Tutorial: Pleated skirts!

After my last post featuring my most recent remade skirt, I had some interest from others in a tutorial for the skirt. Whilst I didn't take enough details to make an in depth tutorial for the skirt, I thought I would nonetheless share those I had, and give a few tips about remaking items on a budget.

This skirt began life as a £1 skirt I found in a local charity shop. Here's the original skirt:
It had a fitted waist (far too small for me!), but a very very full skirt, and enough length for me to be able to construct another skirt after chopped the waistband off the original. This particularly skirt had a button up front and pockets, both of which I sewed up before starting. If you're just starting off remaking an item, I wouldn't recommend starting with a skirt with pockets or a pocket up front - instead just look for a long-ish skirt with a waist that can easily be removed, and a very full skirt (I find old granny skirts with gathered or pleated waists to be good for this, and they're always on a £1 rail!).

I make my skirts using this tutorial, originally penned by DIY Couture (who publish an amazing series of books, without sized patterns - check them out!). Before I go on, please do have a look through this guide for a more detailed guide to planning the size of your pleats and waistband pieces. For reference, I tend to use either six or eight pleats on either side of my skirts.

Begin by cutting the waistband off the original skirt:

You then need to cut a portion off to use for your waistband at a later point. You can be approximate about this, but remember that you will need to fold the fabric for the waistband over twice (as per the DIY Couture book) and allow a seam allowance of about 3cm.

Here was my waistband piece, and what would become the main body of my skirt.

You will now need to cut the fabric for the main body in half - do this by unpicking the seams from the sides of the original skirt, or by cutting them out neatly, so you end up with two rectangles of (approximately!) the same size.


Do the same with the waistband pieces, and then cut them down to two thin rectangles which both equal (in length) half your waist measurement plus about 3cm for seams. Width-wise, they will need to be double the measurement of your intended waistband width, again with a small seam allowance. Again, please refer to the DIY couture book for a slightly more articulate explanation of how to measure how wide and long your waistband. Sorry I don't have a picture of the waist band, but you'll need to set them aside for the moment anyway.

Creating pleats! Do this on both rectangles by marking the centre of the fabric and creating small folds on either side of this centre point. DIY couture recommends calculating the size of your pleats, but I found when working with skirts that I could approximate this process by creating pleats, measuring and adjusting where necessary, until I reached the desired measurement (this will be the same as your waistband). Create a pleat by making a vertical fold in the top of the fabric, and pinning, as shown. Eventually it looks like this:

Then, you'll need to sew, with a line of straight stitch, along the top of the skirt, fixing these pleats into place. Do this with both rectangles.

Now, take your waistband pieces again, and fold them in half, with the right side of the fabric showing. Like this:

Take the waistband, and pin it to the right side of your skirt body pieces, with the raw edges facing up. Like this:

With both waistbands pinned to the skirt body, now run another line of straight stitch along the length of the waistband - this will secure the waistband into place. Flip the waistband up at this point, and you will have the front and back of your skirt! Huzzah!

I stopped taking pictures at this point (d'oh!), but basically what happens next is as follows:

• With the right sides of both pieces facing towards each other (and the wrong sides facing outwards), tack together one of the sides of the skirt. You can run a line of straight stitch up this side, from top to bottom including the waistband to fix this into place.
• Pin the second side together in a similar fashion, but with a slight difference. If you want to fit a zip here, you will need to place your zip along by the waistband. Mark the point at which the zip ends, and pin the fabric together below this point (so you still have an unfinished seam for the space of the zip), and then as before, run another line of straight stitch up to this point.
• FITTING ZIPS. I'm quite rubbish at this (it's not hard, just fiddly, and it takes patience that I generally lack, haha), so I'm not even going to try and explain it. It is covered in the DIY Couture PDF, and there are also numerous youtube tutorials which can help.
• At this point, having fitted the zip, you will have you skirt *almost* finished. At this stage, try on the skirt, making sure that it fits okay and that you don't need to take the waistband in any further. Once you've confirmed this, you'll just need to hem the skirt - simply done by turning the raw edging of the skirt from right to wrong side, then pinning into place and running a simple line of straight stitch into place.
• Wear your skirt!

I hope that all makes sense! Please do check the DIY couture booklet, as it explains things in a slightly less muddled fashion and should answer any questions you have. I just wanted to frame this within how to remake a skirt, which is so so much cheap than buying fabric from a shop, and also a skill which I find is super handy to know as a fatty working on a budget. This skirt cost me £2.30 (plus some thread, which I took from my stash) to make, including the original skirt and a zip, so it was very cost effective!

This was worn for a Sunday morning spent car booting with my other half. I went to Brighton Antiques Market and Car Boot Sale and bought some amazing bits including a monstrous 70s maxi (£1), a green wool hat (50p), some records and a rather amazing gauze summer hat (£5, but I fell in love and my bargain hunting head was quieted. Perfect for Big Beach Bums!). I got very sunburnt, and sadly still feeling it, oh dear.

I always make mistakes when dressing for a car boot, and today was no exception. The dress flapped about everywhere and I think half of Brighton saw my underwear! More than slightly frustrating, though I hope I've learnt my lesson and will stick to my trusty shorts in the future.

