Blue Collar

It's been a long time I shouldn't have left you without no beat to step to, but between sorting my life out, fending off illness and getting myself embroiled in general grown-up activities I haven't had much time to dedicate to the blog.
Aaand what time I've had free I've spent with my nose buried in The Grapes Of Wrath, so being the weirdo that I am I decided to dress up like one of those migrant farm-hands Steinbeck was always harping on about.. you know the ones I'm talking about, they ploughed the fields in heels and wore fur over their denim overalls?

x

She's A Lady

I'm 100% sure it was only yesterday I was celebrating my 18th birthday *cue memories of my bestie and I smuggling a large bottle of Lambrini into a club, at some point during the night getting 'accidentally' punched in the head, getting tear-gassed out of the club, then stumbling around Canning Town in the freezing cold looking for a cab* sooo apparently there's been a 5 year lapse since that happened, because according to my birth certificate I'm turning 23 next month --KILL ME NOW KILL ME NOW KILL ME NOW I'M NOT READY--
Being that I'm getting older I figure it's time to sneak a few tailored pieces into the go-to section of my wardrobe for a more 'mature' vibe. Ya'know get a little more sophisticated with my style.. as sophisticated as one can be with her belly hanging out I guess.

sn: After making the skirt (and a top to go with ..very Joan from Mad Men-esque) I'm now addicted to heavyweight silk, until it stops being so extortionately expensive I'm planning on enslaving a few silk worms and harvesting my own.. I'm totally serious.

x

MollyPollyBaloney

This is Molly, she's 16, she's my blog helper, roll deeper, confidante, best friend, worst enemy and little sister. I forced her into letting me take a few shots of her in the shorts from the post below so you could see how good they look and therefore attempt a pair of your own!

Where was I when God and my mum were deciding who got the skinny, long-limb, gorgeous face genes?! No Fairings

x

DIY : Leather boxers

I got a few people asking for a tutorial on the shorts in my last post so I thought I'd oblige and document the process when I put together a pair for my sister. Now before I get stuck in lets be clear that my pattern work is all self-taught, so if you see anything weird just keep it to yourself because I don't care!

what you'll need: pattern paper, leather, pencil, measuring tape, elastic, pins, scissors

step 1. Grab a pair of shorts that have a fit similar to what you're trying to achieve. Fold the shorts in half and lay flat on the pattern paper and trace the outline

- add 2 inch seam allowance to the waistband (for the elastic)
- add 1.5 inch seam allowance to the hem and crotch ..and about 2 inch allowance to the side seam

step 2. pin the pattern to the fabric and cut out the pattern pieces (remember leather/ faux leather retains every little hole and scratch so be careful and use as few pins as possible.) 

step 3. it's pretty straight forward from here, you can now pin the pieces together and run them through the sewing machine, you should have the basic form together at this point.

step 4. put the shorts on and unpick the side seam up to where you want the slit on the side of your shorts to be, pin the hemline up and sew.
-measure the elastic for your waistline at this point, undercut it by 3 inches so you get a good stretch in your waistband (I forgot to take pictures of this part )

step 5. double stitch the elastic to the waistband (watch this video if the waistband thing is a bit confusing) 

finally, fold the waistband in, stitch over and vooooilaaaa you're done!!

I threw these together in an hour so I hope the process is all self-explanatory, if not hit me on my email and I'll try to clarify.

x