The Otago tartan

One thing I really value is having a good laugh and what better place to start than with all the things I make?  Hence the change in title of this blog, but not focus, mind. This will always be primarily a sewing blog. Of course, I'll probably change it again at some point. We'll see how this goes, shall we? 

Today I bought the most exciting pattern. A sporan pattern. A what? You ask. Clearly you were not raised in Dunedin. We had neighbours who learned the bagpipes even...and of course the obligatory school uniforms which were always kilts. While I was in Dunedin I purchased a half metre of the Otago tartan. My sisters and I had a great old time brainstorming ideas for what to make with it, because a little of it goes a very long way.  (and no, I didn't use any colour enhancements in the editing, it really is that bilious.)

 

When I got back to Auckland it occurred to me that a sporan (a bag worn over the kilt) would make an excellent change purse and was small enough not to require great swathes of fabric. So I've been keeping a lazy eye out for small bag patterns and found this one today - it comes in a circular version, not shown here. As soon as I saw it I thought it had all the makings of a great sporan. 

 

You're all going to be SO jealous.

 

Favourite Things Pattern Design number 065 

Making progress

Thank you for leaving comments - it's lovely to know that these posts don't just disappear into oblivion. (ah yes, family and friends you are not oblivion but you know what I mean). 

I am making progress on the sewing room. You can see the new colour coming up around the door. Now here's a funny thing: I planned to use a completely different colour - one that we used in another part of the house. You know the rules: no more than 3 colours in the house otherwise the place doesn't cohere as you walk from room to room.

But the minute I started painting the edges I knew it was wrong. "The room doesn't want to be painted this colour," I said to TMB. He rolled his eyes - that from him who takes horoscopes seriously. 

What to do? We had the paint, we had the energy, we had a sleeping baby. I plugged on for another hour but it just felt wrong. In the end I realised what was wrong - I did, in fact, have a vision for how I wanted the room to look and that colour did not promote the mood of that vision.

The colour I had in mind is the colour of my blog: soothing and refreshing green. There was nothing for it but to go to the paint shop. I went in, took a look at the thousands of greens and within 10 seconds found the shade I could see in my mind. I bought the paint, came home and started re-doing the edges. 

Honestly you could hear the walls sighing with relief.  

It was an important lesson for me in trusting my instinct. So often with sewing something I have a bad feeling about some aspect of the design or fabric and I am usually right. I think I need to take more time to find projects I feel excited about, to work with instinct more and intellect less.  

Pet loves

As the year draws to a close I find myself reminiscing on my pet blogging loves this year. 

1) Aussie Sewing Blogs / Kiwi craft blogs.

What a lot of beautiful creative stuff I have seen this year.  Of course there are lots of beautiful blogs from everywhere but the ingenuity of the kiwi craft sites always impresses. Likewise (and I will say this only once), the Aussie sewing blogs have been terrific.  What's the chances of finding a sewing blog of someone who has the same size, figure, colouring and taste? None. So I just read sewing blogs that capture my imagination in some way, and a surprising number have been from over the ditch. 

2) Beautiful photography on blogs.

Sometimes I feel like a broken record. I feel compelled to leave messages that say "lovely photograph."  over and over - cause it really is.

3) High drama on blogs

Don't you love walking in on a spat? My favourite this year was the person who left a comment on a very worthy seamstress' blog, "don't take this the wrong way, but your English isn't good enough to be home-schooling your kids." Tell me please, is there a right way to take that?

4) Wadder revellery.

I love it when people make awful stuff.  I call it "craft flop schadenfreude" and what a thrill I get to see other people's bin liners.  But only if the people usually make beautiful stuff, mind. It would be a bit sad if it was always awful...no.. just the occasional reminder of humanity, the comraderie of knowing other people struggle too.

5) Pattern Review - 

not really a blog but a great big website full of people who can talk fabric and seam allowances till the cows come home. After a while some interesting characters emerge, like the guy who sews for his wife. He makes her shirt dresses and smocks and patch worked tea cosies and  and table mats. But he will never discuss her size or alterations, "a gentleman never tells."

6) Understanding the 3-5-2 rule applies to nearly everyone. 

Whether sewing or purchasing, a third of your clothes you will hate (trousers that need hitching up, cross over tops that pop open etc)  half you will tolerate (colour and fit ok, but no spark) and a fifth you will love and feel so good in.   

