I know what you're thinking; that can't possibly be a bed sheet someone got rid of! Well it is actually offcuts of fabric that a friend gave to me. I have had it for a while, but the two pieces I got were one narrow piece that measured 30cm x 2m and the other was a 1m x 2m piece. A little tricky to fit a pattern on if it had a long or flared skirt! Especially as the zebras only go one way. But I just this month found this Vogue mod dress pattern that had a straight cut and short length and thought it would be perfect! 

At first I was going to make the yoke or collar a different colour, like a bright red or orange, but then thought it might be a bit tricky or limiting for the wearer to coordinate accessories. I personally would pair it with a large bright orange necklace. Plus then I use more of this fabulous zebra material! 

It may look quite basic, but there is also a lining underneath and there was a lot of hand sewing that needed to be done; especially slip stitching. Slip stitching is when you have to sew but not show any thread. All in all it took about 8 hours so not altogether too stressful; a very pleasant project. 

Plus there are pockets and zebras! No one can be unhappy in a zebra dress with pockets! 

Materials: zebra offcuts fabric donated by Miranda (free), sewing pattern from Grovely St Vinnies (50c), large zip from Reverse Garbage ($1.50), 1/4 of lining fabric from Grovely St Vinnies ($1.00)
Cost to Make: $3.00

I had only just enough material for this dress! Had to do the lining of the bodice in a different sheet though as I ran out for that but I thought I would go for the super long dress instead of the medium dress (see pattern picture) for this time. 

Super in love with the back; it was literally the whole reason I made the dress in the first place! It would be great with a neat hair up-do but it was a bit too cold to get too creative with my photo shoot! 
Love the back more than the front, as it could be more flattering for my chest; it really could sinch in a bit more underneath my bust. That is quite easy to alter later though if I choose. 

It took approximately 18 and a half hours to make. Very stoked with the end result; even if it is a little pale: the picture doesn't show the colour of the floral very well. 

I will have to make more bows like this one. The pattern told me to put netting on the inside of the bow which is what has made it stiff and sculpted. Unfortunately I only had fluoro yellow netting and I was worried that the bow would be tinged yellow but it turned out ok. If I was making them in less of an experimental way I would get the right colour. 

Materials: flowery single flat sheet and mattress cover from Ipswich St Vinnies (approx $5), pink bodice lining from Nov 2013 dress scraps, zip from Reverse Garbage ($1), yellow netting in bow and sleeves from Reverse Garbage (used 25c from $6 roll), interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from Bridgeman Downs Uniting Church Garage Sale (25c)
Cost to Make: approx. $7.00

Such whimsy! This is some old (probably childrens) bed linen that I managed to find and isn't it fun?!

I'm sure I wasn't meant to use a one-way design material with this dress pattern, but I had to use the material and couldn't resist this design as it is so simple but lovely. I didn't want the dress pattern too complicated as there is a bit much going on with the print. There are elephants and tigers and all sorts here. I would prefer bed linen that is not so much white but this pattern was just too cute!

It actually turned out way better than I thought it would! I wasn't expecting too much as it is always a hit and miss with patterns that only have a drawing of the dress on the front cover; and no photo. Very impressed with the fit and style and it is super comfortable! I would definitely pay too much for this if I saw it in an OP shop :) 
 
Materials: Single blanket cover from Marsden St Vinnies ($3.50), interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from Sumner Park St Vinnies (20c), zip from Reverse Garbage ($1).  
Total cost to make: $4.70

Happy 2 year anniversary little blog! 
It's been a lot of dresses and creations along the way but I have been at this since April 2012! 
Let the creating continue!

For this month I made a simple classy design dress but used some second hand velvet I got from my days at Reverse Garbage. For my first time working with velvet it worked very well because it was stretchy so instead of putting in a zip I just left the seam as is and it just slips on over your head! Yay stretchy fabric! 

The velvet is very unforgiving material to work with though; any mistake I made was agony to unpick as it would ruin the material so there was no room for mistakes. Luckily the design only called for a couple of pieces so it was relatively simple but I don't know if I could do anything trickier! 

