Adding to my stash

Part of our recent holiday was a few days in delightful Melbourne and while we were there I had a look around some of the fabric shops (just because I can't sew at the moment doesn't mean I can stock up on fabric for when I can..!!).

 

Hmm, ok, I probably should have ironed the fabric before I photographed it.

- The dark green pattern is a Liberty print I bought from Tessuti - I'm thinking maybe a skirt?  

- The plain blue is from Lincraft - I'm thinking maybe a dress if I'm lucky?  It was the end of the roll so hopefully there is enough fabric.  Lincraft is a chain, so they have a lot of shops around Australia.  There are a couple in Canberra, but the one in Melbourne City is much bigger and better set out.  

- The blue and white print and the red fabrics are from the swoonworthy Clegs.  I'm thinking probably a shirt and a dress respectively.  There was also a gorgeous white and green silk print at Clegs that I loved, but at AU$99.95 a metre I could only look (ok, there was a bit of touching too!) but not buy it.

 We took a tram ride out to Rathdowne Fabrics, the fabric shop used by contestants in Project Runway Australia.  No fabric caught my eye, but these lovely closures did.

I'm trying not to be a stash builder, but it is hard to pass up some things when they catch my eye!  What about you, are you a stash builder or a strictly buy and make person? 

Sunshine and happiness

We've been away for a couple of weeks and it is lovely to be home and to walk around our garden.  It always amazes me how much a garden can change in a short time - especially when the warm sunny days of spring arrive.

 Part of our herb garden

 Delightful blueberry flowers

 It is a bit hard to tell in this photo, but the raspberries have escaped from the pots we tried to contain them in and are spreading across the garden bed (at least it means we should get lots of raspberries!).

 Beautiful, delicate apple blossom

 I can't believe that two years ago we couldn't get these rhubarb plants to grow - then we transplanted them into pots and they have loved it!  Last year I cut the flowers before they could bloom, but we left them this year so we could see what they looked like.  They look quite pretty, but they don't smell pretty!

 A lovely late flowering daffodil

 This is the first year we have grown broad beans, we planted them in the autumn, but they haven't grown much until the recent warmth of spring.  They have lovely black and white flowers.

Last year we planted potatoes in this old box, this year it's garlic.

I hope you all have some sunshine in your life at the moment!

Screen siren wardrobe

A little while ago I picked up a great second hand book called 'Hollywood Knits'.  It is a collection of knitwear patterns based on items worn by some classic Hollywood greats.  They are 'modern interpretations' of the classic items, and I use that term loosely because this book was published in the 1980s!  I haven't made any of the items and I wonder how influenced the patterns are by the 1980s - certainly the sketches have HUGE shoulders!  There are some really lovely items in here though, all illustrated with a photograph of the star wearing it.  The book has 20 patterns and includes pieces from Hollywood icons including Marilyn Monroe and Gary Cooper.

'Hollywood Knits' by Bill Gibb, $4 from my local biannual second hand book fair.

 

 Stylish jumper worn by Greta Garbo and one I would love in my wardrobe.

I asked my husband if he wanted an 'Errol' so he could replicate the 'Errol Flynn jumper tucked into trousers look' - he looked nervous, sidled away and left the room before I could start measuring him.  I guess not every Hollywood fashion is timeless!

Kitchen Maths

Six eggs from three happy backyard chickens...

Plus six fresh homegrown lemons...

Helps to make one very delicious lemon meringue tart.

Making plans

I've been spending some time looking through my reference books for inspiration on future sewing plans.  Some designs from the books jump out at me as they are, others need a tweak, sometimes it is a mix of different designs and other times the fabric in my cupboard just chooses a design.  This time some fabric in my stash seemed just right for a tweaked design.  I'm hoping to make a nice dress that I can wear to work during the day and then out to dinner after.

I really like this design from the 1940s, but I'll remove the flouncy bottom piece.

My sketch, it will help me when I start drafting the pattern.

Even though I could possibly track down a copy of the pattern from the photo above, pattern making is my favourite part of the dressmaking process.  I love pencilling lines and angles on paper and imagining how a pattern will look from 2D on paper to 3D in fabric - and then (eventually!) making it happen.

