Sew Darn Tired

Hope 2011 has started well for you all.  I have declared it "Year of Me!"... that is, that I will do things that will suit me and my son, not everyone else.  I tend to be the person who will go to everything she is invited to even if it means getting tired or putting myself out in some way.  We all do this, I'm sure but I need to pull it back a bit.  I have 3 legal battles going on (all personal and tiring) and my study, keeping the house and garden (ha) neat and tidy and of course the most important; my son.  So starting with holiday to Adelaide to see my girlfriend and her family; I am practising the "Year of Me".  Actually this is not that big a sacrifice as 1) They have a new home.. with a pool. 2) it is over 30 degrees there and sunny 3) it is STILL pouring rain nearly every minute here and not the least because 4) her husband is also on holidays at this time and is a fantastic cook!  They have been away from Brisbane for much of the last 15 years...

Well it is Boxing Day evening now.  Little one is asleep after a late, late night last night.  We had a big day at my sister and brother-in-law's place.  Three little boy cousins going crazy!  It was forecast for a big wet yesterday, and while the ground was soaking it didn't rain much yesterday (actually the water wasn't going anywhere-after weeks of rain everything is just full!)  This reminds me of 1974... the year Cyclone Tracy tore through Darwin.  I was due to start high school after the school holidays.  I remember it rained like this for weeks on end and we had huge floods and Darwin was flattened... literally. Brisbane CBD flooded. The street where I lived (and my parents still live) is three blocks from the river and it was flooded, of course.  Kids rode their bikes through it and went swimming but from a family of 5 young girls, we were not allowed.  Good thing too... spiders and snakes floating around along with everythi...

Well my very good friend P is having her 50th birthday party this Saturday night at her house.  She is very much the collector of fine wines and champagnes and she has chosen very carefully for her special night.  So, of course I have nothing to wear and I am making a dress that I cut out about 6 months ago (trying to get prepared for summer by sewing it in winter - ha that didn't happen!).  This is due to laziness more than anything as a) it is quite a simple pattern with no real fitting necessary and b) I hate cutting out patterns. This is the pattern... bought for 20c from the local jumble sale at the church up the road.. nice and simple and suits the olive green satin I bought from same sale for $3.  That's the 4 gore skirt made and just hanging waiting for me to sew up the top. The printed fabric above is Swiss cotton (made in Japan- what does that mean) I bought from Lincraft about 18 months ago for $6 per metre and the other is a stretch twill that I...

Well I just saw this on another blog and I like it! So true!

I normally get my Burda magazines from the local library as I don't see them around often to buy. I only have one that I have bought and I still haven't made anything from it.  Imagine my surprise when I got February 2010 issue on Wednesday and saw this..... In particular the coat on the right.  Why am I surprised? Because in April 2009 I made this coat.... ...The one on the right... and it looks like this.... It looks much more pink in my photo but the fabric is exactly the same as in the Burda photo!  That is my beautiful boy and we were at my friend's wedding in Auckland.  It was a beautiful day and we stayed 2 weeks in their home while they went on their honeymoon to Raratonga (I think it was). I rushed the end of it so I need to redo the sleeve ends.  It is not a lined coat pattern (actually it has one of those annoying half lining, so I tried lining it myself and it's just only ok.  I did not know of sewing blogs back then so I had not ...

This is the Burda pattern used for my black dress (view B the white dress - the other is skirt and jacket).  It has a delicate tulip skirt and the pleating of the front is kind of unusual.  I have done it and it looks like the outside and inside views on the instructions but I have a feeling it isn't quite right so tomorrow when I am less tired I will look again.  It seems to have one of the pleats kind of off grain so that's what makes me think that. I mean that when I hold the skirt up it looks off. So my camera is now downloading and I took some photos of the partly made dress and large paisley and it's hard to see but the row of dots around that small paisley is also part of the larger paisley and it reaches about 20 cm long. As I said the pattern is woven in so it has a lot of stretch.  Having said all that I am pleased with how it looks so far which is made up bodice (no side seams done yet) and made up front and back skirt.  This is supposed to be fully...

Well it seems I can sew still! I have been busy this last week cutting out pattern pieces; some with fabric some not yet.  I planned to cut out an easy Burda skirt and a simple simplicity top but of course I completely changed my mind and thought I should make a black dress. I have had this black paisley fabric for at least 15 years.  It's a beautiful cotton and the pattern is woven in, not printed.  (when Apple call back and fix my camera download problem later I will post a photo of it).  I bought this fabric for about $2 from the designer place I have mentioned before - they sell off their stuff so cheaply but it is fabulous quality . I have been waiting for a pattern that would work with this fabric as the paisley is quite large; say 10-15cm.  I have thought about lots of stuff but suddenly on Sunday it came to me ... Burda 7488(seems like when Apple also reinstall everything I'll also be able to scan the pattern envelope so you can see what I am sewing). ...