Moving home
Posted: July 20, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentNeedle & Cloth has moved to needleandcloth.com – please update any bookmarks, and I look forward to seeing you there!
Fitting woes
Posted: July 1, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: fitting, sewing Leave a commentWhy is it that I can find dresses in the shops that fit me perfectly, but when it comes to making my own I just can’t get in right?
I think we need to start a conversation about fitting your own clothes when you don’t have someone else around to help. (I have tried to train up the cats, but their lack of opposable thumbs makes it difficult.)
What are your tips?
Iceland: Street art
Posted: June 23, 2013 Filed under: Iceland | Tags: iceland, photos, street art Leave a commentIn the lead-up to the wedding, a lot of people asked us where we were going for our honeymoon. When we replied, “Iceland”, almost invariably the response was, “Why are you going there?”.
I can’t really come up with an elegant answer besides “Because we really, really want to,” but it was an amazing honeymoon, and I can’t think of a better destination.
It is an extremely photogenic country, and I thought it was about time I shared some of the photos here. (We won’t mention the part where my lovely DSLR got water-damaged about three days in – fortunately we still had the mister’s point-and-shoot.)
One thing you notice in Iceland is how much creativity is encouraged. It seems like everyone you meet is engaged in a creative pursuit, whether it’s art, music, textiles or more.
We got an insight into this in the back streets of Reykjavik, where we kept stumbling across lovely street art.
Safe to say, this was just the beginning of the sights we saw in Iceland.
Wedding Dress Wednesday: Endings and Beginnings
Posted: June 19, 2013 Filed under: Wedding, Wedding dress | Tags: sewing, wedding, wedding dress Leave a comment
So, here I find myself, with the last Wedding Dress Wednesday post. We got our professional photographs yesterday, by the wonderful Scout from Whitewall Photography.
Besides Scout, I have to thank Morgan from The Tenth Meadow for her beautiful flowers, and David from David Frith Jewellery for not only our rings, but also my and my bridesmaids’ earrings. A special mention to Clare and Ben at Yangoora Estate/Anderson Hill, for such a lovely venue.
And, of course, to Matt, for bringing everything that’s wonderful into my life.
PS It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t leave you with an outtake!
Wedding Dress Wednesday: The Big Reveal!
Posted: June 5, 2013 Filed under: Wedding dress | Tags: sewing, wedding, wedding dress 5 Comments
I know it’s been a while, but it took me surprisingly long to get a photo that actually showed my dress! Now one’s finally here, so I had to share it with you. I hope you like it.
Was I 100% happy with my work? No. Would I have done things differently if I had the benefit of hindsight? Absolutely.
But I felt really good on the day. And I think I looked pretty good. And I was incredibly, joyously happy to be marrying the man I love, which is all that matters.
Wedding Dress Update
Posted: April 18, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized, Wedding dress 3 CommentsGood news everybody! After the debacle of last week, where I discovered that my motif looked completely off-centre when I actually tried the bodice on properly (the joys of working with an asymmetrical motif), I was able to remake my bodice and complete the dress until the desired point (I’m waiting until I get down to Adelaide to do the hemming and stitch the motif on – cutting it fine, but I really need some extra hands and eyes for those steps).
This time around, I underlined the bodice with some organza I had presciently picked up the weekend before. It looks so much nicer – I am very relieved!
No photos, though – I want to wait until the big day to show it off!
Now all that’s left to do is sew up a couple of bowties for the boys 🙂
Wedding Dress Update
Posted: April 12, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized, Wedding dress 3 CommentsSo … two weeks to go and I have to completely remake my bodice.
Not feeling so great right now. It’s going to be a busy weekend.
Wedding Dress Wednesday: Pretty!
Posted: April 3, 2013 Filed under: Wedding, Wedding dress | Tags: bodice, sewing, wedding dress 2 Comments
The motif is attached!
It’s a bit hard to see on the mannequin, because in this case she’s just not close enough to my measurements. But it’s looking really good!
I put in some fusible interfacing, but I’m not happy with it; the adhesive isn’t very good, and it’s causing bubbles. So once the lining has been attached around the neckline and armholes I’ll take the interfacing out – it can just provide a bit of extra support behind the motif and along the seamlines.
I am a little bit concerned about how heavy the motif is. I’m going to put in a waist stay, which should help. I’m also thinking that, maybe in addition to fully lining the bodice, I should add a facing around the neckline in a firmer fabric. What do you think?
Daily Spotlight: 2 April 2013
Posted: April 2, 2013 Filed under: Daily Spotlight Leave a commentDaily Spotlight: Follow the White Bunny
I’ve sort of already featured Nicole in my post on &Stitches (which, in what I think is an eminently sensible decision, will be putting the magazine on hiatus and focusing on the blog/social media). But Nicole’s work at Follow the White Bunny is so lovely, I just wanted to give her a post of her own! Most importantly, she’s offering a free embroidery pattern at the moment, so I highly recommend you hop over there and check it out (see what I did there?)
Wedding Dress Update
Posted: March 31, 2013 Filed under: Wedding dress | Tags: bodice, sewing, wedding dress 2 CommentsThe dress is coming along really well now. The silk satin is *beautiful* to work with, and I love it looks. The colour is just perfect. But now I’m up to the bit where I have to make these two pieces into one:
I’m askeered!
Needle & Cloth 