in less than 30 minutes. So now I have a gorgeous floral skirt and I still have lots of lovely fabric left...question is, what do I do with the rest of it? Hmmmmm...

Tutorial: Bling Craft - Mirror makeover

I've so far blinged up my MAC computer screen, digital camera, mobile phone, iron and sewing machine...and on Wednesday night it was the turn of my make-up mirror. I recently realised that my beauty regime is being let down simply because my mirror is soooo boring:

Here's the evidence - a plain metal/bronze colour. It's one of those mirrors where you look normal on one side, then can flip it over to get a close up so you can apply details.

This kind of blingtastic makeover can happen to anything you own at home - a vase, tissue box, drawer, door knob, mug rack...whatever you think could do with some sparkle.

You will need:

• Acrylic gemstones (cheap, plastic coloured stones in assorted shades)....if you can afford it you could use Swarovski crystals for an exquisite million dollar looking design but I'm guessing 99% of my readers won't have that kind of money and you certainly need quite a few for complete coverage
• Glue gun & glue sticks
• Soft cloth

First of all use the cloth to wipe all over the item you want to pimp.

Don't worry about planning the design, just concentrate on positioning the largest stones first. Apply hot glue to the surface then place the gem on top. It will hold immediately, you won't be able to lift it off. Once all the big stones are in place, fill in every gap with smaller stones, then any remaining gaps with tiny ones, so every gap shimmers.

The main thing to remember is that glue guns dry quickly so you can't expect to glue the entire surface, it's easiest to glue each stone one at a time. Be patient - this project took me 2 hours but I was watching TV at the same time - Bling Crafting is good to do whilst you're watching a movie!

Voila!

I chose not to bling the bottom edge as a) this makes it easier to lift it and place down and b) I was running low on gems and didn't want them to look sparse, this concept is about cramming in as much as possible!

Here's a bird's eye angle, as well as the base and neck I customised the top of the mirror.

But I didn't do the bottom rim as the mirror still needs to move freely. It will dry immediately but you will need to do a little tidying up.

Fancy having a go? Here's 5 tips for Blinging Bliss:
1) Glue guns leave stringy lines of glue. Ignore these as you work, you can pull them off afterwards - if you leave them as they are, you will end up with a spider web type layer on top.
2) I recommend a glue gun despite the stringy finish because they are easy to use, fix fast and will hold the gems - some other strong glues can let you down also because it may take you a couple of hours to complete, you don't want to be using a super glue with a strong odour.
3) Should you spray on a layer of protective glue to make it last even longer? This is not necessary unless your item will spend long periods outside like if it's a garden pot or is something you will travel with. Adhesive sprays can leave a dulling effect so if you do use one, when it's dry, give the surface a quick cloth polish up.
4) Where to get gemstones - I get mine from Creative Beadcraft - I've been using them for many years - they are a jewellery making specialist and you will find that most jewellery stores sell acrylic beads in packs. You may also find them in a general art and craft supply shops, possibly stocked in the children's section or check out Ebay or one of my other fave online stockists Josy Rose.
5) Though stones alone give a wonderful finish, if I was to do this again I would use some white pearly beads in amongst them to add a sophisticated twist - it will also tone it down if you feel it's too much colour overload - or stick to a palette of about three colours.
Happy Blinging!

How to make & customise: super simple stockings

Stocking fillers are the best Christmas gifts. I’d be happy is Santa delivered me something cheap & cheerful from Poundland...as long as it’s not coal (but I’m not a naughty girl so I don’t need to worry!)

Of course Santa gives the best prezzies to the people with the best stockings. I recently designed stockings for Dog’s Monthly magazine (for the pet and the owner!), pictured above. And below are a selection of handmade stockings to inspire you, made by staff from the V& A Museum. I ran a special Christmas craft workshop for them for their recent away day.

  The plan was for staff to hang them in their work corridor for everyone to admire.

  I gathered lots of spangly materials and let them loose on my supplies.

They beavered away for 1.5 hours. All 25 of them!

To make your own super simple stocking, simply draw two basic stocking shapes on a piece of felt (these ones were just less than A4 in size), and cut them out.

Then pick your embellishments and get crafting! Sew, glue, paint, draw, glitter, bead, sequin, embroider or write…whatever takes your fancy!

 

To join it together use a basic in and out running stitch all along the sides.

 

Or a whip stitch which is a diagonal stitch that goes along the sides holding the pieces together.

Finally stitch a piece of ribbon in a loop in the inside corner, to hang up your stocking.

Santa if you’re reading this, here’s what I would like in my stocking this year, (just incase the stock in Poundland is sold out and your elves can swing by somewhere posh):

1. Chocolate from Hotel Chocolat (any as long as it’s not dark!)
2. Lip Gelee lipgloss from MAC (they’ve stopped selling it, but you’re Santa, you can make it come back!)
3. A jar of Chilli Marmite….I’ve got friends who have tried it but I’ve not seen it yet : (
4. A voucher for TK Maxx (no explanation needed)
5. A date with John Abraham….well he’s split up with Bipasha, surely you can pull some strings? ...for me??????

Oh and clementines are ok as long as they are sweet! Thanks : )