Going bananas in pyjamas - pyjama party live

Good day darlings,

*yawns and stretches* Ooh it's the weekend and that means it's a get back into bed for a read and a cup of tea day but courtesy of did you make that? today is no ordinary Saturday it's pyjama party Saturday!  In my case it's totally tropical pyjama party Saturday.  There'll be no tea just a virgin cocktail and a good read.

I used Simplicity 3971 and a couple of metres of the outrageously tropical pink flamingo fabric at £3.49 a a metre from Fabricland in Brighton.  I shortened the legs because I'm more of a knee than ankle length kind of a gal. I had plans to sew the jacket originally and I hope to get round to it in due course but life got in way so for now I'm modelling them with my flamingo camisole sewn last year to see Pulp at Primavera.

It maybe raining outside but in my flat it's paradise!

As well I must say a huge thank you to Karen for giving me an opportunity to rock my Carmen Miranda fruit hat.  The chances don't come along often and I always seize them with both hands :)  It was originally bought for a good friend's hen do but I have to admit secretly when I've had a crap day I come home put it on, fix a cocktail and pretend I'm Carmen herself - I'm a big believer in whatever gets you through.  The only bad thing about the hat is the need to always have super glue on you if you're out because the banana has an annoying habit of dislodging.

The Help an ace book and a film full of amazing outfits including Miss Celia Foot's playsuit

As for reading my material I just finished a very odd book from my book club and I'm glad to be diving straight back into The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Having watched the film late last year and laughed and cried my eyes out I was desperate to read the book hoping as is usual that it was even better than the film.  It doesn't disappoint with feisty female heroines and the most appallingly awful narrow minded character Miss Hilly Holebrook that you just love to hate.  It's a real page turner and I have a feeling that I may send a good part of the weekend ensconced it and now thanks to the pyjama party fantastically clothed at the same time ;-)  Ooh I would highly recommend watching the film too because it's just choc full of gorgeous 60s outfits and the soundtrack is ace.

Enjoy pyjama day everyone and I can't wait to see everyone's lovely leisure wear.

Until next time happy lounging.

Miss D

xxx

Oh my how it's rained but at least in the House of Demeanour it's been Purple Rain!

Hello Darlings,

How are we all?  Wet I would imagine in the current conditions.   I myself am still trying to get my head round the fact we're experiencing the wettest drought on record!  It's been biblical here in Brighty, which although rotten reminded me of a fabulous quote by author, Vivian Green - "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain."  On that advice I've been using the time to get down to my mending for Me Made May 12 and running up some extremely tropical pyjamas to combat the greyness for Karen's Pyjama Party.

Ah but enough of my recently weather induced increase in productivity levels and on to the heart of this post my latest make aka the Purple Rain playsuit.  This item was made in tribute to one of my style icons and my favourite pop pocket rocket, Prince.  As previously blogged I came up with the idea for this garment when my friends and I found out that Purple Rain was being screened at the Duke of York's cinema with a Prince appreciation night being hosted after at the Green Door Store in Brighton.

Prince - music royalty (in my opinion anywho)

I'm a massive fan of the little man but I'm ashamed to say I had never seen the film before but I'm happy that the first time I saw it was on the big screen.  It was so out of control in places I was laughing a lot and I don't think it was meant to be funny but that's the 80s for you.

As much as I would have loved to recreate the above ensemble my time was limited so I thought I would take elements, which were the colour purple and lace.  Prince is a big fan of purple and of lace, in the film he wears a black lace mask whilst heavily oiled and stripped to the waist.  As stated previously Prince is out of control in this movie!  Originally, I was going to make a skater style dress but then never having attempted anything even mildly trousery (made up word) but with the desire to get the handle on shorts so I can make some pin up style ones to wear over tights a purple playsuit won out.

Looking round for inspiration I happened above this  playsuit and the rest is history.

Once I decided what I wanted to create I realised I didn't have a playsuit pattern but I'm not easily thwarted and thought that if I could frankenstein a pair of shorts and a top together that would work.  Fortunately it did :)  Earlier this year I used Burda's tutorial to create a bodice block that formed the top half of the playsuit and I had the Burda Ruby shorts pattern in my sewing queue.  

