EVERY SEASON IS JUMPSUIT SEASON

I'm continuing my -apparent- theme colours for this fall; here in a jumpsuit I sew myself in a dark, plum-brownish shade.

I've noticed that sewing is perhaps the closest to a hobby I have, as I otherwise don't really have time for one (unless buying lipsticks counts as a hobby). While I have to do a lot of sewing for work (costumes) too, sewing for my everyday-self is something of a threat as I am not able to do it whenever I'd like, and it is not something I have to do but want to.

I made this based on a thinner jumpsuit I have, bought last summer.  That one fits and hangs great but the fabric was cheap and got floppy very fast. So I decided to make a new, better quality version. As you may remember I am not used to working with patterns, but I often copy things I see. Cutting is always the hardest part, sewing is easier. I will still need to make a small lift in the waist as it gets a bit bulky there, and I want to add a couple of decorative buttons in the front - but otherwise this was a rather quick and painless project!

The difference to the original jumpsuit turned out to perhpaps be the over-all feel - while this fabric is better and sturdier, it does not drape, or rather hang, as well as I thought it would. (Making a fitted dress or a short-legged romper version out of this material might have been the optional use.)  It did turn out quite nice in any case although it is not a straight copy of the old one, but it is just as comfy! And that's the big deal here.

FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW: SUNDAY EVENING

Sunday evening moments -

Corrected a final seam to a jumpsuit I sew myself last night and intend to wear to the very last filming of Vintage Valtakunta season 2 tomorrow.

I also sew Dag a plush seal. It was the first plush toy I ever made. Dag has this new phase where ninjas have had to move over for seals! It's drawing seals x100 and facts and pics and videos about seals all the time.  He had even made me adorable instructions on how to make hime the seal.

Now it's hair colour time - roots and ends! I always mix a lot of different hair colours to maintain my hue, but the colour I've used for my roots for the past year and a half is Shcwarzkopf Live in the 'cool rose' shade.

And I intend to enjoy some tea, peanut butter-banana sandwhices and reading about space while the chemicals do their thing.

How was your first November Sunday?

OCHRE AND WINE RED

Last spring before I went to France I quickly made this yellow ochre-coloured A-line skirt (like, the actual night before, because that is what insane people like me do in order to maintain a maximum stress level). I had had the fabric waiting in my to-do pile of fabrics for a few of years already and decided it would make a great and comfy travel skirt. With large pockets, of course.

Skirt-show-off walking, as one does.
Dark yellow is a strangely versatile colour that pairs well with many others, and I especially like it with wine red. Maximising the level of autumn-points.

Photos by my friend Asko Rantanen / Asko Jonathan Photography who takes amazingly creative pictures.

WINTER WONDERLAND

After a weeks of rain and mush we got outselves a crisp white and sparkling winter! Here's an old postcard-inspired photo Asko Rantanen took and made of me in honour of that.

Well, two years ago actually. Today it's -20C, no one would go out and pose in the woods like that now, that'd be insane. Painfully insane. This was taken on a nice and snowy -1C day that was perfect for shooting, especially since we'd planned a snow queen shoot for weeks but it had kept on raining and we had decided on the date for the shoot and to just go with what the weather offered and ta-dah! In the morning everything was white and beautiful.

And now it's also breathtakingly beautiful. Quite literally, go beyond minus fifteen and it actually hurts to breath. (But to be honest I am enjoying it when it last three days or less. You got to have yourself a little winter every once in a while.)

DRESSED UP FOR OCTOBER

I went to a Octoberfest-themed party in the weekend and dressed inspired by myself in 1983.

(Even though I remembered my tiny dirndl had the colours the other way around, with a red skirt.)

I did not have that much time to put together an outfit and also wanted one just inspired by the look of a dirndl, not to create one. But if there's a next time I'll sew myself a pair of high waisted lederhosen-inspired suspender shorts (or skirt) instead!

This is a selfmade skirt and the waistcoat/corselette is one I use on stage as part of a very differently themed outfit.

This was also a great opportunity to get to use one of my petticoats! I seldom wear them nowadays.
I should go to parties more often I guess (not just perform at them).

RED LEO COMBO

It's that weekend, or rather, week of the year, again that seems to have more hours than the rest of the weeks and in the same time way too few, as you don't really get to sleep and everything all blends into one long day. A very long such, during which I have managed to manage more things and details than one could possible think of, one of them being putting this pencil skirt tie-top combo together between one and three am two nights in a row. It turned out really good; the past years I've spent more details on how the clothes I sew look on the inside too and I've gotten used to how to cut the pieces of fabric for myself I usually get it right once away without having to correct the seams (I don't use patterns, just cut straight from the fabric) afterwards.