Dress, New Look via ThriftstoreUK (on livejournal), £12

Cardigan, Dorothy Perkins via ThriftstoreUK, £6

Bag, gifted by the lovely Caroline

Shoes, New Look, £22

Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £5

Lace shirt, Primark, £12
Zip up dress, vintage via Leeds Affordable Vintage Fair, £14
Shoes, New Look, £22

Another Big Beach Bums update

So I've been a bit busy of late. I was mentioned to a producer making a show for the BBC on body image by Lauren and Kat. Yesterday we met, and it looks like I'm going to be filmed for the part of the show focusing on body acceptance. The show is going to involve the presenter going round the country speaking to different women with different opinions about their bodies, and I'll be the last one. Speaking to the producer, it seems like they want to get a body positive message across, they're very much behind what this blog (and the many other amazing blogs out there) is about, so I'm excited (and terrified). The chance to get any fat acceptance dialogue on a mainstream television show over here would be amazing, even if it is amidst different messages.

The producer knows about Big Beach Bums through her research, and has stated an interest in coming along to film and speak to us all. As I'm very concerned that the meet up remains a safe space, and that everyone is comfortable with the day, I haven't said yes. I also haven't said no, because I'd like to speak to you all in more detail about it.

The producer said that they would be able to film selectively, so only the people who want to be featured would be (if this is necessary). They're interested in coming to the beach meet up, so we'd be able to shop first, chatter, and then do the filming.

Basically, if anyone, for any reason, doesn't want this, I understand entirely and I won't say yes. I wanted to open up the dialogue because I think it would be interesting to be able to feature our community, but I also want any decision I make to be made with the collective consensus of the group.

So, thoughts anyone? Would anyone like to be featured?

Hello again!
Sorry for my immediate disappearance, this was attributed to a rather lovely holiday in Amsterdam and a week off, spent mainly avoiding the world and reading/knitting in parks. Somehow blogging didn't quite factor into it. Oh dear! Since the weather got a bit fancier, I have mainly been living in shorts and tees anyhow, so there hasn't been a whole amount to report.

T-shirt, Topshop sale, £3
Shorts, clothes swap, £free
Shoes, New Look, £22

This week I have another week off! Yay! I'll be spending it finishing up the research for Big Beach Bums, which approaches in about a month, hurrah! I'm just collecting details from shops, and hope to have a mini map/itinerary available within the week. I'm so excited to see everyone again, and to meet those I haven't already :)

One very belated outfit today, worn to work one day last week. I'm all behind on outfits right now, because I'm packing for a holiday! Tomorrow night I'm off to see my partner in Leeds, then to Amsterdam with a friend, so all is chaos right now. Normal service will resume soon.

Blouse, £6, vintage via eBay
Skirt, ASOS curve, £8
Tights, Primark (before they made them low waisted, now they aren't long enough for me! Sob!)
Shoes, Deichmann, £15

Big Beach Bums - an update!

On the Big Beach Bums front, I have a well needed update! Here's are the blogger attendees that I have so far confirmed:

Rebecca - wearelargepeople.blogspot.com

Claire - amonkeyfatshionista.wordpress.com

Lauren - www.pocketrocketfashion.com

Kat - plussizebeauty07.blogspot.com

Wendy - 52-46-54.blogspot.com/

Meryl - pluseyes.tumblr.com

Mel - melasaurus.tumblr.com

Raigini - www.acuriousfancy.com

Nadia - http://mystylishlife-vintagegirl87.blogspot.com/

Lauren - http://biggerdeal.wordpress.com/

Isha - http://catwoman25.tumblr.com/

and me, of course! These are only people who've said definitely yes, there are still a few maybes and some non-bloggers too (whose names I haven't listed). I reckon we'll have about 30 people in total, with respective friends, partners and relatives. So a nice manageable number, and a fantastic swarm of rad fats to hit Brighton with ;)

If anyone else wants to come, please let me know, either by RSVP-ing on facebook here, or dropping me an email at fattyunbound@gmail.com. I'm collecting numbers just so I have an idea of how many of us there will be, so I can better plan the map. If you have a blog, also let me know the URL and I'll add you to the list.

The itinerary is still being worked on, but will likely involve a chat/catch up, then shops, then lunch, then beach! I'll be putting the final touches to the map over the last weekend in April and first weekend in May, when I have some time off.

If anyone wants to tweet about the event, the hash tag is #BIGBEACHBUMS

Jeans and a casual rant

Wide legged jeans! I can honestly say I never though I'd see the day when I gave up my skinnies. Well, I haven't at all really, but with the 70s silouhettes I'm loving for the summer I wanted another option to wear with my luxurious flowing tops (and because I love dressing like a 70s nerd, complete with flares, big glasses and a tank top. Ohhhh yes.). Dorothy Perkins have £5 off all their jeans in store and online at the minute, and after the style I wanted sold out online but appeared in a branch local to where I work, I jumped on them. These are a size 20/short fitting, which is particularly odd given that I am neither a size 20 or particularly short at 5'9"! I wore this to travel to another archive to prepare some nitrate film for scanning, which is hazardous and potentially explosive, so needless to say I was dressed for comfort and ease above anything else.