Delilah modelling my bodice block earlier this year and Burda's Ruby shorts

The next requirement was purple lace and some purple underlining because as much as I like to make a statement and as much I admire Prince and know he would wear the outfit see through I was looking for a slightly more demure look ;-)  I saved my fabric buying for Sew Incidentally's fabric swap and meet up at Walthamstow Market.  A very lovely time was had by all and and I snagged some fabulous patterns and a couple of metres of gorgeous lime green bamboo print fabric from the ever so lovely Alana of lazy stitching.  Sadly no purple lace was to be found but I did manage to get hold of some purple viscose for £2 a metre yeha!

The lovely sewocracy :) - Claire has a rundown of who's who

My gorgeous green fabric from the haul and a plethora of new patterns just waiting to be sewn up

All was not lost though as on return to Brighton I found some dark purple lace in Fabricland in Brighton for the very unprincely price of £2.99 a metre :)  I then set about constructing essentially two playsuits the lace one and the purple underlining - love to make things simple don't I?!

That said alterations and construction were relatively painless because the bodice had turned out to be a good fit and so I just adapted the pattern to have a lower and wider neckline.  The shorts I lengthened up from the waist to hit my very high waistline.  I used this tutorial from the ace Slapdash Sewist to line the bodice entirely using a machine.  I will be employing this epic technique from this day forward.

Ruby shorts with about 9"lengthened at the waist and taken up 5" at the bottom - they look like Victorian bloomers here

I then made a pattern for a Peter Pan collar to fit the bodice from a tutorial that the lovely Rachel from the House of Pinheiro had serendipitously posted on the same day I was sewing :)

So with all the chat out of the way here is my very first playsuit in all her purple glory

Very purple and very lacy but not too racy ;-)

So there you have it my latest make and I can confirm that she stood up brilliantly to the nonstop Prince  soundtrack we danced to until 4am unlike my shoes.  I danced so hard that the sole came off! 

I will leave you with the man himself and my favourite track.

Prince - I would die 4 U/ Baby I'm a Star from mark Daley on Vimeo.

Until next time enjoy dancing in the rain.

Miss D

xxx

Me Made May 12 (and a little mending) - Hell Yeah I'm in!

Hey y'all

Just a little aperitif of a post from little old me just to let you know I'm on for the lovely Zoe's Me Made May 12 but with a little twist.  As previously stated in my run down blog several things I made last year need a little TLC and I will be using the challenge to get shizzle done!  I will therefore be able to nail that tick box on my sewing for 2012 tick list.

I, Rehanon missdemeanourisonthemake@blogspot.co.uk, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '12. I endeavour to wear one handmade and mended item. each day for the duration of May 2012'


Ah feels so good to write it and I can't wait to see what everybody will be rocking through out the month.  May the force be with you.


So this post is not entirely without pics here's what happening next at Miss D HQ.

Nice and bright but what will it be?  All will be revealed soonie.

Oh and my retro swimming hat arrived so let the sea swimming begin whoopee!

Until next time if it's worth making it's worth maintaining.


Miss D


xxx

Mad dogs and English men well to be precise Mad dogs and Mad Men

Hello my lovelies,

I started this post a couple of weeks ago but then life got in the way.  I did actually make the I heart Joanie forever dress in time for the Mad Men challenge but have only now just got round to taking proper snaps.  John Lennon is right - life is what happens when you are busy making plans.  Especially when those plans are to blog regularly whoops.

I trust you are all well and  have been making the most of the March madness i.e. the fact it's been 22 degrees!  I myself have just returned from a short sojourn to the home of the Demeanours senior - my folks.  They were off slooshing down the slopes and I was left in charge of my hairy brothers and sister.  Macey, Toby and Buster or the mad dogs that make the title of this post.

One of my hairy brothers - Toby aka illegal beagle (naughtiest dog in the world)

In between taking care of them, running the Demeanours senior household and looking after my niece and nephew I managed to find time just about to start sewing my dress for the Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Challenge.  I took full advantage of the mini heatwave we were having by moving my office outside much to the shock of the neighbours who were very surprised when they leaned over the fence to see a woman in a bikini and a turban using a sewing machine.  I think to be honest the fact I was sewing shocked them more than my state of undress.