7) Ditching the stat counter. 

The best blogging moment I had this year was when I no longer cared whether anyone was reading my blog or not. As far as I am aware, just a few friends and family members are reading this. 

Hi guys! 

I hope there's an after

This is my sewing room. The 'before' shot.  I once worked with a woman who did a PHD and her thesis was on "the psychological moment". That is the moment when it is time to face something. The stars come into alignment, the energy is up, it's time to act.  

I really feel energised to get this room sorted. I can never find what I'm looking for. Looking for anything means delving through a lot of mess. I can't use my little free time effectively because the visual clutter wears me out before I've even begun. But I really feel ready to tackle this. The psychological moment has arrived. 

Vogue 1051 for lazy people

Back welt pockets. Look like sly eyes, don't they?

The famous "Alice + Olivia" pant much loved on Pattern Review. One of Vogue's "average" patterns that reads much better in the french : "moins facile". Oh yes it's less easy all right. You know how much less easy? 64 steps less easy.

I knew immediately I was not going to be making all 64 steps first time on a pant. Pants are just too unpredictable. I've been down this path before. Loving crafted fly shields and what not only to have the lot sag and bag because I didn't tape the waist.

So I was not embarking on a 64 step muslin. No siree. But here's the lazy way. Throw out fly shield and draft on a front extension.Front pockets? Gone. My front storage is built-in thank you, and there is plenty of it. Back pockets. Oh I suppose so. Can't really call it the Alice and Olivia pant if I don't employ at least one of the details.  

Besides, I have a "flat dierriere"  (honestly that is the quaint name given to it by fit experts .. not complaining, beats "saggy arse") and it could do with a little spicing up. 

So here's my muslin. I'm likin' them despite being a little big. I had another "ah ha" moment. Maybe I am making my trousers a size too big? There's a lot of bagging, but it could be my fabric choice and a heavy hand with the alterations for a big tum. I am paranoid about making them too small, tis my problem. Nothing looks worse than the saveloy effect, aka "muffin tin."  

I also choose a fabric with a little stretch and disobeyed the instructions about cutting the facings on the warp of the fabric because the stretch only ran through the weft. I have been duly punished. It is sagging through the waist. 

Still, I love the concept of them so I'm going to make them again, only smaller, and only 32 steps. 

Happy holidays everyone. 

Embracing my inner doily

It is clear from the consistency in my pattern choices that I am drawn towards nanna chic in all its outmoded glory.  I cannot fight my predilection towards all that is dated and fogeyed. Therefore I have decided to embrace my inner doily. 

I hope you can see the topstitching in this skirt (mccalls 5429). I used a topstitching needle, thread, foot, stitch length and had a grand old time.

The three ages of skirt

The skirt I am currently making (mccall's 5429), and top stitching with pride, is one from a pattern which I call the the three ages of skirt. They are all denim skirts: a mini for youth, a middly for further on the lifecyle, and a maxi for the later years. 

In typical kiwi style I refer to them as lamb, mutton and hogget. I am making "mutton."  It's full length, with a bit of flirt at the bottom to balance up the waist which has thickened, but not yet disappeared. 

I had to consult on the wisdom of this pattern choice and I have been affirmed by my neighbour Jenni-from-across-the-road that it is not too exclusive bretheren-like. "It may cover the ankles" she said, "but there's some gaiety in the fullness and joy in the abundance of topstitching." Yes, all too frivilous for that particular religious sect.

Still, I admit to some reluctance in its construction. I had to go out and buy a topstitching needle and that was an afternoon's work with baby in tow.  I have also had a growth of some description removed from my arm and it is still sore, making sewing difficult. But mostly it's a lack of enthusiasm for the project itself. I think I have out-nanna-ed myself on this one: I have a sinking suspicion that I am going to look like mutton dressed as hogget.  

When I apply the acid test, 'if you saw this garment on the racks of a shop, would you ask to try it on?" I am not convinced of my answer. 

I am making very, very slow progress.

Confessions of a keen home sewer.

There are several words to describe the person who recreationally sews. There's sewer. That's me. I like the ambiguity: that it is also the word for a pipe which carries effluent.