Jumper, £3, charity shop

Belt, old vintage stock

Wide leg jeans, £21, Dorothy Perkins

Dunlops, £2, car boot sale

Duffel coat, £12.50, River Island sale (though it was way too hot for this in the end! Yay for sunny weather!)

Also, on a related note I wanted to say how awesome I thought this post on Corpulent was. There is a tension, I feel, in the fatosphere about posting casual outfits. As I have moved back to embracing wider legs and baggier silouhettes, I'm really interested in this debate. Is dressing up a comment on our bodies as inferior when dressed down? Obviously as a person who overdresses frequently, I don't believe this is true (I do it for many other reasons though - to amuse myself, sometimes to engender responses from others and mainly to feel fantastic in myself), however I do feel that there is a pressure on fat bloggers to dress up. This is certainly connected to the stereotype of the fat slob in jeans and tracksuits. It's a tricky balance to strike - by posting pictures of ourselves dressed up, we are refuting this stereotype, but, at the same time, I don't believe that as a fat person, I should be obligated to dress up in order to make my body acceptable or attractive to people who wouldn't otherwise deem it so. Jeans and t-shirts can look amazing on any body, and neither should cultural implications of a particular style of dress make you avoid such clothing. This is why I enjoyed fatshion february so much - it presented images of fat femmes on both up and down days - I felt like it was more of a representation of lived experiences in clothing than more formal blogs.

I post the outfits I wear most days - mainly otherwise they're repeats, hideous mistakes or else I'm sat in my pajamas! This blog is about everyday dressing for me - that's why my photographs and editing are haphazard, and why I sometimes don't post huge chunks of text. I would rather there were lots of outfits updated regularly, which show how I live and what I live in as a fat woman, than more formal photoshoots (though I like these on other blogs also, it's just a personal preference).

I'm always faffing on about this, but the only person I believe you should dress for (as a fat person or otherwise) is yourself. Dressing for me is a way of showing that I like my body, and before that, a strategy of acceptance. Don't dress to make anyone else happy! Wear something that makes you feel fantastic, that you love, and that fits you as well as is possible, and that you feel comfortable in. This could be jeans and a t-shirt or it could be a sequinned ballgown! I feel that wearing the right clothes for you (whatever it may be, regardless of fashion, cultural implications as a fat person or any other social pressures) is one of the most amazing things to do along the way to self acceptance and love.

Peter Pan collars!

Just a quick post here to show off some crafting action. I made this Peter Pan collar out of some faux fur remnants bought for £1.30 from a local sewing shop (I have enough for another!) and some fabric scraps for lining + a 69p piece of cord bought from a haberdashery shop. The pattern I used can be seen here. It's cosy and suitably garish for my tastes. That said, it's yet to prove particularly versatile with my wardrobe, hence why I haven't posted it in an outfit yet.

Some 90s gone goth gone grunge for you today, complete with bruises and war wounded knees. This was what I pottered about Brighton in last Saturday. An acquired taste no doubt, but this summer seems to be calling for bare midriffs and see through tops.

Tee, Topshop sale, £3
Bra, M&S
Belt, old vintage stock
Skirt, reconstructed from a £1 charity shop skirt (is anyone interested in a tutorial for this?)
Docs, gifted

A fatty's guide to thrifting

With the advent of Big Beach Bums (which, by the way, there is a facebook event for here. Please RSVP! I’ve been a bit quiet on it since the initial post, this is because I’m busy looking around trying to note down options for the day. I have nearly three weeks off approaching (!) so there will be many a finite detail approaching then), I’ve had a few requests for a how to thrift post.

Thrifting in size fat is always hard. I so wish the UK could have anywhere as amazing as Re/Dress or Fat Fancy over in America, but, bar wonderful events such as the Big Bum Jumble, for the main part there aren’t any places to go specifically for plus size vintage. Finding good stuff is really hard, and if you don’t have the patience in you (or the time) to rummage, then it's really hard going. I hate to start off negatively, but there are always disappointments, and what is available in plus sizes inevitably depends on what stock is in. This is hard to deal with when compared to high street/online shopping, when generally you know what is available and there is normally a way to source the items you want in the right size.

Thrifting for me is embedded in my history. It comes from an upbringing with a “make do and mend” attitude, and spending my teenage years in a suburb with 10+ charity shops and very few friends and/or ways to occupy myself in my spare time. For me thrifting is inspiring, because it’s all about possibility, imagination and re-envisioning. It’s about making something amazing happen out of a finite and limited amount of resources. I don’t have magic fingers, I don’t always find something, and sometimes there are weeks on end full of disappointments. Others are so full of surprises and finds thatI almost can't believe my luck. I understand that the disappointments are maybe too much for a lot of people, but for me it's all part of the challenge.

• Always look. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve sworn off a store for being too pricey or never having plus size items in, then I’ve been in with a friend and found something perfect. Vintage for fats isn’t in ready supply, you can’t ever count on finding anything, but at the same time I’ve not known any places refusing to accept plus size stock, so it is available.
  
