Versatile layered dress {tutorial}

While making my 'petticoat', I had an idea. Why not just make more than one, in different colours, and layer them? So, I gave it a try.

It happened to be my graduation too, so the grey and white combination became my grad outfit.

Detailed instructions on how to make each layer can be found here. Once you have one layer it is simpler to make the next one by just using it as a guideline (no tacking needed).

Repeat all the same steps. Have fun with colours and accessories for many different looks :)

Modern day 'petticoat' {tutorial}

 

I'm the kinda girl that doesn't really like clothes that are see through or really low cut tops, but so many dresses fit both of those categories. This is my fix to the problem. A very simple dress that can be worn underneath another dress, while still keeping it cool, but preventing light from shining behind and leaving nothing to the imagination.

I was going to a Disney-Pixar themed 21st, so being a money saving student I used my 'petticoat' to double as an 'Eve', from Wall-e, costume.

So what do you need:
About 1.25 -1.5m stretch fabric (I used viscose lycra)
All the usual sewing stuff

Fold the fabric in half side edge to side edge, with the right side of the fabric facing in. Use a dress/skirt/top that fits comfortably to give you a guideline of where to cut. When in doubt cut a little wider than what you expect. Also, remember to allow about 2cm for seams.

I used the dress that I made here, as well as the skirt pattern that I cut when making that dress. You do not have to cut precisely (stretchy fabric also makes this virtually impossible!).

Cut and pin

Now because it's easier to cut it a little bit wider and then correct, I tacked along the edge and then put it on and loosely retacked where I wanted it to be a bit smaller, while it was still on.

This shows you how far out I was with my initial cut, and how much better the final product will be if you just take a few extra minutes to retack.

Sew along the tacking lines.

I only decided later to add on a piece of fabric at the top, so that it would be able to be foldover, but not show a raw seam when it was folded. Hence, the colour of the dress will now change (explained in my next post).

Cut two pieces of fabric the width of the top of the dress when inside out (allow for seams) and about 25cm high.  (*You can angle the cut a bit so that it narrows towards to top edge, to allow it to fit well below the bust once it is folded over.) It is very important that the fabric is cut as if it being wrapped around you with the sides of the fabric running down your sides (i.e. the salvage running down your side, 25cm side parallel to the salvage). If you cut it the wrong way it will not have as much stretch and is then quite tight.

Sew the sides of the top section, turn it right side out and place it inside the bottom section, with right sides of the top and bottom sections together. (*If you have made one edge narrower, then ensure that the wider edge is lined up with the top of the bottom section.)

Pin the top to the bottom and sew them together. (I failed to take a photo here, sorry)

To wear fold the top section inside the bottom section and then fold it over. (This added piece ensures that you don't have any raw seams showing.)

To strengthen the ends of the seams, I did a few simple (and messy) hand stitches in the seam.

Summer dress

I have always struggled to find comfortable dresses for summer that I both like and can afford, so this year I decided to finally get around to making one. Being a beginner sewer I liked the idea of this one, where you make a skirt and sew it onto a top.

I followed these basic instructions but just cut out two skirts. One lace and one viscose lycra (a nicer version of cotton knit). I cut the lace one slightly wider to try prevent them from riding up on each other. The skirts are only joined at the join to the band, where I sewed the band and both layers of the skirt together in one go (pinning is essential!). I did a basic hem on the viscose layer and merely cut the lace off, a little bit longer than the viscose.

It is super comfortable and is GREAT for Cape Town's wind!

Chocolate chip chelsea buns

I like chocolate. I like chelsea buns. Why not put them together?

300g cake flour (625ml)
2ml salt
50ml castor sugar
10g instant dry yeast
60g margarine

50ml lukewarm milk
1 large egg, beaten
100ml lukewarm water

filling:
60g margarine (can get away with cutting down on this)
50ml castor sugar
5ml cinnamon
75g chocolate chips (or raisins if you want, also much more chips can be added if you have)

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together.
Melt the marg in the lukewarm milk and add to the flour mixture, along with the beaten egg and enough warm water to form a soft dough.
Knead the dough well, until soft and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place on a slightly floured plate, cover with greased plastic and place in a warm place (e.g. slightly warmed warming drawer) for 15 minutes.
Knock the dough down and roll into a 30cm square. Spread margarine on the dough and sprinkle with castor sugar, cinnamon and chocolate chips.
Roll the dough up into a roll and cut into slices about 4/5 cm thick. Place cut side down onto a greased oven proof dish. It is nice if the buns can grow into each other a bit when the rise again, to lessen the amount of area that goes harder on the outside.
Cover with greased plastic and allow to rise in a warm place for 25-30 minutes (until about double in volume). This is when you should heat your oven to 180C
Brush with egg or milk and bake for 20 minutes (check from about 15 minutes, sometimes they are ready early).

Ice however you like. A mixture of white and chocolate glace looks good.

