fashionable conundrum

handmade clothing sale

2011-04-05T12:27:00.004+09:30

handmade clothing - denim dresses and overalls etc.

I am having a sale at the moment and also a competition to promote my new facebook page.

So please come over and have a look!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ShipShap/147310468667210

online promotion

2011-03-23T11:56:00.004+10:30

I am in the midst of updating all things online. A new facebook page, updating Etsy and Madeit and Dwanda, oh to have someone help me (or actually just do it for me so I can spend more time sewing!!!). The problem is it is so time consuming for me as I am not all that tech savvy - never mind I will continue.....

Anyway as my facebook group is new so I wanted to have a promotion to celebrate. I was thinking, win a voucher and everyone who 'likes' can get free shipping. How's that?

I dress I made for my little girl. It is really a size 2 and she is only 1 - but good for next season.

The fabric is liberty of london and designed by Lauren Childs, the creator of Charlie and Lola.

I have decided not to add to online stores as I would have to go and buy more fabric to fill any orders.

Patch Pictures

2011-02-02T15:09:00.002+10:30

My Mum gave me a book called 'Patch Pictures' last time I was at hers. So I have tried some. I am not overly happy with the shape of this t-shirt though, I think I will just do them the classic style with set in sleeves. Boys tops and jeans for this autumn/winter...stay tuned!

selling - a necessary evil

2011-01-14T10:45:00.002+10:30

Why can't people just magically know about what to buy and therefore we wouldn't need advertising? But without that there would be no Mad Men I guess, and I love that show - even if it is just to see what Joan and Betsy are wearing.
Anyway, here is my latest dress, I just love this print and it goes well with the red denim I think.

Back again

2010-09-01T06:55:00.002+09:30

I am back.
Spring is here and bring it on!

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-21T14:55:00.006+10:30

Oh my lord! Just read the last post - well I had the baby... 3 days later and I was not expecting that. So the little mite is nearly 6 months old and it's about time I blogged again.

I am already sewing for her and having her model for me, of course!

I wander around the house, or drive my car, or whatever, thinking of what I can write in this blog, then I sit down to write and... nothing, I am sure I am not alone (by the way, has anyone noticed how often people are saying "I am not Robinson Crusoe" instead of the aforementioned phrase?) and you can imagine how annoying it is when you cannot make a short note about what you want to say.

My plan this year is to go to a market a month, so in February and April I will be going to the wonderful Sisters' Market in the Brunswick Town Hall and in March and May I will be going to the Daylesford Makers Market which I have not been to before but as Daylesford is nearby and is a beautiful old town I am looking forward to going to this one in the town hall.

Ad for Mag and new Logo

2009-08-04T20:06:00.003+09:30

So I have made a new ad for this magazine, see previous post. I have done this up myself and also made a logo. Having relatively little skill in this area, I hope it is all OK. Still getting organised for baby - so winding things down a bit. Not a great time to advertise I guess, but oh well.
Last week and a half at Incube8r also.
oops, sent the ad without the logo!

Modern Handmade Child

2009-07-21T21:10:00.004+09:30

The new magazine for EtsyKids will be coming out in August.
Very excited as I won the competition to name the mag and therefore will have an ad inside!
Baby due mid August so may be very busy... hope I have a little time to sew and keep my sanity!

Here is a new item. What do you think? I have called it a collage dress, for want of a better word, as you can see I have used different fabrics, items, techniques. This was was made for my niece Abi.

Incube8r

2009-05-13T17:03:00.003+09:30

I have a spot at Incube8r. I have 2 racks of children's wear and 1 of women's wear, just because I already had some tops made and I think I may sell more women's wear than children's wear in this location. But that will remain to be seen. I have more items to add and I may change my display to a long rack, instead of 3 waterfall racks.... decisions, decisions!

New things of from old things

2009-04-28T17:17:00.002+09:30

Working on some new dresses, pants etc. for shipshap at the mo.
I have had this dress in the cupboard for many years, I had only worn it a couple of times and still love the material. But not in a dress for me, so I have cut it up and am using it as trim on my little girl dresses. Yet to take photos of these new items, but will soon.

Am I Arty Enough?

2009-04-04T12:04:00.003+10:30

I found this new artists market in today's 'The Age', it's at a place called 'the substation' and is on the 1st Saturday of each month in Newport, Melbourne. Am keen to go and check it out, might have time this arvo but it is already 12.41pm and it closes at 4pm. I might be even more keen to have a stall. But, am I arty enough? I think I could be, as the items above include screen printing, patchwork and patching (not sure what you call that, but I am talking about the little dress above with a patch on the front with lace bordering each side). Anyway, keen to do a few markets soon, I did not get a spot at incube8r (see prev. post) and they are quite fun.

Featured & Incube8r

2009-03-23T19:24:00.002+10:30

I was featured by madeit on the website Kid Style File which was very nice, here is the link.
I am also thinking of renting some space at Incube8r which is a fantastic shop in Smith Street, Collingwood which stocks handmade items, quite excited by this and will keep you posted.

Baking boats

2009-03-18T17:22:00.003+10:30

Fresh from the oven, though I can't say they smelled very appetising.
New tops with blue boats, one of them could hardly be seen as the paint was the same colour as the top, so I re printed as a shadow - looks good I reckon.
Still waiting to be sewn up.

What to write on a blog.

2009-03-05T19:36:00.003+10:30

Hi again. I have not forgotten about the blog, in fact quite the contrary. I think about it often and what I should write here. The problem is that every time I think about something I am doing something else. This is not a problem I do not share, I am sure. Needless to say I have no idea what to write right now.
So I will just give a little overview as to what is going on is my sewing life.
I have decided to put aside 5trillion and my desire to make women's wear for the moment. I would like to concentrate on ShipShap children's wear and also that I am expecting another baby in August and those 2 things are enough to work on at the moment (and, of course, looking after the first little one).
I have made a facebook group for ShipShap.
I have ordered some fabric and am working on a new winter range - it will also have summery pieces; as discussed in an earlier blog, as I sell to people all over and it is not cold all over, I like to have something for everyone.

