frk.bustad

What I do when I don't sew

2012-01-16T19:59:00.001+01:00

My sewing machine is again hibernating, and I believe it is a result of extensive problem-solving and optimizing project at work (for those into biochemistry: Non-specific binding of secondary antibody in western blotting) that takes all my energy. It is easier to sit in front of the computer and watch TV-series with mr.Jon and knit. Nevertheless, I do believe that making a pencil skirt (more on that in another post), will release my sewing mojo. I have a loose plan of making one garment a month this year, so I'm crossing my fingers. Having plans is always part of this game.

My sister, Fru Bendiksen deserves all the credit of this Fanakofte-project, as she has helped me "as we go" with this pattern. It is inspired by a vintage pattern that I found here , the one called Vacation, but the pattern itself is a traditional Norwegian cardigan from Fana, a place not too far from where I live now. I just love the feminine shape we've managed to make, and there will be poufs!

I started to knit Selbu-mittens, but came across this pattern with houndstooth. And since I love houndstooth, I quickly knitted a pair of houndstooth mittens inbetween the Selbu-mittens. Inbetween-projects are usually the most fun.

I hope to share with you my experience with the Jenny skirt soon, but it requires some effort from me...

New York, again!

2011-11-17T20:59:00.000+01:00

I didn't think I would be back within a year, but there I am in New York again. Paying a visit to Mr. Singer before fabric shopping at Paron fabrics (again). When I find something I like, I tend to stick to it (it will be the sweetheart neckline once more, see Neckline sketches), so instead of a wild-goose chase, I just stuck to what I knew. That's not entirely true, because I did go to B&J, but almost backed out again at once due to overwhelmingness and shock... they just had too much at once! And I must say, the prices... o la la! I believe this is the perfect shop to go to if you're getting started with a project you know you'll master and if you only have one project in mind. For me, just buying two yards of that, two yards of this, B&J was just too-much-ness. Fantastic, nevertheless! So this is what I ended up with from Paron (doesn't it look strangely familiar?):

I browsed through the Burda Style Sewing Handbook at the fantastic book shop The Strand, and that book is going into my shelf. It was strange, being in New York looking at the book with sewing stuff I usually just look at on my computer. It was a surreal feeling, can you imagine? Maybe a feeling of a cyberspace concept becoming real, for real! Haha. I didn't buy the book, though, because I was afraid of excess kilos already, so I'll save it for online shopping.

Talking about surreal; we visited Coney Island, and that was such a lovely, magical and surreal place! Worth visiting just for a stroll in the sun and wind.

(Oh, and NOW there'll be no fabric shopping for me in a while... I have so many ideas and plans, and all I need is to focus. I will try to stick to my July-promise.)

Neckline sketches

2011-10-25T22:56:00.000+02:00

I planned to whip up a simple, red dress yesterday (always the ambitions... I'm nearly done with a Jenny muslin, so I should stick to that, shouldn't I?) based on the thirtieth birthday dress, but without the sarong-ish front and with a self-made covered belt with some of the kits I bought ages ago. But then I started to think that maybe I should challenge myself with a new neckline, and did some sketches. The trouble is, I can't help thinking the sweetheart neckline is the perfect one! I once did a variation with the Back to Beat dress, but the basis of it is still the sweetheart neckline. So what to do? Should I just go on with it, being incredible boring and stick to the sweetheart?

By the way, Sunni from the A Fashionable Stitch now sells belt-and-buckle-kits, and that's great! She has covered all parts of beltmaking with great tutorials. There's also a good tutorial from Casey from Elegant Musings on Beltmaking.

The (belated) thirtieth birthday dress

2011-10-07T18:33:00.000+02:00

So. I'm getting close to thirty and a half now, but it's never too late to share a nice dress, is it? I made this dress (and a matching tie for mr.Jon) on deadline margins, the week before I celebrated my birthday. The dress was finished the morning of the party, and I added the extra sarongish front with the gathered fabric flower some weeks later, so I would have time to finish the tie. And what a tie! I also managed to bake about 100 cupcakes for the party! There has to be cupcakes for birthdays.

The dress is yet another one from self-drafted pattern with the sweetheart neckline. I bought the fabric in London last year, and I decided that I wanted a Hawaiian-style dress. What wasn't better than throwing a Hawaiian-themed birthday? I got no less than three pineapples that day and an extremely tasty pineapple cocktail... I used the same pattern as for my Back to Beat dress, and nip-tucked it a little when it was mostly sown together (no muslin there... I was in a hurry!). The dress is made from two pattern pieces with facings (three if you include the front sarongish part), without lining (yes, I regret) with the zipper in the side seam, lapped and prick-stitched.

The dress is a lot of fun to wear, and I really like the shape. Next up is a plain black version suitable for everyday use with a cardigan. With weather like this (see below...) coming up for the winter, it's nice to have dresses to wear at work: It's comfortable and easy to change into after walking 30 minutes in rainwear to and from work.

Flowers AND polka dots, can it get any better?

2011-09-25T00:00:00.001+02:00

Finally a finished object! It's about time, don't you think? I gave you a sneak peek of this dress, but I finally got time to dress up and take photos. The dress is made from 100 % cotton of quilting quality from Stoff og Stil, which means it is quite thin. I lined the skirt with acetate lining and I love the sound of it! I prick stitched the zipper in the back, using the Sewaholic's tutorial. I don't think I'll ever go back to inserting zippers with machine stitching.

I had initially decided not to make the dress, but one week before the wedding, I just realised if I didn't sew the dress, it wouldn't be done that summer, and the fabric would just go into the stash. So the dress was indeed a project under deadline pressure. My mum helped me with hemming the skirt in the morning of the day my kid sister got married. Thanks, mum!

I aligned the first pleat with the front dart, and the pleats go all the way around to the centre back. It is very hip-flattering, exaggerating the curve. It really feels ultra-feminine. It works well together with a cardigan and Converse, which is great if I want to dress down but still wearing flowers and polka dots at the same time.

I'm in love with the fabric, and have bought it both in black, pink and red, planning a shirt with the pink one, and maybe another dress with the red fabric. The black is a little greyish, so I'm not sure what to do with that yet.

My favourite band

2011-09-24T19:51:00.001+02:00

UFO's and getting rid of bad conscience

2011-09-24T19:24:00.000+02:00

The UFO that is most likely to be finished once.

Would it look good with a bow tie instead of regular collar?

Dealing with bad conscience (not working hard enough, not being clever enough, having lazy days at work etc.) is a huge part of doing a PhD, and I've realized that I need to get rid of other stuff that pile up on my conscience. Unfortunately there's a lot of things that piles up, like not doing enough exercise, avoiding housework and cleaning, and unfortunately not sewing and sewing-related stuff also gives me bad conscience! Now, I want to deal with some of that, and I want to know how to tackle UnFinished Objects (UFO's) and Projects Half Done (PhD's)...

The PhD-dress to the left would've turned out pretty cute if I just bothered to finish it. But would I use it? The recycle-shirt-draping project to the right was an attempt to break down regular sewing conventions. It will never be completed.

The Domestic Diva sorted her UFO's/PhD's into 3 piles based on the probability of finishing the projects: 1) Finish, 2) Reuse, and 3) Dump. Each project is then evaluated and discussed through what the project is, what is the problem, the progress and the plan, and finally the probability of completion. I really like the pragmatic approach, but the third option is one that I struggle with: I hate throwing things away! And throwing fabrics away? Of course there's the second option, but that brings me back to what to do with scraps. Is it OK to throw away UFO's that has a very low probability of being completed? Even the idea of throwing away projects give me bad conscience, so what says thou, my fellow seamstresses?

There's so many books

2011-09-07T19:54:00.000+02:00

Getting lost at Amazon is always fun, and luckily they have wish lists so it's possible to find back to books that I would want to have in my shelf. The local bookshops and library does not have great collections of sewing/fashion books, and unfortunately I can't buy all the books I would like to. Here's some from my wish list (parents and siblings: Christmas is not that far away...)

The Colette Sewing Handbook looks very promising, and although it says for the new seamstress, I would like to have a look in this book. I have never tried Colette Patterns myself, but so many other seamstresses has, like the Beignet skirt from Kelly Learns to Sew, Needles, Thread and Love gorgeous Ceylon dress, and The Sencha blouse done by One Rainy Afternoon by Zoe (oh, and I love her pencil skirt!). The patterns are all on my to-do list.

The BurdaStyle book has been a hush-hush project, and I don't remember hearing about it since the starting-up a year ago. From what I read on Amazon, it'll be published January next year. BurdaStyle is the largest online sewing community, and in this book BurdaStyle members contribute with projects. It's a great way to include the community in their work. I look forward to see the result!

What seamstress doesn't want a book that is both a history book and a book with vintage-inspired projects? Sew Retro: Simple Vintage-inspired Projects for the Modern Girl and a Stylish History of the Sewing Revolution promise to be such a book. The customer's reviews are not solely positive, but I really like the idea of combining historical and cultural aspects of sewing, in addition to practical projects. Imagine having a similar book with focus on the 40s to 60s.... Hm, come to think of it, that's what I'm expecting from Gertie's book. That is so exciting!

How to Use, Adapt and Design Sewing Patterns: From Shop-bought Patterns to Drafting Your Own: A Complete Guide to Fashion Sewing with Confidence is a book that caught my attention as it seems to cover both adjustment of commercial patterns and pattern construction. As you probably know, I'm mostly using my own self-drafted patterns, having failed so many times with commercial patterns and fearing them in case of disappointment and yet another flop. Does anyone know this book?

Talking about books, there's always a dress on my mind... Check out this beauty from Dollydagger! This one I know is on my wish list, but wouldn't it also look great and less formal in a non-shiny fabric? And it sure somehow look like Retro Butterick 4790, a pattern I've always liked. I do have some deadlines coming up, and need a new dress, don't I?

Turning 30 is perfectly fine (aka Summer 2011)

2011-08-30T22:18:00.001+02:00

Whoa, what a busy summer it's been! It all started with celebration of my 30th birthday, where I partied with all my great friends who could make it, having three live bands, Hawaiian theme and about hundred cupcakes. Then I moved in together with the perfect mr.Jon. The flat is not nearly any finally-moved-in condition, but we had 7 people over for pizza the other day, so there's been some progress the last two months. Then I got offered a PhD-position, which means I can continue doing science for the next four years. Turning 30 is great!

