Fashion Fix revisited: Sailor Collar

The most popular Fashion Fix that ever made its way on my blog is the Sailor Collar. Its a real favourite of mine and it's awesome that you all loved it so much too. Recently I got an email from a reader asking for some dimensions of the pattern piece. The idea with the pattern piece is that you can scale it up or down to be whatever size you would like, but I have done a new one with the measurements I would use were I making it for myself.

For the full Fashion Fix project click here

Fashion Fix 1st Birthday: Revisiting the Burberry Aztec Beaded Yoke

It's time to have a look back at some of my favourite summer fashion fixes of the past year. I've now been working on this blog for a year and as my readership has grown continually through the years, I know some of your newer FashionFixers won't have seen some of the gems that lie in the early end of this blog. 

Photo Amanda Thomas

One of my favourite trends of 2012 was Burberry's tribal inspired beaded yoke adornment on their Spring/Summer Collection. I really think this is a unique addition and surprisingly wearable in the everyday as the gorgeous Eva Lazarus models for us below. 

You will need:

• pattern paper
• 3/4 metre cotton fabric
• 3/4 metre lining fabric
• sewing machine and matching thread
• 1/2 metre matching ribbon
• dressmaking pins
• dressmaking scissors
• fimo in assorted colours
• oven
• needle and thread

How to do it:

1. Measure you collar size and add 5 cm, draw this circle on pattern paper. Measure out 17 cm from this line and draw a larger circle, fold in half, press and unfold again. Above the neck opening on the inner edge, measure out 2 cm either side of the centre fold and cut out a segment of the pattern. Cut down the centre fold below the neck opening  leaving you with half the pattern.  Lay onto the fold of the fabric, pin in place and cut out two collar pieces, making sure you include a 1cm seam allowance with both.
2. Sew ribbon onto both sides of one collar piece.
3. place the collar pieces right sides together, tucking the ribbons inside. pin in place
4. using a running stitch sew all the way around, 1cm from the edge, leave a gap at one end to pull through.
5. Pull the collar through, hand sew the opening closed.
6. Draw a template of your yoke on pattern paper and mark out your bead design. use this as a reference to make your beads out of Fimo. Make sure to score holes in the beads before you bake them. hand sew them on in thread that matches the yoke fabric

In the studio, working out the pattern after a night of Fimo baking!

Eva Lazarus modelling the yoke, shot by Amanda Thomas, Makeup Jo Williams, Styling Harriet de Winton

Fashion Fix: Festival Wellies 2: Flower...?

Photo Farrows Creative

I refuse to write 'Flower Power' as that sums up cheap and tacky images for cliched psychedelic hippy fancy dress costumes. Big clusters of oversized flowers have graced headdresses for the past few summers now so why not have them spilling out around the tops of your wellies.

Photo Farrows Creative

There is a bit more of a method to these...

You will need:

• A pair of wellies
• assorted brightly coloured fake flowers
• hole borer
• contact adhesive
• Felt

How to do it:

1. Pull your flowers off their stems, this will leave you with a small nib at the back of the flower,
2. Bore a hole in your welly. Apply contact adhesive to the back of the flower and the area on the welly surrounding the hole. Leave to go tacky
3. Once ready, push flower nib through welly hole
4. press together until contact adhesive fixes. 
5. Continue to add flowers.
6. Glue small squares of felt to the inside of the welly over the flower nibs to stop irritation.

Fashion Fix: Festival Wellies 1: Boho Chic

Photo Farrows Creative

Wellies.

We're all going to need them at some point this summer.

Ros and I designed a pair that would have Sienna Miller knocking down our door to get her mits on them. This was also shot and styled on our summer time shoot for Cloth Mag in Ros's Parents' back garden.

This is a wonderfully simple fashion fix with NO SEWING! Use trim, fringing and anything else you’ve collected to create these festival fantastic ethnic willies. Use Contact adhesive and create a neat finish by placing all seams to the centre back of the wellie. I got the mad fringing trim from a Vintage upholstery stall at a market, and the boho beaded trim from an Asian specialist fabric shop. The colours and detailed embellishments that you find in such specialist shops beats the british counterparts hands down when it comes to Festival Boho Chic.

Boho not your thing? Look out for the second post in the Festival Wellies series for something a bit more flowery...

