The Thick Of It

I still haven't tidied the studio. I sweep occasionally and load the dishwasher.

 

The rubbish bin is full of interfacing trimmings and Mini Magnum wrappers. 

 

And now, on top of the fabric, foamcore board and general clutter, there are samples, toiles and finished designs.  And there are more to come.  My head is full of them.

I've just passed the halfway mark in developing designs (and writing instructions, shooting how-to photos and drawing diagrams) for the new book. When I'm not feeling worn out and overwhelmed, I'm feeling inspired and capable and full of hope. 

 

This new book-writing biz has been a see-sawing, hot-cold, drought-flood sort of affair, so far, but all the time I've had to work through it. The deadline is pressing, and I still have to organise getting myself to Grampians Texture, various teaching gigs around the country and I have to get to Quilt Market in the USA.

 

And all the time, I'm loving beautiful fabrics by Saffron Craig, CurlyPops, Ink&Spindle and Kristen Doran.

 

I'm also in the throes of overhauling lots of pattern covers with new samples, in fresh new fabrics. These are all from Riley Blake "Flutter" and "Hello Sunshine" ranges.  Don't they just SING?

For the first time since the girleen was 2, I've had to delegate the sewing of samples. I've realised the limits of my time.... which is a shame, because I'd love to be playing with these.

 

And as any Australian parent-of-school-age-kids knows, it's the loooooooooong school holidays right now.

 

I've seen 3am more times lately than I dare to think about it.

 

Speaking of school holidays, there have been other bag designs emerging from studio You SEW Girl.

 

 

Of course, I opened it.

 

 (I helped to make it, so there were no surprises). The pocket was especially designed as a "book pocket".  That's my girl.

Busy times.

Throw in a few miniature and major dramas, a whole bag of grief, a bunch of uncertainty, a little bit of optimism, some good times with good friends, some disillusionment with others, some wonderful big blue Melbourne skies, a few marvellously meditative swims, the appreciation of good air-conditioning during a heatwave and the realisation that Mini Magnums really need to start getting bigger (or that I have to admit to some sort of addiction), and you pretty much have my "summer break".

We'll be back to normal business hours next week.  Hope to catch you somewhere in 2013. 
xxx

 

 

 

 

Make it in May Skirt Sew-Along

When the lovely Ms CurlyPops announced that she was having a skirt sew-along in May, I immediately signed up, with great hopes for sewing up a skirty storm in preparation for winter.

 Since I forgot to take zips to Sewjourn (and, let's face it, was looking for any excuse to make a scrappy quilt...), the manifestation of the planned skirts has been somewhat delayed. 

The only skirts I've made this month have been samples for GJ's shop display....Ooops - in MY SIZE..... how did that happen?

The fabric is the new decor weight sateen Parson Gray (by David Butler) and IT IS A DREAM to sew and to wear.  The pattern is my A-Line Skirt pattern, which began life as a skirt I designed for myself, as a good basic wardrobe-builder. 

I love a skirt with a yoke...it sits firmly without cutting in to the waist, if you know what I mean, and kind of holds in the belly a bit. It can be made short or long, in winter or summer fabrics and it can have a feature fabric panel, or not.  I'm a bit of a long-skirt-with-panel kind of girl. 

 And since the most common feedback I get about this pattern is "THIS IS MY BEST EVER INVISIBLE ZIP!" I thought to take a photo of mine. Nice zip - shame about the badly aligned fabric print...oops.

 And I made another one in a knee-length style... and goodness me, it fits Georgia (Ms GJ's, herself).  Fancy that.

 And I took a photo of the famously well-finished invisible zip from the inside.

You can have a closer look at these at GJ's while they have Parson Gray fabric in stock.  After that, they'll probably each be put to use in someone or other's wardrobe.  Waste-not-want-not and all that.

Check out Ms Curlypops blog to see the other skirts that people have made in May HERE.

Sneaky peek

..at some of the images from my book. Yep - another wrap skirt. This time shorter and with a panel of feature fabric. The top is a pattern-free number that ties at the back (like the black one in yesterday's post). There's a babushka backpack made by Lara (one of my fabulous pattern-testers) and a spot of Ink&Spindle loveliness made into a shoulder bag (by me ...and on me). The brown top I'm wearing is a variation on the pattern-free cowl top - this time, made with a sleeve.

