New patterns, a spot of revamping and how I (accidentally) nearly brought down an aircraft carrying 180 passengers.

The new pattern is nearly ready to print.  The feedback from pattern-testers is starting to come in and I'm working through the corrections and edits and tweakings.  It's a much-revamped version of the project I wrote for Homespun Magazine last year (published in June this year).

The pattern is called "Beauty Case", after the original inspiration for the design.  It's designed for confident sewing skills (if you can set a sleeve in, keep an even seam allowance, know your way around your sewing machine etc, you qualify as "confident"), but I've tested it on a few self-classified basic-to-intermediate sewing gals, and they made themselves some spiffy new beauty cases, while learning a few new tricks.

 

It'll be ready for shops to order by the end of the week, all going well.  So, if you want to start nagging your local (or favourite online) stockist now, they can pre-order from us and you'll get your pattern hot off the proverbial.

  

When I was a kid, my mother had a beauty case, even though she never wore make-up.  To me, a beauty case symbolised all the mysteries of being a woman, and it evoked the glamour of movie stars and the excitement of international travel.  (I had a vivid imagination.)

At some point in mid-primary school, I was given a beauty case for a birthday or Christmas.  I had no make-up to put in mine, either, but it became a treasure-chest for all that I held as precious. And so it still remains, in a box on a shelf in the garage... I get it out every now and then to look through the things I thought worth keeping.

For Homespun, the bag was called a "craft tote" and it would indeed be perfect for carrying crafty projects on the go, but I don't think it stops there.  It could be for toiletries,  make-up, art materials or anything that needs to be kept safe and a bit organised.  It could also be a TREASURE CHEST for a kid.



In other revamping news, I've also finished the revised Poppet pattern.  This is the 150mm frame purse with the structured barrel-shaped  body.  It's another one that is not for beginners, but it's a very satisfying project and a cute little wristlet-sized purse.

 

And there was a spot of revamping in the hair department.  I got tired of red dye fading to pink (and thereby clashing with most of my wardrobe).  When someone described my "trademark pink hair"  it was obvoiously time for a colour-change.  It's now sporting a flash of  copper-orange... fading fast, no doubt, to something likely to need regular high-maintenance retouching. 

 

But it's not all rehashing and revamping around here.  I'm fiddling about with little scraps and continuing my love-affair with fusible tapes and webbings.  I'm writing a new downloadable project.

Gosh, you've done very well to read this far.... I've been rabbiting on endlessly here, haven't I?  Was it the little mention of the near-aviation-disaster that kept you reading?  Ok, I'll fill you in... it's a bit of a long story.

I set my alarm for ridiculous o'clock on Saturday morning, so I could catch my flight to Canberra.  The clock obviously thought better of it and didn't go off.  I woke with a start, half an hour late, and madly got myself ready while I waited for coffee to kick in and wake me up properly. 

As I showered, cleaned teeth and did hair, I made a little pile on the bathroom floor with the things I needed to pack.  I put my phone and iPod on the pile (while I thought of it) and then got dressed and packed up my computer.

When I was dressed, I packed the last-minute stuff in my handbag, computer bag and luggage.  I was in the car and on my way to the the airport on schedule.  Phew.   No dramas in traffic and I was checked in and at the boarding gate early.

It was only when we all boarded and I went to turn off my phone and iPod, that it became apparent that neither phone nor iPod were in my handbag or computer bag.  The last place I remembered seeing them was with the toiletries before they were packed in my checked-on luggage.  I was simultaneously anxious that it probably wasn't ok to have a switched-on phone or iPod in my checked-in luggage, that shampoo or moisturiser might be leaking all over them and that there was the distinct possibility that I hadn't packed them in my toiltery bag at all (so should I or shouldn't I mention it to someone...?).

So... I thought I might ask one of the cabin crew what she thought.  Although she kept her composure and said "I think I'll just ring the captain" the colour seemed to drain from her face as she spoke and her smile looked a bit nervous.

Twenty minutes later and I'm back at the boarding gate, surrounded by three stressed and humourless security staff and one of the cabin crew, who were madly ringing my mobile and walkie-talkying with the baggage-handlers who were "stripping the aircraft" (I picked up the lingo) in search of my bag (..that'd be the one that was checked in early and is somewhere right down the front of the luggage hold).

The bag was found (after an age) and arrived at the boarding gate.  And... well... it turns out that I'd put the offending objects down on a table while I was packing the toiletry bag into my suitcase.  They were not in my luggage at all.

Ahem... yes... well.. My apologies to the 180 people on board.  Excuse me while I squirm my way back down the aisle and find my seat at the back of the plane...and no, I'm not going to lift my eyes off the floor as I do so....

I. WAS. MORTIFIED.

One of the security staff told me that I was the second person to do this that day (and it was only 8am).  That might explain the lack of humour.... and I think he was trying to make me feel a bit better.  The cabin crew were really nice and THANKED me (emphatically) for speaking up when there was a doubt. 

I was still mortified. 

And I will NEVER  - no matter how bleary and rushed I am before a flight - EVER do this again.

Then it was all smooth-sailing and I had a lovely weekend, teaching at Addicted to Fabric.  Apologies to the Zipper workshop girls, I forgot to photograph you!  Here, we have the happy hat-making crew.

So... how was your week?