New rashie and a gift

I've made a new rashie set again from McCall's 7417. Usually I've made the shorter rashie twice before and I add a band (I'm short waisted so it fits to my waist like this). I wasn't paying any notice and realised I cut the long one and then only had enough fabric for the shorter pants. I have just scraps left now... maybe enough for a kiddy bikini triangle top but not pants. I bought a metre of this fabric from East Coast Fabrics for $15. It's a lovely lycra and one of the heavier ones. I bought two more at the same time (July school holidays) but they are a thinner lycra so I'll see how that sews up soon enough.

You can just see the seam lines above. I have some mint coloured lycra and thought I'd make some 'piping' but in the end I didn't have enough time. My last spotty rashie (did I even show that one? or take a photo of it even? Now it's faded and nearly dead). I always put bands on the sleeves and on the waist of the shorter one but the hem on this one was just done on the coverstitch.

I put a band on the pants too. Just sewed up with zig zag and as I couldn't find my rubber elastic I just used some I got at Aldi. The key to the elastic if it's the covered stuff, is that it shouldn't narrow when you stretch it. This was nice quality and the right width.

When I cut the band, I put elastic in the middle of the band and sew it on, then fold the band and sew it on the pants (with the overlocker) with the zig zag stitch facing the inside. This keeps the waist band firm and secure. I made the size medium and the top is a bit wide at the hips (that's new!) and the pants are also not as firm fitting as I'd like but they are good overall. I do admit that I feel like I'm wearing pyjamas due to the print/colour but I do like the set a lot... perfect for aqua aerobics with a sports bra on. Also I get sick of trying to put the sunscreen on my back!

I also made up a little zip purse for a friend's sister. This was promised 12 months ago. This narrow piece was leftover from a cushion cover said friend asked me to make for her sister for Christmas last year. This scrap was left over and I said I'd make something up with the scrap. I was looking for something else (still not found - leather prepped for a gift for another friend) and I found this so whipped it up.

It's not perfect as the fabric was so twisted up and skewed (the whole piece my friend bought was printed off grain - I would have returned it... well, I probably wouldn't have bought it actually - due to skew and I'm not a Dr Who fan).

The lining is from a dress I made about 10 years ago and the last tiny scrap made a secret surprise pocket! I know my friend's sister will love this even though it's not perfect.I've got some Christmas things I'd like to make but not sure how much I'll get done. Anyone doing Christmas sewing? What are you making?

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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