Hot Couture - Handmade in South Australia

I will be going to the annual Kustom Kulture Weekend festival in Adelaide tomorrow.

One label I am excited about trying on is Hot Couture.

Joy Taylor, the woman behind the label, not only shares a passion for vintage clothing with me, but she also shares her birthday with me.

I recently sent Joy a 5 question quiz:

1. What is your name and your location?Hot Couture Adelaide South Australia.

2. What kind of handmade clothing do you make and what is your inspiration?
I make retro 50's inspired garments mostly frocks. My inspiration is from old original patterns.

3. Do you plan on expanding the business in the future? If so, what are your goals?
I would like to expand but I will just go with the flow and see what happens. I would love a shop in Melbourne or Sydney eventually.

4. What are you favorite fabrics to work with and do you have a favorite thing that you like to make?I love my cotton fabric with a slight stretch it works so well and fits beautifully. My bardot with the matching belt.

5. Name 3 of your favorite Australian designers (established designers are welcome).
Peta Pledger and not just because this is going back to her. I like retrospc'd as well and myself haha!

Please visit this wonderful Australian made label at www.hotcouture.com.au and their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/hotcoutureaustralia

If you live in South Australia....

Come and say hello to me this Saturday, the 14th of March at Kustom Kulture Weekend.

I will be going over with photographer Paula Delley and Rachel of childrenswear label Lil' Misfit.

See Gemma's wonderful flyer for details.

Viva La Moda online magazine

Gilbea, a fellow Etsy seller from Pamplona, Spain sent me a link to this lovely new online magazine.

Viva La Moda focuses on handmade clothing, accessories and art.

My 'Buffy' dress in yellow Hawaiian barkcloth has been featured in the 'Get Chuck's Look' section.

As I am experiencing internet problems at the moment, I have not had a chance to read through the whole magazine, but I really like what I have seen so far!

Rachel's birthday dress and the anxiety of...

making the perfect dress for her. We discussed her 'birthday' dress in great length for many months and after one failed attempt, we came up with this one.

The dress is made from 100% cotton Hawaiian barkcloth and is fully lined with tailor's quality viscose. The pencil skirt is perfect for Rachel's bombshell figure as she has height and a wonderful figure 8 shape.

I made the dress with regular straps, and Rachel made mock ties for variation using some spare fabric. I kept the neckline modest as Rachel wanted a 'spillproof' garment.

On the night, many compliments were shared and lots of fun was had.

To see the dress in full, click here.

Things that make me Happy # 1 - Ladybugs Picnic

When Bastien was a baby, I used to sing this to him in the car, but it was such a long time that I saw the clip, that I struggled to remember the words...and then I discovered YouTube...

This song is sung/written/animated by Pixar's Bud Luckey, lyrics by Don Hadley. It was featured on Sesame Street in the late 1970's/early 1980's.