Remember the Giveaway Skirt???

Back in February (seems like forever ago doesn't it!) you might remember that I had a giveaway as part of Sew Grateful Week where I would sew a the winner a skirt? 

Well last week I received photos of Shannon wearing her prize - The Shoe Skirt!

Shannon also wrote me a lovely email:

"I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to send you some photos.  I actually took these the day after I received the skirt, but then I was moving across the country and they got put on the back burner."

"I don't have that many to send you even though we took quite a few.  I had no idea how hard taking nice outfit shots would be.  I appreciate your lovely photos even more now"

"I wore the skirt to dinner to a Brazillian restaurant that night we took the photos.  As we were leaving the restaurant, one of the hostessess actually ran out to catch us in the parking lot... just to ask me where I got my skirt!  I told her a friend made it for me.  She seemed disappointed not to be able to go out and buy one for herself."

"I also wore the skirt often during our drive out to California, and was asked about it several times.  I love my skirt and feel so special when I wear it.  Thank you again!"

Well, thank you Shannon for playing along and sending me some photos to share with everyone (especially that last one - love it!!).  I'm so glad that you love your skirt!!!

I hope you all feel suitably jealous!!!

Beccie
xxx

Sew Grateful Week : And the Winner Is.....

This morning I had the very fun and nerve-wracking task of drawing the winner for my giveaway.  Don't ask me why I was nervous (I have no idea!) but I woke up several times last night thinking about it...

First task was to choose a hat to draw a name out of...  I thought this pink confection would be perfect!

Then I typed everyones names out (multiple times in most cases), cut all the entries out, folded them in thirds and put them in the hat.

This took much longer than I expected, cause there was about 130 entries!!!!  WAAAAAAY more than I anticipated when I started!!

Then I looked around for an impartial observer.

Stella looks a bit feral this morning - we went for a long walk and there was a heavy dew, so she came back saturated.

I stuck my hand in and swirled it around as Stella looked on.

Excuse the slightly blurry photo - its hard to swirl entries in a hat, making sure Stella doesn't 'help' and run off with some entries, and take a photo all at the same time!!!

Then I drew out a name...  AND THE WINNER IS....

YAY FOR SHANNON!!!!!

Shannon, can you please send me an email to beccieblossom(at)gmail.com and we'll get this show on the road!

I really wish I could have given away a skirt to everyone that entered... thank you so much for your support, its been overwhelming.

Beccie
xxx

Sew Grateful Week : A Grateful Project

Ok, so the idea for today's post was to talk about a project I've done with gifted fabric or a gifted pattern, or with something from a giveaway I've won...  I don't have any gifted things, and I haven't won a giveaway, so I thought I would just do my next post on my Tropical Wrap Dress!!!  I'm sure you'll all be grateful to hear what went on with it over the weekend!

First things first, I inserterted the shirred back piece in between the two layers of the front bodice pieces (the tropical fabric piece and the lining piece).  And in doing so I forgot to add the other half of the tie that ties the dress together.  Sigh!  So I unpicked a bit and sewed in the tie.

I really think shirring this piece was a good idea.

Here is the tie.  One side of the tie is the tropical fabric and one side is green

That was one half finished.  On with sewing the skirt!

I don't think I've complained about rayon yet, so I'm going to do it now - its a shifty bugger!!!  You think you've got it all pinned together right and then you cough and the bloody thing has moved!!!  It is a lovely fabric though, I love the feel and I love the drape, I'm just not 100% in love with sewing with it yet.  It probably doesn't help that I'm making a lot of this up as I go along.  Rayon lovers out there - any suggestions for me?  (I'm looking at you Esz!)

So the skirt consists of a front left piece, and back piece, and a front right piece.  The front right piece is the pretty bit with the tucks and the draping.  The other two bits are basically a pencil skirt thats not sewn together on one side.  I made up the front left and the back pieces and sewed them together and hemmed them (although I just pinned it, cause I'm not convinced its straight yet).

You see, that hem looks crooked... but it could be that my headless helper is on a lean... I'm undecided.

Then I tackled the pretty front piece, which actually consists of three layers of fabric.  The tropical fabric, then cream that the rest of the dress is lined in, then the green which is the lining for this piece.

I sewed more bobble trim on, and then sewed the layers together, just like I did for the bodice.  Then I pinned it to my headless helper and played with the pleats on the right hand side.  Then I pinned the bodice on the top so I (and you too) could get an idea of what the finished dress will look like

This photo reminds me that I really need to finish the little red wool and polkadot satin bolero thats hanging forlornly on that hanger.... so sad!

I still think I need to have a bit more of a fiddle with the waist pleats on the skirt front but you get the idea.  Not that you can see it from this view, but I really like the way the green shows up on the draped bit on the side of the skirt.

I feel like I didn't actually do much with it on the weekend.  My sewing time was reduced a bit, but so much thinking is going in to the process at the moment that its really slowing me down!  There isn't that much left to do really, so this weekend I hope to have the dress finished and the bolero started.

Then it will be on to sewing the giveaway skirt - one of you is going to be soooo lucky!!!!

Beccie
xxx

Sew Grateful Week : I love you guys!

