Zelda by Designer Pearl Red Moon

'Zelda' by Pearl Red Moon

Recently, I was very fortunate to have been chosen as a pattern tester for designer Pearl Red Moon - Boho Banjo Art To Wear. I should say firstly that I don't usually make garments although I can operate a sewing machine and that I am very short in stature, so regular patterns need to be significantly altered. However, as one of the pattern testers, I made "Zelda" exactly according to the instructions.

http://boho-banjo-art-to-wear.myshopify.com/

This is a great pattern for those of us who don't fit "exactly" the normal commercial sizes - aren't we in the majority? It is a loose fitting, contemporary and stylish top. I loved the design because it's "different" and can look as conservative or as funky as you like depending on your choice of fabrics. My choice of fabric ? I must admit just before closing time one day late in December, I ran into a fabric shop and chose two of the small range of available stretch fabrics which I thought may go together . The next time I make this pattern I might give myself a little more time to think about my choices, and of course I am so tempted to purchase the stunning unique prints by Pearl herself.

'Zelda' pattern by Pearl Red Moon, sewn by me.

Two of Pearl's fabulous fabric designs available from her Spoonflower shop, la_perla http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/la_perla

back of "Zelda"

This was a very easy pattern to make - all the pattern pieces fitted together perfectly. The hardest part of this pattern was taping the A4 printed sheets together .... but this has even be solved as Officeworks now offers a service of printing patterns/diagrams/designs onto large sheets. This would certainly save time, but I had no problem printing off at home the pages of the PDF pattern and as each page was clearly marked and numbered, it was just a matter of being patient enough to put the pages together in order ( and making sure you have enough sticky tape before you start!) . The sewing was easy and the instructions are clear. I don;t have a lot of experience making clothing and I experienced no difficulty in constructing "Zelda" . As you can see from the photos, Zelda turned into a tunic for me , but remember I said I am very short. If I were to make this again, I don' t think I would try to change the pattern length at all ... I particularly love wearing tunics, so would just create Zelda Tunic #2. This garment has to be one of the most comfortable and easy to wear - you can move with confidence in "Zelda" - I would suggest that you even feel like dancing when you wear a "Zelda" creation.

My Zelda tunic

Zelda - comfortable and easy wearing

"Zeld'' in motion

Pearl Red Moon's pattern is certainly value for money - only $14! I think it is both fun to make and wear with the bonus of a unique bespoke addition to your wardrobe. Thank you, Pearl!

Important links :

Purchase your downloadable PDF pattern from Boho Banjo Art to Wear

http://boho-banjo-art-to-wear.myshopify.com/collections/all

Purchase your designer fabric from la-perla Spoonflower shop http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/la_perla

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

From my workshop page....

Current Workshops Offerings Thinking of a workshop for your group in 2022? Art Doll Workshops : - Garden Thread Dolls (one day workshop - WoW -(Woman of Wisdom) - embellished stump doll with either cloth head or clay head. This is an a rt doll workshop .... either offered as a series of workshops or 2 full days days! - Message/Story Stick doll - doll made with found objects and upcycled cloth. ( one day) - Elemental totems - stick doll variation , with sculpture ( one or two days, depending on surface decoration of fabric) TEXTILE AND MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOPS Temari - embroidered wrapped balls in traditional style. - Dipping Into Tea - tea and embroidery on canvas with photo transfer on fabric. ( two days) work by Judith Bee, workshop participant. - Tea Bag sculpture : ...

In the Pink

At Tag Tuesday . Pinky O' Hagan is hosting a tag challenge which asks for 'a bit of pink".... not so difficult if you like pink. I don't use a lot of pink in my work, so it was quite a bit of a challenge when I thought only of pink - my thoughts went to pink roses, pink hearts, pink confectionery !!! Then I referred to this week's colour prompts, #coloricombo by artists Este MacLeod.... pink with sap green, dark tea, and sea green. I'm not sure I got the colours in this palette exactly, but here is my tag, a stylised landscape - The collaged background of the tag has torn pieces of watercolour art rejects, painted magazine pages and a little bit of gift paper. The tree silhouette is decorated with paper dots, cut with a hole puncher.

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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