We are producing the Pin-Up Finland event this year again, thus the long days and short nights this week; and if you head over to Lahti tomorrow (or, it might be today by now already) you can catch me wear this on stage when I also host the event at the Autot & Viihde happening! Lots of great looking cars, bands, custom goodies to shop and lots of aspiring pin ups. And me, running on Choca-cola (that's caffeinaited chocolate for ya) for the xx-day in a row. So come, it will be fun!

CORDUROY

 Twenty two years and one month ago, pretty exactly, I started seventh grade wearing this same vest.
And a black body (that was actually not a body but my mom's black gymnastics leotard) and a pair of batik-patterned loose trousers. I remember being very proud of that outfit.
(I stepped in to a trendier shop the other day and suddenly felt very old saw my early teenage years hang on the racks with pants just like that. And those ribbed tops with bold stripes and strings that crosses/ties in the front. Aaaaaaa!)

But yes, the vest I am still wearing ! It is actually my mother's old from the 1970's.
Although if I've eaten I am having a hard time closing it.

Or then I just really need to suck in my pilates powerhouse. Good practice.
The suspender skirt is self made and the bag vintage.

THE TURNED-AROUND DRESS

I made myself a new dress!

A sixties styled A-line dress from a mint green pepita-patterned fabric I bought last (or might even be the year before that) and had moved so far down on the want to-section of one of my to-do lists I had basically forgotten about it.

I have never sewn with, or properly learned to take advantage of patterns but make them up myself as I go along. Sewing for myself for almost twenty years I have learnt a lot along the way, and now plan more before cutting, thus mainly have to make the seams once (as in opposite to before, when I'd often make the piece a little bigger to be on the safe side, and then sew the seams smaller a couple of times over and over..). It's been a lot of trial and error during the years, and nowadays there's also the internet to consult when in doubt. So the clothing I make these days even look neat on the inside! Win.

I had a mint green decorative metal zipper that I had intended to put in the front of the dress, and was thinking to perhaps add a collar to it.

But then I changed my plans halfway trough, switched some darts and ended up making the back the front instead!

Also, I have to add, the mannequin was very much worth the investment, especially also when it come to (stage-)costume making. I still do the final try-ons and adjustments on myself, as the doll still lacks breast and behind even though the measurements are the same,  the clothes still looks a bit different on the body. So if you like to sew even a little bit I really recommend getting a mannequin to work with/on!

The zipper got to look pretty on the back of the dress instead.

And after some thinking back-and-forth I decided to go for the version with the collar.

Spot the black cat.

My shoes are the Daisy shoes by Frollein von Sofa. She really has so pretty shoes, and they are vegan and comfy as well, so do check them out!

As a bonus; every time I take outfit photos a few of them look like this; Dag absolutely has to pose in them himself. He is very proud of his outfit as well - it is a constant outfit nowadays; he does not only dress up as a red ninja, he IS one. I had to go and get a few pairs of red sweatpants to him as herefuses to wear anything else, and he has a few of these red Ninjago t-shirts... He also asks to get the scars painted on every day.

I have a bunch of other fabrics waiting to turn into dresses and tops and skirts. Sewing is fun! I just rarely have the tie to do so anhymore (nor wear the clothes) but I guess it's kind of just like a hobby...

SUSPENDER SKIRT BLISS

The best thing I've sewn myself this year (and well, also the only - stage costumes don't count -altough the wish list is long and fabric pile high!) was the black suspender skirt; the one I replicated from a skirt I previously had.

Blackl anbd comfy and stretchy, the only thing missing would be pockets but sometimes you know, you just have to go without (sigh).

It is very easy to wear with anything and goes with most shoes, easy to pull on and off when going to and from the studio and I've also had it with me on all my travels. If I could only ever pack one thing with me anywhere it would be this. Well, and a top too, obviously. Hehe.
So yey; skirt-yey!

THE BLACK SUSPENDER SKIRT

I finally had the time to sew myself a long-awaited (bought the fabric last autumn already...) new black suspender strap A-line skirt!
I made a copy of a skirt I already had purchased from ze interwebz two years back, but the quality turned out to be so bad it became pretty much unwearable after a few washes (floppy and noppy).
It was one of the easiest pieces of clothing I had so I'm relieved to now again have something quick to pull on before and after work, that can easily be styled into anything.

SEWING FOR TWO

Sometimes I manage to surprise even myself with the amount of things I am able to get done at the same time. Or, in some (most) cases; the amount of things I manage to do when postponing something else that I actually should be doing.

So because organising my paperwork for my bookkeeper brings out the creative need in me instead, I sew a slipover for Dag -

A slipover pretty much the only thing I can come up with to sew him "just like that" as he is not a little girl I can sew dresses for  -he could have worn those kind of mini muumu-style baby/toddler dresses when he was smaller if I'd made him but I think he's beginning to be to old for such. So slipovers it shall be!

