Catching Up

Happy New Year! I'm back and my computer is fresh and clean .... now to catch up on happenings here .... firstly I'm in love with my new dress... it's Burda World of Fashion 4/08 Dress 116, I've made one for myself and one (shorter and sleeveless) for my little sweet pea (age twelve) ...
Both of these fabrics came from my sewing week at Martin and Savage - they are 94% Polyester and 6% Spandex, and while I normally favour natural fibres, this fabric is something else ... just lovely to wear ....
The sleeves are a bit tight as I failed to read the instructions properly - I was meant to put an armhole facing and just insert a sort of 3/4 sleeve - but anyway, it still works ....

The centre front has a cute little drapey piece that tucks into bottom of the V - which I had to adjust to show less cleavage. This one's a winner - I love it!
Next up, we've had some birthdays here and I made some cushions for a nephew and neice ... they are 70cm square, and I used images manipulated by Big Huge Labs and then printed them onto fabric with my inkjet printer ....



I borrowed a Janome Embroidery Machine from school to practise using it .... my sweet pea has taken a shine to it and she's been creating lots of cool stuff .... of course eventually we'll have to make something with all this - but WOW - it has certainly captured her attention and sewing motivation ......

Here is a dress I made from prepared Shirred Fabric - this is so easy and lovely to wear - fabric is called READY TO WEAR from Martin and Savage
I rolled hem the top edge and the hems and the strips for the straps ...

This is the whole piece with two panels on it - here is where I cut it ...
Christmas is hydrangea time ....
And Baguette time ..... featuring some Kaffe Fassett .....

Very cute bag!
Now, some pics from my students .... here is Paul wearing PJs hemmed by Annalise - great work!
He looks pretty happy with them!
And here is Nicole's lovely beach bag and hat ...... the colours and fabrics of these two look fab!
She's on board her lovely boat on beautiful Lake MacQuarie (I assume?) .....

Note the contrasting under brim side - perfect!

And thats AHOY from me! If you live in the Newcastle / Central Coast area and would like to come along to learn hat / bag making I have classes coming up on Saturdays - 30th Jan, 6th Feb and 13th Feb - contact me for more info.

Sydney and a Reality Check

and sew it seams that a girl can have a whole lotta fun doing a sewing course in Sydney ... I have recently returned from doing the Palmer Pletsch FIT AND SEW KNITS course with Sue Neall in Sydney. It was all about tissue fitting commercial patterns and learning about sewing with knits ... here is Vogue 8151
and here is the top I made - using fabric from Georgeous Fabrics..... it's lovely to wear - a mid season weight and it fits like a glove!
Here is an old BWOF pattern from 2005.
And here is the little top I made. It's cute and I must mention here that the course was held at Martin & Savage Fabrics Warehouse in Waterloo - oh my .... I'm even palpitating as I write this ... this top was made using the bits and pieces of fabric made available to us ...
We were allowed to roam the warehouse and choose fabric to purchase ..... the quality is exceptional and the colours, prints and textures were to die for ... it's such a shame that Martin & Savage isn't readily available in my local fabric stores .... here is a very clever piece called "Ready To Wear" it's in panels with a shirred top - perfect for a skirt - just whip up a seam and hem it ..
and it's reversible! So maybe do a flat fell seam and bob's your uncle! I purchased two panels to make a dress to go around my girth - but if you are a skinny minny you could get away with one panel.

Here is the shirred / elasticised part ....
Here is a lovely textured piece ...

And more fabric ...

While we were there we popped into Europress up the road in McEvoy Street and picked up some back titles ......
As I said, Martin & Savage gave us remnant bits to play with ... here are a few of the lovely things I brought home ...

As I said, the course was about tissue fitting and adjusting patterns, pictured above is an adjustment for a fuller bust -it's a very clever method ... and below is the remnant couch - a treasure chest!

Here is the overlocker table and the cutting tables in the background, and of course, wall to wall fabric .... phew, it was hard to concentrate ....
Bernina supplied all the machines - here is my little friend ...
I made a little trip to Newtown and found the Bollywood shop ..
And this lovely shop was unfortunately closed ... All Buttons Great and Small - check the cool window display ..

and now for the reality check ..... remember this pattern? I made the jacket and then the brown dress .....

Well ..... I'm not sure why I don't look exactly like that lovely tall model on the pattern envelope ....ouch! Nice pattern though!

Brisbane and New Look 6704

... and sew it seams that time gets away, and my blogging has been neglected ... too much to do ... starting with a quick trip to Brisbane, and my mission was to purchase fabric ..... found this in Michelton - Funky Fabrix indeed .....



.. and this is what I got .... I'm thinking ...... bags? Too obvious? Oh well ......