Fabric purge

2008-10-21T11:20:00.002+10:30

Like many sewers I have a stockpile of fabric. My sister once saw a fridge magnet that said, 'the person who dies with the most fabric wins', so it must be quite common. With this in mind I have to decided to stop buying fabric and make up as much as I can into garments and sell them. This may sound like what I have been doing all along, but not really. I want to get rid of this stuff, it is cluttering up my workroom and my life. OK, not my life that was a little dramatic, it would be great just to have some more room.
Then the plan is to make up a proper range for winter '09 (southern hemisphere). So everything is nice and cohesive, not the mishmash of different fabrics I have been doing.

<~A pair of overalls I made for my little man.

Spring and Markets

2008-09-24T19:37:00.002+09:30

There has been a change in just what a market is all about these days, I reckon.
Markets are becoming no longer a place to get some cheap stuff, there are now upmarket markets for handmade goods. Which is just wonderful and makes sense. A hand made item, of course, should be priced accordingly. An item bought at a market that has been handmade and therefore probably very original (I say 'very original' because some things are more original than others, if that makes sense) is something to be treasured. There are some great markets around Melbourne and they are quite popular and the prices are right for the seller and buyer, I believe.
Rose Street market is for artists and is lovely.
Ones I want to check out are Sisters' Market and Magnolia Square.

Addicted to Project Runway

2008-08-28T15:25:00.002+09:30

Currently I am addicted to project runway, I am watching via Youtube, so am watching both the US and Australian one. Anyway, enough of that, there are a lot of people talking about that, no doubt. I just wanted to mention that as a reason as to why I have not blogged for so long.

Do change of season ranges come out too early in the shops? I was shopping about 4 weeks ago, I think it was, when I had this thought. Still a month of winter left and I am confronted by summer clothing. I think I will be sick of it by the time summer gets here. I have not much more to say on the subject, as I must continue watching the current episode of aforementioned show, while I have time.

Please visit flickr, etsy or madeit to see what I am currently working on.

Donnie Dog and Soft Toys

2008-07-05T07:52:00.003+09:30

There seems to be a proliferation of soft toys on the market at the moment. Lots on etsy and madeit which are wonderful and original. Some in shops in Melbourne which are kinda, well, less good. I am talking about those 'handmade in China', see previous post, and those that are just screen printed and stuffed, en masse. Though of the later many of them are quite cute and could be used as little cushions. The problem I have with the former is that they are sold in the National Gallery shop in Melbourne. Come on local artists get down there and make them stock your fabulous items!
So, I am looking for a special present for my nephew and could not make up my mind and thought I could probably make him something myself. A nice stuffed dog like animal with a funny face. Here he is, I have not finished him as the first comment I got was, 'Ha, that wasn't as easy as what you thought it would be'. Suffice to say I did not feel inspired to go on and think maybe I will stick to the clothing.
Maybe he is a little scary for a little one.
Pictured here with our lovely Kelpie cross who died last year.

Tropical Conundrum

2008-05-27T13:55:00.002+09:30

Have just spent a few weeks in the tropical city of Darwin. I know shopping centres around the world are becoming all the same but this is just nearly ridiculous. I went into Target and they have exactly the same stock in the Nothern Territory as they do in Victoria, knitted cardigans and all. It did not get below 20 degrees while we were there and during the day it was about 35, every day. I can understand there being a few items in the back of the shop for people travelling south, but the whole shop was decked out in cold weather clothing. Not surprising I supose. Apparently banana farmers up there have their bananas trucked to Brisbane (about a trillion kilometres away) to be trucked back in boxes and sold at the supermarket.
I have only two words to say about that 'global bloody warming'.

Seasonal Dilemma

2008-04-17T08:46:00.003+09:30

I am having a bit of a dilemma over the seasons. Well, dilemma is probably too strong a word. I just think they have become a little obsolete (with regards to what garments I put in the online stores) for 2 reasons. The first being that when selling online I am selling worldwide which means that some of us are in autumn (fall for all you Americans!) and some of us are in Spring. The other is that some of us (not me) live in warmer climes where you don’t really have a winter at all (hello Townsville and Darwin). I’ll try to stop using parentheses (is that what they’re called...oops, at least I am not using dot dot dot...doh!).
Anyway, this post is getting a little annoying; I will get back on track. The dilemma is, do I stock summer and winter clothing concurrently to suit everyone? If so, how is that going to look? I really think I will have to do this, as I don’t want to be just appealing to some and not everyone. I can always just state this in my shop announcement on Etsy and Madeit and the profile on 5trillion. I believe it needs an explanation otherwise it will look a little odd.
So, there it is, asked and answered. I will need to get to and update this now.
This is the latest thing I am working on. Dog jumpers for little boys, I have cut these out and then machine embroidered them. I have decided to put them onto a patch first and then onto the jumper. If any don’t work out I can do another without ruining a whole piece of fabric! I will do these with different dogs on each, it will add to the handmade element and it is not anymore work.
I will have to stop calling them dog tops, people think I have branched out into dog wear! Please no.

QC & the cat/bird bag

2008-03-09T11:44:00.004+10:30

I made a tote bag this week. It was an order from my sister, I will add it to the shop and make another if ordered. I am also going to make her a camera case, ditto with this. She wanted a plain black bag to use for everyday. As she knows, I don't do plain black, so I have added a machine embroidered bird on one side and cat on the other. The lining is an old pillowcase, I bought it from the op-shop because I just liked the pattern. I have a real penchant for paisley (also for Prince, they go hand in hand I reckon). Here is a picture of some test runs I did first. I did no test run for the cat, just sewed it on.

