floating world

finished skirt

The tulip skirt is done, and I love how it turned out. My criteria for success, for clothes I make for me, is if the finished garment is something I would have bought from a shop. This skirt passes - it's comfortable, flattering and I like the details. It was fun to sew, too, because there were several new-to-me things (like plackets) to make it interesting, but overall the pattern was very simple and easy to follow. I especially like the tie at the waist, and the higher waistband. I usually wear skirts around my hips, so this feels very smart and grown up. And there was no zipper, which is fabulous, because zippers are my #1 most commonly botched sewing thing.

Instead there are buttons. I love buttons. So pretty, and easy to do, and not a zipper. These are from the button shop in the Rocks, they're wood and the jar said they're vintage. They make me very happy.

Because the last couple of projects have turned out the way I imagined I'm now full of enthusiasm for clothes sewing. Which is good, because I signed up for 4 months of Wardrobe Refashion so I'm not buying any new clothes til September. Perhaps I'll make myself a wardrobe of shift dresses and tulip skirts and never go shopping again.

weird and wonderful cakes

My friend Anna organised a cake tasting afternoon tea on Saturday. She brought over a selection of dainty morsels from Adriano Zumbo patisserie in Balmain, and we sampled them with tea. I had heard about Adriano Zumbo, mostly his macaroons, and seen the shop on Darling Street - but it is so tiny and chic and I was afraid that squeezing in there with a stroller and noisy toddler would earn me dirty looks from elegant cake-eaters. So sampling at home, where the toddler had room to roam freely was perfect.

They were all interesting and beautifully assembled, although some were tastier than others. The middle one, with olives on top, was universally agreed to be foul. The bottom two were the favourites, one is a cherry cola chocolate concoction and the other was a cinnamon and gingerbread.

bits and pieces (+ colours)

I've been picking away at a making a few different things - a couple of simple quilts, a skirt, some baby pants, the February Lady Sweater and a sock. It's good to have projects that fit different shaped pockets of time, but means that finished items are thin on the ground.

The skirt is from the Wiksten pattern in Stitch magazine, and the bigger pieced bit is going to be a lap quilt for the sofa. The fabric is all from Publisher, Cloth and Ink & Spindle.

This little quilt is finally finished now - I hand-sewed the binding in front of The Seven Year Itch last night. It's very simple, but uses up some of the Cloth scraps I've been hoarding for ages. Good to get them out of the fabric pile and into a usable item. Momo has taken a liking to it, but I think I'll save it as a playmat for one of the crop of new babies my friends have on the way.

Looking at the top photo I realised how colour-coordinated my sewing is right now - and the February Lady sweater would fit right in, it's a kind of natural beige/grey too. So many of the things I've made (and bought) over the past few years fit into this palette - dark navy / rust red / beige, with a bit of chocolate and olive. I love Ali's room because all his bedding is in those colours. Most of his clothes are too. And mine. Such a change from when I was at uni and wore heaps of pastels, especially pink. And florals. Now it's all about dark denim and stripes. And I am slowly starting to like orange, which I used to absolutely loathe. I'm glad that taste changes over time. It would be so dull if we were born with our preferences fully formed, and had to live with them our whole lives. I like being a work in progress, and being able to change my mind.

 

easiest soup ever

No, it's not the prettiest soup ever, but it is quite possibly the easiest. The only remotely tedious bit is chopping the onion. And it tastes much better something so quick and simple deserves to.

Tomato and Lentil Soup
125g red lentils (the little orange ones)
2 x 400g cans tomatoes
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable. Or water + stock powder)
1 onion, chopped.

- Fry onion in a little bit of butter or olive oil in a medium sized saucepan
- Rinse lentils
- Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan
- Simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bits on the bottom don't burn.
- Eat. With toast, or toasted cheese sandwiches. You can scatter fried diced bacon or chopped basil or parsley on top if you are so inclined.

sewing with fancy fabric

It's so hard to cut up "good" fabric. Hacking in to stuff from Spotlight is a breeze, but if it's something a bit special - vintage, expensive or hand printed - I procrastinate and worry about stuffing it up.

This photo is from almost 2 years ago. Momo looks tiny. When I bought this fabric from the Cloth sale I had grand plans for it, but only made a lampshade for Ali's room before he was born. And then I got intimidated by the loveliness of it. The nubbly texture. The finite quantity. And so it sat there for ages, lurking in the corner of the study. But I have finally started to make a dent in it.

First up were some cushion covers, and a slip cover for the pouffe (aka footstool).

The beige fabric with white circles is from Cloth, and the indigo and white is another handprint from the fabulous Publisher Textiles. I bought it to make a valance for my bed, but then changed my mind and used the black and white fabric for both valance and curtains. Which might be a bit matchy-matchy, but I still like it.

Next up was a nappy bag, using the rest of the blue and white truck print left over from the lampshade. This is just a simple tote bag with a good internal pocket and, most importantly, the handle is long enough to hang over the both stroller handles.

 

The rest of the bag is dark denim from Spotlight, and Ikea striped red and beige cotton (for the lining).

The days of lurking in the study are numbered for the rest of the fabric too - there are 2 small lap blankets pieced and ready for quilting. As nerve racking as it is to chop this stuff up, it does feel really good to be using it at last.