I also went to Indooroopilly - to a fab shop SCKAFS .... it's quite unusual to find a very well stocked and busy fabric shop in the middle of large shopping centre - but there it was .... I purchased quite a few dress lengths of this and that - photos of which will hopefully appear in due course ..... one of my finds was a lovely knit - creamy background - cool sketch like flowers in colours reminiscent of books from my childhood .... anyway, my 12 year old sweet pea wrapped it around herself and tied a knot in it and wore it out to dinner that night .... why can't I do that? Sorry about her face - my Photoshop skills are ...... well, I don't have any!
I am wearing a BWF top in a metallic knit from Chic Fabrique - Central Coast, NSW ...
And another fabric shop - I LOVE BRISBANE!!! This one was new apparently, can't remember the name - it is next door to BIOME - which is another great shop full of cleverly designed, recycled type goodies - it is on Adelaide Street .... I got a great digital print with big big flowers for a bias skirt I hope ...

Now, here is New Look 6704, View E in fabric from SCKAFS Brisbane - its a decent weight woven with a touch of Spandex ... there is a faint phrase repeat behind the images "We live in a fashion world" - can't argue with that!


I cut a size 14 and it was very straightforward to sew together - I like it!
... Still in Brisbane, and on my morning walk I was a tad excited to see this poster .....

It was a lovely Sunday - Sunday? Sunday? The exhibition was NOT OPEN ON SUNDAY ..... ? Crazy but true - I just might have to go back!

A Bevy of Boxers

Boxers in a minute ....
But now, it's been a busy time with birthdays lately .... here is a great big 28 inch square cushion I made for my nephew ....
I've been using BIGHUGELABS to do tricky things with photos before transferring them onto fabric .... it's just the best.... and free!

And now another big huge cushion featuring big huge labs .. this one for my baby who turned 15 today!....... some of the images were printed straight onto treated inkjet fabric, and some I used Transfer Artist's Paper - an iron on product .... it gives you the freedom to transfer your designs onto lots of different materials - even glass apparently! As always, I use Goldies Cushion inserts ..... bound to be b b b bouncier!
Can you spot Mr Hugh Jackman? .... he was shooting a film at our beach and was happy to have his photo taken ....
I used bleached denim on the back .....
I think my baby likes it! The one glove is another present - a golf glove!
And now for the boxers .... what else can a sewist make for a 15 year old boy ... that is, something that he may actually wear ???

Love the fabric on the right - Alexander Henry Regent Skulls - I didn't quite have enough for 2 legs - so I cut and pasted (appliqued) some bits onto a piece of homespun .... did the trick!


That should get him through the year ....

Jacket New Look 6799

A boxy little jacket .... now my figure type might normally preclude me from a jacket of this design, but, as we do, I fell in love with the picture on the envelope ....And in my imagination I will look exactly like this lovely lady when I make the brown dress to match .......
Tweed fabric from The Fabric Store in Surry Hills, Sydney ..... I matched all checks as best I could ....

I used plastic press studs to fasten the jacket - so the front buttons are purely decorative - rather than have big ugly buttonholes through the thick fabric....
After I washed the fabric I decided to not line the jacket - it wasn't stiff or scratchy and since it was designed to be worn over a summer dress - I didn't want another layer of fabric on the jacket. All raw edges were bound with Satin Bias Trim - Hong Kong Style - no less!
A little time consuming - but otherwise good - it fits me nicely as well - I cut a 12, the dress will be 14 ..... don't hold your breath waiting for a post about it ..... it won't happen over night, but it WILL happen!

A Trio of Teardrops

Here are three Teardrop Purses ....

This is the fabric for the first one I made ...

Please excuse my lack of words throughout this post ..... blogger has changed the way of inserting images ... and I don't like it .... anyone else having the same problems? Anyway, this a lovely cute purse. The beads were rather time consuming ... for the next two purses I made I used invisible thread as I didn't like the way you could see the coloured thread on the inside of the frame. Beading needles weren't successful either - hard to thread and not very strong - I resorted to a normal needle which accommodated every 6th bead! Not your average handmade bag - go on .... give it a go ...... while I try to figure out blogger .......

Pep, Personality and Vitality

If you can get to Sydney - go and see the EXPOSED exhibition - the Story of Swimwear at the National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour. Actually, it's a travelling exhibition - coming to a town near you!  It closes 23rd October, 2009. Here are some photos.... it's a brilliant exhibition ....... I'm not going to blah on about each photo ... except for a couple .....

Here is Annette Kellerman's Book - it's just too good!

She writes that her perfect figure is due to her PEP, PERSONALITY AND VITALITY ..... Love it!

Here are a couple of ladies being arrested in the 1920s for wearing their swimsuits in public ....risque!

The exhibition is a Textiles Teacher's dream - great info on design, fibres, fabrics and society.......

Did your mum wear these????

It was also great to come across and artist working with the exhibition ..... Jennie Pry ..... she was sketching swimsuits .... her work is fabulous ...... what a treat!

And finally, I'd like to finish with this suit - it's my favourite - from Jet Swimwear .....Cool lines, a denim look with a detailed print - love it!