• Never pay attention to size tags. This goes without saying really, but vintage sizes =/= modern sizes. Earlier items size up as significantly smaller than their modern equivalents, and also, as with a lot of contemporary stores, some straight size items will fit much larger than they might suggest. I put them up to my body to get a sense, but you could take a tape measure to get more accurate estimates.
  
• Persist! Dig through bargain bins, through all the rails and take your time looking. Thrifting isn't really something you can do in a flash - it's something that takes time and leisure. Don't get put off if you don't immediately see anything that would fit - most vintage dresses are teeny tiny, but the options are out there.
  
• Take a friend! Take someone who is a different size to you, preferably, so you can hunt for each other as well as yourselves. Some of my best dresses were found by thinner friends with similar taste in clothes. A second pair of eyes always helps when rummaging.
  
• Look for stretchy fabrics, elastic waistbands and oversized dresses - these all fit differently on fat bodies, so you might find something intended for a smaller sized person fits you like a glove when otherwise it would be a baggy fit.
  
• Try things on! Pile yourself high with possibilities, and take chances. Try on ridiculous things. Have fun with shopping. It's harder to tell what will fit and what won't without sizing, so the dressing room is definitely your friend.
  
• For bargain hunting recommendations, check out jumble sales, car boot sales and local charity events close to you. These are my favourite haunts - as charity shops have now upped their prices (and sometimes jumped on the vintage wagon), car boots/jumbles seem to have maintained a budget ethos which I find really comforting. Go along to an event with a budget - I used to take £10/sometimes £20 in change to a car boot and just see what I came out with. Often a tenner would get me bulging bags of things, clothes and otherwise.
  

I've been staring at this top in the topshop sale many lunchtimes since the January sales passed. It's a white assymmetrical style with a crop top front and a low back, and cut out squares over the front. I was a very happy bunny to discover it had been cut from £15 to £3 last week! It's a size 16, but the style is super oversized, so worth looking at for fellow fats. I actually find that topshop's range of crop tops fit me fairly well, so it shows that it's always worth checking out straight size stores once in a while!

Tee, £3, Topshop sale
Belt, old vintage stock
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Flats, New Look, £22

Oh dorky grins. I had a nice weekend, though has not been helped by having to wake up an hour earlier this morning! Here's what I wore to have a pleasant potter yesterday, eat gorgeous dumplings and ice cream by the sea.

Jumper, Dorothy Perkins
Blouse, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Tie, my old school uniform!
Belt, old vintage stock
Shorts, clothes swap, £free
Tights, M&S
Socks, Primark
Docs, gifted

Some more info about Big Beach Bums approaches! Right now, I'm off to finish making a dalmatian print detachable Peter Pan collar. Ohhhh yes.

Dress, £6, New Look sale (straight size range) - this was a winter sale purchase over Christmas, it's a very generous size 18! And has been waiting in my wardrobe for an outing ever since.
Cardigan, gifted
Tights, M&S
Socks, Primark
Docs, gifted

Apparently I'm now becoming entirely unwilling to embrace the summery weather? In any case, I realised I hadn't had a chance to wear this dress properly this winter, despite working to fix it up over the summer. Oh dear. I think I felt it required heels, but instead I chose my brogues for a proper school marm-esque look.

Dress, old vintage stock, DIY-ed around the skirt
Belt, old vintage stock
Brogues, Primark, £13

Another largely remixed outfit, incorporating a nice neutral blue cardigan I got for Christmas. It's not a colour I have lots of in my wardrobe, but it suited my cream/brown/grey palette of the moment.

Cardigan, M&S, gifted at Christmas
Blouse, ASOS curve via Fatshion Exchange, £8.50
Shorts, ASOS curve, £9
Tights, M&S
Brogues, Primark, £13
Belt,
Brooch, Primark, £2
Skinny brown belt, old vintage stock

Big Beach Bums

On twitter recently, speaking with some of the lovely ladies from Plus London, I’ve been discussing the prospect of another rad fats meet up! There was a lovely amount of momentum after Plus London and it would be great to keep this going and make use of the collective energy created.

So, I am tentatively proposing another meet, this time in Brighton. Quite a few people have asked to come thrifting with me in the future, so my thoughts are as such:

• We could meet up, late morning-ish, for a cup of tea and get to know each other.
• I’ll create a second hand trail through Brighton, which we can follow loosely, and people can join at some point over the day.
• We could then convene for lunch somewhere. My suggestion would likely be to all bring some bits and pieces to have a picnic on the beach with. Otherwise, I’ll make some suggestions for cheap eats in the locality, of which there are many.
• As a follow up, we could all head to the beach! I’m reluctant to plan the day around the beach, because, as everyone knows, it’s a bad idea to plan for good weather! But if it is sunny, we could all finish the day by re-congregating at the beach for some sun, sea and possibly swimming and ice cream! Those who aren’t bothered about shopping would be welcome to join at this point instead, which will be later in the afternoon.
• If it’s not sunny, I’ll make some suggestions for places to head for drinks (I know of at least one place with 241 cocktails, and many a good pub) or more grub.
• Anyone who fancies making a weekend of it, I’ll make some recommendations for other things to do (there’s a pretty mean car boot on a Sunday morning for the more hardcore of us! haha).

