Some outfits I have made recently

 Hi all!

Welcome to my fashion parade.

Recently as I was working up to starting my blog again, I thought it might be easier to show my outfits.

So I set up a tripod near the front door and used it with a phone mount to quickly take a photo as I walked in from my morning outing.

Every morning Cris and I go out to a cafe with our dog Winter to exercise her (as we live in an apartment) and to spend time together. Cris says he is retired in the mornings. On the way home we walk near the lake and admire the nature. It’s a lovely habit. And I tend to dress up a bit for the fun of it. When we return home our apartment is so warm I usually get around in Summer gear.

So here are some examples of my recent Winter outfits (we live in Australia).

I’ve started out with a few things I’ve made. This first one is an old thrifted blanket that I made into a Japanese style apron. It is sooo warm. It was a mockup, but it’s turned out so well I have it in my normal wardrobe. I may dye it one day when it gets too filthy. I hand stitched it and used some old ecodyed silk to highlight the pockets.

The next item is a granny square vest I’ve been enjoying. Giving my outfits some colour during Winter.

I made the squares for a blanket for our bed, but ran out of patience, so put them together this way instead!

Oh yes, I also knitted the gloves I’m wearing.

This is actually a failed renovation. I bought this lovely woolen Men’s dressing gown for $5. I coloured in the piping with its distinctive white and navy. But every time I wore it it still felt too much like a dressing gown. Even though when I look at this photo it looks fine! So I was going to play with it a bit more but realised it isn’t on the straight grain and that threw me so much I chucked it in the fabric pile to be used another day. Maybe I’ll make it into a skirt.

I love this item which I knitted, I call the strangled octopus. It is able to be worn many ways, and just gives boring jackets a bit of personality.

I have a hat I knitted with a brim and I find it is super useful on windy sunny Winter days. So I thought I would crochet another one out of my head. Well, it was nearly a disaster! But we persevered, and although it is a massive hat, it did come in very handy when I went to the seaside.

And we finish with a few “normal” ones!

I hope you enjoyed that fashion show? Can you hear the cool music in your head and all the applause?!

A phrase I call my theme music is “Shine on you crazy diamond”. Maybe that is playing in your head right now?

Have a wonderful week my friends.

Til next time,

Keep on creating!

Love,

Jazzy Jack

Mad Hatter

In order to show off my latest creation on Style Crone's Hat Attack, I've composed this post :-D

Hetty the Hatter
made hats when it mattered.
When the cold winter winds bit,
Hetty would sit and knit.
Needles and wool would fly
She nearly put out an eye!
But Hetty nevertheless
made hats worthy of the best.

 

Here Hetty is modelling her chocolate brown merino creation, which with versatility can be worn against the head, or with the more slouch hat look.
 

 
This green creation is reminiscent of moss. For this one Hetty pulled out her crochet hooks. Made with mohair, merino and alpaca wool, the crown has a spiral form. Very warm.

Next Hetty is wearing her variegated green and brown slouch hat which can also be converted to a cowl. She loves to make works which can be experienced many ways. This piece has been created out of alpaca with its soft fall, and knitted squares adding texture.

 
Finally we see Hetty in a new style for her. A whole new look using bulky wool and sky blue colourway. The design of this hat is a conical shape finishing in a point, referencing acorns and seedpods.

I feel Hetty may need a short break from working, it seems to have affected her slightly, as we witness her wearing all her creations at once proving her balancing ability, and finally juggling them!

Well, she was always one for innovation. Not only hats, but circus toys as well!

So ladies and gentlemen, please remember Hetty the Hatter as you choose your hats. May she inspire you to experience hats a little differently this season!

'Til next time, keep creating

and showing your individual selves to the world!

 

Love

Jazzy Jack

PS A sneak peek at Hetty's work in progress...baby alpaca and silk...mmm love the colour...and sooo soft!

PPS Don't forget to visit the linkup. Judith is looking particularly snazzy in multi-coloured velvet...mmm...mmm!

Halloween/Hello in please come,Yoda!

Today for Share-in-Style Halloween over on Mis Papelicos I thought I'd show you my backwards jumper.

I cut a jumper up the back and turned it into a cardigan, because I liked the idea of the pattern on the back. Not sure how successful it was.

But I photographed it against the backdrop of Mr Artist's bedroom.

We allowed him to decorate his room, so he drew an abandoned army base, complete with spiders...as you do!

Here is the back...

and now the front!

I also crocheted pockets with lining, and then thought the lining looked too nice to hide, so swapped. So we now have insideout pockets on a backwards jumper!

Here is the inside of the pocket inset into the door. What do you think, should I turn them back to the front to show the crochet?

So now the rest of the artwork...forget about my jumper!

Here is the back of the door.

With safe lock, keypad, bullet holes and spy hole.

Then above his bed is exweaponry, a hatch, and a bedhead full of worms...of course:-)

This was the first wall to be arted.

The headless monster being painted coming through the wall was the first, followed by two flight simulators, then the army base decommissioning happened all around.

