Various things I’ve made…
…. some for work & some just for fun.
Plum rayon 1940’s recreation, self drafted, personal wardrobe
Vintage mans kimono made into 40’s style dress, self drafted, personal wardrobe
Rust silk 1930’s recreation, self drafted
“The Maids” theatre production
“The Maids” theatre production
“Bat Out Of Hell” musical
Pre WWII kimono into 1940’s dress 1, personal wardrobe
pre WWII kimono into 1940’s dress 2, personal wardrobe
pre WWII kimono into 1940’s dress 3, personal wardrobe
Tikki time, self drafted
and as another swim suit
Tikki Time wasn’t over until I was %100 happy with the pattern
Dress from 40’s Hollywood pattern
Pjs from vintage Weldon’s pattern
Dress from 60’s Butterick pattern
Bias silk crepe for Garstington Opera Company
Bias velvet for “Dancing On The Edge’ TV series
Fortuny style pleated gown for garsington Opera Co.
Brocade dress and stole worn by a tired model friend, in VV Free Patterns
Brocade 50’s style dress, self drafted, VV Free pattern
Reversible stole
1930’s style gown from vintage pattern. Cape self drafted
1930’s style gown from vintage pattern. Cape self drafted
Gold sequin cape, self drafted
VeraVenus 1940s coat, self drafted
VeraVenus 1940s coat, self drafted
Tweed version of 1940s Coat
Recreation of a 1940’s dress I saw in a photo, self drafted
From “Bloggin’ Blues’ post
From “Bloggin’ Blues” post
Velvet Kimono coat, early version
Boiled wool Cardi Coat
Reversible coat a friend made from my cardi Coat (Free) pattern
Appliquéd Kimono
Appliquéd Kimono for Making Magazine
Appliquéd Kimono for Making Magazine
Bias georgette nightgown, self drafted
Bias slip with lace bow applique from VV Free pattern, self drafted
30’s PJs on- personal wardrobe
30′ style PJs- from VV Free pattern, personal wardrobe
All made from VV French Knicker tutorial
50’s Style Pencil Skirt with Bucket pockets- personal wardrobe
40’s Style A-Line Skirt with Bow Detail- personal wardrobe
30’s style Gored Skirt with 6 Godets- personal wardrobe
Bias dress from vintage sequinned sari
Bespoke client dress
Tunic from sari
“Lamour’ swimsuit, 1 pc version , self drafted
‘VaVoom’ swim suit, self drafted
2 pc vintage style swim, self drafted
Blouse made from a cut up dress- personal wardrobe
Keyhole blouse made in vintage kimono fabric, self drafted
Blouse with Appliqued shoes and collar cut out from a vintage scarf- personal wardrobe
Flower Stick-pin for Making Magazine
Leather Rose Brooch for making Magazine
Kimono Fabric hair Clip for Making Magazine
Satin Kimono with hand Appliquéd French Cotton Lace- personal wardrobe
Satin Kimono with hand Appliquéd French Cotton Lace- personal wardrobe
Satin Kimono with hand Appliquéd French Cotton Lace- personal wardrobe
NYE 2012 Velvet Dress and Capelet- personal wardrobe
Inside NYE Dress
NYE selfie
Inspiration-Dorothy Lamour
1st version ‘Lamour’ Swimsuit- self drafted
1st version ‘Lamour’ Swimsuit , self drafted
60’s Swimwear Pattern
My version in printed cotton from India- personal wardrobe
My version in printed cotton from India- personal wardrobe
1940’s Swimsuit pattern
My version made from a cut up cotton French Connection skirt- personal wardrobe
My version made from a cut up cotton French Connection skirt- personal wardrobe
Original pattern
my version as summer frock- personal wardrobe
my version as summer frock- personal wardrobe
Original pattern
as silk blouse- personal wardrobe
as silk blouse- personal wardrobe
Original pattern…
…made into linen coat- personal wardrobe
kimono fabric facings- personal wardrobe
40’s Coat pattern
My version in rubberized cotton- personal wardrobe
My version in rubberized cotton- personal wardrobe
Bespoke Bias with lace sleeves
Bespoke wedding
The gorgeous bride
Ready for down the aisle
I am the Queen of Frills
Bespoke wedding dress,30 metres of frills
Bespoke wedding dress
Bespoke wedding dress
Bespoke wedding dress
Bespoke wedding dress
Bespoke wedding dress
Bespoke wedding dress
Bespoke costume for Venice carnival, self drafted 1
Bespoke costume for Venice carnival, self drafted 2
Bespoke costume for Venice carnival, self drafted 3
Children In Need 2012
Children In Need 2012
Children In Need 2012
Panto Sorceress Illustration
Made and Worn 2011
Made and Worn 2011
“Fairy Bridge” Made for Dick Whittington 2011
“Queen Rat” Made for Dick Wittington 2011
“Fairy Bridge” Made for Dick Whittington 2011
Designed and made for Richard Alston Dance Company
Designed and made for Laurie Booth
Designed and made for Richard Alston Dance Company
Three Little Ladies: dolls and clothing made by Jeanne, all self drafted.