I made the yellow lines on blue into a top for my little boy. I also ironed on a shop name and logo design using that paper you can print on the computer. After a few washes there were a few problems I could see with the top. The first was with the logo and one that I kinda knew about already, but ironed it on anyway as I wanted to see what it looked like and it was not for sale. These iron ons really only last a few washes before they start coming off. The next issue was the ribbing I used for the neck. It was pilling after only 1 wash, so I have had to throw it out. Lastly and something that is not a real problem, just a small design fault, is with the hem, or lack thereof. I will turn this up and zigzag, it will look better as it rolls up and bit now. Though I think the cuffs are OK without this.
It pays to make a sample up.

Words for the Swing Tag

2008-02-21T13:48:00.003+10:30

I have been trying to decide what to put on the swing tags for ShipShap, my new children's wear label. I think it is important as I want people to know about what they are buying. Here is what I have so far.
"ShipShap is the name I have given to my clothing for children. The clothing is all handmade, which means that I design, cutout and sew up all of the items myself. It can be a somewhat organic process, as some of the pieces may evolve into something a little different to what I had originally planned. Some of my work is not really planned at all; for instance, I always guess how much dye to mix up in the pot and my machine embroidery often just comes out how it does once I start sewing. A picture in my mind is all I may use to go on.

I love making these clothes and I hope you will love them too!

Enjoy,

Christina"

And on the back
"Buying handmade means that you are getting a one-off original and you are directly supporting the (artist or) craftsperson. These are 2 among many other good reasons. Go online to find out more. I made the pledge at www.buyhandmade.org "

I figure that if people are interested in that, or think 'handmade, what do they mean by that' (which is what I would think- see previous blog), they can go and find out, via buyhandmade.org and etsy.com.

Anyway, I am not sure if the clothing will be handmade for ever, but if I was to get it made by someone else I think I would still put on there where it was made and keep the blog with details re that. I think it is important, as I said before.

The above is a picture of the beautiful Abi in one of my tops, after looking at these I decided that the shape is not all that good and I should finish the hem and edges after all. It would be good to have a house model full time!

Handmade in China

2008-02-06T14:17:00.000+10:30

I was at the National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square a few weeks back and so had a look at the shop there. They were selling soft toys 'handmade in China', this annoys me for a few reasons. The stock in the shop is not made by local artists, which contributes to the homogeneity of shops around the world. BORING. And they are not supporting local art and what is their definition of 'handmade'. Because in the truest sense of the word, my stuff is not handmade. I do use a machine. But most people know what handmade means when it comes to clothing and crafts, I think. See Etsy for an explanation.

So here is what I have been up to. I did a special order for my yellow lines t shirt and while I had to screen made up I thought I may as well print some more. I dyed some of my white cotton interlock blue and screened them on there. I will make them up into kids tops, check them out on Etsy soon.

Back to the Blog

2008-01-18T13:51:00.000+10:30

Happy New Year!
What a year for 2007 with the birth of my darling little boy.
Here he is, being held by his Dad, just born. I like this funny little picture of him, looking a bit bewildered at the world he has just entered.
He looks a little different now as he is 4 months old.

Now to the business of making.
I have been making. I went to another market, this time in Foster (near Wilson's Promontory in Victoria), with my sister's help as it is now quite a production to do something like that with a little one to consider. I made some little tube tops with rosettes and shoulder ties for girls, of which I sold a few to my sister's friends before even getting there. So I will make some more and put them in the Etsy shop as they were popular. Here is a pic taken at the market, that's me in the green, with my family helping out.

Clothing Graveyard

2007-09-17T16:14:00.000+09:30

There was an aticle in this weekends 'The Age' newspaper lamenting the fact that the fashion industry is collapsing under a mountain of rags. Janice Breen Burns writes
'Every month. Every week. Teen frock brands even boast they have refined their rip-off systems, can turn around a style from glossy-mag red-carpet paparazzi snap to rack in 10 days. Imagine. Ten days and 100,000 more units of puckered polyester destined within a year for the Salvos.'

It's true, I have been to my local op-shops and while one is constantly having a 50cent sale (all clothing and footwear for 50cents per item), the other is more expensive than the big box stores clearance racks. I have been to Myer's basement to check out the youth clothing department a few times since it has opened and a couple of times it looked truely like a clothing graveyard. Racks and racks of cheap t-shirts, leggins, dresses, etc. all made from different shades of interlock. I imagined their birth in a Chinese factory along with millions of others being churned out by an underpaid workforce. How many do they expect to sell I wonder?
Anyway, I will get back to my own clothing line. I hope to do a few more markets once the Bub is born (currently 1 week overdue!) but who knows, this could bring in a whole world of change I am just not expecting.

Bacchus Marsh Market

2007-08-14T18:23:00.000+09:30

What have I been doing?
I went to the craft market in Bacchus Marsh (where I live) last Thursday, which was very good. All local people who do their own handy crafts such as knitting, water painting, woodcraft, silk painting and me with my clothing. It was a long day - 9am to 5pm, but it was in the shopping centre so there was no problem with the elements. I also made a skirt for my sister (shown here) and have been preparing for the arrival of the baby (about 1 month to go), which I have been sewing for also.
I will add some pictures of these items soon.

After looking at these pictures I need to add that I will be better set up for the next market, with a clothes rack at least!

Etsy Meet Up and Ella's Top

2007-07-23T17:32:00.000+09:30

Went to Fitzroy on Saturday to meet other Etsy sellers. It was a great afternoon, though I was one of the first to leave, but next time I will make it so I don't have to leave so early! There are some pictures on Flickr, thanks to Shara Lambeth - I did take my camera but took no shots as I had my hands full with cards, samples, cup of tea etc!

