Ankara Short Suit

At the request of my dear friend Trish, I have made a short suit that I am proud of.

Here is a pic of the top I was supposed to replicate.

Having recently watched some videos of how to make patterns from existing clothes, I thought to trial that method.The problem I ran into is that both Trish and myself did not own a top like that one.My next mission, was to look for a commercial pattern.I went to both Spotlight and Lincraft. I sifted through loads of patterns, without finding anything close to what I wanted.My biggest challenge was the bra as I had never made one before.I ended up finding a pattern that I could knock off the bra from.

For the peplum, I went on line to find instructions on how to  make it without a pattern.Here is the link: http://micheleng.com/make-a-no-sew-peplum-belt-quick-easy/.On attaching the peplum, I found out that the peplum was rather big compared to the upper part of the top.I did not chop off the remaining part of the peplum, instead , I eased in to provide more fullness in the back of the top.

My next challenge was to adjust the bust area as it was too big.I needed to achieve this without making the bra cups smaller.After a few more adjustments, here is the finished product.

Trish rocking Ankara  short suit.

Crafting Adventures

This blog is all about my crafting adventures or misadventures whatever the case maybe.In late 2012, I got  a market stall and sold Ankara wall hangings, bangles and hair clips.It was a fun event and a good experience for me.

I had made a commitment to myself to at least make a project from beginning to end every week.On my return to work, however, I failed   to balance my time and did not completely achieve my goal.

Here is a list items I made though.

• Crotchet handbags, 1 complete, the rest yet to be completed.
• A man's shirt
• A blouse
• toilet paper roll wall  hanging

In trying to remember exactly what I made last year, I am realising that not much was made.I am starting this blog now in an effort to keep myself honest and to keep utilising my various talents and skills.We are 5 months into the new year, and this is what I have made.

• ankara gathered shirt
• ankara shorts
• ankra blouse
• ankara dress.

Not much I know.

I will cover the process I used to make the shorts and blouse in my next post. I would also like to experiment with knit fabrics and possibly make a coat this winter.I am also keen on remodelling clothes.I have currently started with turning my son's jeans into shorts, as he has grown taller. Oddly enough i did not think of it earlier and had actually bought a pair of jean shorts for $17.

I will also show you the processes that I have done to achieve a project.I also hope to at least complete one incomplete project form last year each week, until i have them covered.

Happy Crafting All