Beads & Velvet Reimagined from a Funky Vintage Upcycle

Hello There! It’s been a while. My mother had been very ill and then passed away in March. That is the reason for my absence here. It’s been a time for both grieving as well as endless amounts of sorting and figuring out of #allthethings in relation to my mom’s transition. Thank you for your patience!

These are the last photos my mom took of me, and of my projects. It was in early January. I had intended for this to be a Christmas Tea outfit, and then a New Years outfit. But alas, neither ended up working out. So goes life! Some times are less sparkly than others….

The Frannie Adventure Doll - Designing a Rag Doll

Over the last few months I’ve been hard at work developing a pattern for a Rag Doll. “Why a Rag Doll?” you might ask. Well the truth is that I’ve always loved dolls. I loved my barbies, I loved my china dolls, and I loved hand made rag dolls as well. When I was 8 years old, My Grandma Fran gave me her Bisque Baby Doll that she got when she was 8. I still have that doll. It’s a little worse for wear and needs some attention but I still have it.

I also loved making dolls and made quite a few as a child. It always gave me pleasure and I was infinitely fascinated by the process.

Sewing a Miss Fisher Style Jacket with Vintage Chinese Silk

Today’s post is about a 1920’s Short Car Coat I finished just last week. The fabric for the jacket/coat has been in my stash for the last several years. I was planning on making it to go with the blouse and skirt I’m wearing in the photos, for Miss Fisher Con, which was almost 1 year ago (already?). It didn’t quite happen in the time I originally planned to make it, but an occasion came up and It seemed like a faster make than finishing a sweater, so off I went.

Going to Miss Fisher Con 2018 - my favorite moments

It's been almost two months since I attended the 2nd annual Miss Fisher Convention. If you don't know about Miss Fisher, she is the main character in a series of books by author, Kerry Greenwood. The books inspired an Australian TV Series called Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. A quite liberated lady detective, Miss Fisher, lives in 1929 Melborne, Australia. The Convention, celebrated everything "Miss Fisher". If you haven't seen it, you should. Fantastic show and books and her snappy dressing (ie. beautiful costume design) inspired me to create a whole wardrobe and rope my friends into coming along for the ride.

Miss Fisher Con or Bust - Fitting my Art Deco Inspired Evening Gown

Miss Fisher Con is less than a week away and my wardrobe is getting the finishing touches (even as you read this!). Here is a little sneak peak into the fitting of the evening gown I'll be wearing to the masquerade on the Saturday Evening of the Con.

A 1920's Blouse Done 3 ways with One Vintage Dress Pattern - Miss Fisher Wardrobe or Bust!

As part of my quest to build a "Miss Fisher" wardrobe, I've sewed up three little blouses inspired by separates her character wears in different episodes. This post will show you 3 blouses I have made, starting with one pattern and explain how you can do it too!

Creating a Skirt from a 1930's Dress Pattern

Recently, I've given myself the task of creating a "Miss Fisher" wardrobe....

Fashion Your Way to a Better Body Image - 5 ways to do it without Dieting

Body Image - That's a tough one for a lot of us. It's not something talked about openly, very often, but a lot of the people I work with seem to be challenged by it, and daily. I've struggled with my own body image over the years as have most of my friends. As a teenager, looking through fashion magazines constantly (wanting to be cool, fashionable and popular), I compared myself to the models on those pages, dressed beautifully & styled to the nines. The comparisons killed me. You see, I've always been my own worst critic. Self criticism and loathing get to the heart of the matter. That internal critic (along with a little external reinforcement - peer pressure, magazines etc.) led me to an eating disorder, hospitalization and a life unmanageable, all by the tender age of 15...

Full Bust / Narrow Shoulder Adjustment - Fitting my Embroidered Jacket

Alterations, Fitting, shopping, Sewing Vintage, SewingJennifer SerrMay 2, 2017jackets, alterations, missfisherstyle, miss fisher style, miss fryne fisher, miss fisher's murder mystery, fitting, fit techniques, jacket fitting, sewing, sewing blogger, sewing skills, embroidery

Building a Miss Fisher Wardrobe

Have you seen Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries? It's an Australian TV show based on the Kerry Greenwood Novels. The series highlights the Honorable Miss Fryne Fisher, who is a lady detective in the 1920's, and is played by the brilliant actress, Essie Davis. TheFryne character is the epitome of the strong, sassy, smart woman that I would love to be. AND she has a fantastic wardrobe.....

The Making of a Hat - How I achieved my 1920's Miss Fisher Look

Having acquired all the materials - wool hat (a la Old Navy), millinery wire, ribbon aplenty and a beautiful feather rose, I was ready to make my hat for the Girl's Inc. Hat's off to Women Who Dare event. Yay! I love decorating hats and making them very special.....

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