Sometimes love just ain't enough

I did go and sew and I had a little disaster too. What seems like another century ago I downloaded and started to cut out the Ute pattern from BurdaStyle, as I mentioned yesterday. What I did not mention is that I printed it wrong. I never checked the square to see if it had printed out the right way.

Hence the sizing was way out. So I fiddled and meddled (with much frustration) and I was going great guns and it was looking pretty cute, cue pic below...

Then just at the last moment it ripped! In the armhole, beyond the seam line. So, so, so ANNOYING.

Yup I got mad and decided that sometimes, very rarely you have to make the decision to give up and move on. I have just enough to cut a new panel... but its back on the UFO pile and ... erm ... right at the bottom.

To smooth out my nerves and make me feel like downloading and taping A4 sheets of paper in to a pattern are worth it I made up the Madeleine Mini-Bloomers from Colette Patterns. It was a free download and by golly I they wiped themselves up in a thrice.

I have been wanting to try one of these patterns for a while and this little item of lovely makes me want to try out the Sencha and Ceylon patterns. I will use these for night time pursuits but intend to make more as they are ideal for under a skirt in windy Wellington.

While rummaging around the gallery on Collete Patterns I linked to Casey's site (she made a divine Ceylon) and it is rather yumsious. One more to add to the blog roll.

I am now going to assemble some pictures of my Wellington Cup outfit for another post.

Ta ra for now.

xx

Budget style from the pros

My parents have gone back to Scotland...* sniff*. It is kinda weird being on the other side of the planet from your family. I took a good few days to feel sad and eat chocolate. But now its time to get back in to things I have been neglecting and well this blog is one thing that has been suffering.

I don't seem to be in the groove for sewing right now, maybe my two years of intense study has just thrown me off track. Do you ever get that? It's like a mental block every time I look at my sewing machine.

But the need to make stuff is nibbling at me. I did start to finish off the Ute blouse that I downloaded from BurdaStyle ages ago yesterday so that is a start. I do have a lot of UFO's (Un-finshed Objects).

In the meantime I have been reading a rather good book that I picked up. Elizabeth Craig's Needlecraft (War Time Edition c1948). She was a fellow Scot too.

I love it. In her foreword she writes:

With clothes, as with other things, it is only when we find ourselves having to "make do" that we realise how wasteful we used to be.

I thought that was so appropriate for the reason that I started this blog.

It has great chapter titles, the best being Dressmaking without tears. One other great thing about old books is the inscriptions in the inside covers.

Prudence Jackson! What a name. There is one project I am going to try, making a women's blouse from a mans shirt. My Dad left a linen shirt behind and I am going to convert it rather than post it back to him (he is cool with that). There are heaps more too.

So I am going to sign off now with the up most resolution to go and sew... yes I will!

xx

Have you heard of Glee?

I have not been doing much blogging of late as my parents are here visiting from Scotland. I am however still reading the blogs I am interested in everyday with my morning coffee.

I have mentioned Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing before and while reading it today Gertie linked to a site called What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear? which I found quite entertaining. From what I can gather Emma is a character from a show called Glee in the USA. Anybody seen it?

I did go to Fashion in the Field for the Wellington Cup Races on Saturday and it was a scorcher of a day. I will devote a blog post to it soon. Promise!

Until then, have fun in the sun (or snow, rain, wind).

xx