Mathilde Vicenzi Millefoglie d'Italia

Mathilde Vicenzi packs and sells its Millefoglie pastries like biscuits @ Cold Storage. It's crispier than freshly made pastries with the additional convenience of being readily available all the time. Look for the ones that are wonderfully stuffed with creams.

Simplicity - Tulle Skirt B

Tulle skirt B requires additional sewing to make it more fluffy and takes up a whopping 36 metres of tulle. I am adapting this design to make a tiered ruffle skirt that is longer using the same amount of material so it won't be as pouffy. Petite size girls can actually pull this up to wear as a dress, cinch the waist with a belt.

I sort the fabric I buy into bundles with the paper pattern I am using. After cutting, I tie it up into plastic bag bundles like this. So each sewing project is a different plastic bag. If you ever wonder why people's homes are filled with plastic bag bundles like this, its because they are doing the same.

Yellow Tulle with gold flecks @ $8/metre : $120
Elastic band : $9
Yellow thread : $5
Total = $134

This is why you don't see many of these skirts around.

The finished skirt has a nice sway. With enough silk material leftover to sew a crop top. It was really difficult sewing this tulle as the glue builds up on the needle causing the thread to snap. The glitter effect is really subtle, what with all that tulle, you hardly notice it.

Paco Rabanne Spring Summer 2015

This bad boy of the 60s fashion scene is still churning out clothes bi-annually and his latest Spring Summer 2015 collection is sportswear inspired.  

I really like the unconventional mix of fabrics and colours, then there are all those curvy ergonomic lines.

No Sew Hemming Tape

I saw the IKEA ad selling house brand no sew tape for curtains. You use it to iron on the heading tape to the curtain fabric, then use it again to hem up the bottom of the fabric. The concept is not new and carried in most craft stores. I have used it before and even machine washed it, so I know its works.

Several things you need to know about this product before creating your first no sew dress:

• Hemming tape costs 10X more than thread.
• It also makes the fabric stiff, so you lose the tactile fluidity of your garment at that point, choose to use it strategically so this effect appears intentional to the design. 
• After several washes, the fabric might come undone, no need to use more hemming tape, just iron it again to stick it back on.

NUXE Rose Skincare

I am using the Huile Prodigieuse together with NUXE Rose foaming cleanser, Rose toner and Prodigieuse Nuit (anti-fatigue) night cream.

The sweet rose scent reminds me of Korres Japanese Rose series. Baby pink packaging is a winner. $33.50 for 200ml bottle.

NUXE has several skincare ranges: Nuxellence, Nuxuriance, Reve de Miel, Nirvanesque, Merveillance, Prodigieux. This creme prodigieux range is suitable for all skin types and provides moisture along with that familiar Prodigieux de Parfum scent.

Prima Taste Meal Kits

My aunt is a big fan of Prima Taste Meal Kits. She lives overseas and stocks up on this when she's in Singapore. It's pretty goof proof, I've tried a few packets myself. Mostly, I like the Mee Siam, fried dry without the soup part. If you want more oomph in your food then just use 2 packs instead of 1.

Meal Kits cost $6, Sauce Packets cost $2, Gift Packs (pic below) $16 to $19. Most people think its a tourist thing and it makes a great gift for out-of-towners.

Simplicity Tulle Skirt - A & C

Pattern A is a classic short tulle skirt and Pattern C is the full-length version. I know there are easier ways to sew a tulle skirt but I have to try doing it the proper way first. My skirt length won't be the same as the pattern, because I am using beaded tulle with an embroidered hem, so the length is already determined. Beaded material is seriously not easy to sew and I had to get special needles for my sewing machine, never seen that many sewing needles break in 1 session before.

The pattern calls for 8 to 15 yards of tulle. I used considerably less as this material is stiffer than the regular soft tulle. The underlay is between 2 to 4.5 yards of material and I will be using silver and pink to make 2 separate skirts and see the difference inner lining makes.

I now have 2 fabric cutting shears, 1 for regular fabric and 1 for beads/sequins fabric. The beads/sequins make my cutting shears blunt so this is a pair I regularly sharpen. Label it so you don't mix up the 2. I can't even begin to tell you how many pairs of scissors I have just for sewing (not including other crafts). I have a soft grip craft scissors for cutting paper patterns, embroidery scissors for cutting thread from the machine and 2 fabric cutting shears.

I like how the beautifully embroidered edgings showed up nicely on the skirt.

Gonna sew a matching pink cotton top to wear with this.