Hello Internet!
It’s been a while since my last blog post, and my sincerest apology for my hiatus. So many big things happened in the past month, such as visiting other towns in Melbourne, going back to my old hobby of gardening, then the major chance: moving into a new (rental) house, after some naughty vermins attacked our original home in Cromie Drive, which needs an 80% full renovation.. geez!
For many of you who still continuously supporting my blog and my social media pages, thank you so much. I am so much grateful for all of you.
As of this writing, I’ve been living here in Australia for 7months and I’m glad that I am getting used to many chances, and not feeling stressed about it. Here in Victoria, the State Government released the second lockdown (now only the CBD of Melbourne, and nearby suburb) due to the second wave of Covid19 cases. Not pleasant news however, we are grateful that we live in Gippsland where Covid19 case is very isolated.
So, while in continuous restrictions of movement (which I don’t mind either), I’ve been enjoying my time sewing and you can find some of my previous upcycling projects here, here, here, and here.
For today’s blog, I would like to share with you my latest upcycling project!
MATERIALS:
* two bags of precut cotton fabrics (in various sizes and designs, good for making patchwork quilting)
* thread and pairs of scissors
* Brother Sewing Machine TY200A
How many times I have mentioned that I love op-shopping?!
During one of my op shop tour, I found these bags of precut cotton fabrics from my favorite op shop in Korumbarra called Friends of Hillside Lodge OP Shop. Although they are all precut in various sizes and lengths, I couldn’t let it out from my hands while visualizing what I could do out of these fabrics (which doesn’t include making quilt blanket, or even scrunchies coz I have tons of it). So without a clear vision about it, I decided to grab them after all, cotton fabrics are always usable and those prints are certainly pleasant.
For the past few days after my op shop trip, I’ve been looking for inspiration online, then I found Miu Miu’s latest Pre-Fall 2020 Collection. And that hit me.
I could make a dress Mui Miu-inspired dress without fall-ing my budget (pun intended)!
History of patchwork quilting
Patchwork Quilting goes back many years. Examples of quilting have been found in tombs of Pharaohs dating back to 3400BC. Joseph's coat of many colors was probably patchworked. Even armor was made by quilting heavy fabrics together. Quilted bed covers were recorded in household inventories from the 17th century. Patchwork quilting has even evolved into an art form known as art quilts. The Amish have developed the quilting traditions of other immigrants into America, into their own style.
Emigrants from Europe took their traditions of making quilts from scraps with them to America. Ideas and designs and even fabrics were exchanged across the Atlantic. The Log Cabin Quilt Design that was originally known in Ireland as the Folded Quilt Design, was a good way of using small scraps of fabric to create a very practical piece of art. It is doubtful if women quilters viewed their creations as art, it is much more likely they were simply seen as a quilt to cover a bed and provide warmth, albeit still a beautiful item. Crazy quilts are made from randomly stitching together odd pieces of cloth. In colonial times all cloth had to be shipped from Europe at great expense so nothing could be wasted.
Patchwork quilting is generally regarded as a female pastime since traditionally men did not learn to sew, while sewing was an essential skill for a young woman. Quilting was also a social pastime. Women would gather together to piece the top together and while they worked they would exchange gossip and tales. Sometimes after a quilting party, the men would join the women for supper, and often romances would begin.
Lives are displayed in traditional patchwork quilts. Part of the dress of a dead child or part of a cherished Father's shirt could be pieced in to allow the maker to hold her memories. Quilts have been made over the years, lifetimes, or even generations. Telling the tales of women's lives through embroidery, color, and embellishment.
I may not an Amish however, just like a true-blue Amish I love crafting as part of my hobby, and I believe in not wasting fabric. Buying those bags of scrap fabrics from the op shop is not a bad idea after all.
Making the Patchwork Dress
Using my other dresses, I made a pattern from an old newspaper. Luckily, I found this one precut fabric that is good enough to make the whole top of my dress.I used another fabric print to make ribbons for my top. One thing I like using cotton fabric is it is quite easy to cut and sew.
Having the first layer of ruffles looks nice but I have been meaning to make a dramatic dress. So I continue the process of connecting many precut fabrics until I achieve a full dramatic skirt.
It took me almost two weeks to finish my dress, not only because of the tedious sewing technique of the patchwork but because of this baby above.
See what I meant?
Connecting various fabrics in many odd sizes is very tedious. While I connect them pieces by pieces, I noticed the uniqueness of each print. I also discovered that these fabrics come from many designers and fabric makers from around Australia, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and even as far away as Great Britain. Isn’t that amazing?!
See what I meant?
Connecting various fabrics in many odd sizes is very tedious. While I connect them pieces by pieces, I noticed the uniqueness of each print. I also discovered that these fabrics come from many designers and fabric makers from around Australia, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and even as far away as Great Britain. Isn’t that amazing?!
The whole skirt will consist of four layers which will be quite heavy than I expected. I didn’t use any underlining coz, I can use my cotton underpants as an alternative.
And voila! Here’s the finished project!