Fashion Fix: Festival Headdress

Photo Farrows Creative

Native American chief headdresses are large and ornate, usually made with feathers and beads. In recent times they have become the ultimate festival accessory. Traditionally made with eagle feathers and worn as ‘warbonnets’, the headdress is steeped in history and instead of trying to recreate these incredibly intricate and superior creations, I have simply taken inspiration from the majestic image they present and created our own magnificent plumage for the festival-goer.

This gorgeous photoshoot was done in Ros's parents back garden, using a load of our friends for festival goers in the background and shot by Toby Farrow. It was featured in Cloth Magazine, which Ros and I used to come up with projects for and style the shoots. We built up a wonderful relationship with Toby as our photographer, and I hope the fun we had that day comes out in these shots.

I have collected together a number of projects made for summer issues of Cloth to inspire you over the next few months in time for summer Festival Fashion.

Photo Farrows Creative

You will need:

• 2 metre x 2 inch thick strip of leather
• 1m x 1 inch thick braid
• 2m brightly coloured trim
• assorted colours and lengths of ribbon
• assorted beads
• feathers: imitation eagle feathers, pheasant feathers, coloured quills, biots and strung biots. We used in excess of 100 feathers.
• 2 Large disc-shaped gems
• contact adhesive
• glue gun and glue sticks
• tape measure
• fabric and paper scissors
• sewing machine with leather needle
• 20cm of 1 inch thick elastic
• all purpose glue

How to do it:

1. Measure your head circumference. Cut a length of leather that goes from ear to ear across the forehead. 
2. Complete the circumference with the elastic, sew to the leather to make a head band.
3. Starting at one end of the leather strip, tuck the end of the braid under and sew in place.  Fold and press so that the braid sits along the leather. 
4. Create channels for each quill within the leather and braid by machining running stitches all the way along the leather headband.
5. Tuck the end of the braid under to finish. 
6. Using your larger feathers (pheasant and coloured quills) place a blob of all purpose glue on the quill nibs and push into the braid tunnels making sure your longer feathers are more central. Arrange to your own design
7. Cut the remaining leather in half to give you two equal lengths. These will be the pieces that hang down either side of the main head band. Apply a thin layer of contact adhesive along the strip as well as to the nibs of the feathers. Leave to go tacky and then arrange feathers down these strips. Keep the longer feathers at the top of the strip and allow them to gradually shorten to a point at the bottom.
8. Use your strung biots to add another layer of feathers to the central headdress and down the sides again using contact adhesive. Build up your feathers until you are happy with the look.
9. Using all purpose glue use your coloured trim to cover the line of where all the feathers are glued onto the side strips of your headdress..
10. Work out the angle you want the side pieces to hang off the main headdress and attach with contact adhesive.
11. String assorted beads onto assorted ribbons and glue on the join either side of the headdress. Place excess feathers on if there is a gap between the main headdress and the side feathers. Place a large gem on top of all this with contact adhesive. Embellish and adorn your headdress to your own taste.

Photo Farrows Creative

Ros plus headdress, all of us camping in Bude

Nominations are still coming in for Company Magazine's Style Blog awards. I am going for the Best Personal Style Blog-Newcomer' Award. If you think this blog shows any signs of such a thing, then nominate me HERE

Fashion Fix: The easiest T shirt in the world!

Photo Amanda Thomas

It's official, I can almost count the number of stitches required to make this t shirt!

All you need is one of your favourite t shirts as a template.  This t shirt is simply two t shirt shaped pieces, sewn together. The t shirt fabric I used doesn't even need hemming as it won't fray. Just to make doubly sure, I used pinking shears for all the raw edges which just adds a lovely design detail as well as being completely practical!

You will need:

• one of your own t shirts
• sewing machine and complimentary thread
• pinking shears
• dressmaking pins
• 1 metre t shirt fabric
• fabric marker

How to do it:

1. fold your t shirt fabric in half right sides together and place your existing t shirt on top as a template. 
2. draw around it allowing 1.5 cm seam allowance along the seams. You don't need to allow for seam allowance at the sleeve, neck and bottom opening of the t shirt.
3. cut out, you will now have two identical t shirt shapes.
4. place right sides together, pin along the shoulders, and up the sides. 
5. Machine a running stitch.
6. remove the pins, trim raw edges and turn inside out.

Voila!

Fashion Fix: Summer Staple Sleeveless top from scratch

Photo Amanda Thomas

I have always loved clashing a print and a colour. These days anything goes, fashion wise, but the enthusiasm for confident clashing is going to be around for a while.

