Not much of the dress...

...but a good view of my new gardening boots!

$29.99 at KMart. Made for me or what?

I will post a pic of the dress, honest!

Eiffel from Knitty

I started knitting this in September last year, (thank you Ravelry for helping me keep track of when I start and finish things, so handy!) The idea was to finish a jumper before winter. It's just so much fun to knit in winter; rugged up on the couch, watching true crime tv. Bliss.
My trouble is, knitting in winter means toasty jumpers just in time for spring at the rate I knit them (mostly. I have made a jumper in 10 days, but I was on holidays). Then I have to wait nearly a whole year before I can wear them. Then I forget where I have put them until the next summer.
Eiffel from Knitty.
I haven't blocked it yet, and it needs it. The lace will relax and it will lengthen a bit.
I made it with some 100% wool I found in a shop in Perth, near the Balga Good Sammys op shop. If I'm ever at home when the sun is shining, I will take a better, non-flash photo.
The wool was $3 per 100 gram ball, and I used two and a half balls- $7.50; velvet ribbon- $1.50 ; knitting time- priceless.

I pronounce her most wearable. Loving the neckline eyelets.

Zippy

Today I made another shirtwaister from the same pattern in the previous post. This fabric I bought at the fifties fair two, maybe more years ago.
The fabric was only 90cm wide and 2.5 metres long, so sadly three quarter sleeves were not an option.

It's been a dark and rainy day today. Perfect for a day in front of the sewing machine, but sadly not so good for photos of frocks. The flash has weirded out the colour. I'll try to take a photo during the day and update this post when the sun comes out next.



Newsflash! Now with outdoor in the sun shot.

Shirtdress!

When Moggy and I are buying fabric, more often than not the same fabric, we always discuss what sort of frock each piece should become. Moggy immediately pronounced this fabric must be a shirtdress when we saw it in Tokyo, and she was right.

I have made a plain black version of this pattern before, with some appliqued corazon hearts on the front, and with hook and eye tape instead of a zip. I wore that last weekend for the first time in ages, and decided it was just the pattern for this print.

And, already muslined! Yay!

I left out the front pleat on the skirt (not enough fabric and not really needed with the loud print) and shortened the sleeves to three quarter, on Moggy's suggestion. What would I do without you Moggy? I think the sleeve length is just right. I kept the cuffs, and amazed myself by remembering to make them a bit larger because the upper forearm is thicker than the wrist. These are things I usually forget, despite my anatomy training. I use a different side of my brain for sewing, obviously.

I think I'll wear her with the belt. Nicer, no?

Moggy and I give our frocks names, so when we are discussing what to wear to an event, we have a shorthand so we know which frocks we're talking about. I'm a bit stuck for a name for this one. Hopefully one will come to me. Any suggestions accepted gratefully.

I shall wear her out to see my friend's band tonight. With shoes I bought in Japan. Yay.

Baby pillows

Umbilical hat

Doesn't this look like a mugshot? The harsh lighting, the slightly out of it expression...I wonder what Humphrey would be arrested for? Indecent exposure probably, he never does wear pants.
My friend H (not Humphrey) is in hospital this very minute, hopefully well on her way to pushing out a baby. This afternoon and evening I knitted up this baby hat, the umbilical hat from Stitch n Bitch.
I intended to make a pillow from some cute fabric I bought in Japan, but I didn't feel like sewing today. Maybe tomorrow.

Not related at all to the trip...

... unless you count 'refreshed wish to sew from exposure to new places' that is.

Here is a nice skirt, made from a thin fur from my stash (I reckon I have had this fabric for a good ten years) and the tried and trusted mid eighties Vogue 7074 (50c from an opshop in Preston).

This fabric is very similar to what one of my sofas is upholstered in - different colour but same fabric.

I added a few inches to the bottom of the skirt and sewed the back all the way down (no split) - one should wiggle in this skirt, methinks.

Hmm, I have some leopard left over. I'm thinking of a collar or suchlike on a little black top... time to review the pattern 'n fabric stash.

There was vintage kimono buying, oh yes there was

Um, it's bad form to have the right side crossed over the left when wearing a kimono, but honest, we were only trying them on. We are such gaijin!*

All yummy, all silk.

Kyoto has awesome flea markets.

*foreigner in Japanese

SHINJUKU!

We finally found Okdaya fabric/craft store in Shinjuku, a fabric and craft store over 6 and 8 storeys in two buildings, which we must have walked past 10 times without noticing. To be fair, the entrances are down an alley, with no rolls of fabric outside, and the only storefront window has their blingy jewellery department.
Here's Moggy on the 7th floor of the craft building, full of sewing, craft and knitting books. She added a few kilos to her baggage allowance here.

Clothstoppers!

Have you seen this woman?

Ah, Tomato in Fabric Street, Textile Town, Pinking Prefecture...

Yuzawaya!

Tokyo has amazing craft and sewing stores. One of the first ones Moggy and I went to was Yuzawaya, in Kichijoji.
Like everywhere in Japan, there is no easy way to find even an eight storey craft emporium, due to the (former) adorable custom of numbering buildings in the order they were built, rather than having regular street numbers. We knew it was near the train station, and it was eight storeys, how hard could it be?
Well, there are many eight storey buildings around most train stations in Tokyo, and surprise! most of their signs are written in Japanese! Who knew?
Fortunately, eagle-eye-Mogster spotted this knitting sheep logo, and we were there. Oh the notions! The fabric! The sewing machine feet! We both bought metal invisible zipper feet for our Janomes (they deserve gifts), and I bought a topstitching foot, which has a little guide to keep topstitching straight.
Topstitching, my nemesis, prepare for checkmate!

Cultural pursuits in Kyoto. And flea market shopping

We did Kyoto, oh yes we did. We may have bought several vintage kimonos from two fab flea markets. I'm not telling...yet. We even got us some culcha, going to see temples and all. This is the Golden Temple, Kinkoku-ji. Our guest house hostess told us there was also a Silver Temple, but not to bother to go there, because 'it's silver, this one is GOLD!' You can't go against advice like that.