There's mr.Jon with a matching tie to the left, and there were cupcakes, and my favourite band at the moment, the fabulous Thee Wednesday Knights. All from my 30th birthday party.

My summer continued to be good, with plenty of short trips to everything from big cities (Copenhagen and Oslo) to a small farmstead. I've been at Øya music festival where I saw Miss Margarita, and dared to say hello - she was super nice and looked splendid as always! I've been hiking and gathered blueberries, visited my grandparents with a short trip to their mountain hut and been to Tivoli with my niece and nephew. I've had close contact with wild sheep and not-so-close contact gobbling turkeys behind a fence. They seemed quite interested, though.

Luckily I've had two deadlines this summer (well, I could've pretend to have more, but I guess my own birthday and a wedding is what it takes. hrmf.) I haven't found time to dress up and pose, but I'll give you sneak peaks:

I have some deadlines coming up, but I have to remember my Closing the Gaps pledge and the need for daily clothes (it cannot ALL be dresses! Well, it can, but I have to think more for the daily days). But anyway, there's the Gutter Ball Festival in Oslo, a wedding to attend in Berlin and Norton Record 25th Anniversary in New York (spoilt, moi? Two times NY in one year is luxury, but isn't great to live in an era where that's actually possible?). I have some ideas for it all, but I'll try to include pencil skirts and shirts, so I can catch two birds with one rock by making every-day's outfits as well.

My stash (in general...)

2011-07-14T19:34:00.000+02:00

Some of my potentially lovely clothes

I've moved into a new flat again (which partially explains my long absence from the blogosphere), and again I'm hit by the fact that I own too much. I own too much fabric (no! never!), I have too many shoes (can I ever get enough?) and I have the wardrobe full of clothes that I don't use any more (one day I might want to use this / but I made that five years ago!). Unfortunately, it doesn't stop with apparel... This brings me to some issues regarding stash and scraps.

Zoe from 'So, Zo... What do you know?' already launched the Stash Bustin' challenge a year and a half ago and she recommitted recently, and it's been on the back of my mind for quite some time now (at least a year!), but trips to London or Copenhagen always softens my determination. But now, NOW! is the time. I will do as Zoe once did: I'm pledging to bust my stash and will not buy fabrics (unless they are absolutely necessary items like linings/interlinings helping me to stash bustin' pledge).

More of my potentially lovely clothes...

I'm taking it a step further. I have decided that I will try not to buy any new clothes this year. Socks and underwear are excluded. And rainwear since I soon will start biking to work. When I packed down all my clothes, I realised that I have everything I need, seriously, although I'm missing some basic garments to complete my wardrobe. And if I only change my focus a little, and make more wearable and casual clothes (it can't be all about nice dresses with circle skirts...), I can have a self-stitched wardrobe! So I hereby also take the Closing the gaps project pledge launched by A Vintage Girl. I will close my wardrobe gaps.

I also realised when sorting some of my fabrics and sewing related stuff, that I find it very difficult to through away scraps and smallish pieces of fabrics. But for what? Tasia from Sewaholic also discussed the scrap problem, and there's a lot of good suggestions on what to do with it in the comments, like this super cute japanese coin purse. One of the best mini-projects I know of, is the zippered pouch with pocket and loop from Lisa Lam at U-Handbag. But how many pouches do I need? Have you got any good ideas for using you scrap?

I'm heading into my sewing stash now... hopefully I'll manage to go through it all, maybe sell some yardage and at least develop a good system.

So many plans!

...all my plans...

Featured member at BurdaStyle

2011-04-06T17:44:00.001+02:00

I'm the featured member for 1 week! Hurray! This is any BurdaStyle member's dream... Hope you enjoy the interview!

Too bad both my sewing rate and blogging rate are quite low at the moment, sorry about that!

New York!

2011-02-28T13:09:00.000+01:00

What a city! I will have to go back in near future; there is so much more I want to see and do, food to eat, places to hang out, enjoying ice cream from Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in the sunshine (and not only indoors as we did), good coffee and beer to drink, cream cheese flavours on bagels to taste... not to mention the rest of the Garment District that I will have to see.

I took advise from the BurdaStyle blog where Lindsay T. Sews presents the Garment District. I chose to visit only Paron Fabrics based on her description: Paron Fabrics: A smaller, well-edited store that’s a Garment District mainstay. Helpful and friendly staff is generous with their time and their fabric cuts. Not so overwhelming as Mood or B&J, plus you can get great deals in their sale section.

This is true indeed, the staff was really helpful, and the time I had for spending there was enough to get around their selection of fabrics. I'm getting more and more used to buying fabrics without having a plan, so I did some estimations on how much I needed for what, and ended up with this:

The bottom red fabric is a lovely wool and viscose quality that I got for $12/yard (half price!), and I bought 3 yards so I'll have enough for a dress. The plaid houndstooth is 80% wool and 20% silk and is amazingly soft! It was only $24/yard (I say only, because Norwegian prices would've been at least double!), and I bought 1.5 yards. I'm thinking a cropped jacket, so I can match up the plaids. The top red is silk lining ($10/yard) for the houndstooth fabric. Despite that I'm not a very good impulse buyer, I'm very pleased with this little heap.

No more fabric shopping for me now (at least not until I go to London in April). I've got to get stash bustin'...

It was cold! But walking across Brooklyn Bridge and eating ice cream at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory was still great!

Deadline exceeded with only 30 minutes!

2011-02-02T17:10:00.000+01:00

I've been playing with Photoshop and DeviantArt.com. The above picture is generated with the Photoshop action HolgaRoid GENERATOR V1.0 COLOR by RawImage.

Deadlines make me sew! And luckily my friends didn't mind me being 30 minutes late for our appointment, seeing how happy I was with my result. We twisted, shouted, hopped, skipped and jumped all night long.

The dress was surprisingly easy to make, and I guess that's the joyful result of having a basic block that is nearly perfect! I altered the pattern from my basic block and was a clever girl and made a toile, just to make sure the pattern would work at all. The fabric is slightly stretchy, so the dress turned out a little too big at first. I did it the easy way, and just pinned the side seams, and adjusted the seams. The dress is still a little roomy around the waist, and together with the stretchy fabric it turned out that I could skip the zip! It feels like cheating! The drawback is that it won't look good with the intended belt I was going to make, but I will sure make a second dress in a different material requiring a zip, and then the waistline may be tighter also.

A close-up of the front darts and a picture true to fabric pattern and colour:

So for the time being, I'll leave the dress with roomy waist - so I can hop, skip and jump, twist and shout, and eat. Next up is a matching bolero. Something like Burda8153. Any other suggestions?

Conclusions:

I need deadlines and events to finish projects, or even just to start new projects.

I need, NEED a proper steam iron! From just ironing the darts and facings to steaming them with a wet blanket, the dress transformed! Does any of you seamstresses have experience with domestic steam irons? I long for one of the types we had at the fashion course, but I bet they'll be too expensive for my humble production.

Possibly back from winter hibernation

2011-01-24T16:14:00.002+01:00

Even though my production has been minimal this winter, I have given myself two near coming deadlines for finishing off two dresses. Deadlines may be good, if I manage to finish the project, but ever so disappointing when I realise that I've bitten off more than I can chew. I started the first dress a while ago, dreaming of a nice and warm dress (it's pure wool), and hopefully the weather will stay cold for a bit longer. Anyhow, I'm going to NEW YORK in February, so a warm dress may come in handy? The top is as always from my self-drafted block, with a boat-neck this time. I think I will insert a hand-picked zip, based on Sewaholic's tutorial. This is the dress so far:

Princess seam and boat-neck and weird background. I don't have many good background surfaces in my new flat. Have to work on that.

The other dress I'm working on, is supposed to be finished in less a week. I've done some drafting, and have to admit that I really like 2D-drafting (I guess the logical and mathematical approach appeals to me, as well as cutting small paper models to check the logic). I've made toile of the front, as I've been experimenting with the darts and front neckline. The toile is in non-stretchy fabric, so I hope the toile will still be useful, although the final dress will have some stretch. I had to do a small bust adjustment, as my own basic block has always been slightly to roomy, and I applied the principal from J. Stern Design (this is where the small paper models come in handy). I'm planning on putting in a lapped zip (preferably hand-picked), based on Gertie's tutorial. So far, this is what it looks like:

It looks a bit wonky on my clone, at least the front piece, and I think the fit is better on me...

Possibly back from hibernation, and all I can show off is half-finished projects? Hopefully I have more to show next week and just before my upcoming trip to New York. Please share if you have any great ideas or must-see's or must-eat's or must-visit's when in New York!

Yet another dress!

2010-10-12T18:06:00.001+02:00

I just can't get enough dresses, and I love the 3/4 circle skirt and I love having pockets in them. I've found a pattern I've been looking for a long time, and was very happy to find this New Look 6699. It's a very versatile pattern, with nine bodice options, two waist and two skirt options! Now for those of you liking probability, that's a total of 36 different dress options! Correct me if I'm wrong; I always liked statistics better. Anyhow I constructed a new skirt piece to get the 3/4 circle, and added side pockets. Next time I use this pattern (and there will be a next time), I will cut away some of the front forming the “tuck” to make this a little smaller. There is too much fabric in the front loop now, and I didn’t manage to tuck it properly. I would also like to experiment with pleats or darts instead of just tucks.

The dress was meant to be a more or less everyday dress, to be used with a cardigan, but the gorgeous, shiny cotton sateen makes this more formal. Still love it though, and for once I put lining in. I guess that also adds up with the formal feeling. I'm enjoying my serrated shears, and I think I've befriended linings.

Satisfaction!

2010-10-10T20:45:00.002+02:00

The sunshine dress is finally done! The choice of buttonholes was what hindered me to finish this dress, and I am so happy that I didn't just rush to the normal ones in order to get the dress done! I am very pleased with the result, and making the simplified bound buttonhole tutorial helped me a lot! I was actually going to make an every-day-dress with this look, but both the shiny cotton sateen and the shiny buttons make this dress less casual. I love having pockets in my dresses, and this dress is no exception.

The buttons are from Istanbul, and what I like about them is that they look just like sweets? For everyone who knows Minstrels (my favourite chocolate sweets), these look like a black liquorice version...

Note on bangs: What can I do to keep it straight? It always looks jagged!

