This skirt, Vogue 2894, is one of my most recent projects. During my wardrobe clean-out I decided I needed a really colourful floral skirt to brighten things up, so went to Fabulous Fabrics and, voila! I feel it’s got some great colours to play around with that can match up with a lot of my current garments. I wore it with a cardigan for this photo and for this morning, but actually it’s now getting a bit too hot for cardigans and am going to have to “summer” things up a bit an the apparel department.
Actually I popped in to Fabulous Fabrics yesterday to pick up some extras to finish up some sewing projects I’ve currently got on the go, and browsing through the pattern catalogues I was a little shocked at how light-on the summer Vogue book was. There seemed to be much less on offer this season. Is the economic crisis affecting the home sewing market? Surely not. Now would seem the ideal time for people to be getting out their sewing machines and running up their own garments at home for a quarter of the cost they are in the shops… The added bonus is that you are wearing something unique that you will not see on anyone else. This is always one of my primary motivations, the cost saving is a secondary consideration. Although spending less per garment definitely means you can have a much more extensive wardrobe!!!
I wore this outfit to a morning tea this morning (skirt universally admired, which was nice!) and a friend commented that if she saw my skirt in the shop she would definitely be buying it. Of course I don’t want to see anyone else wearing my skirt but it was nice to hear! I spouted on about the benefits of making your own clothes as I always do and with any luck, not withstanding my powers of persuasion, I may convert one person to the home sewing crusade.
After office duties today I will be doing some exam taxi-ing again, and visiting my niece for her birthday, and other errands. Later I hope to go to an art exhibition with my husband, if he gets home from work in time.
Other details:
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus
Bracelet; from a craft fair in Brisbane
Necklace; gift from my friend Becky
Shoes; Neo, bought from Nine West (I think)
Today is to be a scorcher, 40C forecast, and at even 9am in the morning you can already discern a shimmer in the air. On days like this an oppression and stillness hanging heavy over all, sapping strength and dulling wits. The sky is intense and vivid blue unrelieved by any hint of cloud. I found one lonely rose in the garden as yet unwilted by the recent hot spell, its shady spot is its saviour and no doubt by the end of the day the edges of its soft petals will be crinkled, dark and crisp, and its colour will have faded to a veined shadow of itself… 
