Etsy Treasury Love - 29th December 2008

I wonder if I will ever get sick of looking at Polka Dots?

Thank you to cirenia for featuring me in her (?) Polka Passion treasury today.

It's a DRESS, not a top!

Your backstage pass and black sunglasses
Make you look just like a queen
Even the fans, they know your face
From all of the magazines, but
Do you love me?
Kiss - Do you Love Me

On the day of shooting this dress, I got a call from photographer, Paula Delley asking if I minded if model Ava wore black capri pants with the strapless leopard print top. "I did'nt give you a strapless leopard print top" I replied. After a little more chat, I realised that she meant this dress!

The 'Backstage Pass' dress will form part of a retrospective collection I am planning for 2009.

It is made from 95% Cotton and 5% Spandex, it has a whopping 50cm invisible zip in the centre back to allow easy, um, removal. Unlike most of my dresses, I have left this dress unlined as it's more of a metal gig dress than an afternoon tea dress. *wink*

2009 will mark 20 years since I started 'sewing school' (I left high school in 1988 to do the Clothing & Craft course that Melbourne College of Textiles was offering at the time). I was mad about hard rock and heavy metal and wished with all my heart to be as cool as the girls in all of the music videos.

Now, I know some people will scold me for the name of this dress and perhaps find my inspiration a little distastful, but I feel that I must add, that while my best friend and I sat in our seats waiting for the band to come on, women wearing tiny skirts and dresses, killer high heels and sky scraper hair queued up to meet these bands, I never saw a woman being dragged backstage.

So, in the upcoming months, I am going to make pieces inspired by the very thing that made me want to start sewing, rock n' roll.

*Noteworthy people who did this course with me are Jodii Ruggero (who runs successful Pattern and Dressmaking company Thursday's Child), Anthony Pitturino and Jacob Luppino (who collectively run couture house J'Aton).

"Those were the best days of my life"

I was 15-16 years old in the late 1980's, my friends and I wore our jeans tight, our t-shirts big and our dresses tiny.

We wore our boots all year round and listened to hard rock and heavy metal. We loved going to Bell Street Rock and a few years after that, The Cathouse at the old Palace in St Kilda.

Metal For Melbourne under Princess Bridge (now Fed Square) was the only place we bought records and I have fond memories of having super sized crushes on a few of the guys that worked there.

Posters of Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Poison and Bon Jovi graced our walls, we drank Jack Daniels and Coke and loved to sing while cruzin'.

Our bracelets and necklaces jangled as we walked down the street and we all envied Jodii for having 'Nikki Sixx hair'.

I dedicate this post to the five girls (now women) that shaped who I am today and to thank you for some of the best years of my life.

Desktop magazine is so cool!

When I was working at Snap full time, I would wait for the latest copy of Desktop: magazine to arrive in the mail with great anticipation.

I have no clue about Graphic Design, but I have a real obsession with it, just like guitar playing (more about that some other time). To be able to put together words and pictures using a computer is magic to me.

The December 2008 issue has featured my label in their coolstuff section and I am over the moon about it (thank you guys!).

To read the little article written by Jo Spurling, click here.

Teer in print wearing sassy Red dress

Last week my friend and model, Teer Wayde (AKA Miss T) wore my dress to a photoshoot for the Age newspaper (article printed 28/11/2008).

The article was about a wonderful new modelling agency called The Alternative Modelling Agency, run by Samantha Shields.

Teer's dress was a last minute job. My first instinct was to put her in Red and I am glad that I stuck with it.

The dress is made from 95% Cotton/5% Spandex and as a very slight sheen to it. It has set in puff sleeves gathered at both the sleevehead and armband.

I was originally going to do a sweetheart neckline, but changed it to a curved V as I was cutting out the dress.

The skirt is a super tight pencil and the back has an invisible zip.

I was so glad that Teer accessorised the dress with her own black patent belt as it finished off the look perfectly.

Thank you so much Teer, once again, it was a pleasure to work with you!

