OMG - My First Ever Refashion Post!

So you remember so I mentioned in my last post that I'd had a super sewing fail and in was hoping to be able to take that disaster and turn it into something else? Well - I totally did! And just because I love you guys and I actually remembered to take photos as I went along, I'm going to show you what I did! ( And please excuse the atrocious selfies! )

My original attempt was supposed to be an elastic waisted shirt dress. Pretty simple if you can shirr ( which I am yet to attempt ) or if you sew one line of thin elastic through the middle of the dress. The problem was, though, that I mis-measured the width of the dress and I couldn't stretch my elastic enough to make the dress fabric gather enough to fit me. So, after unpicking the elastic three.bloody. times. This is what I ended up with:

Yes, that is me in a giant freaking mu-mu. That's what I had made myself .... A mu-mu. But because I'm a cheapskate and I didn't want to just waste the money I had spent on the fabric ( a whopping $6 ) I decided to have a do-over. I started by chopping the mu-mu through the middle so that it was a knee length. I then took that bad boy in a good 6cms on each side because, let's face it, it was ginormous!

I then took a plain $4 tank top from Big W ....

... And cut it through just below my natural waist. I now had two halves for one new dress! Next step was to set my sewing machine to the longest stitch length and run a basting stitch the entire way around the top of my skirt. By leaving the tails of my thread long after sewing, I then pulled the top thread which gathered the fabric. The trick is to go slowly and gently until the waist of the skirt is the same width as the singlet. Then you slip the singlet inside the skirt, right sides together , waist to waist:

Then you sew together! I set my machine back to a regular sized stitch and straight stitched around the entire waist, making sure to stitch outside the line of the basting stitch, so it wouldn't show through on the front of the dress. When you've finished sewing, and you flip the skirt back down and right side out, this is what you get:

Kind of cute huh? And way better than the giant shapeless sack I'd started out with. Hell, it even looks cute with a wide belt:

And there you be, my first official refashion of a garment. Its not entirely perfect, and its not exactly what I was aiming for in the beginning, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out in the end!

Polly Dolly - In (The) Navy

Thirsday has rolled around again, which means its Polly Dolly time! ( As brough to you by the ever gorgeous Dani over at Danimezza ). This week, Dani must be feeling a little "blue " because she wants to see how Polly wears....

Polly has gone a little retro and matched this cute, striped, 50's style dress with red polka dot wedges. Cats eye sunglasses keep with the retro styling and the gold locket keeps the stripes/dots combo the focus. A bit of red lipgloss, neautral eyes behind the sunnies and layers of her favourite "day" fragrance and Polly is ready for her day!
How would you do navy stripes?

Polly Dolly - Beautiful Bridesmaid

So after all the intimate mental health talk around here this week, its time for another Polly Dolly! ( Thanks to the very talented Dani over at Danimezza ). This weeks challenge is pretty fun for me especially - Dani would like to see how we would dress our...

And as regular readers of this blog would know i'm getting married soon - in 16 days as a matter of fact! My younger sister will be my bridesmaid ( i'm only having one, and Mick is having just a best man ). I love my younger sister but she isnt much into fashion, so IRL her dress is a very simple, timeless style that she is comfortable wearing.

However, if i could dress her in something different - and without a budget! - i'd go with this gorgeous blue dress ( its the same colour as what she is wearing IRL ) and some sparkly sky high heels. Some simple jewellery so she doesnt outshine the bride, and a clutch that matches the shoes. Emergency tissues, bobby pins and safety ins are a must. A yellow bouquet in keeping with my colour theme ( and our bouquets IRL will have yellow calla lillies... ) and some bubbles for after the ceremony and we're all set!

Who Loves? I Loves.... MaxabellaLoves!

And its not just me who loves the wonderful Bron from over at MaxabellaLoves... no, apparently at least 1000 other people do too. And to celebrate the fact that she now has 1000 people following and loving her, Bron is having a fabulous giveaway on her blog. And when i say " fabulous " i mean fab-u -lous! Imagine this : because she cant exactly throw a party on her blog, Bron wants to at least let us dress for a party...so she's giving one lucky reader the chance to win a gorgeous party outfit!

And not just any old party outfit either - we're talking a dress from the exquisite Leona Edmiston label, customised shoe hotness from Shoes of Prey and cute earrings from Elk Accessories. Did i not say it was a fabulous prize? So i could be winning, and wearing...

This:

Or this:

Or even a hot pair of these:

You know, i do have a school reunion to attend in October - i'm gonna cross my fingers that i win this awesome prize from MaxabellaLoves so i can knock everyone's socks off with my awesome party outfit!

Polly Dolly - Baby Love

So - its time again for another Polly Dolly challenge, brought to you by the lovely Dani over at Danimezza. This week Dani is getting a bit clucky, because she'd like to know what we would wear to a ....

