The Thick Of It

I still haven't tidied the studio. I sweep occasionally and load the dishwasher.

 

The rubbish bin is full of interfacing trimmings and Mini Magnum wrappers. 

 

And now, on top of the fabric, foamcore board and general clutter, there are samples, toiles and finished designs.  And there are more to come.  My head is full of them.

I've just passed the halfway mark in developing designs (and writing instructions, shooting how-to photos and drawing diagrams) for the new book. When I'm not feeling worn out and overwhelmed, I'm feeling inspired and capable and full of hope. 

 

This new book-writing biz has been a see-sawing, hot-cold, drought-flood sort of affair, so far, but all the time I've had to work through it. The deadline is pressing, and I still have to organise getting myself to Grampians Texture, various teaching gigs around the country and I have to get to Quilt Market in the USA.

 

And all the time, I'm loving beautiful fabrics by Saffron Craig, CurlyPops, Ink&Spindle and Kristen Doran.

 

I'm also in the throes of overhauling lots of pattern covers with new samples, in fresh new fabrics. These are all from Riley Blake "Flutter" and "Hello Sunshine" ranges.  Don't they just SING?

For the first time since the girleen was 2, I've had to delegate the sewing of samples. I've realised the limits of my time.... which is a shame, because I'd love to be playing with these.

 

And as any Australian parent-of-school-age-kids knows, it's the loooooooooong school holidays right now.

 

I've seen 3am more times lately than I dare to think about it.

 

Speaking of school holidays, there have been other bag designs emerging from studio You SEW Girl.

 

 

Of course, I opened it.

 

 (I helped to make it, so there were no surprises). The pocket was especially designed as a "book pocket".  That's my girl.

Busy times.

Throw in a few miniature and major dramas, a whole bag of grief, a bunch of uncertainty, a little bit of optimism, some good times with good friends, some disillusionment with others, some wonderful big blue Melbourne skies, a few marvellously meditative swims, the appreciation of good air-conditioning during a heatwave and the realisation that Mini Magnums really need to start getting bigger (or that I have to admit to some sort of addiction), and you pretty much have my "summer break".

We'll be back to normal business hours next week.  Hope to catch you somewhere in 2013. 
xxx

 

 

 

 

Another post where I attempt to recap the best part of a multi-faceted week (and update the workshop schedule) with a few words and pictures.

I believe I mentioned something about posting photos from the Trapese Line Top class at Kimono House.

It appears that nearly a week has passed since then and I'm still hearing the giggles and the ah-ha's and remembering the fun that it was.  I just didn't get around to posting the pictures here (sorry).

It's a very hands-on workshop, with lots of dressing up like monks for the first bit (until the garments start to take shape).

  

I brought in lots of cheap fabric to kill the fear of just jumping in to have a go.  Hack, slash, cut off the bits that don't look like a glamorous new top... that sort of thing.   Great fun....

 ...and then we moved on to the posh Japanese fabric (which I forgot to photograph).   Lovely day.  Thanks girls!

I'll be at Bargain Box Fabrics in Mornington next Thursday (26th July) with another pattern-free top class.  We won't have the posh Japanese fabric, but we'll have lots of fun.  I believe there is one spot vacant, and we may be able to stretch to three more.

Yesterday was my workshop with the International Federation for Home Economics Congress ... and loads of Saffron Craig  fabric.

We worked on the zipper pouch project from my book, and then made Pyramid Purses and box-style toiletry bags.

The class was held upstairs at GJ's in Brunswick, because there was no way we'd have all squeezed in to my little studio.  It was fantastc to have so much space and light and so many switched-on sewing gals from around the world.

Did you know that Saffron Craig is moving in a whole new direction now?  She has just done a range of organic cotton fabrics, and has illustrated an e-book for children.  Go Saffron! 

(And did you know that Saffron Craig was the year behind me in RMIT Fashion, many years ago?  We used to walk past each other in the halls and not know we'd cross paths again.  Funny ol' fella, life...).

If you like any of Saffron's previous ranges, you'd best get in quick while they last, wherever you see them.  They're a finite resource now.

Tomorrow, I have a Zippers For Bags workshop.  The waiting list for this one was just getting a bit silly, so we've swapped a Beginners Bag in a Day workshop date (Saturday 6th October) and are now calling it a Zippers For Bags day.  If you'd like to do this one on 6th October, then I'd suggest you hop in NOW and make your booking.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: There has been a swapping of attendance from the 25th August to the October date for the zipper class.  If you'd like to take up this place on the 25thAugust, you'll have to email or phone us to book (the PayPal button on the website is for the newest date only).

We've also had to make a date-change for the Choosing and Using Interfacings class in November, and there are still a couple of places left on that one.  It will now be Saturday 3rd November.   (Yes, I know, Melbourne Cup weekend and you might be going away... but better that than a weekend when I'll be the one who will be going away!)  You can book here.

The only other workshop places I have are three spots on the Customised Bag in a Day class on Saturday 20th October.  You can book here if you'd like to do that one (in time to make a bag for Spring Carnival?).

