Once again Gorman is weakening my resolve to have a wardrobe that’s almost entirely made by me.
Sewing Adventures
Big news for a Monday, I did zero sewing over the weekend. Yep that’s right none, nada, zero, zip.
So why after a weekend of no sewing does it feel so good?
Organisation.
With a new kitchen, the acquisition of yet more books and well just too much stuff, it was high time our tiny place got a much needed organise and clean.
Bookshelves were emptied and re organised, tubs of fabric were re stacked. Paperwork was filed (and more than just into piles labelled misc and other).
It was a big weekend of moving, shifting and getting things right. I probably need one more day of it and we can finally stop tripping over things.
What is possibly even more exciting is that my sewing table is now clear which means I could sew every night if I wanted to?
Now that really is a thrilling thought!
The usual state of my bobbins #totalmess
Mini Obsession – coloured hair
It’s coming up to getting my hair done again. This is a very regular occurrence but I still love it. Ben my hairdresser is brilliant and I have been seeing him for years.
I’ve been almost every shade of blonde, pink, purple, lilac imaginable. I’ve been blue (looked fantastic till the first wash then was a weird dishwater colour?) I’ve been red which made me look far more like raggedy Anne than I care to. I’ve even had a flash of neon green.
I never decide what I’m getting done I just go in and relax and come out with amazing hair. But still these images have been providing some strong inspiration.
lilac hair, long pink hair, pink hair, mint hair
Promise to let you know what colour I come out this time!
Sewing Adventures – cycling caps
Another Monday morning and we are well and truly into summer! This weekend was glorious long sunshine filled days and more than a little warm too.
Sewing wise I spent the entire weekend making and packing orders for Rocket Fuel. With it being practically peak cycling season it’s nice to see so many packages heading off to new homes.
I normally try and do all my orders during the week and then spend at least one day of the weekend doing some sewing for myself but sometimes there are extra orders. I like sewing the caps though, as I like to imagine the life they are going on to live.
A snappy wool might be destined for a Tweed Ride, a sturdy cotton with club colours might be bound for weekend races and a collection printed with nicknames are due for a lads weekend of cycling and camping in lieu of a bachelors party.
It’s fun to marry 2 of my big passions of sewing and cycling together.
Hope you all had a wonderful sewing filled weekend too?
Summer dresses
Today is going to be a scorching 39 degrees Celsius here in Sydney.
So naturally I’ve been up early, put up heavy sunblock curtains on the windows that face the sun and had all the blinds pulled down low since the sun came up.
With a day packed filled with meetings I did my weights session early, got the washing out on the line and selected a cool cotton dress to wear.
Walking into the city I saw so many women dressed in the most simple and stunning dresses. A red patterned strapless maxi dress was paired with a cleverly tied lightweight cotton scarf to create the illusion of straps and offer some sun protection.
A mustard multi layer voile dress had a fitted bodice and a tightly gathered skirt and looked the picture of summer ease, as it was atop a mint green step through bicycle with a wicker basket on the front.
Even now on the train I can see a zip front navy sweetheart neckline dress with teeny tiny yellow flowers scattered across it, a simple shift in a Liberty style floral and I’m wearing my pink Cynthia Rowley.
Thank goodness for the ease and style of a nice dress, it really makes the heat easier to cope with.
Stay cool today and try and avoid the heat!
(Update: what I had thought was a simple shift in a Liberty style floral, actually had a front filled with inserted lace details. Pretty!).
Here are some fantastic summer dresses, photos by The Sartorialist
Kitty blogger
Sewing adventures
I thought each Monday morning it would be nice to have a bit of a recap on my weekly weekend sewing adventures.
This weekend I finished a project that has been on the almost done pile for quite some time.
It is a mushroom,white and lilac Japanese print cotton I picked up at Spotlight about 2 years ago. It’s super cute as there are little tiny birds in the print. The dress was a breeze to put together and I love love that all the Cynthia Rowley patterns have pockets in the dresses. I’m guessing that the bow will become slightly annoying to keep tying it each time I wear the dress and am toying with the idea of getting it right once and then just hand stitching it in place?
Despite being a breeze to put together it wasn’t until I went to photograph this dress that I realised I had made a mistake. I’ve added the zip to the non bow side. Getting in and out of it is a 2 person job! So last night I unpicked the zipper and will be installing it on the correct side today, thank goodness for a long weekend so I can finally finish this dress.
Mini Obsession – embroidery
An image of an embroidered garment keeps popping up on my Pinterest timeline.
Every time I see it my heart skips a beat. I just love it.
The drama of the curve, the oversize cross stitch, the colours, the detail of it, just everything about it makes me feel a little breathless. It is from Anthropologie and unsurprisingly sold out.
I’ve been thinking how I can use a little bit of embroidery in my own sewing. I’m quite a speedy hand sewer so I don’t think the task would be too long. Plus I have a lot of long train commutes to use up. A bit of stitching on the train might help take away the tedium of the commute?
Perhaps a collar, or a bodice? Even a wide hem would be cute. Not sure yet how it will happen but I will work out a way of getting a bit of stitching into my wardrobe.
Till then I am sure that image will keep popping up and making my heart skip.
What about you? What details make your hearts flutter?
Summer Sewing Adventures
It’s a sunny Monday morning and while the air is still just a tiny bit crisp, summer is about to hit and after such a mild winter it’s looking like a long hot summer! Yay!
I love summer, they always feel so full of potential (though inevitably in a few months I could do with a break from the constant heat).
As always, my plan this year is to get as much sewing done as possible before it gets too warm to even consider unfolding the fabric to cut it out.
So this past weekend while the sun was shining, the kitty was basking in the sun and the bread was rising I got to sewing.
First up this cute Simplicity built by Wendy pattern (now out of print).
This series came out years ago but quickly become one of my favourite tops to sew. Not only is it a breeze to make the fullness of the style means it is perfect for summer when sometimes you need a bit more ventilation and air around your body. I love pairing it with jeans or shorts. It is an essential piece in my travel wardrobe as it can be dressed up or down and can survive being crumpled in a bag. It’s also my go to top for a quick spin on the bike when I am off to the shops or the farmers markets.
As is usual for me with this pattern I have chosen a lightweight Japanese cotton. I love their hand feel and they are lightweight but not see through which is just about perfect for summer. This one was a lucky find at my local Spotlight.
I’m normally a very bright colours kind of dresser and it felt a little flat so I added a cute zig zag in a neon contrast thread.
In fact I have a whole packet of neon Madeira Threads so expect to see some more of them in future creations.
The second sewing project for the weekend was this Cynthia Rowley Pattern. Again it’s another tried and tested pattern for me.
It fits me perfectly with zero adjustments being needed, so it is really a case of cut and sew and bam! Job done.
I choose a vintage fabric that I picked up at the Lismore car boot markets.
It’s very pink! And when I sent a quick happy snap to one of my best friends her response was “well if anyone can wear that colour it’s going to be you”.
And so it’s Monday and I am on the train to work, and already I am thinking, what I can make next?