All images were taken by the amazing Denise Nestor (have a look at her work here!!).

You might be able to win yourself a copy of the book if you pop over to visit Cam. Otherwise, get yourself to the AQC next week, to get one from me. If you're overses or interstate, the ABC Shop has really great postage rates....

Still poncing about...

This time in wrap skirts from my book. I made LOADS of these as I developed the instructions, so I have a seemingly endless supply of wrap skirts to wear to work. As always, there are a few variations on the theme....(If you'd like to make a skirt to fit you, but need a confidence-booster and a bit of help... and a nice girly lunch... come to my Wrap Skirt Workshop on 28th May).And I'm still swanning about in made-in-an-instant pattern-free tops, pretending they're high-fashion designer things. These tops are in the book as well. I also have lots of other variations that are not yet photographed OR in the book. No doubt I'll be posing and poncing about here soon enough, to show those to you.

If you'd like to win yourself a copy of the much-talked-about-in-these-here-parts book, head on over to visit Curlypops and put your name down in her giveaway.

While you're there, you can vote for Cam in the Cosmo Fun Fearless Female awards. I reckon, if anyone deserves this award, it's Superpops. She embraces life and rises to any challenge that it throws her way, she can turn her hand to just about anything crafty, is a super-nice, super-generous (and very fun) person and ....well.... she does GREAT BLOG!

BTW - If you're going to the AQC in Melbourne next week, you can buy my book directly from me there. The lovely publishers have let me jump the gun on the release date (which is supposed to be 1st May). Come and say hello, and pick up a signed (by me...!!?) copy.

More Xmas gifts = more inkjet fabric.

Zip purses for the kinder teachers and after-carers this time. Ok, so it's not exactly a new idea.... (but if it ain't broke, why go fixin' it, I say!). There's nothing quite as appealing as a kid's happy drawings on a bit of inkjet fabric.... a simple little purse....


...and a bit of cheery Curlypops fabric on the back (which just happens to be on sale for another TWO HOURS, but still gorgeous at any price!). I think it compliments the happy little critters in the kid's drawings ...which were, as it happens, drawn as gifts for Ms Curlypops (I photographed them before she took them home).

Speaking of Ms Curlypops, she has another fantastic suggestion for The Perfect Gift at this time of year. A must read. Indeed, a must-do, if you can.

The mouth of the beast

...isn't so scary when you know it's just the BIGGEST BIAS TAPE MAKER I'VE EVER SEEN!!!  



My personal shopper Ms Curlypops found this 5cm (2") number while she was looking for yarn for me.  I haven't had time to play with it yet, but I'm a bit excited at the prospect (sadly, I really am...really quite excited....).

Many thanks for all the yarn-shopping offers.  The yarn crisis has been averted!!  The Olearia may yet be finished!!!

Meanwhile, there are other beasties and demons to face down, patterns to write, books to re-write, life events to accept and a small girl to cuddle as much as I can. 

Just another Manic Tuesday

...which involved a spot of shopping (cleverly disguised as a pattern delivery...).

Well, it was a bit obvious what I was up to, really....

The sushi print is destined to become a bib for a sophisticated inner-city baby.... (yet to be born... but I'm sure he/she will be a sophisticated inner-city type). At sale price it was $8 per metre.

As were all of these prints from Timeless Treasures and Patty Young. (The Patty Young is discounted because it has a small fault a few cm's in from the selvage - easy to cut around at that price! The other fabrics are all PERFECT beautiful quality quilting fabrics). Little girl's dresses and hats are most likely here...

Re: first two photos - the chicken print is a Robert Kauffman and the pink floral is from Sandi Henderson's Farmer's market range - both 25% off the usual price. I didn't buy enough of either of them last time so it was great to be able to replenish supplies. GJ's really do have a fantastic range.

And Superfrog was seen about a lot today - at kinder, GJ's, my studio and Safeway - in a spanking new outfit!! I was lucky to catch a snap or two in the supermarket....

