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Wedding dress alterations

my wedding dressOnce someone told me that when it comes to the wedding planning choose one thing that is most important to you, spend most of the money for that and make everything else work around it. This advice stuck in my head throughout my wedding planning! I guess majority of the brides would say that the most important wedding thing is a dress, but that wasn’t the case for me. I prioritised the venue (and caterers that sort of came with the venue), leaving the dress on the low budget.

Initially I thought to make my own dress, but then I realised that this might stress me out as it would take more than one skilled person to help me. So then I have decided to alter an excising dress. I tried Nicola’s wedding dress and then some wedding dresses at the charity shop and hey…. I got lucky with one of them ;-). I paid £100 for slightly damaged dress that I knew how to fix. That was a good first spend from our wedding budget don’t you think? After that the dress stayed untouched for good few months as I was trying to slim down before altering it (I could not completely fit into the dress even if the size was bigger that my usual!). My slimming down wasn’t going well however :-(. At some point I have even though to replace the zip with the lace. Luckily my friend Vicki have managed to squeeze me in just on time. Another thing I dreamed about was adding some lace to the dress, however I needed someone who knew dressmaking to help me. As an alternative I thought I will just add some ribbon flowers, however that did not quite worked out either (read on, will tell later).

wedding dress alterationsAs  you can see, originally the dress had halter neck which I completely disliked. Yes, it looked unique, but I did not feel it was my style! So the first alteration I have made (after fixing a broken zip) was to cut them off and tuck them in over the “boobtube” edge.

wedding dress alterationswedding dress alterationsNext, I fixed the obvious. The broken button loop has been stitched back and the trail connectors has been reinforced. wedding dress alterationsWith the halter neck off the dress seemed sitting very low exposing too much of my cleavage. I felt like I needed some straps to push the dress up. However I wasn’t keen on the straps so I was thinking to come back to my original idea to add some lace over the top….wedding dress alterationsThe lace idea did not worked out, too difficult to do that by myself and I really did not want to get a mannequin just for this occasion. So making a long strap going over the neck made complete sense. I know I know this looks like another halter neck, but at least it suited my taste!wedding dress alterationsNext step was cleaning the dress. When I found out that to dry clean the dress would cost at least £70, I have decided to wash it myself. I have done quite a bit of research and realised that this is quite safe to do. What did I have to lose? my dress only costed a £100! So I gave my dress a little warm bath with some Ecover Delicate Laundry Liquid and it came out super clean. I would like to say it almost came out brilliant white, but it did’t as the dress was ivory. But if it was a white dress I am sure the bath would have turned it into brilliant white!

Getting rid of the creases was a tough task. Luckily it passed the iron test, so I steamed ironed the whole dress. It was still quite challenging as there were many layers to go through!! Washing and ironing my wedding dressAs I mentioned at the beginning of this post I planned to decorate the dress with some ribbon flower brooches, however it did not look as I have imagined. So last minute decision was just to leave the dress plain. I did however decorated my wedding shoes with coloured ribbon flowers. That worked really well!bride's wedding dress + shoes!!

I hope you have been inspired ;-)

Rasa xoxo

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Make your own wrap dress

Wrap dress DIY

Do you remember the days when wrap dresses were so in? Well, I used to love them so much as they are so comfortable! I am sure society would not mind their come back. Click here for full DIY instructions.

Wrap dress DIY Wrap dress DIY Wrap dress DIY

 

Have a fun weekend!

Rasa xoxo

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Tips on buying a sewing machine on a budget

Tips on buying sewing machine on the budgetI went through quite many sewing machines in my lifetime so far and I think I have learned few tricks when buying new one. I got my first one when I was only 9 years old and it still works! So I decided to share few tips that I have learned along the way…

TIP No. 1: Buy old fashioned sewing machine. Why? Because they last much much longer (unless you drop it on the floor like me yesterday). In fact they can last for eternity! The thing is that they are so basic that is so easy to fix. And the parts are also very basic, so you can easily replace that broken needle or that lost foot. I bought my VICEROY for £35, then I fixed it for £15. £45 isn’t bad, is it? And I completely in love with the look! The only issue is that it only sew straight line, but it does it very well. Oh…and also, don’t buy too old fashioned machine that has no motor, unless you have lots of hand (or foot) power! Or you are like my friend Ali, who is completely purists when it comes to this matter. Really loved her letter to her electric sewing machine she once wrote:

“Dearest electric sewing machine.

