Ever wondered why we are called seamSTRESS's ... it occurred to me just now! There is always stress when you sew. I remember once, I was making a beautiful red satin long evening gown for New Year's Eve, when my cousin invited my then boyfriend and I to Tattersalls (an exclusive men only - unless invited - club in the city). I sewed for days and it was going well until I caught a panel of the dress in the overlocker and put a 'v' nick into it ..... it is still unfinished! I cried and cried and cried; then got a hold of myself and went out and bought a dress on New Year's Eve afternoon. A beautiful black, beaded all over dress that was only $99. I still have the dress and had the neck changed from a scoop neckline to a square about 8 years ago.
The beaded dress has it's own story too! When I worked in travel, my old travel manager worked for a children's cancer charity and was having a Ball to raise money. Said Ball was in Rockhampton, which is about an 8 hour drive from Brisbane, but only a 1 hour flight. As another friend (who also worked for my old manager) and I, at the time, worked for the airline with a kangaroo on the tail; we flew up after work on a Friday. Of course the plane was delayed about 2 hours, so we were running very late. By this time we had missed dinner for sure. As it was a charity ball, we had paid $140 to attend plus the airfare and the airport carpark, not to forget a hotel (ok a motel; it is Rocky after all).
My friend took her ball dress and got changed in the toilet on board - she had a sedate number to wear. I had with me, my long, black beaded number and there was NO way I was changing in the aircraft toilet to land in Rocky (as it is affectionately known - also beef capital of Australia) with a beaded ball dress. So, on landing I went into the Rocky shed...oops, I mean airport, and changed in the toilets there. Fluffed my hair, put my make up on, then the dress and went to get out my new bottle of $100 Lancome Poem parfum - where it promptly fell out of the box onto the concrete floor and smashed! So, sans scent, I calmed and went outside to put my glam tie up stiletto shoes on ... sat on the usual plastic airport seats - and split the zip on the dress!! So went back into the toilets, changed into my work gear again - sans scent - and made to the ball. I still wore my heels as I thought why not look completely ridiculous at a ball in office gear and wear said office gear in glam silver stiletto heels. Got a cold dinner too (lucky they saved it for us or we would have been eating burgers at midnight!) My old manager felt so bad after our mishaps that she refunded the ball ticket!
Anyway these are the things I am working on now and the last three weeks. It is last days of school holidays and I would like to finish these at least. The kids have 'student free' day on Monday (that means they don't go-just teachers go) but I start my first day of a Marketing Diploma. So as my son sees his Dad on Sundays, I get to catch up on everything then - but I have to try and get the yard a little worked on and get my preparations for Tafe (college) and I'd love to sew a knit skirt too!
The dress is burda 7828 - mock wrap dress with long sleeves. The fabric I bought at a fantastic fabric shop in Auckland on the north shore, for NZ$4 per metre and I thought it was cheap enough to try make a knit dress as I have only ever made a t-shirt before and last year I made a pair or togs (swimmers) for my son in 1/2 hour as we couldn't find his and we were off to the pool. So far it's going well - but slower than I thought (isn't everything in sewing) but I have a good feel.
The jacket is a Kwik Sew1372 pattern that I bought at the church where our former Prime Minister goes - they have a jumble sale every Friday and I bought some other fantastic vintage patterns a few weeks ago for the princely sum of .25c each! The colours on the dress fabric is pretty accurate but the jacket is less purple and more muted - like brushed silk. It is from years ago and I think was $2 per metre - I have about 2 more and I will try and make a matching skirt.
I get a lot of fabric from a designer manufacturer that has a sale once a year of their overstock - always fabulous quality fabric and from $2 to about $8 per metre - some of these fabrics go for over $80 per metre to buy so it's great. More on that another time and keep watch because when the sale happens; I'll let you know and if you are in Brisbane you are in for a treat!
I'll show all when I am finished.
The beaded dress has it's own story too! When I worked in travel, my old travel manager worked for a children's cancer charity and was having a Ball to raise money. Said Ball was in Rockhampton, which is about an 8 hour drive from Brisbane, but only a 1 hour flight. As another friend (who also worked for my old manager) and I, at the time, worked for the airline with a kangaroo on the tail; we flew up after work on a Friday. Of course the plane was delayed about 2 hours, so we were running very late. By this time we had missed dinner for sure. As it was a charity ball, we had paid $140 to attend plus the airfare and the airport carpark, not to forget a hotel (ok a motel; it is Rocky after all).
My friend took her ball dress and got changed in the toilet on board - she had a sedate number to wear. I had with me, my long, black beaded number and there was NO way I was changing in the aircraft toilet to land in Rocky (as it is affectionately known - also beef capital of Australia) with a beaded ball dress. So, on landing I went into the Rocky shed...oops, I mean airport, and changed in the toilets there. Fluffed my hair, put my make up on, then the dress and went to get out my new bottle of $100 Lancome Poem parfum - where it promptly fell out of the box onto the concrete floor and smashed! So, sans scent, I calmed and went outside to put my glam tie up stiletto shoes on ... sat on the usual plastic airport seats - and split the zip on the dress!! So went back into the toilets, changed into my work gear again - sans scent - and made to the ball. I still wore my heels as I thought why not look completely ridiculous at a ball in office gear and wear said office gear in glam silver stiletto heels. Got a cold dinner too (lucky they saved it for us or we would have been eating burgers at midnight!) My old manager felt so bad after our mishaps that she refunded the ball ticket!
Anyway these are the things I am working on now and the last three weeks. It is last days of school holidays and I would like to finish these at least. The kids have 'student free' day on Monday (that means they don't go-just teachers go) but I start my first day of a Marketing Diploma. So as my son sees his Dad on Sundays, I get to catch up on everything then - but I have to try and get the yard a little worked on and get my preparations for Tafe (college) and I'd love to sew a knit skirt too!
The dress is burda 7828 - mock wrap dress with long sleeves. The fabric I bought at a fantastic fabric shop in Auckland on the north shore, for NZ$4 per metre and I thought it was cheap enough to try make a knit dress as I have only ever made a t-shirt before and last year I made a pair or togs (swimmers) for my son in 1/2 hour as we couldn't find his and we were off to the pool. So far it's going well - but slower than I thought (isn't everything in sewing) but I have a good feel.
I get a lot of fabric from a designer manufacturer that has a sale once a year of their overstock - always fabulous quality fabric and from $2 to about $8 per metre - some of these fabrics go for over $80 per metre to buy so it's great. More on that another time and keep watch because when the sale happens; I'll let you know and if you are in Brisbane you are in for a treat!
I'll show all when I am finished.
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