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Holiday sewing spoils.

So frivolous in these current times to talk of spoils and seems so long ago when we were on holidays but I started this a couple of months ago and things just went crazy since we came home on 9 January. My Mum went into hospital two days after we left (28 November) and had been home two weeks but is in hospital again and tomorrow will move into a nursing home. I'm really sad for her about that. She has so many complications from her rheumatoid arthritis medications that she has every high risk issue - heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, diabetes and the reason she is now going into the nursing home is osteoporosis - she has fractured 5 bones in her lower and thoracic spine and needs a lot of care. She could be home but home help is not able to come in now so this is the option. My Mother has been so healthy in her life, super active and did absolutely everything at home, which is where I got my love and need to make, do and fix things. She has only had this disease for about 7 years which is quite unusual as it normally presents much earlier (she was in her 70's) but it has eaten her from the inside out. Sorry for the downer, it's a lot for us to take in and cope with in this strange time.

Onto the spoils. I tried really hard to find sewing magazines. We were in Germany for the majority of our holiday and even though we were there spanning 2 months, I could only find one months magazines. The other thing, other than the obvious that they are in German, is that it is mostly winter stuff. Heck in Brisbane today, Autumn, it's 30 degrees celsius so don't know that I'll need too many coats, but there are a lot of coats in the first magazine below and really nice ones. I got the 4 below. Silly me should have worked out to buy the Burda in Ireland where we went next, but I did look and couldn't get any there anyway. They were out of the January one by the time we left.



I love the dress above and have some nice ponte sort of stuff that might work. It seems to be a style that is in at the moment.


This simple wrap hoodie is like my green Ottobre one I made but a bit longer. I may try this one for a work cover as it's freezing in our office.


I really love the white shirt above. I think this will be really useful in our winter - not that we can go out.

This is another nice outfit - simple pants and another nice tope with some lovely details.


I love this coat and I have some kelly green wool I'd love to make it with but the way it's going with the heat I won't need it, still I may try.


Love this skirt and top too. The top has lovely cuff details and I really love the swishy skirt. She looks about 3 metres tall so I'll need to shorten this by half I'll bet as I'm only 158cm.



Above is the tech drawings for the first magazine. There are also some lovely girls patterns too. 


These pattern sheets are the ones for the 2nd magazine above. Looks like a mix of some McCall's (lace dress) and other big 4. Some great coat patterns there too which I think are Simplicity patterns and Mimi G is Simplicity too.


My favourite gift to myself is the little spool rack I bought in a beautiful little gift/ coffee shop just near the Cliffs of Moher. They had loads of beautiful hand woven blankets, beautiful wool capes and jumpers but I just couldn't justify the cost as we could never use them here. I love my spool rack though. I am going to stop here, there are some other things I want to talk about from my holiday and I'll make another post.

Stay well friends. Wash your hand, keep your distances and keep sewing. :)

Comments

katherine h said…
So nice to hear from you! Difficult times, but I wish you well with your mother.

I dream of Brisbane weather! I wish I was warm at the moment...I am swimming in the ocean because all the pools are shut and I can't seem to get warm today.

That spool rack is gorgeous! Stay well xx
Vanessa said…
It is good to hear from you, and I am so sorry about all that is going on with your Mom. Even though it is an adjustment, I hope the nursing home is a nice fit for her so you can feel good about the care she is receiving.

My own Mom is German, and your magazines look fabulous! I love the line drawings, and the lovely photos. Though I grew up in Germany, I was in my teens and had no concept of all the sewing magazines they offered there. Enjoy your finds!
Patricia said…
Hi, what fun to see your post today. I am so sorry to hear about your mother, especially under present conditions. She has a lot to deal with, and it must be a strain on you. I hope you find a minute to sew a little bit. What a great trip you had! Those magazines are the business, and every design you feature is really nice. I'd be tempted by the coat too, what beautiful seaming. As for the spool rack - I would have snatched that one up too. Great souvenir of Ireland. Be safe. xxx
So sorry to hear about your mum. I hope the nursing home can be a help there. A note about the blue skirt though: this particular mag is a licensed version of the Spanish Patrones, and they draft for not terribly tall women, I think 165 cms ? 168 max... So err on the side of caution when shortening the pattern
Summer Flies said…
Thank you Polyglot Bookworm for that very valuable information. I'm so excited it's the Patrones version and it's not for taller women.
McVal said…
So sorry to hear about your mom! It broke our hearts when our mom went to a nursing home, but it was such a necessity. She was so angry with us at the time, but grew to love it and all the visiting and activities that went on there. and with as many kids as she and Dad had, she had visitors coming so often, all the other residents were jealous. ANOTHER daughter Connie?!...
My best friend is in a nursing home for the last few years and she is really hating this "closed" nursing home bit. I visit her as often as I can with a folding chair outside her window and we get on the phone so we can see each other talk. I'm planning on seeing her today and will write a Happy Easter message on her window backwards so she can enjoy it.
I'm loving all your Burda potential projects! Right now I've been whipping up as many face masks as possible. Can't wait to start sewing for myself again!
Stay safe!

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