Sew what?

This is the first time I've sewed so much in my entire life. Sewing has become a respite from feeling sick and is a practical solution to the fact that my clothes no longer fit me. Also the more I sew the more enjoyable I find it. I've learnt alot of things about sewing over the past few months.

The first lesson is patience. Read the pattern carefully, prewash fabric well, layout fabric and pin carefully then test stitches. I'm usually one for jumping in with making and hoping for the best, however I'm learning that unpicking seams is not fun so if you are more careful, you actually save both time and heartache.

The second lesson has been understanding what fabric goes with what pattern. I usually just find a pattern I like and a fabric I like and go for it. However I've been much more careful with reading the pattern's recommended fabrics and selecting one from my stash to suit. Case in point: drapey fabric needs drapey pattern. Structured dress needs structured fabric.

The third lesson has been to test sew. I had a tough dress to make and so did a mock-up before trying it out in my more expensive fabric. The results are worth it, I have a very nice dress at the end of it with perfect seams and correctly draped and tucked. This is especially important if I'm sewing something where the instructions are not in a language I can read. Case in point: dress from Japanese book Drape Drape.

 The test dress from Drape Drape in cheap yellow jersey. I modified the pattern to line the back of the dress too as this fabric was a little too light.

 Even though it was a test, it turned out quite wearable (despite all the mistakes I made!)

This is the final version in grey jersey. I love how it turned out though the draping does make it a heavy dress to wear. This one has no mistakes thanks to my test piece. 

I made another simple gathered skirt. This one is made out of quilting weight cotton so has a nice stiffness that I think works with this type of pattern. The fabric has an old fashioned circus print with animals and trapeze artists. It is good to cheer up a day. I love the green background too.

Silk velvet skirt. This one is based on the simple skirt instructions from Cal Patch's book which I followed carefully and made my own pattern from. The fabric is really lovely, 100% silk velvet and feels amazing. I had just enough for the skirt, the fabric is actually an upholstery sample and so was only about 42 inches wide and 46 inches long, I really had to squeeze the skirt out of the fabric! I finished the skirt with some vintage cotton bias tape at the waist, a zip and a hook and eye for the side fastening. I was careful to double stitch the seams as the fabric falls apart easily and shed black fluff all over the floor and myself while sewing!

Unfortunately I lost weight again after I sewed this skirt so its now too big for me! 

This top was a test run for a dress (see below). I used it to test out the sizing for the darts and how the sleeves fit me. So for this I just used some yellow muslin that I had dyed in black tea and bias tape I had left over from my white dress.

I then experimented with cotton synthetic fabric paint to make a dye by dipping the shirt in it. It turned out quite nice, but I'm yet to see if the colour stuck to the fabric. At them moment it turns my hands a little blue which is not ideal!

This is the first dress I made using the pattern. I used a really lovely light cotton print for this one. I kept the hems all simple, just double turned. And I added pockets of course!

For the second version I used a heavier cotton and used red bias tape to trim the sleeves, neck and pockets. The combination of red and blue reminds me of a 60's air stewardess uniform, which I think is rather nice.

Old Friends

I thought you might like to meet some old friends of mine.

This is Elizabeth. She was my mums bear when she was a child. Elizabeth is now eligible for a senior's card. She has a worn out nose and tattered paws. Her dress is handmade and is decorated with rick-rack trim. Apparently she likes a quiet life, you can't talk too loudly around her as it hurts her ears - or so my mum says...Her nose is falling off and her ears are getting worryingly loose! Evidence of lots of love.

This is Turtle. He was my favourite toy when I was little. He is wearing a patchwork coat because his body is falling apart and his stuffing is coming out. My mum made him for me for my first Christmas. He has a little tail that I used to chew on when I was teething. The tail has been re-attached a few times cause I bit it off! Evidence of lots of love. 

Turtle is probably my most treasured possession. He's irreplaceable and one of a kind. A little bundle of worn out fabric and stuffing with felt eyes and a cotton cord tail. Funny how value is placed isn't it? 

My little sister married her prince charming

Just under a month ago my little sister got married in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. I think they are called the Blue Mountains because they appear blue from a distance.

 She let me be a bridesmaid. I got to wear my vintage silver sandals (given to me by one of my great aunts - the sandals date from the 1970s and were given to me in their original box!) and carry a pretty bouquet. My bouquet had white and purple flowers in it, so pretty! I couldn't bring my flowers back, so I gave them to one of my other great aunts to enjoy.

 The bride had beautiful flowers too with interesting pod-like things in the centre. The soft roses were so beautiful, though they didn't really have a smell. I always think its a pity when flowers look nice but don't smell like they look!

