Sew Darn Tired

Well hello! It has been a while. I've been very busy... boy working full time really cuts down the everything else fun time doesn't it. So onto the catch up. These 4 patterns above I got way back in July I think. My friend who lives and works in the U.S. was coming over and I wanted the New Look 6459, Simplicity 1366 and Butterick 6244 but of course every time there was a sale at Spotlight, these were not available or already sold, so I asked if she could get them for me. Stupidly I should have ordered them from sewing patterns.com but did think of it early enough so she popped into a Joanne's to get them .. .ended up costing me $50 AUD but I guess I have them at least. So far I have made a muslin of the culottes (no photo yet though) and with the same fabric, the top which isn't sewn up yet... maybe this arvo.  I think that culotte pattern is a good work uniform pattern and will look different in different fabrics (that's such an obvious statement but ...

Thanks ABC for playing Crowded House Live on the tv tonight. Hope the neighbours don't mind because it's LOUD! So neighbours this is for the dogs barking all night, air conditioners going for 14 hours a day and all your building noise! You're welcome.

So recently Spotlight had Kwik Sew patterns - 3 for the price of 1. I don't really need any patterns as I have plenty but some took my fancy and I'm keen to sew some up. I have been really liking the waterfall jackets... I have a Butterick pattern (not mentioned yet but brought over from the US with a friend... that's another post though), a New Look cut out and I liked the length of this Kwik Sew one too. I was seduced by Kristy's beautiful version  of the jacket on the right. Don't expect to see it fitting me so perfectly but it looks nice and easy and it's a bit different and a bit timeless too. I was thinking of sailor type pants but when I saw this shorts pattern, I thought I could make them up and see if they suit and I may be able to lengthen the legs and not have to trace out a Burda one. Not sure how KS patterns fit me as I've only made a dress a while ago now. I have these cut out from a leftover piece that was not enough for anyth...

I made a New Look 6648 a couple of weeks ago. It's made from a white fairly stable and not very stretchy fabric I bought at Trad's Emporium last year. It's a pure synthetic  but I just wanted to try the pattern for size.  Top looks quite nice and I need some white tops. I made the small but it is so big in the shoulders and neckline and with the limited stretch it is too small in the hips. I should have foreseen the hip issue. It's a quick make though but I'm not sure the big wide sleeves are good on me either. I gave it to a woman at work it would fit nicely. Gathering at the sides. I really like this but probably not good for my shape. I'll try another one in a drapier and stretchier fabric though and resize it for shoulder and hips. \ Close up you can see there is a small square woven in. It's quite nice to not be plain white. I have  2 small remnants of some white rayon that I might get it out of so I'll try soon. ...

That's a velcro strip from Daiso (Japanese $2.80 shop - incidentally full of all the little useful things you didn't know you needed or that would be made) that I cut lengthwise - with a little rotary cutter also bought from Daiso (good to not make your good one blunt - also $2.80). My Dad is in a nursing home with dementia :( and it is getting more difficult to get him dressed. I think this is a huge problem for a lot of less abled people.. getting in and out of some clothing can be frustrating for the person who may not have the patience, strength or agility to get clothes on.  He is losing weight and he gets cold in the air-conditioning so he wears long pants year round. He likes to wear track pants in the winter but when we take him out it's too hot now here. Putting some elastic waisted chino type pants on him last week it was difficult (and he was impatient) to get the pants up over the under things he needs with this elastic waist. I thought I would put a stri...

I finished a little cardi... just in time for the warmer weather to start. I feel better that it's raining and a bit cooler today. I have yet to photograph it but thought you might like to see a little thing I tried. I don't actually know what this little slot in the overlocker foot is for but I figure elastic maybe? I have never tried this before but I thought I would put this tiny ribbon (the ones you get on clothing for hanging - I hate wasting them) on the shoulders of my new cardi. It is nearly impossible to hold that tiny sucker on to sew it so thought I'd slip it in here.  It worked! It was so easy once you got the ribbon in and my tip would be to have a length threaded through further past the fabric start. I found it made it easy.  I actually ran out of that pink that was a perfect match but had a skinny gold one and finished off with that. Notice my nice fabric (of course that's the wrong side) but it's very pretty - a remnant from Darn Cheap Fabrics...

Victoria Bridge with the Wheel at Southbank at left and the city on the right. Story Bridge from the "City Cat" ferry with the city in the background. Pink in September is Brisbane Festival time. The bridges are lit up hot pink and there are so many great things on. I have had 4 nights out in a row.... The new Nick Cave movie "One more time with feeling." Devastating to watch... after his recent family tragedy. Friday night was spent at the Spiegleltent watching Mick Harvey, an ex member of Nick Cave's bands since The Boys Next Door in the late '70's. It was fabulous. Sitting in front of us was Robert Forster from The Go-Betweens my all time favourite band... wonderfully from Brisbane.  The next night I was at the Spiegletent again watching Custard, a band very popular in Brisbane in the '80's (they played really a lot but curiously considering the amount of live music I would see then I never saw them live... They were great and Rober...

It's been so long since I have sewn. I did get to make a few things for work but not as many as I made in my head. Sewing takes so much longer than you think, as do most things. I often say, if I thought doing this or that took so long I wouldn't have started, but once you start you kind of commit (stop looking at me UFO's). So, I did make a little red peasant style blouse out of a lovely cotton remnant I bought  years ago. It's much more red like in the skirt. It's a pattern I've used before for years, I forgot to take a photo of some open ended pleats (like a box pleat)I put in the back to make it a bit more fitted at my sway back. I had such little fabric I had to piece one of the sleeves with scraps but with the gathering no one notices. The skirt is my  graduation dress  with the bodice cut off. It never fit very well but I did like the skirt, so I cut it off about 6cm above the waist, opened up the side seam and put in a lapped zip, and turned over t...

Well it has been busy. Working full time doesn't allow for much else especially when there is a child and ageing parents. I haven't made as much as I'd hoped (ha ha do I ever) and the three things I have made I haven't photographed yet. Actually the Burda dress I just finished yesterday. I'm touching a lot of fabric and patterns but I just don't have the brain energy at night so far. This is a panoramic photo my son took from my friend's balcony at Broadbeach. What a view! It's a great spot right across the road from the beach and last week when we went for the weekend there was a great double rainbow that we saw both ends of. You can just make it out in the top left corner.  It was a bit cloudy that day (the next was magnificent - "beautiful one day, perfect the next" - that was the old marketing talk for Queensland a few years ago). Hee hee, then my friend said want to take a weird panoramic photo - sure why not - so while he was t...