squeal!!! it's a squash!

well last year my little pumpkin was super-friendly...this year i felt we needed to go a bit more scary! Unfortunately this one was not grown by me...my pumpkins didn't last until Hallowe'en this year!!
As ever, it was super-easy to carve and i used the pumpkin flesh from inside to make a batch of pumpkin brownies which were really delicious!!! Check out the recipe, i highly recommend!
Doesn't he look scary?? I think i do too, in this picture!! Have a good night and watch out for killer pumpkins!!!

secret weapon

so...behold the secret weapon!! This is a petticoat made from the fantastic tutorial by Sugardale ...who has a brilliant blog, by-the-way.
I wasn't sure what fabric to use because the american girls use "crinoline fabric" but when i asked at my local fabric shop...they kindof looked at me strangely and shook their heads (although, that in itself is not unusual...they always look at me that way...it's a great fabric shop but for some reason the old women who work there seem to compete with each other to be the rudest possible when serving me, if i had anywhere else to go to buy fabric...i'd be there!) Anyway...in the end i went for simple lining fabric because it was on sale as there was a black mark down one side of the roll....i bought the fabric and promptly cut that bit off. Bargain!
The little hook closures mean that it can be worn at 3 different lengths to suit different over dresses.
Anyway, I was really glad i did use this fabric because it is so smooth on the skin and makes a lovely rustle-y noise when i walk! Plus it's a fabulous colour and i think i need to make a shortish black dress with yellow trim that i can wear with it....and as i walk a little whisper of banana coloured petticoat can be seen!! SWEET!!

afternoon coffee dress

Well i have been craving a full skirted dress recently and decided to have a go at making one. This one is a hybrid of two free patterns from Burdastyle: the Coffee Date dress and the Afternoon Tea top.
The top looks a like weird on Sam the beautiful (and grubby-left-shouldered(how annoying!!)) mannequin because she's a little different in the bust department to me! But there is no way I was trying on this dress for photos on a day like today...it's FREEZING!!) You're just going to have to trust me that it looks better on me! lol!
I made the little pleated trim quite thick so that it would really stand out and added a belt that widens at the front and is nice and long at the back. For the skirt piece i used the shape of the coffee date pattern, but just made it a much fuller and then gathered it to fit at the waist. I love bows at the back of dresses!
And then i decided that it looked a little flat...I just wasn't making the most of the full skirt....so i decided to use a secret weapon....behold the result!
Much pouffier..right??!! O secret weapon, you are awesome....i think i might blog about you next!

talea time!

Coming into the colder weather and i finally got my wish! I have always wanted to make my own winter coat. I used the free pattern Talea on the Burdastyle website for my first try.
I was able to get my hands on a large piece of service-grade Barrathea (aren't i a lucky girl??!!) this is actually not available in the shops in case people make faux police uniforms with it...but i wasn't going to do that so.....it'll be fine!! The fabric is black in low light but has this gorgeous green sheen in the sunlight. (that bottom seam looks funny...i really should've ironed it before taking photos...groan)
It's gorgeous, but was a total nightmare to match with buttons!! I choose plain black in the end, because i was really getting nowhere...what i really wanted was a dull metallic type...buuuuut, it wasn't happening...so black plastic will have to do!It is the warmest thing...and is not bulky like my other winter coats.
I made a couple of amendments to the pattern such as adding a belt with belt loops and instead of using large topstitched pockets, i made two pockets in the side seams because i'm a hands-in-the-pockets kindof girl!
Yay! My winter coat dream..fulfilled!!!

autumn leaves are falling

Yep it's finally here...Autunno...la mia stagione preferita!!
We had a little autumn dinner party to celebrate.
I got to use the little wooden leaves that i'd bought on holiday as table confetti...which i think i love!
I made a little line of acorns down the centre and stamped up some napkins with an autumn-y leafy stamp.
Not strictly a craft...but i loved doing the theming, and i thought i really should break up all the clothing posts!!

little miss serious III

And this is part 3...the steffi jacket. I love the nice fitted shape of the jacket and it's sooo quick because it's not lined...all the seams are simply bound on the inside.
A bit busy if the jacket is open...too many crazy buttons, I think i'll always wear it buttoned up or not at all.
I love the shape of the jacket...it's soo comfortable to wear and fits like a glove!!!
Yay for little miss serious!! Now to customise the patterns a bit to make a suit that's a bit more exciting!!

little miss serious II

This is part number 2 of the suit, the franzi waistcoat. I'm thinking that i really don't need the bust darts..they just look untidy...and it could be a little longer...might be a little more flattering.
Please ignore the fact that i look like a chunky prison guard in this photo...i was trying to show the waistcoat...i was not thinking about posing elegantly.
I made the back piece out of suiting as well, instead of the usual silk panel, because i won't always be wearing a jacket with it.

little miss serious I

So i wanted to make a suit that i could wear to work and wanted to try out a few more of the free (or super-cheap) patterns from Burdastyle. I got some plain grey suiting just to try the patterns out before i decided to adapt them. I put together 3 patterns that I thought would work and this is the first piece.
This is the Jenny skirt. Very simple and quick, high-waisted and fully lined. I bound the internal seams which made a bit of a bump that you can see around the bottom seam, but this is the quickest way to secure the seams and will last forever, so i'm not too worried.
I'm seeing this in a woolly tweed with a brown leather waist band and little horse-shoe buckles...ooo!!

molly molletta

Molletta is the italian word for clothes-peg so it seemed like an obvious name choice!! These little dolly pegs are such fun to dress up! A little disc of fabric trimmed with ric-rac makes up the skirt and then some lengths of embroidery thread knotted on the head and glued neatly in place...and there you have her!!
She's so fancy...i wish i had an outfit like that....lol

sequinned sun seats

I'd been looked for patio-chair cushions all summer long, but they were always too plain and too expensive! A horrible combination! I had wanted to make some from scratch myself, but the plain foam is prohibitively expensive!!

Then I saw them...in a pile of "after-summer-reductions" fabulous purple circular cushions!! However, always seeking sparkle wherever i go, i thought they could use an extra little something...
So I sewed on little pink sequins to give them a more luxury-easterny feel. I can imagine these in a heavily embroidered bedouin tent with silky veils flowing in the breeze....oo i love it, i need one of those!!