Perfect Presents Fashion Fix Christmas: Liberty Print Charm Bracelet

Photo Amanda Thomas

This is your last fashion fix christmas present idea, JUST in time for Christmas with a day or two to go for making.

Charm bracelets have long been traditional favourites among god parents to god children, adding a charm each year. They can be extremely valuable heirlooms after years of additional charms, OR they can be fun embellished and affordable piece sod jewellery for anyone. The lovely symbolism of the charms you choose can create a wonderfully personalised present, and with this present, the potentially pricey bracelet chain is replaced by a gorgeous strip of Liberty Print cotton. I got mine from Sewbox.

You will need:

• 1/4 metre liberty print cotton
• 20 cm chain
• assorted charms
• jewellery loops
• jewellery pliers
• needle and thread
• iron
• tape measure
• dressmaking scissors

How to do it:

1. measure your desired length for the fabric strip. (I made mine wrap twice round the wrist with enough left to tie a bow.)  Cut a 5cm width rectangle and your desired length.
2. press the strip in half length ways, open out and then fold in either long edge into the middle crease. press together so your raw edges are hidden inside the folded rectangle.
3. fold in the raw edges et each end and press. Slip stitch along the three edges to seal the rectangle into a strip. press.
4. in the middle of the strip, loop your chain around a few times and sew in place so it has a bit of a swag (see photos), secure in place with a few stitches.
5. With your pliers and jewellery loops, fix the charms onto the chain.

Photo Amanda Thomas

Perfect Presents, Christmas Fashion Fix: Trinket Brooch, look 2

Photo Amanda Thomas

This is another take on the super, simple trinket brooch, as I said before, one of my most treasured brooches started life as a humble safety pin, and when I got my hands on some gold ones, the Christmas ideas started fizzing!

Yet again, I headed to the Joan Collins Box in the studio. I am sure we all have a pile of sparkly bits and pieces lying about the house that could be reborn into beautiful trinket jewellery. 

This brooch works because it is a stylised take on a charm bracelet. 

You will need:

• large gold safety pin
• jewellry connector loops (available at bead and craft stores)
• trinkets, charms, bits of broken jewellery
• jewellry pliers

How to do it:

1. make sure you are fixing the trinkets to the side of the pin that does not open.
2. arrange your trinkets and work out your design.
3. using pliers, fix connecter loops onto the trinkets, fix them together if need be
4. prize open the connector loops and fix onto the closed side of the pin.

Photo Amanda Thomas

How to tame Frizzy Hair Fashion Fix: Silk Pillow Case

Photo Amanda Thomas

As you will have come to notice over the year's blogposts, I am not blessed with silky smooth locks. Even when making a special effort on photoshoot days, any drop of moisture in the air has thwarted any efforts to get my hair up to scratch with the fashion fixes on offer.

So you can imagine my joy when Harper's Bazaar tweeted this series of tips on Taming Frizzy Hair.

All was pretty much the run of the mill tips, but number 5 caught my eye:

5.    Essential Bedtime Accessory 
"Wrapping hair up in a silk scarf was a beauty ritual followed by the likes of Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe to keep tresses soft and glossy. It helps prevent friction and static, and therefore prevent frizz. If you don’t have time before bed, swapping your pillowcase for a silk version will help too."


SILK PILLOW CASE YOU SAY?? I think I can run up one of those without much bother, and so can you!

This is a brilliant little christmas present which I think a fair few of our female (and some male) friends would be extremely grateful for, after getting over the awkwardness that you're suggesting their hair needs some help!

Instead of shelling out for a metre and a half of silk, I made this pillow case with an existing pillow case and just turning one side into silk.

How about using silk scarves, pieced together like a patchwork quilt, find out here how to quilt simply and effectively.