There's sewist. I hate that word. I thought it was an irrational dislike until I explored its suffix family : therapist, dentist, specialist, radiologist, cardiologist, oncologist, chemist, pharmacist. There we go - an unhealthy association with illness. 

I have also read blogs where people refer to themselves as a "sewing hobbyist." That's kind of cute, but a little long off the tongue.

There's another word "seamstress." This has an altogether more glamorous word family: adulteress, mistress, seductress. If Nigella Lawson sewed, she'd be a seamstress.

Anyway this keen home sewer is on to her next project. A summer weight full length denim skirt. I've been itchin' for some top stichin' and this will be my ride.

Party pieces.

If you are at all looking for a party piece of jewellery to break the ice at your next social gathering may I recommend to you a knitted licorice-allsorts necklace?  

I have got to say, Dunedin is one cracker of a city. I don't know where else you would find such a treasure in the souvenir shop.

Here are the pants - this has got to be the fastest ever trouser pattern (Burda 7835). I cut it out the night I got back and sewed it in a Benjy sleep. That fast. 

Of course, I made a few alterations to achieve a reasonable fit and of course, after a couple of hours wearing they have bagged and sagged out a size. I hate loose weave fabrics. You never know how far they are going to stretch. It's like my trip to the doctor this morning. She's always late, but how late? So I always go on time, just in case. Today she was 40 minutes late. My trousers are the equivalent annoyance factor too big.

Sigh. That's why we have belts I guess.

pocket candy

I have found something to sex up the pockets of my arranged pant. I purchased this cute iron-on wood block of native bird in native tree to adorn my back left cheek. You can see the fabric onto which it will be sewn in the background. Porridge linen, which I believe would be apocryphal if were peanut butter sandwich linen, or wheety linen.

I bought a few other delights back from Dunedin with me. If you read my sister's blog (Miss Smith at home) you will know the sad reason for our trip, but there were compensations. Like 2 days of child free shopping in between hospital visits. 

Unless you actually live in your hometown it's a little surreal going back. I was unsure what to pack. Is it really as cold as I

remembered? Surely I am overreacting by packing a full length woolen coat, this late in the year. I arrived first thing in the morning and although the air was fresh it wasn't overly cool and I chided myself for my over-reaction. 

Until the afternoon,when it clouded over. Suddenly it seemed very crisp indeed and I resurrected my favourite childhood habit of going to bed fully clothed, minus the shoes - my one concession to adult-hood being that I took off my coat first.

When I arrived back in Auckland, the first thing I noticed as I stepped out of the terminal was not so much the warmth but that I no longer felt cold and I removed the coat, which had almost become hermetically sealed to my body.

It was nice to have a break from sewing and I think part of the reason I sew so much these days is that it gives me a tiny little bit of head space every day.  But now I am back to life at home with a cute lovable demanding toddler (is there any other kind?) and carving out a minute or two to sew one seam at a time. 

The "arranged" pant

Do you know what my biggest sewing issue is? 

It's not fit. It's not construction. It's taste. At least a quarter of all things I make never get an outing. They are simply too awful to wear.

One of the reasons I love Pattern Review is there is plenty of visual evidence to suggest I am not alone. 

That's why I like rules. Do you get the feeling that Trinny and Susannah are not naturally stylish? I get the feeling that they have their look and a set of rules and it's all pretty much style by numbers. Works though. They do look great. 

So I'm having a go at style by numbers. No more falling in love with patterns and fabrics. I am going to have the equivalent of the arranged marriage for sewers: choice by compatibility and suitability.

These linen trousers (Burda 7835) I am planning are case in point. I am going to make the view without the little sausage casing at the bottom and in beige. Their porridge like colour will be compatible with little grabbing weetbix fingers. Their high waist will stop unpleasant peaks at grubby underwear. The rules are bootleg cut to balance narrow shoulders. It's an easy pattern and should come together quite quickly. And linen will be cool in what is promising to be a stinking hot summer.

Ticks all the boxes, except passion. 

New look for an old bird

You asked for fierce, Tyra. (thank you Miss Smith) 

Me and my photographer have a little difficulty getting our shot. He takes one, I have a look at it and say, "no no, look, you can see my double chin." He takes another one, and I say, "no, no  it has to be full length so they can see the proportions."  He takes another one and I say, "but I look so fierce." And then he refuses to take any more photos.