 The wedding cake was made by a family friend of the bride and groom. It was chocolate with white chocolate on the outside. Even though I can't eat flour, I had some for supper! It was good.

 The wedding dinner was held in a large dining hall overlooking the valley below. I 'love' the decorations!

 The dinner continued and the champagne flowed into the night and everyone had a good time!

Even the local wildlife got into the party mode. Here a fly is snacking on a bit of wedding cake!

Yarra Valley

Flying into Australia. The first sight of my homeland in 2 years. Its beautiful.

Headed straight to a wedding in the Yarra Valley, just outside Melbourne. Stunning place. The wedding was beautiful, the food was great and the dancing was enthusiastic and awkward as was promised on the wedding invite!

My trusty vintage Oroton handbag packs flat, is sturdy and can fit a camera, wallet, phone, lipstick and even a small snack if I need to! And it only cost me $4 at a Thrift store. Best handbag for special occasions - ever. My favourite dress too from Australian designer Alannah Hill.

It wouldn't be Australia without some wildlife hanging around somewhere. I think this is an Eastern Grey Kangaroo. Its definitely a male as he was so big and tall. Two smaller kangaroos were nearby - probably his wife and child.

After the wedding we went to visit the Chandon vineyard. It was so beautiful (and the wine is alright too).

 This little fellow was cleaning up all the little bugs and spiders in the wine-making shed at Chandon. You can see she has a mouthful of bugs. She was hopping around everywhere to collect them.

A Tale of 3 Vases

Today I bring to you the story of three very different vases from three very different times...

The first is a vase that belonged to my great grandmother. Its not an expensive vase. Its not particually well made or finished. The printed pattern is fuzzy and uneven. But it belonged to her. It used to have a lid, but that got broken. I think it was designed to store sweets or perhaps small trinkets. When I look at it I think of her. She died when I was 2 years old, but I have memories of her. Of her house and garden and of her goat... This is the memory vase. Its a vase of my past, threads that I carry around with me of where I come from. I keep it to remind me of where I come from, now that I've strayed so far from home.

The second vase was given to me by my sister when I first moved out of home and set up my own place with the Mr. The vase is uncompromisingly an 'architects' vase. The sort of vase you might put twigs and pieces of artfully laser-cut cardboard in rather than flowers. Its structural and angular. It is a vase of promise - of a stylish designer life with perfect everything. This too is a world I've left behind. Its been a decision. I'm not that type of designer. I'm not that rigorous with aesthetics. I care more about heart than form. Its a vase from an alternative life. I keep it to remind me of these things, to never put form before heart.

The third vase was given to me just yesterday. It was unearthed by one of the Mr's aunts during a clean up. Its turkish leaded crystal, still in its original box, dating from probably the 1980s. Its heavy and expensive. Its the vase of a sort of settled, rooted, permanent life I know I'll never have. Its a vase to go with fine china, silver spoons and afternoon teas. Its a vase from another age. Its a vase of another life I've decided to leave behind. I'm not that type of wife, nor home making extrodinaire. I have my silver spoons and forks, but I'm as likely to use them to eat cereal as to serve delicate petit fours. I believe in using precious things everyday. This vase I'll keep to use for my twigs and roses. Its a reminder to live fully, now.

And what vase would I reach for the most? Probably it would be an ordinary old bottle that I've pulled out of the recycling bin at the last minute because I've found an interesting branch or flower or paper leaf I've made. The recycled bottle reminds me not to be attached to things. That things are not important in the scheme of it all.

Selvedge Magazine project image from here

This I what I plan to make to put into one of these vases, fabric flowers (free tutorial here at Selvedge Magazine). I've finally started to get to the bottom of my boxes and unearth my fabric scraps and wire and felt pieces and things for making. I've missed making things so much these past few months!

Of Birthdays & Happy Things

I just had a significant sort of birthday. A goal evaluation and re-setting sort of birthday. I celebrated quietly and went back to working on my essays. But today I got myself my birthday present: a Singer SewHandy Model 20 Sewing Machine. It came with its original box and instructional booklet. The booklet is copyright 1953, so I guess the machine is of a similar age. I saw it in an antique shop and it was love at first sight.

(Teapot is for comparative size)

With its Box, Booklet and Packet of Needles (empty, but original)

Yes, I will want to sew on lace, and ric rac

And of course children should learn how to make proper seams

The introduction concludes with this comment: 'You'll want to take your machine with you on vacations with the family, weekend visits with friends, and finally to college. Ever ready for mending or making a simple garment.'

Yes, I might just want to take this little beauty everywhere. Its really light (despite being a rather solid chunk of metal) and you never know when you have to do some emergency shirring or pin-tucking.

As far as I can tell it is in working order with all the necessary moving parts moving. But I will have to thread it up to see.

I think it needs a name...