My alfresco office - best decision I made this year

As I previously blogged I decided that the Mad Men character I wanted to emulate had to be Joan because she's a curvy gal like me and she hearts the wiggle shape as much as I do.  The dress below was the one I was working towards and I used New Look 6643 and some amazingly luxurious fuschia pink cotton silk that was £4.50 a metre from Goldhawk Road.  I can't even tell you how much I now love this pattern and intend to make many, many wiggles using it.  It was a joy to sew and very adaptable.

Joan in pink and New Look 6643

To begin with I had to make the now what appears to be standard alteration for me of moving the bust point down 2.5cm.  I also decided to taper the skirt in quite fiercely to give me a wiggle that Joan would be proud of.  I can say now in my next make I wouldn't taper as much as I did because this dress is tighter than a lover's grip and I had a going concern something would pop if I didn't bend like a lady.  I therefore reinforced the seams to make sure ;-)  This pattern also only had a slight cap sleeve and I wanted to have more coverage so I copied the sleeve from the Colette Sencha and added it to the pattern and it worked - result!

So without further a do here's the I heart Joanie forever dress

You called...

You want me to take something down...

Oh you literally do want me to take a note hmmm...

Whoops I've gone and dropped my notepad! - The obligatory Joan from behind pose ;-)

So there you have it my latest make and I love, love her even though I have to be careful about bending down!  She's actually had a couple of outings since being made once to intend the launch of Super+Super HQ an amazing craft cooperative in Brighton (I urge you get down there it's an ace place) with the lovely Zoe who was debuting her super hero dress that was so strong it nearly blew me off my heels :)

Zoe and I proving new frocks and wine = joy

Firstly though she was worn to go see Pulp at the Royal Albert Hall.  You may have guessed from my previous blogging that I love the ass off of this band and in particular their long legged lead singer, Jarvis.  When news of them reforming reached me last year I literally burst into tears of joy.  Anywho fast forward to the beginning of this year and I decided to say thank you to Mr Cocker through the medium of crochet.

The tie I made him as blogged about here.

I was originally just going to send the tie but then speaking to friends made me think that I should pop a note in.  As is often the case with me I didn't know what to say and then just before I was due to send the package I had flash of creativity and I wrote him a poem.  

A note of thanks written on the back of the crochet pattern.

Here it is for you to have read if you care to.

A note of thanks

Dear Jarvis,

You are marvellous,

For reforming a band who were my helping hand.

When I was a teenager things were pretty shit,

but then you delivered mis-shapen hit after hit.

I learnt it was okay to be bit weird,

ultimately I didn't go the same way as you and grow a big beard.

Instead I decided I would just be me,

and anyone who had a problem with it was obviously a big C!

Fast forward a bit to last year when my heart got broke,

life genuinely felt like a really bad joke.

Then one morning without warning something changed.

I was listening to BBC6 loudly,

when Huey announced, "Hey y'all Pulp are reforming", proudly.

I got myself on a plane,

me and two good friends we made it to Spain.

Primavera was great just like the first time.

Then good news,

Following rave reviews more dates went on sale.

"I've got to go" my friends heard me wail.

I know cheesy rhymes are considered by you a lyrical crime.

But I didn't want to write a typical letter,

I wanted to send something bigger, something better.

So I present this tie to you,

it's made of wool in a chocolate brown hue.

It's to say thank you,

for all that you don't realise you do.

I would have been okay without your songs I think,

But I reckon it would have taken me a lot longer to realise being yourself doesn't stink!

So Mr Cocker I bid you adieu.

And I can tell you with all honesty when I see you next week at the RAH (pronounce it raaaa for the rhyme),

I'll be singing and dancing the loudest when you do your Ooh Aah!

All the best,

Rehanon Mackenzie, aged 31 3/4

The best thing ever is although my friends and I couldn't prove conclusively we are pretty damn sure from where we were standing by the stage he was indeed wearing the tie that night and he played my favourite track Mis-Shapes two songs in!

I do have another music related outfit to blog  - the Purple Rain playsuit but to mention Prince and Jarvis in one post would just be too powerful ;-)

Until next time remember even if you're a bit lanky or generally a bit left of the middle you're fabulous.

Miss D

xxx

Written whilst listening to: Different Class by Pulp