More Treasure in the Shop

I wish everyone could come to the Studio Shop on Saturdays

showing you the treasures on offer would be soooo much easier

and I wouldn't feel the need to apologise when I miss my self-imposed 4pm dealine

for listing more treasure in the online Shop....

How To :: Tea Dye

My little REfashioned vintage crocheted cardy was always 

a lttle
too white

and prompted by a comment made during the recent Fashion Talk 

I decided a softer slightly antiqued look would suit my wardrobe better these days

& set about dying it with tea

firstly I added 4 English Breakfast tea bags to 5litres of boiled water
- adding a cap full of wool wash to the liquid
[I find detergent helps dye to colour fabrics more evenly]

I made sure the garment was adequately damp

 before adding it & a lace doily to the liquid

- the lace doily, just in case I needed a matching fabric for any future 'mending' opportunites which may arise

as you can see the liquid wasn't too dark

 [I could always make it stronger with more tea bags if I felt the need]

I left the garment & doily for approx. 30mins stirring occassionally

once happy with the colour 

the items were removed & rinsed until the water ran clear

I should have checked which side the buttons were stitched orginally

but not worried

because it doesn't button up anyway

and we all know change is good.

Teapots & Door Knobs

Teapot rescued from the Oppy minus a knob

   

door knob found in gift shop minus a teapot

the Alice Teapot now resides in my kitchen.

 

Workshop UP-date

Just popping in with the latest

pop-up Workshop up-date

being that I can only offer Workshops 

until April

the ones which are listed over on the

website

 could be your last opportunity to join us 

at the Studio....

with February Fridays already full 

and other dates filling fast

you may want to secure your spot sooner rather than later. 

Best Laid Plans....

I tried to fulfil my obligations

and follow the plan 

but as is want to happen sometimes 

life gets in the way

or mother nature isn't very co-operative 

by being too windy & sunny for decent photos

French Farmhouse Frock

and the Brunch date with friends 

which seemed way more important than anything else

was

At Wild Poppy with Denise & Julie

still, even with the distractions 

I did get to list more treasures

in the on-line Shop by todays 4pm deadline

and they and more are available

to tempt, touch & try on 

here in the Studio Shop

Saturdays 1-5pm.

Smitten with Frippery

We all know Frippery is a real word 

however what I've neglected to mention 
is the what, where & why behind Frippery

I was surprisingly smitten right from the start 

considering that forever
I've avoided any form of hand sewing  

my thinking being 
why would I when I've perfectly good sewing machines

 being a REinventor/Pattern-maker/Workshop Conductor 

requires a certain amount of mental discipline

and I've discovered that when Fripping 

I give myself permission to play 

very quickly getting lost 

amongst scraps of fabric & lengths of thread  

it starts with selecting the right fabric/colour combinations
in which to add the perfect amount of embellishing

buttons & lace

french knots, stem stitch & blanket stitch  
and because I'm self taught, making it up as I go along 

 I'm not even sure that blanket stitch actually qualifies as embroidery

they take hours

days

sometimes one will be picked up & put down over a period of weeks

and then when finished
she joins her fellow Fripperys

no longer secreted away on the bookshelf 
where only I had the pleasure of their company 

 now residing in the Shop
awaiting new homes.

More Organised

There's a first time for everything

and me planning ahead

is a perfect example of one of those times 

decisions here are usually made on a whim 

and followed through by the seat of your pants

it was while racing around yesterday like the proverbial headless chook

pricing, hanging, cleaning & organising

in time for the 1-5pm Studio Shop doors opening

that it dawned on me

I might like to try a more organised approach

 so as of this coming week 
& for the forseeable future 

on Thursdays 

I will wake rested, ready to photograph treasure

Vintage Flea Market Chic -
 mix-&-match your own tea cup & saucer
$15
available Studio Shop

on Fridays

I will be bursting with enthusiasm, excited to hang & price for the Studio Shop

and be ready to publish a brand new list of treasure
 in the on-line shop at 4pm

and on Saturdays 
I'll be primped & prepped

ready to open the doors to the Studio at 1pm

Alice Frippery [$45] & Frock [$25]

and that 
sounds like a plan....

which immediately had me thinking of the old saying,
'the best laid plans [schemes] of mice & men often go astray'

me thinks not this time! 

Not Whinging...just Saying.

For anyone that has ever Blogged you know what goes into 

sharing snippets of your chosen genre

for those uninitiated 

just thought I'd share 

how creating a post can become a full time job

take this morning for example

5:45am - raced outside to take Frippery photos - this time of year it's the best light on the shed and there's no wind.

6:45 - 7am - teen extracted from bed for our shared morning walk with the dogs. 

7 - 7:30 - short walk because teen has sore neck and after all the complaining, sighing and hurumphing that went on I now have a sore neck and a pain in the bum!

breakfast, load of washing on, dishes soaking.

8 - 10:15am - editing photos, taking more photos, writing, more editing of photos and writing.

It's now 10:30

and I will tear myself away 

from a half finished version of the next Shop installment

Fripperys...yay

to wash the dishes, 

put another load on, 

get the teen out of bed again, 

in time to take the older one to a job interview 

before returning to finish the Shop update 

in time for it's 4pm launch....

not whinging, just saying.

