Actions and Re-Actions

My 1st customer, Katie from Seattle, has given feedback for her dress, she says: “EverythingForEver made this dress for me in exactly my size. Candy is amazing! I want to wear it everywhere. Thank You!”

Anna took all the measurements for me for my 2nd customer, Christine. I posted a rough toile to her which Anna then fitted for adjustments. I went up to London on Saturday and fitted Christine's 2^nd toile. It went well and only a few tweaks were needed to perfect the pattern. I got the dress finished over the weekend (with moral support from AJ) for Christine to wear to the May Ball on Thursday and her response was also very positive “Thanks so much for the dress, I truly love it.” It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

From then on it was all about making stuff for me……

I first made this jacket a few years ago in black wool and wore it everywhere. It is a Yohji Yamamoto pattern and is available to download for FREE from Show Studio. (http://www.showstudio.com/projects/ddl_yamamoto/gallery.html)

It’s a bit of a challenge to construct as it’s made of 2 large unusual pattern pieces with very minimal instructions. (The first time I made it I made a mini maquette first and took a long time looking at the photos to figure out the construction). I made it again recently in a grey linen (bought from London at the weekend).

The difference with this one is that I wanted to line it, I found this beauty at Fabricland

and decided to use it for the lining. It is more floral and girly than I would usually go for but I love the edgy subtle addition of the skulls in the print. I have lined the jacket in such a way as to make it reversible.

I have enough flowers and skulls fabric leftover to make a shirt. I’m going to use the Liz pattern from Burdastyle as the starting point cos I like the style of the armholes (http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/1137). I like working with drapes and layers so I’m going to incorporate this into the re-design of the collar. I also have enough of the grey linen left to make some trousers to go with it.

I got my leather hides, leather needles, magnetic snaps and brass feet through last week (all from Ebay) and found a cool Amy Butler Print cotton to line it with, the leather in particular is spectacular.

It’s everything I need to knock together this clever little bag (http://needled.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/tk.pdf) with a little pattern alteration to accommodate the little brass feet. I haven’t worked with leather for a while so I’m expecting to have to be slooooooow and patient.

Photoshoot is on the cards…..

Xx

Candy

The Bank Holiday weekend was awesome, 4 days of sewing and watching Project Catwalk ( the UK version is even better than the US version but alas, there is no Heidi Klum.) When I finished watching series 3 I was left wanting more so I backtracked to series 2 and was pleasantly surprised to discover that a guy that I used to go to Uni with was one of the contestants! Brave Boy....It's not a show I'd want to go on, each episode is like "OK we want you to make an amazing outfit in 10 hours with nothing but this sack and you will be filmed throughout the whole ordeal and then slagged off mercilessly by Julien McDonald" No Ta!

The African fabric projects all turned out pretty well and I also made the high waisted black skirt to go with the green shirt(as pictured). I'm pretty happy with the necklace too although I've got alterations I am going to implement for the next one. I'm currently working on an African fabric dress that has the dimensions and allure of a bed sheet at the moment but will look great when I've finished.


















I've received my 2nd order, it's for another draped back dress but this one is with a fitted pencil skirt and a rounded neckline. My customer is in London so I've made up the pattern and put together a quick toile and have sent it to AJ to fit to the customer before I make the real thing, she wants it for a ball on the 7th May. It's going to be in Black Silk Dupion with a Parasol print cotton in the drape.

xxCandy

Its penut butter and jelly time!

I love days off, long breakfasts, filling myself up on strong coffee and making my merry way to the studio.

Right now i also love streatham(trust me its taken a bit of time) 

      and so does she!

I have just been given a HUGE bag of leather its full of lovely goodies looks like its handbag time! I bought some lovely handles from a weird little shop near london fields ages ago. Full of good intentions they have sat in my studio unloved so with my new gift its time to set this show on the road! cant wait to show you the results hoping they look SICK! 

