And the fabric I bought is LOUD - pink and orange and brown and green and - well, I’ll show you as soon as it’s out of the washer!

This pattern included a slip which was perfect for the dress Sue’s making  - so we borrowed scissors and cut the slip pieces from the tissue pattern before we left the store, LOL!  (Wait til you see her fabric - swooooon!)

Off to cut the tissue and iron it…

Vogue 1057 : Donna Karan Dress and jacket.  LOVE the look of this dress, like wearing a top and skirt but without the hassle… and the length of this jacket is just right.  The bodice is knit, so I’m not sure why you’d need the “invisible zipper closure” - hmmm. (And is it just me or is the model cross-eyed??)

Best of all - goes up to a 22!  Not that *ahem* I plan on being that size, after all, I’m aiming at 70 kg (which is about a 14…)

I even like the jacket collar - I’m not a fan of fussy princess collars, but this one looks just pointy and spread enough.

Vogue 1056: Tom and Linda Platt knit dress.  Loving the twist at the neckline- HATING the granny sleeves!  I didn’t show a photo of my version of Simplicity 3678 that had these sleeves - because it was so awful it would have frightened the horses.

And small children.

And anyone with taste.

It was STUMPIFYING!  *shudder* Moving on.

Vogue 1064.  What a PERFECT little jacket!  Lovelovelove the shaping.  Princess seams AND multiple darts: even with weight loss still “in progress”, this is going to be a breeze to FIT!

The pants are good too, contoured waistband and otherwise very unfussy.  I don’t do fussy, especially not around the waist.  These pants have just the one little fob pocket - aaaaaah, lovely!

Although now I go back, these trousers by alice + olivia look very wearable too…

One I’m less sure of: Vogue 8515

In Theory, asymmetrical clothes are interesting and flattering.  In Real Life, I always worry that it looks like I don’t know how to dress myself properly.

Also, the sleeves seem awful wide at the cuff… (easily remedied, but… hmmm.)  Maybe as a pattern to make up the “Buy x number get y free”,  but otherwise?  Probably not.

A swing… and a miss?  I can’t quite decide yet about this new Sandra Betzina design, Vogue 1061.  The pants are slim and look quite versatile… the top appears to have ruched sleeves similar to the Christine Johnson pattern I just received.  (Although CJ’s is a gathered overlay rather than SB’s “elasticised gathers”… and CJ’s pattern is AWESOME for the amount of extra info you get. More on that in another post.)

But that back detailing, and the optional hood - do I love it?

It’s growing on me by the second.  I could actually see this as a fabulous jacket sort of top to throw on after the gym…

… Because YES, Gentle Reader, today I actually phoned up and organised a trial pass at the local girly gym.  I think I’m ready - my weight loss has slowed, so I need to kick it up a notch; and my back and knee pain have been stable for a while (touch wood!).  I just need to negotiate how to fund it (eek!) and get over this cough a bit more.

Had all good plans of walking today - but woke up to a temperature of 2 degrees (Which with wind-chill was MINUS TWO, arrgh!) and a 10 minute long coughing spasm that eventually calmed after a large dose of The Nasty Medicine™.  My lungs have been a bit squeezed all day, even after two puffs of ventolin - that next doctors appointment can’t come soon enough.

So - that’s it from the cold cold keyboard of Caity.  Have you got faves in the new Vogue patterns?

I have plans to get out to either Spodshite™ or Lincrap ™ tomorrow to take advantage of their pattern sales - there’s one skirt pattern I have my eye on (Butterick 4859 - reviewed in the latest Threads but sadly with no photo of a finished garment) and for just one pattern, it’s not worth paying the postage to order from overseas.

Brr! I’m headed back to hunch over the heater.

I have been looking through the stash, finding a lot of bigger dressmaking pieces of fabric from way back when there was a big fabric shop in Canberra down around where the Casino is now - the name has gone from my head. (”Fabric something-or-other” - anyone remember?) ETA: Annie reminded me: Home Yardage!  Thanks, Annie!