Anyway, here is another dress for Dressember. It is very 1950's housewife, no?

It has little pleats around the neck line and an adorable cap sleeve. It has no zipper, no facings. How easy is that? And the little matching belt reminds me of kinder days, when I had a waist.

New Look 6752

When I left work, my explicit instructions were, "if you do a whip round, please donate the money to Oxfam." Why? Because it used to be my job to organise the leaving presents and get staff to sign cards.

It was always a desultory affair: there's a certain inertia that goes with farewell gifts and cards - people empty out their change purses and write "all the best," even when the person is generally well liked and respected.   (to put this in context, we have had wave after wave of redundancies .. not kidding, about 10 rounds since I've been there) 

I really wanted to avoid that kind of platitudinous limp-wristed aliminium-hand shake. Let a village in Africa have a goat, I thought. 

So what happened?  This week I got these flowers delivered, with a farewell card, with all the best (x5)  and a $20 gift voucher.  

  

Aaah!  Nice flowers though. And here's an arrangement of my own. I love the way the sun catches the cobwebs. 

Mini dress

Ok .. so I finished my dress. Hmmmmmmmmm... I don't often say this but I think the style is too young for me. I've only just now realised the pattern describes itself as "mini dress."  

When I made it as a muslin I made the tunic length and wore it over jeans. It's perfect for that. Tim Gunn would approve of the proportions. But over leggings.. it just doesn't work. 

Too bad. It's too hot and this mutton is going a lambin'. 

For my next dress, believe it or not, I am thinking of going back to the shirt dress. I'm sure it can be made to work. The kiss of death was the polycotton and welt pockets. If you are thinking of making something retro ironic and make this pattern please do not even think about putting those pockets in. They just say, "doctor, her BP is 180/100." 

This time, I've got some genuine retro shirt fabric and no-one is going to mistake me for a nurse. 

Dressember

I missed Froctober and Sewtember, but I'm on track to get my dress finished for Dressember. I am making view E of Newlook 6727.

I actually sewed a muslin for this one. It was even reasonably successful. I have a much higher success rate these days after I changed my definition of success: I now consider it successful if I wear it once. 

You know what it's like when you've had a baby.. it's 4 dress sizes in a year. Pregnancy, birth, lactation.. they all change bibs and bo(o)bs up and down. Well, mainly up, truth be told. But a little down again now. Try fitting a dress under those circumstances! 

My muslin is now too big, having fit it several months ago. I'm quite pleased I've got a reason to ditch it actually, because I made it in polyester, which is a very cruel fabric in a humid climate. 

Do you know what really appeals about this dress? It's designed to wear leggings underneath. That way, when I'm a little lax with the wax and fake bake no-one will know. 

Leggings are the "grooming shy" woman's friend. 

Advent tree

Having decided to celebrate Christmas this year, I tried to recall the things that as a child gave me most joy. I loved our advent calendar. I loved opening a new set of doors each day to reveal the treat beneath. In this spirit I have created this advent tree. I got the idea of using fantails after seeing the very cute ones made by Heart Felt. I think she nailed their cuteness, in a very simple design. 

I thought the body would display a number quite clearly, and the tail could hold all sorts of booty. I then decorated them with fans of old patch work scraps and buttons. Then I stitched them all onto the tree, which I made using chain stitch. I have stuffed them with quotes from the Dalai Lama et alia, so every day there is one wise thing to meditate on.

There are a number of satisfying things about this project. The patch work scraps had been in stash for 20 years. It was like saying hello to old friends when I pulled them out of their shoe box. Every thing on this calendar was made from stash, not a single purchased item, which appeals to my sense of resourcefulness (aka stinginess).

2 other great christmas ideas I came across recently: 

1) Jenni-from-across-the-road is organising a "stay at home mum" christmas party. Why miss out because we don't work in an office? Good thinking Jenni. I'm wondering what a christmas party without booze and office affairs looks like. At least no-one will be looking for their next job in the new year.

2) Here's a fun holiday season swap that I saw on a sewing blog. The holiday season apron swap. Yes that's right. You sign up and sew an apron for someone and they send you one. Nice alternative to the decoration swap, I thought. Besides, aprons making stirling re-gifting if they end up a wadder.