It's time for my first giveaway!

2010-10-05T22:03:00.002+02:00

More than 50 followers just mean one thing, and that is celebrating with a GIVEAWAY! I hope you enjoy reading about my sewing and planning, and can use my page as a resource for bouncing further into the world of vintage and rockabilly style.

Some notes on the prize: The Simplicity 3860 is an adorable shirt dress in bust size 16. It is still uncut, and comes in short/medium/tall size. The Advance 8920 is cut in size 12, and in some places it’s torn because the tracing paper is so fragile. There are also some pieces missing, but these are facings and rectangular pieces, and should easily be constructed from the pattern. The two cover-a-buckle are for making your own belt buckles! Match your shirt dress with a belt! As the label states, it’s The professional way to make a buckle. The 6 buttons are all from my Istanbul find, and are 4 cm in diameter.

Leave a comment below this post if you want to participate in the giveaway! If you tell me your favourite amongst the outfits I've made, or give me any tips on a style or pattern that I should be aware of, I'll give double chances to win. I will send to any country, just make sure to enter the giveaway before Sunday the 10th of October 12pm GMT.

Update: Having arranged the blog world's (probably) least popular giveaway just makes me laugh! Maybe I'll try again when rounding 100 followers...

Tutorial: simplified bound buttonholes

2010-09-27T22:39:00.010+02:00

First of all, let’s go through some general basics about buttons and buttonholes.

The vertical buttonhole is the most common, and when the garment is buttoned up, the button will be at one of the edges of the buttonhole. This type of buttonhole should therefore start 3 mm (1/8") outside of centre front line (or whatever line you're aligning your buttons at).
The horizontal buttonhole is mostly used for shirt fronts buttoned up with many small buttons. Different rules apply for this one, but sometimes the buttonhole starts 3 mm (1/8") above the button marking. The top button in a shirt is often sewn in so it meets the top of the buttonhole. The rest of the buttons are lined at the middle of the buttonhole, with aligned holes.
The general rule for buttonhole length is that it should be equal to the button diameter plus the thickness plus 3 mm (1/8"), but for the bound buttonholes we skip the extra 3 mm (1/8").

A bound buttonhole should not be wider than 6 mm (1/4"), so each inset is 3 mm (1/8"). My book also tells me to sew all the buttonholes at once, finishing the same detail on each buttonhole before moving on to the next detail. Apparently that's the trick to get them identical! There's different ways of marking up the buttonhole, but I have to say the method I've used for my test was very convenient, marking both edges and the centre front with machine basting. This technique is of course dependent on your fabric, and you shouldn't use it if the stitches will show after you've pulled the thread out. Hand basting with silk thread will be better for fine fabrics.

[Click on read more for, eh, more...]

Now for the actual buttonhole!

Cut a patch of fabric 5 cm (2") wider and 2.5 cm (1") longer than the buttonhole. Lay the patch, right sides together, on the top of the centre line of buttonhole. I would pre-crease the patch to get the centre line of this.

Machine baste along the centre line. Then machine baste exactly 6 mm (1/4") on each side of the centre line.

Fold the patch along the 6 mm (1/4") machine baste marking and press with your fingers. Sew (without backtack, leaving the thread ends long enough to tie) exactly 3 mm (1/8") from the fold, starting and ending at the marks for buttonhole edges. Use small stitch length, and do not cross the marked buttonhole edges! Repeat on the other side.

Both sides forming the inset are now done! Press open.

On the wrong side, you'll see 5 rows of stitches. Measure the distance between each row, controlling that there's 3 mm (1/8") between each row. If not, I would advise you to start over again...

If you've been patient and accurate, you can now tie the threads, and remove the machine basting.

Slash along the centre line of the buttonhole from the wrong side, stopping 6 mm (1/4") from the corners, and then cut diagonally into the corners. Be careful not to cut the stitching or the patch!

Cut across each ends of the patch, forming two individual strips on each side of the buttonhole.

Fold the strips through the opening towards the wrong side and baste the folds together avoiding the outsides of the buttonhole (oops, I didn't do this! I would make sure to do this though, as this helps the garment keeping the grain).

The wrong side should now look like this:

Place the garment with right side up and fold over the buttonhole so the triangle at the short side of the buttonhole shows. Stitch along the edge over the triangle fastening this to the strips. Repeat on the other side.

Trim ends to 6 mm (1/4")

If you're using facing, you should pin or baste the facing around the buttonhole, then place pins through all four corners of each buttonhole. Mark the corners of the buttonholes on the right side of the facing. Remove the pins, and stitch with a short stitch length between the markings. This should form a rectangle the same size as the bound buttonhole. Cut through the facing and clip diagonally into the corners. The raw edges should then be turned in along the stitching, pressed, and sewn to the buttonhole.

All that remains now, is my true project, and not only test patches...

Bound buttonholes for my buttons

2010-09-26T21:29:00.000+02:00

I've been a good gal and read through the different ways of making bound or jetted buttonholes as presented in Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. It was no more than eight pages + 2 pages introduction! And as I'm not known for reading sewing instructions, I was quite proud as I followed it step-by-step, and even took pictures with a tutorial in mind! What do you think, anyone interested? I was at least happy with my first test, although I need some serious measuring of my sewing machine foot, to find exact 3/6mm marks...

It is very tedious, but it is not very complicated if you just work accurately from the first step. I chose the technique called 'simplified technique', recommended for beginners. The good thing with this is that you can control the length and width of stitches and folds before you cut open the buttonhole. Quite clever, ey?

My aim is to make bound buttonholes for this dress. You've probably forgotten all about it, but it's been pinned on to my dummy for ages, making me guilt-ridden. Well, now the skirt is sewed on, and all it needs is hemming and buttons! And of course, buttonholes...

Are you pro bound buttonholes? And do you want me to whip up a picture series (hopefully it'll deserving the name 'tutorial')?

Buttons? I'll give you buttons!

2010-09-07T07:13:00.000+02:00

I've just come back from a work-related conference in Istanbul, and didn't expect to buy anything sewing-related. I didn't even do any research for possible sewing areas or shops. This was a business travel with a tight schedule, and I didn't think I'd see anything else than the Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque on an organized sightseeing. I was wrong! Really wrong! By pure chance we walked around an area around the Spice Bazaar (I think the name of the street is something like Vasif Cinar Caddesi, but I'm not sure) and suddenly plenty of fabric shops and shops dedicated to buttons popped up! I told my colleagues that I just had to go into this one having a very tempting façade and windows... I got the card, and think the shop is called Has-Er Tyuhafiye. The very polite, young gentleman behind the counter told me that this was all wholesale, but when he told me the price of a box with 60 buttons, I tried not to laugh: It was ridiculously cheap! I looked around at the ground floor and didn't see any red buttons, and asked him whether they had something like this and that, and he said: Next floor, madam, we have more upstairs. It turned out that there were 4 floors altogether! I didn't dare check out the topmost floor, because this was apparently a floor with other sewing stuff than buttons... I planned to go back one of the other days, but didn't have time. I'm glad I at least bought these:

The sad thing is of course coming home with plain, black buttons, but I also bought these, having my planned red trenchcoat in my mind:

I just love the boxes they come in:

Ellen is a lucky girl!

2010-09-06T18:16:00.001+02:00

I made a slip of the tongue, and promised Ellen I'd sew another dress for her. That was maybe half a year ago, and suddenly the wedding she was going to attend came really close... So I convinced her that the dress she already has is a very good fit on her, but this time we'd make a longer and wider skirt . So in two weeks (having it really busy at the lab as well) I finished this dress for her.

I did two fittings, and since she's quite short, I shortened the front pieces with 4cm. By doing so, I kept the curve from the halterneck, and the curves around the arms became very flattering. By having more than enough fabrics and having bought serrated shears, cutting the polyester micro satin and the acetate lining from Stoff&Stil was a lot easier than expected.

I love this pattern, neue mode/stil (S23127), because it is quite easy and Ellen looks so gorgeous. I skipped the gap on the front pieces though, to make it a little bit more decent.Unfortunately, I get headaches from wearing halternecks, so I would had to do some compromises if I were to make this dress for my self. Too bad, because I felt so elegant 'trying' it on (Ellen is tiny, so I could only slip the halterneck over my head, pretending I was wearing it...). Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a dress like this, but avoiding the halterneck? Full covered back or crossed back pieces?

All things cupcake!

2010-08-18T15:27:00.000+02:00

I've been featured! I stumbled across All Things Cupcake while I was looking for a cinnamon cupcake recipe and to do picture research for a cross stitch idea I have. Being in an immodest mood, I sent off an e-mail with links to my cupcake birthday dress... All. Things. Cupcake. Indulge!

The London catch

2010-08-15T21:46:00.006+02:00

It's been a while since I came back from London now, but I haven't had much time to appreciate my lovely new treasures. Like my new gorgeous Robuso shears. Aren't they just gorgeous? The sound they make is heavenly! The cherries are a brooch I bought at Vivien of Holloway.

I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid buying fabrics. It's just not possible when I go to London. But, I have to say I was quite moderate this time, and didn't buy fabrics which are similar to what I already have. Just take a look:

This is a wool mix, and I'm planning a skirt. Maybe I'll make the Jenny skirt. Gertie's version is so gorgeous, and although it should be easy enough to draft a pencil skirt, I might just go for the pattern skirt. Note to myself: Make a muslin first, you only bought one metre.

These two took me by surprise! I'm not known for being particularly happy about prints, but I guess that's history now. I'm planning shirts of these light cotton fabrics.

And look! Another Hawaii print fabric! This is a bit more sturdy cotton, with some stretch, and I bought enough for a dress. Maybe similar to my V8280-inspired red beauty.

And how could I resist this? It's a bit silly, but I think it'll be fun together with a pencil skirt, with short sleeves. Maybe as a Sencha-inspired blouse. It's a bit heavy cotton, a little flannelette-like maybe, so it's not a typical blouse fabric, but we'll see.

And then all my bought, ready-made goodies...I spent quite a few hours and quite a few pounds at Vivien of Holloway. Even though I have principles saying that I shouldn't buy what I can make! So the Rocket Originals shoes are legitimate:

They are in fact very comfortable, and the comfort lasted a whole morning at Borough Market and the Queen's walk. Too bad there won't be so many opportunities to wear them here in Bergen, but I guess that'll make them last!

