a RED Valentino top

I thought this RED Valentino top was really cute. The bow is just adorable! It's selling for NZ$327; I spent $25.10 on materials and it took me 2 hours and 50 minutes.

These are the pattern pieces I made - one front and back piece (both pinned on a folded line) and one sleeve piece (pinned on a double layer of fabric)

This is the fabric I used for the bow - I overlocked the edges to keep them tidy

Pinning the bow in place

Making small stitches

The finished piece:

The finished top - laid flat on the floor

I think this is actually the best job I've done yet of copying an designer item! This top was quite simple (but then a lot of other things that have seemed simple have been the ones that I've stuffed up the most). Im really happy with this Copycat item! :)

Weekly Loves

Giambattista Valli Spring 2012

Giorgio Armani Spring 2012

Gucci Spring 2012

Louis Vuitton Spring 2012

Mary Katrantzou Spring 2012

Nina Ricci Spring 2012

Peter Pilotto Spring 2012

a Roberto Cavalli pair of pants

These Roberto Cavalli pants remind me of pyjama pants. I love the leopard print and tassels, but I couldn't imagine wearing them outside!

The original pants cost NZ$1,283; I spent $38.80 on materials and it took me 7 hours and 15 minutes

So obviously the leopard print is different. I was trying to find a leopard print in a silky material and this was all that was available. The leopard print is actually quite small in comparison to the original.

It's really tricky working with slippery material - it's hard to pin it straight and even harder to sew straight. That's why the inner leg seam of the pants is warped: I couldn't line up the edges of fabric pieces.

 I made tassels out of black embroidery thread (I used 3 bunches to get them nice and big) and I used the same tutorial as I did for the Antik Batik scarf.

The seam on the waistband and the centre seam on the pants isn't lined up properly - it's a bit off centre. I only noticed that after I'd finished sewing.

Here's my label :) I'm making labels for all the clothes using printer fabric I bought online. That's the actual roberto cavalli label, I just added my own Copycat touch to it!

Here's some photos of me making the pants:

At my sewing machine

Pinning the hem of the pants

The pants are actually pretty fun to wear! They're growing on me

Weekly Loves

Lot's of sparkly things this week, I just can't keep away from it! Especially that green Tribune Standard dress - it reminds me a bit of tinsel

Lela Rose Spring 2012

Tribune Standard Spring 2012

St. John Spring 2012

Sea Autumn/Winter

Isabel Marant Fall 2011

Solange Azagury-Partridge

Rachel Zoe Fall 2011

a Marc Jacobs scarf

I just finished this Marc Jacobs polka dot scarf. It's selling for NZ$564 on net-a-porter; I spent $14.40 on materials and it took me 14 hours and 20 minutes to make

I used a plain cotton fabric and painted the black polka dots on by hand. I mixed a textile medium into the black paint so that the scarf could be machine-washable.

Marc Jacobs

Copycat

The polka dots are not lined up perfectly straight - they're actually quite crooked. I was doing it all by sight, so there were a few mistakes which just threw everything else off.

The above two pictures show some of the mistakes I've made in painting the polka dots. Some of the dots are wonky and not perfect circles, and other times I've accidentally smudged the paint.

The back of the scarf - paper stuck on to the dots

The first few rows I painted, I had the scarf laid out on a desk on top of a piece of paper and was painting them like that. But the paper actually stuck to the back of the scarf and I wasn't able to get it all off.

The back of the scarf

So after that I hung the scarf up on a clothes rack, and painted them like that. One side of the scarf has full circles, and the other side has incomplete circles where the paint hasn't made it all the way through the weave.

This is how I painted the polka dots (clockwise from left):
1. First I dabbed paint onto a circular object (I used a pot of lip gloss)
2. I pressed the lid against the fabric, holding a plastic lid behind the scarf for more support
3. I filled in the blanks with more black paint
4. Then I wiped the plastic lid clean, and repeated that whole process again

Marc Jacobs by Copycat