I never promised you a rose garden

Hang on, yes I did!

Roses arrived today.
Rest easy, Kitty, the roses are only about 6cm wide. Mother pronounced it suitable evocative of the era, although not quite muted enough - give it time, I say.

Now to think about what to make!

ruh roh.

I bought another pattern on ebay. Somebody stop me! From Stellablue Vintage Sewing. Mmmmm.

I bought it because I want to make the frock shown in blue, on the left there. Cut on sleeves, empire line, v neck, wacky pockets...swoon. Overnight I have developed a big crush on the frock on the right, that little strap/tab thing. Oh yes. They shall have to fight to see who gets made first.

Fabric suggestions? Anyone?

Doncha wish your loungerooms were hot like ours...?

Well, doncha?

I have decided to go with the white blind, although the curtain fabric is to die for. The view out of the window is of the neighbour's bathroom window and fence, and it's a bit grim. Whenever I opened the curtain to let the light in I would close it again right away. Sigh.

So it was either live in the dark, or have a blind. Having the fabric there also made the room feel much smaller, and the blind recedes into the window frame and makes the room feel bigger. With our little house, we need every centimetre of space, real or imagined. By the way, the curtain pic was taken during the day, the blind pic was taken at night, in case you were wondering. How good are those curtain ring clips though? Love you, curtain clips!

The fabric may be reincarnated as cushions, for when our new couch arrives. Soon!

Hmm, frock and roll appears to have become a bit of a home dec blog lately.

We will resume our normal programming shortly. Apologies for any inconvenience.

This week's fabric delivery with bonus added curtains

Pavilion and Touched By The Sun from Over The Rainbow:













And new curtains. Hoorah!


PS if you want to know, the rose fabric in the previous post (which hasn't arrived yet) is from On The QT online quilting shop.

Coming up roses.

Dear goddesses of fabric:

please don't let anything untoward happen regarding this fabric we just ordered (ie floods, pestilance, running out of yardage in the online shop, shipping that turns out to be twice the cost of the fabric).

Because we love it. Yes we do. I think Miss Kitty and I will both be dreaming of what frocks we can make from this tonight.

This year's picnic theme just keeps manifesting itself...

Rosebud

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of this pattern, which I won on ebay, and which I am hoping I can make with the 2 metres of rosebud fabric from the fifties fair. Looks do-able (I'm talking the slim skirt version), or am I being optimistic? Will I run short of fabric or will it be the usual story of the frock being about 25cm too long, so I will not need the 2 5/8 yards the pattern will probably say I should have? Oh the suspense!

(Blogged while waiting for the first coat of paint on my lounge room walls to dry. You're such a trendsetter Mogster)

Off topic, but I have been sewing near here...

I'm all exciting about the first actual bit of the renovations being finished (the sewing studio is a ways off still...) and particularly excited about having a fridge again after months without one. Hurrah!
Blue is before, white is after, which I hope is obvious, but maybe not!

I still have to get the shelvedge in - nowhere to put food IN the kitchen at the mo, so it is all on the loungeroom shelves.

When all the canisters and mixmasters and stuff gets in it will look less stark too.

Spottie Hot Bodice

This pattern arrived in the mail yesterday (oh ebay, how I love ye) and I made her up in red/white spot as a muslin today. The intention was to make the 'real' version in the rosebud fabric we bought at the fifties fair, but I don't know if I will now. The dress feels a bit 'fiddly' to wear, it has a strange strapless sort of arrangement under those straps which feels a bit insecure. Also, four billion darts and I'm not exaggerating!

Don't worry, ebay has come up with another pattern which will be perfect for rosebud! (details if and when I win the auction).

(Edited the next day to add a photo of the back straps, and to say: I was a bit grumpy after my darting marathon yesterday, and I can see today how this frock looks almost exactly as it does on the pattern envelope. That's pretty rare, so I am happy)

Green(cut-on)sleeves

So, see, I was at the vietnamese lady's shop looking for lace for my silk satin, see, and, well, I saw this green suedey-twill stuff with satin backing on the other side, and it was like 4 bucks a metre, and it had stretch, man, even though it was woven, y'know? Anyway I accidently bought 4 metres of it (I was doing my washing at the laundromat over the road, I had to fill in the time, so sue me!).

Anyway, I brought it home and didn't know what to do with it. Then I went looking in my pattern drawer and found this, dig? Well, OK, so it is a size too small, but I thought, man, ain't that what stretch wovens are like MADE for? So I did it. And I'm not sorry I did, in fact I am PROUD. So there. I wore it to the art gallery and out to dinner and everything and I DON'T CARE WHO SAW ME.

Yeeeha! It's western day! (now with full length jacket pic)

I should really have pressed this first, but when Mr M has time available to model, well, you have to take it.

Another brown western shirt, from a 70s pattern this time, and a dark chocolate colour. I like the slim fit, and Mr M says he likes it. Brown is apparently the hardest colour to find in a plain western style shirt, so Mr M says. He would know.

Frocks are so much more fun to make! Did I really promise him a corduroy one of these? I think I shall have to beg off, due to warm weather, and urgent frock making requirements. He won't be wearing corduroy shirts again for at least 8 months anyway.

I bought a leather jacket at St Vinnie's today, blazer length, with patch pockets. It's western style too. I have yokes on the brain.

(Edited to add, by popular demand, full pic of jacket and pocket detail, and to beg appreciation for modelling it on a 31 degree day. You're welcome, Moggy)

Help meeeeeeee

Now, these haven't arrived yet, and who knows when I'll get around to making them, weighed down with the never ending 'to sew' list as I am, but indulge me.
I'm thinking pink tattoo for the halter.
Any fabric suggestions for the puff sleeved cutie?

Trashy me

More silk. Here are my purchases from Trashy Diva. Two Betty blouses, one bustle skirt. I am very pleased, they fit perfectly.
Long weekend this week! What to sew? Pink gingham Laverne blouse? Or seventies western shirt for Mr M? It might be time for another snaps order, hey Mogg?