The proposed date is 28th May! All I need to do now is garner any idea of who would be interested in coming. It’d also be great to enlist any willing helpers! Mainly I will just need people to spread the word, but it’d also be nice to form a collective who could help with organising, and some brainstorming for the day. So, if anyone wants to join this collective, just drop me an email at fattyunbound@gmail.com and I’ll start an email list up for us to talk on.

I want this to be open to anyone who wants to come - you don’t have to be a blogger. It’ll be a positive and inclusive meet open to both fats (of any age, gender, sexuality, ability) and fat positive allies (so feel free to bring friends, partners, anyone who fancies spending the day with us!). The second hand trail I’ll create will include places to buy masculine and feminine clothing, and are mainly unisex shops. I’ll plan the map with details of the levels of access available.

Obviously I can’t guarantee there’ll be any awesome finds, but we can have fun trying and it’s a great excuse to all hang out together again.

Bloggers, tumblr-ers, social media enthusiasts - please repost these details! I only reach so far into the fat-o-sphere, and need all the help I can get to spread the message about x

Ahhh, this Monday does NOT agree with me. Exciting stuff to talk about soon. In the mean time, here's my latest etsy purchases, the 70s maxi shirt dress of dreams. Needless to say, I felt pretty fancy swanning around in this Saturday afternoon, though the skirt is more than slightly sheer so requires some shorts beneath!

Dress, $20 via this etsy shop
Brown belt, old vintage stock
Shoes, £15, Deichmann

My latest vintage score! Bought last weekend at a shop on Sydney Street in Brighton. I only realised when I put it on today just how well it fits - it's almost as if it was made for me (a feeling I only seem to get with vintage dresses). It's a lovely thick winter shirt dress, perfect for the last dregs of the cold weather (I hope!).

Dress, £8, vintage
Belt, old vintage stock
Tights, M&S
Brogues, £12, Primark

Slightly lazy outfit today. I dragged this jersey pencil skirt out of a "to sell" pile, and decided the colour is actually pretty versatile so it's staying with me for now! And the pile of sales stuff sat right next to me will just have to wait another night.

Jumper, £free, clothes swap
Blouse, ASOS curve via Fatshion Exchange, £8.50
Skirt, £1, chairty shop
Tights, M&S
Brogues, £13, Primark
Belt, old vintage stock

I wore this outfit Saturday evening, for a dinner + drinks session at a friend's house. Suffice to say, it ended er... well, let's just say I shouldn't mix drinks, and I'm still paying for it now, though a lot of sleep and some donuts definitely helped relieve the symptoms somewhat. Eep!

Lace shirt, £12, Primark
Cami, £4, Primark
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Belt, old vintage stock
Docs, gifted

Oh my, it was sunny today! Well, until about midday anyway, and now it's pouring with rain. Oh dear. In celebration of something resembling spring this morning, I broke out a new blouse and a *gosh* exposed midriff. Now that is something I thought I'd never do! However, these jeans give me the best shape and quite frankly, they don't deserve to be covered up. The blouse was a recent find on eBay, it's way too tight around the hips, but the collar is so beautiful (and I always wear shirts tucked in nowadays anyhow).

I spent today on a thrifting mission with one of my parents, scoring two large pieces of tartan (£3), one brown and grey paisley (enough for another dress! £3), some cropped pleated red wool trousers (£5 from a vintage shop, I never find vintage trousers my size!) and two dresses which set me back £8 each. Sometimes Brighton is a little too good to me, and a little bad on my bank balance! I also finished another skirt today - more to follow when I finish catching up on my sewing projects.

Blouse, vintage via eBay, £6
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Belt, old vintage stock
Shoes, £15, Deichmann
Headpiece, £2 Primark

Now please bring back spring?

Work work work. Today I remixed two of my most favourite items of the moment - my lace body and high waisted grey trousers. I'm sure everyone is more than slightly fed up of them, but I'm trying to keep this blog focused around what I wear every day, repeats and all, to give a sense of what is achieveable on my budget, and the ways in which I reinvigorate my favourites. My wardrobe is large and plentiful, and I'm not, er, known for my ability to purchase staple items (OH HELLO UNITARD), but there are a few items I will wear until destruction. This lace body is definitely one of them.

Just a note also, I'm starting to tag all of my posts with the items involved. Hopefully this means (when I actually finish doing it) that you should be able to click on an item and see all the ways I've worn it. I hope this will keep this blog running on a remixing ethos, as well as just being about the sheer amount of ridiculous nonsense I buy, ha!

Lace body, £12, Very.co.uk
Trousers, £14, very.co.uk
Feather brooch, £2 Primark
Loafer heels, £15, Clarks

Today was another day at work, spent transferring magnetic tapes and geeking over audio software. I broke out the smock that started my love for reclaiming the unfitted dress. Despite all the most horrific applications of muu muus and smocks as items of clothing to disguise and make invisible a fatter body, I have come to really love them as part of my more 60s/uniform moments. This beaut was found at a costume sale at Bradford Playhouse last summer, and is definitely a staple dress for daywear.