Buying dresses though doesn't match my principles, but I must say it's inspiring. I bought two dresses at Vivien of Holloway and a petticoat (it's huge!), and this is one of the dresses (oh, miss angry face! Taking self-portraits aren't easy!):

I also went to Brick Lane and tried to shop for vintage dresses, but I have to admit that the synthetic fabrics from 50s and 60s don't appeal very much to me. Also, it's so disappointing when you find something nice, and it's just way too small. It's inspiring though. I found a really nice 50s inspired dress at The Laden Showroom. Those pleats exaggerating the hips are just amazing! I will make dresses with pleats!

Horrockses Fashions

2010-07-29T20:11:00.003+02:00

I've been quite a tourist in London this time. I've visited London Transport Museum where I learnt all about the underground and its very interesting (!) development, the Geffrye Museum showing English domestic interiors from the 17th century to the present and strolled through the lakeside terraces near the Barbican Centre. Also, I was lucky enough to visit both the Horrockses Fashions off the peg style in the '40s and '50s at The Fashion and Textile Museum and the Grace Kelly Style Icon at the V&A. Both exhibitions were great, but I have to say that inspiration wise, the Horrockses rocked... It's just sad that you cannot touch the fabrics, look at the zips, try to figure out who they did that and this and look at the seams on the inside... Nevertheless, I got some photos that inspire! For those of you who don't live close to London, I share the pictures below.

Horrockses Fashions was a respected ready-to-wear label in of the late 40s and 50s mostly associated with cotton summer dresses. From the exhibition catalogue: The practical nature of Horrockses Fashions meant they were considered ideal for everyday wear. Cottons ranged from soft and draped, to heavier poplins and cotton corduroys, woven in Preston. The arrival of the New Look in 1947, with its full-skirted exaggeration of the female form, was quickly taken up by ready-to-wear manufacturers and was perfectly suited to Horrockses' crisp fresh cottons. Doesn't that just sound lovely?

It isn't a sewing meltdown...

2010-07-12T16:29:00.000+02:00

I certainly want to sew, but the above picture illustrates my sewing room at the moment... I was forced to move a month ago, as my landlords needed the flat, and then I had to pack all my fabrics and stash in plastic bags and boxes. I have to admit that I was a little surprised about the amounts... It looks so much better when all the fabrics are folded nicely and lays in shelves. I guess I won't be doing any sewing soon, but I'm soon off to London to join a class in Professional Sewing Techniques. Hopefully that'll give me the encourage to unpack all my stuff, and do some serious sewing for the winter wardrobe.

So have a nice summer holiday, ladies and lads!

All I can think about is dresses!

2010-06-13T23:14:00.002+02:00

Summer is visiting, and that influence my way of dressing. And all I want to wear is dresses. With all my stash, ready to join Zoe's stash bustin' project, I make up dresses in my head as I work, in my sleep, while I eat... meaning constantly. I'm not tired of my basic block, but browsing through Butterick patterns yesterday made me dream about perfectly fitted commercial patterns. I mean, they do come in different sizes, and I have promised myself to practice tissue fitting and muslin making! So, without saying I will make all these, I want something similar to these Butterick dresses: Top row: B6582, B5350, B5315, and B5029; bottom row B5209, B5176 and B4443.

I would also love to try out the Ceylon dress from Colette Patterns. Tilly shows off her stunning Hollywood starlet version in the picture below, and I've also seen a brilliant version on the blog Needles, thread and love.

Oh, and by the way, I've styled my hair into the smallest victory roll ever, but it is a victory roll, nevertheless! Not as nice looking as Miss Margarita or Brittany, but with my short hairstyle what could I expect...

From wiggle failure to red triumph

2010-06-06T22:57:00.003+02:00

How much trouble hasn’t this dress given me? It nearly made me loose the belief in commercial patterns. Maybe not even nearly, because it made me understand that muslins are a must, and that fact probably is going to make me stick to my basic block for a long time. Unless I want to challenge myself, which I know I should. It also made me realise that I’m quite a slipshod because I can’t be bothered to read instructions and sew-as-I-go. Honestly, I don't read instructions at all! My sewing mate was shocked when we discussed it, and she told me that she's read the Reader's Digests Complete Guide to Sewing from cover to cover, a book I know is excellent, but I use it as a reference book. What I found intriguing, was that she then asked me how did you learn to sew then, if you don't read the instructions, how do you know the logical way of putting pattern pieces together?

The celebration of a good friend’s 30th birthday was in the end what trigged me to finish this. And I have to admit that I’m quite pleased with the result. I love to dress down dresses for everyday wear, but this is a little bit difficult. Maybe with a superlong-sleeved top à la Vivienne Westwood's, and my Dr. Martens this could work during November.

When I cut the pattern, I shortened the back piece about one inch, but still it seems to crawl a little up the back. The front darts are a little bit too high for my natural bust point, but the curve looks OK. I like the flaps on the front piece, but I had to fasten them to the front piece to make them look nice. I don’t know what the instruction says about this. I’d love to make a version of the original V8280 wiggle dress, but I know I’d have to do some serious tissue/muslin fitting, so I might just alter my basic block instead.

More pictures below!

Festive times!

2010-05-25T23:48:00.001+02:00

Because I'm proud and the cupcakes look gorgeous, colourful and fun! And also because I had a great birthday party with my great friends! I got stripy candy from Sarajevo, tea in a cute box from Brewhaha, cups with polka dots, a Wanda Jackson LP, bird-shaped pegs, firecrackers, a bottle of wine, a fish yet to be caught, 2 packs with cute table napkins and a Professor Pez CD. What a treat!
Update: Oh, and because it blended so well into my kitchen, I forgot to mention the kitchen towel with cupcakes!

Happy birthday to me!

2010-05-25T00:00:00.001+02:00

The cupcake dress is done, and with enthusiasm, persistency and a deadline it only took me two days! And that's including baking a zillion cupcakes, a three hour hike and late mornings!

It's past midnight now, so happy birthday to me!

Me-Made-May Conclusions

2010-05-13T13:06:00.000+02:00

Conclusions already, you ask? Yes, indeed there will be some conclusions. It took me less than one week to realise that Zoe's Me-Made-May challenge was bigger than I first thought. For instance, I seriously need to plan my to-do list in order to get a more thought-through wardrobe. An inventory list shows that I don't really have enough to cover a whole month if I want some variation:

3 basic tops

1 pencil skirt

1 high-waisted skirt

1 dress

2 shirts (one that only works with the pencil skirt)

1 pair of leggings

In addition to the garments mentioned above, I have the red dress with the back zipper, the amanita dress and some other dresses that I don't really wear that often (sunny days for the amanita dress might come along).

And hey, who did I try to fool, thinking that drawing clothes for Minnie-Me would be quicker and more fun than posing in front of my door and take a picture each day. Besides, I should be sewing, not drawing. I guess this is the crux of the matter, to actually expand my wardrobe during May to meet the aim of the Me-Made-May-Lite challenge! Because, apart from one day, I have worn a garment made by me each day minus one.

The conclusions are: I won't manage to have Minnie-Me dressed up for each day in May. I must do some seriously sewing. I must plan.

And Zoe? Please do not blog "Me-Made-May-Murder"... I had a dream last night where you blogged about people not following up the challenge (I am, I'm just not blogging!), and there was only one person to "murder" and that was frk.bustad... I had a sigh of relief this morning when I realised it was just a dream...

All those possibilities...

2010-05-06T13:09:00.000+02:00

Sometimes The Internet is a bit overwhelming, but in that fun, I-want-everything, money drizzling way. Tart Deco has blogged about two extremely tempting possibilities that will cost you, but I'm just glad these possibilities exists! The first one: Remember I said, that luckily I have to buy the shoes? Well, I guess you could always take a short course, say at London College of Fashion, but I think I will keep treating myself with buying those shoes. So when Tart Deco shared the link to Shoes of Prey, I fell in love! It's way too expensive, and I hardly ever wear high heels (although you can get flats also), but if I had an endless savings, I see myself ordering dozens of shoes, in all imaginable colours and combinations, just to own those beauties!

The second one: Spoonflower is a online fabric shop printing custom design on demand! I'm not a print girl, but the times I'd really like to make a dress with print, wouldn't it be great to have designed the print!? I'm thinking a dress with crystal structures of my favourite protein, 14-3-3... ha ha! The fact that this possibility exists, makes me breathless...The fabric in the picture above is from Heather Dutton.

Mad Men season 4!

2010-05-04T19:27:00.002+02:00

Picture from Fashion in Motion.

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait! New season due 25th of July!

Minnie-Me for Me-Made-May-Lite

2010-05-02T15:39:00.002+02:00

I've told you how I've actually been wanting to do paperdolls again, and guess what? I did! And all because of the Me-Made-May challange by So Zo... She did a Me-Made-March in well, March, where she only wore items made by herself, and decided she wanted to try once more, and make it 'bigger, brighter, more colourful and more fun'. And with that she challenged her readers to join in! She modified requirements for us who saw it as a too big challenge, and presented us for the Me-Made-May-Lite, where the aim is to wear at least one handmade garment each day. The lite version appeals to me, but being realistic and honest, I know that I won't post a picture everyday, so I'm going to do another version, partly inspired by Polka Dot Overload's Mini-Wardrobe Storyboard. So I hereby introduce you to Minnie-Me!

My drawing skills are nothing to brag about (I made an improvised light table for Minnie-Me... I guess you can recognise the picture from the flamingo shirt photos), but I will make paper clothes of what I wear every day, and make a post about once a week during May. Fun at work, sewing meltdown and sunny weather have kept me from sewing, but I hope this challenge inspires me to wear new clothes as I haven't prepared any new ones for Me-Made-May. Yet.

Apropos sewing meltdown... The fact that I managed to shorten the same leg on a pair of jeans twice made me quite resigned... But today is a new day. Happy sewing!

After the rain comes sun / Etter regnet kommer solen

2010-04-06T18:09:00.002+02:00

So I unpicked the V8280, although I got good help from my costume designer friend Nell with the fitting, to get some instant pleasure with a red Kasia skirt. I couldn't have foreseen that this would be yet another failure.The skirt pattern is still, as I see it, flawless. So it was the fabric this time. The problem: I can't wear anything underneath it without it showing. Meaning that no shirt can be tucked into it, and the panties will show. Sigh. And I'd done all this neat slipstiching and taken care to make this the perfect skirt. I've also concluded that I'll go for lapped zippers from now on, and stay away from the invisible ones. They so seldom turn out well in the end-point in stretchy fabrics (unless they're in the side seam of a dress). Another sigh.