 

This is the post where I get to talk about how grateful I am for the sewing blogging community.  And while I am, what I'm really grateful for goes deeper than that.

I am grateful for the journey that has led me to this point - finding my vintage style, starting this blog, and meeting all of you guys - I love you guys!

Back a couple of years ago I was just your average person.  I took care of myself and liked to get dressed up, but found it really difficult to find things in mainstream fashion that worked on my body shape.  But as you do, you continue trying things because you don't think there is another option.

Enter a shopping expedition with my best girl Miss V - we were out shopping for outfits to wear to Melbourne Cup Day, and drove past a shop with a big chalk sign out the front advertising 'MAD MEN DRESSES'.  We were curious and the shop looked interesting so we stopped.  I walked out of that shop with a black Stop Staring dress that fit me so well it was scary.

This is me and my very handsom brother Matt.  I love this dress and I still wear it.

Then a family holiday with Miss V to Byron Bay - a coastal hippie-la-la town in northern New South Wales, Australia.  Whilst doing some shopping without the kids and the men, she and I stumbled upon a shop called That Shop - a kustom kulture shop that stocked Pinup Girl Clothing and other brands.  Once again I purchased an amazing dress...

Ok, so not the best photo, but you can see that I'm getting much more into the whole thing!

I realised there was a pattern emerging... and this was pretty much when I absented myself from current fashion and went back 60 years to the 1950s.

I had fun with photo shoots and classes learning how to do my hair and things, and buying a new wardrobe.... Which lead me to sewing.

You see, it was coming in to winter and I saw this exceptionally glamorous woman wearing what I now know to be a princess seamed coat over her vintage dress... and of course I wanted one!  But could I find one anywhere that would fit, that was the colour I liked, and wasn't $5,000,000... No.  Sigh!

Not being one to be frightened of throwing myself in the deep end, I said to myself "I'll make one!".  I bought a pattern and some fabric, and the rest is history!

This is me in the Best Dressed competition at Rose Seidler House fair in 2011.  The following year I was modelling in the fashion parades!

Sewing led me to blogging.  I started my blog because sewing is a lonely occupation and I wanted to be able to share with someone ANYONE! what I was doing.  I'll admit that my first few posts were rubbish - it takes a while to find your voice I think.  But I've found it now, and I've found other bloggers who inspire me, and I've found you guys who appreciate what I do.

In all this, I have found myself, I have found my confidence, and I have found my voice.  And I wouldn't change anything for all the tea in China!

I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my life.  Just know that I am sew grateful to you out there for taking an interest.

Beccie

xxx

Sew Grateful Week : Its GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

 

Well Sew Grateful week is here, and my first post for the week is....

A GIVEAWAY!!!!

Now I've never done a giveaway before, so I asked on my Facebook page what I should giveaway - should it be a pattern or two, or some fabric... I had no idea.

This is one of the response I got from a lovely follower called Dahra:

"Use your talent.  'Sew Retro'.

A lot of people give away fabric and patterns and things... But how many people give away a one off piece sewn just for them?  Doesn't have to be time consuming or a lot of work.  But making something just for the winner... Then they'll feel extremely lucky and special"

So that's what I'm doing.

Yes you heard correctly - I'm going to sew an item of clothing for the winner!  Specifically, this:

And don't worry, I will adjust the pattern to fit whatever size you are.

Now I have purchased this pattern specifically for this giveaway, and its on its way to me now from the good ol' US of A.  Its a wrap skirt with a giant bow sash and I think its GORGEOUS!!!!

Now, the winner gets to pick the fabric I use.  You can choose this one:

This is a quilting cotton so it is lovely and soft.  The skirt will be made from the cherry fabric (who doesn't love cherries!) and the sash from the red fabric.

or this one:

This is a cotton twill so its a heavier fabric, but still very suitable for a skirt, and more than that IT HAS SHOES ON IT!!!!  The shoe fabric will be the skirt, and the sash will be in pink.

I love them both so will make the skirt for myself in the other fabric.

There is one condition though - I would really REALLY love it if the winner could send me a couple of photos of them wearing the skirt so I can post them on my blog and share them with everyone else that didn't win.  You get an opportunity to make everyone jealous!!!

So I can hear you all yelling HOW DO I ENTER, STOP GOING ON AND JUST TELL ME!!!!!

Well this is what you need to do to get your name in the hat:

• Follow my blog to get one entry
• Like my Facebook page to get another entry
• Share the post on my Facebook page announcing the giveaway to get yet another entry
• Follow me on Instagram (sewretrorose) and like the photo of the giveaway for a possible FOURTH entry!!!  (thanks to Dahra for reminding me!!)

You don't have to do all four, but if you do you'll get four entries.  Or if you do two things you'll get two entries, three things for three entries.  Make sense?  Here is an example:

If you already follow my blog you already have one entry, so you then go onto Facebook and like my page, you have two entries, then you share my link, you have three entries!

Come back here and comment to tell me what you've done and I'll note it down - Easy!  I will announce the winner on Friday Australia time (so that's Thursday for some of you), so make sure you check back here.

Good luck everyone!!!

Beccie
xxx