A skirt but not as you know it.

Hey y'all,

How the devil are you?  I don't know about you but it's getting very breezy around Demeanour HQ so much so I've had to swap the flip flops for slippers but a new season brings a whole new gamut of sewing projects :)

I have to tell you about the secret project I was working on before I cut a swathe into my Autumnal sewing, which will include making a replica of the gorgeous scarlet cloak worn by Juliette Binoche in Chocolat.  It will mean having to watch the film again so I can pick out an accurate pattern but I think I can push myself to suffer a 120 minutes of Johnny Depp for my sewing ;-)

Those amongst you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook will have heard me warbling on about big project involving wood and wire.  Well it was actually a skirt I was making but as the title of this post suggests it was no ordinary skirt even by Miss D standards ;-)

Not your average skirt making equipment!

Back in August the amazing organisation that is Macmillan Cancer Support asked me if I could replicate the skirt below to raise awareness of their biggest fundraising event, World's Biggest Coffee Morning.

Basically, a human cake stand.

Well me being the notorious yes person that I am said of course with blind faith and sheer determination. Papa Demeanour is a builder and my youngest brother is an expert woodsman so I thought I had adequate experts to reach out to if necessary.  I am pleased to say despite a change in height (the skirt not me) and several wire cuts I did in fact achieve the make :)

This is the stand half way through.

Here's the lovely Sarah from Macmillan decorating the skirt on the day of the shoot.

Me grabbing my time in the spotlight

And finally the professional.  The lovely Lucy Mecklenburgh from The Only Way is Essex.  Doesn't she look just edible ;-)

The 300 something cupcakes were supplied by LOLA's and having demolished several of them after the shoot I can completely vouch for their absolute nomness.

So there you have it that's what I've been up to for the past few weeks.  I'm always really happy to work with Macmillan as they're such a wonderful organisation and the tireless work they do is so close to my heart having lost some wonderful souls in my life to cancer.

The event raised over £10 million last year and you can help them raise even more.

You too can get involved as World's biggest Coffee Morning takes place on 28th September 2012.  You could host one yourself or get a long to one taking place near you. Get all the details here.  You get to have a sit down, eat some lovely cake, chat with friends and raise money for an excellent cause.

Right I'm off for a well deserved sit down before I get cracking on several bridesmaid dresses.

Until next time keep wrapped up.

Love,

Miss D

xxx

It's all happening baby

Ahoy there,

The Good Ship Demeanour is finally docking long enough for me to write about my voyages.  It's been a while crocodile darlings but don't take my lack of blogging as a lack of activity in fact it's been quite the opposite my dears.  I've been running round like I'm on fire and have kept meaning to document said madness but other things have been popping up like the Olympics, three babies (not mine) oh four if you count my friend Shirley's kitten, wedding prep i.e. clothing and cakes and a new commission that has become a grand design.  Unfortunately, I can't reveal anything about it until sometime in September but rest assured you'll be the first to know.

So hold on to your summer hats - yay for the sun finally showing its face - while I give you a whistle stop ride through my latest adventures in making :)

First up I finished what I called the summer by the sea blanket, which was a present for my little niece Min.

After spotting gorgeous blankets by the lovely Karen and Shivani I had to make one for her because she's a blanket fiend and her current one was disintegrating. It's the best use of scrap wool.

Next up after being so giving I felt I was deserving of a little something, something for me.  So I decided to take the Craftsy Sassy Librarian Blouse course, which I can thoroughly recommend.  It's taught by the retro lovely lady that is Christine Haynes.  I have previously bought the bombshell course, which has still not been completed but is very high on the to do list once I get through wedding extravaganza that will be the next month and a half.  Anywho I've wanted a lovely retro style blouse for ages.  The joy of being able to sew means that I can make buttons fasten properly over the girls without having to pick a size that resembles a sack elsewhere.