Ra Ra de Ra Ra skirt

well well well 

I was really expecting this to be a wadder. All the signs were bad... the fabric after prewashing came out like plastic. I doubted my vision of a ra-ra skirt (Simplicity 3881) for the middle aged. But friends this one really looks so lovely on. I highly recommend it for those of us with a generous girth who want to be flirty, but dignified. 

What's more, I used my overlocker to do all the gathering and a rolled hem so it came together in a jiffy. I also used up some old smocked table napkins in the lower tier so that's some more guilt assuaged from my stash.  

Now that's really something to get rara-ed about. 

Celebrating the delights of life

After 5 years of bahumbuggery TMB and I have decided to celebrate Christmas. He was bought up in a differently religioned household, whereas I got to enjoy advent calendars and presents.

What does Christmas mean to us now? Well, it's summer and that means holidays, ease and leisure, "the delights of being alive".

I am working on Christmas tree alternatives with this arrangement. Tatara looks a lot like holly after a few chardonnays and Oleria is almost pine needle like.  The ric rac  brings in some much needed colour.  I went out to Spotlight looking for their Pohutawaka print but it was all sold out. Guess I'm not the only one thinking of summer time substitution.

Another day, another bag

I made this bag for my sister Miri for her birthday. I had heard she would enjoy something handmade. Well this bag end up being way more hand made than I ever anticipated.

I used Kwiksew 3312, view B. I also knew Miri would appreciate my thrift in making this bag, as she is a very resourceful person herself. The bag is made from a blanket and lined with a sheet. Pattern and cord from stash. Embroidery inserted into a window so it sits flat with the outer.

I used the lining as the outer guide, and the outer guide as the lining, reversing the proportions. This ended up being a mistake. My machine could not sew through 4 layers of blanket, something that never occured to me as I was cutting out. Too late!  I didn't discover my error to the very last stage of construction, when everything had been cut and overlocked. So I got out my thickest darning needle and hand turned it.

Needless to say, it's not as strong as I would have liked. Not for library books or supermarket shopping. For light shopping and lunching, I would say. 

Happy Birthday Miri (don't worry, there's another present as well so you will have a surprise to open on the day). 

An eye for the absurd

Look at these 2 dog signs from the ACC. You have to admire the sign writers' eye for detail. In one, look at the steam arising from the fresh droppings. In the other, look at how the dog is caught, in flagrante delicto, mid crouch. I think the droppings are more biologically representative too.

These photos were taken outside 2 different parks in the area, so clearly there is no consistent policy on how their anti-fouling message should be portrayed.

It is having an eye for the absurd that keeps me amused through sometimes long sometimes lonely days at home with a baby. It is a great gift being so easily amused, and one that I wish to pass on to you.

Next year I am going to announce a "bedazzler" challange. It will be a competition which you are invited to join. All you have to do, is think of a something to bedazzle. I'm signalling this now, so you can keep a lazy eye out for opportunities. 

It's Thursday, so the end of my blogging week. Next week I'm going to try blogging every second day, Sunday,Tuesday and Thursday. I only sew something every fortnight, and while material is plentiful, got to keep the quality up, now don't we? 

 

My pledge

Of all the intriguing sewing behaviour that occurs on Pattern Review, the one that impresses me most is the "home sewn pledge." That is when the people commit, for a year, not to buy a single item of clothing from a store.  If they want it, they have to make it. It excludes shoes and underwear, thank goodness, for everyone's sakes.  

Think how good your sewing would have to be if you were condemned to a year of home made. You'd certainly want to have a better success rate than me. Think how many times I'd be forced to wear my shirt dress, and not just when I'm cleaning the toilet.

But I have come up with my own pledge. I am not allowed to buy any fabric unless it matches a pattern in stash. Conversely, I am not allowed to buy any pattern unless it matches fabric in stash.  For the rest of the year.  That's 6 weeks, let's not get too carried away.

First up, this little cross stitch from the Sally Army purchased today, that will be teamed with fabric and a clip from stash to make a broach. (idea courtesy Jenni-from-across-the-road).

