Beautiful blogger award

29/05/2010 3:38 am \ 6 Comments \

I was so thrilled to look in my comments and see an award from the lovely Anne; thanks so much Anne!
Whooo, now I have to list ten things about myself…  I always find this so difficult because I’m not very interesting… and this is meant to be primarily a sewing blog and not supposed to be about me.
What to say?
1. I’ve been sewing for over 30 years.  And I still love it!
2. I love “Desperate Housewives”  ;D!!  But loathe Sex and the City  :S Not even the wardrobe can hold my attention on the latter…

3. The British band Muse is my current favourite music.  (I”m not crazy about the clip but trust me the music is awesome…)

4. We lived in the United States for a year.  It was an interesting education.  USA is so different from Australia.  We made some great friends!

5. Typical Hollywood blockbusters bore me.  I love quirky foreign films with a twisted unexpected storyline.  The Sixth Sense is that rare Hollywood film that hit the jackpot for me.  One of my all time favourites.

Phew, ten things is a lot to think up…
6. I’m addicted to fabric.  It’s terrible.  Even though I might have 1000m of fabric stuffed into my laundry cupboard so I can’t shut the door, I still kid myself I will have time for just one more sewing project…  Crazy.

7. Knitting socks is another “what am I thinking?” secret addiction.  I’m not sure I could ever buy another pair of socks… well, one must have something to do whilst sitting in front of the TV of an evening, no?

8. I secretly wish my kids would never grow up and leave home.  I would miss them horribly.

(at right, my children and me in Italy)

9. (also related to the above picture)  I wish I could learn another language.  I learnt Italian at school.  Over the years, and having no Italians to converse with, I completely forgot it all, or so I thought.  When we visited Italy a few years ago I was amazed at how much I understood of conversations around me, and how the right phrases popped into my head when I needed them…!
10. I know I said this in my last award, but it’s such a big thing about me I’ll say it again.  I am extremely shy.  If you met me I’d be so tongue-tied you’d think I was a stuck-up snob.  I’m not really.

Now I name five others to award to.  It’s difficult to pick just five out of the many fabulous blogs I enjoy reading, but I’m awarding to:

Faye, of Faye’s Sewing Adventure

Karin, of ancien-nouveau

Lily, of The House of Mirth

Stephanie, of The Naked Seamstress

Caroline, of Church Sexy

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Champagne in the city

28/05/2010 9:18 am \ 7 Comments \

I am sometimes accused, by family members who shall remain nameless, of never wearing an outfit more than once.  Well, ahem, I do wear things more than once, but choose not to bore readers of this blog with repeat photos of the same outfit worn the same way over and over.  I do try to mix it up a little if I’m a posting a daily outfit shot, by mixing and matching items in my wardrobe for a slightly different look each time…
The Mossy Feathers dress I’m wearing today is one that can’t really be mixed and matched much; it’s pretty much a stand alone garment.  And today being such a beautiful autumn’s day I didn’t want or need to cover it up with a coat or cardigan.  And please excuse my fierce expression, my husband is always telling me to smile more in my photos…
Today I met up with some friends for lunch in the city and a fashion parade; Aurelio Costarella.  The dresses were gorgeous, natch.  All evening wear, which is his specialty.  He talked a bit about what he was up to; he is currently working on Winter 2011, having already wrapped up Summer 2010/11.  The garments we were seeing today were of course Winter 2010.  It was funny when he confessed that some of the looks today were like new to him, too, as he had forgotten about parts of the collection since completing it over a year ago!…  they work so far ahead in the fashion industry and are always moving on, always looking ahead and not back over old seasons…
A fabu-dabulous day out.

Details:
Dress; Vogue 2820, printed silk and chocolate brown net piping and necktie
Tights; Kolotex from David Jones
Shoes; Sandler from David Jones
Bag; Gucci

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Pattern Magic; page 11

27/05/2010 2:09 am \ 6 Comments \

The latest in the Pattern Magic toiles; this one is on page 11.  There is a minuscule chance I will wear this toile.   Maybe it is a bit young for me; much as I detest that phrase “age appropriate dressing” that is so stifling to feminine flair and creativity in apparel.  I can’t bear that women should be forced into a pigeon-hole by their age group… however that being said I’m not sure this top would do for me.  Perhaps I should re-phrase that; not too “young” for me, but too … flirty and girly.  Too cute.  I’m too tall for cute.  As it happens my daughter has already asked if she can have it, so it will not go wasted…
I’m just loving the challenge of Pattern Magic, by Nakamichi Tomoko.  However I’ve realised, through a few recent remarks and conversations with others, that it is a book for advanced seamstresses.  A beginner would struggle.   Even more so if you have no Japanese…
Up until now I’ve gone steadily through the book in order but for my next project I’ve decided to skip ahead a few as there is a top that I really want for my winter wardrobe… soon!

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Satisfyingly swishy skirt

26/05/2010 2:33 am \ 5 Comments \

Dug this skirt out again from the recesses of my wardrobe… I don’t know why I’m not wearing it as often as I once did.  I love it.  I made this last summer; not the summer we’ve just had but the one before that.  When I walk it twirls and swishes around my ankles in a most satisfying way, and always attracts compliments.  This morning on our dog walk (can you see Sienna’s furry butt behind a tree in this photo?) a lady crossed the street to say something nice to me about it… little incidents like that can give one a lift for hours, no?  I’m going to make an effort to give more compliments from now on.