Screen shot: www.theage.com.au

Photo taken by: Simon Schluter

The best message EVER!

OK, it would be unfair of me to say this is "the best message ever", but I have to say, it really made me smile.

In fairness to the person who sent it, I have deleted their details, but fill in your own blanks and enjoy!

Full Skirt and The Modern Pin Up

Last week saw the launch of Paula Delley's photography book, The Modern Pinup.

It features well know pin up models such as Sarah Lea Cheesecake, Miss T, Ava Jinx and Kelly Ann Doll.

When Paula made an appointment with me about her dress, I went into panic mode before she arrived..."me?" I asked myself, "she has asked ME to make her dress?", knowing what a special occassion this was for both Paula, the Australian Pin Up/Burlesque and Kustom Kulture scene.

When asked if she had an idea of what she was after, Paula expressed an interest in a pencil skirted dress. I took one look at her beautiful face and figure and decided that for the night, a 1950's style evening dress with petticoat and full circle skirt was in order.

The final design is a collaboration of both of our ideas, this is what we came up with.

The dress is made from Poly/Viscose, the one I use is weighty, however, light enough to allow the skirt to swoosh.

The bodice is half lined with 100% Viscose lining and has a sweetheart neckline and plunging V at the back (see my Flickr account for more photos).

Pink & black was the theme so we made a 7cm wide pink sash to compliment the Pink 1950's style underskirt/petticoat.

If you are looking for a great photographer or someone that will help you unleash the Pinup Girl/Boy in you, contact Paula about her 'Pinup For A Day' shoots that she offers.

The Modern Pinup is available from www.pauladelley.com, Faster Pussycat in Melbourne and The Outre Gallery.

Tag! I'm It! (thanks paintergirl)

I have just been tagged by paintergirl, and although I am flat chat at the moment, this is nice!

Here are 6 details about me that you may or may not know about me:
1. I have quite a large Barbie doll collection.

2. I can't swim.

3. My favorite music style is hard rock (glam/sleaze) from the 1980's.

4. Like my mother, I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) which can make certain everyday tasks really difficult.

5. I draw terribly.

6. My confirmation name (like a middle name, but you get it when you are around 10-12 years old as part of a Catholic ritual) is Marilyn after both Marilyn Monroe & Marilyn the singer who was dating Boy George for a while.

I hereby tag these kids:

Justine - I look forward to your answers

Shara - I bet your answers will be well though through

Shayne - It will be nice to get to know you better

Sam - Sorry, I know you are flat out!

Chris - I may be married, but I love you!

Nicole - Yes, I am your fan!!

Here are the rules:
* Mention the rules on your blog.
* Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
* Tag six other
* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they are tagged.

Natasha's Early 1960's inspired dress

I made this dress for Natasha with the late 1950's/early 1960's in mind. Many people assume that once 1960 ticked over, people stoppped wearing fuller skirts, which is not so.

This dress is made from Black 100% Polyester Shantung. Some of you may shrudder at the fact that the fabric is Polyester, but I find that this particular make is not the yucky-feeling kind. I half lined the dress in 100% Viscose to try and offset the Polyesterness of the fabric.

Boat neck and princess seams allowed me to have a firm bustline and a little room in the waist for sitting and dancing. The centre back has an invisible zip closure.

Tash and I wanted to create a full looking skirt without it being too big, so I made an a-line skirt and included a separate petticoat/underskirt with the design. This gives Tash the option to 'dress down' her dress if the occasion comes up.

A 1 1/2" wide self covered belt finishes off the dress perfectly.

Thank you to Al and Natasha for supplying me with this beautiful photo.

Correction relating to my Frankie post...

ISSUE NUMBER TWO! ISSUE NUMBER TWO! The only issue I am missing is number 2, not number 1 as I stated in my 'Frankie' post.

If you have a copy of Frankie magazine issue number two that you would like to part with, do send me an email...please?

Market dates for November and December

Please note that I will be doing two markets in December, I hope to see you there!

