Hi everyone, I haven’t been able to contribute to these forums for the last three weeks as I have been house, and dog-sitting. Home today, hurray!! No sewing done during this period whatsoever; but I have been able to trace, draft, and cut out nearly 30 outfits – all neatly packaged in sturdy plastic bags – you know the ones with the press-together closure – bought specifically for the purpose as all my recycled bags have become too fragile. They don’t last forever, I’ve found. The winning pattern has been the Class Picnic blouse as Australia heads steadily towards summer. I think I have cut out about 8 of them in different sizes. So mega-amounts of sewing ahead; hopefully, without too many serious interuptions so that the clothes get to the intended kids before they grow out of the cut size.
I’ve really missed my machine (and my little nest), however, there is something about lots of cutting, and sifting through ones stash that promotes good ideas, and imaginative uses of pattern. For example, I’m wondering if I could put ‘kangaroo’ pockets (a la the Book Report) in View B of the Ice Cream dress? Certainly, they could be inserted in the seams. All this work includes my first Garden Party dress which I’m really looking forward to making up in a size 2. With a lovely printed cotton, and some pique for the horizontal bands, it should look very sweet. As always, I have been sustained by reading these forums, and the wonderful pics on Flickr. As ‘my children’ are really growing up, now; it’s been wonderful to have a large table to draft, and cut out some long overdue size 8 dresses for one of my Melbourne kids. The dog’s parents gave me some lovely ‘catalogues’ from some exhibitions they visited at The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada. My favourite is entitled “Fashion Victims: the pleasures and perils of dress in the 19th Century” Gorgeous pics, and cartoons. I have to find a way to display it. Off to start sewing gathering threads into all those CP tops.
