stairs

Winder

Stairs

Remember my 'old' sewing room? it is no more. That room is being sacrificed as part of our house renovation rejig so we can install internal stairs to allow access between the two levels in our home. It's all looking very exciting, although I'm dreading the arrival of renovation mess when the builders get started.  

vegan 'cheese' cake

Vegan Cacao Marble 'cheese' cake 

Yesterday Mr B and I checked out the Little Bird Organics Unbakery cafe in Kingsland. There's been a lot of great reviews about the organic, unbaked food they offer. I was keen to try their 'cheese' cakes. I chose a slice each from the 2 vegan 'cheese' cakes in the cabinet.  Both were delicious. The cacao cake will not disappoint chocolate lovers. It is rich and creamy and a tiny slice of this will send you on a chocolate high. I cut this slice into 5 portions to share. My family voted this one as our favourite.

Vegan Berry 'cheese' cake

Next for tasting was the Berry 'cheese' cake which was light, refreshing and bursting with berry flavours. The cake base was lovely and complimented the berry filling nicely. I have a birthday coming up soon and this year I'm choosing a vegan 'cheese' cake to celebrate. Looks like I'm choosing the cacao flavour too.

Pink October

October is breast cancer awareness month. The best way to find breast cancer early is with a mammogram. Please encourage the women in your lives to get checked. You can read about my personal experience here.

This is my 2nd year of being clear. Early detection. Cure. Prevention. 

why selfish sewer?

2012 so far has been a year of changes. In June I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic (I pretty much suspected it but was in denial) and my doctor told me to make some serious lifestyle changes. In response to that, I made some very dramatic changes which you can read all about on my other blog. The most radical change of all was that from 1 July 2012, I became a vegan. I've achieved really great results health wise and also lost 27kg. 

This is what's triggered my inner selfish sewer!

flamingos

Pink flamingos on grey background - polysilk

Closeup - 20cm tall flamingos

Last weekend I took a trip to Spotlight to buy a metal zipper for the dresses that I blogged about last week. They didn't have any in stock. It would have been a wasted trip if I hadn't seen this really quirky flamingo print polysilk. I have no idea what I was thinking when I bought it. It's completely outside my comfort zone in terms of print size and colour. The flamingos are 20cm tall and stand close together. Anyway I bought 2 metres thinking that it would make a great tunic using Simplicity 7070 (which has been out of print for a few years now). I'm making view C (the sleeveless version) and of course shortening the pattern to tunic length. If I have enough left over, I'll make a self tie belt to suit.

inspiration found

I found the inspiration to finish the fabric samples top and here I am modelling it. I had to borrow an old belt and wear it loose for a slouchy look. I don't have any belts in my wardrobe. Hopefully I'll find the perfect belt at one of the op shops. The top looks better with a belt than on it's own. I like the 80s feel and it's reminiscent of what I wore as a uni student years ago.  

This is the fabric that I've chosen for making up the first of my New Look patterns. It is a good weight cotton sateen that was $5 a metre. I bought the last 2 metres, which is just enough to make the dress. I'm planning to attach an exposed metal zip to the back of this dress instead of the conventional zip. It should look good when finished.

new look patterns



Vintage Inspired Daywear

Suitable Separates

Summer Fun

I've lost quite a bit of weight this year (due to lifestyle changes - I'll write more about this soon) and gone down about 4 dress sizes. The result is that I'm now desperately in need of a new wardrobe. I'm making do with a few off the rack items but I want to celebrate by doing some selfish sewing. Most of the patterns in my stash are now way too big. Apart from my few tried n true patterns which I'll make smaller, all my other patterns are going out. So with this in mind, I popped into Spotlight Sylvia Park yesterday and kicked off my new selfish sewing with a selection of New Look patterns. I chose 6 patterns for less than $30. I'm starting off with making the 6910 dresses views A and B. I'm undecided about making the jacket yet. I'll see how the dresses look first.

lost inspiration top

I re-discovered some designer fabric samples that I'd put away sometime ago whilst waiting to be inspired. Well inspiration did come! I was limited in what I could make as the samples weren't too big and I only had enough to squeeze out a top. A simple, sleeveless pull on top. So I chose an easy, economical pattern which allowed a smock styled yoke and a slightly loose front and back.