I made this for winter out of a warm stretchy soft fabric. Might try to give a pair of (simple) pants for him a go too!

As I was on it I also sew myself a skirt! I always had this cute-and-stupid idea of making matching mom-girl dresses if I had a girl but I can do it like this instead!


It is something of a 1/4-circle skirt -normally I always measure and do the circle-skirt maths, but because I was kind of in a hurry (=wanted to wear it straight away) and since the fabric is very stretchy and easy, I just measured it on me from one corner; how much I needed to get it to cover my behind. Then I sat down and cut the quarter of a circle straight on the fabric. I sew it together in the back and added a two small darts in the front and two in the back for a slimmer fit, and then attached a thick waistband afterwards.


I also added suspenders.


The suspenders can be attached or removed with small hooks for variation.


And now we are adorably silly and matching!

The fabric is from Eurokangas and my knit top is from KingLouie, shoes Frollein von Sofa. I've worn them all Christmas whenever we went somewhere.

TURQUOISE, CHECKS AND HEART-SHOES

I went to Christmas party which was an excellent opportunity to pop on my Heartbraker shoes. And as the theme of this fall-and winter- has been plaid I did not break it this time either! (In real life I actually have been wearing other clothing than checked_plaid only, even though it may seem hard to believe; they just did not make it here.) I put my bangs aside for the night with a couple of pins that my mother used to wear as a kid, they still keep hair in place very well.

The skirt is vintage and the top is self made from last summer. The shoes are by Frollein von Sofa and come in many colours and materials.

I SEE TALL, DARK ART! - TABULALAND

More art posts coming up!
-because we need more art in our lives, more art on our walls, and art should be easily accessible.

Those were the thoughts of two of my friends, comic artist, illustrator and gallerist Aiju Salminen and producer Saara Konttinen, who thus opened up their own gallery. Online. They wanted to make a gallery with art by contemporary artists, a gallery that would not be the kind that you might dread stepping into, but accessible by anyone anywhere and with art that could be described as strange and fun and easy to approach. So Tabulaland was born. I’ve said it before, I love it when I see talented people I know have a great idea and are able to make it happen just the way they want it!


So what to put on my wall then? Let's look at a few different works.

Ilkka Luttinen: Graveyeard, oil on canvas (300x197cm) 

 

Sami Viljanto: What Would George Lazenby Do? Poster.

Suvi Aarnio: Brainwashed. Stichwork.

Katri Sipiläinen: Snall as Blood, water-colour on paper.

Tabulaland is both an online gallery and art store with the occasional real life pop-up exhibition here and there, that exhibits and sells art by both underground artist and already well established ones. The gallery covers pieces from big paintings to sketches and tattoo flash art. Prices in the shop ranges from 20 euros to over 8k, so there is indeed something for everyone.

I don't own any pieces from Tabulaland but I do have the I See tall, Dark Art! -Tabulaland T-shirt made by Aiju.

The store and gallery has been up and running for about two months now and an international version of the site (in English) will be available soon.

In honour of the launch of the international site being just around the corner I have the chance to give away a signed art print of Saara Salmi’s limited edition work done exclusively for Tabulaland; the Revelation of Paula!

To enter the give away visit Tabulaland.com  and leave me a comment on this post, telling me which piece from Tabulaland you would like to have on your wall. Or which piece is your favourite -  when it comes to art I often find I like many pieces without necessarily being able to picture me having it on my own walls or in the house.

Note that if you do not have a site or account linked trough your signature you must be sure to leave me your contact details so I can readh you.
I will draw the winner randomly on the last of this month; November 30!

(On a side note, my skirt is made by me and the shiny heart shoes are by Frollein von Sofa).

A SWEATPANTS SKIRT AND... MORE CHECKS!

I made myself a skirt out of a soft and stretchy sweatpants fabric that probably was meant for sport gear or so as it has a somewhat shiny surface. Well, shiny surface = fancy skirt so this is one of those 'HAH! I fooled the universe'-pieces of clothing.
Or, almost, because then the universe fooled me a little bit by making me lazy and putting in an elastic waist band instead of a zipper & hook/button fastening when in fact I did not cut the skirt with that much extra to make it easily pulled over my hip . So it is not so comfy to get into but comfy once it's on. I figured as I only have to squeeze twice per day to get in and out of it, or perhaps four times if I got to the gym, I can live with it.

The skirt is cut in something between a half circle and a 3/4  circle skirt. The shoes are old Minna Parikka's and yes, I am wearing checks again because that is clearly the theme for this autumn!

NOVEMBER ROSES

A few pictures from one of the shoots I had earlier this year with Asko Rantanen.
The dress is made by me, it's for one of my acts.