Catching Up

Firstly, thanks very much for all of the lovely comments from my previous post - much appreciated!

Now for a quick round up of happenings from my studio.... 2 simple little skirts for my 13 year old - just like shop bought ones! I used thick black elastic and gathered up a rectangle of fabric to attach to the elastic.

Next, I'd like to show you some of the things that my students have been working on ... I often forget to photograph their stuff - I will try to get more... Here is L's bag. L is a uni student studying to be a Technology teacher - she came to me to upskill herself in Textiles - she worked on a range of decorative techniques to make coin purses and this bag.

She also refashioned a plain black jacket to a sleeveless jacket and put the sleeves on as "tails" with lots of machine embellishment - very clever! She is prac teaching at the moment and is sharing her new skills with her Yr 7 and 8 classes - Good Luck L!

These are S's bags - she is an accomplished bag maker! The one at the back is from Hot Patterns and the others are from a Vogue Pattern - great for using up little bits of fabric. Great work as always S!

And this is Nicole - she made a fantastic denim skirt using an independent pattern - the name of which escapes me at the moment - but I'll find out - or maybe she'll leave a comment to tell us? Anyway, she used strips of a Japanese craft print to highlight the gores in this skirt - and it fits her beautifully!

Great work Nic!

Back to me ... and here are some pants from Butterick 4077

Fabric is a superfine Cashmere - from the Fabric Store (Surry Hills) and the pants have a faced waistband and cargo pockets - no particular fit issues - I cut a 14. The top is the JJ Blouse - free pattern from Burdastyle - this is a great little top! Fabric is a black spotted cotton voile.

I recently did the Pants Fitting Course with Sue Neal - the Palmer Pletsch method. It was a great 4 days at the Martin & Savage premises in Sydney. We tissue fitted, cut and sewed and I will photograph 2 pairs of pants I made soon. Here is one of Sue's samples of a mock fly, pocket stays and pockets.

There are always a couple of naughty kids in every class - and here they are .....

playing dress ups with fabric scraps ....

And here we all are with our certificates and champagne after 4 long hard days!!! Thanks Sue - great course!

The Drum

Nicole is one of my students .... here is her DRUM BEAN BAG.......
She bought the pattern at the recent Newcastle Craft Expo .....
The brown fabric is a strip of chenille, the remaining fabrics are all patchwork strips.
The top part features a free machined piece with Texture Magic (or Shrinking Sheet) underneath a layer of batting and the top layer is homespun. Isn't she clever!! Of course filling it with the beans was best part!!!
Happy 17th Wedding Anniversary Pete and Nicole!!!

In The Press

The Melbourne Age it ain't .... but here is an article on my little 'ole sewing school .... of course I don't just teach retirees .... come one come all I say! Thanks Sheryl for being my pinup girl!

Thanks Kylie at The Star Newcastle and Lake MacQuarie

More Cleverness

Here are some more creations from my students ..... Anissa finished her formal dress - this dress will be traveling back to Belgium for a wedding .... it's a gorgeous blue / green / purple silk taffeta ...
It was a challenging project for a relatively new sewist, but Anissa endured to the very end ...

The pattern is McCalls 5382. Great work Anissa!

Next we have Jo and her completed Swing Bag from the Sewing Basics 2 class ....

Embellished with delightful butterflies ...

Lined in hot pink with a pretty pocket

Fabulous work Jo!

Clever Girls!

Here are some finished products from my students ..... I am so proud of their interpretations and ability to complete great articles ... here is Di's Swing Bag from my Sewing Basics 2 class ... She used a mossy green corduroy, appliqued a dragonfly to the front flap - and she actually did another little dragonfly on the inside pocket that I failed to photograph ...

She also stitched on a lovely cotton doiley ... and piped the curved edge .... it is fully lined and she even added cotton lace along the shoulder strap - this bag is feast of luscious textures and thoughtful colour combos! Well Done Di!!!!!

And here is Sheryl's Mod Bag .... it looks great in this grey toned curtain / upholstery fabric ...

Complete with belt and buckle ...

And a zippered gusset ...

Here is the pattern ...

Sheryl has industriously completed two of these now, and the third is just awaiting a buckle . ..
This is another upholstery fabric - it has great body and suits this bag to a "T".

Here's the inside zippered pocket ...

Fantastic work girls! Stay tuned .... cleverness is catching on! Don't forget, if you live in the Newcastle / Central Coast region of NSW - you can buy Nicole M Bag Patterns from me - you don't have to do a class - just contact me and pop in!