Part way through sewing the top, I lost my inspiration when I realised that it looked like a maternity top. While I was pondering what to do to save this once inspired top from becoming a wadder - Miss 5 tells me that if I want to I can make the top into a twirly, whirly dress for her. I'm not ready to admit defeat yet - but if I do, you'll see this top reincarnated as a girls dress. Problem solved huh?

been places

The last 2 weeks (being the final school holiday break before Term 4 school) were filled with going places. First off, Misses 16, 5 and I travelled to Sydney. The photo above is of the view most days from our hotel room. This didn't matter much as we were out most of the time.

Then next we took a family trip to our bach on the Coromandel coast for some well deserved down time.
Despite the sometimes wintery weather we enjoyed lovely cosy nights, card games and lots of laughter. It was a good chance for the older 2 children to relax before final exams. Although I've been places for a couple of weeks, it is nice to settle back into a routine again.

tried n true skirts

the first garments to be produced from my new sewing room are these 3 skirts made from my favourite tried n true skirt pattern New Look 6433. All 3 skirts are made from denim/lycra fabric in varying shades of black. Why 3 skirts? I've been steadily losing weight since June 2012 - and these skirts are testament to my decreasing size. The skirts are A-line (shortened version of view D) with a narrow waistband which I really like. This is pattern makes up a very flattering skirt!

4th blog anniversary

yes it's 4 years already - thank you for taking the time to visit here and read, follow, link, leave comments and email me. I really appreciate it!

new sewing space

the Mopod is ideal as a sewing & craft space so we had it delivered last Saturday morning. Our backyard is enclosed so we had to have it lifted in by crane. Luckily Mr B had a friend that owned a crane truck. It was nerve wracking watching the Mopod moving through the air. Everything went ok and now the Mopod is ready to be filled up with fabric and crafting goodness. Oh, the Mopod now has steps so I don't have to use the step ladder anymore.

off the rack - young designers competition 2012

this is Miss 15's entry in the Sylvia Park Shopping Centre - young designers competition. Her dress is made up in a cotton fabric (it's oatmeal in colour) and features detailed ruffles at the hem. She sealed all the edges of the bias ruffles by flame before sewing them on. The belt is fashioned in the style of an obi. The dress weighs almost 5 kgs. That's a pretty heavy garment. It's on display for almost 3 weeks before the competition closes. Good luck to all the 80+ young designers taking part...

no more sewing room

after 6 wonderful years of having a sewing room at home, it's time for me to relinquish it to upcoming house renovations. We're planning an internal rejig so that our family has more living space. With this in mind, I've been busy sorting through the fabric and pattern stash again and delivering a few more bags of fabric/pattern goodies to my local Hospice shop. The good news is that they tell me that the fabric and patterns are selling fast.


So where's my sewing room going to be now???? well I was thinking something like this might be ok? It's a mopod (portable studio built on a trailer axle) designed to be towed by a car or 4WD which is handy. I'm viewing one tomorrow - hope it's suitable...

a little less stash

the Fabric-a-brac sale went well - with the best bit of news being that I came away with a little less stash (1 huge stripey carry bag less!)and I didn't buy a thing (and there was lots & lots of fabric loveliness to be had).

I met some of my favourite kiwi sewing & crafting bloggers as well as readers who visit my little corner of blogland. Great to meet you all!

Thanks to Vanessa and the Fabric-a-brac team for a really great event!

fabric-a-brac auckland almost here

this Saturday morning, I'll be at the Auckland Fabric-a-brac event in Freemans Bay shamelessly selling off my huge stash of patterns, fabrics and other sewing & craft related goodies. Here's a peek at some of the things going to market. Come by and say hi, I'd love to meet you...

favourite place

it will be a while before I can get to my favourite place, so for now I'll post some pics and pretend I'm there... where's your favourite place???

organza scarf

I won this red scarf in the Telesa Trilogy Gratitude celebration held by Lani Wendt Young (author) over at her blog http://sleeplessinsamoa.blogspot.com. It's handblocked organza with tradtional Samoan elei patterns. I love daring, bold red accessories - this is going to get a lot of use - thanks Lani!

water everywhere

Mr13 came home from cadet camp yesterday, had a shower and managed to flood our bathroom. To make things worse, the water went through the floor & came out through the light fittings in the sewing room & bathroom downstairs. The best bit of news is that my vintage/retro dolls and 99% of my fabric escaped getting wet.

travel organiser part 1

When our family travel overseas I'm always the one who plans and organises the whole trip. I'm also the one who holds onto all our passports and travel documents. To make my job a lot easier with our upcoming Sydney trip in the spring, a travel organiser is exactly what I need to keep all the travel stuff together and easy to find. I've had a look around on the internet but haven't seen anything that suits, so I thought I'd have a go making my own.