I love how it turned out! The dress is perfect for the country lifestyle that I have now, plus I managed to save those precut fabrics and turn into another work of art. The prints and colors turn out pretty good by combining them all together. The length of the skirt is so good that makes me feel more dreamy… which is why I couldn’t help but show you how I wear this dress!
I had so much fun planning and creating this dress, including this little photoshoot with my cat. She is an adorable cat who wants to be always in the picture. It makes me happy that I could give another life and function for discarded materials, and I can’t wait for my next DIY sewing project.
I don’t need to spend thousands of dollars from Miu Miu just to have a patchwork dress in-style.
Only spent AUD12.00 plus time and dedication to achieve my goal.
What do you think of this dress? I would love to know your thought below.
Until the next DIY project!
Girl, this is fabulous! You're so talented!
ReplyDeleteThank you dear!
DeleteThat's a lovely dress you made! Wish I could find fabric as pretty as these here in Manila! Though I know my sisters would probably just steal this dress from my closet if I do make one!
ReplyDeleteFabrics in Manila are way cheaper than here in Australia. I only rely on thrift shop fabrics for a cheaper option :)
DeleteWhat a nice dress!! I love that you do upcycling, which is a great way to reduce trash in the environment. You look so lovely in that dress that looks like an umbrella, especially in the picture with your cute kitten.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ramil!
DeleteWhat a beautiful dress! You look really nice in it, it was worth all the work. Your cat is so beautiful he almost stole your post haha
ReplyDeleteHahaha she always did!
DeleteYou've created a beautiful dress! Great work! It's looks both fun and comfy!
ReplyDeleteI love that my hard work turned out satisfying :)
Deletei am seriously obsessed with your patchwork dress and the cutest pics ever with your dog. so cute. well done!!!
ReplyDeleteShe isn't a dog... but yeah she sometimes thinks she is a dog, lol.
DeleteTo be very honest, nothing beats patch-work! The colours are just right, the sizes of clothing used are perfect and the entire thing is mmwwaahhhh!
ReplyDeleteOh my Goodness, it so preety. I wish I were even 0.01% crafty like you.
ReplyDeleteAww , it is never too late to learn a new craft :)
DeleteThis has really been a labour of love for you as it seems... The whole process seems "so personal"and invested not like buying a piece of expensive material put together in a hurry!.. The photos you too are gorgeous and your baby cat is a cuty same as you
ReplyDeleteAww thank you Sab! Yes she is a cutey and gives so much joy to our family.
DeleteI love tailoring, this dress is so gorgeous, looks so good.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear!
DeleteThis is absolutely amazing!! I wish I could sew
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! It is never too late to learn sewing :)
DeleteVery beautiful dress with many cool colours. I really love them. Can I get it online to buy?
ReplyDeleteHi dear! I will give you update when I decided to sell it online :)
Deleteomg that is super cute! how creative.
ReplyDeleteThank you Katrina!
DeleteYour Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress looks fab! Good job being productive! Give us more dresses that you sew!
ReplyDeleteThank you Emman! Will make more :)
DeleteI love how full that dress is! I can imagine all the colors I would like to use to make one.
ReplyDeleteYes you can Marie! No boundaries :)
DeleteAwesome article. LOVE your creativity!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tiffany!
DeleteThe dress is absolutely gorgeous - you did a great job <3
ReplyDeleteLouise x
Thanks for appreciating my craft, Louise!
DeleteWow! This dress is so pretty awesome! I love the style, the design, as in everything. How i wish i can do something like this.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear! It is never too late to learn sewing :)
DeleteHow nice! I love all the colors. You did an amazing job. It makes me wish I could sew.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute dress. This would be a great way to reuse baby clothes.
ReplyDeleteYes for that!
DeleteAbsolutely love the dress. The color, the patches, the whole thing is gorgeous. What a great job!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, what a creativity. A beautiful floral dress, love every bit of it. You are a skilled designer and creator.
ReplyDeleteAwww thank you! I'm still a newbie designer :)
DeleteWow. You have such a talent. Your dress definitely expresses who you are and being into life. Art is such an important element to creative. I love the dress!!!🤗
ReplyDeleteThank you Chantal! My surroundings keeps me motivated and gives me an amazing purpose :)
DeleteThis turned out beautiful! I love the patterns. My 7 year old daughter has taken an interest in sewing and I will be showing her this as a fun project!
ReplyDeleteAww thank you for appreciating my project! And hope she will love sewing as well :)
DeleteI am horrible at sewing and admire your artistry. That dress is super cute!
ReplyDeleteI was horrible too in sewing, then I keep on practicing :)
DeleteI love the look of traditional patchwork quilts. The way that you've made it into a springlike dress puts such a contemporary flare on it, so cute! I could even imagine it with some lace trim added to it if someone wanted an added bit of flare. It looks fabulous and is such a great way to spend time during quarantine!
ReplyDeleteyeah, adding some lace would be nice as well. Maybe I'll make another one :)
DeleteThat is such a cute dress. It looks so good on you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Marta!
