One day my desk will look like this...

www.theselby.com

But right now it looks like this..

Sorry I haven't been more interesting lately, its just that I have so much A-level coursework to hand in before Easter, I won't bore you with the details but all my subjects are heavily coursework based, which leaves me no time for sewing projects or blogging. 

I now have like 22 followers which is quite nice, I would appreciate it if you let me know who you are and what you think of my blog. Also let me know if you would like to trade links!

I love when bloggers do giveaways, therefore I'm thinking of doing one when I get up to 50 followers, it may take a long time, but I assure you it will be worth it.

What a stud

I have had this pink jumper for a while and I find it kinda dull, so inspired by the Topshop jumper above, I thought I'd do a bit of DIY...

I found these studs amongst my beads and buttons and I thought I may as well put them to use, you can find them in most haberdashery stores. They are pretty simple to attach; Just pierce them through the fabric and fold over the little tabs using pliers.

You can arrange them however you like and it's not hard to prise them off with pliers if you change your mind.

Voila! You have one tough jumper!

Photos by me (except the top one, from google)

My World

These are some photos of my room I took for an art project a while ago, I'm not that great at photography but I thought I would share this with you (my lovely followers).  I think a personal space like a bedroom can reflect the inhabitant's personality. Do you think this is true? What is your favourite element of your room?

I love my sewing machine to bits and also I like this book organiser which I customised using magazine cut-outs.

Photos taken by me - ask before you steal!

Floral brooch tutorial

This is perfect for a gift or just to treat yourself to something new for free!

You can use scrap fabric and it is super simple to make.

-First you need to cut a flower shape out of some card, I used a heart for the petal shapes, but it can be any shape you want.

Next you need to find some scrap fabric or if you don't have any, you can buy end of line fabrics in many shops very cheaply.

Then you need to pin your flower shape onto your first piece of fabric and cut around it.

-Next trim the flower shape so that it is slightly smaller than the shape you have just cut out, this is so that the layers will stand out when you stack all the fabric pieces together.

-Continue pinning and cutting, not forgetting to make the flower smaller as you go along. You can have as many layers as you like, depending on how big/thick you want your brooch.

-Once you have your desired amount of flower cut-outs, cut some circles from felt, or another thick fabric; these are to strengthen the brooch.

-Sew the layers together, placing a felt circle every few layers. I would advise sewing about 3 layers at a time so that it is strong.

-If you want some extra decor, find some buttons or beads that you think will look good with the fabrics you've used and sew them on.

-Finally add a safety pin or brooch pin, or you can even add a hair-clip to create a headpiece.

-Voila! you have a beautiful, layered, floral brooch. Wasn't so hard was it?

I hope this was helpful, I'd love to see your own creations!

Doodles

The other day I had a book-making class at school, its a good skill to have as you can make your own blank sketch books cheaply or make a book full of your own work. My first attempt was this small red book which ended up pretty lopsided and the pages are not sewn tightly enough. Nevertheless I have started to fill it with doodles, I have used fine-liner because I love the clean lines it gives especially with miniature drawings and one page includes a cut-out from Dazed.

Now I must get back to reading Wuthering Heights.. I've almost finished, soon Cathy, Nelly and Heathcliff will be out of my life!

my favourite costume moments

I love film and am an aspiring designer, so inevitably I take an interest in costume design. Costume designers are rarely recognised for their talent. Think about it, you know the names of the actors and director of your favourite film but not the name of the costume designer.

Here are some of my favourite style moments in film. Interestingly all of these films are set before my time. Evidently I have a love for 20s, and 40s style.

The more films I watch, the more I consider studying Costume rather than Fashion design, the whole process of research, especially for period films, would be inspiring. Also you get to work with loads of different people from writers to actors and overall the final product is rewarding.

[Film] [Costume Designer]

1. Atonement - Jacqueline Duran

2. Chicago - Colleen Atwood

3./4. The Edge of Love - April Ferry

5. Changeling - Deborah Hopper

6. An Education - Odile Dicks-Mireaux

7. - Coco Avant Chanel - Catherine Leterrier

8. Heathers - Rudy Dillon

9. Breakfast at Tiffany's (forget the LBD, this orange coat is the hidden star of the film)- Hubert de Givenchy

10. The Notebook - Karyn Wagner

Dazed competition entry

For Dazed&Confused's 'decade drawn out competition' you have to choose a cover from the past decade and interpret it in your own way. I used mixed media from oil paint to gold leaf paint amongst many others.

There are so many amazing entries so I don't expect to win, but I do love entering art competitions!