Discovered I have SCARLET wool/poly crepe - 8 yards of 60″ - perfect for one day making this suit. Not now while I’m still shrinking, though. Damn - just realised I have this pattern in sizes 18-20-22 - now I’ll have to go looking for it in the smaller range… arrgh! Of course it’s OOP…(Out Of Print)

Isn’t it DIVINE? Of course, I need the mink wrap too, dontcher know - and the hat, and gloves, of course. Just the thing for popping up to Woollies for the bread, yes?

(I know one thing about glove making - the fourchette is a BUGGER! “What’s a fourchette, Caity?” A fourchette is the gusset in between the fingers. Not found on el cheapo gloves. And I am NOT talking about the female genital piercing of the same name, owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Although I bet that makes your eyes water, too.)

Do I even remotely DRESS like this? No. But I’d like to. And pattern buying is nothing if not aspirational! I mean, I can’t be the only one who lies in bed and reads pattern instructions, can I? (Ok, I also read dictionaries, I may be just weird.)

Also excavated enough fabric to really have a good fang at some shirts for me AND for Mr Beloved: two shades of blue tshirt material, one of bottle green (it looks browner in the pic) - and quite a lot of a scarlet stretch velvety thing (think I’ll keep that one for mine, not sure it’s Mr B’s colour!)

Now that my overlocker (serger) and I have declared a truce (and may even become friends) I can consider sewing this sort of thing.

Don’t worry, the sewing obsession will lessen and I WILL get back to quilting eventually. The prospect of actually fitting (with alterations) into even the largest size of patterns is just so thrilling!

And as the lovely Rooruu commented on my coat patterns post:

I notice, however, that many of them are what you could call afashional, not specific to a year or season, based on interesting shapes, so they don’t date.

Yep, that’s me - although I adore reading the fashmags, (”Aby-bloody-synnian Vogue!” chimes in Mr Beloved, channelling the AbFab fashmagslags themselves) drooling over the impossibly expensive designer gear at Net-A-Porter, and checking into Style.com every day, I’m not a slave to fashion. For one thing, I’m not rich. (ha! We actually live so far below the poverty line that we ASPIRE to being poor!) For another, I am not 6ft 2 tall and I weigh a LOT more than 40 kgs.

But I know what I like, even if I don’t wear it a lot of the time.

I have no memory of buying this either, but isn’t it yummy?

For example this jacket - a bit *meh* on the pattern, but STUNNING made up - a really versatile little jacket. Stephanie (Perpetual Patterns & Can Do Books) had sold out at the show, so I might have to mail order it.

There was one model in the show that was a size 14, D cup - and admittedly she was nearly 6 foot tall, but she was NOT a lightweight skinny minny - so wonderful to see a REAL size model looking great in the clothes on parade.

There were no photos allowed in the show (pity, since some of the clothes made up from commercial patterns really were scrummy) and the art garments by Ruth Osborne, Kirry Toose and Trudy Billingsley were full of interesting ideas for lesser mortals to borrow. Sue Neall (of Stitches, the Australian Sewing Guild and now Sew Inspirational) did a great job hosting and explaining the parades, and also managed a quick change for each parade - the woman never stops!

Another pattern that was definitely a “flick past” in the pattern book but absolutely stunning made up - this little crossover top , Vogue 8120. We saw this made up in knits and in several colours - it looked smashing.

As did the tunic and flat front (but elastic waisted - very nice, not your granny’s elastic waist!)pants in  Vogue 8335. Again - not a stunning illustration, but wow, terrific sewn up.

I mentioned that I was reading Pattern Review before heading down - I only ended up buying one pattern - the Sewing Workshop Mimosa Top and Pant.

(I know, a bit summery - but I’m planning on wearing long sleeves under it. And the pant looks very flattering.)

Kerryn (of the astonishing makeovers in Stitches magazine) was at the Australian Sewing Guild stand at the show, and I showed her the pattern for the top - she suggested that on my figure, extending the bottom edge to a diagonal would be more flattering that having a strong horizontal line just above my hips. I’m definitely making a muslin first one this one.

And this is the fabric I bought (from here - they don’t have fabrics on their website, but will very soon) to make the top. Now that I look at it draped on me I’m wondering if the print is a bit blocky… what do you think? It’s more rust/brown/tan than the orange-y flash photo shows, really - but I think it’s ok with my colouring?