Candy showed you hers so i thought i would show you mine......well now i have sorted it out a bit. Showing your studio to anyone is like showing them your

 room, you only want to do it when its good and ready! well i am halfway there bought some more bits over the weekend i will show when its all done!

 

And last but not least, introducing, the peanut butter jelly dress 

hope you like it!

Have a sweet easter

love ya 

Anna x

Hopes and Plans

Woop Woop, My first Etsy order for the dress is finished and looks good. I mailed it last Saturday in time for my customer to wear for her wedding dinner rehearsal at the end of April. I’m more nervous now than when I was actually making it, she should receive it tomorrow or early next week and I really hope it fits her well and that she loves it. If she sends any pictures of her wearing it I will be sure to post them here.


I made a mustard yellow corduroy bean bag cover last weekend (mmmmm!) I'm planning a Bank Holiday weekend of working with my African print fabrics that I bought last summer (and shockingly have done nothing with yet). Shirts, Skirts, Dresses and Necklaces are all gonna get the funky African print treatment...

I was given a DVD with a few episodes of Project Runway on last week and I immediatley became hooked. I thought I’d just watch one episode at a time but ended up watching all 4 that were on the disc and immediatley made B dowload the last two episodes so that I could watch them too. Heidi Klum cracks me up…

XxCandy

Burda Feat.Candy

I have been selected as a featured member on my favourite open source sewing forum Burdastyle.com... ch-ch-ch-check me out at: http://www.burdastyle.com/blog?filter=85

We now seem to be spinning a tangled web on the internet with our Blog linking to our Facebook group which links to our Etsy shop which links to our Blog which links to Burdastyle which links to Etsy etc etc...
Watch this space (and all the others) for more exciting updates coming soon....

Candy

Just Say the Word, Stu-stu-studio

My spare room has transformed from just “a room with a sewing machine in it” to my Studio. I got the B-boy to put up a notice board and a shelf for me (the sturdiest straightest shelf I have ever witnessed!) and I have cleared out and organised my fabric stash. I also did my good deed for the week by freecycling a whole bunch of fabric scraps (check out www.freecycle.org it’s a brilliant web group for passing on and getting unwanted goods in your local area and preventing large amounts of usable items ending up as landfill, check it out, other people get rid of all sorts of cool stuff).
I got my dress form through from ebay (recommended seller: donangelicom) and also my 275m roll of pattern cutting paper (from www.morplan.co.uk).
There’s still room for improvement in the studio as I am currently doing all my pattern drafting on a big bit of wood on the floor (which makes for pretty creaky knees) so I would still like to set up a proper work surface and there are still some other things on my wish list (especially a full length mirror and some non-flowery curtains). Last month a humungous IKEA opened here in Southampton so I guess this would be a good excuse to go and have a look and check out their fabrics and eat some meatballs.
Xx
Candy

sewing, Q-TIP and long long days

well i have been working my socks off, and not in my studio, in fact i haven't been there all week!!!! 12 hour shifts have sucked up all my energy.

Finally got to pop my head in on Saturday and after searching brixton high and low managed to get myself an allen key to fix my overlocker. did a bunch of boring jobs like fixing my friends top and getting some curtain fabric for my mates camper van. I am always happy to help out a friend but its making things from scratch that gets me exited!

I can get back to working on some things now, i will show you some pics soon..........

went to see Q-TIP at the weekend. Not only was he amazing but the roundhouse is a wicked venue had the best time dancing until 4 in the morning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDD0Esh1aJI

Laters Anna x

off to the studio tonight sooooooooo exited

chloe sales broken overlockers and 40's cocktail bars

It has been a crazy week this week. Lots of running around and a million things to do. I have been spending all my free time in the studio and all was good until i broke my ovelocker! gutted so i will have to do a bit of make do and mend today, keep your fingers crossed for me. 

In the mean time i have been a girl about town looking at beautiful things at the chloe sample sale and drinking Gatsby cocktails at this place 

also met up with some lovely old friends still cant help feeling 2009 is going to be a good one.

Anna xx

Hello, were Anna (left) and Candy (right) aka everything for ever