Rasperry, Lychee, White Chocolate & Honey...

Cake? Torte? Layered extravaganza? Damn nice, that's what it was!

A Madonna costume...

The John-Paul Gaultier cone corsets would have to be one of the most iconic costumes that Madonna has worn. So with a group of us going to the concert and the call out to wear something suitably "Madonna-esque" I decided to take on the challenge.

I didn't start till just a few days before so I spent a fair bit of time thinking about how I'd tackle it. Purchasing the fabric and other bits and pieces didn't take long - it was just a rush of two nights sewing at the end!

But when I went to start, I couldn't get my head around what shape to cut for the "cup" part, so I sacrificed an old bra to get an idea for that. Then I marked circles and with two layers of calico and a layer of the thin wadding between, I stitched like a mad thing around all the circles.

 

Then I had to close up where the V opening was (to make a dart) and bob's your uncle: two cones.

 

I'd bought a super-cheap e-bay corset thingy because I'd originally thought I might sew the parts to it but that idea went by the wayside. What it did give me was an idea of the shapes to cut out. Which I stitched fast and furious to get that quilted look.

  

Then I finished the edges with bias binding and put in a zip to do it up the front. Some heavy ribbon for straps, smaller ribbon and suspender clips, and a few little bows finished it off.

      

The full costume had suit trousers and a jacket for modesty (with a couple of slashes - ha!).

 

And the concert was a blast!

     

Hearts for Valentines

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I've worn hearts every day this week!
Last night I thought I'd valentine up a little cardy I'd snapped up at an Op Shop with a little needle felting.

  

Needle felting involves using a special needle that has no eye, and tiny little barbs on the pointy end to punch through the layers of fibres and matt them together.

Cutwork bookmarks...

..using free-motion stitching!

These cutwork bookmarks use free motion stitching and three layers of fabric.

A very berry dessert...

I had a bit of time up my sleeve and a family dinner. And some raspberries, white chocolate and cream...
I also have two amazing dessert books...The New Patissiers (Olivier Dupon) and Sweet Studio (Darren Purchese) which have incredible desserts that all have many components. And due to having the morning free, I just kept making more layers! I based my layers on ingredients I wanted to use and adapted recipe components from within the two books.

It's Christmas!

For the last few years instead of other gifts, I've been making little decorated Christmas cakes for my friends at Christmas.

I started a few weeks ahead, doing it in sessions, as a fair few hours can be whiled away...

Fashion Santa

It's Christmas and I can't resist sharing this story of Fashion Santa in a Canadian shopping centre. Santa's never looked so good! And even better, for people that post selfies with a particular hashtag, money is donated to a Sick Kids foundation. Now that's a gimmick in the Christmas spirit!

I wonder if they're advertising for a Santa's helper....