BECAUSE LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR PLAIN CLOTHING

a.k.a. it was aliens!

Some time ago I made myself a UFO-sweater!

Somehow I managed to go almost 38 years without one.

I bought an appliqué (via Etsy*)  and sew it onto a sweater.

Or, first I carefully ironed it and then as it did not stick everywhere I went with plan B and sew it.

*) Always Etsy. Late at night. But small birds that have their stores on that platform have told me most of their sales do happen at night so I am not alone in this world after all!

The skirt is handmade by me late last year. Still have enough of the same fabric to make pants but those are very much still in their folded-fabric state, safely tucked away in a pile of other awesome fabrics. (Kind of like the KITTY FABRIC FROM 2011. Ta-F:ing-da! But as I remembered that it still exists it might very well be that it turns into a skirt or so this year.)

WHEEL IT!

You may know that my love for putting wheels on, or rather: under things, is just about as big as my love for pockets.

When we made Dag's room we put wheels under most of the storage. Easy to move around when playing, building fortresses and creating new secret worlds.


He has a bench with boxes filled with toys underneath, that he can roll out when he needs them, to where he wants them.

I planned and Eddi made a lego tray to build on, and then push under the bed for when not needed. And also to mimize the amount of hazardous little hard pieces to step onto when spread out on the floor (they still appear there too though...)

And I got a couple of transport trolleys from the hardware store to store the bigger toy boxes on.
(Yes, half of our house consists of Lego.)

I wonder if there is something more that I'd manage to wheel still...

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.

BOW IT!

I took a pair of sleeves and made myself a bow.

Here we have a vintage blouse that I adopted when my mother wanted to get rid of it, but that I am - lets face it- most likely never going to wear:

Unless we procrastinate a bit on everything else I have on the to-do list and tweak this one a little bit.

Snip snap off with the sleeves we go!

In general (and this is a true generalisation), short sleeves work best for me. So if an item is not being worn often enough shortening its sleeves often helps for me. You have seen me turn sleeves into pockets before on a dress and immediately earn plus points (equals wear-points) but if you can't make pockets, make a bow - in this case we will pimp up this blouse to get a pussy bow by making a ribbon from the sleeves.

In order for you to tie it properly into a bow around your neck and not just a knot (which could be quite nice as well) you need the ribbon, or tie,  to be at least about 110cm. One could make the ribbons such that they are sewn to, and begin at the front sides of the shirt, in whic case they could be shorterBut I wanted mine to be sturdy and go around my neck.

Because the sleeves are not long enough by themselves to make the tie in one (or two) I put it together of four pieces, two narrower to meet under the collar in the neck, and two that widen towards the edges, to be tied into tbe bow. You can see the seams where I sew the pieces together when the ribbon is hanging like this but it won't show when it is tied into a bow.

Hem the sleeves and voila! The shirt got wear-me points again!

So I wore it right away. Here with a RubyLea-turban and an old Zara skirt from 2009 or '10 (that does not have stretch and that I really, truly do wonder how it is possible I can still button in the waist, as it seems few other items from, umm, pre 2014 or so can be fastened without a painful inhalation, and sometimes not even that helps. Sniff.).

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!

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.

DECEMBER PINEAPPLES

More ways of fighting the grey! (I'd like to say November but we are once again in a rainy +10C December it seems..). This time with the obvious anti grey wear -  a pineapple cardigan!

A soft yellow cardigan with two self-attached pineapples in the front. Also with a change in shine and texture around them in a shape strangely resembling an iron. Because all things are done best when done at one 1am when the urge to be creative (or to finally get around making that pineapple cardigan! And wearing it! Right now!) strikes!

I have had the pineapples waiting for a yellow cardigan for almost a year already. I now finally bought one (from Lindy Bop). The skirt in vintage. The pineapple patches were from ebay I think.

Once I was at it I did a lion shirt for Dag. He thinks it was a Christmas gnome, that visits the house during all december nights before Christmas, who left him the lion patch.

DRESS-FIX: FROM SLEEVES TO POCKETS

One of my favourite clothing revamps is to turn sleeves into pockets!

If there's a piece of clothing in your closet that you for one reason or another have not worn in some time there comes a moment when you need to take it out and decide if you should do something about it or pass it on.

 I have a dress originally from Shabby Apple that I have not worn for almost three years (since Dag was a baby, oh man, how was he ever that tiny!!), although I like it.

It used to have long sleeves, but I always found that a bit hard to use, so I eventually chopped them off into short sleeves to solve the problem. I did not sew the edges of the new sleeves but folded them up and over with curtain tape for a seamless, folded finish. However, the sleeve was rather puffy and puffy sleeves make my arms look huge, so I did not end up wearing the dress any more than before anyway.

 But, as it is summer and as I have been coveting different striped shirt waist dresses here and there I decided to make this one totally wearable and awesome again! This by taking the sleeves off and turning them into pockets! This is something I have in line for a couple of other dresses too.

(If you wonder why I keep going on about pockets this and pockets that it is for practical reasons -  phone and car keys when out with a toddler and moving around in and out of the big house on the farm. Nothing beats clothing with pockets when you tend to wear mainly skirts or dresses)

 So just open up the seams and remove the sleeves.
Fix the edges around the sleeve holes.

 Cut pockets of the old sleeve.

Pin them in place - this was the hardest part here as the skirt is pleated; to get the pockets nicely over the pleats without ruining the shape of the skirt.

Sew them in place and voila! An almost new wonderful summer dress!


Wooh!

However, although I can be rather sciccors-happy my advice before revamping or cutting in any clothing you have is to think twice about it; I have sometimes made quick choices on what I wanted for the moment without thinking what was best for the garment itself, and then later regretted it. Obviously you can't always win as fashion and your own preferences change with time, but you can give everything a good though first.

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.