Frocktails 2016 Dress aka Lady In Red

Chris de Burgh was, all things considered, rather proud of his back catalogue. He'd had some big hits in his day, but the one song he slightly regretted writing was that ever popular classic, Lady In Red. It wasn't the song itself that was the problem, but the fact that the mischievous imps he called his friends never failed to send him a pic of a lady in - you guessed it - red whenever they came across one. The little blighters had totally blown his data limit for the month by sending him an assortment of pics from some seamstress in Melbourne who had donned a red dress for an event called Frocktails.

Chris sighed as another pic notification dinged on his phone. Who were these people, he thought jadedly to himself, and what the hell is a Frocktails when it's at home? He stopped to look at the pic, and despite his general weariness of all girls in red dresses, he couldn't help but think that this red dress wasn't actually bad as far as red dresses went.

Tossing the phone onto the sofa, he then sat down at his piano to finish composing his next hit. He had been inclined to call this one Lady In Absolutely Nothing, but remembering the pictures filling his phone he thought better of it. and called it The Great Non-being instead.

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Oh dear - my apologies to Chris de Burgh, but ever since that night I have had Lady In Red on constant repeat in my brain. Wearing a red dress to Frocktails will do that to a girl! Melbourne Frocktails 2016 was a blast, and it was such a pleasure to see so many other fellow seamstresses all in their best, most inspiring finery. Old friends were caught up with, and new ones were made - it was a wonderful, wonderful night!

I had already made a version of Vogue 9100 the week before (as yet unblogged), and was so darn pleased with how it turned out that I immediately began dreaming of another one. The first one I made was in cotton, but with the tight bodice and full gathered skirt, I knew that the next one should be made into something sumptuous that with a skirt so full it could fill a room! Dashing into The Fabric Store with a scant 20 minutes to spare before they closed for the day, I caught sight of some red silk dupion, and knew my choice had been made.

If I may say so myself, the gorgeous lustre and the full body of the dupion made this dress! Sometimes the pattern itself that you use isn't overly complicated, but when pared with the right fabric it can become something very special indeed, and I humbly think I may have achieved that with this frock!

The pattern is one of those marvelous Custom Fit ones, where you can get a very accurate fit on the bust, which was brilliant because it made me look like I had actual cleavage, for once in my skinny minnie life! The super fitted bodice (I did wear a strapless bra, but I could totally have gotten away without one, so tight was the fit) combined with the fullness of the skirt meant that my waist looked pretty small. Ah, love a bit of trompe l'oeil!

The only issue I had with this pattern was the fact that I was unlucky enough to purchase one of the versions with the skirt pattern pieces printed wrong. Thankfully I had already read about this on Pattern Review, so was able to redraft the pieces before I cut out my fabric. I was told by Clegs, where I purchased the pattern, that if I cared to bring it back to the store they would happily replace it for me.

All in all, I am thrilled with this dress. It had everything I love in a frock - full skirt for swishing about it, pockets, great fit and the shine on the dupion makes me feel very regal indeed. It was perfect for a night of dressing up (thank you ladies, for organising Frocktails!) and I'd also like to say a big thank you to photographer Kirsten Simpson for her amazing pics of my dress (and everybody else's!) on the night. Her work is all the pics on this post, except for the very top one. What a talent!

Project Details
Pattern - Vogue 9100, version A, size 8
Fabric - 1.6m red silk dupion from The Fabric Store
Notions - 35cm invisible zipper

And last but not least, here is my other favourite lady in red - or orange to be absolutely correct!

Holiday slide show

Hello! Did you miss me? It was pretty darn awesome exploring the world, but as Dorothy once remarked, there is no place like home. We got back on Sunday, and no only has the jetlag pretty much worn off, but the very last load of holiday washing is currently swishing away in the machine, and life is back to its regular scheduling.

I know quite a few of you followed our travels on Instagram, but for those who didn't, here are some holiday snaps. I really, REALLY loved travelling around Switzerland and the UK. If any knitting shops want to sponsor me to live and work over there, send me an email pronto!

Jungfrau in Switzerland. Cold but very, very beautiful.

Exploring the streets of London, near Marylebone.

High Tea at The Savoy. Pure, sugared-up bliss!

Hey look - it's Pemberley! Otherwise known as Lyme Park.

The ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in York.

We drove through Wales on a very wet and wildly windy day. Felt rather apt.

The harbour shops in Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland.

The Quiraing on the Isle of Skye. There was no way I was going to try and climb that monster!

Wildflowers growing in a rock, of all things, at the Point of Sleat beach. Tough flora!

Point of Sleat beach. For most of our time there, we had this perfect beach to ourselves. Bliss!

Last but not least, Edinburgh Castle.

Zürich

This morning found us all snuggled up in bed, map of Zürich in front of us. Museum? Sure. Boat ride along river? Okey dokes. Tour the churches? But of course.

But then we started walking, and after a few minutes decided to throw all of our plans out of the window. Zürich is just so beautiful! The sun was shining, and every corner threw up another ridiculously beautiful view. The river walk was stunning, the laneways perfect for exploring, and the city's citizens all seemed to be out and in a jolly mood, soaking up the rays themselves and grinning at the beauty-struck Aussies.

Zurich - somewhat unfairly I feel, after today - has a reputation as being a bit dull. A city built for business rather than fun, but we had such a wonderful time today that I would consider moving there tomorrow.  Dankeschön, Zürich, for a gloriously perfect day to store away forever in the memory banks.

