Bags are Packed

Taking advantage of the long weekend 

to escape wth the family

and some Frippery

I might have to bribe a passing monk on a donkey 

or climb the nearest mountain and shout loudly

in the hope I can share some of the holiday with you on good old bookface....

Sewing All Weekend Long

I'm sure I've used the term

'hit the ground running'

on numerous occasions in relation to sewing workshops here at the Studio

and the latest 2day All Weekend Sew What You Like Workshop
[combining REinventing with Basic & Beyond] 

was no exception

the girls arrived Saturday morning knowing exactly what they wanted to achieve 

and left Sunday afternoon with all boxes ticked...
***
Linda has been stitching with me since the Freo Art Centre days
and she loves clothes

Dragonfly Tea Towel

nearly as much as she loves cutting them up 
to REinvent 

Hubbys jeans

and at the moment her passion 

is Vests

3 Vests created from a vinyl jacket, 
denim jeans, T-shirt, Tea Towel 
& fabric remnants

***

After Elise inserted her first Invisible Zip
into her newly REfashioned maxi halter frock-to-flowy peasant skirt
she set about creating a Collette 'Sorbetto' Top
complete with our 2 styles of bias binding application

Sorbetto Top and Peasant Skirt

and because Elise enjoys the creative process

as much as she loves challenging herself

there was potential to adapt the pattern slightly

so we added a Peter Pan Collar

to what I think could be a new favourite wardrobe staple

***

Bree can now sew anything 

as proved by her latest project

the stunning silk cotton fully lined crop jacket 

executed with precision to perfection  

to go with the gorgeous frock 

completed last time

and while bias binding might not be everyones favourite

[we love it here at the Studio]

Bree's love/hate relationship with it 

didn't get in the way of

her REfashioning an unwearable frock into a flattering skirt

with a splash of bias binding to finish the waist.  

By shortening the existing Invisible Zip we saved time & expense

***

a very rewarding & productive 2day workshop

which proved just too exhausting for some....

How To :: Improvise a Thread Holder.

Linda wanted to try her hand at a Twin Needle 

for the first time on the weekend....

I have a Thread Holder Stand Thingy

which I pull out when using a Twin Needle

to hold the 2nd spool of thread necessary to achieve the perfectly symmetrical lines with the glorious Twin Needle

not being much of a gadgety person

relying on the merest of essential sewing props & tools 

I embarrassingly found my

Thread Holder Stand Thingy 

bereft of an integral part

which meant I had to revert back to my original Thread Holder

the one I used before I discovered the Stand

a tea cup

the trick with using the 2nd thread

is containing it

without constraining it

I would never have thought to share this snippet of sewing improvisation

if Elise, who was sitting opposite Linda,

hadn't said that she thought others might like to know

if you do find it helpful, you have Elise to thank....

thanks Elise. x

For more 
How To
posts click here.

Sunday Morning in the Studio

This is a sight I will never tire of
the Sunday morning after the Saturday
All Weekend Workshop
where the girls leave their projects and sewing machines in situ

ready to launch themselves
into finishing what they started during the course of the day before

this morning we're prepared for 

Linda to continue making Vests
from favourite garments & fabrics

Elise will master yet another challenge
2 different styles of bias binding application
to add to yesterdays already ticked boxes
a box pleat
darts
and an invisible zip



Bree is all set to finish her frock to skirt transformation 

along with the lined silk/cotton jacket 

which went home overnight for some unpicking attention

I'm looking forward to sharing the completed projects 

even though it's always sad to say goodbye....

These are the dates for the next lot of 

All Weekend Workshops

15th & 16th March 2 spots
12th & 13th April 4 spots
10am-3pm

$290

sewoutsidethelines [at] westnet [dot] com [dot] au

Throw Out Your Dead

Today's listed on our local Councils calendar

as one of the 2 annual verge pick-ups

aka 'throw out ya dead' or 'free treasure trawling'

up & down & around the street there's been piles of stuff

accumulating & growing for at least 2wks

because everyone knows 

one womans trash is anothers treasure

and as soon as you put something on the verge 

there's a fair chance it'll get snavelled

we woke this morning having forgotten to do our duty

didn't take long though to assume our own significant pile of non-essentials

and as fortune would have it 

being late early this morning 

meant the serendipitous fairies of accumulated junky treasure

were smiling on me 

because there unceremoniously tossed in amongst a smallish pile of crap

on the neighbours verge

was glorious treasure

an intact, solid-as, rustified original very vintage Metters Fire Grate 

that I [might] need

and you never know when you'll need another gate! 

 

bringing more treasure into our lives

when we are desperately trying to wrap our heads around what to do with the stuff we've got

did seem illogical

however it didn't take me long to reason

that for every 5xthings I put on our verge

it was okay to bring 1xthing in from someone elses....

A Day of Firsts

yesterday went off without a hitch

and was noticeably full of firsts

like the fact that this was the first workshop for 2014

  

conducted for the first time in the newly REfashioned Studio Shop

where Fiona joined us for the first time

and I wondered why this was the first time 

I'd worn my Big Rose Frippery with this floral frock

and right up until the end of the day

the firsts kept coming

in 25yrs we've never celebrated a Valentines

so my first ever Valentines Gift from hubby

was a thrill

especially as it wasn't the extension cord or egg flip he contemplated

and it tasted even better than it looked.

First Day Jitters

excited

and a little nervous

today is the first workshop for 2014

and the first time the Studio has doubled as a Shop

should be fine....

Workshop dates/times/prices 
and
Studio Shop open days 

The Forgotten Fairy Frocks

With all the commotion & kerfuffle going on round here lately
organising the Studio so I can still conduct Workshops 
and sell stuff in the same space
I'm REdiscovering forgotten treasure

along with bags of vintage lace tucked in corners
and baskets of wooden cotton reels & dolls clothes  

there was a largish suitcase 
sitting under 3 other suitcases 
on a shelf above sewing boxes and samples
which when opened revealed forgotten 

Fairy Frocks

Once upon a time I used to make-to-sell
turning up at regular markets
every weekend for years

the eldest thought she came from a single parent family for the first 4yrs of her life!

My market days, along with Fairy Frock making, ceased 14yrs ago

when I discovered I was pregnant with the youngest 

the Fairy Frocks & Tops were packed up 

never to see the light of day until now....

and they're still as gorgeous now as then

being a timeless design and having been

created to make any little girl feel like a fairy princess regardless of the occassion...

my eldest loved hers so much she would sleep with it under her pillow

 afraid the fairies might come in the night and take it if she didn't.

The sizes vary

Child Size 3-8

and they're now available in the On-line Shop

or here at the Studio.

The 'Real' Shop

I've had a few inquiries about the Studio Shop

Q:: is there a real shop?

A:: yes, there is a 'real' shop.

it is in my Spearwood Studio

[contact me for the location]

 I am offering all my wordly possessions

in large quantities

at reasonable prices

for a limited period of time

on occassional Saturdays 1-5pm

[the next on 15th February]

in between Workshops 
and before the demolition of the Studio

when I'll have to come up with another plan....