The summer of 69 blouse made from fabric I gnabbed in the Brighton swap courtesy of the ever stylish Kathryn of Yes I Like That fame

There's several options including sleeveless and pin tucking but I really wanted a traditional blouse but with a foxy twist, which was possible with the addition of this lairy fabric :)

The day following this make the rain came again and my days did it come so what's a girl to do.  I'll tell you - make a Hawaiian kimono style dress that's what.  After seeing the blooming lovely Stitch and Witter's birdy version of the Salme kimono dress I knew the pattern needed to be mine.  I also knew my wardrobe would benefit from some more stretchy items so I used a couple of metres of colourful viscose to make the Aloha kimono.  It's such a great pattern and comes together so quickly.  I made the whole thing from cutting to wearing in just over 3 hours using the overlocker for the whole thing - sweet!

Your eyes do not deceive you I am indeed the proud owner of a plastic coconut cup.  I just need the Hula lady lamp and my kitsch palace will be complete ;-)

Next up for the next generation of makers.  My good friend, Lana gave birth to her first small person and naturally I had to make him something - it would be rude not too.  So little bubba bear got a crocheted hat.  I made it using eco cotton so cool enough to wear in the non existent summer we were having at the time.

The absolute cuteness of the hat was displayed in my face :)  I used this ace pattern by Osito.  It only took a couple of hours to make but has brought much joy according to Mama bear :)

Then after a four year wait the Olympics were upon us and I must admit I wasn't really too excited until a week before when I caught a documentary about Team GB.  I'm a sucker for a back story and to hear how much effort these people had put into to get them to the start line well you'd have to have a hard heart to not be swept up by it.  I along with pretty much everyone I've spoken too was awed and in love with the whole affair.  I hadn't got tickets but I managed to cycle into the city to see the triathlon and I can confess I cried as I stood by the Serpentine and saw the Brownlee brothers take gold and bronze respectively.  I also swooned big time when I saw his Royal Hotness David Beckham blasting up the Thames on a speed boat!  *wobbles at the memory*

So inspired was I that I've signed up for the Brighton half marathon in February - wish me luck!  I will be training with Fit Bitch running club and I'll update you on my progress towards the finish line.

Knowing full well I'll never be going for gold myself I crafted my way to one. You can too with some acrylic wool and a spare hour.

As soon as the games were upon us it seemed like no time at all until I was back down the sea front watching the closing ceremony on the big screen.  But I'm hoping the positive effect they've had on us all will stay a long while and will indeed inspire a generation.  All the efforts of stars like Mo, Jessica, Greg and Sir Chris inspired one last make in me.  

I wanted a new summer dress for my jaunt to Berlin so I used a very loud piece of fabric and a self drafted bodice and full skirt pattern to make the Rio Here We Come dress.

So there you have it my darlings this is what I've been up too for the last few weeks and there's no let up at Demeanour HQ anytime soon.  The next order of business is the final fittings of the toile bridesmaid dresses for the lovely Laura's wedding :)  

The last day of Laura's hen do and the sun came out :)  Feel so lucky to be making outfits for such wonderful women.

I'll be back soon with an update of my escapades.  

Until next time let's take one last look at Becks on the boat ;-)

Love Miss D

xxx

What I've figured out at the grand old age of 32

Hello lovers,

How are we all? Where has time gone?  Can you believe it we are over halfway through the year now!  I do believe time goes quicker the longer I spend on this ole' planet.  On the subject of age I hit 32 a couple of weeks ago.  Not a landmark age I know but I can remember it seemed a long way a way at 16 and certainly a lot more mature than I ever thought I could be.

Well the news is 32 is cool and to be honest I feel as silly as I did at 16 but with a better sense of style - no seafood print culottes here!

Here's ten things I've garnered on my journey into the 33rd year of my days:

