Vintage Finds: cotton prints I currently have in stock

I use vintage fabrics, especially cotton prints, in my fashion designs all the time. They always seem to be very unique and special, and to me, good quality fabric means so much when creating a design.

The following swatches are just some of the vintage cotton prints I currently have in stock. I custom make a lot of my designs out of fabrics like these, and I simply adore collecting fabric!

(I have taken the photo of each fabric with the cutting blade included so you have a point of perspective. The rotary blade is 45mm wide.)

"Cute apples"- vintage cotton in blue, yellow, orange and white on a blue background.

"Pink Gingham"- Pink and white check vintage cotton.

"Green gingham"- Green and cream cotton check.

"Lilac Flower Power"- Large lilac stylised flowers on a cotton drill.

"Strawberry Fields"- red, yellow and green strawberry vines on a denim background.

"Aqua Jewel Stripe"- vibrant jewel tones of orange, navy, green and aqua in a striped cotton.

"Pretty Blossums"- red and blue flowers and a white background. A vintage cotton voile.

"Autumn Blossums"- pretty brown flowers on a very fine and sheer cotton voile.

"Yellow Blossums"- tiny little yellow flowers on a cotton poplin.

"Gold Jigsaw"- a very unique vintage cotton, printed with an unusual gold and black geometric design. The fabric has a sheen to it, as well as the printing. I haven't made a lot with this yet, as its one of those fabrics which I absolutely adore and I want to get the style just right!

All of the above vintage fabrics and more (that are in my collection) can be made into many different Penelope Red creations. Please check out my website at www.penelopered.com if you would like to see more.

Customer Photos

It is such a joy to see my customers wearing their Penelope Red designs (rather than them wasting away inside their wardrobe)! So here are a few recent favourite pics...

Penny wears the Red Floral Bow Tie Top.

Lorelle wears the Orange and Navy Blue Sweetheart Boat Neck Knit Top.

I have to admit, this one is of me!

I am wearing the Aqua and Vintage Braid Tunic Top. I wore this top all the way through pregnancy - even right up to giving birth- and it still manages to bounce back and keep its shape!!!! This exact style is sold out, but next winter I plan to make more of this in a slightly different version. 

Lorelle wears the Black Latin Bolero, the Gold Mosaic Gathered Neck Blouse, and the Black and White Diamond Printed Pencil Skirt. 

Penny wears the Black Russian Lace Dress.

Nicole wears the Blue V-neck Top w Black Satin Stripe Chiffon Sleeves, together with the Silver and Black Drama Skirt.

All items listed above have been designed by me! 

Custom Order: Navy Jacquard Jacket

Recently I created a double breasted navy and black jacquard jacket for a custom order. 

The above photo shows the jacket half done, with lots of pins!

The original idea was to have a double breasted jacket that can be done up as normal, and then you can choose to wear the front as an asymmetric collar.

The customer, Leanne, had previously bought a navy blue and black jacquard skirt in Penelope Red. The skirt has the same fabric as shown in the body of the jacket, and she wanted a jacket that would co-ordinate well with the skirt, as well as other pieces in her wardrobe. 

As with any custom order I hand make, we discussed the style and shape, the fit, length, fabric and embellishments. I take the certain criteria the customer wants into account and then let my creative brain do its magic! I am lucky to have some wonderful customers who are very loyal, know my style, and trust what I do!

I decided to add a contrast band around the hem, front lapel, and sleeve hem in a black floral jacquard. Then I highlighted the contrast with gold stitching- this was also featured on the skirt. 

Four amazing gold and diamanté vintage buttons were added to the front of the jacket- they were very special! Then I hand bound each button hole to make sure they lasted the test of time!

Leanne loved her handmade custom jacket, and I was very happy with it too! It was fun making it! I love making these one off handmade designs.

Vintage Finds: Green Buttons for a Dress

I love using vintage fabrics, buttons and trims for my Penelope Red designs. So many of my fashion designs have at least one element of a vintage find. I thought these green vintage buttons were really interesting as they must be quite old- it's not every day you see the buttons fastened to the cardboard by metal clips. 

They will be used on a pink, white and mint green dress! They will be perfect!

Fashionable Maternity Wear: How to be fashionable while being pregnant- my top tips

If you are pregnant: Welcome to the world of soon-to-be-motherhood! It is a beautiful blessing! I have recently had a beautiful baby boy, and he is an absolute joy... there are no words to express how much happiness he has given me.

If you are like me, you love fashion, and the thought of wearing awful, daggy maternity wear makes you scream and want to run a mile!-right?!

Well, here are my top tips to keep you feeling comfortable (because alas, when your tummy is expanding, and you feel like you will be sick if anything tight is around your waist, comfort will become a priority- never thought I would type that phrase on my blog!), while still being fashionable and stylish while you are pregnant.