You will need:

• A plain pillow case
• Enough silk to cover one side
• sewing machine
• dressmaking scissors
• dressmaking pins
• tailor's chalk

How to do it:

1. Place your pillowcase right sides together on top of the silk and use as a template. Draw around on the silk using tailor's chalk, leaving 1.5cm seam allowance. Cut out.
2. unpick or cut out one side of the pillow case. (retain the rectangle that has the folded over inner piece that keeps the pillow in place)
3. place the pillow rectangle and the silk rectangle right sides together and pin around 3 sides leaving the opening unpinned.
4. Machine sew a running stitch all around the pinned sides.
5. trim the edges and corners, turn inside out and press.

Photo Amanda Thomas

I patched together 3 pieces of my favourite Liberty Print silk from Sewbox and was thrilled with the results, let's just hope that next time you see me, the effects of the silk pillowcase will have worked their magic!

Presenting…Dot and Ethel

This week I am working towards a career first. I started up a new Theatre Company with the gloriously talented director, Heidi Vaughan. We are called Dot and Ethel and we had the opportunity to come up with A Family Christmas Show for pre school children and the story of 'The Little Match Girl' has been close to our hearts for a while.

The show is being performed daily at 2pm at The Wardrobe Theatre, above the White Bear Pub in Cotham. To book tickets, email tickets@thewardrobetheatre.com

Apart from taking responsibility for the general look and design of the show, I have designed my first publicity image.

I only found out later that Hans Christian Anderson had been a paper cutter by trade as well as his story telling, but I loved the feel and quality of paper, wood and other natural products to reflect our approach to creating this show.

I have attempted imitating Rob Ryan before, and loved discovering artists inspired by his work up in Edinburgh this summer, but now the image is out there, I thought I'd show you a few images that didn't make the 'cut'…please excuse that awful pun!

until we settled on our final and favourite combination…and a little sticker design!

we hope to see you there!

Perfect Presents, Christmas Fashion Fix: Key Trinket Necklace

Photo Amanda Thomas

Only a few weeks to go until Christmas! Many of us are on a limited budget, and so here at Fix Up Look Chic I'm on a mission for us not to break the bank this Christmas!

Jewellery doesn't need to be pricey, there are some extraordinarily beautiful everyday objects that don't cost a thing. I got the idea for this key necklace from wandering into highstreet shops and seeing them going for £15 and more! I then wandered into the Cobbler next door and got a free old key to add to my two others from the Joan Collins Box in the studio.

You will need:

• Plain necklace chain
• assorted keys
• pliers
• jewellery connectors

How to do it: 

1. Open necklace chain
2. thread keys onto chain.
3. If using key charms that require jewellery connectors, prize open the connector, loop it around both the key and the necklace chain and position it. I like hoe the little charm key on my necklace sits a little higher than the other two.

Photo Amanda Thomashttp://amandathomasphotographer.co.uk

Perfect Presents, Christmas Fashion Fix: Trinket Brooch, look 1

Photo Amanda Thomas

This is a super, simple Christmas Present idea. One of my most treasured brooches started life as a humble safety pin, and when i got my hands on some gold ones, the Christmas ideas started fizzing!

In the studio, Ros and I have a box of broken jewellery and sparkly bits and pieces we call The Joan Collins Box. I am sure we all have a pile of sparkly bits and pieces lying about the house that could be reborn into beautiful trinket jewellery. 

This brooch works because it is a stylised take on a charm bracelet. 

You will need:

• large gold safety pin
• jewellry connector loops (available at bead and craft stores)
• trinkets, charms, bits of broken jewellery
• jewellry pliers

How to do it:

1. make sure you are fixing the trinkets to the side of the pin that does not open.
2. arrange your trinkets and work out your design.
3. using pliers, fix connecter loops onto the trinkets, fix them together if need be
4. prize open the connector loops and fix onto the closed side of the pin.

Photo Amanda Thomas

Fashion Fix: Ombre Dip Dye Shirt

Photo Amanda Thomas

Hair, Clothes, Pets…everyone's had a bit of the ombre treatment this year. But I'm not bored of it and it is so so simple that I don't think we should be paying out for dip dyed results. Here's how to do it yourself! AND how about adding a bit of glitter to the mix to take it through to Autumn/Winter? Don't say I don't do anything for you!

