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Marimekko cosmetic purse

I had long ago decided (actually, decided and reiterated to myself many times), that I would not go on another holiday without  new toiletry and cosmetic purses. Now I have seen the most beautiful purses, just about everywhere I shop. I could have bought one or two, many times over. I’m a sucker for them and would even like to collect them because they are so gorgeous. But in true…

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Knitting with rags- London inspiration

Knitting with rags- London inspiration

I have so much to say about our London/Shanghai fabric crawl……..too much, really ..not sure where to start. So I’ll start with this…knitting with rags. Well, not exactly rags, but the guts  is certainly fabric that is torn into rag strips. This is so much fun because it is a creative exercise where the sky is the limit. Anything goes! I started with a collection of white/cream braids and cottons.…

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Fabric tour- London and Shanghai

Fabric tour- London and Shanghai

Well we’ve started. And our days are so busy I don’t really have time to blog. Or more precisely, I’m too tired to blog. 25000 plus steps on the Fitbit everyday and by the end of it, I’m fit for nothing other than sleep.  Above is the silk I bought in Shanghai. With Liberty of London next on the list, I picked up a couple of very pretty classics. Today was Sew Over It, Clapham. This was up there…

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The midnight blue silk formal gown

The midnight blue silk formal gown

  This is the silk formal gown that I made for my daughter. It was a little bit of an eleventh hour job….only because I had to wait until she was home, so I could fit her. I knew what she wanted and I knew the colour so I was all ready. I bought the silk from Studio Fabrics here in Sydney  and I have included the link because this shop is a ‘must visit’. I  hadn’t actually realised it was there…

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Sandra Betzina and Deepak Chopra on the train

Sandra Betzina and Deepak Chopra on the train

What do Deepak Chopra and Sandra Betzina have in common? A lot more than you’d think. I realised this on the train. You see, I’m trying to wean myself off technology. Not because I hate it. I don’t. I love it. But I hate that I love it because I think it steals me away from life. Sure. It connects me to the world. And I love that. I am inspired and stimulated. But too much stimulation is…

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Sandra Betzina and Deepak Chopra on the train

Sandra Betzina and Deepak Chopra on the train

What do Deepak Chopra and Sandra Betzina have in common? A lot more than you’d think. I realised this on the train. You see, I’m trying to wean myself off technology. Not because I hate it. I don’t. I love it. But I hate that I love it because I think it steals me away from life. Sure. It connects me to the world. And I love that. I am inspired and stimulated. But too much stimulation is…

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The black Ponte dress - there's a story

The black Ponte dress – there’s a story

  Fundamentally I’m pleased with this dress…sort of. But I have a few gripes-  mainly with the fabric. But there’s a story…….  starting with the pattern. You see, this pattern promises the world but doesn’t really deliver. It did eventually but by a very backdoor route.  I’ve  made this dress before (long sleeved version) in a very light rayon and although it looked good, I was never really happy…

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StyleArc Hedy dress and Estelle Ponte jacket

StyleArc Hedy dress and Estelle Ponte jacket

I love Ponte. But I have to say my hands felt a little worse for wear after making the Estelle jacket and then a black ponte dress (not here…to follow). So I’ve come to the conclusion that it makes up beautifully, sews beautifully and  presses well because it has so much body …..which also makes it quite heavy …which is tricky for someone who is prone to aching hands. But I am absolutely thrilled…

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Frankie will be getting an invitation to my bed tonight.............

Frankie will be getting an invitation to my bed tonight………….

See previous post. Frankie is a girl and a pup with an iron will. She doesn’t want to be left alone at night and is screaming the house down…….all night!!!!!! And guess what……she wins! Tonight she’s in my bed and hopefully I won’t feel as sleep deprived tomorrow as I do today.<img src=”http://jeldridgedotcom.files.

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Happy Mother's Day to me.......fool that I am!

