Merry Christmas! As you can see I’ve opted for a slightly less obvious Christmas theme: the understated present. Ok, you caught me; I just really wanted to use my only polka dot material! It is oddly hard to find that kind of material, probably because everyone loves their polka dot bed sheets to death. Anyway, I had high expectations for my December dress and was going to go all out, but time did not permit so I made this simple A-line or princess cut dress. The pattern is actually meant to be ankle length, my mother was going use it but then just gave it to me, and I wanted something a little more summery for our Christmas weather.

I can alter it later but at the moment the dress is a bit too big so I made a bow and belt out of the pillowcase that came with this sheet, to hold it in nicely. You can’t really notice but there are yellow dots too. It feels lovely and light and was very simple so I’ll definitely have another go, maybe with a more standout colour though.

Material: Bed sheet from Indooroopilly Macintyre Centre

I finished this one quite quickly, I was so excited about the Junkie Couture II show that I got it done sooner so I could put it in the show too. Unfortunately in lieu of the public holiday on Monday I couldn't get a photo until now as it was sitting in the shop at Reverse Garbage. Sorry friends! 

This was my first time doing stripes and I was quite nervous about making all the stripes face the same way but I double-checked myself before I cut everything and I'm really happy with the result. 

Apparently the waistline is called a V-Shaped, Basque, or an Antebellum waistline, very fun, will be doing that again very soon. 

I got a little over excited and researched about different waistlines on Wiki:

Types of waistlines Similar to necklines, waistlines may be grouped by their shape, depth, and location of the body.

• None: The princess seams style of dress needs no waistline at all, since it does its shaping without darts, by joining edges of different curvature. The resulting "princess seams" typically run vertically from the shoulder (or under the arm) over the bust point and down to the lower hem. This creates a long, slimming look, often seen in dresses with an "A-line" silhouette.
• Diagonal: An asymmetrical waistline that runs across the body diagonally. Usually the highest point is below the natural waistline.
• Drop waist: A low, horizontal waistline that usually falls near the level of the upper hips. Balances the upper and lower bodies, and adds to the visual impression of height by lengthening the torso. Common in 1920s silhouettes.
• Empire: A high waistline that cuts horizontally across the body, just below the bust. This waistline gives a long, slender look and excellent fabric drape in the skirt and allows for short, inconspicuous shaping darts. This waistline was popular in Jane Austen's time; see Empire silhouette.
• Raised: A horizontal waistline that falls significantly above (>1 in.) the natural waist.
• Natural: A horizontal waistline that falls at the natural waist and tends to make the wearer seem shorter by visually dividing the figure in half.
• V-shaped: A generally flattering waistline, especially for figures with notable curvature. Also known as the Basque waistline or the Antebellum waistline.
• U-shaped: A softer, less pronounced version of the Basque waistline.
• Inverted V-shaped: Starts high in the center and drops at the sides and can fall as high as the bustline (e.g., paired with a low V neckline to give a "bowtie" look), but usually found near the hips (e.g., extending Bolero curves in the bodice).
• Inverted U-shaped: A softer, less pronounced version of the inverted-V waistline, usually a gentle downwards curve.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waistline_%28clothing%29

Isn't that interesting? Well I thought so... Maybe I could try and do every single one. Well, the ones that suit me.

What exciting times. An explosion of events happened to me. 

First Brooke from Reverse Garbage asked me if I wanted to put my dresses in the Junkie Couture Show, and if I wanted to sell them. Jeepers. People buying my dresses. That thought was a bit odd to me but I realised I should be sensible and part with at least one of them. Oh alright, a couple. Had to come up with brand name in seconds. Ended up with 'Caterpillar'. 
Then Reverse Garbage asked me to have my photo taken for a promo for the Junkie Couture show. Sure. Then that photo ended up on the front cover of City News. Ok. 
Then on the night I modeled my May Picnic Meadow Dress down the catwalk, with a Reverse Garbage bird feeder in hand. Yes. That happened. The models were getting a little bored in the back room so we decided to find things around the Reverse Garbage workshop room that would go with our outfits. Mai had a whip. Shakira had a pirates hat. Jade had a fairy wand. Cindy had a funny fascinator. There was talk of someone taking a large amount of wadding and wearing it like a faux fur coat. Someone might have worn it around the room talking in a Russian accent. Only a couple of us actually went out with our recycled props. 

I had multiple lovely people tell me they read my blog, which felt slightly absurd because in my head I thought I was my only fan. I got a chance to meet some lovely models and enjoy some amazing handcrafted wares created by Spiritfire Designs  (http://spiritfiredesigns.com/), Red Zebra Designs (http://www.redzebradesigns.com.au/ ), and Bog Standard Designs (https://www.facebook.com/bogstandarddesign ). 

Oh, and then yesterday QUT News interviewed me and I'm quite certain I was on Briz 31 last night at some point, talking about the show. 

Phew, amazing what can happen in such a short amount of time. 

Photo from Quest News website, taken by Ric Frearson. To read the article, click the link: http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/west/about-30-funky-brisbane-artists-will-exhibit-works-created-from-recycled-material/story-fn8m0u4y-1226472806424 .

All Junkie Couture II photos by Nicole Erin Photography. Take a closer look at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.415099441882797.95177.119176171475127& or check out Nicole Erin Photography on Facebook. The second photo is my June Rosy Cheeks dress with the City News paper pinned to it. It was on display in the shop area.