 

A lovely soft silk fabric I bought in Hong Kong earlier this year.  When I saw the fabric I thought I would make a shirt out of it so I didn't buy much.  But the shop owner kindly cut me "a bit extra" so now I'm hoping that through his generosity there will be enough fabric for this dress.  Fingers crossed that once the pattern is finished it will fit on the fabric!

Keeping warm and cosy (or, a long post about making a dog coat)

The week before I had my accident in April I made a winter coat for Tansy.  I've never made a dog coat, so I started completely from scratch.  First I searched the internet to get an idea of shapes, then I measured Tansy (adding extra centimetres in case her wiggling gave me the wrong measurements!).  I drafted a test pattern and then sewed some scraps of calico together for a toile.

Note to self - Tansy doesn't like new things, so trying to put a calico coat on her was, well, interesting..!  Though it gave me enough of an idea to know what adjustments I needed to make.  I made another toile, had another attempt at fitting a wiggling, squirming dog, made adjustments to the second toile, tried it on her again and I had a pattern I was happy with.

 

Dog coat pattern piece - cut on centre back fold

My husband and I discussed for a while what sort of closure to make for the coat - it needs two, one at the chest and another at her tummy.  We didn't want to have to wrestle Tansy into it, but we also wanted it to stay on, but to come off easily if she got tangled on something (she loves bounding through bushes and scuffling in undergrowth!).  So we settled on velcro.

 

It reminds me of a frog!

This coat is a simple cut out from some blue polar fleece.  I thought it looked a bit boring though, so I pulled out some variegated pink-purple yarn from my yarn stash and hand blanket stitched around the edge of the coat.  NEVER AGAIN!!!  Polar fleece is actually quite thick, so pushing a needle large enough for the yarn through the fabric about a zillion times to make the stitches was painful!  It took two evenings and I had very sore fingers!  But I think it was (almost!) worth it, it added a touch of cute to an otherwise plain coat and it made it look sportier.  Tansy is a very sporty and fun dog, so it suits her.

 

Out for a walk on a sunny, but cold, Canberra day.

Initially Tansy didn't like this weird thing I kept trying to put on her, but we persevered because even though she'd spent the past two winters without a coat, we thought she might actually need one.  Australian Silky Terriers don't have a double coat, which is great for us because it means Tansy doesn't shed hair like most dogs (less to clean up!), but it means she can't keep as warm in winter.  Canberra has lovely winter days (around 13oC/55.4oF) but cold nights and early mornings (regularly -3oC/26.6oF or colder) so Tansy needed a coat. Now she loves it!  I kneel on the floor and she races up to me, puts her front paws on my leg and lifts her head up so I can wrap her in the coat and close the velcro.  I'm really pleased she likes it - she probably doesn't care what it looks like, but she knows it keeps her warm!

 

It doesn't restrict her movement, so she can still run and explore while wearing it.

January 2013 update: There are more details about this coat at this newer post.


PS:  My shoulder is still giving me problems and I can't do much around the house (including no crafting or gardening) though I am back at work a few hours a week.  It's looking more likely that I'll have to have surgery, so I'll be out of crafting action for a bit longer - possibly not until the new year!

Sitting Quietly

Way back in April I fell over.  Nothing spectacular, I was just walking and lost my footing.  At the time I was quite pleased with my right hand for reacting quickly and throwing itself out to take the weight of my body and I congratulated myself on stopping any damage to my hip.  Sadly though, the jarring impact has caused more concern than I could have imagined.

Initially I had bruising and sprains to my hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder.  I couldn't hold a pen or even curl my fingers into a fist for nearly two weeks.  Slowly my hand, wrist and elbow settled down, visits to a physiotherapist helped.  But my shoulder is refusing to improve.  Last month I tried going back to work for a few hours a week, but I work in an office so most of my day is spent using a computer or writing - something that is really difficult with my injuries.  Sadly, the pain it caused became too much and I went back to no time at work (even typing this post is bringing on shoulder pain). 

Staying at home for weeks on end sounds like a great opportunity to get lots done around the house, but I am right handed so not being able to really use my right arm means I can only gaze at potential sewing and knitting projects and daydream.  Instead I've been catching up on TV and movies I've been wanting to watch and trying to avoid the terrible daytime TV that Australia has! 

I've had some scans done and am due to see a specialist, so hopefully there'll be some improvement soon!  But if you don't hear from me much for a while - I'm still around and planning to sew and knit more just as soon as I can!