Happy Mother’s Day to me…….fool that I am!

http://www.britishtheatreguide.info   Sunday is Mother’s Day. And so it starts. True to form, my teenage daughter (who now lives away from home), texted me to ask me if there was anything in the Priceline catalogue (fragrances 60% off) that took my fancy. No mention of Mother’s Day. But she knew that I knew what she meant. So I came clean and gave her my usual spiel which is something along the…

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The Emery dress and an op shop find

The Emery dress and an op shop find

To say I am thrilled with my Emery would be a gross understatement. It’s still on the dummy in the living room so I can keep looking at it. I just love it…..for several reasons. The main reason I love it is because of the fit. I would have to say that this is the first time in my sewing history that I have fitted a ‘fitted’ dress as accurately as this. It is just the way I want it to fit and for…

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Kissing daylight saving goodbye in Sydney

Kissing daylight saving goodbye in Sydney

This is Clarke’s Park in Sydney- host to a final ‘evening walk ‘ before daylight saving ends tonight. Will I miss daylight saving? Well probably not as much as most and I will certainly not miss Summer. It has been an extremely humid few months and I welcome the Autumn which is just beautiful. That said, I do get a kick out of watching Frankie run through the park of an evening and I will miss…

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Pattern review- Yoshiko Tsukiori- Stylish Dress Book- 'pattern T'

Pattern review- Yoshiko Tsukiori- Stylish Dress Book- ‘pattern T’

 trouble I had unimaginable problems with this dress. It was only dogged determination that kept it out of the garbage because I refused to be beaten ……mostly because I loved the fabric,  the style and especially because I love the rest of the patterns in the book. I wanted it to work…it had to work! At the end of the day I arrived at the conclusion that this was a ‘fitting  me’ issue, not a…

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When I first saw this fabric at Spotlight, I was betwixt and between about the colour. There was something about it that reminded me of old men’s trousers that are  out of date- not sure where that comes from. But as it was 30% off  (and 100% linen) I decided to get it anyway.  Then, when I got it to the counter the sales assistants raved over the colour  (even though there was heaps left on the shelf…..good sales people!). And I fell into the trap and bought a whole lot more, of course. Anyway, I looked at it at every red light on the way home, and by the time I got there, I’d decided I loved it. But I had to lose the ‘old men’s trousers’ image. I moved to peanut butter……..which I love. Far more appropriate.

  I have grown to absolutely love this dress. The linen is beautifully soft and the dress  is so comfortable to wear.  I have actually lived in it over the last couple of weeks.

I used the Muumuu pattern again but cut the skirt a little narrower this time…..less bulk over the bust. I also made the shoulders wider and the neck, less ‘boat’ which made the dress more bra friendly overall.

The pockets- Now this is an easy pattern, make no mistake. But seriously, lining up those pockets was no mean feat. Button holes aside (which I could have omitted…the dress fits over my head), I spent more time getting those pockets level with each other than I spent on the rest of the dress! Next time I’ll have one only! On the pockets score, my friend Wendy taught me a very simple technique that I suspect I am going to thrash.

See the trim? I cut a strip of linen 2.5 inches wide, on the bias, and put it through the washing machine. It comes out frayed but apparently will not fray any further because of the bias cut. I just love it. I have seen that effect many times and always loved it but didn’t know how to do it.

The hem- This is the ‘Jane‘ technique…(feel free to copy!!). I turned the hem to the right side to measure it and decided to leave it that way. I liked it and so have sewn a couple of rows of stitching to prevent it fraying too much. I think it’s a good fit with Wendy’s pocket trim.

The buttonholes- mercy- not going there. I am unbelievably abysmal at them. Imagine my heart break when the dress went over my head without undoing them! But the buttons are lovely- little wooden ones.

I am thrilled with this dress and would recommend this pattern….even though the instructions for the bodice are very odd….I didn’t get them at all…must be a 60s technique .

Have a good week.

Peanut Butter Linen When I first saw this fabric at Spotlight, I was betwixt and between about the colour. There was something about it that reminded me of old men's trousers that are  out of date- not sure where that comes from.

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The Muumuu- a tribute to my mother

The Muumuu- a tribute to my mother

Mum loved the muumuu. She adored the simplicity and  style of it. Not in a ‘you can hide everything under it’ sort of way but out of a deep respect for what she saw as clean, stylish lines . She loved the boxiness and symmetry. To her, the muumuu was a welcome departure from the figure hugging, curvy styles of the 50s. She didn’t do ‘figure hugging’. And thinking back, it’s a wonder because she…

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