Så det ble til at jeg plukket V8280 fra hverandre, selv om jeg fikk hjelp fra min venn kostymedesigner Nell med tilpassing, for å få umiddelbar glede med et rødt Kasia skjørt. Jeg kunne ikke forutsett at dette ville bli nok en fiasko. Slik jeg ser det, er mønsteret fremdeles feilfritt, så denne gangen var det stoffet. Problemet: Jeg kan ikke ha noe under skjørtet uten at det synes. Hvilket betyr at jeg ikke kan ha noen skjorte stappet nedi, og trusen vil syns. Sukk. Og jeg som hadde gjort sånt fint arbeid med faldesøm og prøvd å sørge for at det skulle bli det perfekte skjørtet. Jeg har også konkludert med at jeg skal går for tildekkede glidelåser fra nå av, og holde meg borte fra usynlige glidelåser. De blir så sjelden fine helt i enden på stoffer med stretch (med mindre de er i sidesømmen). Enda et sukk.

So where's the sun? Well, I'll show you, because here's a preview of the dress I've started on:

Så hvor er solen? Her skal jeg vise dere kjolen jeg har begynt på:

Putting my own label on even before the dress is done is good for the self-esteem...
Å sy på min egen label før kjolen er ferdig, hjelper på selvrespekten...

I need your opinion on the buttons (there'll be buttons all the way down), should they be black or white? I was hoping to find buttons that is both black and white, but will that be too much? I'm also thinking one red button and the rest black, but maybe that's a little bit too stereotypical (black, red, polka dots...)?

Jeg trenger hjelp til knappene (det skal være knapper hele veien ned), bør de være svarte eller hvite? Jeg håpet egentlig jeg skulle finne knapper som var både svarte og hvite, men blir det litt mye? Jeg har også tenkt på én rød knapp og resten svarte, men blir det litt for stereotypt (svart, rødt, prikker...)?

Marlice de Paris Couture

2010-03-27T19:34:00.006+01:00

Hvordan kunne jeg glemme at jeg har hatt denne liggende i skapet!? Den er litt stor, men den har blitt sydd ut, og det skal derfor være lett å sy den inn. Båndet nederst på fullsirkelskjørtet er egentlig en del av falden, så den tenker jeg også å sy opp. Kjolen har sydd i merket Marlice de Paris Couture, og et googlesøk ga bare ett treff. Noen som vet noe mer? Så gjenstår det bare å finne en passende anledning...

How could I forget that I had this dress in the closet!? It's a little bit big, but the darts have been altered, and I believe it will be easy to fix. The band at the bottom of the full circle skirt is a part of the hem, so I'll hem it in place. The dress has the label Marlice de Paris Couture, and a search on Google gave only one hit. Anyone of you know anything? Now I just have to find an opportunity...

Jeg lurer også på hva disse innsydde stoffbitene på foret av kjolen er. Det er to stykker på hver side i hoftehøyde, så det ser i grunnen ikke ut som en reparasjon. På retten er det tilsvarende blonde sydd over (meget diskret og fint gjort).

I also wonder what these pieces of fabrics sewn onto the lining of the dress. There's two on each side at hip level, so it doesn't really look like a repair. On the right side there's corresponding pieces of lace fabric (very discreet and neatly done).

Tagget og pristildelt! / Tagged and awarded!

2010-03-15T22:16:00.003+01:00

Jeg har fått en utmerkelse OG jeg har litt tagget! Både The Naked Seamstress og Tilly and The Buttons har tildelt meg Kreativ Blogger utmerkelse, og Ladybird har tagget meg! Tusen takk! Ingenting er så gøy som å se at noen faktisk liker det jeg gjør. Så over til kravene: 7 sannheter om meg.

I've got an nomination AND I've been tagged! Both The Naked Seamstress and Tilly and The Buttons have awarded me the Kreativ Blogger, and Ladybird tagged me! Thanks a bunch! It's fun to know that other people acutally like what I do! So, to the challanges: 7 truths about me.

Jeg har grunnfag i kunsthistorie og mastergrad i biokjemi. I tillegg har jeg bodd i London og gått et semester på Fashion Design/Womenswear ved Central St. Martins. Det ble ikke akkurat noen Alexander McQueen (R.I.P.) av meg, men det blir med på listen over opplevelser...
I have a basic course in art history and a master's degree in biochemistry. I've also lived in London and joined Fashion Design/Womenswear at Central St. Martins for one semester. I didn't exactly become Alexander McQueen (R.I.P.), but it's included in the list of experiences.
Jeg elsket Barbiedukker da jeg var liten. Jeg tror det var der syinteressen min startet. Ballkjole av Mormors ferskenfargede underskjørt... Jeg må blogge den en dag. Jeg har nok også fått det inn med både morsmelk og gener: Oldefaren min og Morfar var skreddere, Mormor og Mamma har alltid sydd. Forresten, jeg kan ikke la være å bli entusiastisk når jeg leser at karakterer fra Mad Men kommer som Barbiedukker! Takk for tipset, Gertie!
I used to love Barbie dolls when I was younger. I think that kicked-off my interest for sewing. Ball gown from Grandmother's peach coloured half-slip... I have to blog that one day. I guess the interest is also in my genes: My great-Grandfather and Grandfather used to be tailors, Grandmother and Mum have always been sewing. By the way, I cannot stop myself from being enthusiastic when I read that characters from Mad Men will come as Barbie dolls! Thanks for the post, Gertie!
Mens vi snakker om dukker, jeg samlet på papirdukker. Både kjøpte og selvlagete. Og jeg elsket å tegne klær til dem. Noen ganger har jeg lyst å gjøre det nå også.
Talking about dolls, I used to collect paper dolls. Both bought and home-made ones. And I loved drawing clothes for them. Sometimes I fell like doing it nowadays.
Jeg er skikkelig fagnerd, og blir veldig lett entusiastisk over ting på laben. Det er ikke uvanlig å se meg hoppe opp og ned mens jeg klapper i hendene!
I'm such a nerd, and very easily get enthusiastic in the lab. It's not unusual seeing me jumping up and down clapping my hands!
Jeg er nokså flink til å tenke logisk og resonnere meg fram til ting. MEN jeg ville ikke trodd på alt jeg sier selv om det gir mening, for noen ganger finner jeg bare på...
I'm quite good at logic and reasoning. BUT I wouldn't believe in everything I say even though it makes sence, because sometimes I just make something up...
Jeg er internettavhengig. Klarer meg ikke uten. Alt kan gjøres/skaffes/sjekkes med internett.
I'm addicted to the Internet. Couldn't do without. Everything can be done/obtained/explored with the Internet.
Jeg har nok metervare til å starte en liten stoffbutikk. Og det blir aldri nok...
I have enough fabrics to start a small fabric shop. And I can never get enough...

Jeg har nettopp oppdaget bloggene Millie Motts og House of Marmalade, dere er henholdsvis tagget og nominert! Videre nominerer jeg til Kreativ Blogger:
I've just discovered the blogs Millie Motts and House of Marmalade, you are now tagged and awarded, respectively! I will further award the Kreativ Blogger to:

Ancien-Noveau fordi hun er både moderne og vintage og har en drøss gode linker på bloggen sin. / Ancien-Noveau because she's both modern and vintage and she's got loads of great links on her blog.
Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing fordi hun er min mentor og inspirator for tiden (hun har blitt tildelt Kreativ Blogger drøssevis av ganger, men bloggen hennes er superbra!) / Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing because she's my mentor and great inspiration at the present (she's been awarded loads of times but her blog is great!)
Fru Bendiksen fordi hun er søsteren min og jeg kan spørre henne om både biokjemi og strikking. Og så strikker hun til meg mot at jeg syr skjørt til henne! / Fru Bendiksen because she's my sister and I can as her about both biochemistry and knitting. And she's knitting for me for skirts made by me in return!

Forbannelse eller velsignelse? / Curse or blessing?

2010-03-09T23:22:00.005+01:00

Luckily, I still need to buy the shoes...

Noen ganger kjennes det å kunne sy som en forbannelse. Som regel kjennes det som en evne eller en bragd (siden det handler om en læringsprosess, og 'alle' kan gjøre det), men de gangene i prøverommet... Hjernen min går amok, og alt jeg kan tenke på er "denne kan jeg lage selv" eller "å, den ville vært perfekt hvis den bare hadde blitt justert sånn og sånn" eller "den er altfor dyr. Jeg lager noe liknende". Men hvor ofte skjer det at jeg gjør nettopp det, lager noe liknende? Ikke spesielt ofte, må jeg innrømme. Her om dagen gikk jeg i noen klesbutikker, og ærlig talt, alt jeg klarte å tenke på, var hva skal det neste prosjektet være, når skal jeg fikse den røde/rosa skjorten med prikker som jeg startet på for en evighet siden, hvorfor har jeg ikke lyst på noen av disse klærne og så videre... Hjernen min fortsatte med å planlegge min neste tur til London med Fleur sitt kart over stoffbutikker i London i tankene. Uansett, mitt neste prosjekt (ja, jeg gir V8280 enda en liten pause, fordi jeg fremdeles ikke har bestemt meg om jeg skal gi den en ny sjanse, eller bare gå for 3/4-sirkelskjør) er delvis inspirert av en enkel kjole fra H&M som ikke hadde riktig passform.

Gertie reflekterer over om det er verdt å betale $298 for en kjole som ikke har perfekt passform, og The Cupcake Goddess spør hva er det som er moro med å kjøpe klær, når hun kan lage dem selv OG oppnå bedre kvalitet og passform?

Så jeg spør, er det en forbannelse eller er det en velsignelse? Jeg vet i alle fall at jeg bare må fortsette å sy (forbannelsen), og forhåpentligvis blir jeg enda flinkere (velsignelsen). Casey sin liste over nødvendige redskap forsikret meg om at jeg er på rett spor når det gjelder syutstyr, linker til syveiledninger/tutorials kan være en grei angrepsvinkel og et kommende kurs vil forhåpentlig utvikle syevnene mine.

