[Masha Richart]

I think I’d go laminate for your sewing room, Tamara.

[with love Heidi]

Maybe not tile because if you want to use the floor for tracing or cutting at some point it would be all bumpy!

[Tamara]

Yes that is exactly what I thought. Even though they can look good and be quite cool under foot they are not the most practical for things that require the floor. I will look for cost effective laminate choices. Surely they have come down in price in the last thirteen years (we have laminate wood planks in our current house).

I didn’t get to trace the swimming patterns before heading out to woodwork. Too hot to do anything.

[Tamara]

And so the swimming gear saga continues… Imogen in her tearful display of distress last night managed to calm down and tell me that me making her new bathers was a good idea but the girls wear shorts. So this morning when I dropped the kids to school I saw the shorts she was talking about plus the little swim shorts the girls are now wearing over the top of one pieces – basically a very short version of bike pants. Easy! I will work on the Gilda pattern from Ottobre design in a size 158cm (she is around that size) and I will see if I can’t knock out a Class picnic equivalent of the other shorts to go over her current bathers. Hopefully this will cure the desire to “be the same”.

As for master Noah! He needs spares too! It will cut down on the rushing around I do at bedtime to get everyone sorted for the next day, plus ease back on the water usage.

Tracing cutting and hopefully some sewing today.

[meleliza]

Tamara, we once put a cork floating floor in our old house kitchen right over some ugly tile. It was really lovely and comfortable. Also, it looked nice next to the antique wood floors in the rest of the house. Its easy to clean too. I envy your sewing room! But hopefully not for long. We have finally made some real progress on the basement. And, hubby was laid off just last week so I plan to put him to work several days a week to take a break from the job search.

[Nicole]

Cork sounds about perfect!

I finished a Galena (CC) dress for Liddy for her birthday tomorrow.

I used some precious french poplin I purchased in Ferriers Fabrics in Adelaide 18 years ago. Its so pretty I could never bear to cut it.

She is home from school now but I hope to make a matching dolls dress for her baby Amanda, tonight after she had gone to bed.

[Tamara]

Cork! Hmm! Will check that out. I am personally not familiar with how it goes on the floor but if it with stands the pressures of a sewing room then it must be good. Melanie I need to show you pictures of the room as it is now and then you will not envy me it at all! At least though it will have a few windows that will be safer to use – and kids won’t topple out of. It needs alot of work and we are on a tight budget so I am really hoping I can get it to a standard that it is comfortable to work in and keeps a few dollars in the kitty. I told my husband we have to have it painted and a decent floor down as otherwise we can’t put the storage in permanently. And it means having to shift everything out to do a floor which is a right pain in the backside. That is why good flooring at a very good price is a bit of a must.

Precious fabric for precious Liddy, sounds perfect Nicole. Hope she loves her dress and that she has a fabulous birthday.

I have gotten no where with anything swimming gear wise. I have no idea what is wrong with me!

[Sarvi]

We put cork in the kitchen. You can get it in tiles (a bit more trouble) or snap-together planks. Fantastic in the kitchen where you stand a lot, and a softer surface than wood in case something fragile falls.

Finished a dress from one of my Japanese books and while it’s nice in a way (extremely simple) as always I find myself really, really missing the ultra clean, precise O+S finish. Somehow the Japanese stuff feels more costumey and less like a ‘proper’ garment, if you know what I mean. They’re pretty close to instant gratification and I imagine I’ll still use them for quickie projects, but … yeah. The results feel a little disposable, somehow.

[meleliza]

Yeah, I get that from the Japanese books. I’m drawn to the beautiful photography, but haven’t actually made anything yet because they don’t look like you can actually get a good fit from them.

[Sarvi]

Some have a roomy, loose cut, but others can actually be quite close-fitting, and I shouldn’t generalize, but yeah, they’re not single patterns, they’re ‘mooks’ and I don’t think the same level of intense R&D goes into them as it does with the O+S.

[Masha Richart]

Sarvi, is the dress for you or for your daughter? I have used one Japanese pattern for a dress and top for my girls and I loved it, but as much as I love some of the women’s styles I have seen, I know they would not work for my shape. I think they are designed for a less-lumpy silhouette!

[Tamara]

I’m hoping my lisette patterns will be waiting for me at the post office today… I need to make something for me (besides the already altered patterns I am yet to get to).

After a busy day yesterday looking at lots of things for this part one reno, we decided to pop in and get a quote at this carpet place that sold hard flooring. They introduced this range called sure click – basically no underlay or glue required easy to manage and something that you can diy to put it down on the floor. Then I had a debate with hubby over the benefits of that whilst looking at “cheaper” options in Bunnings! There has been no decision made yet, just quotes but I am leaning toward it as it is a floating floor system that can withstand the things a sewing room floor needs to and I have not seen anything else in the flesh that can really compare on an equal footing. Not a bad price but that is still up for debate ($49 a square metre works out to be @ 20 square metres to be very reasonable).

Today I am getting into the nook and finally doing something about those swimmers – after N leaving his only decent ones at school, we have all learned that two pairs is much better. One week of swimming lessons to go and apparently they are having a movie night at the pool on Saturday night so I better get cracking on them.

[with love Heidi]

Now I’ve finished my skirt 🙂 http://www.flickr.com/photos/73669617@N07/12510249765/

I’ve sewn the binding on my faux chenille blanket and it is in the washing machine! Can’t wait to see what it look like after it’s been washed and dried. Washing out, then I get to decide what to sew next 🙂

[Tamara]

The patterns turned up yay!

[Masha Richart]

Finished the princess dress finally (I am all.princessed.out) as well as a cape from Growing Up Sew Liberated for the princess’s older brother. I also need to make his scabbard but need to get his cross-torso measurement first. Today I sewed up a pair of new pjs for the baby (who will be 1 next week – sob), also from the Sew Liberated book. I made him a 24-month envelope tee and the 2T sleeping johns. He is a big boy. I’ve had this book several years but this week is the first time I’ve ever sewn from it. The patterns only go up to 5T so it’s a good thing I have gotten started; I don’t have much time left!

This weekend I want to make myself a couple more Plantains – my striped one is getting lots of wear and I have two more cuts of striped cotton/spandex to put to use. I love stripes. I also just bought the Heidi&Finn ballet sweater pattern to make two for my girls.