Ottobre 5/2017 no 4 and some extra stuff

This is the Ottobre top no 4 from 5/2017 magazine. I have a lot of their magazines but although I like their basic styles I don't make much. I'm trying to get myself using them more.

Sorry, such bad photos but I never remember when I'm out and about somewhere nice. I made it from some white cotton knit that I bought at a workroom sale locally. The woman was having a big sale and although there were some nice fabrics, it wasn't my style or not that great a bargain to justify stashing. (I've done too much of that already). There was a huge pile of large and smaller remnants and she wanted $20 bag (on of those ugly heavier supermarket bags) so my friend and I shared one bag full and boy did we manage to stuff a lot in that bag. It's a very nice fabric and all the fabrics were good quality. I've got a top cut out of another knit with roses (but I can't find the instruction sheet even though I've tidied everything up!).

I made my top in a size 38 cutting out a bit sider at the hip level. I love the kangaroo pocket. I am way shorter than their 5'7" (or taller) so I didn't put the bands on the cuffs or hem. I did finish it with a tiny band but the sleeves are a little long so I may cut them off and just hem on the coverstitch. The fabric is kind of fuzzy on the right side and I though it may pill so was really just testing this pattern out with it but it hasn't pilled or shrunk so win!

I didn't line the pocket with the same fabric but a woven from a long vest I have had cut out for a while. I felt this would actually make the pocket useful and not too soft. I couldn't remember if I'd washed it but there was no shrinkage so win again. It's really a lovely top and I'll use it again but probably make it a bit narrower around the neck and maybe the shoulders a little too.

Currently I've nearly finished the bodice of Simplicity dress model C. Photos next post. There's an issue so hope I can overcome it.

I also made more machine covers. This one is my Singer overlocker.

I got a bit fancy and made a little flap instead of just a hole to grip the handle as I thought the dust will just get in the gap, but I didn't bother making the hole for the coverstitch, below. The fabric is this weird mesh that is bonded to plastic. Funny story about this. There was this pink and a fluro orange and it was marked down at Spotlight about 12 months ago to about $8 per metre. I wanted one of each colour and they cut it bit they wanted to charge me full price for the pink one. I queried why it was not the same price and asked them to match it and they refused. Well I thought I don't need it that bad as I was going to make some shopping bags only so just bought the orange. Later that day I had to go back to get something I'd forgotten to get and found the pink in the remnant bin for $2 per metre so I bought it then!

I have been meaning to make some covers for these machines for ages. I spent time really cleaning all the dust off the machines and now will cover them. (I had some plastic ones but they were not good) These are terrific. I sold two of my machines this last couple of weeks and two more to go so room is clearing slowly.

Thanks Keisha for the tip to clear the cache but comments are not working still... I need to devote time to it some time soon but I am reading all the blogs. Keep blogging everyone! Happy sewing.

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

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