[Tassiemum]

I am just finishing a school photo dress, only hems to do. I am trying to work my way through o+s patterns I have not sewn yet. Next up is a 2+2 skirt, a croquet dress with modifications and a pinwheel top also with mods.

[Nicole]

I am sewing a 2+2 blouse and skirt today!

I was woken by a thunder storm last night and couldn’t get back to sleep so I got up a made Liddy some After School trousers. Much better then lying there awake.

I finished them and went back to sleep.

[Tamara]

Hope the storm brought more rain than damage!

It’s 5.35am and I am listening to a snoring dog! No sewing at present but am thinking about it. Yesterday I basted the megs garden quilt top to the wadding ready to appliqué and I *attempted* to put the hashtag quilt top together but was constantly interrupted so put it away.

Today I will endeavour to try again.

[Nicole]

I have finished two play outfits for Tilly, a Sunki tunic&leggings and a 2+2 blouse and skirt. I have made Liddy one pair of After School trousers and have another cut but I need to change the overlocker thread to sew those.

Last night I cut out a Music Class blouse and skirt for play, for Tilly.

Once they are completed I will return to my sewing rota. Hugo badly needs school trousers.

I pressed up the 2 1/2 metres of fabric to cut Zara’s Deer&Doe dress. The fabric is quite narrow but it seems a lot after sewing wee things for Tilly.

Tamara, we have had 48 ml in the last few days. Bogs for us!

The children go back to school on Monday so I shall have more time but I will miss them.

[cybele727]

Sigh… I am so frustrated. I started this quilt, but am not enjoying it. I am about 3/4 of the way through the quilt top. This may be my first, last, and only. I just find it so tedious. I refuse to quit it because I have two other UFOs and I never have UFOs- A Peony Dress by collette which is a horrific fit (even after doing a tissue fit and then a muslin), and a Violet Fields jacket. I am just not inspired. At all.

So I am determined to finish this quilt if it kills me, and then move onto something more joyful. I found a cute babywale orange and white cord. Brrrring, Brrrrring, Hello? Hi Afterschool pants, nice of you to call!

The other I look forward to is an a line skirt. I did a craftsy course for drafting a pattern for your own basic a-line skirt. This has inspired me. The Peony by Collette was my first attempt in years to sew for me and my very petite yet curvy body (so unlike the body I had 20 years ago when I sewed for myself). The Peony has destroyed my confidence in my ability to sew anything other than a rectangle/child body.

But two nice things have happened since then… 1) the craftsy course where by learning how to transfer my own measurements into a pattern, I will have better control in learning how to adjust fit for pre-made patterns, and 2) everyone in my sewing circle who has tried this dress (7 of us) have determined that the pattern needed so much altering to get a good fit, that it wasn’t even the same dress anymore, or worth doing. (So Yay, it isn’t just me and my body that stinks… it is the pattern!!!)

I need to find my sewing mojo! Oh Athena, Goddess of Techne…send me some mojo! 🙂

[Nicole]

I made a decision that life was too short and packaged up my UFO’s that I wasn’t going to use and Got Rid!

So cathartic.

If the dress is nice fabric, use it for something else or pop it in the poor box. As for quilting, by the sounds of things, many people come and go with it.

I admire you for starting one.

Not this little black duck!

[Tamara]

Whoa! Get the boat out! We are still waiting for a decent drop but had between 7.5 and 18mm over various parts of the farm the other week – nothing since and need some more. That is a good decent amount!

Yes I agree quilting is a come and go, ebb flow thing. At the moment I have a half made quilt top, a ready to quilt quilt top and an appliqué quilt under the machine needle. I am trying my hand at painting with thread by going around flower shapes. So far so good.

Cybele, Craftsy classes are great fun!

[cybele727]

I LOVED the Craftsy course I got. I have spent waaaay more on stitch lounge lessons on darts or seams or zippers or learning to tissue fit and it has come to no avail. You leave, you forget! In this particular course, she explains WHY we are doing something. I love that. It makes it stick, and if I understand it, I do it better. (Like when I do a hem facing for the family reunion dress.)

I love how I can go back and view as often as I want and go to the sections where and when I need to. Plus this design is SO classic, and exactly what I need for work. (I REFUSE to wear suits to court.) I am feeling inspired.