I also went to the design market as per the previous post, but again took no pictures, maybe I am just getting lazy. That was also very good but very crowded. Some really great work out there people are doing, I am making a concerted effort to buy handmade and/or limited edition artists work lately (if I am not giving something I have made myself) and will encourage others to do the same. It is generally so much nicer than buying mass produced I think.

Here is a picture of my beautiful niece Ella in one of my samples.

Children's Wear and Markets

2007-07-06T17:29:00.000+09:30

I am still busily making children's clothing with the aim of going to market with them. Not sure when this will be, but hopefully within the next 2 months. Summer is probably a better time for markets, but people do still go in winter, at least I do anyway. Speaking of which there is a design market on this Sunday at Federation Square I hope to go to - I will let you all know how this is after the weekend. I heard there is also going to be something on to do with Harry Sidler (Australian Architect) a tribute exhibition I think, so I hope to catch that too.
I must get on and make some more women's wear, I still hope to get this into some stores in Melbourne, so much to do! Here are some pictures of what I have been up to. I made some children's jackets out of a pair of knitted pants I had - recycling and all clean! I dyed and screened some elephant tops which I then used fabric paint in tubes to outline and paint grass onto. And some girls dresses with trees screenprinted on, these I also hand painted some extra leaves and a bit of grass at the bottom, as I thought they looked a bit flat. Check out the Etsy store, where they will all be soon.

Children's Wear Samples

2007-06-19T16:11:00.000+09:30

I think I mentioned in my previous post that I am getting into children's wear. I wanted to sell at some local markets, so I went on down to Woodend to have a look at their Sunday market - and it was not on! Not sure why, I will check that out, it could have been because of the weather...or maybe they do not even hold them in Winter. Yes, I know, I should check these things first. I was also planning on going to the Gisborne market and then we got an invitation to a party on that day, so I won't be going to that either. But that's OK, because I won a knitting machine on e-bay and I can pick it up on that day too, as it is in the same part of town. I am looking forward to that. I did have a knitting machine and it was great, but then I stupidly tried to knit with mohair wool and it all got stuck and I broke it. I could not find a spare part either - very annoyed at myself.
Here are some pics of the children's wear so far, and I even have some gorgeous little models, Eli was great he even faced the wall so I could take a picture of the back of the top, Abi was overdue for her afternoon sleep and so was less cooperative, they are available on Etsy (the clothes, not the kids).

Children's clothing

2007-06-07T17:17:00.000+09:30

I have started to make children's clothing. A natural progression from making maternity clothing I guess you could say. But, no I haven't actually had the baby yet, more of a suggestion from a friend of mine who is also pregnant. Anyway, here are some of my works so far. They will be in the Etsy shop soon.
I have hand dyed these, so they are a bit uneven in the dye distribution, but I think that adds to the handmade flavour, then I screen printed them and then I did some machine embroidery. There are 2 styles, one for girls and one for boys, sizes 1 to 5 years, plus a romper in each style for size 6 months. I hope to get some little bodies in them for better photos on Etsy.

Puffy sleeves

2007-05-23T15:56:00.000+09:30

I have a fascination with puffy sleeves at the moment. I am not the only one no doubt - I think sleeves are big this season (whether that be s/s or a/w depending on whether you are in the northern hemisphere or southern). I have made 2 puffy sleeve tops, one out of stretch poly and features a juliet sleeve and the other from a 50/50 wool, poly lightweight knit (unusual mix). The lantern sleeve I have made for myself, to accomodate my ever growing bump - my regular clothes just aren't fitting! I will also do 'regular' sizes for those with no bump.
Stayed tuned, I will add them to 5trillion.com soon.

quilting

2007-05-16T16:58:00.000+09:30

I have just been having a look at a quilting blog called material obsession. They have some beautiful designs there. Quilting is a very precise craft and so one that I have never really got into - I do not have the patience. My Mum has done quite a bit in her time though; Mum goes off and on different craft projects and is back on to knitting again, which is great as she is knitting up some beautiful little pieces for my baby due in September. Speaking of which, I have been getting into making some maternity wear, funny thing, my regular clothes just don't fit anymore so it was out of necessity of course. Most things I make can just be made to fit a big belly, as I have noted on the 5trillion website.
Here are some pics of my Mum's crazy patchwork quilt - bits of it, as it is a double bed quilt. It has a great deal of work in it and is really lovely layed out on a bed.

screen printing

2007-05-07T17:30:00.000+09:30

Here are some tops I have made in the last few weeks. The tree top I have made from the big roll of fabric I bought. I like these puffy raglans, I think I will do a few more, only slightly different. I have a bit of a fascination with trees at the moment, especially ones with no leaves, I have made another with a tree, but have not taken a photo yet. The second tee here was going to be very different to this. I have a lot of plain, large white buttons and I had this idea to stitch them onto a sleeveless black top, onto lines stitched onto the garment in white. First I did not have any black fabric, so I used this navy cotton Lycra. Then I could not get the lines to look right, so I screen printed some lines on (on the original design they are straight, so I changed this also) in yellow, as I had no white paint, then just sewed different kinds of buttons on. I am quite pleased with the way it has come out though. Have not decided whether to put this on Etsy or 5trillion or what yet!

dyeing and printing and sewing

2007-04-27T15:42:00.000+09:30

I have been doing a bit of all these things this week. I dyed some tee's that I had made up with the new dyes I bought last week. They came out a lot darker than I anticipated; which is good because that means I can be a little more frugal with my dyes. I also made up a jumper for my niece. I made it from a block I had from college which I think has too much of a boxy shape about it - kinda 80's style - which is making a comeback, so that could have been a good thing after all. Anyway, that is what I will tell her! She is only 5, but very style concious, like a lot of young kids are now. As you can see I tye dyed a heart shape in the middle. I think I might have some kind of weird tye dye addiction, I have to refrain myself from tying up everything I throw in the dye pot. Maybe I will just do a heap one day and that may get it out of my system.