Thank you to the very talented Gemma Jones for designing this gorgeous flyer. xo

Super Surprise inside a recent Thank You card

I received this lovely Thank You card from a client yesterday.

When I opened the little envelope inside, I was speechless to the point that I could not call her and it took me 24 hours to text message her to say thanks.

There is a saying that you should be careful what you wish for, well I wished to appear in Frankie and I wished that I could go and see the Stray Cats...if only my wish for world peace and an end to poverty could come true.

To the beautiful person that sent me this, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I Love frankie Magazine

I fell in love with frankie after picking up my very first issue, which sadly was issue #2, not #1.

I have tried to buy it from Morrison Media and searched eBay, but issue one is not to be found (this is a big hint to anyone reading this post).

To be featured in this magazine is an honour and I am lucky enough to be in my favorite section, frank bits this issue (#26).

Yay and squeals of excitement!!

Blog Love from Brunswick!

I met the beautiful Nicole Mallalieu at the market on Sunday.

To cut a long story short, I was quite star struck by this talented crafty lady, patternmaker and mother...see for yourself why:

www.nicolemdesign.com.au

www.nicolemdesign.blogspot.com (you SEW girl!)

'Emma' gets some love from Mikes

Meet Me At Mikes Blog Love is Good Love. Not only is it always an honour (check out their blog and you'll see why), but finding people that cross promote and support other like-minded shops and designers can be quite a rarity in the clothing industry, but it is not the case in the "handmade" scene.

Guest blogger McCranky featured my Burgundy Hawaiian Barkcloth 'Emma' skirt on their blog this week, you can see the post here.

Thank you so much guys, I have sent a courier in to the store, bearing a gift today!

Peta Pledger visits Boutique Beads

A part of my 30 items in 30 days challenge, I made this 'Buffy' dress, using 100% Cotton Hawaiian Barkcloth.

The dress is on display and for sale at Boutique Beads, 179 St Georges Road in North Fitzroy (tel: +61 3 9482 4021).

Angela and the team at Boutique Beads carry an eye popping range of genuine Vintage Lucite beads and cabachons imported from the USA. They also carry felt beads, glass beads and a large range of jewellery making tools and findings.

The shop has a warm feel to it and unlike many bead supply stores, is child-friendly.

Angela runs jewellery making classes and also offers a special custom order service.

Next time you are in North Fitzroy, make a trip to this store as I assure you, you won't want to leave empty handed.

New Tote Bags at aprilMAY

I have set myself a 30 day challenge, to make at least 1 item everyday, for thirty days. On days that I cannot get to the sewing machine, I have to make up for it before the 30 days are up!

Hopefully I can stick to it. As part of this "challenge", I have made new tote bags, three of which have been snapped up by the lovely team at aprilMAY.

Stay tuned, I will keep you updated...

Customer appreciation photos are apreciated

I have been operating independently for 5 years now.

I have sold what seems like hundreds of pieces under the Peta Pledger label, yet I rarely see anyone wearing my stuff.

So, I am asking anyone out there, if you own one of my items can you please send me a photo of yourself in it?

I will not upload it on any photo sharing site, I am just curious as to where they all go!

The photo on this post is of the pretty Ginger, wearing a Leopard print 'Frankie' top.

Craft City Melbourne and my citizenship award

I say that old news is good news!

Back in May 2008, I won a Craft City - Melbourne Citizenship Award for the suburb of Fitzroy.

Craft City Melbourne is run by Gemma and Pip and is a wonderful resource for local cool and crafty places and people.

You can read the interview with me here.

Blog love from Italy!

I was excited to find this blogpost this morning - yes, I was 'Google-ing' myself again - LOL!

The link to frizzifrizzi.it is here.

Lost At E Minor online zine feature

I have just received notification from journalist and my friend Jo Spurling about a feature she did about me for http://www.lostateminor.com/.

You can read the article here.

