I can't believe I'm on Dress 17 now. Only 4 more dresses to go! Well, actually 5 since I haven't completed Dress 9 yet. I'm currently looking for more dresses. Believe it or not, I've maxed out on shopping at the secondhand shops. The employees must think I'm a looney because I'm scavenging there so often. Well anyway, I'll have to see what I can find.

Dress 16

Soundtrack: K-os, Exit and Joyful Rebellion
Fuel: Flaxseed rye bread with cheddar cheese, Lipton's Yellow Label tea

I love this bag. Given the odd occasion, I would be more than happy to give up a bag or two, but giving up this one would be like selling my baby.

The entire jacket was ripped apart into its 10 pieces, then I cut new pieces and sewed everything back together. I even made a pattern in case I need to replicate it in the future. Finally, the inside is lined with some silky black microfibre that I had leftover from another dress, so it's really a bag of luxury!

The only bad thing is that I didn't have enough fabric left over for a clutch, but it's no big deal.

Dress 16: After, flat

Dress 16: After, detail

Dress 16: After, hanging

Dress 16: Ideas

Happy Valentine's Day!

I bought this jacket thinking that I was just going to resize it, but now that I've had it for a while, I'm going to make it into a bag instead. The fabric is quite stiff and rough, as some woven gold threads tend to be, so I might have to do something different with the shoulder strap if I want to be remotely comfortable. I was thinking of lining the underside of it in black velvet.

I also hope there's enough fabric left for a clutch bag. Because one can never have too many clutches.

Dress 16: Before, fabric

Dress 16: Before

Dress 15

Soundtrack: Erykah Badu, Baduizm
Fuel: Cheese omelette, toast and tea

The nice thing about t-shirt cotton is that you can leave the edges unserged and it won't fray. It was a bit difficult to cut around the beading and embroidery, because the original shirt had been sewn a bit crooked, so I ended up losing more of the length than I had intended. But at the end of the day, I like it. I would definitely wear this out. It's fun.

Dress 15: After, detail

Dress 15: After

Dress 15: Ideas

The main things going for this t-shirt are the the beading, embroidery and colour. It's always nice when you're working on a project that already has all the complicated, time-consuming things done for you, like this one. Since it's pretty short, and some of the resewing will take away from the length, I'll be adding some extra white fabric on the hem.

Dress 15: Before, detail

Dress 15: Before

Dress 14

Soundtrack: Ride, Carnival of Light
Fuel: Vegan rice casserole

I think I got a bit carried away with this one. I started this bag last night before I went out, and when I got home in the middle of the night, I couldn't resist working on it again! It's originally a handbag with a contrasting dusty blue on the inside.

For the design, my first thought was to use fabric paint, but it wouldn't stick to the vinyl. So the Japanese-inspired flowers are actually layers of acrylic paint with gold and black permanent ink. I also removed the gold chain by cutting off its attachments with some pliers. Crafty!

Dress 14: After, more detail

Dress 14: After, detail

Dress 14: After

Dress 14: Ideas

Dress 14: Before

Dress 13

Soundtrack: Teenage Fanclub, Grand Prix
Fuel: Raisin bread and butter, chrysanthemum tea, a nectarine

What a difference removing the shoulder pads makes! After I took them out, I tried on the dress backwards again, and it looked surprisingly fabulous. Granted, the neckline drops a bit below comfort level, but that's why dress tape was invented. It's just too bad that you can't really see the change in the photo because the dress is still on a hanger.

Dress 13: After

Dress 13: Ideas

This dress is almost a distant relative to Dress 3 because of its fabric and draping detail. I really like this design because it has a Greek goddess meets Lady of Leisure cocktail party feel to it. It's hard to pull that off without overdoing it.

I've actually tried to wear it backwards, with the drape in the front, but it doesn't hang right. That's too bad, but in the end, I guess it was made that way for a reason.

Dress 13: Before, back

Dress 13: Before, pleat

Dress 13: Before, front