DeleteWow! Quilting is truly not only for blankets! It's an interesting Fashion item! I love the colors you picked out too! Sewing is a laborious process, you are so patient! To more upcycling! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHahaha yup will make more diy projects and sewing projects :)
Deletei am always in awe of you talent in sewing.. not just sewing anything.. but making a fantastic creation! yan ang gustong gusto ko matuto din eh kaso ewan ko ba.. parang not for me talaga
ReplyDeleteDon't worry! You are good in other things that maybe I am not. We all have different talents, skills, and passions :)
DeleteHello from a fellow Melbourne-person! (I'm not sure if there's a word from people who live here, despite always living here 😂) Whilst I'm sorry you're restricted in what you can do while you're here, I've also been spending my time doing craft/DIY projects too! This looks like quite a big project, but you've done an amazing job! I LOVE sewing, and have always wanted to make my own clothes (stores just never have what I want!), but I'm just so nervous to start trying and I don't know why 🙊 This really is amazing though. You are so talented!
ReplyDeleteHi Indya! Thank you for visiting my blog :)
DeleteI also thinking of opening an online store for my creations, but I can't put time to it coz I am enjoining blogging and DIY-ing! Moving here in Australia is such a big change for me, and I am making the most of my time that I am here. When I worked in a corporate firm, I always feel guilty of not putting time for my sewing, now its amazing that my I got all my time for it!
Oh wow this outfit looks so amazing and lovely..glad you shared the review with us am truly gonna try to make this out..great work though...
ReplyDeleteThank you Jhangi!!!
DeleteNow this is just talent, you totally nailed it and made want to get a sewing machine even though I don't know the ins and out of using one. It turned out beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI got patience in connecting these small pieces while hoping it will turn out to be nice. Hard work pays well.
DeleteThis dress looks amazing, you're really talented! I also love how you multi-task and mask while you sew, I do the same while I'm writing! x
ReplyDeleteThat's great! We can multi-task on both activities that we like.
DeleteThis is so pretty. It really came out nicely and it looks good on you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the work you put into this dress! I would love to have one someday!
ReplyDeleteThank you for appreciating my work :)
DeleteYou did a really good job! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cocoa Mom!
DeleteAchieve na achieve!!! Grabe it looks hard to do but you make it seem look easy to do! And you should start selling your work, if you haven’t yet! You’re super talented and i love the dedication and effort you put into each work! :)
ReplyDeleteAww thank you Hazel! Maybe after documenting my works I will consider selling them online :)
DeleteOo nga, tedious nga! haha! Pero ang galing! Ang ganda!
ReplyDeleteSalamat May!
DeleteWow! The dress is so beautiful! It's a casual look but you could really pose like a princess in it. You look stunning as well. I'm hoping to see more of your work! ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you Marielle! Yes will continue sharing more DIY and sustainable dresses :)
DeleteThis is amazing!!!!!! You’re sooo talented, the pattern. Color blocking and pleading of the skirt. Wow!! I would like to weird that skirt myself. Its so gorgeous ughhh
ReplyDeleteThank you Christian :)
DeleteOh my goodness that dress is gorgeous! Runway worthy!
ReplyDeleteAww you are so sweet :)
DeleteThe come up of the dress is sooo nice. I wish I can sew also. Upcycling is a nice idea specially now na marami tayong time to do it.
ReplyDeleteAnother one from you Miss Blair, ang gaganda ng mga damit nyo at mga na sew nyo na. I suggest na magbenta din kayo if pre-loved na. Galing!
ReplyDeleteThank you dear! Yes, I will consider rin.
DeleteLove the patterns that I can discern but it was more lovely how it all came together. I'm a fan of this style myself and I wish I know how to sew so I don't spend a lot on clothes and wear the designs I want comfortably. May I ask for recommendations of shops that sell these fabrics?
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting! I got these fabrics from thrift shops :)
DeleteYou did a fantastic job of it. Your dress is stunning. One of my favorite photos is of you wearing a face mask/skin care mask and sewing away. That's multitasking for sure. Hahaha
ReplyDeleteElizabeth O
hahaha thank you! Yeah we can do simple multi-tasking :)
DeleteSome of my relatives are tailors... This looks a hobbby that is enjoyable because you get to finish something and actually use it. WOW!
ReplyDelete"Patchwork Quilting goes back many years. Examples of quilting have been found in tombs of Pharaohs dating back to 3400BC." This is a revelation! Patchworks for the most influential people of the ancient world!
The cat looks so lovely! They really do know how toset boundaries.
"I love how it turned out!" It looks beautiful.
Thank you Romark!
DeleteI love the color scheme of this dress. You don't think its going to look good together than BAM it does. Seeing patchwork reminds me of my grandmother. I have a patchwork blanket she made for me out of my old baby clothes. It's falling apart, but I would love to fix it.
ReplyDeleteYou can still fix it :)
DeleteOMG! this is probably my favorite work of yours! it is so good, I'd wear it all the time
ReplyDeleteThank you Lyosha!
DeleteHi Blair! I so love your creations! All are adorable and so are you! I would love to recycle mine and do this thing, hope I can do it haha
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful Ann! By recycling, you are helping the world a better place.
DeleteI love this! You are so creative! You can own a boutique with your skills. I will surely buy dresses you make. Lol!
ReplyDeleteAww you are so sweet :)
Delete