1. The higher the hair the closer to heaven - I measured my hair today and it's grown 4 inches since I made my decision to make the beehive my style goal.
2. No matter how old you are you can always meet fabulous people who get you - this one is for all the makers I've met online and in person in the last year and who inspire me daily.
3. Time does heal a heartbreak - but the addition of great friends, cake, midnight making, Kraut rock and Dolly Parton will make the whole sorry situation sweeter.
4. Being yourself is the essence of style - in my case that might mean rocking a purple lace playsuit one day and a skirt with sunshines appliqued on the bum another.
5. You're never too old to learn something new -  My latest learning curve being knitting.  It's early days but  it's already got my attention even if I haven't got the tension cracked.
6. It's alright to not have a plan -  My life has taken a bit of scenic route over the last few years but I can say I'm genuinely enjoying the journey and it's helped me work out the destination I'd like to head, which is behind a mic at BBC6 music if anyone there is reading this ;-)  My hero Jarvis Cocker is behind on me this one, "I don't like careerists. I like people who mess up."
7. In helping someone else you're helping yourself - recently I bombed down to Devon to assist my cousin Rowena's daughter with a wedding dress for her school project. She got the dress of her dreams and I got some great experience of fitting someone other than myself, which I can put to good use when I fit my fellow bridesmaids. 
8. Just because someone knows more doesn't always mean they know better - When I was at school I sewed my project to my skirt in sewing class.  My miserable old teacher told me I'd never be a homemaker and put me off stitching for nearly 16 years.  If only she could see me now *smiles down at handmade frock and pokes tongue out*.
9. Never underestimate the importance of sellotape - I've emergency hemmed with it before I went to see Pulp at Royal Albert Hall and stuck rogue bra straps out the way countless times.
10. The bottom line for a drinkable wine is £3.99 - you go any lower and it's only good for mulled wine making or window cleaning.

There you have it dears that's my pontifications for now.  Please feel free to let me know any of your own gems :)

So as not to make this post completely text heavy and despite the fact I'm without camera at the moment I've had a crack at animation.  Below is my latest make the Ripe Ones Are More Juicy dress.  It's made from fabric I took a chance on last time me and the merry band of seamstresses hit Walthamstow.  The pattern is Simplicity 1880 and is the dress that dear Kate Middleton wore to meet a whole heap of soldiers last year.  It's the subject of a sewalong by the fantastic Fashionable Stitch and I highly recommend it.

Her version was a very pretty shade of yellow where is mine a lurid shade of orange that matches Warburton Toastie loaf and Fanta but no matter I love her :)

Miss D has left the building.

I leave you with a pearl from a fellow Gemini who I adore.

“If I'd observed all the rules I'd never have got anywhere.” 

                                                                                                                     ― Marilyn Monroe

Love Miss D

xxx

End of Me Made May, The Queen and a Wedding Dress

Hello dears,

Hope we're all well and haven't been washed away in the torrents.  As a write this it's a windy, rainy and sunny evening in Brighty so a mixed bag a bit like May this year.

Well unfortunately my blinking camera has gone up the wall and will not turn on so I've only got one picture from the last week of Me Made May'12 boo :s  It's bad camera luck all round at the mo when I caught up with the lovely Kathryn of Yes I Like That at the inaugural and ace Brighton Bloggers' Bash she told me the sad tale of leaving her camera at Farnborough station double boo :(

So here's the one pic I have.

Day 23 - A lovely afternoon by the sea catching up with my gorge friend Shirley and wearing the Burda Neon Twister dress rouched up as a top.

Part of my pledge this May was to get all my mending done.  Sadly life took over and that didn't happen but I did manage to finally tackle the sewing corner yay!

Look at the state of it - shameful!

A few hours later there was room for a sit down and a few verses of Suspicious Minds.  Before the year is out I'm gonna nail that sucker on the uke

Well what have I learned from MMM12?  That I truly am a frosting and not so much a cake kind of gal when it comes to sewing. The frosting versus cake phenomenon has been discussed heavily round the blogosphere with a very thoughtful post by Tasia.  I think the joy in being able to make loads of lovely frocks that in my previously RTW life would have been denied to me because of my odd bod make up led me to make plenty of show stoppers and not so many the show must go on items.  So I've realised I now need to get a few basics rocking.  That's cool though because I've finally got to grips with the overlocker and I've bought Sew U Home Stretch so let the back to basics training begin.  

Fear not though faithful readers as the showstoppers show no sign of stopping as the other thing I realised about my wearing habits is that I walk a different line in regards to appropriate attire.  By that I mean I'm as happy to rock to the shops in a flouncy frock as I am in leggings and a t-shirt.  That's the great thing I guess about sewing for yourself you define it.  So yay for Me Made May'12 and to it's faithful curator the lovely Zoe.