I am leaving you. Our relationship has been strained now for many months now and there is simply no joy left in our relationship.
I shall confess to you now, as I believe in honesty and do not wish for you to hear this through a third party, such as those sneaky dress pins.
It is for the old hand crank that I am deserting you.
I know he is old, but he is full of charm and does things for me that you either can’t or wont ever do.
Where you tend to run away with my stitches at the least provocation, he stays on the straight and narrow, going at my pace, we work our way through the fabrics of this world together.
Where you are loud and driven, to the point of forging ahead, unconcerned for the subtle curves of our carefully pinned out coarse, his gentle progress is marked by a comforting clickedy clack of days gone by. He sways through the bends and beats, with me. We do not fight but have learned each others timing.
His reliability is worth so much more than you multiply stitch settings and I have never wanted to drop him out a fifty story window as I have often contemplated send you.

So this is goodbye and farewell. Good bloody riddance!
Your runaway bride,
Cloud”

TIP No. 2: Choose reliable brands. In my opinion BERNINA’s are the besties (sadly most expensive). But I have owned BROTHER previously and they were quite affordable and reliable. The only issue with them that they are quite laud! So sewing at night would be out of question ;-).

TIP No. 3: Go for second hand sewing machine. I bought my VICEROY from eBay. I so often see people ditching sewing after buying wonderful sewing machines and then selling it off. Its definitely worth to have a look ;-). Tips on buying sewing machine on the budget Tips on buying sewing machine on the budget

Hopefully that helps to start your journey in sewing!

Rasa xoxo

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How to extend the dress length

How to extend the dress lengthSometimes some dresses comes just too short! My friend’s Anna’s dress is really lovely, but it hardly covered her “butt” :-D. It’s not easy to extend the dress length and often requires some creativity. Here is my solution for Anna’s dress.  how to extend the dress lenght

 

1. I bought a similar fabric to the dress fabric (slightly heaver, but I think that worked out really well). I placed the dress on pattern cutting paper and roughly traced the the angle of expansion in the dress. 2. I drew the top line from traced angle equaling the dress lining width and repeated the same angle on other side. I drew 1 cm allowance around. 3. I then cut the pattern piece and pinned it onto the folded fabric (to get two pieces for front and back). 4. The cut out fabric then have been pinned together (front and back) ready to be stitched. 5. Once the pieces are stitched together on both sides (I used french seam) then top and bottom edges can be hemmed. 6. Attach the extension onto the dress lining and stitch it down (I found using hand-stitch is best at this stage).

How to extend the dress length

 

Never get rid of pretty dress again ;-)

Rasa xoxo

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Make your own ribbon flower brooch

Make your own ribbon flower brooch DIYSometimes it’s just nice to put something colourful to liven up an outfit! I like doing that with the playful necklace or a brooch. I find this ribbon flower brooch works really well. Click here to see how I made it.Make your own ribbon flower brooch DIY Make your own ribbon flower brooch DIYEnjoy your weekend :-)

Rasa xoxo

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Make your own spring/summer dress

Spring/summer dress DIY

Recently I have been busy making this spring/dress that I fell in love with almost instantly! It’s perfect for my walks around the Lea valley park. Can be worn with cardigan when it is chilly and accessorised as you wish.

Walk around the Lea valley park

Spring/Summer dress DIY, easy pattern

Spring/Summer dress DIY, easy pattern

walk in the lea valley park

This dress is so easy to make and is shaped with the ties. Suitable for many types of figure! Go here to get started and make your own ;-).

how to tie the dress

Nicola dress DIY, easy pattern

walk in Lea valley park

Enjoy your long weekend :)

Rasa

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Scented hearts instead of chocolate ones ;-)

Scented Rice Hearts DIY step by step instructions

Today I have been making scented rice hearts! I love this idea of putting these little heart shaped sachets into the box and gifting them instead of box of chocolate. These are cute, practical and last much longer than chocolate (you know why!). Ok, ok… I did sneak in some chocolate in this box…

Scented rice hearts with chocolate

And this is how. Cut few hearts in tissue paper (pic 1), stitch around leaving big enough gap to fit the chocolate through (pic 2). Once the chocolate is inside, close the gap by stitching on it (pics 3-4).

making paper pacaging for chocolates

So now you know my secret ;-). Click here to see how scented rice hearts has been made.

scented rice hearts DIY

Wishing you the best weekend ever ;-)

Rasa xoxo

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Time to organise your handbag!