Dress, Bradford Playhouse costume sale, £5
Shirt, vintage via eBay, £6
Tights, M&S
Loafers, vintage, £17

Also worth mentioning is this awesome Groupon voucher to get £20 worth of ASOS credit for £9. I had a £8 credit code for not having bought anything, so managed to score it for £1! It's apparently not valid on sale stuff, but will inevitably bring full price stuff down to a reasonable price for me. Yay!

I'm back at work, pah. I'm still wayyyyy behind on posting, so here's two outfits worn last week, both utilising this leopard print body con number I found at Leeds Affordable Vintage Fair a few years back.

Top photo:
Dress, £14, vintage
Cardigan, $5 vintage (bought in New York in 2009)
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £5(?)
Docs, gifted

Bottom photo:
Dress, £14, vintage
Lace body, Very.co.uk, £12
Scarf, old vintage stock
Docs, gifted

Proper thoughts will return eventually. For now I'm feeling a little glum and choose True Blood and pajamas instead. x

Haircut time! This is the second year that, as Spring approaches, I've decided to go super short for the summer. I took in a photo of Mia Farrow and Carey Mulligan for this, and definitely happy with the results.

My inspiration for the summer doesn't really differ that much from last year. Short hair, 60s tomboy femme, scooter dresses, uniforms made out of button up blouses, suspenders and wide legged trousers, palazzos or high waisted jumper skirts. A mixture of 50s-70s. Ties, shorts and brogues. Ankle boots, ballet flats and lace ups. Boy-ish, but with classic feminine detailing. Uniforms. Button up everything.

Spring and Summer 2011 by prettymary_k on Polyvore.com

One thing I am excited about this year is my capability to maybe make some of these pieces! Normally I spend so much time hunting for items that the spontaneity just disappears, or the things I find are slightly lukewarm in comparison with my style aspirations.

And one outfit also:

Wednesday night:
Dress, River Island, £30
Scarf, old vintage stock
Belt, £5 Dorothy Perkins
Docs, gifted

I bought this body con dress from ASOS about a year and a half ago, and because I always saw it as a formal dress, never really wore it! It has a low back and front, and for some reason none of my bras would successfully go with it without pinning and general annoying-ness. The other week I thought I would try it with a plain white t-shirt beneath it to see if it suits a day look, and it's great! Suffice to say I'll not be letting it sit on a hanger for so long again.

Check out the lace heart:
!

Dress, £20, ASOS sale (straight size range, size 20)
T-shirt, £3, Dorothy Perkins
Belt, £free, old vintage stock
Docs, gifted.

I would have teamed it with some dressier shoes but as I'm away these are my only option. That and I never seem to take them off nowadays!

This was worn for a day of charity shop rummaging in Otley. Sadly not much in the way of actual scores, but a pleasant way to spend a sunny day nonetheless. This brown velvet skirt was another sale score from Primark. I swear I think I've bought everything on that velvet range since I discovered it's all generously fitted! This is super short, though thankfully I saved my dignity with some cut offs beneath it!

Brown jumper, £7, Dorothy Perkins
Blouse, ASOS, £8.50 via fatshionexchange
Skirt, £3, Primark
Socks, £1, Primark
Boots, gifted (d0cs)
Belt, old vintage stock, £free

Shirts and ties

Two weekends ago I picked up a beautiful silk paisley tie from a charity shop near me. The brown/grey tones of the pattern seemed so perfect for my colour palette of choice, and I've been meaning to adapt more towards a menswear-esque uniform for work that's a little easier to throw on in the morning than my more elaborate ensembles. I dressed it in a similar way the first two times I wore it, once with my wide legged grey pinstripe trousers and brogues for a more dapper formal look, and the second with my skinnies, because I enjoyed the way the androgynous-ness of the boots, shirt and tie mixed with my unruly hips and belly in those jeans.

Jumper, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Blouse, M+S via eBay, £15
Trousers, £14, Very
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Docs, gifted
Brown brogues, Primark, £12
Belt, old vintage stock, £free
Paisley tie, £1, charity shop

I definitely have so many more plans for the tie. I just won this beaaaautiful floral blouse on eBay, and I think pattern clashing and pencil skirts might be in order next, though I'd also love to pair it (and the blouse) with these serious floral palazzos from Very, which are calling so hard to me right now.

Ah, something almost resembling Spring is approaching on occasion at the minute. Certainly not today (though luckily I'm only going out to a local record fair in Leeds), but it was the day I took this. I can't wait to chuck my winter coat to the back of my wardrobe and bring a simple blazer or mac about with me once again.

Blazer, £10, Dorothy Perkins via Fatshion Exchange
Top, £3, Dorothy Perkins
Skirt, £10, Evans via an online sales post
Cameo necklace, £4, online sales post on Thrift Store UK
Tights, M&S
Shoes, £15, Evans

...and we're back

So I have internet contact again! Yay! I'm up in Leeds for the week now, staying at my boyfriend's house, and *hopefully* I might even have my laptop charger by Monday. In the mean time, I actually have photoshop also, so hurrah for non-shit image editing. Here's an outfit from a couple of weekends ago, worn to go shopping for Algerian sausages and various food delights.