Wait ’til you see the fabulously wearable fabric Sue bought - oh my, just swoooony!

I would have loved to go to some of the workshops that the Australian Sewing Guild was running - but there just wasn’t time.  Maybe next year…

Ever been in the situation where you KNOW you’ve got a book, but just can’t find it? I’m not even sure if I’ve seen it since the move to Toowoomba, but I’m sure I wouldn’t have (deliberately!) got rid of it - arrgggh! I’ve been looking for this book for DAYS now. I don’t think I’ve lent it to anyone… if I did, please let me know, eh? It’s one of those really handy reference books, and I’m missing it!

I’m definitely headed down the hill tomorrow for the Stitches and Craft Show. I’m really looking forward to going with Sue - at last, another sewing chick! Tonight I’m digging through patterns and reading reviews (PatternReview.com - awesome value!) to see what I should spend my limited $$ on.

In all the digging around, I did re-find (is that even a word? UNEARTHED, perhaps - I swear, the Time Team would have their work cut out for them amongst all my stuff!)

[click to see bigger images]

This is Vogue 1407, and has someones name and 4/4/66 written on the front. New in Factory Folds! Of course, nowhere near my size - but it’s very close to the size I will be at my goal weight, I hope.  “Narrow, sleeveless dress with a two-piece look at front has a deep V Surplice neckline. Wrapped coat swings wide, three quarter length set in sleeves.” It’s so NOW I’m almost tempted to grade it up and make it… almost! The front wrap over is actually an overlay on an otherwise plain sheath dress, but doesn’t it look good? (and why are the instructions on a 1966 pattern SO MUCH BETTER than instructions on current patterns, hmm?) Although this is one of those vintage patterns where the only markings you get are perforated dots. And this is the little blurb about the designer:”JO MATTLI (Mattly) - Swiss charm and Parisian taste combine in the designs of this member of London’s couture group. Mr Mattli has designed the clothes for many English films.”

I think I paid 20cents for this pattern at an op shop. Whereas tomorrow I’ll probably be paying $30 for this pattern - if I can get it! Or this one….or maybe this one?

And now I’d better go turn up the hem on my other pair of jeans - don’t think it would be cool to wander around a Stitches and Craft Show and watch the fashion parades with my jeans rolled - ugh!

[later ETA: But first, I have to go sort through all the art materials that were previously stashed under the kitchen table, as Mr Beloved just had to pull them all out to retrieve a mrrrrrrrooooooouuuuuuusssse! that Miss Kitty Bing brought in as part of her "catch and release" program - she's still looking for it, but it's dead and gone into the bin - ewwwwwwwww!]

Not much happening here - trying to work out if I can re-schedule a medical scan so I can go to the Stitches and Craft Show in Brisbane instead (scan not urgent, so no panic there.  Just trying to sort out the PCOS stuff *sigh*  I’ve had the pain for months now, another week won’t make any difference!).

And I’d really like to go to the fashion parades at the show - especially with the independent pattern companies, their illustrations don’t really tell you how the garment will look made up.  (Mind you, neither do the big 4 - how many times have I seen a terrific garment sewn up, and been amazed that the drawing was so blah?)

Today’s post brought the Patchwork Quilt Tsushin and Quilt Japan magazines I ordered from New Zealand Quilter.  Lovelovelove those mags!  (Wish I remembered more of my Japanese studies, and that I hadn’t lost all my textbooks to one of the exes or moves, but never mind.)

Look at this beautiful shrug!  I reckon with some trial and error with the diagram I can make something similar.  Hmmmm!

Ok, I’m too bloody cold to stay here and type - I’m off to bed with a hot water bottle, my new magazines, and a notebook…

I’ve been crook, obviously. Booked in for another scan next week, and seeing my helpful GP again soon. Got to get this sorted out, arrggggh!

HOWEVER, on Saturday I had the BEST day - went to Brissy with Sue. GIRLY SHOPPING!! Oh man, I’d forgotten how much fun it is to just wander around the shops. I didn’t try on any clothes (there were no fat chick shops) but Sue did, and managed to score some good buys. I had fun just seeing what was “in” in ready-to-wear, and we both grabbed piles of ideas for our sewing - especially from the David Lawrence outlet store - over-runs, samples, and seconds, but still worth checking out.