Three little pairs of shoes
Hand made silk kimono and slip for 21″ doll
Love, love love your site! Am so anxious to make the bias slip. Is fitting on bias easier or harder than straight grain? If you have a bias tutorial and wouldn’t mind pointing me to it I would be forever grateful! I haven’t made it all the way through the site.
Your gallery is inspiring! I am blown away.
Thanks for putting these patterns and your beautiful pictures out here!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, and thank you. In my French Knicker Tutorial (on the free stuff page) there is a lot of info you may find helpful on cutting and seaming slippy fabrics, doing tiny pin hems and appliquéing lace that is all relevant in slip making too. As to your bias fitting question hmmm- not easier and not really harder just different. You need to think on the diagonal. Maybe try the slip in a soft thin cotton, like a cotton batiste or lawn first just to get the feel of it before trying a silky fabric. Hope it goes well and if you need help with a particular problem while making just get in touch via my contact form.
I am amazed. I am a very new sewer and I love your work. I would love to be able to do what you do. Any suggestions of ways to improve or things I should try to help me get started. I love your projects.
Thank you Gloria! Some suggestions: sew often, start with simple things in easy fabrics, don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t turn out quite like you hope-instead try and pinpoint what went wrong so you can learn from it, get yourself a good book on fitting as well as a basic sewing encyclopaedia …. and above all have fun and don’t be afraid to break rules as there is generally more than one way to get something done 🙂 If you try out any of my free patterns and have any questions about making them just get in touch!
Any suggested titles for books you suggested that you feel are most helpful?
I personally like the Readers Digest “New Complete Guide to Sewing” and have recommended that to a couple of new-to-sewing friends and they reported back that they found it very helpful. It also has 8 pages or so on basic fitting issues.
For more in-depth fitting the “Fit For Real People”by Palmer & Alto covers just about every fitting issue in what I think is a clear approachable way. There are more advanced books but for being new to sewing I think that’s a good start. Once you identify what your particular figure needs as compared to commercial patterns you’ll find that you do many of the same corrections on a lot of patterns and that it all becomes much easier with practise.
Of course there is a vast amount of info on the internet via blogs but the advantage of a book or two is that when you need some info and you look in a book, you find the answer and you get back to your sewing. If you head to the internet you’ll find sometimes too many ways to approach your problem and some info is a lot less accurate than other info. You may find that you just lost the afternoon blog surfing instead of sewing! 😉
Your VW Gallery is a feast for the eyes. On top of that, you make so many patterns on which these gorgeous creations are based available to us. Thank you!
You are very welcome, thank you for coming by!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try some of these patterns. You are very talented. 🙂
Thank you Lav, and just drop me a line should you have any questions about the patterns when you do.
I’m probably a bit ancient for swimwear
but I love yours !!
🙂
Love the nightwear & swimwear 🙂
Thank you Marneycalypso….. a small collection of swimsuit patterns is in process of being finished for release!