5trillion update

2007-04-23T10:57:00.000+09:30

I am in the midst of doing a big update on my online shop at 5trillion.com. Please take a look and also read the musings blog there for info re these new items and a link to my photos on flickr (just click on one of the thumbnails on the musings blog or go to flickr link and type in 5trillion in tag search).
I have also been trying to update my etsy shop but it has been so slow in loading I have had to give up.

nude & lace top

2007-04-16T17:49:00.000+09:30

Today I made a new top and also finished off 1 brooch to go with the denim bolero. The top is made from nude coloured chiffon with a piece of lace sewn down the front. I bought a bag of lace from the local bargain box fabric store and also another from e-bay (both off-cuts). I am not sure where this one came from. I also made a camisole to go under the chiffon top, as of course it was transparent.
I plan to put both on 5trillion and make some more brooches for the denim bolero so people can choose which one, or two, they would like when making a purchase.

new stuff on Etsy

2007-04-03T16:33:00.000+09:30

Here is a picture of my workroom. This is a denim bolero that I am making, with an embroidered brooch acting as the closure. When doing machine embroidery I get my cottons out to see which colours would look best, then for this one I got out my pencils in the same colours to sketch some designs.

I have added some clothing to my Etsy store.
I have not updated 5trillion as yet, but hope to do so soon.

I have been getting into a bit of screen printing lately which I am quite enjoying. I made up some tops, which are on Etsy, and have some more in the pipeline. I have made up one style, but now I have finished it I am not sure that I like it, so I may just pull it apart and change it a bit.
I have also been chatting a bit on the Etsy forums and found some interesting work done by others in Melbourne (I am not in Melbourne, but v close by) and all around the world. Such as these 2: annalaura and a. t. whim.
There are so many wonderful things for sale on Etsy I am not sure why you would shop anywhere else! (In my humble, if not slightly biased opinion).

Having said that I found a great little shop just off Greville St. in Prahran that sells clothing made by people who live in or around Melbourne. Very cute stuff.

I went to the last trading day for the fabric shop mentioned in the previous post. I bought 1 roll of white cotton interlock and 1 roll of rugby weight cotton knit. As you can see by the label it has come from New Zealand and was bought from local clothing manufacturer Ojay. Today I have ordered some dyes from kraftkolour here in Melbourne, so I intend to make lots of garments that I will dye and screenprint.
Stayed tuned.

fabric

2007-03-28T15:38:00.000+09:30

One of my favourite fabric stores is closing, really this time.
Remnant Warehouse in Prahran (Melbourne) will close on the 31st March, after being there for 40 years. It is a fav. as it is a good place to buy base fabrics, like denim, interlock and plain woven cotton at good prices. I bought these stretch cottons, which I have not exactly decided what to make with yet.
The top one I dyed myself on the stove, it was the blue colour, but as you can see it did not quite come out right in one corner, but the rest is fairly even.

I have added some more items to my Etsy shop but nothing to 5trillion as yet!
The problem still being that I cannot get the photos to look as I want them to. Will have to get a body in them, that is for sure. Here is what I have been working on for 5trillion, anyway.

dressmaking again

2007-03-15T18:22:00.000+10:30

I have not disappeared off the face of the earth; I have been dressmaking. Not a lot of time to make my own things while doing this. But now I am back making my own creations, so I hope to make a few updates to 5trillion.com soon.
This blue dress was made for a bridesmaid. I was shown a top that they (bride and bridesmaid) liked and wanted me to make a dress using the same design. The fabric was a little different and I had to sew the pattern into it by hand. I did this just by gathering up puckers in the dress and sewing seed beads on in a cluster. The photo doesn't really do it justice, it looked better in real life.

boiled wool & screen printing

2006-12-20T11:14:00.000+10:30

Just caught something interesting on the radio. Triple J have a thing called catapult where they promote new ideas and they have this one about someone who is making patterns for download at Fitzpatterns.com. Anyhow, I thought that was interesting for people who cannot make their own. I have not had a good look coz I can make my own!
I have been speaking with my sister-in-law about boiled wool and she has given me this bag, which I think is brilliant. She is a home sewer who would put many professionals to shame.
I showed the bag to my ma-in-law who pulled out one that she had made! It was a different technique though, I believe, this one had been felted (same thing, but different process).

And what have I been up to? Well, I have the screen printer going - though just a few experimental pieces. I did one for my niece, without testing it first, yes I know, big mistake. It did not work out, the paint was too thick - I bought it on spesh, so I think it was a bit old. I tried to wash it off and then I just tie dyed it. I have not done tie dye for a long time, I used to love doing tie dye (still do). Here are the results and a picture of my workroom. Stayed tuned to 5trillion.com for more - though I regret to say that I have not updated this site for ages.

Millinery & Racing

2006-11-06T17:50:00.000+10:30

I saw a very interesting and inspiring episode of ‘Artists at Work’ on the ABC last week, about Melbourne milliner Richard Nylon and his creations for the Melbourne Cup. As a point of interest (to me, anyway) he was born in the small country town of Casterton where my brothers live! Here is a picture from the website.

I was in the city on Saturday and there were many people trying hats on for the Melbourne Spring racing carnival, it is really more about the fashion than the racing, which is just fine by me.

Fletcher Jones

2006-10-27T17:43:00.000+09:30

I took a photo of the Fletcher Jones building in Flinders St the other week. I never noticed there are 40's styled men on the facade smoking cigarettes! Or maybe I did and just forgot about it, anyway how advertising has changed. It is against the law to depict people smoking in advertising now.

Here is also a pic of a new shop in Flinders St. I am not sure how long it has been there, but there used to be no clothing shops on Flinders St. as far as I can remember anyhow. Now with the vibe in the city, they are opening up here. See previous blog for some pics of the alleys near here.

