Happy birthday to us!

Today is Ellen and my 65th birthday! We don't look too bad for 65 (especially Ellen!). My baby Ellen was my 33rd birthday present and now she is sweet 16.

So what have I got for my birthday? Well it is still early here and I am having a coffee and checking out the blogs of some of the SWAP contestants - that is birthday viewing pleasure enough. I have only been following a few via their blogs - Marji, Summerset, Shannon, Carolyn. I will catch up with the rest over at Timmels site later as the week progresses. And how can I vote? - to vote for one would be to not vote for another!

Another birthday thought - I am not getting enough sewing done! Last night I was reading a book about bodybuilding - in particular a chapter about goal setting. And that I think is the key - set some goals. Otherwise you put things off - you need a deadline. Just like SWAP! So today I will set some goals of what I want to achieve over the next 12 months, 3 months, each week and daily.

Now I must be off - birthday things to attend to and photos of the SWAPees to check out!

Warning...not sewing related....

This is what teenage girls do on school holidays. Sofie, Ellen & Grace (the tall one who is Sofie's friend) filmed this on Tuesday. Sofie edited and posted. Only watch if you are completely bored or curious! HAPPY EASTER everyone!

Out with my babies...

.

Today we went shopping along Brunswick Street. This is a very bohemian shopping strip in Fitzroy (Melbourne). Sofie bought a pair of white ankle boots and I managed to find a bargain or two at Clear It - the Alannah Hill clearance shop. I found a tweed at $2.50 a metre and a satin at $6.00 a metre. I thought the tweed was silk, but on testing back at home (burn and smell testing) I think it is cotton acrylic.

It burnt readily and was not self extinguishing and some fibres could be crushed and some not. Anyway, at $2.50 it is still a bargain - I bought 5 metres. The other one is silk. The burn test confirmed this. I bought 3 metres. It would make a great top, skirt, dress or lining. Very, very soft and silky.

After Brunswick St, we went to Bridge Road, Richmond. Another strip shopping road that has a lot of outlet stores. Sofie bought a tunic top/dress and I managed to buy some gorgeous shoes.........

Poor Ellen did not score in the purchases department but had a good time anyway!

I think I may have been wrong....

Remember when I did my burn test for some of my Hong Kong "Armani" fabrics? Well I may have jumped to a wrong conclusion. I was reading Claire Shaeffer's book on fabrics last night and she had this table on testing contents of fabric by burning - lists smell, flame reaction, ash etc. So I decided to test again. This time I took some hair from DD's hairbrush and burnt that first - had a good sniff. Ok burnt hair. Next tried the check "Armani" - mmmmm....sniff...burnt hair! Tried another one - the same burnt hair smell - SILK - yippee. I then tried the third and it burnt quite fast and had a yellow flame, smelt like paper - so maybe cotton, or rayon or linen...linen smells like rope - but what does burnt rope smell like?

I jumped to the conclusion that the "Armani's" were poly previously, as the ash formed a lump and looked shiny. But testing again, this time just a few threads at a time, there was no poly smell and the ash crushed. I tested some known poly and the ash does not crush - it is like plastic - and it has that smell, like when you have the iron on too hot on a poly outfit.

Anyway, I am enjoying this.....I think I will test more over the next few days. Well this is one way to reduce the stash?

I am afraid not much sewing as my machine is in for service and it is school holidays. My girls love to shop, so my non work days will be spent on girly adventures! Also for Easter I will be visiting my parents upstate.

Weather in Melbourne Australia

I have just been reading Summerset's blog on her beautiful daughter's beautiful dress. And beautiful they are. But then I thought..."Won't she be cold?". So my post today is about the weather here (in Melbourne) and how we live in it.

The weather at this time of year (early autumn) is beautiful. Today it will be 21 (70f). But I would be cold if I wore a summer frock. We don't have central heating as we don't get extremely cold weather - even in winter. Some mornings get a bit frosty, but never any snow or subzero temperatures. So heating is good but not something that is kept on all the time. Turned off at night and then turned on when home from work. If I am at home during the day, I may put on the heating or just put my polar fleece dressing gown over what I have on.

So even though the weather is mild, some people from colder climes would find it very cold as there is not that central heating that they may be used to. The air around them is not heated and they need to dress appropriately.

So back to the dress - lucky Summerset's daughter is not here, because she would have to cover up her pretty dress with a cardigan, jacket or heaven forbid - polar fleece dressing gown (lol) - even while inside....and what a shame that would be!

So to summarise my weather lesson.....here in Melbourne you never know what you will get. At this time of year you need to be prepared for 30 (86f) and for 15 (60f) - yes even on the one day. So you need always to consider the layers. Preparing for Easter means - layers, just in case. So maybe that is why we don't make a new dress for Easter? It is not a custom here. And besides even though Easter is about rebirth, here we are heading towards winter......sigh!

So what can I make that looks good in polar fleece................

Today I had an adventure!

To cheer myself up, I decided to go on a fabric shop viewing trip. I decided to visit Remnant Warehouse, Dancing Queen and Artextile. This is what happened.....


1. Remnant Warehouse. I have heard of this shop but had never been.....and I won't be going again....it is closing down TOMORROW! So that is the bad news. The good news is that all their Vogue patterns were in bins and were only 50c each! Here is what I got.


I also got some viscose lining in dark grey/black for $3 a metre. There was only 3 metres left so I bought it all. There was not a lot left in the shop.

2. Dancing Queen. This shop is in Lennox St Richmond (Melbourne). It is a very small shop and has unusual fabrics. Some of them are vintage. I purchase 3 pieces back on the Pattern Review Down Under weekend last year. But today nothing much inspired me, but I started talking to the owner about how I was looking for a lining to match my silk linen rose fabric. And voila - there it was.....a beautiful Italian acetate. The colours matched perfectly and it has two sides that can be used to advantage. It was a bit pricey at $16 a metre....but it was 20% off (they have a sale on at the moment). I bought 3 metres. Enough hopefully for a dress, jacket and skirt. Don't you just love their bags? - plastic with fabric plaits for handles.

Below is my suit fabric on the left with the new lining on the right - showing both sides.





3. Next was Artextile, just down the road - literally less than 500 metres. This just has to be the shop for the most beautiful fabrics in the whole wide world - if you are looking mainly for suitings. Ahhhhhh...........but at $85 + a metre, I declined. I have so much already, but I promise myself that if I make up a large portion of the stash this winter, then I can buy myself some luxury designer wool. There was this lamb and cashmere...............sigh! Burberry wool......sigh again! And the most softest red wool at $220 for the piece (1.9 metres).

I give up!

It is sooooooooo hot! I am perspiring more here sitting at my machine than I did this morning at the gym on the elliptical trainer....seriously! I have resorted to sitting in my bra and short skirt, but i still drip. My sewing machine screen has faded to near missing. However, it is not the heat that made me give up but.....


1. sewing the invisible zip in the wrong way
2. deciding to shorten the zip by zigzagging about 3 inches from the bottom. Oops, I did it from the top!
3. broking needle - where did it go? Down the bottom of the machine!

I think I will go to Eastland, where they have air conditioning!