We love our creative kids, and can't really complain when they paint on their walls as we do too! I hope you've enjoyed this little Halloween jaunt around Mr Artist's creation.
Til next time, keep creating and showing the world your wonderful uniqueness!

Love, 
Jazzy Jack 

Waiting for love

There once was a man who loved.

He sent a dragon scarf to tell of his love.

His love wore his scarf every day

 and thought of him so far away.

 She had many ways to wear it.

 Even through the cold winter months 

her scarf kept her warm

 while she waited for him to come to her.

At last she felt his arms surrounding her and was at peace.

Cheesy I know! But this really was given to me by Bushy after he had been away on one of his frequent overseas trips. Indonesia, or Malaysia I think.

I like the pattern so much, and you can't see it well when tied up. So I invented this style so I could enjoy the design!

Linen pants, and shirt - retail

Jumper - gift from beautiful sister

Scarf - from my lover man

Pearl earrings - generous Mother-in-law

Green wool jacket - op shop

Dry felted flowers on jacket - by me

Green mohair and alpaca beanie - crocheted by me

New haircut - also by me!

'Til next time, keep creating!

Jazzy Jack

PS I'm linking up with Patti's Visible Monday
Come and see the visible peeps!

Floribunda gone mad!

This week is Orchid week on Spy Girl 52-Pick-Me-Up

The only problem is I can't find ANY in my closet!

So I rummaged around and found all the flowers in my closet and chucked them on.

Close enough!

Watch out, blinding stockings on the legs!

 If I stand in this garden, 

people will totally believe I'm an orchid!

You want moi to star in your film "The Orchid " in which an orchid comes alive and engulfs a celebrity (!) blogger? 

Oh, I swoon!

Is this my best side?

I am a method actor, immersing myself in my part.

Oh, it's orchid, not orchard!

Hee hee!

Crochet scarf - made by me

Merino jumper - retail (old)

Red skirt - opshop, upcycled

Blue coat - op shop

Stockings - retail

Shoes - op shop

Umbrella - ancient

Ribbon head band - handmade

Brooch - grandma's

Ring - op shop

Earrings - retail (old)

Come on over to Spy Girl 

and see the others who got it right :-)

Also sharing my shoey goodness with Sheila's Shoe Shine

and my pseudo-hat with Style Crone's Hat Attack.

Come on over and party with all of the Beauties!

And as luck would have it, Sacremento of Mis Papelicos

is having Share-In-Style flower theme, 

along with Alicia of Spashionista

It really is Floribunda gone mad!

Come and throw some flower petals with us all!!

'Til next time, keep creating!

Jazzy Jack

Architectural Clothing

So today, my lovelies, for your perusing pleasure we have a denim outfit. I am linking up with Denim: Share-in-style at Mis Papelicos. Come and join the party!

Men's jeans bought retail- men's cut is best for me because I have no hips.

We also have what looks like a denim shirt, but is only denim coloured. It's brushed cotton, and so cosy! Also men's- secondhand for $7.

The belt is Diesel, bought secondhand for $3 - it has a seatbelt action buckle, very cool.

Scarf is a gift, and shoes are retail, Rockport painted by me.

Underneath is a men's shirt - Kathmandu, bought on special years ago.

As we get ready to brave the elements, I put on a felted pink secondhand jumper, and neck warmer I knitted out of alpaca wool.

It can also convert to a hat. Here I'm wearing the neck warmer I crocheted also seen here.

I wanted to show you my new kimono made of wool.

I picked up this fabric for $4 secondhand!

$30 for a metre in the shops at the moment.

I copied a simple kimono pattern from here  referred to by Andrea of Little Did You Know,

 and used a kilt pin to close.

I love it's architectural feeling.

On the back I added a piece of suede leather to reinforce the back neck where there is a lot of tension.

You can also see the back of the hat - it pulls up with a drawstring.

I adjusted the pattern slightly by folding the fronts back and adding a line of stitching to make pockets. I also top stitched the front edge, and the fold line.

See my hat?

Here are some closeups.

My shoes are painted with acrylic paints and oil pastels, with lines by permanent marker, then spray varnished.

The original colour of the shoes matched the laces.

I've linked up to Sheila's Shoe Shine.

Come and see some other gorgeous feet!

The neckwarmers

Now a hat

I wore my mittens made from socks, see this post.

 I decided to let the bottom edge of the kimomo fray, with a line of zigzag stitching about 2cm up to restrict the fraying and stop the whole coat fraying away!

A close up of the sleeves where I left the selvedge as a contrast feature.

Here is the back neck with the piece of suede reinforcing.

You may notice the seam line down the back is actually inside out. I changed my mind and made the inside the outside, so I just stitched the edges of the seam allowance to look like a feature!

So there we have it...the kimono I made 1 hour before we went to the Winter Festival at my kids' school on Friday night. And it's warm!

Linking up to Hat Attack at The Style Crone 

Come and view the exquisite hats!

Also to 52 pick me up - minimalism at spy girl

because my kimono is made of two rectangles. Come and see some more crazy minimalist looks.

'Til next time, keep creating!

Jazzy Jack