As you can see there are a few roadworks going on ( I was trying to be arty) and Flinders St. station is reflected in the windows.

Handmade

2006-10-07T18:20:00.001+09:30

I have been thinking that I will need to re-think the term I am using 'handmade'. While my clothes are, or course, not handmade I feel happy describing them as such. The reason being that I make them at home from pattern to finishing - with a machine or two and this is why they are not strictly handmade. This is good enough for the Etsy website and so it is good enough for me.
But, I think I will start sourcing 'outside' help with the sewing. I am working full time at the moment and just do not have enough time to make everything. Maybe I should call myself a DE, for the purposes of the website (5trillion.com) I mean. I do not really like this term for customers though, because when I first heard it on the fashion incubator website I did not know what it was. I need a tag line for my business card. I want it to say more than 'clothing', 'designer clothes' sounds a bit wanky and 'fashion' doesn't really say anything at all.
I will think this over.
Here is a simple skirt I made, I am thinking of having one made in black and maybe I will silk screen something on it.
No, the silk screen is not finished yet, so I haven't done any printing... but stay tuned.

corset

2006-09-18T17:15:00.000+09:30

There was an article in 'The Australian' the other day about how a fashion show in Spain is only letting models with a BMI of more than a certain amount in the show. They are sending others away deemed to be too thin and unhealthy. I have nothing more to say about that, I just thought it was interesting as it shows the extent of social responsibility in the fashion industry. However, the article also noted that other 'big' fashion shows would not be following suit.

Enough of that and more about me.

Here is the bodice I made upon request by someone who gave me her wedding gown bodice to copy. It was great to have this as a reference as I have only made something with boning once. I sometimes ask the staff in fabric shops how they might sew a particular thing, as you never know they may have a good tip. The person I asked about the boning said she puts sticky tape over the ends, I asked how that would go when washing and she just said - 'you don't wanna know what I do'! Fair enough I thought, home sewers do have many tricks, some good and some bad.

I made the bodice from stretch satin and used this for the lining also, I bought the piping and had to sew straight through the middle as it was leaving too much of a gap with my zipper foot. I used 'rat tail' for the loops at the back and made the tie and shoulder straps from the stretch satin. It has stiff interlining on all panels, it was more a corset that a bodice I suppose.

blog oblivion

2006-09-05T21:08:00.000+09:30

It was very nearly one of the many blogs that disappeared after a short amount of time. But, I am still here! Been kinda busy, but it does not take much to write a few words, so I should stop making excuses and get on. The words will be few, but I will place a few pics of what I have been up to. First is a dress I made for a lovely lady I used to work with; I changed jobs, moved house and have been doing some dressmaking, so there you have it, all my excuses for not keeping up with the blog!

Stayed tuned, when I find the cord for the camera (I know it's in a box somewhere) I will post some more about what I have been making.

2006-07-27T18:15:00.000+09:30

While I was taking a moment to catch up on the latest in fashion blogs I came across this article in 'the age'. It is about the average size Australian woman, well more about the fact that she doesn't exist. Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that this is a global problem. The problem being finding clothes that fit, not the fact that we all aren't a 'stock size' 8. I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately, and I am not sure why more people don't get their clothes made for them. I know it is a lot easier just to go the shop and buy something off the rack, but for specialty occasions or even some wardrobe staples why not get something made that should fit well? When I was growing up we had a good dressmaker in our area. Mum and I would buy some fabric and take it to her and she would make whatever I wanted. It was not expensive and I got exactly what I wanted. As I mentioned previously I have been doing some dressmaking, some for my sister, as she cannot find clothes to fit and some for people who have seen a picture in a magazine and want the same.
It is also a good idea for another reason, you know who has made it i.e. it has not come from a sweatshop in China. Though I am not sure where the fabric is made most of the time, but where the garment is made is a start!
The reason I have been thinking about this lately is that I have nearly finished reading an Australian book called 'The Dressmaker' by Rosalie Ham. It's giving me romantic notions of 'oridinary' people wearing high couture!

Dressmaking

2006-07-27T10:22:00.000+09:30

As I said before, I have been busy dressmaking, so I thought I should provide some evidence!
This is a dress I made for someone I work with, she gave me a dress she liked and wanted a copy, with sleeves and a size bigger. Here is the finished product. It's made from nylon interlock and lined in similar. I have not done a lot of dressmaking lately, so am enjoying getting back into it and honing by skills.

Flinders Lane - Melbourne

2006-07-13T20:43:00.000+09:30

Shopping in Melbourne on the weekend. Now that I have decided to launch myself into this designing and dressmaking business in a bigger way than I have before, I can call these 'business trips'. So it's all work! Went to Federation Square as there was a design exhibition on. I read in the paper there was to be a market with designers selling their wares in the carpark, but I could not find where this was. I did not really look too hard, it was so cold and the other I was with was not that keen. Nevermind, I did see some lovely jewellery and fashion photos inside the gallery.
We had lunch near Flinders Lane, which has become a very popular place for eateries. It is funny how a city changes, there never used to be a lot going on in the city on the weekends, now there are plenty of bars to go, places to eat and places to shop.
a pic of some street art near Flinders Lane.
a pic of where we had lunch.

