30 Years on from Jem

Exactly 30 years ago, as a fresh-faced 19 year old, I got a job at Jem Leotards as a junior cutter/patternmaker. We happened to be in Adelaide during the past week, so I arranged to go there, as kind of a “commemorative visit”. Jem Leotards is now called Jem Designs and is a shop with…

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Making a zero waste bra

Last week I shared my bra-making exploits which led to trying to make a zero waste bra pattern. The prototype got worn this week. The fit was fine and the pattern works – Yay! There were some problems to report though: I used an elastic that was too rough next to the skin and I…

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Blast from the past: 1991 grad collection

1991 grad parade collection sketches

While digging around in the shed in last month’s cleanup, I found a box containing some of the pieces from my graduation collection from fashion college. I was 18-nearly-19 when I graduated with an “Advanced Certificate in Pattern Technology” and my three-piece collection was called Cycle into Streetwear. The header picture in this blog post…

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The Jeans Recycling Challenge the last leg

the-jeans-recycling-challenge-the-last-leg-all-the-scraps

The Jeans Recycling Challenge: Transform a torn pair of jeans into something useful, re-using every part of the jeans. The story so far…                           I haven’t quite finished the jeans recycling challenge yet.  I still have the slippers to sew, and some small…

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“Flo-Jo of the Pool” cuts a dash at carnival!

spotty bathing ensemble head and shoulders

Do you remember Florence Joyner?  She was a US athletics star of the 1980’s.  Part of her fame was her long painted fingernails and figure-hugging flamboyant athletics outfits.  She favoured fluro and bright colours, one-legged leggings (ie- one leg bare), big hair, hooded leotards and bold jewellery. It goes without saying that you need to…

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