Thank you Josie, and a love package is on it's way to you! xo

The Shirt & Skirt Markets Are Super Cool

Sunday 21st September and Sunday 19th October
www.shirtandskirtmarkets.com.au

Peta Pledger Size Chart

click to view larger. Bust/Waist/Hip are in centimetres. For conversion to inches check here.

What is in a number? Alot, according to many women I speak to. My friend (let's call her Francine) once told me that she rips the size label out of the garments she buys from me as she is - well, now was a size 16.

I have been researching Australian standard size charts for years and I have come to the conclusion that most of them are very strange.

After alot of consideration, I have decided upon the body measurement sizing chart above, which means if you were a size 12 in Peta Pledger clothing, you will most likely be a size 10 in my new stock.

To be sure, always try the garment on and if you are online shopping, check the garment measurements.

Treasury love from Warren, Maine, USA

I still get very excited when I am featured in someone's Etsy treasury - especially since they are so hard to get.

My 'Angelique' dress was featured in a treasury titled All Dressed Up... alongside some amazing garments and accessories.

I would like to say a big thank you to Whimsidoodle and I urge you all to check out her (?!) sweet Etsy store.

My favorite item in Whimsidoodle's store is this item here, the lights would look great anywhere, and would make great alternative Christmas tree lights.

Thank you Whimsidoodle and thank you for putting together a beautiful treasury.

'57 Chevy and my new stockist

The flyer above is for the Thread Den's Spring Fashion week parade titled, '57 Chevy. It is on this Friday the 6th of September at 6.30pm. I won't be taking part in the parade but...

I am really hoping that Marc gets home in time so I can attend this, especially since Thread Den is my new stockist!

Thread Den is a unique store in North Melbourne, one half of it is a boutique and the other half is a sewing school. If you would like a brochure about Thread Den and the courses it runs, send me an email and I will gladly post you one.

Keep your eye out for some of my favorite lines as well as one of a kind creations.

This afternoon, I will deliver a range of Peta Pledger goodness ranging from size 8 to 20.

Swoon - Little Girl's Vintage Patterns!

Gotta love vintage patterns, but when they are for fancy little ladies, it's even better!

1. Advance7062.jpg, 2. Butterick6387.jpg, 3. Butterick6389.jpg, 4. Simplicity1254.jpg, 5. Vogue2345.jpg, 6. Simplicity 3868, 7. Simplicity 3803, 8. 100_4678, 9. 100_4674, 10. Vintage Simplicity 5989, 11. Vintage 1950's Girls Dress Pattern Size 4, 12. Vintage Simplicity Pattern Girls Shirt, Shorts, and Skirt size 12, 13. Vintage 1950's Girls Dress Pattern Size 4, 14. Simplicity 1633 1956, 15. Simplicity4480.jpg, 16. Butterick6615.jpg

Gettin' Fresh

This blog is freshening itself up. Oh, yeah. So add me to your Bloglines, your Googlereader, your bookmarks and await nice fresh news, thoughts and stuff. Pretty pictures guaranteed. I'm building up my blogroll too, so submissions are welcome!

SHOP til you drop website

I was quite excited today to stumble on this.

OK, I did'nt stumble upon it, I Googled myself and found it...hmm.

Leeloo has a section in the SHOP til you drop eBoutique.

In an effort to make this blog more interesting I am going to make an effort to make an entry at least one a week, so please stay tuned!

Peta Pledger exclusive pieces now available at Leeloo

I am excited to announce that Australian online store, Leeloo will be stocking one of a kind dresses and limited edition shirts and skirts made exclusively for their store!

The dress in this post is a beautiful Sea Green Hawaiian Barkcloth, the dress is fully lined in 100% Viscose and has an invisible zip closure.

To see the entire range of photos taken by Paula Delley and modelled by Sarah Lea Cheesecake, visit my Flickr page.

Paula Delley photoshoot featuring Sarah Lea Cheesecake!

Last week, I called Melbourne photographer Paula Delley and asked her to help me out with some photos featuring the garments that I will be selling at http://www.leeloo.com.au/.

