What I Did on My Holidays - The Voodoo Sewing Box



I recently had some holiday to use up from work, which I intended to spend at home 'achieving' things, but mostly spent my days watching old movies and repeats of CSI. But I did complete one project I'm proud of - the Voodoo Sewing Box!

My mother in law had the box above (something she picked up at a jumble sale) and kindly gave it to me. It has a 2 little lids on top, with foam pads covered in fabric, and a little drawer underneath, as well as a handle for carrying. I thought it would be great, as I don't have anything nice for my sewing bits and bobs; most of it languishes in horrible plastic boxes and bags.

Initially, I was going to leave it in it's original state. But the more I looked at it, the more I thought it was too bland for me. So I attacked it with a screwdriver and pliers, and wrenched off the pads. (above)

Then I dug out these scraps, left over from a shirt I made for my husband. Got my hands on my husbands staplegun, and covered the pads with it.

I thought that would be it, but the fabric was way too wild for the box in its original state. That's when I decided to make it into something that resembled a sewing box crossed with a Gypsy caravan, with a dash of rock 'n roll! I got some cheap paint from the local hardware store, and after giving the box a light sand, I put a couple of coats on it.

Then to add some Gypsy elements, I painted the Nicole Needles symbol on the back, and some naive hearts and scrolls on the front and sides.

A light coat of varnish to protect it, and it's done!

Here it is in action!

The Psychedelic Vampire meets Sing-along-a-Wickerman

No, that isn't some crazy performance artist, but Mr Needles getting in touch with his inner Pagan at the excellent Night of the Long Swords on Friday 12th of February, here in London town. And where did he get that excellent psychedelic shirt from, you say? Why, it was lovingly crafted by me, Mrs Needles! (see 'I Married a Psychedelic Vampire')

Let me explain : one of Mr Needles all-time favourite films is 'The Wicker Man', a looney horror-meets Scottich pagans- meets weirdy beardy folk musicians movie from 1973. It features Christopher Lee (always a sign of quality), but the main reason it has such a following, especially among men with a taste for 1970's dolly birds, is that it features Britt Ekland as a saucy barmaid. At one point in the film she perfoms a notorious dance as she tries to corrupt the virginal main character, played by Edward Woodward. This, and the fact it features orgies and a cameo by Ingrid Pitt, has ensured the film a large cult following.

So when we found out there was going to be a sing-a-long showing of the film, we decided we had to go. And I had to rush to get his shirt done and surprise Mr. Needles with it, as I figured he'd want to wear it. The event was brilliant - it's like those Rocky Horror film events, where you sing along, and at certain points in the film interact with the events on screen. In this case, it involves eating frog-shaped sweets, making crucifixes out of sticks, and slapping your buttocks during the naked Britt Ekland scene. Everyone dresses up, including the hosts, and you were nobody if you didn't have an animal mask!

Sing-alonga-Wickerman hosted by Dr Bramwell as Christopher Lee, and Eliza Skelton as Willow 

As for the shirt, here are some highlights:

I made the pattern by copying Mr. Needle's original Ben Sherman onto newspaper, one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, as I had to do it quickly before he got home from the gym!

I
t was a beautiful fabric to work with (a lovely wool mix twill) and it was the first chance I had to work with my new pins, which were a Christmas gift.

Collar stitching before turning

The collar was really pointy, and involved cutting really close to the stitching, which always freaks me out, but it turned out quite well.

Finished collar with buttonhole

 It was the first time I'd done a button-down collar, which was a bit scary at first, as I was worried I'd place it wrong. But I copied the placing on the original Ben Sherman, and it seemed to work. It was also the first time I'd done a proper button band, which took a bit of calculating and twisted my head up in knots, but eventually became clear, and turned out ok, as you can see from the picture.

And finally, the cuff and sleeve opening, which I admit I was a bit lazy about, and just did a continuous placket, rather than one of those fancy overlapped plackets with a button, which you usually see on men's shirts. This version is a bit girly, but Mr Needles didn't seem to mind!

I really enjoyed making this shirt - it took much less time than expected - but don't tell Mr Needles or he'll expect a new one every month!

I Married a Psychedelic Vampire

Mr. Needles and I have much in common, but our tastes in films often differs. I like musicals and wise-cracking dames, as well as the work of Will Ferrel and Steve Carrel (Elf and 40 Year Old Virgin are works of genius!) Where as Mr. Needles has the attention span of an over excited kitten, so he likes Hammer movies and ...... well, that's about it.

As we have a few events coming up in February - his birthday, our wedding anniversary, and of course, Valentines Day - I've decided to make something for him, as he complains all the time that I don't make enough for him. But what? I don't have time to do any serious tailoring, and I have to be able to make it without him noticing (not hard - I made my wedding dress practically under his nose and he didn't notice). Maybe this - he'd love the devil cape:

Maybe these fabulous shirts:

Or these swinging trousers:

He might like ethnic:

None of these are really going to work, as they all appear to be sized to fit teenagers - 36" chest! That would fit me! So I'm going to look to his film taste for inspiration. He particularly loves swinging London horror movies, like 'Dracula A.D. 1972' - full of dolly birds, kinky boots, pop groups, sports cars, and a particularly suave young gent called Johhny Alucard (see what he did with his surname?), who raises the Prince of Darkeness from his lair to go rampaging across Chelsea.

Thanks to monstermoviemusic.blogspot.com for the images

I think a shirt will be the most fitting (and easiest!) item to make. But not just any old shirt - to give it that swinging feel, I'm going to copy one of his favourite shirts:



Detail of Ben Sherman collar



This is a Ben Sherman shirt which he wore to our wedding. The high collar stand gives it a really 60's/70's feel, but it's still quite wearable without looking 'Austin Powers'. As he had it tailored to fit perfectly, I'll make a sneaky paper pattern of it so it comes out just right.

(For those of you who might not know, Ben Sherman is/was a brand of shirt popularised in the 1960's and 70's, and beloved of Mods and Skins ever since. It was a British interpretation of calssic American Ivy League styles, hence the button down collars and the distionctive button at the back of the collar) 

But what about the fabric? I trawled Ridley Rd market, and ended up at my usual Dalston Mill Fabrics , where I found this beauty:

It's a wool mix twill, with some really rich purples and reds.

So all I need now is for Mr. Needles to look the other way, and I'll make a start!

Cute Sewing Jewellery

I've had my eye on this charm for a while now, and finally decided to splash out and get it. Isn't it brilliant! Despite the fact that it's by Juicy Couture , who I will never forgive for inflicting those velour tracksuits on us, I can't help but love it. It's full of excellent details - a little spool of cotton, a wheel that actually turns, even a little extension cord at the back.

 I've put it on a gold chain from Argos (classy!) and will wear it with pride!

Thanks for the Award

When I started this blog, I was a bit nervous of putting my ideas and work out there in the blogosphere - I didn't know if anyone would follow me, if anyone would like my work, and so on. For these reasons, I put off starting one for ages. Now I wish I'd started one a LONG time ago, because it's been so much fun, and it's been great to make contact with so many interesting, creative people. So, thanks to the lovely Wendy at The Butterfly Balcony for this award, and visit her blog for excellent craft and knitting ideas.

I'm going to pass this on to Sue at Sew Misunderstood because I always look forward to her posts about sewing, and I love her attitude - she once rocked so hard she melted her dress!