But I think I will toss my UFOs (with the exception of the quilt!). I don’t want to feel bad about them, looking forlorn at me, begging to be finished!

[with love Heidi]

I have a new shirt for ME!!! My sewing experiment from Ottorbe was a success! I didn’t add the skirt as it was supremely unflattering and took the shirt from Looks Good to Very Matronly, not good. but since it was only pinned it was easy to remove and I added a hem band to

finish it off. I just need to straighten the sleeves and add a hem band. My niece and my husband were both home to help which was great as I had to remove a couple of inches from the hips.

I now have a basic tshirt pattern for me and I am thinking about the next project for me!

Thanks for the final push of inspiration from your “5 obstructions” Lightning!

[Tamara]

Cybele which class was this one? I have the jeanius one but haven’t viewed it yet as I have been totally engrossed in all things quilting (and endeavouring to shrink to a much more flattering size so my jeans don’t look massive!) and hence have more quilting ones than sewing one. The sale they are having is tempting though and I have thought about indulging in a few more. However, I feel that even though they last for ever, I think it would be better to do it straight away or else you’d be somewhat inclined to procrastinate (or I would anyway). Love the fact you can throw a question at the teacher and have her (or him) not be interrupted during the lesson to answer it. I also love the gallery where you can see and comment on other students work – some you an tell they are sheer beginners and make an effort to encourage them whilst others are just too gobsmackingly talented for words so you humble yourself and comment anyway.

I haven’t done a stitch yet today – been too busy cleaning and listening to the philosophical thoughts of my eight year old son on how to decide if a lamb is an orphan or not! Intriguing!

[with love Heidi]

Tamara, I think we are having all your rain today!

[Tamara]

Its a shame it didnt stick around here a little longer but I hope it gets to the other drier areas of the country. I main issue is the lack of pasture along with watering crops.

It’s nearly 3pm and still havent sewn a stich! What is wrong with me today!?!

[cybele727]

Justsewit, the class was Deborah Moebes. I drafted my pattern, now off to muslin, and then pin for darts, so I can add the dart to the pattern. The reason I am so excited is that I have this favorite wool skirt, yoke with A-line. I bought this from Banana Republic (long before children made me BROKE!!). Because I hate how restrictive suits are for women, I prefer an a-line skirt, blouse or t and cardigan for court. But post children, I am now broke and chubby (although I have lost 20 lbs in the past 12 months- yay me!!).

I need to find appropriate clothes for me that I can wear to court. I hate hate hate hearing 1) are you looking for your lawyer, and 2) are you old enough to be here?

This class will teach me how to make the exact same skirt that I love so much, but for a fraction of the cost and frankly, I can make them in solid wool gabardines, prints, voiles, etc. Or at least that’s how I envision it! 🙂

[Tamara]

I will have to look that class up I think as I can understand just where you are coming from. Having said that I think I would rather the second comment than the first – if I had to choose of course but then it reminds me of my first ever outing to a nightclub (Yes I most certainly was of age and I stood there arguing with the bouncer about it too!) very insulting!

I can also understand the “wearing the same thing everyday” syndrome and the “I have nothing to wear” exasperation – I am living it everyday! But I refuse to sew new clothes until I am little bit (ok a big bit) smaller than I am now! Or maybe it should be a reverse psychology thing where I make something in the size I would prefer to be and make myself look at it day in day out! Dunno!

I am hoping to get to the machine today as yesterday I didn’t. I am endeavouring to get everyone into back to school mode and am already counting down the term before it begins until the next break! Horrible isn’t it but this is the term where I have to be most productive sewing wise. Unfortunately the whip ain’t cracking!

So IF I should be at the machine I will be sewing on all the pink flowers on my meg’s garden quilt! Wish me luck!

[cybele727]

I don’t mind the age comment that much. So long as I cover my white hair, I appear about 28-32. Being 43 in a week, that is a nice thing. It is just really hard when people are correspondingly condescending- petite and young looking brings out the cave man in many an opposing counsel. Men are especially patronizing. Oh well. They underestimate me to their (client’s) peril. 😉

I have 25 lb to go! But I don’t mind drafting again and making new ones for the future, as a reward for the newly lost weight! If I wait until the weight is gone, I will never do anything.

I hope to get to a row or two of blocks this week in that quilt, as well as draft a muslin. (High hopes!!)