This top was a project that came around because of the tragic demise of one of my favourite tops: A green and white striped Whistles number that went with EVERYTHING! so, what to do?? We all know that when we go out shopping with an annoyingly specific item in mind it will NEVER turn up (this has turned into a regular occurrence in the life of a costume designer and stylist.)

Therefore, if you can't replace then you must replenish. Use that worn out unwearable item as a pattern for your new garment.

You will need:

• calico to make pattern pieces
• iron
• dressmaking pins
• dressmaking scissors
• paper scissors
• fabric (check you old garment's label for fabric info and then take it with you to the shop to work out how much you need.)
• bias binding for edges
• fastenings (I needed a zip, but decided to make a feature of it so got a gold chunky one).
• thread 
• fabric marker
• zip foot.

I got all of these things from Fabricland

How to do it:

1.  Take a deep breath and cut your old garment along each seam to have individual pattern pieces.
2. iron each piece flat
3. pin each piece onto calico and cut out leaving a 1.5cm seam allowance. 
4. label each piece so you remember where they go!
5. pin to your new fabric and cut out the new pieces. You will now have a collection of fabric pieces complete with seam allowances.

This is the point where our paths part. Each garment is going to be made in its own way, so I can only tell you how I went about reconstructing my garment. I am pretty sure this will be useful reading however if you are making any kind go flat fronted top.

My top consisted of four panels, two front and two back. 

1. Whilst always referring back to the original garment (admittedly now cut up, but my memory of it served me well) pin the two front panels right sides together down the centre front of the top. Machine a running stitch, remove pins and press seams open.
2. repeat with the back two panels leaving space at the top for the zip. If your fabric has a pattern try your best to match up the design so it looks continuous. (see photo...can you see the front seam?! hopefully not)
3. now match up the side seams, pin right sides together and machine a running stitch. remove pins, press seams open.
4. for the sleeves, you could either...carefully snip a 0.5cm cut at 1cm intervals all around the sleeve edge. Press right sides into the sleeve hole. Machine a running stitch around the edge. 
5. Or you could bind the sleeve edges, either with a contrasting colour or you could  make your own bias binding: see below.
6. Before folding the binding over the curve, snip small triangles from the raw edge of the binding. This will     help ease it round the curve.  Pin in place on the right (outer side) of the sleeve hole and pin in place. Machine a running stitch in the fold of the bias binding. Fold the binding in and hand sew in place.
7. To insert the zip in the back,you will need a zip foot for your machine.  They are narrow in size and have a notch on the left for the needle and a notch on the right. 
8. sew up the seam at the back of the top that will hold the zip with a long stitch length (basting stitch).
9. Then, turn to the ‘wrong’ side and press the seam open.
10.  Wherever it is, place the end where it needs to begin and place your zipper face down.  Then line up the center of the zip teeth along the center of that open seam.  Pin in place.
11. Then flip the fabric over and place a pin right above where the bottom of the zip is.  This will just show you where the end is.
12. start at the bottom of the zipper and work my way towards the top. Position your needle all the way over to the left (so you don’t break your needle) and now you’re ready to begin sewing along the right side of the seam.  Slide your fabric (right side up) underneath the presser foot and find the pin you used to mark the bottom of the zip.  Machine a running stitch up the side.
13. Keep sewing all the way down the zip until you are about 2 inches from the end., then raise your foot and zip up the zip so it has zipped past the foot. Continue sewing to the end.
14. once at the end of the zip length, keep your needle in the fabric, raise the foot and pivot the fabric round until the foot is facing across the bottom of the zip. machine a running stitch across the bottom of the zip. 
15. once at the end of the zip width, keep your needle in the fabric, raise the foot and pivot the fabric round until the foot is facing up the side of the zip. machine a running stitch up to the top of the zip.
16. unpick the basting stitch. 
17. for the neckline, repeat the bias binding step 6.
18. to hem the bottom edge of the top fold the raw edge once and pres, and then once again and press again. Sew either with an invisible hand sewn hem or with a running stitch on the machine to make a feature of it.

 Make your own Bias binding.

a. Mark out strips of cotton 5cm wide, at 45’ angles across your piece of cotton. Cut

b. Sew each strip to the next to make one long length. 

c. Slowly push the cotton strip through a mouse binder and press with an iron as you go.