You will need:

• 100% cotton garmet
• hand wash dye (we used Dylon flamingo pink)
• Table salt (check dye packet for amount)
• sink/bucket
• coat hanger
• spray on glitter

How to do it:

1. wash your shirt and leave it wet.
2. mix up your dye solution according to the packet’s instructions.
3. put the shirt onto a coat hanger and dip it into the dye as far up as you want colour
4. Leave it for 3 minutes then pull the shirt up by 5cm out of the dye, hold in place for 10 minutes. Continue to pull the shirt up by a further 5cm out of the dye and hold in place for another ten minutes. Repeat this process until you reach the bottom most section that you want the darkest hue. (avoid any harsh dye lines by dunking the shirt to the upper most dyed point from time to time and holding there for a few seconds, this will help blend the sections into a gradual fade.) Leave the section you want dyed the darkest in the dye for 45 minutes.
5. Once you are happy with the effect, thoroughly rinse the garment and hang out to dry.
6. For added sparkle, spray the dyed section of the garment with glitter spray.

Perfect Presents, Christmas Fashion Fix: Pom Pom Hat

Photo Amanda Thomas

This is a cute take on the classic bobble hat, I've seen them all over the place on the hughstreet but thought it was a prime opportunity to teach you all how to make pom poms or…just to jog your memory from Junior School.

Do you remember making pompom robin Christmas decorations at primary school? You’d bring it home and your parents would have to feign joy at their little cherubs effort and then hang it on their Christmas tree for the next 15 years. 

This is a classic black and white combo, but why not mix it up and add more pompoms!

You will need:  

• Ball of black wool
• white plain beanie
• Cardboard (a cereal packet will suffice) 
• Knitting hook  
• Scissors
• Needle and thread to attach finished pompoms 

How to:

1. Draw and cut out 2 cardboard rings.  Follow our pattern as a guide. 
2. Cut a length of wool about 2 metres long and fold in half.
3. Tie the2 cardboard rings together with the length of wool and continue wrapping this length of wool around the 2 rings. Feed the wool through the hole in the middle of both rings each time. 
4. Continue this process, cutting new lengths of wool as the last runs out.  Use the knitting hook to pull the wool though as the hole becomes full.
5. Once you cannot pull any more wool through the centre of the ring, cut all the way around the outer edge of the ring.
6. Wrap a length of wool between the 2 cardboard rings and tie a few tight knots. These will secure all the wool in place.
7. Tear the 2 cardboard rings to remove them from the centre of the pompom.
8. Trim the pompom to size.

Photo Amanda Thomas

Out of the Dark

I've just stumbled over Out of the Dark's website. An inspirational company set up to salvage and restore vintage furniture whilst educating and training young people. I know I would have jumped at a chance to learn such skills. 

I particularly like them because they worked on the interior of Fabrications, an independent gallery, shop and studio dedicated to contemporary textile practise and design, with a particular interest in upcycling and eco design run by Barley Massey, who I have had the pleasure of interviewing for Cloth magazine as well as participating in an awesome fascinator making Hen Party this time last year. 

I love it when you see great people with good ideas get along in life.

Fashion Fix: How to embellish tights

I wrote this post on the sofa next to my boyfriend whose jaw has had to be picked up off the floor at the sight of this image (he's now watching the Victoria's Secret Live Feed fashion show - for research).

ANYWAY…check out her tights. I loved these a few years ago when this image first came out, and I came up with a Paisley pattern embellished tights project for an alternative bridal outfit. I had a rethink this year and ended up creating an embellished pair of tights using a William Morris pattern.

Adding gems turns a rather quirky project into a seriously good alternative to sparkly party frocks!

Photo Carly Wong

Photo Amanda Thomas

This photo was taken for an alternative Bridal Shoot. I liked the idea of adding the 'something blue' element to this Bride's tights.

Any ornate repetitive pattern will work. I have included some of my designs for you to print out and use.