Sometimes, knowing how to sew can feel like a curse. Most of the times, it feels like a gift or an achievement (since it's all about a learning process, and 'anyone' could do it), but those times, in the dressing room... My mind just goes amok, and all I can think of is "I could make that myself" or "oh, this would be perfect had it only been altered like that" or "this is way too expensive. I'll make something similar". But how often do I do just that, make something similar? Not very often, I have to admit. I went to some clothes shops the other day, and honestly, all I could think of was what’ll be my next project, when to fix a red/pink polka dot shirt I started sewing ages ago, why aren’t clothes in the shop appealing to me and so on… And then my mind just continued with planning my next trip to London, having Fleur's map of sewing shops in London in mind. Nevertheless, my new project (yes, I'm giving the V8280 yet another rest, because I still haven't decided on giving it another try, or just go for the 3/4 circle skirt) is partly inspired by a simple H&M dress that didn't fit properly.

Gertie reflects on whether it's worth paying $298 for a dress that doesn't have the perfect fit, and The Cupcake Goddess asks what's the fun with buying clothes, when she can make it herself AND achieve better quality and fit?

So, is it a curse or a blessing? I know I just have to continue sewing (the curse) and hopefully get better (the blessing). Casey’s list of necessary tools assured me that I'm on the right track regarding sewing equipment, links to sewing tutorials may be a good angle of attack and an upcoming course will hopefully improve my skills.

Loppemarked / Jumble marked

2010-03-07T19:51:00.000+01:00

Loppemarkedsesongen har startet og denne symaskinen måtte være med meg hjem! Er den ikke nydelig? Jeg kjenner ikke til merket Omega, noen andre som vet noe? Den er 'made in Denmark', merket med en Sytrix-logo og har modellnummer 208.
The jumble marked season has started, and this sewing machine just had to come home with me! Isn't she a beauty? I don't recognize the brand Omega, anyone else who knows anything? It's 'made in Denmark, marked with a Sytrix logo and the model no. is 208.

V8280 fiasko / V8280 failure

2010-02-28T17:44:00.006+01:00

Alas, this fits my dress form better than it fits me...

Jeg har mast om den røde nyttårskjolen min tidligere. Den som slettes ikke ble ferdig til nyttår. Den som snart var ferdig, men som fremdeles ikke er ferdig. Problemet som oppstod når den nesten var ferdig, var nemlig dette (ifølge Det Bestes store Sybok):

I've been nagging about my New Years Eve dress previously. The one that didn't get finished for New Years Eve. The one that soon would be finished, but still isn't. The problem I met was this (according to Reader's Digests Complete Guide to Sewing):

Dette er selvsagt et problem man skal oppdage på toilen, men siden jeg, full i pågangsmot, optimisme og naivitet, ikke laget en prøve på denne kjolen først, så jeg det ikke før glidelåsen var sydd i. Jeg fikk hjelp til å sette litt nåler av to gode syvenninner, og kortet inn ryggen enda mer enn jeg hadde gjort før jeg klippet, men. To måneder inn i det nye året har kjolen mistet litt av glansen, og jeg skjønte a) denne kjolen kommer aldri til å bli ferdig og b) hvis jeg syr denne kjolen ferdig, kommer jeg egentlig til å ha anledninger til å bruke en sånn kjole? Løsningen på problemet: Jeg syr et 3/4-sirkelskjørt til toppen istedet, og bruker det smale skjørtet til mønsterdeler til et nytt Kasia skjørt! Hva tror dere?

This is, of course, a problem one's supposed to see on the toile, but since I, filled up with spirit, optimism and naiveté, didn't make any toile, I didn't see the problem until the zipper was in. I got some pinning help from two of my good sewing friends, and shortened the back even more than I did before I cut the pattern pieces. but. Two months into the new year the dress had lost its glory, and I realized a) this dress will never be finished and b) if I finish the dress, when will I ever have the opportunity to wear a wiggle dress? Problem solved: I'll make a 3/4 circle skirt and sew that to the top piece instead, and I can use the old skirt piece for new pieces for another Kasia skirt! What do you think?

Fleroppgavekjøring / Multitasking

2010-02-18T22:55:00.004+01:00

Jeg har lært noen ting i løpet av de siste prosjektene mine. Dessverre dreier det seg ikke om syteknikk, men mer om meg og mitt forhold til sying...

Jeg gidder ikke bry meg om fine detaljer med mindre jeg vet at passformen på plagget blir bra. Ta for eksempel passepoilerte knappehull som The Cupcake Goddess laget på sin Red Vixen Dress, eller som Gertie gjorde på hennes Coral&Black antrekk. Flotte detaljer, men tar jeg meg bryet?
Jeg er besatt av perfekt passform. Det er grunnen til at jeg nesten har sluttet å bruke kommersielle mønstre, og jeg er ekstremt kritisk når jeg starter nye prosjekter. Hvorfor? Fordi jeg er elendig når det kommer til å tilpasse mønstre, gradere, lage toile... alle de forberedende tingene man bør gjøre for å bli (mer) fornøyd med utfallet. Jeg skulle gjerne laget Colettes Ceylonkjole for eksempel, men jeg vet at ryggmålene mine er videre og kortere enn gjennomsnittet og plagget vil ikke passe med mindre jeg gjør tilpasninger.
Jeg klarer ikke konsentrere meg om én ting. Jeg blir ufattelig lett distrahert! Som for eksempel nå, jeg drev og klippet ut en topp og oppdaget at jeg drev med imaginær blogging. Eller det faktumet at jeg elsker å se teveserier samtidig som jeg syr. Ikke spesielt effektivt, det skal være visst, selv om jeg på en måte driver multitasking... Det verste er at jeg mistenker at dét er årsaken til at syteknikkene mine ikke utvikles til det bedre...

I've learnt some stuff during my latest projects. Unfortunately not sewing techniques, but more about me and my relation to sewing...

I can't be bothered with neat details unless I know the overall fit will be good. Like bound buttonholes, as The Cupcake Goddess made for her Red Vixen Dress, or as Gertie did for her great Coral and Black outfit. Great details, but can I take the trouble?
I'm obsessed with perfect fit. That's why I have nearly stopped using commercial patterns, and I'm extremely critical when I start new projects. Why? Because I'm lousy when it comes to tissue fitting, grading, muslin making... all those preparatory things one should do to be (more) satisfied with the result. I'd love to make Colette's Ceylon dress for instance, but I know my back is wider and shorter than average, and I won't slip directly into the garment without alterations.
I can't concentrate on one thing. I so easily get distracted! Like right now, I was cutting a top when I suddenly started imaginary blogging. Or the fact that I love watching TV series as I'm sewing. Not very efficient for sure, although I'm kind of multitasking... Worst of all, I suspect this is the reason why my sewing techniques seem not to improve...

Flamingoene kommer! / The flamingos are coming!

2010-02-09T19:37:00.002+01:00

Jeg kan ikke annet enn å le, både fordi jeg er veldig fornøyd med passformen på denne skjorten og fordi stoffet er helt fantastisk søtt, vimsete og morsomt! Jeg har hatt skjorten på meg på jobb i dag, og har følt meg som et lite flamingofyrverkeri! Nå må jeg bare sy flere blyantskjørt. Flamingo fun fact (i følge Wikipedia): I gamle Roma ble flamingotunger sett på som en delikatesse!

I cannot do anything else than laugh, both because I'm truly satisfied with the fit and because the fabric is incredibly sweet, whimsy and fun! I wore the shirt at work today, and I've felt like a flamingo firework! All I have to do now is sew more pencil skirts. Flamingo fun fact (according to Wikipedia): Flamingo tongues were considered a delicacy in Ancient Rome.

Flamingoer? / Flamingos?

2010-02-02T22:12:00.003+01:00

Noen ganger skal man overraske seg selv, og det gjorde jeg da jeg falt for flamingostoffet. Det skal bli skjorte, men det var ikke før jeg hadde begynt å klippe at jeg skjønte at dette kanskje kommer til å bli en hawaiiskjorte... Tiden vil vise hvor vellykket det blir! Den røde (nyttårs)kjolen er forresten nesten helt ferdig, men jeg er ikke fornøyd med passformen (ja, jeg er perfeksjonist!). Jeg må virkelig begynne å sy prøvemodeller.

We should surprise ourselves sometimes, and I certainly did when I fell for this flamingo fabric. It's going to be a shirt, but it wasn't until I started cutting the fabric I realized that this might become a Hawaii-shirt... Time will show if this turns into a success. By the way, the red (New Years Eve-) dress is nearly done, but I'm not entirely happy with the fit (a true perfectionist, that's me!). I really have to start working with muslins.

Prakt fra utlandet / Gems from abroad

2010-01-30T20:13:00.001+01:00

Jeg kan ikke tenke meg en verden uten Internett. Jeg kan se for meg at stoffbutikkene før Internett kanskje var flere og større, men likevel er det utrolig tilfredsstillende å kunne få tak i nesten hva man vil. Disse stoffene måtte jeg bare ha, og planlegger henholdsvis skjorte, kjole, kjole. Kirsebærstoffene er fra Cottage Fabrics og cupcakestoffet fra Little Cherubs. Stoffet med cupcakes skal virkelig sette prikken over i'en for 2010 som året for cupcakes! Jeg kan nesten ikke vente med å sette igang med den (som forøvrig skal ha samme snitt som fluesoppkjolen), men jeg har en lang prosjektliste før den tid. I alle fall skal den røde nyttårskjolen, en flamingoskjorte og et nytt Kasiaskjørt bli ferdig først. Kanskje.

I can't imagine a world without the Internet. I can imagine that there was more fabric shops before the Internet and they might have been bigger, but it's oh so satisfying getting nearly everything you want. I just had to have these fabrics, and I'm planning shirt, dress, dress, respectively. The cherry fabrics are from Cottage Fabrics and the cupcake fabric's from Little Cherubs. The cupcake fabric is really going to dot the i of 2010 as the year of cupcakes! I can hardly wait to get started with this dress (it's going to have the same cut as the amanita dress), but my list of projects are long... I'll finish off the red dress for NYE, make a shirt with flamingo pattern and stitch together a new Kasia skirt first. Perhaps.

