Sew Darn Tired

I made new togs. These were a bit overdue as   pair I made in January  disintegrated. Well the red did that stretch out thing and the aqua (which was at least 20 years old) was still fine, such was the quality of that remnant. I knew they wouldn't last long as the red was very thin and not good quality plus the heat and chlorine from the night aqua classes really eats into the fabric.  So onto the new pair. It is still using the same pattern cut out from a pair of Arena togs that fit well that the last pair was to test if my tracing off was ok. These are made from a remnant piece of lycra from The Fabric Store a few years ago. Really I don't know why I bought it, it's not really my colours but it has a beautiful feel. It was about a metre long and $17 so that's probably why.. it is really lovely quality. I don't know how long they'll last; when you swim in chlorine a few times a week togs don't last long. The original togs had the bottom piece cut o...

The little girl next door had a birthday and a little while ago I noticed she was wearing a mint coloured t-shirt with a pineapple on the front.  I had a scrap of the pineapple rayon I made my niece pj shorts and kimono  last year which was a perfect match so I whipped her up a little skirt with pom poms on. It fit perfectly and just as well as that was the last of it. I had to make a kind of tier as it wasn't quite wide enough but a bit of elastic sewn on with the overlocker and then folded and topstitched and there it was.  She loved it and put it on straight away... I love it when kids do that!   It was also my birthday recently and my above said niece brought me this lovely bouquet of flowers which I may add are still in good shape and it has been a couple of weeks. Lovely... but the sewer's bouquet... well that's just perfection and lasts much longer. Ta Da! I present the sewer's bouquet...a bunch of merino pieces!!!! Goodness what a n...

Have you heard of this Destash to Restash fair? I hadn't but some someone brought it to my attention recently and I'm pretty glad. I had been planning on taking my patterns to the suitcase rummages that go on a few times a year but they are on Sundays which were our family day with Dad and so I could never go. I have a week off this week and booked a table and have been busy getting my vintage pattern collection ready to sell. I have hundreds and I have enjoyed looking at them and dreaming but the fabric and patterns are out of control and I need to get them to homes that will let them get used and loved again. I also have some really fantastic buttons that a friend who scours garage sales presented to me about 6 months ago and some lovely fabrics that I love but know I won't wear. Just to give you an idea, my sewing room is about 2 metres x 4 metres... with a large ikea square shelf thing, a metre long computer desk, a long two drawer table that my machines sit on ...

My Dad liked horse racing. He got a few big wins but mostly not... like he used to say "it's a mugs game".  One day he rang me at work. This was unusual ... Dad never called me at work (this is before mobile phones were around). "What's wrong Dad" I asked a little concerned. "Sofie," he said. "I won $15 000".  He was in complete disbelief. "You did not!" was all I could come up with. "Yes, yes I did." He was incredulous. He said, "There's no one home for me to tell." So that's why he rang me. A few weeks earlier my youngest sister announced she was getting married with her boyfriend and although my parents were terrifically pleased, Dad was worried how he would pay for it... and then suddenly he was flush! From many, many years ago Mickey Dioro was a horse that Dad used to bet on all the time and would win for him (winning again just this week I was told). He got the nick name from people at the ...

I am already over 2017. I thought it started well... we went to Maroochydore for a week on 7th January. When we got there, unpacked and went out for dinner. That's when I realised I left my wallet at home. I had taken $50 of my son's Christmas money in case he wanted to buy anything and so we used that. We also found my son had left his togs and swimming bag at home. We bit the bullet and went downstairs to the private, secure car park to drive the 2 hours back home to get my wallet... only to find the two boogie boards we left out next to our car (so it wouldn't mess up the lift and unit) STOLEN.  We drove down and back (four hours driving) to get my wallet and tried to forget. I tried to buy some new boogie boards but everywhere (of reasonable price) had sold out and tried buying some 2nd hand ones... eventually finding 2 for $10... but one died by the end of the week but it served it's purpose by then. We went for a swim the next day and the surf tore out one of...

When I break a needle or bend a pin or the head of the pin pops off I put it in one of these little tins of   something... sorry are they gum or lollies? (I got this from my colleague who eats them all day) Anyway, I put them in this as I can't bear the thought of me putting them in the rubbish and someone stepping on them. No one is trying to make a living out of the rubbish tips here (I think) like they must in some places, but still,  the thought that someone would get stuck horrifies me. In the old days I used to use one of those little round flat container that needles of all sizes would come in... you know the one... it had a clear top and you'd twist it to let the needle come out of the little hole on the circumference of the container. When you start using a little sharps container, you really notice how many pins, needles and machine needles you go through. I keep  mine on the window sill just behind my machines. There are some slightly bigger ones my c...

Happy New Year. I hope 2017 proves to be a good year. I didn't have a bad 2016. I got a job that I really enjoy after looking for three years and after studying for 3 years so I'm financially on my way to some home repairs/maintenance/renovations. Not sure what I will do yet, but hopefully I'll get some stuff done to make it more comfortable for a (soon to be) teenager and grown up.  The garden needs a good sorting out too.  On the plus side, I can see the floor in my sewing room/computer room/office. No real cull yet but that's on the agenda too. I have collected patterns for a number of years when I was unemployed from secondhand shops. I love the art work, that I could afford them and they gave me lots of pleasure but I will be selling a lot of them this year as I just have too many and not a lot of room. Although I have a sewing room it's tiny - about the size of a single bed with about 80cm extra width and maybe length as well. I have lots of fabric, most of...