Day Bags

Here is a new bag to add to my collection ..... Miss Day Bag ...
She is fashioned in Anna Maria Horner fabric - in decorator weight - I interfaced and fused Pellon to the bag body......

When I was at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Show, I was impressed to see all the Day Bag variations in the flesh. It's a very versatile pattern - I hope to make all the variations as well.

It has a zippered inside pocket, a zippered closure - shame about that beige zipper colour! But at least I added the cool little bronze zipper puller to restore some self respect!

And even though a girl shouldn't stick her bottom up for the world to see .... here are her purse feet ..... hmmm shame about that lack of pattern matching.... rather a bit too obvious ....

She's super cute and as it happened, as I was in the process of blogging this, my newest student Sam sent me photos of her finished Day Bag .... the fabric is really great - can't recall the name of it sorry .... and isn't the lining fabric cool?

Sam did a different style of strap - sew many variations ...


Great work Sam!

Curved Flat Bag with Some Shine

... and sew it seams that there is no end to the ways one can embellish a bag ...

This is NicoleM's Curved Flat Bag - stylish and simple in denim and ...

Angelina (Fusible) Film and Lamifix ..... this is fun ..... get some online from The Thread Studio in Perth....

The films are fusible -just cut and fuse - I popped a few little bits of fabric in between some of the layers, and then stitched them on with 2 embroidery variegated threads on the top of my machine. The colours in the Angelina Film range are wonderful .... and they reflect the light beautifully ....

Magnetic catches keep the whole thing together when required.... plenty of room inside....

I just hand stitched the flap to the lining on the inside - quite firmly - rather then stitching through all layers and having the stitching show on the right side - sew far sew good ....

Want to learn to make one???? If you live within kooee of me (Newcastle, Central Coast - a great day out for Sydney siders) check my website for my current teaching timetable ....

Fresh and Fun

Busy, busy , busy - lots of sewing going on around here ..... Sewing Basics 1 Class - here are a couple of fresh new recruits .... this is Liz' drawstring backpack in elegant blue with an iris print applique .....

And the photo doesn't do this green bag justice - it is actually a pistachio green with the lovely French speech bubble .... great work Brooke!

Speaking of fresh ...... today's Sewing Basics 2 class was fun with some Scottish lasses ... the lovely and very clever Ann and Alison ....

Here is Ann's bag - bright and vibrant striped corduroy......

And Alison's bag is a cool and floral hip little number ...... great work girls!

Equally clever and lovely (though camera shy) is Nicole ..... she made a bag in lightweight denim with a lovely floral lining ...

This Swing Bag was designed by one of my wonderfully talented colleagues (who lets me know when I take too long a break from blogging!!!!!), our Yr 8 students make this bag as well!

And a little Coin Purse using Nicole M's pattern in some Tula Pink fabric ....

Well done Nicole!
All in all, a productive sewing morning ... what better way to spend a rainy miserable sport cancelled Saturday morning?

Sewing Basics 1

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable Saturday morning with my Sewing Basics 1 students. Here are some nice and easy drawstring backpacks ......

This one is Julie's....

She appliqued a linen piece onto some great silk / linen blend fabric .... and finally she appliqued a lovely pink suede Breast Cancer Ribbon - looks great!Nicole brought some great Michael Miller Fabric for her bag .....

She made this as a gift for a new mum with a brand new baby ..... aren't those animals just too cute!

A Cushion for Kai and Nicole's First Skirt

Liz E had her first sewing lesson this week ..... she made this extremely cute cushion for her son Kai ....


She did a great job and I think she already has a stash at home to continue with - a new sewist joins the team!!!
And Nicole has completed her first skirt. She used a lovely grey wool, and we traced off a Lutterloh A Line Skirt pattern. It looks great!


Nicole is now struggling with sew many ideas ... what to do next???? Sound familiar?

Absolute Beginners

And sew it seams that finishing one's first sewing project is an extremely proud moment ...

Two of my first Absolute Beginner students have completed their first cushion! Here is my Sweet Pea's dolphin cushion (age 12) complete with patchwork, applique and embroidery stitches.

and even buttons and a monogram!
Another Absolute Beginner, Nicole, also proudly finished her first cushion ...

This one is fresh and extremely neat! Featuring a Prints Charming applique and emboidery, and an invisible zipper at the back ...

Congratulations!