I had my baby shower in November, which meant that i was hot, sticky and had some major swelling going on. We had a lovely afternoon tea at my mum and dads, and i wore denim maternity shorts and a sweet, floral print, maternity cami. However.... i would love to have worn this maxi dress. It has plenty of room for a bump and would keep me nice and breezy. Sensible flats that also allow room for my swollen elephant feet, a funky wooden bangle and some aviators to keep away the sun. We'd have cute cupcakes and other delicious pastries, and a ( non-alcoholic ) pink lemonade. Someone would have bought me the Pandora pram charm, and no doubt i would have received some cute baby clothes and lovely baby bath products ( including multi coloured rubber duckies! )
What would you wear to your baby shower?

Polly Dolly - She Lives Out In The Country

Yay - its time for Polly Dolly again! Polly Dolly is brough to you by the lovely Dani at Danimezza ( usually on a Thursday, which explains my withdrawals... ) and this week Dani wants to know how Polly dresses when she's in the....

 

Polly Dolly - She Lives Out In The Country by Amy1984 featuring satchel handbags

Now, a small disclaimer - i actually DO live out in the country ( Dubbo, a town in country NSW ) and though i live in town and not out on a property, i know what " real " country people wear. However, seeing as Polly is a fantasy game, i've decided to create a set that is still the "cliche " country that some of you city folk ( haha! ) picture country lasses wearing, but still close to what i might actually wear ( if i could afford it all ). So.... i've found a sweet, floral shirt dress and paired it with soft grey, ribbed tights and some Ariat riding boots ( Ariats are " real " country..... my fiance owns a very expensive pair that he prides himself on ). Ad a warm, comfy knit, a soft beanie and a sweet owl pendant and Polly is ready to go on a picnic with her very cute farmer boyfriend. They'll need their picnic basket and blanket, some country tunes for the ride out to the beautiful river location and some sunscreen to protect against the hot, inland sun. Perfect!
*Note* - more than a few parts of this Polly Dolly may be inspired by dates i went on with Mick and things we did ( or didnt! ) do....

And they're racing!

Ah, Derby Day. Horses, hats and, eventually, hangovers. Or, in my case, no hangover but some mad, bad, lobster red sunburn.

Let me elaborate - for those of you not in the know ( so, anyone who isnt Aussie ), today is Derby Day. Yes, its a horse race, just like the Kentucky Derby , only the race isnt in Kentucky, its in Melbourne. Its also the day where smaller race courses around the country hold reciprocal eventas, and its one of these race meets that i've been at today. Now I'm not sure how much you guys know about race ettiquette ( and truth be told i'm no expert myself ), but traidtion decrees thatw omen pretty themselves up , men wear suits, and hats or fascinators are the order of the day. So i picked myself a dress from the 30 or so in my wardrobe, found a semi comfortable but very cute pair of open toe heels and bought a relatively simple fascinator and headed to the track. The key ingredient that i missed ? Bloody sunscreen! You would think living in the country with the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world that i would be well versed in the ways of sun protection, but the one day that i choose to go hanging about outside, swanning around and sipping on wine, i forget to coat myself in sunscreen first. Consequently i am now a nice shade of lobster red and am very much NOT looking forward to taking a shower in the morning ( sunburn +hot water = ouch! )

I am pleased to say, however, that i did not lose a packet of money at the track. I only put a bet on two races, and a very modest bet at that. I didnt think putting $5 for a win on a horse would break the bank, and who could resist putting money on a horse with a name like " Gangster in a Suit " ? Seriously? Incidentally, i've had many a conversation with my father about what we would name a race horse if we owned one - I'd go for " Ultimatum " ( classy, yes ? ) and he likes " BustaGut ".

And so, on to Tuesday, and the Melbourne Cup. Or, as we Australians like to refer to it - " The Race That Stops A Nation ". And it does - i remember being a senior in high school and having our teachers bring a tv into the classroom and halting the lesson for the three or so minutes the race was run. We did the same thing in my office last year - set up a tv where everybody could see it, watched the race coverage starting from 12 noon ( the actual Melbourne Cup isnt run until just after 3pm ) and offering the few lucky customers who entered the shop just as the race was starting a piece of celebratory cake. I usually place a modest bet on the Cup every year but i've only ever won any money once. I think i was in the 9th or 10th grade and won about $50 on a horse called " Rogan Josh ". Not a bad windfall when your 14 years old. I'm thinking of putting a bet on this year but dont go asking me for any tips - i'll scour the race guide on the morning of the race and base my decision on one of three things - the horses number, the horses name or the jockeys colours.

No need to pay attention to age, weight or race stats - just go with a good colour combination and your lucky number.....