Fripperys For Sale - Queen of Hearts

The most challenging aspect to Change  

is letting go

and go stuff must

even though Fripperys don't take up much room

and taking into account
 that I have a border-line maternal attachment to every single one
[it feels like I'm putting a price on my childrens heads!]
I realise I can't keep everything

it's time they flew the nest
and like the youngest sagely said
"if you sell some now mum you can make more later"

....she's too young to understand 

so I'm putting on my big girl pants 
and popping them in the Shop 

in batches

a few at a time

maybe once a week

starting tomorrow at 4pm

and to kick start my purging
 I'm offering seven from the series 

'Queen of Hearts'
....because they're love hearts with lace crowns.

For those lucky enough to be able to drop by the Studio Shop [Saturdays 1-5pm]

you wont have to wait in suspense for me to list the others.

In the Shop

Today at 4pm

I will up-date the Shop

with REinventions

'Cherub Cardy'

and

Splice Skirts

'Icecream on Sunday' 

To grab your own 

original Sew Outside the Lines™ garment

you will need to be registered with Paypal.

Big Day

This is the only time I sat down on Saturday

and it's also the only image I took all day 
because I was too busy 
talking mostly

everyone that said they would come did 
braving the 44ºC temps
each taking home a little more REinventing knowledge
and a whole heap of treasure.

If you missed this Saturday don't fret
the Studio doors will be open 
every Saturday thru January 
1-5pm
or by appointment
0420765047
with me re-stocking with 'new' treasure all the time

and if you were thinking of joining us for a workhop 
best be quick as they are filling fast

Workshop dates/times/fees.

Studio Shop OPENS Tomorrow

Nearly there

just 

a few more bedspreads to fold

fripperies & garments to price

buttons to sort

tins to stack

and fabric to bundle 

before the doors to the newly

REfashioned Studio are opened

welcoming those that booked a seat for the Fashion Talk at 10am

and then again 1pm-5pm for anyone 

wishing to grab some treasure

it might be forecast a scorching 44ºC tomorrow

however we'll be oblivious 

enjoying the company of like-minded souls
in our refreshing air conditioned sanctuary

  

and before I disappear under an avalanche of sorting stuff 
a huge thankyou goes out to the
Pop-up-Shop Fairies

who on two separate occasions

came to my rescue....

thanks Denise & Julie 

see you tomorrow. x

How To :: Turn a Studio into a Shop

After making the decision

to turn your Studio into a Shop 

then confidently telling the world

your plan

turns out you actually need to come up with one

a plan

I'm going to journal 

the journey

from decision to dealine

in the hope 

that the mountains of stuff I need to sort through,

 wash, iron, price, hang, fold, stack & finish 

will cease being totally overwhelming

and begin to seem more do-able.

Step-by-step....

wash the walls

if you're going to hang pictures for sale

 those marks you've been ignoring for 3yrs

 will stand out like the little black lumps of insect poop that they are 

 

vacumming, wiping down & shovelling cobwebs off window sills

is a given

display

is all about finding the right spots to put stuff 

and using the furniture/props already in your possession

[I'm determinded not to purchase anything for this REfit]

like 2 vintage wooden ladders

when looked at differently

revealing their remarkable clothes hanging potential

and that huge-mungus cupboard 

sitting idol in the corner

with gi-normous sliding doors

concealing essential hanging space & shelving 

take the doors off

[help may be required for this job as they hurt when dropped on a toe] 

focusing

on specific tasks 

by writing a list helps

it gives you a base to come back to

when distracted

by the piles

and stacks

 

of treasure building by the hour

and you wondering how you will fit it all in!

Saturdays Fashion Talk is fully booked however

the Shop will be open to all

11th January

1:30-5pm

there will be plenty of treasure for everyone 

because as soon as something walks out I'll replace it with something else.

2014 - Changes

Where to begin...

I've been writing this post in my head for weeks 
and have sat at the computer for days rewriting the start

and still I can't seem to come up 
with the right words to explain the changes happening around here


I want to tell you that I will be 
winding up the Workshops
at the end of Term 1

that during Term 1 
I will be offering bite sized workshops in the form of 
2day Fridays or Weekends 
 [nitty-gritty stuff available on the website]

that I am in the process of REfashioning the
Studio into a Shop
where I'll be offering my treasures 
including reinventing samples
vintage fabrics, linens, patterns, pictures, tins and loads more stuff 
to whoever still has cash after the Boxing Day Sales

I'll also be working on 

updating the On-line Shop

so I can share the treasure further afield

and that to celebrate the changes I will be 
conducting a 
Fashion Talk
11th January
10am
$30
where those who attend

will have the opportunity to share the secrets to the most popular REinventions 

as I step you through what's involved in creating each finished piece
and they will also get a first look at what's available in the Shop.
{limited seats so contact me to book yours - sewoutsidethelines[at]westnet[dot]com[dot]au}

did it

but before I press the publish button

I'd also like to share with you that 

I embrace & encourage change

 when it's a choice you have made

[it's what I do for a living]

however when it is thrust upon you 

like a lightening rod to the back of the head in the middle of the darkest night

change can take a while to accept and make the most of

which is what I have decided to do

because I much prefer being positive to being pissed off

2014 is going to be an exciting ride...