assemblage

hello, mr sewing machine...

... long time, no see.

yes, i know i have only made ONE of the the THREE skirts anais has decided i shall make for her.

but it's a start.

and i can't wait till i've done HER sewing so then i will be allowed to do MY sewing.

also a quick thank you to a new machine in my life, mr air conditioner. a hearty welcome to you. very pleased to have made your aquaintance. mighty pleased you made it in time for this 40 degree celcius day.

monochromatic

spring inspiration:

knitted swatch - destination tunic;

black linen - destination pants;

printed cotton - destination skirt;

latte beaker - destination worktop.

simply melbourne

decided upon a simple A line skirt for this divine fabric.

simple. but i only just squeezed it out of the 1m i had (note the directional fabric).
simple. but it needs to be lined (note the winter stockings).
simple. but sorry for the poor photography (note the winter light).

simple. but i love it. perfectly melbourne.

sweet tweet

and now for something completely different:

anais has been enjoying using some of the rather, ahem, seriously old wheat bags lurking about so i suggested we make her a new wheat bag creature and she can select the fabrics: voila! one happy little camper.

of course, once tom saw it, he was extremely eager for one of his own.
not to be outdone;
he designed it,
drew a plan,
selected the fabrics,
added a legend,
and named it.
twitter.
too true.

these little guys have been getting quite a workout since their creation.
sweet.
tweet, tweet.

melbourne black

when i saw this fabric from the uber-talented lara cameron, i eagerly ordered a metre. a particularly melbourne colourway.

it is possibly my most favourite printed fabric. ever.

[yarn]

[buttons]

black wool paper crane blouse

a few black wool paper crane blouses in my shop.

this fabric is heavenly. so light and yet so warm! mmm. and black. so it must be good.

with a few beanies available to keep one's head warm.

and i'm off to make a hot chocolate to warm the insides, too.

tiny update

a few items added to the shop.

and a few black wool paper crane blouses for an update next week.

to stripe

while plains and texture win every time for me, i have long held a fascination for stripes. if there must be a pattern, then let it be stripes.

basic long sleeve tshirt;

with extra long sleeves;

plentiful stripes;

and a wide neck (to slip a scarf, or cowl, or even a loop under).

.

.

btw, if you are not on ravelry but would like a copy of the free looped loop pattern, just email or comment and i will send it to you.

twist and drape

it has been some time since i pored over the excellent pattern magic design magazines. i drafted this pattern from volume 1 exactly and, using some black wool jersey, i had a new top in 2 hours. truly.

the pattern uses a single piece of fabric and 3 seams in total: 1 seam behind the right shoulder; 2 seams from wrist to waist.

the sleeves are cut on the bias so some extra length here adds to the loooong slimming effect.

and fitting the garment to the waist and wearing a singlet top underneath has all but eliminated the natural un-twist response of the fabric.

so far it is working well with most things in my wardrobe. one of my regular customers suggested teaming it with this. definitely.

to layer

these new charcoal bengaline pants were purpose sewn. i do enjoy a good layer. or two. or even three.

flat waist with darts - 2 to the front, 4 to the back. invisible side zip. i was planning modern details but went super-simple for more seamless layering. you know, the no "pant-line" effect.

the skirt shown here is one i made before tom was born. phew. that makes it 7 or 8 years old! and still a winter wardrobe staple. quilting batting between two skirt layers and a single large 'seam' about 12cm up from the hemline.