Swimming rashie for the boys

Well this boy above will model it and the other boy will wear it. How fantastic that I don't have to ~~beg~~ ask for Alex to put it on and let me take a photo.

I got out my "Singer Sewing with an Overlocker" book that I got with my 4 thread Singer overlocker about 25 years ago (I also got a great travel carry bag for it too but I couldn't afford the differential feed which was a brand new feature then). (I also note that the book is "Sewing with an Overlocker" and not serger). I was going to scan the book about how to flat lock but basically you start with a three thread (one needle and the two loopers) overlock stitch that is balanced. Then you loosen needle thread tension 'generously' (mine was under 1 - the lowest or most loose setting), then tighten generously the lower looper thread and loosen the upper looper thread slightly. Then overlock with the knife and when you are done, just pull at the seams just sewn. I have used the 'inside' threads to show on the outside because I thought it was a bit more interesting, but the inside looks kind of like an ordinary overlock stitch. I also used woolly thread (bought at the 2nd hand shop by chance) which goes on the lower looper. (I also used this making some togs and hemming a t-shirt the other day by threading the bobbin by hand and it made all the difference).

This photo above is a bit blurry (sorry). The sleeves have a band as does the neckline. The fabric is 50 spf (sun protection factor) lycra from Glitter and Dance in Mansfield here in Brisbane. They specialise in dance stuff and have loads of lycra and dance fabrics and also Jalie patterns and trims etc. They are very friendly and are quite a successful business that I recently read about in the Brisbane paper (I think it was?? - anyone remember?). Anyway it was a remnant for $5 so this rashie at spf50 is a great bargain. All in all, this took me about 30 minutes to sew up and probably the same to trace and cut out the pattern. Easy!

Front on view. See how my other boy is so compliant! So many angles! So little resistance.. so pleasant!

This is the pattern. On the inside it's dated 1994. It has the adult suits as pictured above but also the children's raglan sleeve sizes as well so this was a great buy at $1 (albeit years ago). J & L Patterns are in Osborne Park, Perth, Western Australia but I'm not sure if they are still going. I couldn't find a website but did find telephone listings so maybe they are still operating. Anyone in the west in the know?

Now that this pattern and technique is proven, I will make me a rashie for summer. I hate buying them and may even try to make a zip up front one (a friend makes these for sale in beautiful fabrics and all spf rated so I may try to enlist some help. Incidentally she has an industrial coverstitch machine that sews beautifully but she'll still getting her head around it.)

Paris, river cruise 2022 - photo bomb!

(this post has been in my drafts since July 2022 due to life circumstances. I'm just going to write just a little and then just show some photos) My friend worked on a Superyacht for many years and through this connection was offered a friends and family deal on a river cruise in Europe. It was a deal too good to miss even though it wouldn't have been a first choice for me for a holiday. She had done this trip before but during the winter taking in the Christmas markets. We were going in June 2022. We decided to have 5 nights in Paris (where I'd been 5 times before) and 2 nights in Amsterdam where my friend lived for 2 years in her youth. We flew into Frankfurt... not because we wanted to but because these were the only flights we could get but we worked with it. Remember great deal! So ok, a short (5hr), fast ride on the ICE/TGV trains got us to Paris eventually (one was late which missed the connection to the earlier TGV but there was one a bit after). We knew that w

YFASMA - Fabric shopping in Athens

I promised this post in March! Fabrics from Euro1 per metre! I didn't buy anything in this shop but there was some lovely fabrics. I did buy the green and pink one above on the right. A satin finish rayon. It is lovely. There was a lot of lovely fabrics in this shop. It wasn't cheap Euro 8 p.m. but I didn't have a lot of room in my bag and I wanted something I would really love. I also didn't buy anything in Paris this time. I did buy the fabric for a table cloth just across the way from this shop. I also bought some orange/white weave linen fabric for Euro 4 p.m. at another shop, which I think I'll make some summer trousers with. As I was going to the airport, I saw this dress on the platform and I really liked it. Very easy to do too, I went to the Benaki Museum while in Athens. There is actually 2 locations. In this one I saw lots of Greek and Cypriot cultural crafts. This was a bridal bed in Crete. There was lots of clothing, embroidery and gold jewellery.

The saddest dress, then a few more.

Well hello. It's been a while. It was 8 months from the last post to the previous one to that and it's a bit longer this time. The last day I wrote was 10 Jul 2021. On 12 July my son and I were finally seeing Tim Minchin after booking it before we went to Europe at the end of 2019. It was going to be April 2020, but changed a few times and although it was a school night (year 12 for Alex) we went for dinner and sat in the show. My Mum had gone to hospital that morning and my sister was still at the hospital with her. Just after interval I got a message on my phone, "get to the hospital now". So we raced out and to the hospital where. although it was a lockdown and no visitors allowed, all 10 of us were allowed to see Mum as she was end of life. I won't go into the whole thing but Mum didn't die that night, but because of lockdown, we were not allowed to go and see her until a week and a half later when we were allowed just to discuss palliative care. By the n

Sew Darn Tired

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