Materials: Black velvet from Reverse Garbage ($6), interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from Sumner Park St Vinnies (50c) 
Cost to make: $6.50

Then I also made something which is technically called a 'Culotte Dress'. I think it's a jumpsuit really though. 
Culottte dresses are usually "women's trousers, usually knee-length or calf-length, cut full to resemble a skirt". The term originally comes from the french term which literally meant breeches. 

I really liked the design because it's a flared pant which suits me better for jumpsuits. It is always hard to find a good one! The top part is pretty old school but it is comfortable and light and also fun and casual! 

Materials: Red flat sheet from Ipswich St Vinnies ($3.50), sewing pattern from Bridgeman Downs Church Garage Sale (25c), interfacing donated by Pat, zip from an old outifit (free), 
Cost to make: $3.75

How delightful!

This one only took me about 3 days (slowly) and it is a lovely little number. Perfect for picnics or daytime dates :) I had a fair amount of material left over to make accessories with as well. I might redo the collar though; I wish the frill on the collar was a bit more frilly. If it was longer it would be a much better ruffle. 

I have been asked to make some dresses for a feature film produced by some very talented people, and I will show you more about that later when the time gets closer, but the film is set in the 1930's and the 1940's so the dresses I make have to fit in that era. How exciting! I love doing retro looks even if the war time fashion is not as ambitious as some of my previous designs. A lot of clothes from that time were more understated and conservative so I am having a go at trying to replicate this, but with my own little bedsheet twist of course :D This dress is the first one I've made for it. 

Materials: Bed sheet from Cannon Hill St Vinnies, zip from Reverse Garbage, interfacing donated by Pat, sewing pattern from op shop ages ago :P
Total cost to make: $8.50

I also had enough time to make a jumpsuit! Yay! 

Materials: Bedsheet from Arana Hills St Vinnies, Zip from reverse Garbage, sewing pattern from 
Cost to make: $6.50

What a stunner! Lots of extras on this one though! The sewing pattern didn't seem to factor in a couple of things and I had a few extra jobs to take care of before this beauty was finished. 
I had to put extra arm hole lining in as the netting on the inside of the sleeve is super scratchy on your armpit and shoulder! Not fun. 
Then because I was using polyester it kept fraying and fraying and fraying! Had to put some material around the edge of the gathered skirt that connects to the top because otherwise it would fluff everywhere! 
Even though I pressed down with an iron on the hip sash the pattern seemed to think that would suffice! Not so! Had to sew that little one down otherwise the lines would come undone. 

I know the zip is not the most ideal but I had to work with what I had. Hopefully an OP shop will deliver a lovely array of different coloured zips soon. And it does up very nicely at the back as there is a hook and eye; I just felt too uncoordinated at the time to clip it in as I had an owchie on my hand. 

In the end though; super lovely result. Really happy with the fit and I am a sucker for puffy sleeves. Plus I feel like I've done the world a favour as there is one less set of polyester bed sheets. I'm not sure why someone would want to sleep on them; they are not ideal!

Materials: Green polyester bed sheets from Salvos in Sherwood, Sewing pattern from Mackay Vinnies, Yellow netting inside sleeve from Reverse Garbage, Zip from Reverse Garbage, Interfacing donated by Pat, Buttons made by myself, extra armhole material donated by Pat.
Total Cost to make: $9.70

Well I had other plans for this month but time did not permit! So many other things happened to me this month so I did a simpler design and chose a bed sheet with a little flair. It also only took me ONE DAY TO MAKE! How crazy! 

I love this dress though; it is a very flattering design and sits out at just the right angle. 

Super ready for a psychedelic party!

Materials: Doona cover from Sumner Park St Vinnies, Zip from Reverse Garbage, Interfacing donated by Pat, Sewing pattern found at Reverse Garbage
Total cost to make: $4.50

Well it was a bit of a close one this time. Had so much work and so many other things going on that I only started this dress on the 23rd day of the month! Cutting it very fine....

In the end though, it was a simple design with lots of fiddly bits. Not the most slimming for my waistline; it doesn't quite accentuate it how I like but I am so in love with the back that I don't mind. 

And the COMFORT! It's like a fancy casual dress but I'm not restricted in movement at all! Luuurve :)

Materials: Flat sheet and mattress cover from Graceville McIntyre Centre OP shop, zip from Reverse Garbage Woolloongabba, Interfacing donated by Pat.
Total cost to make: $7.00

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.