The Long & Short of It

I've taken hundreds if not thousands of photos

 over the past couple of months

in an attempt to document the biggest/hardest decision 

Dan and I have ever made collectively in our 30yr relationship

I've also written this post a hundred different ways in my head

and it doesn't matter how I approach the story in order to share the tale

of us demolishing our home 
in order to develop the block

 it's a tricky tale to tell 

however the long and short of it is

Dan & I put our get-shit-done-shirts on

 

and packed up 

4 people and 23yrs of living in the same house   

we held 4 garage sales over 2 w'ends

before locking the Studio doors for the last time

 when not long after a nice man and his lovely wife

came and took her away

bit by bit
piece by piece

to be reassembled on their property as guest accommodation

and that as they say is that

for 4yrs I offered this space as a haven to sewing enthusiasts
and I will never find enough or the right words 
to express my gratitude to those who stepped into my world 
because without a doubt you changed it forever

thankyou from the very bottom of my [slightly broken] heart 

on the upside

we found a great rental 

with just enough room for me to hunker down in my Sewing Bunker

 where I am currently making frocks & bags for the Shop

with the thought that making will be my focus for a while

we're taking a huge risk

but life's a gamble

and even if we do end up homeless 

there's comfort in knowing we're in this together...

A Remarkable Friend

I've a friend, 
 Regina 
and she's remarkable 

'Remarkable Regina'

not just because of her text book Leo characteristics  
awesome parenting skills,
 fierce loyalty, patience & passion for those whom she loves
or
because we both love exactly the same things

food

shopping




and Melbourne



Regina is courageously creative
with an ability to turn wire & found objects 
into whatever takes her fancy



during a recent, very brief visit to her home in Sth Gippsland, Victoria
I took the opportunity to snap a few shots in her Studio 

  

Reginas natural talent, focus & drive
is evident by the eclectic range of creative objects 
which emerge from her backyard studio 

*

*   

eccentric jewellery

to fascinating Chandeliers

which occasionally make their way to art shows and exhibitions

The Dragon Lady Chandelier

if you happen to find yourself in the presence of one of her masterpieces

and she's in the room

give her a hug from me. 

xo

They Came to Create….and Did!

They came

on Fridays & Weekends

All Weekend Girls - l-r Sue, JoAnne, Lisa, Jeanette

they talked & laughed, 

ate lunch, drank tea & indulged in chocolate, 
shared life stories & their bias binding 

all the while creating personal storms of
chosen projects
such as 

cushions & bags

Ruth

Lisa

Lisa

 Pieces of Cake

Rennae

a shirt into skirt
with cute polka dot pocket

Jessica

denim skirt into sleeveless vest

Jessica

and worn out cords
 into wearable skirt

Jessica

a Collette pattern
from favourite fabric
became a sweet top

Jeanette

and the perfect pink 
garage-sale-sourced cashmere jumper with an unfortunate hole 

transformed into a 
trend setting, stylish 
improved version of itself

the too-small pure silk designer label frock

merged with a wrap skirt

JoAnne

becoming this floaty Jane Austin look-a-like

and english manor houses

turned into a tea frock

JoAnne

some serious shirts lacking personality
became the life of the party
with splashes of lace

Sue

strategic stitching

tucks & tabs

Sue

and goals were kicked 
when a-soon-to-be-favourite-tunic
was potato printed with doilies

Sue

Yesterday saw the last of the 2day workshops 
for Term 1

and with a few weeks up my sleeve in which to focus on the next stage in the building plans
and a sneaky visit to my favourite city & person in Melbourne

I'll be back in time to open the doors for [possibly] the very last lot of Studio Workshops 

in Term 2...

what would you like to create. x

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