I can't possibly squeeze in another date before the end of the year.... and I think I'll need a good sit down by the time December comes around!  I'm a bit exhausted, just thinking about it.



Next year, I'm thinking of travelling a bit further afield, so I'm just putting the word out....
If anyone in the USA want me as a guest sewing teacher, let me know!  I'm hoping to be in the North West (although nothing is confirmed) around then, but depending on the gig, may be able to travel beyond or at another time of year.

Oh... and yes.... the multi-faceted week.  It was.  But the recap will have to wait for another day.  I think the workshop info is enough for now.  Clearly, economy of words and pictures is just not my thing.... (no wonder I #twitterfail).

Ahem.... where was I...?

It appears that I've had better things to do than keep up a blog about the things I've been doing....  This hasn't been the case.  I've just done a bit more driving about the countryside (and collapsing - exhausted -  in a heap at the end of the day) than usual.

Last weekend, the wee girl and I made the trip out to beautiful Ballarat to see Annie at the quilt show and catch up with Jodie, Rachel and Kathryn there.  

We spent a good part of the day being led on several wild-goose-GPS-chases around the city before finding the old Mining Exchange building and the fabulous quilts it held.  I was so excited about eventually getting there (!!) and seeing the girls, the only time I thought to take the camera out was while waiting for the girls to get their cups of tea and join us at the table.

On Wednesday, there was my trunk show at The Blanket Box in Geelong - a first-outing for these newest Shell Purses.

Thanks to the lovely people who came to say hello, try on skirts and dresses and peek inside bags.

I love this Pippijoe Waterhen print.  I had a tiny scrap left over and had to use it, so teamed it with the tiny scrap left of the Portuguese linen that Meri sent to me years ago.  Fabric gold....I couldn't waste any of it.

 And there was more hacking into the GJ's haul.  I have a Shell Purse workshop and a trunk show coming up at Bargain Box Fabrics in Mornington on 28th March, so I'm making up lots of new little samples for that and thinking through all the new tricks I can show people who come to the class.

There was a fair splash of Saffron Craig fabric about the place this week, too. I'm preparing for a workshop for the International Federation for Home Economics Congress, which is to be held in Melbourne this year. I wanted to infuse an Aussie flavour into the class, so chose Saffron's cheerful prints for the job.

Precious scraps of Ink&Spindle and Yardage prints were also put to use this week. 

I'd started this patchwork bit for a workshop last year (at the Technology Teachers Association conference) and finally put it all together on Friday. 

 I made a bag (the piecing above appears on the back of the bag). 

 And I'll admit to a bit of blog-finishery here..... so that's as far as le tour de bag goes.

Oh look... there's a bag-making class....

 Yesterday was filled with the finer points of bag bases and straps and zippered gussets.... a Customised Bag in a Day workshop.  We focused on the details that make a super-special handmade bag even more special.

 (And yes, Patternmaking gals from Thursday's class... perhaps your toiles could be used as scrap tub covers after all.... the current Yoplait models could do with an update!).

There were some very satisfied bag-makers at the end of the class, and quite justifyably so.  Love ya work, girls!

So... it was a bit of a busy one and I didn't have the brainspace left to blog at the end of each day. 
But I still love you.....

New bags for the Sydney Quilt & Craft Show

I took a few quick snaps between finishing touches and packing them off to Sydney..... I'm enjoying making up my old patterns. As much as I love the design process and experimenting with new ideas, there's something nice about being able to whip something up, knowing that the pattern is just going to work.... and it's simply a matter on invisaging the fabric and styling and making it happen.

This Large Tote/Satchel and the (...ahem...rather badly styled for the photo) 150mm purse frame purse were made using a scrap of semi-felted knitting I picked out of the "free" basket at the Fibre Red Garage sale a few months ago. I'm not sure how the little circles were made in the knitting (tie dye? bleach?) but I really like them. (I just wish I'd stuffed something in the purse, or fluffed it into shape before I'd photographed it....)

The black poly-viscose faille on the tote was from Auntie Wilma's stash. (Who says you have to spend lots of money on fabric....?)
I've also been having some fun with some new Saffron Craig fabrics. (Ok, sometimes you have to buy special stuff!)
I made the Laptop Bag using a few 50cm lengths of fabrics from the Magical Lands range and some sort of hard-wearing polyester fabric (origin unknown) from the stash. In fact, the cut, fused and half-sewn Laptop Bag pieces were in the stash... the bag was started 3 years ago with a completely different fabric range in mind for the feature panels. For one reason or another, I never got around to finishing the bag until this week, and by complete chance, this range worked beautifully with the colour of the pre-cut pieces.
A little bit of the "Imaginary Flowers" range made it into the lining, for the expandable pleated pocket. Today I finished a Carry-All in more fabrics from Imaginary Flowers... photos to follow.

I still haven't finished the leather and wool bag (spanner in the works - despite having a zipper stash that has to be seen to be believed, I had to BUY a suitable zipper)....

Stay tuned! More to follow!