Save It!

I woke this morning with a sense of dread

.....but it all seemed to be going so well - gorgeous sunny morn, garden alive with birdsong & bursting blooms, children packed & ready on time, cooked breaky brought to me in the Studio, light conversation with hubbie

and then

the hour spent on the computer compiling & completing the Inserting a Lap Zip into a Skirt Instruction Sheet  
with diagrams,  
deleted in a nano second!

Needless to say it got ugly - I'm not going to elaborate because I'd likely have another melt down.

In place of Lap Zip Instructions, I'm going to share some of my favourite sewing tools.
There's probably more. It was a little rushed. I needed to take my mind off how stupid I am! 

 Bobbin Holder.
I have this one for my Domestic machine and another for the Industrial.

 Love it because the Bobbins are snug, tidy & I know where they are at all times.

Magnetic Pin Cushion
I have three of these at different corners of the Studio so one is always within easy reach.
No need to buy the expensive ones ($30), you can pick them up for $5.

 Self explanatory really.....

Dressmaking Scissors
I have a few pairs of Dressmaking Scissors - so I can have them spread around!
These inexpensive ones are my favourites because they're light-weight, seriously sharp & have super pointy ends.

 Unpicker

Turns out there's Dumb, Okay and Fantastic Unpickers - this ones fantastic!

It's the perfect length, ergonomically structured shaft/handle and is seriously sharp.

Not sure where you'd buy this but I might have to find out because this one was left by a student and if recognised I'm happy to return.

 

 Old Soap
  Old soap glides, leaves a sharp line & is a readily available resource. The only time I'm looking for something else is when the fabric is white.
I dislike Tailors/Dressmakers Chalk immensely for all the reasons I love soap.
I don't mind the pens that fade.

These are a few of my most used tools, the ones I use everyday.
Doing this post was enough to take my mind off the fact I'm an idiot - now I've a sick child to attend to

and tomorrow's another day!

First time for everything

I recently put my hand up to conduct a Learn to Sew Workshop at the FAC during Term 3.

I thought it a good idea to introduce those interested in sewing for themselves, how to sew 'properly' - being as I'm an expert haha!
It's not that I pretend to always know how things should be done it's more likely I know how they shouldn't. My knowledge comes from years of studying, making mistakes, getting it right, watching others make mistakes & get it right and never being afraid to accept a challenge.

So anyway, in an effort to come up with some basic projects, that would not only appeal to but be achievable by those learning, I came up with a...

~Funky Spring Quilt~

This is my first attempt at quilting something scientifically!
I love that I got to use vintage fabric (sheets) and that it has exposed seams which will fluff up the more it's used and washed.

~Funky Summer Pyjama Pants~

Typically, this fabric was bought for something completely different ie.Funky Spring Quilt but I found it far too difficult to match it with 3 other fabric designs, so PJ pants it is!

~Satchel Bag~
OMG it was soooooo hard trying to choose one fabric - so I didn't, I snuck a couple of T-shirts in aswell!

~Art Diary/Journal Cover~

This came to me in a flash of brilliance - it is a flow on from the initial sewing exercises that I get the students to do.

All the projects come with patterns and instructions which the students can choose from over the 6wks.
I've always been concerned about running such a class because of the variables involved, namely the machines that each student would arrive with. Being that I'm not a sewing machine mechanic I could foresee machines needing attention I wouldn't have the expertise or time to give them. We did have a couple of issues with the first class but because of the couple of machines I had as backup everything went very smoothly and the girls show huge promise.