Fabric Haul - Cotton blue and white yabane bolt

Something down to earth.  

A cotton white and blue yabane bolt.

I think it is cotton as it does not have the same feel as the wool bolts that I have in my collection.

Plus the colouring has a feel of a yukata and these are normally made from cotton fabric.

From a distance, you can make out the yabana pattern but when you look at it close up it is not so clear.

I would love to make a lolita dress from this as metamorphose every so often release a wa-lolita dress  with yabane pattern.  However as much as I love them, they are just too fussy for my liking which is more toward the classics side of the fashion.  I will probably get some matching navy blue cotton fabric and trimmings when I make the dress.

Making a dress - Hanfu top

Inspiration

So I have the trousers and the jacket but now a top would be nice.  Of course it is is a nice day a strapy top could be used which would mimic the wraparound top nicely.  However what about the colder days?

There I would a proper top or shirt in my work world wardrobe.

Design

Luckily there is a pattern for this.

https://torguqin.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/ganlings-shuhe-duanda-patterns/

Okay it is not correct for the period but then again I am not going for historical accurately here.

I had to tweak a little around the shoulder area because I learned from the jacket that I have wider shoulders then the patterned allowed.

Ever the hoarder of fabric now, I had some cream polycotton lying around.

Construction

I decided to tackle this in a serious of rectangles and then make the adjustments for the collar and sleeves once the fabric is all sewn in place.  This will save time in figuring out how long each piece of fabric has to be.

Now lets attached the front overlap to the main body.

Then the sleeves.

Now to taper the sleeves to the final shape.

Now to play with the collar and front.

Now to sew the sides and sleeves and add a collar and we are done.  

If you are wondering how I finished the seams on the body, I flat-lined them.

Finished

I don't know why I did not take any pictures of it when it is finished but here it is in action with my hanfu suit as I am going to called it.

Conclusion

I know I made the top for winter but it is still a bit too thin for my liking.  So this is now a summer top.

It is also on the see through side so I will need to wear a top inside as well.  Yeah not quite turning out as planned I have to admit but it was a good exercise and now I know what fabric I need to aim for in the future.  Thick cotton!

I do love the long and flowing outline of this outfit.

Will need to make the trousers shorter as they are a bit too long for office wear but are probably the correct length for the style.

Now when will I find the time to wear it??

Fabric Haul - Hot Air Balloon

I will start my fabric haul collection with the latest fabric I have brought recently.

Isn't it gorgeous!

I feel in love with it as soon as I set my eyes on it.

I brought it from A&L Fabric facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/alfabricss/)

It is 100% cotton and cost £15.00 plus £3.90 for postage which is not a bad price for 5.5metres

I love the fact the hot air balloon are big and bold.

Seriously they are big and I do love big prints.

My first thought is of course a yukata/kimono as it is so unusual and I seem to like wearing kimono that standout.  But part of me would love to make a lolita dress from it.  Maybe if the seller has another one for sale, I might get it so save me the trouble of deciding.  However then I would be hoarding.

Kanzashi experiment continue!!!

So I have taken a break from making new flowers and came back to my old favourite KUSUDAMA!!!

I do love kusudama as they are little balls of cuteness and it took me ages to perfect them.

However I have only once made one from cotton fabric so I thought I should make some more.  Therefore off I want to my fabric shop, brought some quilting fabric (and a bit more for kimono project) and here are there results.

The fabric I use is a beige/cream fabric with little pink/red roses all over it and it has created a kusudama with a country chic feel to it, don't you think?  It is always interesting to see what sort of kanzashi one can create when they use non-silk fabric.