Industry Day

Dear Blog.  I know I have been neglecting you.  I promise it won't happen again as I am refreshed and enthused after being at the New South Wales Sewing Guild Industry Day on Saturday.  In addition to fabulous talks by inspiring sewers there was also the opportunity to shop!

Vintage cards 50c each!

Yellow vintage glass buttons and crackle clay buttons.

Patterns - $5 each.

The vintage cards and patterns came from two sisters who are selling off their late mother's collection of  "stuff".  They reported that there were three tea chests of buttons alone!!  The daughters have been working on packaging and selling the collection for nine years and estimate that it will take them another ten years to clear everything!  The patterns were cheap because the venue for the day was the Simplicity Pattern Company warehouse in Revesby (Sydney).

I am extra enthused because on Thursday I visited one of my favourite fabric shops, The Remnant Warehouse in Alexandria (Sydney), and acquired more fabric.  Bliss.  Last week I also dropped some stuff off at an Op Shop and guess what?   I bought three perfectly new, unused patterns for 20c each.

So there is no excuse for not getting into the sewing and yesterday I made a fractured knit jacket. Pictures will follow when the handsewing is completed!  

Evolution of the Shoe

The original trial

After my first attempt at shoemaking (the Aboriginal print baby shoes above) I have tried various other patterns and fabrics.  I am enjoying the challenge to refine the fitting and to make the structure solid but flexible.  Here are the current trials.

Obi fabric shoes

Kimono fabric shoes

Yukata fabric shoes

Faux Fur Ballet flats

Flannelette baby boots

Kimono fabric baby shoes

Mass Production

Sometimes a client will ask for the same garment in different colours or fabrics.  Here is the classic shirtwaister dress made in three colours in a linen and cotton combination.

Children's Clothes

In the post-Christmas lull, while reviewing the fabric stash, I decided I needed to use up more of my scraps.  This time I decided to make children's clothes.  When my niece and nephew and friends' children were young I would do this straight after making something for myself.  This time round the clothes will be for friends' grandchildren!!!!

Print shirt - donated fabric.

Strawberry dress - fabric given to me by
a member of my sewing group.

Toddler dress - border print fabric used for a top for a friend.

Baby pyjamas - op shop fabric

Baby kimono shoes - scrap of Aboriginal print fabric.

Baby jacket - flannelette scrap

Animal print shorts - fabric leftover from a jacket

Toddler dress and leggings - scraps

Toddler sundress - scrap from shirt

Child's bucket hat - fabric scrap from shirt

 

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!