HOW TO tie a neckerchief

Recently purchased from L'uccello some whimsical cotton neckerchiefs from the French brand inouitoosh, one for my sister and one for me (birthday presents!).

If you've always wanted to wear one but didn't know how to tie it this is my favourite method.  I'm working with neckerchief 54cm (21 1/4") square

1. Fold in half (wrong sides together) along the diagonal so that the opposite corners meet.

2. Fold in half again so that the points meet the fold line.

3. Fold in half again bringing the shorter folded edge up to meet the longer one. 

4. Repeat step 3. so you end up with a narrow folded tie about 5cm (2") wide.

5. Take the tie and place it around your neck so that all the folded edges are facing down toward your shoulder, secure with a loose double knot.  

 

6. Flip the knot by pushing the bottom tie end up through the neckerchief so it sits up and away from your shoulder, the other tie will now face down...and Voilà!

   

Postman's Sack

 This is the very first work bag I ever bought, I'd searched everywhere and I can remember it cost me an entire weeks salary.  Made in a deep green pebble leather it was the perfect size and shape, sort of like an old school postman's sack.  I loved it to the brink of death.  

  

 One day I'll have it restored but in the meantime I thought I'd have a go at making myself a new one in fabric.  One incredibly complicated pattern making session ensued, bag patterns are not easy!

The printed canvas came from Tessuti and some Liberty print leftovers were used for the lining.  My local bag/shoe repair shop (totally brilliant) added the eyelets and I top-stitched with a heavy thread to add definition.

Lounge Wear

Yoga maybe? 

Leisurewear?...I hope not, very disturbing! 

Lounge Wear is a definite possibility.

I made up THE BANDEAU in some leftovers donated by a friend and It's worn here with a velour version of the soon to be released JUMP PANT.  The corded velour for the pant came from goodness knows where, embarrassingly it was purchased so long ago I don't remember.

Making an all out effort to reduce the size of my fabric stockpile which may require some ongoing encouragement...stay tuned for a public Liberty print shaming! 

Fancy Lingerie Elastic

Once you've mastered the basics of knicker making you'll want to start experimenting with fancy lingerie elastics.
  
I've been asked many times where to buy good quality basic lingerie elastic so I've made a list of my favourite shops.  I also went looking for fancy elastics and found some really beautiful options....

FANCY LINGERIE ELASTIC/ VINTAGE OPTIONS
Etsy
So I started searching on Etsy and was immediately distracted.  I purchased some vintage elastic in a soft pale pink at a shop called The Bling Bazaar which is winging it's way from France as I type.

Etsy is a great place to look for vintage haberdashery however if you opt for vintage you really need to make sure it's still usable.  Over time it can lose it's stretch and become almost brittle if not stored correctly so contact the seller in advance.

Trixie Lixie(UK)
I searched around on-line and found Trixie Lixie based in the UK.  They have some really cute frilly edged elastics as well as a good range of basics in classic colours.

L'uccello
At L'uccello Kim had just received a new collection of two-tone French Lingerie Elastic...more shopping!  There are 5 colours in total (baby pink, dove blue, pale orange, cream & black) and all have a lovely vintage look.

I made a couple of samplers, first attaching the elastic the regular way and then just stitching it directly to the right side of the fabric leaving the raw edge to create a frill.  For interstate and OS customers L'uccello now has an on-line store, alternatively just ring or email Kim and ask for French Lingerie Elastic.  A trip to the store is highly recommended...hmm, or not depending on your bank balance.

Tessuti
Sourced from Japan these two-tone elastics from Mokuba have a pretty frilled edge.  The Melbourne store has 3 colours in stock but the full range was featured in a blog post right here.  They're not quite as stretchy as regular lingerie elastic so I made a couple of samplers and they worked really well.

BASIC LINGERIE ELASTIC
Clegs
Clegs stocks an 11mm wide version with a simple looped edge in 5 colours and it's available in store and on-line.  It has what I would describe as a strong stretch and is quite thick. 
 

Tessuti  
Tessuti has a slightly softer and lighter 9mm wide version which I prefer but it's only available in black & white.  Their lingerie elastic is not featured in the on-line store so just phone or email through an order.

Sew Sassy Fabrics(USA)
I searched around on-line and found Sew Sassy Fabrics which ships almost anywhere.  They have a really good range of basics with some cute loopy edged patterns I'm also keen to try.

If you've found a great source I'd love to hear from you!

Beach Baby

Viewing photographs of the recent resort collections I suddenly found myself in the mood for a Winter escape.  Alas with no time or budget I did the next best thing, I made something summery for my little niece.

To a simple Japanese pattern I added an extra large helping of Auntie Mame; I love Lucille Ball but the 1958 version staring Rosalind Russell is definitely my favourite.  In the spirit of Mame Dennis I combined an Hawaiian print voile, some Liberty print leftovers, aqua top-stitching and a crochet doily...Voilà!  The voile was found at Tessuti and the Liberty print came from Luccello.

   

 

Australian Orry-Kelly designed the costumes for Auntie Mame and another little movie which also features his work will be shown at ACMI on the big screen over 3 successive Saturdays....Some Like It Hot!!! 4pm June 8th, 15th, & 22nd.