Gift Bags

 I have been given some Sari fabrics by one of my clients.  I decided to make up some gift bags for a charity Christmas stall this afternoon.  Here are some of the bags.  I have also used some lining fabrics from my stash.

The Elmo Costume

A friend asked me to make an Elmo costume for her granddaughter for a school Book Week activity.  As I have no children or grandchildren I had no idea what Elmo even looked like!!  Thanks to Google I found several bloggers' photographs and helpful hints for making the costume.  Here is the finished item which has been worn several times.  Thanks for your posts fellow bloggers.

Tea Towel Time

 I read in one of my sewing group newsletters that one way to use up your scraps of linen was to make teatowels for gifts and/or for charity stalls.  So away I went.  but then I did buy some new fabrics as well!
Here are the first efforts - genuine linen scraps and trims from the stash.






Then I bought these fruit and vegetable prints at a patchwork shop. They were on special!

This printed French linen I bought while on a bus trip with my sewing group.  Unfortunately I only bought .5 metre and as it is a one way fabric (lengthways) I really needed .7 metre so I had to add some plain black linen at each end.

So far I have made 21 tea towels!

Costumes

I have been buried for weeks under a heap of dance costumes.  Here are some of the beautiful African children in their costumes.

New Clothes

 It is so long since I posted but I have been busy.  Here are some of the things I have been making.  In this picture Marion wears a knit jacket.

 Katherine is wearing a cerise wool cape.  The fabric was purchased from an Opportunity Shop.

  

 Here we see a red knit cardigan with knit trim.  This was another Op Shop fabric.

This is the New York Cape.  This is a pattern distributed at my sewing group and made by members in different fabrics and with different techniques.  My version s from an another Op Shop fabric and  with buttons given to me by a friend.






In the picture below Wilma wears a mesh and crinkle top tunic.

  

New Lambton Fashion Sewers

I have joined a sewing group and went to my first meeting last week.  How terrific it is to spend time with other sewing and fabric maniacs.  I cut out some new patterns and looked at what other people were making.  I got a pattern for the New York Opera Cape and will be making this soon.  As it was school holidays some members brought in their grandchildren and gave them some lessons.  Here are some of the children.

Sewing Group Day

 

Yesterday I attended the Australian Sewing Guild (ASG) Industry Day at the Simplicity Company Headquarters in Sydney.  It was a great day and, of course, fabric and patterns were purchased.  Around 150 people attended and just looking at the participants' clothes was a highlight!   Here is one of the ASG members Suzanne Gray and a couple of her "fractured knits" garments.  I was lucky enough to attend one of Suzanne's crazy patchwork shirt classes some years ago.  She is an outstanding teacher and has great ideas.

Bangkok Fabric Purchases

American Cotton 

Unfortunately, my shopping time on our recent holiday in Thailand was limited but I had researched fabric shops and found several that were on my "hit" list.  Here is what I bought.

Swiss Cotton

Italian Linen 

Thai Silk

Thai Border Print Cotton

Thai Silk

Japanese Cotton

Italian Linen

Pashminas for making into poncho style cover-ups

Rayon and cotton

Brief notes from Bangkok.

Here is a street-side clothing alterations business.  This was one of several I saw in the main shopping area of Bangkok.  

Silk weaving equipment at Jim Thompson House in Bangkok.  Jim Thompson is credited with revitalsing the Thai Silk industry after World War 2.  He built his house (made of several traditional Thai houses) near to the area where the weavers lived. 

Drowning in Dressmaking

I have not been attending to my blog because I have been busy sewing up clothes for clients.  Here are some of the things I have made in the past few weeks.  These items are for my sale collection.

Mesh and crinkle cotton tunic.

Knit fabric tunic top.

Wool jacket with Aboriginal print fabric trim.

These items are for a client who had these fabulous fabrics from trips to Asia.

Border print cotton jacket

Silk shirt/jacket - love the colours.

Silk and rayon tunic top.

More Wedding Dresses

Yesterday I attended a Wedding Expo at the historic Tomago House.  Some old wedding dresses were on display including one from Miss Porter's House, a National Trust property where I do volunteer work.  Mrs Porter's wedding dress, pictured here, is over 100 years old and is made from a fine cotton embellished with pintucks and lace.

Florence Porter's Wedding Dress 1910

Wedding Expo Tomago House

Wedding Expo Tomago House

Wedding Expo Tomago House

Wedding Expo Tomago House

Wedding Expo Tomago House

The Beauty of the Blog

Early on in the year I created a post about covering enviro bags.  My friend Lyn in Perth liked this idea and started covering bags.  A couple of weeks ago she emailed me to say that she has now made over 100 bags.  Some of these have provided funds for Arix (pictured) to go to University in Bali and become a doctor.  Lyn says that her bags are walking out the door!  She loves her new project.

Online Buying

Yesterday I went to the barn-like chain fabric shop in the city.  It has been reduced in size and has less fabrics.  I was very disappointed but did manage to find some nice printed silk reduced from $30 per metre to $5 per metre.  Luckily this week I received some fabrics ordered online.  Here are the fabrics from two of my favourite online stores.

Australian KimoYES - vintage Japanese fabric for patchwork  The yukata fabrics can be bought by the metre but are only 32 cms wide.  I use them for skirts, trims on jackets, etc.  The kimono pieces I use as panels in tunic tops, cuffs and collars on jackets, etc.

Cotton Yukata fabric

Cotton Yukata fabric

Silk vintage kimono piece

Vintage kimono remnant

Kimono fabric

Vintage kimono remnant

Vintage Kimono piece

Vintage kimono piece

Sew for U Alice Springs www.sewforu.com.au/  This is the shop from which I purchase Aboriginal print fabrics which are used for jackets, skirts, bags, etc.