Monthly Archives: June 2014

A personnalized zipper pouch, video tutorial from Craftsy

Posted in embroidery, music- musique, rock, sewing, tutorial- tutoriel, upcycle-transformer, vintage by

I really love zipper pouches, they are very practicle to use and you never have too much, but they also are very nice handmade gifts for friends.

I wanted to make something special for someone very special: the son of a friend of mine.

That boy, Tristan, (aka Mini Nick!) is a talented artist, doing painting, drawings, music, videos and even writing beautiful texts.

I then decided to simply use the title of his last miscellany and to embroider it on the front of the pouch.

I just wrote a few words inside to make it even more personnal.

The fabric I used outside is a vintage linen sheet that I dyed.

I really love how this turns out as the colour is not perfect but it s a living colour.

Having already dyed a lot of vintage sheets , I know it will even evolved and change with the time and sun exposure.

I used this very good video tutorial from Craftsy, it s one of their free mini classes and like all their classes , it is clear and very well done.

http://www.craftsy.com/class/bag-making-basics-reversible-tote-and-zipper-pouch/148?_ct=sbqii-sqjuweho-qbb&_ctp=148,5

It is also a very good start on how to put a zipper for someone who never did it before……

I met Tristan and his lovely parents in Lyon last summer at an amazing gig of Nick Cave and really hope to share more moments like this one with them in the future…….

 

 

 

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TARTAN, MY LOVE!

Posted in rock, sewing, tutorial- tutoriel, vintage by

Since my teenager s Punk Years, ( some 25 years ago,….sic!) tartan is a print I ve always had in my wardrobe.

I just LOVE tartan, almost all colours but my very fav remains the classic red.

These last years I bought a few long wool tartan skirts in Vintage shops, but I also decided to sew myself dresses and skirts in this lovely print.

They mainly are winter garments made of heavy crepe or wool fabric, but I was very lucky to find a light cotton with a lovely red tartan print last time I was in Brighton.

I then decided to make myself an airy and very long, half circle skirt dedicated to one of the forthcoming US summer gigs of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

 

I decided to cut the fabric on the bias for a more elegant look and to add a wide waistband.

I also had an amazing E II R ( Elisabeth the Second Regina) button that i found in an antique store in Hastings. As I wanted a large button, I think it would fit perfectly to my skirt.

I will probably sew a nice leopard print top to wear with it, I just love the mix leopard- tartan.

This skirt can be done in less than an afternoon and is a real classic that I made in a lot of different fabrics and prints.

Here is a very nice tutorial for all kind of circle skirts, from the full circle to the quarter circle.

http://byhandlondon.com/blogs/by-hand-london/11628453-circle-skirt-maths-explained

A last very funny fact: from time to time, I ve got people telling me when I wear a tartan garment ” tartan is very fashionable this year!”. But they probably didn t know that : first, fashion is not ruling my tastes; and that then: TARTAN IS HYPE FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS FOR ME!