1

Sleeve variations / terms

2006-06-30T18:23:00.000+09:30

I came across this in my pattern making notes. I could not remember what to call the sleeve on the 'dragonfly shirt' on 5trillion, so I (stupidly) just made something up. It is a bishop sleeve. So here are some more sleeve terms.

busy dressmaking

2006-06-20T21:44:00.000+09:30

I have been too busy dressmaking in the last two weeks to do any sewing for the website, which is good as I am getting a bit of sewing money in, but as always lament the fact that I do not have more time for sewing and crafting. I am making a suit and am about to start on a debutante dress, I will add a picture of this when done, so long as the wearer agrees. I bought some silk for a silk screen last weekend and I will have someone (thanks Cam!) make up a screen for me. He is a bit like me and thinks if you can make it, you should. Hence, the reason I am a fashion designer/ dressmaker who never has any clothes to wear!
I have been thinking about the direction the on-line shop should take, as in whether I should try to specialise with one or two products (say, just shirts or t-shirts) or make a whole range. It is a little bit disorganised now, I mean I just have singular items on a dummy in each picture. I will work on getting a model to wear a whole outfit in each; it will be much better this way. Therefore, I think I just answered my own question; I need offer the whole outfit for sale.
I am looking forward to doing some screen-printing; I have done a little bit in the past, but only basic stuff. I think I will start with some basic one colour prints with paper cutouts, these are often more effective than elaborate photograph emulsions anyway I think. Stay tuned!

Pricing

2006-06-03T16:33:00.000+09:30

Further on the subject of pricing. How do we price our items? I am talking about artists, craftsmen, DE's (design entrepreneurs- a term I picked up from fashion incubator), whatever category you may put yourself in. On one end of the scale there are people who sell their wares at markets and who are just doing this as a hobby. For instance there is a market I go to once a year and there is a lady there who sells hand knitted beanies, scarves, tea-cosies etc. I always tell people this is the best place to buy a beanie, they are inexpensive (mine cost $10) and you can get one in pure wool. On the other end there are artists whose work can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars (more if you're dead!). But can people who sells things at craft markets, or DE's compare themselves to artists? Well, why not I say. I was talking about Akira Isogawa (his work at right) in the previous post, this designer is one who leans toward 'artist' rather than 'designer' in my opinion and this is why he can charge a lot more for his pieces than us mere mortals just starting out.
The spot where pricing becomes tricky is when you have to sell items in order for this to become your employment and means of income, rather than a hobby, and you do not have a reputation or name to rely on. So the price has to be low enough for people to buy and high enough for you to make enough money to support yourself.
I rang the publishers of Vogue Australia to ask how much it would cost to put an ad in the back of the magazine. They asked me who my target market was and what my prices were. At the moment the items on 5trillion range from $20 - $105. They advised me that their customers would be prepared to pay more than that. I explained to them that I had just launched the shop and it was not ready for marketing in a big way yet, I just wondered about how much this would cost. Initially they gave me a price of $650, but then said they could do this for $500 for a business card size ad in the back of the magazine.
This was all food for thought anyway and got me thinking more about how important pricing is. When my man came home from work and told me they needed to re-wire the shed and the electrician was charging $65 an hour, that too was food for thought!

Melbourne shopping

2006-05-30T21:16:00.000+09:30

I went to Melbourne today and did a little bit of shopping in the city. Well, when I say shopping I just go to look at things. I went to the GPO which is one of my favourite (and I think underrated) places. Up the top corner of the building is the Akira shop, who is one of my favourite designers. I was there with my sister and I pointed out a dress I thought was v nice and she agreed. When we left the shop, she told me it was $1500. I looked at most of the other prices (as I always do), but did not see this one.
I have been wondering over the price of things lately. I remember doing a fashion range when I was at college and we had someone come in and talk to us about pricing. In my collection, I had some lovely printed silk, which my Mum had bought when overseas, so I guessed the price to be about $45 a metre. Also in the collection, I had some cotton voile, which I bought for $2 a metre. I asked how I would price the garments given the huge difference in fabric price and that the garments were part of the same collection. I do not think I got an answer, just a look around the room for another question.
More of this at another time.

Etsy

2006-05-26T18:15:00.000+09:30

I have opened a shop on Etsy. The items on there are a little different to the 5trillion shop. I have other items such as jewelry, bags and clothing that I have just made one of. I did not want 5trillion to become too cluttered with this other stuff and I wanted to offer different sizes at 5trillion, not just one piece, if I did not have any more material to make more items for example. I guess it could be seen as the samples shop for 5trillion, for clothing at least anyway. The jewelry and bags are just other items I have made for fun. So check it out, if you are after a bargain.
Etsy is a great site, with lots of different artists and crafts peoples wares.
Tote designs also has a shop there.
I think I will move this item from 5trillion to the Etsy site, as I have only one of this in size 3.

Collars and new item for 5trillion

2006-05-24T08:56:00.000+09:30

I have just been reading about collars and ease at fashion-incubator. I do not recall ever refering to ease in the under collar, we were taught to make the upper collar bigger so it could roll. I pulled out my old notes from college to check exactly what it had to say. So, if the under collar is smaller it does require ease in order to sew it together, but as it is so minimal I never thought of it that way.

Pink lace top on 5trillion.
I am in love with lace at the moment. I hear lots of people saying, ooh the 80's are back, weren't they so daggy! But I love 80's fashion, actually there are probably aspects of every era that I love. I think I love it though because this is the era I grew up in. I remember wearing lace tights, white skirt, pink top and a piece of lace in my hair to a party when I was younger and I just loved that outfit. I have many memories that include what I wore at the time or clothes in general, including Christmas shopping with mum, my pressies always included a few new outfits.

Fawlty Towers

2006-05-15T21:08:00.000+09:30

I had a productive couple of days sewing. I made another puffy, raglan sleeve T for Kim who helped me with some photos, also made myself a puffy, raglan long sleeve T with ribbons and bows on the front. Quite pleased with the way they turned out, think I will offer it for sale on 5trillion. I bought some lovely, soft viscose knit and made what I have decided to call the 'Sybil' top, after Sybil Fawlty. 'Fawlty Towers' repeats have again made their way onto our TV (free to air) and I cannot resist but watch again when they are. I love seeing what Sybil is wearing. In this one it was, what I would describe as an Edwardian style blouse with a big bow on the front, buttoned up the back and full sleeves gathered at the extra long cuff, 2 buttons required! This teamed with a very tight pencil skirt.
Another show I love to see for what the women are wearing is 'Man About the House', though I have not seen that on TV for a long time.