Tip 1: Make your face the focus point in any outfit when you are pregnant.

Try to wear dark colours from below your bust, and down. Keep all bright prints, and detailing up high, so they highlight your face (and not the widening areas of your body).

The above photo shows me wearing the Penelope Red Picasso Skivvy, which can be viewed in the Penelope Red Online Shop in Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/93306454/black-white-turtleneck-top-designer

Tip 2: Wear as much Stretch and Lycra outfits as possible while you are pregnant!

 

Instead of buying maternity wear, I just wore loads of stretchy clothing. I found dresses to be very flattering, and tight fitting stretch dresses was great too! The above dress was worn to death! The picture shows me at around 3 months pregnant, than at only 6 weeks to go on the RHS. The beauty about stretch- it grows with you!

Tip 3: Even though your pregnant waist is expanding, still try to wear items that define the waist.

 

The one thing I wanted to steer clear of while being pregnant was those big, long maxi dresses that are constantly sold off as the ultimate (and evidently, only choice) maternity dress. For some reason, people seem to presume the bigger you are, the more flattering it will be to wear a tent! 

I don't think so!

The above Penelope Red red dress was fitted around my waist without being pregnant, but since it is a stretchy dress, I squeezed myself into it at 5 months pregnant.

Even though I had to adjust the buttons by about 12 cm on the red and white top I am wearing in the above photo of me at Bondi Beach, I have still defined my waist to some degree. Don't be afraid to accept that while you may be bigger, you still have curves, and you are not one big blob (and believe me, sometimes I felt like that too!)!

Tip 4: Try Bias Cut designs while you are pregnant. 

I found my bias cut designs a great alternative to wearing stretch (because by the end of being pregnant, you will be dying to have new clothing to wear!) or maternity wear. They defined my waist, while not being too tight, or big and full.

I chose a size up from my normal size, in the above red and printed bias cut cowl top, and I could still wear it up until I was 8 months pregnant- not bad considering it has no lycra!

The above Penelope Red red and floral bias cut blouse with sweetheart detail is available in the Penelope Red online Shop here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/87376189/red-floral-blouse-w-sweetheart-detail





Tip 5: Embrace your soon to be new body! 

Be excited! You are about to experience something wonderful and magical!

Not everyone will agree, but I loved wearing tight fitting garments- I found it was more flattering for my shape, but it also flaunted my pregnant tummy. To me it was funny watching my stomach grow!

Probably the best tip I can give you is accept that, yes, your waist will grow. Yes, your boobs will grow. Yes, your bum is going to get bigger (I kind of thought that the waist would grow, but mostly everything else would stay about the same)!

So the best thing to do is go through that mountain of clothing that you call your wardrobe, and put everything away that is not comfortable, stretchy and adjustable for a growing body. Honestly, THIS is the BEST thing to do!

That way, when you need to get dressed, you don't have to look through your wardrobe and wonder what will you wear... you will already have it narrowed down to the items you can wear (and that probably won't add up to much). Also, it will save you from getting upset... no one likes to try on something and realise that their waist has expanded by about 6 dress sizes in the space of 3 months... did that one (not nice!).

New Floral Printed Pencil Skirts

Today I bought some fabulous floral printed cotton sateen to make some pencil skirts. The pencil skirts will be high waisted, and fitted around the leg and hip. The hem on the skirt falls to just below the knee. The pencil skirt shown in the next two photos is the style that I will create- the print will be the bright pink, white, navy blue and yellow print shown in the 3rd photo.

The fabric is gorgeous! The floral print is bright and colourful, while the cotton sateen is very comfortable to wear as it has elastane (lycra) added to the weave. 

 

I have enough of the pink, navy, yellow and white printed fabric above to make approximately 4 or 5 printed pencil skirts. They are available in Australian sizes 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16, and I will make them to fit and your length. The beauty about them being handmade! - you can get it custom made to fit you!

If you would like to order one of these beautiful, handmade pencil skirts, please email me at:

designer@penelopered.com.au

The green, navy, pink and mauve floral print above is available in a size 10 pencil skirt. This is a one of three pencil skirts... I only ever make a very limited edition of all of my designs.

The above photo shows me, wearing another Penelope Red pencil skirt, again from a cotton elastane,  in an ornage, yellow, white and blue abstract floral print.

I love wearing my printed pencil skirts- and they are perfect for travelling too! The below photo is my husband and I in St.Petersburg, Russia a few years ago. The elastane means that the skirt will hardly crease. The cotton means that the skirt will be very comfortable and easy to look after and wear.

For any enquiries, please email me at: designer@penelopered.com.au

David's Dr Seuss Cot Quilt

Evidence of the finished product! My little David sleeping like an angel with his new Dr Seuss cot quilt that I made for him... Awwwwww!