Merry Christmas and wrap up warm!

Here is a nice way to use those lacy bits and peices from the charity shop. Makeover your old gloves!

This designer has a lovely site full of accesories!

I love this and the pretty cosy hat!

Folkloric bag.

 

Cosy cardigan and scarf ,looks good with the ruffled skirt.



I like these kids in their peasant clothes especially the red shirt.

 

I am inspired to sew by this! The bag is great too

Hope you like these ideas and can use some in your sewing and crafting!

Not much time now for anything but having a jolly Christmas. My Mum who is coming to stay started my interest in clothes,fabrics etc and taught me  to sew. She will be 90 years old in the spring and she is still a sharp dresser and has a wonderful sense of colour.I can remember my Dad and Mum staying up late at night making our Christmas presents. Mum dressing dolls and Dad building model forts and garages . Money was not around for expensive presents but I was always so happy with my home made ones!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folkloric dress

These delightful tops come from Russia.

This a painting by Natasha Malashevich a Russian painter.

 

This as a vintage Czech dress it brings to mind early Laura Ashley!

More from the Czech Republic,a dance costume ,the bolero has great embroidery and the woman's costume is bursting with colour!

This is from Denmark and I would love to wear it!

These colourful women are Gugerati.The intricacy of  the mirrorwork and embroidery is wonderful.

How handsome these young men from Georgia look in traditional dress!

Think I like the one on the far right myself!

This is a traditional Norwegian outfit and I would love to try it on too!The detail on the sleeves and cuffs  I love.

What a masterpiece this is!

 

A tunic from Ukraine.

These are only a few of the marvellous Folkloric clothes that I have been looking at recently . What I love about this kind of dress is the amazingly skillful work, stitches, embroidery and design that ordinary people have created. They are inspiring to me  and I am sure to other dressmakers and designers.I like fashion but this makes me realize that before huge fashion houses and consumerism in clothing took hold beautiful ,decourative and practical garments have always been created!

They are works of art and womens art at that because I think that women probably did the designing and the needlework,hope you like them!



A quick Look at Spring!

 Really sweet!

This is a very good idea for utilizing lovely scraps and upcycling something that is a bit tired in the wardrobe. Maybe a long sleeved T shirt or the top of a dress !

Might have a go at this!



Now it is getting colder !

How about this lovely ,cosy looking jacket!

 

The back looks so feminine,everyone would want to give you a cuddle in this ,must be good!

How I wish knitting patterns did not look like rocket science to me,this is beautiful!

This is a recycled woolly,love it!

 

My latest bit of sewing,a skirt embellished with lace. It has a nice comfortable elasticated waist with a frilled top. A slim belt looks good with it, the fabric is very slightly stretchy needle cord and hangs nicely.A lacy white slip will finsh this off over knee boots,wish I could afford that lovely jacket to go with it but I must trawl the charity shops for something to alter instead. Actually much more satifying and moral too!



Gudrun Sjoden my Colour Heroine

As well as the  beautiful clothes she also designs for the home and is inspired herself by the work of Carl and Karen Larsson  and folkloric inspirations from all over the world.

Here she is with some of her models.

 

What a romantic hideaway!

Gudrun has been an inspiration  to me for many years now.I look forward to opening her catalogue as soon at it come through the door and my family know that when the latest one comes I  happily rush off to my favourite chair to feast on colour. I also look on her website ! Of all the great designers that I admire she is the most daring with her use of bright and stunning shades. She looks happy in her photgraphs and it shows  that she loves what she creates.Here are some favourites from past and present collections.

 

This is from the collection inspired by Karin Larsson's textiles.

I love the snow scene and the folkloric outfit.

Embroidery is one of her strengths,gorgeous!

Exquisite work.

 

Inspired layering.

 

 

 

These clothes are not for throwing away each season they are for treasuring.

 

Gudrun uses models of all ages , shapes and sizes to show that we can all look colourful!

 

 

 

This is such a beautiful study.

 

The styles are romantic and easy to wear not like so much throw away fashion that seems to me to be a form of self torture, especially the shoes!!!! These are made for wandering in the woods,along the beach or dreaming round the fire. I love them,hope you like this look at Sweden's most colourfull designer and long may she delight us with her wonderful  creations.

 

http://www.gudrunsjoden.com/uk/start-pages/2012/winter/start8 

 



My latest attempt at home made style!

I loved the brown check dress I posted from my favourite french boutique  and decided to try to make something inspired by it. Here is the piece during construction.

 

I found this Autumn coloured check cotton at our local fabric shop . Truro Fabrics,a great place full of lovely textiles ,yarn,books and magazines about all types of needlework,knitting and crafting of many kinds.The shop is famous here in Cornwall and people come distances to shop there. One good reason is the wonderful staff who are all enthusiasts and have great knowledge to share.

 

 

I decided to play around with a little pocket and even tried a few lazy daisies,I haven't done any embroidery for years and I think I might try and do some more.Mum taught me a few stitches a long time ago.

The little piece of antique lace I found in my lace box was just right!

So here it is finished! I will wear it with a lacy underskirt ,laceup brown boots and some lovely warm winter tights when it gets a bit chilly.I am not a very expert seamstress but I am happy with this skirt.

Next project is going to be another skirt from an old skirt pattern I just picked up for 40 pence in a charity shop this afternoon..

 





This from an artisan fashion house in Nimes France called Belle and Sebastiene. they make lovely things that I would love to wear!

 

 

Wrap up warm!

 

If this shop was anywhere near me I would be destitute!

 

This from Inge de Jonge a Belgian  designer.

 

What a nice detail on the pocket.

Another piece by Belle and Sebastiene from their Autumn Collection.

I am making a check skirt at the moment inspired by some of the romantic clothes I have seen .When it is finished I will post a photo although I cannot match these clever designers!!

 

 



Nostalgia and Inspiration.

 

I love clothes from the past and find  inspiration for sewing from paintings and pictures.

I have had this book for many years and before me it was in my Granny's house,then Mum put it away until we found it again and it has come to me.

The illustrations are charming .

Fun on the beach in these fetching little numbers!

I would love to have that sleeping suit,it even has a pocket!!

These are really lovely especially the pinafore slip with the applique.

The hat is cute too!

 

Love it!

Just the hat for strollng in this pretty garden,what a nice word strolling is ,we should do more of it!

What secret love letters could be tucked into this pretty bag to read again in the peace of the garden.

 

Dreaming! 

I like the flowered belt! 

 

 

Back inside to do a spot of sewing before tea. 

 

 

 

Dainty insert.

 

Or if you had the odd twenty minutes run up this blouse.

 

Or this?

 

The childrens clothes are sweet especially the floral hat.

Perhaps a timely warning!

 

Not to get so into hobbies that you neglect your womanly duties!

Lovely clothes but I would not want to have to go back to the social mores of the period.

Elaine ,my blog friend could probably wear some of these when she is tending her lovely garden.

How about it Elaine? 

This is a sweet book ,gentle, practical and from a lost world however there are some inspiring ideas for fashion today. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I like browsing this old book.