The materials I've chosen are: 60cm remnant of 120cm wide printed drill, 1 metre of red striped bias binding, 1 metre of green striped bias binding, pellon stabiliser, 50cm of 15mm black elastic.

While I work on a pattern for this, there's a list of things that I want to include in the design:

*pockets for 5 passports

*pen holder

*credit card pocket

*arrival/departure forms

*boarding passes

*accommodation vouchers

*car rental documents

I've purposely excluded a zippered pocket as I won't be keeping money in this organiser.

fabric, fabric & more fabric

The last time I did a major de-stash was back in March 2009. This week I've been sorting through the mountain of fabric which I sheepishly refer to as my 'stash' (I mean seriously, as I checked shelves and opened drawers, I kept discovering fabric, fabric & more fabric). Some of it I don't even remember buying. It's all got to be measured, priced & packed into enormous stripey carry bags ready for next months Fabric-a-brac here in Auckland. Whatever is left over will be donated to the Panmure Hospice shop.

At the end of this process, I'll be able to say hooray (again) the stash is rationalised again!!!!!!

sydney in spring

I love Sydney. I love the sights, sounds and smells of the city. I'm looking forward to being in Sydney during the spring with my 2 daughters. It's a surprise trip for our older daughter who is turning sweet 16 in a couple of months. So I'm imagining that we'll be doing lots and lots of shopping. Let the countdown begin!

frost

a quick trip to the beach in the middle of winter is probably not the ideal holiday for most. On our first morning, the bach windows were fogged up with condensation and outside it was frosty. Our daughters and I went for daily walks on the beach and raced back for much needed hot cocoa drinks.

tattoo inked girl

I'm a fan of Alexander Henry's tattoo inspired fabrics and the Tattoo Inked Girl (pictured above) is my favourite. I bought 3 yards of this fabric a while back and I don't have a clue what to make with it. I checked out etsy for inspiration and most crafters are making bags with it. Not sure if that's what I want to do. Any ideas?

fabric-a-brac auckland

Fabric-a-brac is coming to Auckland - that's loads of fabric goodness for all. You can find out more about it at http://fabricabrac.wordpress.com/auckland/. I've booked a table - so drop by, say hi, I'd love to meet you!

winter sun

After a dark & damp start this morning, we were rewarded with a beautifully sunny day. Even the industrial areas in Onehunga look almost pretty.

black hard plastic

this English black pedigree doll (another Trademe find) is the latest to join my collection of vintage dolls. She's 16 inches tall and is still dressed in her original outfit and shoes. I am intrigued by her face and I wonder what her story is?

vintage poodles

Yesterday Mr B and I were making a trip across town and came upon a really great antiques and collectibles store in Mt Roskill. Every nook and cranny of the shop is filled with all sorts of treasures. I found these two 1950s Japanese poodle ornaments for the china cabinet. I'm looking forward to going there again soon - plenty more finds to be had.

more 1950s hard plastic

Recently I posted here about how it was an enjoyable pastime in the 1950s  for home sewers and crafters to make doll clothes from the many knitting and sewing patterns available. This is very true of the 1950s NZ hard plastic doll that I blogged about here (she's the doll on the right in the photo above). I finally got her repaired (she had multiple seam splits to her head and body and a crack on her behind, no lashes, no lip paint and definitely bad hair). She's all fixed now thanks to the good folk at the Auckland Doll Hospital.

She came with her own wardrobe made up of her original bridal outfit (needs a napisan clean), an original Pedigree cotton dress and the four handmade dresses shown in both photos. My favourite is the blue floral dress in a knit fabric which is exquisitely sewn with real tiny pockets and ribbon ties - a lot of love in every stitch! 

The blonde doll on the left of the photo is a recent Trademe find. She had been abandoned at the first Auckland Doll Hospital in K Rd, then she went on to a new home where she mostly lived in storage for 35 years and now here where she's at home on Miss 5s bed.

birds at the bach

Fantail



Eastern Rosella

We spent a very relaxing long Queens birthday weekend at our bach. There are always plenty of birds around. Our usual hungry visitors are the gulls, sparrows and mynahs. For the first time we had a fantail flitting about nearby looking for insects with a very cheerful chirrup and in the pine trees on our fence line a very brightly coloured eastern rosella. Most amazing of all was a native hawk soaring high in the sky above the bach.