A friend directed me to your website – love the Calvary Coat. It so reminds me of the coat that Claire wears in the Outlander series coming to Starz. I would so love a pattern on this coat. Do you sell the pattern? Please say yes or please say one will be made available.
All I can say is WOW!!!! Stunning !! Thank you so much. Mwah!
Thank you 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Hi Vera
thanks for the reply it was the Audley shoes
I’m recovering from a major operation on my spine
and have had to wear ghastly flat shoes for
over a year so when my backs better I’m going
to buy some new shoes !!
oh poor you! For 10 months after a broken foot I too could only wear very structured and not very pretty flat lace-ups so understand how you are feeling about having some lovely non-flat shoes. Hope your recovery is going well and Happy Shoe Shopping! -Jeanne
Hi
earlier in the. year you were showing a beautiful
1940’s look dress but more to the point you wore
With it a lovely pair of 1940s shoes & you said where
You purchased them , could you possibly tell me again
Regards Jenny 🙂
hI Jenny, well the navy suede ones with my Lutterloh dress were from Audley London. Most others I think I’ve posted about were Miss L Fire. Hope that helps! If you remember the colour or something else about them I can be more accurate 🙂
Thanks for the free pattern for the french knics, let you know how they go down,
ooooops perhaps not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol, please do!
This is exactly the site I’ve been looking for! Thank you for the free patterns and tutorials – I will be reviewing my hoarded fabric/ going to the fabric store tomorrow for some supplies to make the pj top and the LBD. If possible, I’ll cancel all social engagement and other responsibilities (including sleep) so I can selfishly focus on sewing cool stuff for myself. Thanks!
Lol, Jan, a woman after my own heart 🙂 you are very welcome!
oh, thank you! I have been holding onto vintage material and clothing for years with the aim of altering/making new items and clinging to a fear of marring them. I’ll be busy for a while now, but look forward to checking in and finding inspiration anew.
You’re most welcome. Vintage pieces should be enjoyed and worn- I’ve recently done some serious surgery on a couple of 40’s suits (it was either the suits or me) to get them back in action and aim to get a post about that up very soon. Hope you get your pieces altered and/or made soon- fight the fear!
Such talent! So many beautiful garments you have made! I am in love with the playsuit! So darn cute!
Any possibility of a pattern (or version of, as it was for a private client) for the 30s wedding dress and/or the Bloggin Blues dress? The bodices for both dresses are gorgeous.
PS I found your blog via a pin to your 1940s knickers 🙂
Hi Dawn. The BB dress is definitely on my list to be graded and released as a commercial pattern. Still will be a couple of months from now before that happens though.
Love your costumes, I make costumes for a Girls High School, strictly low budget, yours are amazing!
You can certainly be called an honorary British person if you can undestand the concept of pantomime. Did you ‘go native’ and marry a British man? Some years ago I was trying to explain the pantomime version of Aladdin [without either of us attending it] to a person from the Middle East. I told him about the characters of Wishy-washy and Window Twankie and he was very much bemused. The gallery is very impressive but the appliqued kimono for ‘Making’ is the epitome of elegance. I just hope we get a better summer this year so that you can actually wear the bathing costumes.
I do get them from the costume point of view, but not as appreciative audience. I took my kids to a couple when they were quite small then said “no more”. Their British dad wouldn’t go either so they had to go with friends. There’s a number of TV shows I make costumes for and never watch either. Lol, good thing it isn’t a prerequisite for getting the work!
Thank you, that Kimono is one of my faves too. “Here here!!” for a good summer 🙂
Thank you for sharing your work plus your patterns and know how. You are extremely talented!
Thank you for your comment, Kristi 🙂 Much appreciated!
Wow, your projects are beautiful! and must be very time consuming. I love the orange bath-suit, did you make the hat yourself too? If so which pattern did you use?
Thank you Kalina 🙂 No, I didn’t make the red hat but a couple of other people have also asked me about it… it is straw but fabric could be used. That’s a nice idea for a project, I think I’ll try to make a pattern for a hat like that soon!