I took a rare afternoon off to indulge in the Jubilee revelry and knocked up Mary Berry's Union Jack tray bake for my sister's street party.  The cake was a hit but the weather sadly not.  Gale force winds and rain but being British we didn't let it stop us.  The kids ran round in the mud and rain and the adults kept toasty under the tarpaulin with mulled wine a plenty :)

Note I'm rocking a red, white and blue best to make the cake, which was delicious even if I do say so myself :) Happy Diamond M'am

Jubilee granny square for our crochet workshop

Thanks to Zoe mending and reassessing of wardrobe requirements weren't the only thing I got up to craft wise in May.  As some of you may know Zoe in another of her guises runs an amazing crafty affair in Brighton called Craftaganza.  Over the Jubilee weekend there was a two day craft love in, which I was very happy to be apart of.  My role included running a crochet workshop with Zoe's beloved, Mr P who himself is a very accomplished hooker (pardon me on the crochet related jokes I just can't help myself).  We had a lovely turn out and everyone went away with their very own hand crafted granny square.  Being a bit of Queenie fanatic I took the opportunity to dress as a royal highness.

I crocheted my tiara and my ruff and managed to get a second use out of the Royal Wedding macaron

Over the Jubilee I can report I was busy as the Queen because as soon as I finished Craftaganza I was off like a shot to Devon on a sewing mercy mission for my cousin Rowena.  Her eldest daughter had chose to make a wedding dress as her handwork project at school and with just a few weeks to go and Rowena 7 months pregnant with baby number 5 they needed help.  Never one to turn down a few days at their beautiful cottage in the rolling Devon countryside I was on the train with Brenda and my first knitting project quicker than you can say I do.

Keziah had chosen Vogue V2902 as the starting point but with the desire to make it floor length

On arrival I saw the patterns had been sufficiently altered and we got cutting.  I will now always have measure twice cut once ringing in my ears.  As bless her at 14 in the 8 weeks since the pattern had been altered she had grown taller and nothing fitted properly so we had to start all over again from scratch.  Needless to say the dress wasn't done by the Friday afternoon that I was leaving so I took it with me and my already ample luggage back home.

Always happy to create a bit more adventure I was going home via London.  I'd bought myself an early birthday present to see the ever amazing Richard Hawley at the Forum in Kentish Town.  The look on the cloakroom attendant's face on checking in a sewing machine and a wedding dress was priceless.  The effort was well worth it though because Mr Hawley was his usual epic self despite having broken his leg a few days earlier.  What a Northern trooper I say and a foxy one at that ;-)

The smoking hot Mr Hawley - I really hope they didn't break the mould after this one

After I came down from the ceiling after 90 minutes in his presence I got to work on the rest of the wedding dress and here she is.

She's actually made of material that is used to make duvets but it gave the dress a beautiful drape

I've since spoken to Keziah and she said it fits like a glove and she's over the moon so I'm very happy indeed :)  She's planning to take photos of her in it down by the sea so I'll post the dress in action when I have one.

So there you go my darlings from May to June I dressed in me made, I dressed a Queen (pearly), I dressed as a Queen and then I dressed a bride well technically at 14 she's a tad too young but you never know I may make her wedding dress one day.

Phew are you tired because I know I am so I will bid you adieu until next time.

I leave you with Richard Hawley's take on music and why I love him:

"All great songs should make you want to fight, cry, drink, dance or make love.  The dream would be to write one that made you want to do all those things at once.  Now that really would be something."

Miss D 

xxx

The Fit For a Queen jacket

Hello my sweethearts,

I'm messing with the order here and popping a post in about a little project that I have been teasing those that follow me on Twitter and Facebook with.  I could only allude to what had been a foot because the commission in question was for charity and had to be kept under wraps.  Normal programming will resume as of tomorrow when I finally finish yapping about my participation in Me Made May 12'.

Enough of the preamble and just tell us what you've been doing Miss I hear you cry.  Well for those of you who don't know I worked for a charity called Macmillan Cancer Support last year in my other guise as a journalist.  I helped the media team by interviewing people who had been directly and indirectly affected by cancer.  It was a wonderful experience, which at times was sad but also incredibly life affirming because I learned how amazing and strong people are at what I can only imagine is the worst time in their lives and to hear how much people had been helped by Macmillan and how grateful they were.