...but her identity remains a mystery because she was also wearing sunglasses.

Thanks to CurlyPops for the star birthday gift. We'll be struggling to top this one for a while...!

SuperPops Challenge

This is my wee girl's entry in the SuperPops Challenge, over at CurlyPops. It's a drawng on paper (which I think would look cute as a calico doll.... Hmmmm... inkjet fabric...?)

Check out all the other entries here.

I can sew... BELIEVE me...

But there's not been a lot of it going on here lately. I'm lost in a world of words and pictures. Snowed in.... or under.

Ms CurlyPops has been a busy girl, though... testing my new instructions and making brooches. She even made a gorgeous apron and hat for my bake-crazy daughter. The hat was a stroke of genius....

When you cook like this you need all the protection you can get!

Among the photos I took this week was this rather attractive pile of peel-and-stick cellophane bags...

Attractive - yes - but 5mm narrower than the size I should have bought!

They're now on the virtual discount table! If anyone wants to buy some 23 x 15cm bags (as opposed to the 23 x 15.5cm bags I needed to fit an A5 pattern cover).... I'll happily sell these for $7.50 per 100 or $72 for the box of 1000. Just email or phone us if you're interested.

I must get back to at least one of these writing tasks before all brain power fails me.... Yikes! Look at the time.

Market Day

The wee girl and I had a grand day out in chilly Northcote today. A market extravaganza!
At the Uniting Church we caught up with Lara and visited the gorgeous Sandra (helped out by Teegan)...

We also visited CurlyPops, Polly Pratt and Finki.... and we ate lovely cakes from Melbourne Epicure. The wee girl found a puppet show to see and then booked herself in for face-painting (I followed her around being money-bags).

We then went to the Northcote Town Hall for even MORE market goodness. We bumped into Liz and visited Felicity's vibrant stand. The wee girl ordered herself a babycino, sampled chocolates, and went home plastered in little brooches and badges. I had visions of bringing home a little something for me, but somehow it didn't happen (there appeared to be a vacuum on my wallet and my ability to think straight). I think I'll go back next week - I'd like to see more of these girls' work, and a few others I missed seeing properly today. Those chocolates the wee girl tasted looked pretty good, too... (I was too full of Cathy's cakes and a large hot chocolate to sample them today).

You can go, too.... if you're in the area.

The Northcote Winter Artisans Market
Saturday 20 June
Saturday 27 JuneSaturday
4 JulySaturday 11 July10-4pm
Northcote Town Hall
189 High Street, Northcote

There are loads of other great happenings in Northcote right now. See the program here.

Oops, I did it again....

I wore the wrong thing to work yesterday - not realising that it was going to be about 30 degrees and muggy. I was hot and cranky. I had to make something cooler... and QUICKLY!

(BTW - They are not MY grubby fingerprints on the mirror...).

In a similar vein to the last one, this was a rectangle of cotton lycra jersey - but folded along the top edge this time. I overlocked around the edges and made a seam between the fold (at the waist) and the knee. I cut a (completely random and not-even-slightly measured) scoop out of the top right corner and set in a waistband (read: rectangle sewn into a loop shape, folded over a loop of 40mm elastic).

I wore it again today - it's super comfy!!!

Thankfully it was cooler weather today, so I could also swan about in my new CurlyPops tea-towel apron.

I bought it at the market last Saturday but it needed slight alteration (it was made to fit NORMAL sized people ...and I'm a bit smaller than that!). All part of the CurlyPops service - two extra poppers were fitted to the adjustable neck strap and it was delivered to my door today!!!

My wee girl loves cockatoos, and she's as excited by the apron as is she is by the prospect of baking cupcakes (and that's PRETTY EXCITED!). I'm happy to have such a gorgeous apron - thanks Cam!

The wee girl is also quite excited about her new DISCO TOP!! She's off to a disco party tomorrow afternoon (to celebrate a friend's 5th birthday, no less!).

She chose the fabric and I made the top. It was really quick and looks super-cute on. Gotta love New Look for kid's clothes....

Apart from this, I've just been writing pattern instructions all week. Not much to show for that.