Real homemade South African Biltong

 

As a patriotic South African I must say that biltong is NOT beef jerky. Having never been to America I will trust the internet on this one :) Biltong is dried, whereas beef jerky seems to be dehydrated (sometimes in an oven, i think). Apparently the spices used for jerky are also different, as well as cutting and preservatives used. But the purpose of this post isn't to tune beef jerky, but rather to say "Biltong is fantastic".

Last December my boyfriend, Michael, and I made a biltong box

This is basically a box with a light at the bottom to make a dry and warm environment for the meat strips to dry. We put a piece of wooden dowel with some make-shift hooks across the top, a shelf near the bottom, with holes in it, to place some paper towel to catch any fat drips and holes along each side to allow air flow within the box.

We glued some netting across the holes to prevent any flies getting in.

For our first few attempts we followed recipes and got gross results. Way too dry, way too salty, way too vinegary.

BUT, last week, we tried again. Yummy. Exact amounts were not recorded, but we now know what method we will follow.

We used silverside steak this time, unfortunately it had a few streaks of fat running through it. Topside is also good. Cut into strips (WITH the grain) about 5cm wide and 2 cm thick. remove all fat, it is gross after the meat has dried out.

Spice mix: Mainly salt and coriander (roasted and then crushed), some black pepper, mixed herbs and red meat spice.

Sprinkle some vinegar on the meat and rub the spice mix onto all sides. Leave in the fridge for 3- hours.
Before hanging, sprinkle some more vinegar onto the meat and wipe off the salty spice mix. we then add more spice mix, but without the salt (the meat will already have absorbed a lot of the salt!). Hang in the box (or a dry place away from flies) for about 4 days, depending on how hot/dry the weather is. You do not want the meat to be so dry that you need an axe to cut it. Dark and firm, with just a little bit of squidge is good. Personal preference is allowed. When dried cut into thin small pieces (across the grain).

Designing

Been messing around with watermark / logo / christmas tag designs. This is where I'm at:

DIY fridge magnets

I made these to add to a wedding gift for two lovely friends who got married earlier this year. Follow the instructions for DIY wooden pendants here but stick some magnets on the back instead of a second picture. For these I also first painted the wood with a silver craft paint.

Strapless maxi dress {tutorial}

- See this post on our new website -

So here goes my first sewing post. I am by no means a quality seamstress, I am just learning as I go. This dress was made with no pattern or instructions so there may well be a better way to do it, but I will just share with you how I did it.

Apologies for using black fabric, it makes it a little harder to see what is going on in the photos. 

What you need:
Fabric - I used a viscose lycra (basically like a knit). 2 meters of a 150cm (60") wide fabric. If the fabric cannot be wrapped around you when folded in half then you will need about 2.4 meters
Cotton - I used an 4 reels because I was using an overlocker. Only one is needed for a sewing machine.
Scissors
Pins
Tape measure
Elastic - optional. I haven't added elastic to my dress yet, but I probably will at some stage. Or even just tie it up in the foldover top section.

The fabric was just big enough for me to wrap the top around me once, while folded. (The top tube needs to be tight enough to hold the dress up). I could, therefore, cut pieces for both the front and back of the tube from the first 40 cm of fabric:
Fold in half longways. Cut off 40 cm and then cut along the fold.

If unable to wrap once around:
Cut two pieces 40cm x the width needed to wrap around once.

 Se these two pieces together along one long edge of each piece.

 Fold in half (inside out - seams out) so that the seam cuts across the middle. Sew along the long open edge.

This will make a tube when put right side out. Fold it in half so that you still have a tube, but it has all raw sewn seams inside. This part is hard to describe. I.e. Fold one half of the tube into the other half so that you can only see the outside of the tube.  It should have two raw (unsewn) edges meeting at the bottom and the outside of a seam running along the top. This is so that when you fold the top of the dress over you still don't see any raw edges, as they are sewn inside the tube.

Fold the fabric in half lengthways to cut two skirt pieces. To ensure that it wasn't too tight I started the top of the skirt slightly wider than the width of the tube and flared it out to the full width of the folded fabric. To work out how long the skirt must be measure the length from below your bust line to the floor and add about 20 cm, to be safe.

Sew along both long edges to make the skirt. Leave inside out.

The hardest part to explain: Place the folded tube inside the top of the 'inside out' skirt, so that you have six raw edges at the top. (2 for the tuba and 1 from the skirt, for both front and back). Ensure that the vertical seam of the tube lines up with the centre of the piece you decide will be the back half of the skirt. Tack this together, right around. Try on. When you are happy with this then sew it together.

When you have sewn it (shown here as tacked) and pulled the top out, you will see that you have a dress.

Hem however you want. I just overlocked a few centimeters longer than I wanted the dress and then folded it in and sewed.

Phew, I hope that vaguely makes sense!