It was during this time that I started to learn to sew and the rest of the team followed my making adventures avidly.  Fast forward a year and they got in touch to ask if I could create a jacket for the Pearly Queen of Hackney, Jackie Murphy who had received support when her husband, Micky died from cancer three years ago.

Jackie Murphy, Pearly Queen of Hackney (left) as pictured in the Islington Tribune

 Jackie in her role as a Pearly, which are London's second oldest charity and raises a massive amount of money for good causes wears a full Pearl embroidered suit that takes months to make.  You can read more about the Pearly Kings and Queens at The Pearlies website.

The only answer was an absolute yes so here is the story of the Fit for a Queen jacket.

The task was to create a Jubilee themed Pearly jacket using the charity badges above that are being sold in Poundland and are available to buy now.

These were the sketches I created that provided the basis for  final jacket design.

The plain old jacket.

Creating the traditional bejewelled Pearly collar.

Delilah and I made an ace team for this project she never moaned once when I kept accidentally pinning the badges to her.

The front taking shape and starting to get very heavy.

Halfway through and the front is finished with well over 500 badges pinned.

The wording on the back was the trickiest part of the project.  The B in Jubilee took numerous attempts.

 A diamond really helped the jacket sparkle :)

The final stage was to add a little bunting over the shoulders and down the arms.

From beginning to end it took about a week to make after all the fiddling and repinning, is made of over a 1000 badges and although I didn't weigh it my guess on trying it on was around 3 stone (19kg).  

Now you've seen how it was made over to Jackie to show you how it should be worn.

By royal decree: Jackie Murphy, Pearly Queen of Hackney as pictured in the Evening Standard (photo by James McCauley)

So there we have it a jacket fit for a queen.  I just want to say a massive thank you to Macmillan for asking me to help them raise awareness and funds for their amazing work it was my absolute pleasure.

Love Miss D

xxx

Me Made Days 12 - 22

Ciao darlings,

A touch behind with the Me Made May'12 blogging apols but I've been all tied up creating a commission for Macmillan Cancer Support that I will blog about in due course.

Day 12 - no photo I'm afraid because I was too busy running my lovely friend Lana's baby shower and forgot to get a picture but I was rushing around in the Luck of the Irish dress.  It obviously did give me a lot of luck because the shower was a storming success, which was not bad as prior to my research I had no idea what a occurred at a baby shower.

Day 13 - Another day of no photos but I was rocking my flamingos PJs that I made for Karen's pyjama party.  It had been a hectic week and I'm not ashamed to say I spent the entire day in pyjamas or as I like to think of them leisure wear ;-)

Day 14 - I went for a two tone rude girl look  to go about my business.

 

My me made item is the hand crocheted bow tie that I made last year.  It had it's first outing when I finally got to see some of my fave musical style icons The Specials.

Day 15 - I had a couple of interviews to sort out and I felt the need to be efficient yet foxy so it had to be the I Heart Joanie Forever dress

Day 16 - I had a Brighton Fringe event to hit up and nothing to wear.  No fear though because I used one one of my mending projects.   The checked librarian dress took a turn for the worst and developed a big old hole :(  I wasn't going to let it go down like that and instead made it shorter to heal the hole and nipped off the arms by doing a machine lined bodice to strengthen it.

The before and after :)

The mended version got rocked at The Iron Boot Scrapers gig - they're an ace Brighton based band that  play versions of modern songs using trumpets and what not in a trad jazz style.  Check them out below doing their version of Rhianna's Umbrella.

Day 17 - I had a busy day winding up with a lovely Stitch and Bitch at Purl so I yanked out the polka dot secret agent dress.

Oona provided the tutorial for this simple but foxy dress.  I urge you to get involved you will not regret it.

Day 18 - I'm not putting picture up of me for this day because I wanted to post one of a dear friend of mine who was incredibly supportive of my various making escapades and whose funeral I attended.  Tanya was my youngest brother's best friend's Mum and an amazing lady who sadly lost her battle with cancer.  She was an ace knitter, a keen crafter and all around fantastic person who I feel very lucky to have known and very sad to have said good bye too.