Lace body, Very.co.uk, £12
Cami, £4, Primark
Waterfall waistcoat, £8 Primark
Shorts, £20, very.co.uk
Docs, gifted


And the epic banquet of the evening. Merguez sausages, potatoes roasted in chilli and chorizo, roasted red peppers, hummus, pittas, lentil dip, olives, followed by many a gin and juice. Yum!

Hey all

Just to say that my laptop charger has died on me, so I’m waiting until a replacement reaches me to be able to post again! It’s a shame because I’ve had an epic week of thrift scores (paisley tie, gingham blouse, FULL LENGTH (FAKE) FUR COAT FOR £8!!) and I want to show them off! Ho hum... watch this space, anyhow.

Kx

Dressing down the dress! Firstly, please excuse me er, pursing(?!) my lips in this picture, I appear to have been a very angry person that morning. Oh dear.

This is how I plan to wear the dress I made in a more casual style - paired with a button up blouse beneath, and my staple docs. I am in love with making my own more formal workwear at the minute (my list of sewing projects grows a bit too quickly perhaps!) - it's great to have items of tailoring that can work during the day that aren't just generic black trousers.

Dress, handmade (from a £4 piece of fabric and reusing an old pattern)
Belt, old vintage stock, £free
Badge, traded with the lovely Donna (who makes the most beautiful purses, photo frames and hair ties ever, seriously!) over on ThriftstoreUK. It has a lion on it!
Tights, M&S
Docs, gifted

Here's Monday morning for you! I scored this plaid shirt from a junk stall at the open market in Brighton two weekends ago. I seemed to have endless trouble finding button up blouses that actually button up to the collar last year, yet recently I've thrifted two for a pittance! This makes me happy. I get the feeling that button up shirts with this belt, loafers and the Beth Ditto jeans will become my work uniform for spring (I work as a technician in an archive, and my working day generally involves lots of dust and heavy lifting, something my wardrobe is not used to!)

Plaid shirt, found at Brighton Open Market, 50p
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Belt, old vintage stock, £free
Loafers, vintage, £5

Also:
This week has been awesome - after making the polka dot dress for Plus London after work for the best part of two weeks, I needed a good few nights sleep. So evenings have been mainly watching trashy TV, cooking and plotting new projects. I scored this vintage pattern (in a size 26!) on eBay for £5, and I still have the 60s polyester I bought at the marina car boot sale in January, so I'm hoping to tackle it over the next few weeks. Scary exciting! It's a bit harder than the last two dresses I've made, so fingers crossed it still works out. Eep!

I'm so behind on my outfits of late. Here's one from early last week, trying the ASOS camel pencil skirt I got in the sale in a new way. Not convinced about the pale shoes/dark tights combo, but this is what happens when you get dressed at 6am! Yuck!

Lace body, Very.co.uk £12

Cami, Primark, £4

Skirt, ASOS sale, £9

Tights, M&S

Shoes, £12, Primark

Scarf, vintage, £1

So onto the evening fun at Plus London! The evening do over at the Strand Gallery involved lots of champagne, cupcakes, and samples from Anna Scholz, Torrid, ASOS Curve and Yours Clothing amongst others (though I was useless and didn't really take many pictures of the clothes). There was also a pop up studio where my friend Caroline and I had some photographs taken (and I pulled my awkward camera horror face for a professional audience).






Annnnnnd, my sewing project in it's completed state! This was a close call, and only got finished on Thursday evening. It's a rehash of the same pattern I used in the summer to make this dress, by Very Easy Vogue (the number is V8615). With this dress I adapted this neckline to make it a round high neckline instead of a bateau as per the original pattern. My drafting didn't quite work, so I ended up pleated the (slightly baggy) neckline and crafting a bow to take onto it, which in hindsight worked pretty well!

I was terrified that a seam would break on the night or something, but it held up really well! Also, the fabric I used seems pretty crease-proof, so definitely suited for my wardrobe and er, lack of ironing skills. I'll definitely be dressing it down later this week. It was great to flounce about in my petticoat again though.



Dress, handmade using a £4 piece of material from the open market in Brighton (the pattern cost me £8 last summer).
Belt, former vintage stock, £free
Petticoat, Vivien of Holloway, £60
Cardigan, gifted by my lovely friend Caroline who found it at the Big Bum Jumble last August.
Tights, £3, Dorothy Perkins
Shoes, £8 Priceless

And also, Caroline's outfit, which I thought was super cute!

All in all, a lovely day, and it was great to get to meet so many amazing bloggers!

Plus London: daytime

So this weekend I attended the much anticipated Plus London meet. Here's a picture during the day section, after we'd all finished shopping and met up again.

Read all about it, and see much better photographs of the event and the outfits on the tumblr here. I only have a few pics as I'm more than slightly awkward about talking/asking people for pictures of their awesome outfits. But suffice to say, it was amazing to see so many different styles in one place, and despite having never met anyone before (and er, being more than slightly socially awkward), I felt comfortable chatting with you all...