The stash of shame

I have difficulty with stashes and I know I am not alone.  Before I joined Pattern Review I'd never heard of a "stash fast" and now I see everyone's on a fabric diet.  There are sewers out there who count meterage like calories.  "I had a real binge today:  2 fat quarters and a 3 big ones down at Spotlight"  or "Used up something from my stash today.. great .. only 20kgs of fabric left"

That last part is no joke. There are people who have over a kilometre of fabric in their stashes.  

Amazing.  My weakness is sale time. If there's a bargain to be had then I think, "good time to stock up on basics." Then before I know it I have several projects to sew. 

I find it very oppressive. If there's one thing I hate it's having a to-do list. 

That's why I try to exercise modesty and restraint. I only bought 2 patterns half price today at the McCalls sale and they were basics I'd had in mind for quite some time. 

One is a denim skirt and the other a basic T, but you know they will look very *special* by the time I've finished with them! 

I'm convinced that's the way to do a stay at home mum wardrobe, basics, with a twist. 

3 sleeps

Ok.. here's the first of the bags I plan to make from this pattern. 

It took me 3 Benjy sleeps to make it. After he went down for the night, I cut out the pattern. During his morning sleep, I sewed about half of it. Then while he was happily playing with his toys, I unpicked a seam I knew I shouldn't have tried sewing.

I don't know about you, but I can NEVER topstitch something on one side, catching a hem on the other (usually advice given for attaching collars or waistbands.) One of them always looks bad. I prefer to slip stitch the hem discreetly into place on the inside of the garment. 

But I was in a hurry, and well, things got ugly, despite the badge's stern warning. 

During his afternoon sleep I finished it off with a scant minute to spare. You will no doubt recognise the fabric as being my spotlight purchase and the remnants of that dress. 

The instructions were clearly written for total beginners. One instruction reads, "press seams open" and then it has a picture with the seams pressed open. 

Wow! It's really hard to believe there was a time when I could not have followed that instruction without a picture.

Retro irony

Look at this charming badge I found at the Hospice shop in the village. It is really hard to imagine what its author was thinking. Are they saying "it's time to rethink your wardrobe and beauty regime" or are they saying, "don't get angry"?   I found it amusing enough to enquire about its price, and the woman behind the counter said, "I just cannot sell it to you for more than 50c "  

That's really saying something because they seem to have no problems selling everything else there for an exorbitant price.

Once purchased I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. It had that slightly antagonistic ambivalence that can only be pulled off by the insouciance of youth : there comes an age when you are too old for retro irony.  I have just the right youth in mind. Someone who has very recently had a birthday.  

And here is the vehicle upon which the badge shall be carried.

Happy 20th Rosie! 

The shi(r)t dress

"Ve dink the styling is old fashiont and de fabrik is chep. Ve are not sure if dis kostum is vor de supermarket or de hospizal. As you know, von day you are in, de nexte you are aut. Mary Nanna, you are aut." 

Every button tells a story

Gather round, blog friends. The story of this button is a long one, but a symbol of hope in these troubled times.

TMB's grandparents were Russian refugees who arrived in Britain around the turn of the last century. They were fleeing the Cossaks, who at that time were successively raiding and destroying villages.

TMB's grandfather found work pushing a vegetable barrow up the steep hills of his new home, because all the flat routes had been taken. His wife worked in a factory sewing uniforms but made a few pretty frocks on the side. Because they were light, TMB's grandfather put them on the side of his barrow, and money being tight in those days, he offered competitive "hire purchase" frock deals to his vege customers. 

Over time, the dresses became more popular than the cabbages, and being lighter, were much easier to transport. TMB's grandfather was an entrepreneur, and spotting an opportunity and a market, they moved over to manufacturing clothing full time.

Every season they lived hand to mouth. His grandmother re-interpreted Parisian styles for the every day woman but they never had enough to sew more than a season ahead.  If they made a mistake with their styling they were doomed: they would not have enough capital to make it through the next season.

When the factory they were hiring came up for sale, they scraped together enough cash for a deposit. Fate then played them a lucky hand: almost as soon as the sale was complete, someone offered them considerably more for their factory.

For the first time ever, they had money to spend. They invested in a new factory and began manufacturing in earnest. They were eventually quite successful, and were able to leave a modest inheritance to their children.

This button comes from a garment made in that factory, and it is somewhere between 60 to 80 years old. My mother-in-law gifted all the remaining habadashery to me. 

Isn't it gorgeous? 