 

cometic bag DIY

We, ladies, love to organise (or most of us)! Our overfilled/have everything you need handbags are no exception!  I do admit, sometimes I wonder if I take more time organising or doing actual tasks. Last year I made the cosmetic bag that Vickie loved. This year I have decided to made a book pouch. Because books deserve to be protected from the rest of the stuff in the handbag! For this easy DIY go here ;-).

Easy to make envelope pouch DIY

Happy organising!

Rasa ;-)

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✄ The Knitting & Stitching Show ✄

 

 

I had such an inspiring day yesterday at The Knitting & Stitching Show :) in London. It was defiantly worth to visit! This event is for everybody who loves crafts as it has many exhibitors who offers classes, supplies, books or ready crafted goodness to sell. Although it was quite overwhelming to see so much in one day, I have few favourites: Sheep Of Steel hand-spins this lovely yarn (pictures above and bellow)

Fabric Affair

Really pretty Irish fabric (Fabric Affair picture above and Magee Of Donegal picture bellow)

Maggee of Donegal

And some work with Liberty fabrics. I love Liberty fabrics!

IMG_5068

I was quite tempted to buy everything, but I settled for something that was on sale (lots and lots of yarns that I am looking forward to work with!), a pair vintage plastic needles (I so want more of them), and tatting shuttles (I will tell you more about it next time).

IMG_5121

You wish you were there? Well, you are not too late! It is on for this weekend in Alexander Palace, London.

Have a lovely weekend then!

Rasa :)

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10 pillow challenge: patch-worked one

Triangle patchwork variations

After having a long relaxing weekend there is always the time when you have to come back to work :(… So I returned to my pillow challenge today to do some patch-working. This one is simple, but quite creative as there are many pattern variations ;) Don’t you just love that? Here are the instructions!

Patchworkedpillow

Enjoy!

Rasa

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Cat pillow DIY

I don’t know about you but having a pet in London is quite a difficulty, especially if you are renting. I once wanted a cat, but came across other issues. This is quite a long story… ok, ok, I will say it quick: I wanted to adopt, but RSPCA was so concerned about me not working full time that they did not even bother to visit my place. I am still confused if I wasn’t adopting a child instead of pet, because part time job = can’t support a cat financially! Really? Anyways, I am happy I was not considered, because I don’t know how I would be baking now? Imagine all those hair all over the place. Maybe next time! 
Vickie’s flatmate, Fränzel would also like a cat, but can’t have it in rented place :-(. So as a gift (Vickie is leaving the house, so she wanted to give something nice to remember), we decided to make a stuffed cat! I know I know this might not replace a real cat, but look at those extra uses for it. You can have it as a cushion or a decoration, or a neck pillow! So don’t be sad if you are not able to keep a pet, make a stuffed one to cheer you up! ;-)  
Here are the instructions!
When your stuffed cat is finished, you can….
Are you relaxed?
Rasa ;)
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Make your own apron

I made this apron for my friend Vickie (late birthday gift) who is wonderful in cooking (great chopping skills may I say). This was also a good chance for me to try out my new vintage sewing machine which works like a dream and it was quite affordable on e-bay.  Few things had to be fixed of course, but I still recommend old fashioned machine to anybody who wants to sew (not manual however, unless you want to be making apron for one month). And if you do get a vintage machine I really recommend Jennie (from London) who was really really helpful (and positive), it was so lovely to meet her!

Anyway I made the apron… happy happy! (I used to sew a lot in the past when I studied Fashion at Uni, so was feeling a bit nostalgic, missing all this sewing experience)…. And this is how I wrapped the gift…

So how did I make it? Well… try it for yourself! Here are the instructions.

Let me know how it goes ;)

Rasa xox

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Christmas decorations! (if it is not too late)

I love Christmas, especially the preparation for Christmas bit… you know, buying gifts and decorating… except I have not had a chance to decorate the festive tree for quite some time! You see, I usually spend Christmas in Lithuania and often I find that by the time I get there my little brothers (aged 12 and 9 years) get it all decorated without me…. Well, this year I thought I will go to Lithuania early therefore in advance I tried to negotiate if I could get at least one tree. It wasn’t easy as my little brother got stuck with those traditions that the tree should be decorated exactly on 1st of December as that’s when Advent starts. However I managed and the Christmas tree viewed above now is mine!

I don’t know but I most likely to be late with Christmas  decorations, but if you are like me (being late) and stuck for ideas, there you go – I am sharing here with you!

Happy decorating!

Rasa xox

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