Here's what I wore during the day:
I bought the Beth Ditto high waisted skinnies at the very end of the Evans sale (they had 20% off last week, so I scored them for £8!), and actually haven't really taken them off since! They fit perfectly, and haven't sagged at all over the time I've worn them. I've never found a pair of jeans that fit me well at all (the two pairs I own are jeggings, and aren't hugely comfortable), so now I have them, I'm regretting not buying two pairs!

Jacket, Sabrosa Vintage at etsy, £30
Necklace, £2, Primark
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Shoes, Priceless, £8
Sequinned belt, £3, Dorothy Perkins

Sewing on a Budget

Sorry for my lack of posting this week! I am super busy, making a dress for the Plus London meet. Also my house hunting has been going badly (we lost out on three houses in a row, and now we’re easing off a bit, to avoid further disappointments), so I’m a bit glum.

As most of you probably know, I am a burgeoning crafter. By that, I mean that for many years I have attempted crafts of sorts. I am a average knitter, a failed crocheter, and I’m interested in embroidery and quilting (though as they are both time consuming hobbies, I haven’t really attempted any yet). As far as crafting goes, I’m not amazing - I work a full time job that sees me out of the house for 11 hours a day, five days a week, and I’m also juggling a long distance relationship, a semi-”band” of sorts and - oh yeah - blogging! So most of the time, I’m lucky to have an hour or two to myself a day, and quite frankly, I don’t have the time to build up epic skills.

Sewing is my favourite hobby, and it’s also the most cost-effective. I’m a bargain hunter in all other aspects, so I don’t believe that crafting should cost you the earth, though it can very easily do so. I’ve yet to pay more than £3 per metre for a fabric, and I can generally craft something which, if I bought, I’d pay lots for (if I could!).

My favourite things to make clothes out of include:

• Second hand sheets, curtains, duvets. These are great sources of cheap heavy cottons in large quantities, and generally won’t set you back much more than £4 maximum.
• Vintage fabrics, where available and affordable. I buy these from car boot sales mainly, occasionally shops.
• Other items of clothing (I have made quite a few granny skirts into pleated skirts with fitted waists. These are cheap and easy to find in charity shops, and are often on the £1 rail!)

For modern fabrics, I also find eBay to be a great resource. Whilst not super cheap, I often pay less on eBay for fabric by the metre than I do in haberdashery shops. Etsy also has fabric options, though I don’t find them particularly cheap.

Patterns are pretty tricky to find in plus sizes, so in these cases, learning to enlarge patterns is your best bet. There are often boxes of patterns in car boot and antiques sales, these are also often to be found on etsy and eBay, so finding patterns for reasonable prices isn't too hard. My skills aren’t quite up to enlarging patterns yet, but I reckon this is the best route to go. Some swift googling just brought me to this, which looks like a reasonable and easy technique to size up vintage patterns, which I am definitely trying next. I’ve also been recommended this book as a resource, though I haven’t bought it yet so am curious to know if it’s as valuable a resource as I’ve been led to believe?

I also recommend searching for online tutorials, using the internet to self-tutor myself in the techniques of garment construction itself. Sometimes what you are looking for is easier to make than you imagine! Also, try inspecting items of clothing you already own, or in high street stores - I made my first skirt by sketching around the outline of a skirt I already owned, then stitching the sides and hems with a simple straight stitch. Start to think about how clothing is made, even if it’s beyond your immediate capabilities, it allows you to better understand what a project requires. I’ve made dresses out of stretchy fabrics with a similar approach (but sketching around a body con dress instead).

With my projects, I try not to expect perfection straight away. My projects started with fairly basic objects - cushion covers and a-line skirts without zips, now I’m competent sewing from patterns and making a relatively tailored dress. With each project I try to advance my skills slightly - in my latest project, I fitted a concealed zip for the first time, and adapted a neckline. It went as well as could be expected (though certainly not professional quality) apart from the neckline, which I ended up having to pleat slightly. Because I spend little on fabrics, I can also afford to make mistakes (though it is always a disappointment!).

As a last note, if you’re just starting out, don’t buy a new sewing machine!Depending on where you live, it’s worth checking whether there are any local resources that allow free use of sewing machines, or allow you to rent one by the hour. I remember Remade in Leeds used to do this, and it was a great way to get a sense of whether sewing was “for you” or not. Personally, I would recommend starting with an older model with a hand crank mechanism. These are everywhere in second hand shops, car boot sales, and on eBay (I got mine for £15 from a car boot), and range between £10 and £50 generally, though £20-30 is the average. These are less daunting to control as a beginner, as you are in full control of the mechanism. They only offer straight stitch, but this is generally all I use currently anyway, and they’re also incredibly durable in the long term.

Otherwise, try buying a refurbished vintage electric sewing machine. I bought mine from eBay for about £50 including postage, though if you look for electric models that haven’t been refurbished further bargains can be had.

Online resources:

DIY Couture

Burda style

Craftster.org (check out the “curvaceous” section on the community!)

Gerty’s New Blog For Better Sewing

If anyone has more, please post them in the comments!