Details:
Skirt; my own design variations, based on Butterick 3134, first posted here
Top; my own design, refashioned from my old 3/4 pants here
Booties; Django and Juliette, from Zomp

 

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Karajini socks

25/05/2010 7:37 am \ 7 Comments \

So named because I knitted these as we drove up to Karajini for a camping holiday with our friends the A’s.  I knitted one sock on the way up, and the other sock on the trip home.  It is my second pair of socks, and the ones that I determined how many hours it takes to knit a pair of socks; it is two and half days drive up to Karajini; taking into account that my husband and I shared the driving equally; and that we camped overnight; means it works out to roughly about ten hours per sock, given that I didn’t knit continuously…
Again using the pattern for Ladies Sockettes from Patons Knitting Book No. C11, except that I only did 8 rows of rib at the top, then the rest of the “leg” part in stocking stitch; so much easier and quicker this way.  Knitting in the round means that you are just knitting “knit” stitches all the time and none of that time-consuming yarn forward, yarn back that comes with knitting rib…
Whenever I wear these socks I think about our camping trip in the outback.  It was great fun! even if the drive is a killer…
(if you wish to look it up; Karajini is up in the Hamersley Ranges of Western Australia, about half a day’s drive north from Newman)

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Navy blue jacket

24/05/2010 6:13 am \ 7 Comments \

Digging through my winter wardrobe is producing some old creations…  This jacket I made about two years ago and wore quite a lot for the last two winters.  This year I looked at it a bit sideways, wondering if it would “do” for this year, but I think so…  Sometimes I feel as though this jacket is a bit “classic” for my taste.  I wouldn’t describe myself as a “classic” dresser.  I don’t know how I would describe my oeuvre, but it’s not classic…
This jacket is made of intense navy blue Indian silk hessian, I mentioned I used it here, for dying.  When I wash this thing the water is like ink.  Seriously, I kid you not…  I dyed a white shirt pale blue from the washings of this jacket once… yes, on purpose!  Amazingly the jacket is still as intensely dark dark blue as ever.
I had read somewhere that in couture jackets iron-on-interfacing is a huge No-No, capitals intentional, and they use a very light strong fabric instead.  So when I made this I decided to bypass the iron-on interfacing, as an experiment.  But what to use in its place?  I don’t know what they actually use, and short of pulling apart a couture jacket to see for myself I don’t know how to find out.  And is that going to happen?  No…!
In view of the clues “light” and “strong” I decided to try bemsilk, as both the sew-in interfacing and as the lining.  And do you know what?  It worked a treat!  It made the sewing process a bit more challenging as bemsilk is so darned slippery-dippery, but the jacket is, yes, it is light and strong, with no stiffness.  The beauty of the silk hessian is how it looks as smart and tailored as linen but without the very high crease factor.
The pattern I used allows for a lining in the shoulder/back area of the jacket but is otherwise unlined; I decided to line the jacket fully, sleeves and all.  And I’m very glad I did, not just for the warmth during winter, but also the aforementioned un-colourfastness of the fabric… all my shirts would have ended up with blue underarms if this jacket was not lined!!  Wisdom in hindsight!

Details:
Jacket; Simplicity4698, navy blue silk hessian
Skirt; Vogue 7303, bottle green cotton velveteen
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus
Stockings; Metalicus
Boots; Fornarina, from David Jones

 

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2 Raspberry Cushions

23/05/2010 4:23 am \ 5 Comments \

Flash-back about seven years: we picked this chair up at Melville Markets (a local carboot sale) for $5; it was pretty rickety because it was missing its front foot-strut.  My clever husband whipped up a new one the same afternoon and we had a nice new chair for our entrance hall!
I had a piece of foam cut to fit its seat and covered it with fabric from the remnant bin in Laura Ashley, and added piping I made from some leftover raspberry pink Indian cotton I had used for curtains in our previous house.  I think from memory the piping cord I used for inside the piping is actually rough old rope I found in the shed, rather than the proper nice white cord you can buy in upholstery stores… yeah (shamefaced), I’m of the waste-not-want-not kind…  
The cushion has little self fabric tabs with velcro sewn on, inserted in the back seams to loop around the back rest struts.  This stops it from sliding off and across the hallway if a pussycat happens to do a flying leap up onto the chair…
The embroidery in the other cushion was a little kit I picked up on a craft store exploration excursion I went on with my sister-in-law S one day, this was back in the dark ages when I was into cross-stitch!  I know it’s not centred very well in the cushion, but meh…  The fabric for the main of the cushion is the same raspberry pink curtain fabric as the piping…
I often wonder if those raspberry pink curtains are still up in our old house.

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Cloudy with a chance of brights

22/05/2010 5:04 am \ 2 Comments \

Yes, (air fist punch) we got rain!  And lots of it.  And my favourite kind, overnight rain.  The garden doesn’t smell at all now … well, OK just a tiny bit, but not like yesterday.  When the timing of these household maintenance chores turns out so right, you can feel so undeservedly pleased with yourself at your own wisdom in hindsight…
Today I was a soccer Mum.  And popped into Spotlight to pick up a few bits and bobs to complete some top secret projects I’ve been working on…  got some family birthdays coming thick and fast in the next month.  Not to mention my own selfish winter sewing plans, well, since I started on the Wardrobe Refashion pledge to buy no new clothes, ipso facto I now have to make them.  This is no hardship since I love sewing, but I feel like I have about a million plans in my head, and am realistically only capable of producing a limited number of items each week…
All I can say is it’s a good thing my family is happy with simply cooked food with no fancy trimmings…
Speaking of good plain fare, the grey cardigan I’m wearing today is so old but so comfy, it’s like an old warm cuddly friend now.  Comfort dressing, the sartorial version of scrambled eggs on toast for dinner.  And whenever I wear this little mirrored pony necklace it takes me right back to when I got it, on my girls’ weekend away with my friends A and D.

Details:
Skirt: Vogue 7303, burnt orange silk hessian
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Country Road
Necklace; from some little shop in Melbourne
Boots; Enrico Antinori

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