For example - knit dresses with double faced satin ribbon on the inside of cascading edges and hems - not only helps stabilise the edge, but also means the dress looks really finished inside and out.

There were some really - interesting! samples at the Cue store - things that I’m glad someone said “Ummm, NOT for production!” - and that was also the only store with no mirrors in the dressing rooms, just one big one on the back wall of the store - which I agree with Sue was icky - you kinda wanna know if something looks REALLY dreadful before you have to come out into the glare of the whole store, you know?

We looked at shoes, yum - agreed that the slightly furry leopard print shoes would either

a) have to be petted all. the. time. or

b) be guarded carefully from our dogs….

The find of the day, however, and one we both REALLY regretted not buying (we didn’t even check the price!) was this handbag. Forgive the bad pics - I took them with my phone and I was so busy laughing that the phone shook! Is this not the absolute muppet-est handbag you’ve ever seen?

Sue and I looked at this and immediately thought of the Yip Yip aliens meeting the telephone on Sesame Street….

Isn’t it FABULOUS!! I would be unable to use it, it would become a puppet that I would have to keep playing with. But I am seriously considering driving back down to Jindalee just to get it…

I tried on lots of hats (Have I mentioned I LOVE hats?) which reinforced my determination to get sewing on some - hats hats hats!

Eventually we were shopped out and headed over to the 2QAQ meeting. LOTS of inspiration from the Reddy Art Quilters, who had brought along their journal quilts and Artist Trading Cards (ATCs); and an ATC swap which got out of hand (some people are GRABBY!) and ended up being inequitable. Grrrrr. Simple rules, you get ONE BACK for each one you put in - Linda should N OT have ended up short!

Thankfully, the wonderful organisers of 2QAQ have said the swap will NOT be a free-for-all next time, to prevent that happening again.

I was really thrilled that Sue’s ATCs were all snatched up, too. Next month I’ll have some done… my small contribution to the economy of Jindalee DFO was to buy two small rubber stamps from Smiggle - an elephant, and a skull and crossbones for Mr Beloved. So my ATCs will certainly feature those!

But right now, I’m off to watch the F1 grand prix. If the weather is warmish this week we’re planning some fabric dyeing; and on Tuesday I’m hoping to be well enough to get to quilters and am taking my Shiva sticks and supplies so we can have a bit of a play.

I’ve just ordered an issue of Patchwork Quilt Tsushin for myself. $32, from New Zealand, which worked out the cheapest way to do it. “Couldn’t charge your mates to look, couldja?” says the (comedic Scotch) voice from the corner. “It worked when I was young!”

ANYWAY, Mr R. found these treasures for me “In a tiny little arcade full of shrines” . He said they worked out to about $12 Australian each (!!) and they are AWESOME! (oops, two are upside down here. Never mind!)

They are full of line drawings of traditional Japanese designs. Like this:

Combine that with Laura Wasilowki’s reminder of how easy it is to carve your own stamps for printing onto fabric in this months Quilting Arts Magazine? I could be kept out of mischief for a very long time.

*sigh* back to these Minutes…. committees, arrrgggggh!

Also laughing because one of the ladies at Quilters today said “Where are all these fabulous new garments, Caity? I think you’re making them in fantasy land!” (I dreamed I was….)

Well - yeah, and no - I’ve been asleep most of the last week. Not very productive! But after one of those horrible sleepless nights last night (and a good sleep in this morning, making me late for Quilters) I think I’m just about back to the right cycle. Maybe I’ll get more stuff done this week.

(and BTW - WHY can’t I buy bras like this with good “forward projection”, huh huh huh? It’s EXACTLY what I want. Hrrrmph. Bring back Maidenform’s stitched cups, say I!)

Talked with the dietician today about goal setting. One of my big problems has been that I get overwhelmed by the big end goal - I need to break it up into manageable DOABLE chunks of specific tasks.

