Twisted Skirt

Here's a skirt I made a while back. (It was actually made such a way back that it used to be more of a late 90s / early 00s low cut style and ment to be worn low on the hips... horrible, I know!) Later I made the skirt smaller and nowadays I wear it fashionably up on the waist.

The fabric has quite a retro pattern which I really much like. That's probably because these used to be my family's curtains back in the what-ever-retro-time, probs late seventies. The beauty of this skirt is that it requires lots of fabric... like two old curtains... and it's relatively easy to make once you get the idea.

You need four pattern peaces looking something like this (you cut these with the fabric folded so you have two and two):

What the f...?!? Yes, basically the top part is the "bodice" and the bottom is the "lining". For instance this is the patern peace for the front left of the bodice and front right of the lining and it's twisted as shown (Centre front is marked with C/F).

The end result would would look something like this (there's a zip on the left):

So, not a bad way to get rid of old curtains..?

Please leave your comments below!

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My Little Detectives

As mentioned, I've taken part in Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (AGG)... And whats that? Basically it's a bit like Rhytmic Gymnastics (very flexible individual gymnasts with an apparatuses, like a ribbon, doing routines accompanied with music.. ringing any bells?) The difference is that AGG is solely done in groups of six to ten gymnasts, usually without apparatus, an there's more emphasis on the theme or story the routine is about.

Like here's a really good team if you're interested:

For the girls I was coaching (aged 11 to 12 years) we did a routine that had a spy / detective theme. The team was called Laurel. My personal preference is not to do costumes that are trying to mimic the exact thing that inspired the routine. Like if the theme is "Indians" you don't go all Disney Pocahontas, right..? There needs to be a little bit of a twist.

So my approach was a modern version of a spy. Black, sleek, James Bond-ish. These are pre-teens we're talking so not too adult. First I did some very VERY quick sketches with basic markers just to see what my ideas looked liked.

For the final design I used black as the primary colour contrasting it with ivory white and bright pink to bring something girly to the design. From the two final designs we went with the style A. There is also the pink detail on the shoulders and back imitating a gun holster.

After hours and hours of cutting and overlocking the costumes were finally finished (each one had about 25 pattern pieces so there were the total of approx. 200 pieces to be sewn!) The costumes were of course decorated with different rhinestones and sequins which the girls glued on by themselves. The skirts were also made very fitting to highlight the sleek look. The shirt collar was an unsual choice for these sorts of costumes but I think it worked well with the design.

DIY Mullet Skirt

I found this adorable pleated granny skirt long time ago from a charity fleamarket and re-found it just now from my closet. I decided to give it a go and make it the mullet style skirt. What's there to lose..?

The label here indicates it's a finnish made garment but I really couldn't find any extra info (other than there really isn't much garment industry in Finland these days). I seriously doubt this skirt has any vintage value. The fabric is for sure polyester, no lining.

This was probably the easiest DIY project in a lifetime.

So I cut the front and made a trim. Done. Of course it took a FEW minutes to find the right cutting line and take the sewing machine out but still...

If I'd made it a bit shorter from the front and sides it would have looked more lighter and modern... but yeah, too naked for my taste. I'm such a granny these days!

Please leave a comment if you feel like it!

This is me!

For some time I had the idea of starting a blog. Not that blogs are the coolest new thing right now... maybe quite the opposite... but I just wanted to have some sort of unofficial place for all kinds of projects I've done during past few years.

Because lets face it, it's fun reading about all the crafty stuff people have been doing.

So who am I? Basically I'm just a seamstress. For now I live in an exotic country called Finland, home of reindeers and all that. I've studied Fashion and Clothing Design but you really can't title yourself as a designer if you don't have a label, right? Costume Design is the one that's my passion and my Professional Portfolio here is all about that. Please go and check it out! 

So the goal is to be a Costume Designer one day. But this blog, it's gonna be all about my various smaller and larger scale sewing projects. 

Like this skirt from year... whatever. Those used to be our curtains long before the internet age (from the peace and love era, maybe..?):

Or this jacket I did while studying dress making:

And really... did I do this..? Oh yeah... that was Halloween 2000 and something.

Yeah... there's a lot of stuff to cover. I've also done lots of these:

That might have something to do with the fact that that's me there...

But basically... lots of stuff here! You just wait and see! And please leave your comments below..!