Why Haute Couture Costs

Here's a sneak peek at

why a Haute Couture frock could cost more than a car...

Once Upon a Time:: Discovering Wabi-sabi

Once upon a time 

squares were knitted

in a pattern only the knitter knew

and as word spread people gathered 

watching in wonder

as each piece took shape

 to be secretly stitched to the next

using ancient techniques now lost to time 

slowly revealing the colours & texture

mother nature inspired

a labour of love

each stitch a warm hug & sweet kiss

created to remember home 

a cottage with gumnut carpets & eucalypt canopies 
stretching to the horizon

all the while destined for far flung adventures

as the years passed, so did the blanket

from hand to hand & home to home

keeping the tale of family & origins alive

until slowly the colours and the stories began to fade 

along with any memory of the creator

and just as the eucalypt canopies
 which create gumnut carpets

had gone

so was the blanket

well worn, showing signs of a long life well lived

discarded & disheartened
destined for the dump

when paths crossed 
an intrepid adventurous treasure rescuing soul
spied the musty age old faded bristley woollen blanket 
from across a crowded op shop  

sensing there were still plenty of warm hugs to go round

 the travel weary blanket was bundled up to begin a new adventure

it soon became apparent 
more than suds & sunshine were needed
to breathe new life into this tired old blanket
with needle threaded
and fabric scraps selected
a brand new journey began

as the treasure rescuer 

let her heart rule her head

enjoying the process more than could have been imagined
as the weary wool surrendered itself to whims & fancy

and the more the rescuer stitched 

the more beautiful the blanket became

with every stitch a connection was felt & respect paid

 to the original creator

until there was no more to be done

without realising that

having seen the beauty in the old and worn

the rescuer had encountered and enjoyed 

the timeless ancient art of 
Wabi-sabi

taking pride of place over & above any other blanket

now the rescuers favourite rescue...

the end. x

A Week :: Pictures

five photos from a busy week

   

favourite winter lunch

tamarillo, kiwi fruit, nectarine & mandarine on yoghurt

bow brooch

for a felted collar

machine embroidery

on felted collars 

wet weekend

didn't stop some 

wabi sabi

on an old rescued blanket

Studio Shop Open

As packing day looms closer

I've been through the filing

and found more gorgeousness for the Shop

and your wardrobe...

Studio Shop
OPEN
Friday & Saturday 20th June
10-3pm

now all I have to do is plug in the iron.

Workshops :: It's not all Fun

It's not all chit-chat & laughter

during 2-day Studio Workshops

[Last Week l-r Rosie, Judith & Elizabeth]

there's cuppas to be drunk 

and  homemade deliciousness to be eaten

[Luscious Lemon Slice]

there's patterns to play with

& fabric to fondle

[l-r Elise & Kate]

it's where

 imaginations are ignited

[Judiths two-tops-that-dont-fit into one top that does] 

and creativity encouraged

[Angelas Splice Skirt]

it's where we come to forget the drama of our day to day
leaving the problems of the world at the door
so we can concentrate on making stuff…

if you'd like to join us
there's still a couple of spots available in the next lot of
 Workshops.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss a specific idea or personal project.

Pattern Review :: Vogue 8982

Vogue 8982
by Marcy Tilton



Before launching into what I'm pretty sure
is my first ever pattern review 
I need to let you know this wasn't a personal project, 
one of my students, Rosie, 
brought the pattern to class 
and because there were a couple of dramas on our journey
which didn't seem to be addressed in anyone else's review
I felt compelled to share our experience 
in the hope it might help some other unsuspecting creative soul achieve a joyous outcome...

Rosie is an enthusiastic sewer whose desire to create original & interesting garments isn't always equal to her technical & pattern reading skills 
 which after all, is why I'm here...

Pattern Description:
Loose-fitting, unlined jacket or vest has front exending into back collar, front darts, back extending to lower side front, shaped hemline and no side seams,  wrong side may show B.sleeves with slit, narrow hem and topstitching by hand. D.mock front band, stitched hems, back cut on crosswise grain.

Sizing & Style: Size 14 and version 'D'

Fabric: polyester satin damask

Were the instructions easy to follow:

for the most part the construction was straight forward especially if you took notice of the notches & markings, however

•   there was no mention of finishing the edges - we opted to overlock all the raw edges.

•   the instructions for stitching the back collar & facing in place were very wordy & diagrams lacked clarity so we effectively & efficently Ditch Stitched the collar in place.

•   the image below is of the front facing and is an example of  experience being important - you are instructed to Cut here for D, with the line stopping abruptly and no explanation of what to do next, we determined that tapering & reshaping the facing back into the existing cutting line was the best option. 

Pattern Alterations or Design Changes:

• we decided against cutting the centre back on the crosswise grain [bias] - there didn't seem much point as Rosies chosen fabric had alot of body & any effect would have been lost in translation.
• the sleeves were extremely long, requiring 5cm be removed from the length.

Would you Sew Again:

•   Yes - Rosie had her second one cut ready to go.

Conclusion:

The journey was a bit bumpy and we both concluded early on that Rosie would never have completed the Jacket without assistance, it was likewise unanimous that the outcome was fantastic and worth every effort.

Vogue patterns can be challenging to decipher at the best of times
and unfortunately not a recommended choice for a novice or nervous sewer 
especially if the plan is to do more sewing in the future
in my experience 
it takes experience 
to see a Vogue pattern through to completion
and I fear alot of sewing machines have ended up in storage
due unfortunate pattern choices

which is why we REinvent. x