I have too many ideas floating about, I need to pin them to the pages of my journal. For example: the new Ricky Tims Rhapsody Quilts book arrived yesterday, along with a book I’ve looked at for ages (thanks to recommendations from Jane Dunnewold, Sarah Ann, and Brenda) - it was cheap on Amazon, so I grabbed it:Notan: the Dark-Light Principle of Design. So I’m doodling ideas, already starting to design the applique for a Rhapsody style quilt - based on our cockatiels. (it makes sense in MY head, trust me!)

And there are so many other things I need/want to do:

• Finish typing the minutes from the Exhibition Committee meeting on the 5th (time flies!) [ETA: DONE, bloody DONE DONE DONE!!}
  
• Find a copyright free image of Toowoomba Violets as background for a flyer (might have to go find some to photograph!)
• Go to Officeworks to buy printer cartridges to print flyers
• Actually finish fitting at least one of the sewing projects in muslin so I can cut it out in the real fabric
• Finish the brown skirt (Just a couple of buttonholes, buttons, facings and hems to go)
• Find brown shoes to wear with new skirt!
• Return library books
• Finish Mum’s quilt for Mother’s Day (I hope!)
• Work on Dad’s quilt (for Christmas 2007 - oops!)
• start walking again for 5 minutes per day initially, building up to 40 minutes
• Clean the house before the dust buffaloes develop sentience and stage a coup
• think about the quilt I want to enter in the 2QAQ juried show
• Think about which quilts to enter in the Toowoomba Quilters show
• Think about quilt to enter into Queensland Quilters Show (uh - maybe not this year…)
• Read the latest Quilting Arts, Threads, etc
• Chase up where the Studios magazine has got to - I’m sure I pre-ordered it - hmmmm
• organise (slightly late!) birthday card for friend J (we’ve been friends 36 years!)
• yada yada yada a gazillion other things!

But right now I’m off to watch Time Team.

(Which reminds me of another thing that makes me laugh - pay tv. Who has TIME?! I barely get a chance to watch the free-to-air!)

It’s dry-clean only - I can’t even REMEMBER the last time I bought fabric that needed dry cleaning - come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I took anything to a dry cleaners.

I can’t believe this though - it’s BROWN!

Do I own a single pair of brown shoes? Umm, nope! Well, I guess that’s what I save up for next. And I bough a beautifully subtle poly herringbone (that looks like fine wool, but at about a third of the cost) to make that Butterick vest pattern…. I figured if I was going to go with the brown skirt, there was no point in going halfway!

This is especially amusing to me after buying fabric to make Mum and brown bag, and now Maria’s chocolate/green/teal bag… brown is CATCHING!
And Mr Beloved was only saying this morning that “Those ratty old t-shirts have GOT TO GO, Caity, they are NOT flattering.” So yay for the sewing bug making a welcome re-appearance in my life, eh? It’s partly inspired by Sue, who is doing WONDERFUL things; partly by re-reading back issues of Threads, and also looking atErins’ A Dress A Day blog, and swooooning over her use of Liberty fabric - which I can now save up for and lay-by at Gardam’s - yay!!

I’ll be off to curse at the overlocker (serger) later tonight. I know I can get it sewing a nice three thread edge once I have it set up….

BUT - look what else Gardams just got in today! Sue and Di and Faye and Jan - and any other Toowoomba Quilters - you have GOT to get down there and grab some of this, it’s too too wonderful…. from the Loralie Designs “Sew Fancy” range:

[click on the thumbnails to see much bigger images]

Sewing Machines

Scissors

and Mannequins, Oh MY!

And what am I doing with this - Yep, you know it - another Miranda bag! (possibly the most useful bag pattern ever - and the easiest to make, because of the care Joan Hawley has taken with her instructions. I know I rant about it but truly - it’s that good!)

This time I’m going to make the longer handles and only use it to cart stuff back and forth to quilters. Makes sense to have a dedicated bag that I can just grab and go, I reckon.

Also, Toowoomba girls - call up Gardam’s and tell them you want to come to this:

I’ll be there, it should be a fun night!

[Mum, anything I should be looking out for, since now we're BOTH sewing in brown?!]

later edit: Mr Beloved commented:

It should be noted that Caity is not paid or otherwise induced to rave about Gardams.

It should also be noted that “Ewan Gardam” anagrams to “A mad, new rag”.

Pretty impressive shop, though.