Tag: beads

Spotty bolero and apron…

Spotty bolero

Here’s what I’ve been up to this week – making a spotty bolero from Simplicity 1819. I was intending to make a stripy one, to match the red and black outfit I wore to the Wild Boy’s Ball at Kensington Palace a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the fabric shop was out of stripes and, being too impatient to wait for an order to arrive, I decided to go with spots instead. As you do. This had a knock-on effect as the matching black trim (also unavailable) would have been invisible on the spotty fabric, so I had to go with red. I think it stands out rather nicely! It’s the first time I’ve done this sort of decoration, and although it was a bit fiddly in places, I’m pleased with the way it looks.

(I have to confess that I also love the way it looks with this yellow skirt. The temptation to wear these together is now almost irresistible.)

Spotty bolero and apron

And here’s what it’s supposed to look like, complete with matching spotty apron. That’s only pinned into place because I still haven’t decided whether it’s actually going to be an apron or a bustle. I think an apron though, as I rather fancy tying it with a ridiculously oversized bow at the back. As you do. The apron is also made from Simplicity 1819, a rather loose interpretation of the overskirt.

I think during the day I’ll probably wear this with a plain black shirt, and I have just enough spotty fabric left over to make a matching tie or bow tie. Then for the evening I’ll switch to the dress shown above, and swap the bolero for the black taffeta coat. If I’m feeling fancy, I might put the feather collar back on.

Then, of course, all I’ll need to make is a MASSIVE HAT. I have Lynn McMasters‘ top hat/riding hat pattern, some spare black taffeta, and a magpie skull on order. Watch this space…

Beaded scarf – sneak preview

gemstone beads

Remember the Blackcurrant Surprise fabric I dyed back in August? The one that came out a lovely shade of grey? Well, it turned out to have another surprise in store for me. I’d folded it up and put it away while I decided what I wanted to do with it… and when I got it out, it had changed colour again! It’s now a pretty neutral beigey shade, and it still smells very faintly of blackcurrants.

It’s destined to be divided into three little scarves, each measuring about 50 x 150cm, with beading on the ends. The beads in the photo are all semi-precious stones. Smoky quartz on the left, moonstone in the middle and labradorite on the right. The sterling silver ring in the middle is set with a 12mm labradorite cabochon, and it’s adjustable so the scarf can be styled in different ways.

I chose the smoky quartz because its brown tones blend nicely with the fabric, but now I’m not sure whether or not it’s too dark. Perhaps once the beads are more spread out, with all three colours sprinkled in together, it won’t look quite so dramatic.

These are going to be Christmas presents, so  won’t be able to show you the finished scarves for a little while. In the meantime though, I do have some plans for these pretty little adjustable rings, so watch this space!

Swarovski & Silk

Beaded Collar

This is what reminded me that I hadn’t shown you the silk steampunk outfit – I finally found the time to make one of the accessories to go with it!

In our original sketches, we’d talked about a beaded silk collar and matching wrist cuffs. I haven’t made those yet (I’ve run out of gold eyelets!), but I did manage to make the collar.

The silk is an offcut from the original dress, lined with an offcut of the bodice lining which was heavily interfaced. The Swarovski crystal beads were all unpicked from the original dress, and then sewn onto the collar in two sessions in front of the telly – taking a total of seven and a half hours. That’s just the beading, not the original unpicking, or the sewing of the collar itself. I knew all that time I spent sewing on beads in the bridal shop would come in useful eventually!

I deliberately didn’t take the beads all the way up to the edge, partly to allow a little bit of the lovely fabric to show through, and partly so that there was nice soft silk against the skin.

Beaded Collar

When the collar catches the light, it really sparkles. These photos really don’t do it any kind of justice at all – you really need to see it move. The silk has a beautiful lustre of its own, and with the beads on top… wow. I know that sounds as though I’m blowing my own trumpet, but really, it’s the materials doing all the hard work!

Beaded Collar

And this is how it fastens – three eyelets on each side at the back, and a simple ribbon. Nice and long, so you can just skip it off over your head rather than having to re-lace it every time.

I’ve still got loads of beads left over, more than enough for the matching cuffs. I might ask to borrow the jacket, so I can use up the remaining beads on the sleeves.

I’m really tempted to make one of these for myself… although where I’d go wearing a sparkly crystal collar I’m not too sure! Maybe I’ll just wear it to work.

Laura’s beaded wedding bag

Laura's beaded wedding bag

I don’t like showing other people’s wedding things in their entirety before the wedding, so this is just a little snapshot of Laura’s beaded wedding bag.

The ivory silk dupion was already beaded and embroidered. I removed some of the clear beads, and replaced them with red ones. You can also see the pretty flower shaped iridescent button, there in the bottom right hand corner.

Laura and Rob are getting married in September.

Congratulations!