Mer om sybyste / More on dress form

2010-01-29T22:57:00.004+01:00

Enda mer tips om sømbystelaging! Tuyi2, et av medlemmene på BurdaStyle, har avansert fra papirtape til noe som virkelig begynner å ligne en ordentlig sømbyste! Jeg skal innrømme at den jeg laget i høst ikke er mye brukt (annet enn som en 3D kleshenger), men hvis jeg avanserer til dette, lover det bra!

More tips on making a dress form! Tyui2, one of the BurdaStyle members, has advanced from paper tape to something really looking like a proper dress form! I have to admit that the one I made this autumn hasn't been used much (other than a 3D clothes hanger), but advancing to this is promising!

Organizing sewing life

2010-01-28T21:32:00.006+01:00

My great-grandfather's tin with pins

Jeg klarer aldri å holde meg til ett prosjekt om gangen, og jeg er ikke særlig strukturert når jeg syr. Det resulterer ofte i "hvor la jeg saksen? hvor er synålen? hvorfor er alle spolene her bortsett fra den røde?" Jeg skulle likt å ha bedre kontroll. For eksempel kunne jeg hatt den lille saksen festet til symaskinen, kanskje den til og med burde være lenket til symaskinen, sånn at det var umulig å snike den bort (for eksempel for å trimme panneluggen - jeg burde hatt egen saks til det, ikke sant!?).

Jeg har prøvd å gjøre det bedre. For eksempel har jeg prøvd å ha alle knappenålene på en magnetholder, men det ble problematisk med synålene. Jeg kan ikke blande de, for det skaper bare forvirring. Så jeg trenger en knappenålspute også. Men jeg har jo allerede magneten, så jeg trenger ikke hele knappenålsboksen (og jeg har nok av små metallbokser). Kanskje en knappenålspute til vristen vil være lurt? Og så, hva gjør jeg med alt det andre syutstyret: Sprettekniven, sømometeret, pinsetten, målebåndet... De burde kanskje være samlet i et glass eller i en boks? Åh, en fin, vintage sigarboks hadde vært noe! Sammen med penner. Jeg leter alltid etter penner. Og trådene jeg bruker. Jeg bytter mellom svart og rødt, både på symaskinen og overlocken, men hvordan skal jeg oppbevare ventende tråder så de ikke spoler seg ut?

Et svar på dette kunne kanskje være et syskrin? Hva om jeg forteller at jeg allerede har et..?

I find it hard to stick to one project at the time, and I'm not very structured when I sew. That often results in "where did I put the shears? where's my needle? why are all the bobbins here except the red one?" I'd really like to have better control, though. Like having the small pair of scissors attached to the sewing machine, in fact it should be chained to the sewing machine, so that I won't be able to sneak it away somewhere (for instance to trim my bangs, I need special scissors for that, right!?).
I've tried to make things better. For instance, I tried to have all my pins on a magnet holder thingy, but realised; what should I do with the sewing needles? I cannot mix them, that would just confuse me. So I also need a pin cushion. But I already have my magnet, so I don't need a pin pot (and I've got plenty tin boxes). Maybe a wrist pin cushion would be smart? And what about all my other sewing equipment: Stitch unpicker, sewing guage, tweezers, measuring tape... They should really be gathered in some kind of jar or box. A nice vintage cigar box! Together with pens. I always search for pens. Also, the thread I'm using. I keep switching from black and red, and that's both on my domestic and overlock. Where should I keep the pending reels to avoid them unwinding?

An answer to this might be a ditty bag, wouldn't it? But what if I say that I've already got one of those..?

Pencilskirt

2010-01-24T18:34:00.002+01:00

Dette skjørtet laget jeg og en venninne egentlig til henne, men det var akkurat litt for lite og perfekt til meg. Grei adopsjon! Det er et mønster basert på Kasia fra BurdaStyle, som jeg har forenklet en del. Jeg har et likt liggende ferdig oppklippet klart til å sys sammen, men jeg lurer på om jeg skal ha røde bisebånd i de buete sømmene? Jeg har også planer om å lage et av rød satengbomull med stretch fra Stof2000.

A friend of mine and I made this skirt for her, but it turned out to be a little too small for her and perfect for me. Easy adoption! It's based on the Kasia pattern from BurdaStyle, and simplified. I have another one cut out waiting to be sewn together, but I'm wondering about having red piping in the curved seams? I'm also planning to make one of red satin cotton with stretch from Stof2000.

Nabobutikken / The local supplier

2010-01-20T16:00:00.002+01:00

Når internett har blitt nabobutikken, er det de underligste og flotteste tingene man kan få tak i. I 50-talls kjoleprosjektet mitt, er matchende belter noe å ta hensyn til. Til nå har det vært plastbelter som jeg har fått tak i rundt forbi (jeg tror faktisk jeg har 4 forskjellige røde, smale belter). I de fleste vintagemønstre av typen skjortekjoler, er et belte ofte tilbehør, og da er det lagt opp til at man lager beltespenne og belte dekket med samme stoff som selve kjolen. Jeg tenkte at det burde ikke være noen sak, og søkte litt rundt på nettet. Det har vist seg vanskelig å finne (umulig i sybutikkene her hjemme, nesten-umulig på internett), men jeg var heldig og fikk tak i ordentlige vintage (til venstre) og nye (til høyre). De nye er fra vanave8 på amerikanske ebay, og hun får de igjen fra Canada... De minste er litt store (2.5 cm), men kamuflert i kjolestoff tror jeg at det blir veldig fint. Jeg gleder meg til å prøve!

When the Internet has become the local supplier, you can find the strangest and greatest things. My 50s dress projects often require matching belts, but until now I've just found plastic belts (I actually think I have 4 different red, narrow belts). Most vintage patterns of shirtdresses often have a belt as accessory, and the idea is to make buckle and belt covered with the same fabric as the dress. I thought that would be easy, and searched around the Internet. It proved to be difficult to find (impossible in my local sewing shops, and almost impossible on the Internet), but I was lucky and got hold of proper vintage (to the left) and new (to the right) belt-and-buckle kits. The new ones are from vanave8 on the American ebay, and she told me she gets them from Canada... The smallest ones are a little bit big (1"), but camouflaged in fabric I think it'll be very nice. I'm really looking forward to try!

System i sysakene

2010-01-17T22:05:00.000+01:00

Det er ikke til å unngå at det er mange svarte stoffer i hyllene mine, og jeg har tenkt mye på hvordan man best mulig kan holde oversikt over hva man egentlig har i hyller og skuffer og skap og bokser og esker. Jeg lurte en stund på om jeg skulle lage meg et kartotek med en stoffprøve og kort hvor det stod beskrivelse med lengde, men fant ut at det var noe omfattende. Et system jeg prøver ut nå, er tellekanter og lapper. Det skiller i alle fall de svarte stoffene fra hverandre, og ingen kommer helt i glemmeboken. Det neste er å finne ut hvordan jeg best mulig kan oppbevare mønstre, uferdige prosjekter (som kanskje aldri blir ferdige) og pågående prosjekter (fordi det alltid er mer enn ett).

I cannot avoid having lots of black fabrics in my cupboard, and I've been trying to figure out how to best have a good overview of what I have on shelves and in drawers and cupboards and in boxes. I wondered about keeping a card index with fabric swabs and card with a fabric description and length, but it just seemed a little too extensive. A system I'm trying out now, is 'count edges' and notes. At least it'll separate the black fabrics from on another, and none will be forgotten. Next up is to find out how to best keep my patterns, unfinished projects (which maybe never will be finished) and ongoing project (because there's always more than one).

Har vi sett det før?

2010-01-16T19:20:00.001+01:00

Dette kan vel sies å være min første fullførte skjorte. Jeg har brukt et mønster fra Stoff&Stil og måtte endre noe på innsnitt og sånn, så helt fornøyd er jeg ikke. Neste gang blir det basic block'en igjen (det er visst det jeg kommer fram til hver gang jeg prøver et nytt mønster!?).

I think this is my first shirt I've carried through. I used a pattern from Stoff&Stil and had to alter the shape and the darts, so I'm not completely satisfied. I'll use my basic block next time (I guess that's the conclusion every time I use a new pattern!?).

Planer for det nye året

2010-01-03T18:39:00.002+01:00

Godt nyttår! Nyttårsforsettene skal mest handle om å få sydd noen av de tingene som har stått høyt på lista de siste månedene. Stoffene på bildet har høyest prioriet (kjoler, kjoler, kjoler...), i tillegg til vadmel (vintertrenchcoat til høsten) og regnjakkestoff (som i regnjakke). Den røde nyttårskjolen ble forresten ikke ferdig. Ingen overraskelse så lenge jeg ble uenig med mønsterkonstruksjonen underveis. Den skal gjøres ferdig altså, og best av alt var at den ga meg en idé til en ny kjole...

Happy New Year! My New Year resolutions will mostly be about sewing the projects topping my list for the last months. The fabrics on the picture are of highest priority (dresses, dresses, dresses...), in addition to wool (winter trench coat for the autumn) and raincoat fabric (raincoat). I didn't finish the red dress for New Year's Eve by the way. No surprise, as I disagreed with the pattern construct as I went along. I will finish it though, but the best thing is that it gave me another idea for a dress...

Work in progress

2009-12-28T17:06:00.001+01:00

Med et lite håp om at denne kjolen fra Vogue Patterns skal bli ferdig til nyttårsfesten... Hvis ikke, får jeg jo bare sørge for en passende anledning!

I have a tiny hope to finish this dress from Vogue Patterns until New Years Eve... If not, I just have to see to that there'll be an appropriate opportunity!

november = desember

2009-12-19T11:00:00.001+01:00

Endelig ferdig! Ting tar tid, og det måtte bli desember før jeg kom i mål med kjolen.

I'm finally done! It took longer than planned, and it was suddenly December before I managed to finish the dress.

Sopp på prøve

2009-11-27T21:08:00.000+01:00

Med byste og nåler er det lett å se for seg resultater. Skjortestykket er sydd sammen, men kragen er bare nålet i hop. Jeg er mest usikker på om kjolen skal ha 3/4-armer eller ikke. Jeg tenker at armer er ganske anvendelig, men at det kanskje kan bli for mye av det gode?

It's easy to visualize the result with a dress form and pins. The shirt-pieces are sewn together, but the collar is only pinned onto the fabric. I'm not sure whether to attach 3/4 sleeves or not? I'm thinking sleeves are very practical, but it may be a little bit too much?