Insta-jorth

I did it! I finally did it - I joined Instagram!

One of the reasons I've signed up is so that I can easily document our trip overseas. Yup, just thought I'd throw that one in there! We're heading over to Switzerland, then to various parts of England and Scotland. I cannae wait! Everything is booked, our house sitters have their keys, and the mail has been redirected. Six weeks of travelling, here I come!

So if you want to get a regular dose of Jorthy goodness, follow me on ze 'gram: jorthknits - cat pictures will be kept to an absolute minimum. Promise!

Beach

I'd forgotten how good it feels to get sand between your toes. And to breathe in briny, chilled air. To walk for miles, and not see anybody else. Just you, the ocean, your footprints. Which rapidly are reclaimed by the sea.

Knitting vs Nature

"C'mon, honey!" implored the Galumph. "Put the knitting down for a while, and come for a nature ramble. There'll be fresh salty air, ocean views, native forests to walk through - you'll love it!"

Jorth eyed him hard over the top of her ribbing. "Will it be a nice clean walk?", she asked. "There's rain forecast for the next seven days, so I don't want any post-walk muddy laundry hanging around."

"Clean as a whistle!" assured the Galumph. "Your sneakers will be so clean by the end of it that you could eat off them, if you so wished."



Dear Reader - he lied. Next time I'm staying home with the knitting!

It's show time!

Darn good day out at the Royal Melbourne Show on Monday. There were rides! And cute lambs to pat! And jelly slice at the CWA pavilion (jelly slice is never safe around me)! And yarn-bombing everywhere! And cranky looking chickens! And woodchoppers with rippling muscles on display doing their best to annihilate big logs of wood! And so many other awesome things to see and do that by the time the Tyger and I arrived home it was all we could do to kick off our shoes before collapsing onto the couch. We were tuckered out by all that Show goodness!

Grace Kelly: Style Icon: Bendigo Art Gallery

Yesterday we took ourselves to Bendigo on the train, leaving Melbourne far, far behind. Good thing, too, as the weather in Melbourne yesterday was atrocious! But what was calling us to visit Bendigo, I hear you asking? Why, the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition, of course! Oh, and the chance to sit quietly for a couple of hours and do some knitting (ahem).




Sigh. It was so very, very lovely. I could have stood and gazed at her dresses all day. She had a keen sense of personal style, and knew exactly what suited her.

My favourite part of the exhibition were the photos showing her meeting Prince Rainier for the first time whilst on a film promotional tour of Monaco. Upon opening her suitcase that morning, she was dismayed to discover that all of her dresses bar one were crumpled, and that there was no time for the hotel to press them before she met the Prince. So she put on the uncrumpled frock, met the Prince and lo! fell in love and sealed her destiny of become a glamorous, much beloved princess. I know you're wondering who made the dress. Why, it was a McCalls dress that she had modelled for the spring/summer catalogue! That fact made my seamstress' heart fill with joy!


I think I need a version of that dress in my wardrobe, stat.

Grace Kelly: Style Icon is on at the Bendigo Art Gallery until 17th June, 2012. Bookings are absolutely essential.

Bellarine Rail Trail Ride

You can't beat a stiff ocean breeze for clearing out the cobwebs, and we certainly got that when we rode our bikes down to Queenscliff along the Bellarine Rail Trail, after catching the train with our bikes to South Geelong.

Now, there's a lot to be said for travelling in a car - it gets you from A to B in quite the speedy fashion, and in relative comfort. And cars are darn useful things. Ambulances, fire trucks, Mr Whippy vans - I wouldn't be without them. Bikes, however, give you a whole buffet spread of experiences that you just don't receive in the sealed confines of a car.

For example? The salty tang of the air. The crunch of gravel under your wheels. The sharpening of senses as you leave the city's dust behind. The thrill of achievement when you spot your destination just over and beyond the next hill. The big daft grin as you coast down the hill into town, the wind turning your cheeks rosy red, and your heart full of gratitude for the life-affirming exultation a bike ride can bring.

I wouldn't miss any of it for the world. Not even the sore knees. They are a reminder of a job well done!

Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail

What did you do on your Easter long weekend? We got on our bikes and rode....

The Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail was our destination, so we packed our life into two pannier bags and caught the train to Lilydale.

Behold - the beginning of the trail!


No rail trail ride is complete without Sammy the cheetah, who by all reports quite enjoyed the feel of wind in his whiskers. I, meanwhile, revelled in the autumnal glory...



...and wondered if we should stop here for lunch. Wouldn't you?



Instead we rode on to the Carriage Cafe in Seville, and ate in a old school rail carriage compartment. I scanned the other compartments for Poirot, but the famous Belgian and his little grey cells were a no show.



Back in the saddle, and past bucolic landscapes that reminded me so much of my dairy farm childhood. I even got all sniffly sentimental at the smell of cow dirt. Galumph and the Tyger just shook their heads and tried not to breathe in too deeply.



Hello, handsome!
(The bike rider is a bit of allright, too!)



See log. Must clamber upon. That appeared to be the Tyger's mantra for the day...



...when she wasn't topping up energy levels with lolly snakes. Very important, apparently.



The dancing grass flowers waved us towards the end, lifting our spirits and giving a boost to tired legs.



I'd ride the trails forever if I could.