With only a few days notice, Paula organised a beautiful shoot, using Burlesque superstar and pin up model, Sarah Lea Cheesecake.

The outfit that is in this photo will not be sold at Leeloo, the skirt is for sale in my Etsy store...I will do a Leeloo post on my launch date, which is Tuesday the 19th of August.

Keep an eye on my Flickr account for the whole collection of photographs!

Market postcard # 4, thank you Gemma!

Baby tees still available

As part of the t-shirt collaboration Gemma Jones and I did, a very limited run of baby tees were made.

Almost all of them have gone, however if you still want one of these collectable cuties, please visit Meet Me At Mikes.

Meet Me At Mikes are located at 63 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in Victoria.

They have a wonderful store with a homely feel filled with handmade clothes, crafty delights and vintage too, so please pop in and check it out.

Tee collaboration with Gemma Jones - part 2

Here is the Cherry Starlet tee. I am still trying to work out Blogger and somehow failed to include the photo in my previous post! :-)

Tee collaboration with Gemma Jones

Last year, I was lucky enough to do a t-shirt collaboration with Melbourne Pop Artist, Gemma Jones.

When Gemma agreed to doing this project with me, I admit I was very excited and a little starstruck!

Both the Cherry Starlet and Dusty Secrets tee are a limited run of 20 each.

I have been late blogging this, however a limited number of tees are still available, from my Etsy store and Meet Me At Mikes in Fitzroy, Victoria (Australia).

'Buffy' dress, inspired by VLV and Greazefest

The Rockabilly scenes are buzzing at this time of the year, with so many festivals coming up. Australia has many wonderful Rockabilly festivals, but in size, they don't compare to the USA's Viva Las Vegas. 2008 will see VLV 11, my friends Sarah and Guy went to VLV 10 last year and from what I have heard, it is something that needs to be seen to be believed!

I made the 'Buffy' dress using a heavy Hawaiian 100% Cotton barkcloth. It is fully lined with Viscose and has an invisible zip in the centre back.

The side front and backs each have 3 soft knife pleats and the bodice has halter neck straps.

When I fitted this dress on my house model Dani, we both looked at each other and sighed.

Poodle skirt inspired Tote Bag for a Kutie

I have been super busy sewing sweet new dresses and skirts since my last post. I just wish I had photos of all of them!

I am part of the Melbourne stitching group, the Kaotic Kraft Kuties and for our first meeting we were asked to bring a handmade totebag. We presented our own bag to the group and then 'pulled a name from a hat', that person got my tote bag and in return repeated the process.

This is the tote that I made, inspired by the famous 1950's Poodle skirt.

It is made from heavy cotton drill, I used a store bought applique and lined it using some white with pink spotted cotton. The pom poms finish off this sweet bag.

This tote was "won" by the lovely Anita.

Blog Love is so Lovely and so is this dress...

Andrea, has an Etsy store called DreamsandJewelry and a beautifully laid out website/blog called Anything Indie. I was lucky enough to be featured in her Valentines Day Gift Guide. Please visit both as the quality of Andrea's work is exceptional.

The 'Be My Valentine' Lucky Diamonds dress is made from 100% cotton. I have again used a high quality viscose lining, which makes this simple dress a dream to wear. The centre back has an invisable zip closure. I have chosen not to topstitch the waist seam as I wanted the dress to be as 'smooth' as possible.

Thank you so much to Andrea and please be sure to check out her store!

In keeping with the Hawaiian theme...

I am always really flattered when I get a repeat order for the same garment that I have made for someone, in a different colourway.

This Pencil Skirt is fully lined with lucious, heavy Viscose lining. It has a regular 2.5cm wide waistband with an invisible zip closure in the back. I have used this lovely Buttercup coloured Hawaiian Cotton Barkcloth for both the skirt and the matching 2" wide belt.

I will continue the Hawaiian print theme for the first part of the year, so stay tuned!