In the typing mood

2009-11-22T19:41:00.000+01:00

Jeg har fått en entusiasme for skrivemaskiner, og tenker at jeg kanskje skal begynne å samle en dag. Jeg har kanskje begynt allerede, for i sommer kjøpte jeg min første: En nydelig Smith Corona, trolig fra 1938! Jeg har fått tak i nye blekkbånd hos Typewritersupply, og ellers mye god informasjon og fin inspirasjon hos MyTypewriter.com.

I've got an enthusiasm for typewriters, and I'm thinking of starting to collect them. I might've started already, for I bought my first one this summer: A beautiful Smith Corona, probably from 1938! I managed to get hold of new ribbons from Typewritersupply, and more information and inspiration at MyTypewriter.com.

Novemberprosjektet

2009-11-09T22:53:00.003+01:00

Photo: Fabric from Stoff og Stil, Simplicity vintage pattern 3380 bought from BlueCatVintage.

Det må bare bli 50-talls kjole av dette enormt nydelige stoffet. Kanskje det blir i meste laget, men jeg tror det blir sirkus og spetakkel!

It just has to be a fifties dress of this incredibly nice fabric. It might be a little too much of the good thing, but I believe in circus and fribble!

A girl's gotta play!

2009-11-08T10:48:00.002+01:00

Technical drawings from Stoff&Stil.

chili con carne

2009-11-04T18:20:00.002+01:00

Photo: Grilled bell peppers

Denne bloggen må visst handle litt om mat også. Bare litt. Jeg kjøpte ny jerngryte her forleden, og hva er vel bedre enn å innvie den med chili con carne til gode venner? En velbrukt oppskrift i gjengen vår er Andreas Viestad sin med chipotle chili. Dette er chili som er tørka, røykt og sylta, og gir en herlig røyksmak til chilien.

This blog has to be a little about food as well. Only a little. I bought myself a cast iron pot the other day, and what'll be a better first meal than chilli con carne? A favourite recipe amongst my friends is Andreas Viestad's with chipotle chilli. Chipotle is dried, smoked and pickled chilli, which gives a lovely smoky taste to the chilli con carne. Unfortunately the recipe is only in Norwegian, but try Google Translate.

Sømbyste

2009-10-10T09:19:00.001+02:00

Jeg har lenge hatt lyst til å ha en sømbyste, men helt siden jeg gikk på folkehøgskole har jeg tenkt at jeg skulle lage en selv. Den gangen laget nemlig kostyme- og klesdesignklassen sine egne sømbyster ved hjelp av gipsbandasje og isolasjonsskum. Den metoden er tidkrevende og relativt kostbar, så jeg ble veldig entusiastisk da jeg fikk høre om papirteipmetoden da jeg var i London i august! Jeg kjøpte likså godt papirteip da jeg var der, og for ca £3 har jeg, med hjelp av en god venninne, laget en sømbyste! Jeg laget en til henne også, og av denne prosessen feilte vi litt og lærte mye, og tenker at det nok blir enda flere. Vi lurer også på om vi skal prøve oss på gipsbandasje og pappmaché. Til neste år blir det forhåpentligvis draperingskurs i London.

I've been wanting a dress form for a long time, but ever since I was at 'folk high school' I've been thinking that I want to make one by myself. At that time, the costume and fashion design class made their own dress forms by surgical plaster and foam. This method is time consuming and relatively costly, so when I heard about the paper-tape method in London, I got very enthusiastic! I bought some paper-tape and brought with me home, and I made a form with help from a very good friend of mine for less than £3! I made one for her as well, and in this process we made some mistakes and learnt a lot, and we're thinking of making yet another for ourselves. We're also thinking about trying out the molded papier-mâché form. And I'm hoping for a draping course in London next year.

En kode å knekke

2009-09-23T17:35:00.005+02:00

Photo: :: SHOWstudio ::
Noen mønstre skal være mer kompliserte. I alle fall når de kommer fra Galliano. Jeg håper jeg knekker koden på denne en dag, og synes det er gøy at noen designere vil dele! En kimonojakke fra Alexander McQueen finnes her, og en slags cardigan fra Yohji Yamamoto finnes her.

Some patters are supposed to be more complicated. At least when they're from Galliano. I hope to break the code on this one day, and like the fact that designers are willing to share! A kimono jacket from Alexander McQueen is found here, and a cardigan thingy from Yohji Yamamoto is found here.

Ferdig!

2009-09-21T22:32:00.001+02:00

Det kjennes veldig bra ut, og jeg er fornøyd. Ble nesten ferdig forrige helg, men så kom valgvaken og en travel uke, og så ble det siste finish i går. For spesielt interesserte kan jeg fortelle at dette er et Burdamønster fra 9/2006 (nr. 107) som jeg har endret ganske kraftig på. I etterkant tenkte jeg at jeg kunne jo bare brukt mønsteret fra kurset i London, men det får bli neste gang. Istedet for knapper i halsen har jeg brukt en skinnbrosje kjøpt på Old Spitalsfield Market. Stoffet er forresten fra A One Fabrics.

Done! It feels very good, and I'm satisfied. I nearly finished last week end, but then the election came along and a busy week, and last touch was given yesterday. For specially interested I can tell that this is a pattern from Burda 9/2006 (no. 107), but heavily modified. Afterwards I thought that I could've just used the pattern from the short course in London, but that'll be next time. Instead of buttons I've used a leather brooch bought at Old Spitalsfield Market. The fabric is by the way from A One Fabrics.

2009-09-12T17:54:00.000+02:00

Puffen måtte gå...

The pouf had to go...

Nytt prosjekt

2009-09-10T22:55:00.000+02:00

Det nye prosjektet er selvsagt ikke på planleggingslista, men sånn fungerer jeg best. Det skal bli en kjole som jeg satser på at blir ferdig i løpet av helga, med puffermer og litt sær hals. Når den blir ferdig, mangler den bare et belte. Hvor i alle dager skal jeg få tak i fine beltespenner?

The new project isn't on my list-of-plans, but that's the way I work. This will be a dress, and I hope to finish it during the weekend, with puffed sleeves and a little strange neck line. It'll only lack a nice belt when it's finished, but where to find nice belt buckles?

Planlegging

2009-09-06T22:57:00.001+02:00

Kirsebærkupp i London

2009-09-05T19:05:00.000+02:00

Jeg kan leve lenge på en Londontur. Disse fantastisk fine øredobbene fant jeg på Old Spitalsfields Market, og da jeg hadde de på meg senere på dagen, var det en dame som plutselig kom helt nær meg og myste: "I just had to see if they were real"... vittig! Noen av mine favorittsteder i Brick Lane, i tillegg til markedene i Old Spitalsfield: Absolute Vintage og Beyond Retro som begge har veldig godt utvalg av vintage klær, Junky Styling som resirkulærer klær, og lager stilige (og dyre) kreasjoner, The Laden Showroom som har samlet yngre up-and-coming designere, Labour and wait som fører pragmatiske ting og tang, Shelf som selger fine små bokser og bokstaver... Quirky Shopping Guide og Shoreditch map kan anbefales til å utforske Brick Lane og Shoreditch!

I can live on a trip to London for a long time. I found these fantastic earrings at Old Spitalsfields Market, and when I wore them later that day, a woman came quite close to me and said: "I just had to see if they were real"... witty! Some of my favourite places in Brick Lane, in addition to markedene i Old Spitalsfield: Absolute Vintage and Beyond Retro who both have a proper selection of vintage clothing, Junky Styling selling stylish (although expensive), surgically recycled clothes, The Laden Showroom who promotes young, up-and-coming designers, Labour and wait who sells pragmatic things and widgets, Shelf selling nice little boxes and letters... Quirky Shopping Guide and Shoreditch map is recommended for exploring Brick Lane and Shoreditch!

Det er ikke mengden...

2009-09-04T22:55:00.000+02:00

...det kommer an på. Årlige turer til London i fem år, og reiser til India og København har ført til at jeg har fått et meget akseptabelt lager. I London kan jeg anbefale å ta turen til Shepard's Bush og Goldhawk Road. Her finnes blant annet to av mine favoritter: A One Fabrics og Classic Textiles. Kom over Fehr Trade sin side med gode beskrivelser av butikkene i Goldhawk Road.

It isn't the amount that matters... Annual trips to London for five years, and trips to India and Copenhagen have resulted in my fabric stockpile. In London I can recommend fabric shopping in Shepard's Bush and Goldhawk Road. Here you'll find two of my favorites: A One Fabrics and Classic Textiles. I stumbled across Fehr Trade's site with good descriptions of the shops in Goldhawk Road.

Årets første prosjekt

2009-09-03T09:32:00.000+02:00

Det var ikke lett å kombinere skriving av masteroppgave med symaskinsysler, og produksjonen min i år har derfor vært meget laber. Årets første plagg ble laget i juli en uke etter at masteroppgaven var levert. Det måtte bli et rødt skjørt med rosa knapper. Mønsteret er basert på et skjørt jeg allerede har. For gøy legger jeg ved et bilde av proteinet jeg har jobbet med også.

It wasn't easy to combine writing my master's thesis with sewing activities, and my production so far this year has been very low. This year's first garment was made in July a week after I handed in the thesis. It had to be a red skirt with pink buttons. The pattern is based on a skirt I already have. Just for fun, I'm posting a picture of the protein I have been working with.

En entré

2009-09-02T16:42:00.000+02:00

Jeg aner ikke hva denne bloggen skal bli til, men at den kommer til å innebære prikker, er det lite og ingen tvil om. Det kommer sikkert til å dreie seg litt om hva jeg driver med på sybordet, og kanskje noe av det som strikkes. Og litt om alt det fine jeg finner på veien.

Jeg begynner med å fortelle at jeg har vært på mønsterkonstruksjonskurs i London, ved London College of Fashion. Nå satser jeg på eksperimentering og konstruksjon av egne mønster. Målet er ikke å lage ekstreme kreasjoner, men å vite at det blir bra første gang.

I do not know what this blog will be, but there's no doubt it will include polka dots. It will probably be about what I carry on with at the sewing table, and maybe a little bit about my knitting. And a little about all the nice things I find as I go along.I'll start by telling that I joined a pattern cutting course in London at London College of Fashion. I'm now going for experimentation and construction of my own patterns. The goal isn't to make extreme creations, but to know that the garment fits at the first go.