Perri and Ed's Wedding

Like most of the brides that come to me for a wedding dress, Perri wanted a dress that she could wear after her wedding day.

Being in Melbourne, it was really hard for us to predict the weather. Early December should be summer afterall, which means sunny, right? Well, that is not the case with Melbourne, it could be cold and raining, sunny, it could hail, it could be windy or it could be extremely hot (or all of the things I just mentioned in one day).

Perri knew she wanted red and something that would keep her cool if it was a 45C day. Cotton sateen was the fabric we chose and after 2 initial designs, we decided on an 'Anni' dress style, but using a full circle for the skirt. I initially was going to fully line the dress, but as the weather was looking like it would behave, I decided to half line the dress using red viscose lining, as cotton sateen with lining can be a little heavy on a super-hot summer day.

The outfit was completed with a 1950s style Malco Modes petticoat and a beautiful crocheted shrug, handmade by her friend.

Perri also wanted her bridesmaids to wear dresses that could be worn again, they chose my 'Rocker Girl Jane' style dress "off the rack" from my online store and we used red with white cotton pindot fabric, instead of polka dot fabric. I made white belts to compliment their white petticoats, and as the bridesmaids live in different places around the world, each one was altered by their own dressmaker.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Perri and Ed for making me a part of their wedding day. It has been alot of fun.

'Making It Handmade' is available on DVD!

"So you think craft is for Nannas? Well think again. Come and explore the subculture of indie craft in Melbourne through four women who are subverting domestic craft techniques drawing from punk culture, politics, feminism and modern aesthetics."

Melbourne film maker, Anna Brownfield has released her documentary 'Making It Handmade' on DVD. The film features 5 crafty women, Rayna Fahey, Pip Lincoln, Gemma Jones, Casey Jenkins, Faythe Levine and interviews with them talking about their careers as crafters, the craft groups they have started and their opinions about what it is like to be a crafty woman in 2010.

Whether you are into making craft, buying craft or are simply interested in a sub-culture that you may not know much about, this movie will do one thing for you, leave you feeling with an inexplicable feeling of empowerment.

You can buy the DVD from here.

A message from Rude Health in St Kilda...

Below is an email I received from Julia the owner of my stockist in St Kilda.

DAGMAR ROUSSET (née Rude Health)

We have a new name! Why? Well, a few people found Rude Health offensive, perplexing or just plain moronic. Thankfully, many people loved it (which made me feel a bit less lonely on my usually sparsely inhabited wavelength). Some people also thought our logo - the very cool smoking pig by Nate Trapnell, aka the Southpaw - was in some way condoning smoking. (I was actually going for irony, but I can see how people could get the wrong end of the stick!)

So I decided to re-name my shoppe Dagmar Rousset.

Dagmar - a girl’s name of German/Scandinavian origin - always brings to mind an impossibly elegant screen siren languidly reclining on a chaise longue caressing a cigarette holder between her long, delicate fingers (oops, there I go again, promoting the ingestion of noxious substances!) .

Rousset, because I am a lifelong Francophile and devoted promoter of the French language. In fact, the reason why my shop is closed for much of the week (much to the annoyance of my customers) is because I am teaching le français to eager young minds at university.

Who is Dagmar Rousset? She is everything I hope to be one day: fearless, elegant, and shamelessly eccentric.

Bisous,
Julia

I personally disagree with Julia on the last bit, I think she is already fearless, elegant, and shamelessly eccentric.

Studio Sale!

This Saturday, the 2nd of May, I am holding a Studio Sale along with fellow Melbourne Crafters, Anna Laura, Jodie Nicholson, Kate Boulton, Rachel Francis and Samantha Sultana.

The sale will be held on Level 2, 37 Swanston Street in Melbourne (on the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane) from 9am until 5pm.

We will be selling a wide range of new products, seconds, samples and overstock. Also, fabrics, craft supplies, sewing patterns and much more.

We look forward to seeing you there!