Tanya - a very good soul indeed xxx

Day 19 - I had a day with the family whilst back home and I decided to wear something really bright in honour of Tanya so I whipped on the Sunshine of My Life skirt because I know it would make her smile.

Day 20 - Zoe, my friend Aymi and I made the most of the sun to hit up some open houses.  There was still a nip in the air so I twinned the Supergirl half circle skirt with my electric blue trench coat.

Clothes aren't the only thing that has got mended in May.  My beloved bike Rita who had been robbed of her wheels finally got fixed up thanks to my legendary Uncle Brian and is now sporting an electric blue pair, which match nicely with my skirt ;-)

Day 21 - I had the last day of my intermediate sewing course at Sew in Brighton so I popped on my Mime Artist stretch top and a headscarf to get down to business.  I picked up loads of tips as always and I'm going to use my gathering skills on my latest make the Ripe Ones Are More Juicy dress - post to follow.

Day 22 - The sun came out to play and the obvious choice was a seafood based the Lobster mini.  

There we go a whistle stop tour of mid May.  Hope you've all been having a fabulous time in the sunshine.

Ta ta for now sweethearts,

xxx

Me Made May'12 days 4 - 10

Howdy partners,

Hope we are all rootin and tootin now the rain has gone away and the sun has come out to play.  I realised I was serrrrrrrrrrriously behind on my documenting of Me Made May'12 and to just put a spanner in the works I also clocked that several days had not been photographed.  So I've done some mock ups but I've tried to bring out the spirit of each garment using my facial muscles and strong poses :)  It's up to you to decide whether I have achieved this or indeed just look like I've ruptured a vessel.

Friday - Day 4

A trip to London for a meeting and the need to project the look that says I am stylish yet efficient - the obvious garment to achieve this was the Bet Lynch Eat Your Hear Out dress

Delilah modelling my apron and the top of half of my next project.

To give the dress a little more zing I added a handmade brooch courtesy of the fabulous Kirstin Stride.  Her jewellery is gorgeous and every piece is hand drawn so each one is unique and will liven up any outfit. She's also starring as Miss Monday in Zoe's Me Made for others May.

It had been a long day in London so the slippers were straight on.

Then it was time for a lay down with a wine and a little TV.

Saturday - Day 5 

The Minnie Mouse Sencha and a stretchy skirt.

Twinned with my mended Tatty Devine Jarvis specs.

That day was v productive - I learned to knit and how to make handmade bread courtesy of a great tutorial from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.  I can confirm it was phenom and is the way forward.  I can also confirm I fancy the pants off Hugh :)

Sunday - Day 6

The Luck of the Irish got whipped out for an afternoon spent exploring Brighton's open houses with some fabulous friends.

Me Made's faithful leader Zoe and the lovely Elena of Seamless.  After all the snooping we settled down for a well deserved bevvy.

Monday - Day 7

Spent the day getting the hang of knit and purl in the lobster Macaron and was every inch the relaxing day a bank holiday should be :)

Tuesday - Day 8

I had a private view to nip to for the fantastically talented Sarah of Rockcakes jewellery and the maker of my much loved heart of gold brooch. I then had a knit bootcamp to hop to at Purl so I needed something to rush about in so the You Are The Sunshine of My Life skirt was just the thing.

Wednesday - Day 9

The rain was coming down but I was bringing the sunshine out with the 60s Summer Holiday dress.

Thursday - Day 9

Again the rains came down but I thought what the hell bring out the flamingoes and have a margarita and make like I'm in Barbados instead of Brighton.

Friday - Day 10

A busy day spent planning the first ever baby shower I had ever organised or in fact attended.  I wanted something effective to wear so I threw on my animal print cardigan with my me made tube skirt.  It's the second thing I ever made on an overlocker and it's holding up well.

Phew so there we have it last week partially mocked up but fully documented.  Hope you are all enjoying May as much as I am.  I just love seeing everyone's finery.

Until next time,

Take a picture it last longer mwah!

Miss D

xxx