P.S. I wrote this message before I put the top on the site. I'm not sure what happened, maybe I decided against it, but it is not called the Sybil top but something a little plainer; nevermind, maybe I will do another and call it the 'Sybil'.

more vintage patterns and college

2006-05-04T15:16:00.000+09:30

I have been busy cutting out some stretch fabric for some T's, long and short sleeve. Soon to be available at my shop 5trillion. Usually if I need to cut another T-shirt in a size just a bit bigger than the one I have just done, I don't bother getting out a new pattern, I will just make it a bit wider, a bit longer and give it a little bit more room in the armholes. This always reminds me of a story from college. One of the girls I went to college with did some work experience at a place that made clothing predominately out of stretch fabric. They asked her to cut out another garment in a size bigger than she had just done. So, as per grading class, she was adding 3mm here, 3mm there, until someone asks her what she is doing. She says I am grading, they say, don't worry about that, just wack 5cm around the whole thing! Didn't we all love that story in pattern-making class when we were getting rapped over the knuckles for being 2mm out on a pattern. Of course it is important to be exact especially when using non-stretch fabric (thought I had better make that point!).
Here is a pattern I used for one of my fashion ranges at college. We all thought this was so clever without shoulder or side seams. 'A SNIP, less time, less fabric, only 2 main pieces', so it states on the cover.

Op-shop bargains

2006-05-01T18:50:00.000+09:30

I went to the St. Kilda market this Sunday to see what they had on offer there. Unfortunately it was raining so we just drove past and did not get out of the car. The stall holders (who were there) were huddled under their umbrellas and small tents or were packing up. I will go again another time when the weather is a little nicer, though I should not say 'nicer' as the farmers and gardeners have been looking forward to some rain.
On Saturday I went to one of the local op-shops in town. As most op-shoppers know it is good to go frequently as you can be lucky to pick up a bargain. I bought this beautiful pair of gloves for just $2.50, I also bought an elbow length pair that were quite stained, I did soak them but they did not come up too well. I will give it another go. I also bought 2 more patterns. I love this one from the 80's, knickerbockers jumpsuit! I'm sure it will make a comeback soon.

Further notes on the previous pattern, it came out quite well and was pleased with it. But I had a terrible time trying to work out how to finish attaching the tie. I have lengthened the body of the top so it does not fit neatly onto the bottom of the garment anymore. I was trying to achieve a nice neat finish and do as little hand sewing as possible. In the end I had to leave an opening in the tie, near the body of the garment and pull in through. The only hand stitching required was for closing of this opening in the tie. Still to be added to 5trillion.

Vintage patterns

2006-04-26T21:23:00.000+09:30

I have just been over at fashion incubator where the talk is about vintage patterns. I don't mind saying that I often use commercial patterns. It's not so much a short cut as it can take as long, if not longer to modify the pattern to fit and look they way you want. Here is a picture of the one I was using today. This one did not require much change to the fit as such, ie. it was not too tight around the armholes, which is usually the case. The front (or back) wrap panel was too loose though and required some tightening, it still has quite a loose kind of shape (I made it out of interlock) but I am quite happy with the way it turned out. I had quite a time figuring out the best way to do the tie though, as I decided to lengthen the garment keeping the tie in the same place. It did require some hand stitching in the end, something I generally try to stay clear of! Keep an eye on the 5trillion site for the finished product.

Chapel Street

2006-04-24T20:41:00.000+09:30

Further to yesterday... I also took a stroll down Chapel Street, it is still one of my favorite places to go. The reason was to visit the Chapel St. Bazaar and the Remnant Warehouse. I haven't been to the Bazaar for a very long time, but I am totally addicted to going to the Remnant Warehouse, which, incidently, is closing down. It will not be closing for about a year I believe, but where will I find something to replace it?! They stock designer remnants, so roles of fabric that Melbourne designers have used. I really don't go there for that reason though... I'd rather not use something that has some other designers print all over it. I just go there for... you guessed it, the bargains. I bought a beautiful piece of lace which I will make a top from, but only some idea now of how it will look at this stage. Keep an eye on 5trillion to see the outcome.
At the Bazaar I saw some fantastic vintage pieces of clothing, I do love vintage clothes, I have a little collection going which I will post pics of in the future. Also they had a few good vintage patterns, I also have a collection of these. I have managed to pick mine up for about 20c each, these were 5-6 dollars. Some I had picked up at the op-shop next door many years ago, others I have bought from country op-shops more recently. I will post some pics of these in the future also.
I have added a pic of Melbourne from the Westgate bridge, I just love that view and want to photograph it every time I go over. I used to live east of Melbourne and you don't get a view of the city as you drive in from there, it just kind of creeps up on you.

Starting over

2006-04-20T19:44:00.000+09:30

After much deliberation I have decided to start the blog again with a whole different view in mind. This time it will be more about my life as a fashion designer, pattern-maker and seamstress. It will be in addition to the musings blog on 5trillion.com. The reason being this one is a little bit 'more information' and just for people who may be interested and not neccesarily customers. 'Musings' blog on 5trillion is a little bit of info about the clothes for those who are thinking of buying something. Does this all make sense... it will all become clear as both evolve, I hope! So here I go, I went to Camberwell market today to have a bit of a sqiz as I was told it was quite good. It was, though not as good as I thought, I may have had my expectations set a bit high after being told 'you should go, it's really good'. Nevermind. I still prefer the country markets... yes, OK I am a country girl so I may be a little biased, but they seem to have more homemade items. I went to one in Gisbourne (west of Melbourne) a few months ago and they have quite a good array of handmade clothes, jewellery, food etc. The country markets, of course, are not so big and do not have the volume of people who go to the city markets.