Stashbusting Sewalong: December theme "Christmas Mayhem"

To end the year off, the theme for December in the Stashbusting Sewalong, is Christmas mayhem! Whether it be sewing presents for gifts, or making those finishing touches to your own Christmas, it's all covered this month!

Knitting Adventures - Silk Scarf, and my new dressmaker's dummy!

Do you remember when I bought some silk yarn on my visit to Tasmania last year? The yarn is 100% silk, from a local Tasmanian artist Rebecca Kissling. I had in mind to make a scarf, but have been taking my time thinking about it before making it up.

Well, the time had come, and my neck was crying out for a different scarf to wear, so I took a week out from my other knitting project to make this up. I didn't want a pattern that was too boring, but also didn't want to have to follow a pattern or think too hard when making this one. I settled on a 2 x 2 rib knit, so the scarf would look the same on both sides, and not roll at the edges.

Stashbusting Sewalong: April Theme "Vibrant Colour"!

When I started making this dress, I was looking out the window at the constant rain that Sydney had for three straight days, and kissed summer goodbye, while wondering why on earth I was making a sun dress, out of vibrant orange and yellow flowers no less. Easy. Because I bought this fabric on holidays a couple of weeks ago, specifically to make something on theme for the Stashbusting Sewalong for April. That might sound like an oxymoron, but it's souvenir sewing, so that doesn't make it stash adding, right? I will add my fabric to the "purchased" column on my spreadsheet, but I'm not really fussed if I miss out on my target for the year because of this purchase.

Fabric Shopping, Island Style

I've just come back from a relaxing holiday in Rarotonga in the beautiful Cook Islands.

I didn't set out to buy fabric while on holidays, so hadn't done any research before I went. But seeing so many beautiful tropical floral print clothes everywhere you go really makes you want to buy some fabric to make your own creation. I did do some research when I got home to see if I missed anything.

Lingerie: Cream and Blue lace bra

Only two things sewn up in January, and they were both bras. At least this one was sewn totally in the month of January. All in two days in fact. Making bras certainly isn't making much of a dent in the stash busting, but I'm having fun, and more importantly, I'm getting new lingerie, and learning!

Knitting Adventures: Blue Miette

I learnt so much from making this cardigan.

First and foremost, if you consider yourself a beginner in knitting, don't deviate from the pattern. It will only cause you heartache.

I learnt this the hard way, naturally. I chose the Miette design for my first ever cardigan (and second knitting project since finishing high school - you can see my first one here), thinking that it would prove a bit of a challenge with learning new stitches and techniques, but that it would be a good first major project. Then I came across a Miette knit-along, thanks to fellow blogger Sue, and after reading through a few of the changes that Gail had made in the knit-along, felt confident to make a few of my own.

If I Lived in Tasmania, I Would Need a Really Big House

Why, you ask? Because of all the cool stuff in the Antique shops.

You may have noticed that it's been a while between blog posts. I'd like to say that it's because I've been away, which I was, but I scheduled one post per week to go live while I was on a recent holiday in Tasmania, so there wouldn't be a break. Problem being, I haven't written any posts since I've been back. And it's now been three weeks since I came home again. I blame my new cardigan that I've been knitting. All of my spare time that I would have been typing up blog posts have been overcome by knitting. Good news though, it's just about finished, so I'm pretty sure my next blog post will be the reveal of my Miette, and life can get back to normal, (whatever that is).

One year ago today: Montmartre

One year ago yesterday, I was at Chanel's flagship store in Paris. One year ago today, I was in fabric shopping paradise: Montmartre.

Pity I didn't have a burning need for any fabric though. I was so overwhelmed by all the shops, all the fabric, all the buttons! Everything! That I didn't really know what to look for. Luckily my eagle eye husband spotted a shop with some absolutely fabulous furnishing fabric, and we grabbed some fabric to make curtains for our library. Still yet to be sewn (of course), but it's perfect.

My curtain fabric

Take a look at all of the shops that I didn't go into! Well, I did go into some of them, but I can't remember which ones.

One year ago today: Chanel Paris

At this time last year, I was fulfilling a life long dream of visiting Paris. Oh, I miss Paris! I think my husband was hoping that once I'd been there it would be out of my system, but having been there once just makes me want to go back and see more!

One year ago today was our first day of touristy things in Paris, and at the end of a day filled with walking past Notre Dame, visiting le Eiffel Tower, a visit to the Musee des Egouts, l'Arc de Triomphe, a stroll down the Champs Elysee, (complete with chocolate shopping), the Disney Store (blame the husband. And the children) and Haagen Dazs (because where else would you go for afternoon tea when you're getting a little chilly)! Then a walk through Place de la Concorde, we finished with a walk past Chanel's flagship store front at 31 Rue Cambon with what little energy I had left that day.

I took some photos of the store front (of course), but never really got around to showing them off. So, here they are. Chanel. March 20, 2013.

Window display

Eamon Sullivan's Chocolate Delice

For Christmas last year (it feels funny calling it last year when it was less than a month ago), I volunteered to make dessert for my family's Christmas lunch. It was a toss up between a Bouche de Noel and a chocolate delice, both of which I have made for Christmas once before. After careful consideration I decided that chocolate is always the answer, so I went with the chocolate delice.

Chocozumbo macarons

During my recent whip around the countryside post Christmas, I stayed for a few nights with my sister. Her teenage son asked me a few weeks ago if I could help him out with a batch of macarons, so of course I had to say yes!

A Dress For my Sister

Here's my first stash bust for the year. Unfortunately though, it isn't from my stash. My sister asked me late last year if I could make her a dress, copying one that she already had. She came to stay a short time later with the dress to be copied, but no fabric! At least I got to make the pattern and give the dress back before she went home again.

The Original dress

Lego Sewing Machine

I recently saw a picture of a Lego sewing machine on my Facebook feed, and asked my 8 year old son if he would like to make me one. I think he was still too busy playing with all the new Lego that he and his sister had gotten for Christmas, because he wasn't interested. I'm nothing if not persistent though, and a few days later I created a Pinterest board with various Lego sewing machines that I found.

That got him hooked! He made me a machine without any guidance from me, complete with 2 reels of thread, 2 bobbins (you never know when that extra one might come in handy), and 2 presser feet (more is best apparently!)

Time to get back to work?

You may have noticed that things have been a little quiet around here lately. I hinted in my last post that I was about to go on holidays, somewhere a little cold. Well, I've actually been back for more than 2 weeks now, and am still trying to get back in the swing of things.

I had a month away from home with my family, mostly in Europe, spending some time there with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (also holidaying), and most of it with my parents-in-law, who since buying a house in Switzerland a few years ago have been progressively spending more time there than here.

Once I got away, it didn't take me long to lose the urge to be sewing something, or thinking about sewing something, or planning on sewing something. After arriving home it took me 3 days to put fabric to a machine, and I only did that because I'd had an order while away that I had promised to deliver directly after Easter. That didn't stop me from taking happy snaps of every fabric shop and sewing machine shop that I saw while I was away. I didn't actually venture into many of them. Fabrics in Switzerland tend to be quite expensive, and the one time that I thought I'd try and have a conversation with a shop owner, she didn't speak any English, so that didn't work. Paris however, had a multitude of shops, all in the same area, with very reasonably priced fabrics. It would have helped if I was actually looking for something specific, because as I didn't have anything in mind that I needed, I found it hard to find anything I wanted to buy.