And here's how to do it!

You will need:

• A pair of 80 denier white (or pale coloured) tights
• Long cardboard tube (i.e. poster tube)
• Fabric marker pen
• Fabric paints
• Brushes
• Turpentine
• White spirit
• Assorted gems
• All purpose glue
• Tweezers

How to:

1. pull one leg of the tights onto the cardboard tube.
2. draw your design with the fabric marker pen
3. repeat steps 1 & 2 for the other leg.
4. Fabric paints are solvent based so use turpentine to thin the fabric paint into a more wash-like consistency and white spirit to clean your brushes. Paint straight onto the tights stretched on the tube
5. squirt some glue onto a palette.
6. take a gem in the tweezers and dip its backside into the glue
7. place upon the tights in your desired pattern
8. Allow each leg to dry fully before you remove the cardboard tube. 

painting the tights in the studio

Time and Tide Photoshoot, Institute Magazine

Featuring in Institute Magazine, the self titled World's Most Exclusive Online Fashion Destination.

Working with a great team, Carly Wong Photographer, Sophia Cox Hair and Makeup and the gorgeous Sarune modelling, we created a range of looks based around a shipwreck aesthetic, have a look below

 The first look was styled up simply with a swathe of fabric, a bit of rope and lots and lots of jewellery!

A really lovely androgynous sailor look…a follow on from my rant about sexy sailors 6 months ago!

A Sea Nymph, inspired by Amber Hards' unconventional knitwear collection. I paired it with my barnacle shoes and embellished tights…find out how to make these yourself this week in the Fashion Fixes

And of course, my barnacle shoes!!

Fashion Fix: Pimp your Pumps, Parisian Style

Photo Amanda Thomas

Photo Amanda Thomas

I think there is at least a week or two left for ankles to be on display…? Here's a Fashion Fix for the brave: Silk scarf pumps.

Photo Amanda Thomas. Parisian silk scarf pumps!

You will need:

• silk scarf
• fabric scissors
• sewing machine
• hand leather needle and matching thread

How to do it:

1. cut the silk scarf into four rectangles 25 x 12 cm
2. fold right sides togther and pin along the long edge
3. machine a running stitch along the long edge, turn inside out and press
4. press and fold in one end of each rectangle on a diagonal, machine a running stitch along the edge
5. place the raw end of one rectangle along the outside of the pump by the sole, hand sew in place with a leather needle.

Ultimate Fashion Fix: Designing and creating the Fairy Queen

Designing for the….

Sprite Symphony.

 By Davy and Kristin McGuire 

PACCAR Room, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon 

16 November 2013 – 2 March 2014

Sprite Symphony takes you on a journey around the theatre into a world of magical fairies and sprites. Follow the trail to find enchanting fairies trapped in jam jars and the Queen of the Fairies' haunted dress. Discover a cabinet of curious sprites in the foyer and listen to their enchanting music. 

Created by award winning artists Davy and Kristin McGuire, Sprite Symphony combines animation and projections with costumes and props made by the Royal Shakespeare Company, recomposed to invent a brand new contemporary fairy tale.

The Fairy Queen is inspired by NcQueen Savage beauty. This isn't a friendly nymph with tutu and wings. Tatjana is a badass fairy who can't be caught by any huntsman. Check out the photos below for the progress of the creation of the dress.

Alice bands created a protruding rib cage, to which I hen added a snarly sternum made from assorted gems and stones and sprayed white.

Everything on the dress needed to be white for the projections to be effective. Tatjana would come to life through animation and projection covering here entire being.

Next came making a skirt of flowers, sewn individually by hand, Ros, Cori and I worked long into the night until Tatjana got impatient…

The final job was the knock back the colour and create a ghostly weathered figure. Here she is scaring people in the carpark (also looking a bit drunk)

The flowers refused to go completely white. But we rather preferred the effect like this.

They looked almost porcelain.

Tatjana takes position on her plinth and the projections start to take shape.

Visit her if you dare at the Paccar Room at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the next 4 months.