The fuller figured friend

Motherhood is a humbling experience in so very many ways, but nowhere is the evidence of humility more visible than at my waist line.

That's when I decided to reacquaint myself with the joys of the elasticated waistband. So convenient...when those post baby inches finally disappear from my body I can cinch it all back in.  

Meanwhile, I have this comfy little bias skirt. I did away with the front drawstring detail (like I need anything more going on down my front) and just popped in a heavier duty elastic. 

I don't like to give the impression that I whip things up, but this skirt, with its fold over casing and machine turned hem, was an afternoon's work. 

You've seen the hat, here's the skirt (Butterick 4522), in all its expandable glory.

 

Nostalgia

I needn't worry about making things that look ridiculous if the latest Fashion Quarterly is anything to go by.  There's a whole magazine full of them, with a hefty price tag to boot. 

These beads are made of Sculpey, which is a Fimo type clay. I bought the colours to match my day dress, which is rapidly becoming the "shirt dress with a silent 'r'"  as my sister calls it.

You can see the fabric of my shirt dress under my Sculpey Stonehenge. When I went to the fabric store to get it, I asked for a light weight denim. They rummaged around and produced this fabric which looked to my eye to be what I was after.

The first suggestion that all was not as it seemed was that it dried on the line, despite there being 4 consecutive downpours. When I ironed it ready for cutting I noticed that the iron kept snagging. It wasn't until I was pressing the princess seams and the fabric began to shrivel under a moderate iron that the truth dawned on me: I had purchased polycotton.

It's not a shirt dress, it's a house frock. I'll finish it though, and wear it to Playcentre. "Water play today? No problem, this will dry in a jiffy. Paint marks ? - no worries, with this wash and wear style."  

Everything speaks cleaners' uniform. The modest collar, the button through front, the crisp sleeves. Now that I see the garment taking shape my mind goes back to hospital corners and bedpans, porridge buns and queen pudding. 

It's Redroofs in red piping.

How I do it

In answer to the question, how do I find time to look after a baby, sew and blog about it, my answer is simple: neglect. 

The dishwasher always needs emptying, clothes put in the washing machine, put on the line or taken off.  Food needs to be re-shelved, benches wiped down, detritus and miscellanea dealt to. 

I am not one of those super women who do it all - quite the opposite - I am one of those ordinary woman who avoid as much as possible.

I take my cue from the oft quoted "oxygen principle" - I've never heard anyone say you should put the mask on your housework before yourself or child. 

When it comes to the writing, I find it incredibly easy to talk about sewing. I could just talk and talk and talk about it, so I never suffer from bloggers' block. I was worried at first, given how long it takes to sew something, how I would be able to sustain a Monday to Friday blog spot.

I have adopted the rule of all procrastinators: just because you don't do something, doesn't mean you can't talk about it. 

This weekend the state of the house got to me, even me, who likes to surrounded by creative chaos. I spent my precious sewing time cleaning up.  That being said, on Friday I finished another hoodie (Simplicity 3640), so I do have something to show, as well as tell.

Just ditch it

Look at these lovely badges gifted to me on Benjy's birthday. Yes, that's right - he's too young to appreciate a birthday present but I am happy to receive on his behalf.

They depict a seamstress wigging out. In one, she's totally confused at how to put the pattern pieces together. In another, she's approaching the mirror in trepidation for a fitting, and in the last one she's looking at her fabric, and her dress form, in complete terror.

Aah such familiar scenes to any keen home sewer! 

I am reminded of the time I left a comment on someone's review on Pattern Review that said, "just ditch it."

It was one of those reviews, like a horror movie, that you could actually visualise how it all unravelled with every word.  Rule number 1: always use the recommended fabrics. Broken. Rule number 2: always check the finished measurements before beginning sewing. Broken. Rule number 3: know your figure type and don't be persuaded by how lovely it looks on the model. Broken, broken, broken.

How many times have your broken those rules? Me - more times than I care to remember. That's when I get out my little pink bag and send it all off,  threads trimmed, to Save Mart. Let someone else enjoy it. Someone will. But me, it's time to move on. 

I am reminded of that great quote:  sometimes it's better to travel hopefully than to arrive.

ps Miss Smith, can you leave details in a comment about where to source these fabulous badges?