Bettina - a swishy full circle skirt

I made a Bettina skirt using the new pattern from Rebecca Page - here's my review: A pretty swish looking, voluminous skirt. This one would be stunning in evening fabric for a special occasion, it really does have the wow factor. Instructions quite straight forward.

The skirt is made from five panels, with a waistband and an invisible zipper at centre back. I used a screen printed cotton I bought at Ikea many years ago, it has been waiting in my stash for a skirt such as this. I cut the skirt out on the cross grain to save fabric, and made sure to top and tail each pattern piece. Thank goodness the fish are not swimming in any particular direction! It does have pockets. The instructions say to use French seams, but normal seams do the job for pretty much all fabrics except the most delicate. 
Photo credit goes to my grumpy teenage daughter (she's only grumpy because she's embarrassed to be seen in public taking photos of her mother!)

https://rebecca-page.com/product/ladies-bettina/

Summer happenings

Hi,
I have had some holidays from my day job, so for the last few weeks I have been working pretty much full time on my Etsy shop. I signed up for a market in January and I wanted to have lots of stock, so I started sewing rompers.

2015 is the year of working smarter, not harder, so I organised myself in advance to create a batch of 20 rompers.
First, I pulled out my collection of vintage sheets and fabrics, and added a few which were left over from various projects.

I cut out all the rompers on my ironing board, while watching "firefly". To avoid confusion, I immediately pinned a label on each one with its size and how many more could be made from that fabric.

Then I spent several hours overlocking all of the rompers and then ironing all of them.
Once that was done I started to work on one of them at a time. I sewed casings in matching thread, inserted elastic and finally added matching bias binding ties. I did all the red ones and then all the green ones, and so on in order to minimise time winding bobbins and changing thread etc.

As soon as each one was finished, I snapped a photo and listed it in my shop, www.bananaorangeapple.com This slowed things down a little bit, but in a good way, because people kept buying rompers online! If there was a whole sheet, then I listed a quantity of three or four and let the customer choose what size they wanted when they checked out. They are selling well, and so far have gone to Mexico, Canada, Norway, USA, as well as Australia. Someone from Spain bought one then came back later and bought a second one!  It makes me very happy thinking about my sewing ending up all around the world.

The pattern is from this Etsy shop, https://www.etsy.com/listing/157703815/pretty-baby-romper-pdf-sewing-pattern?ref=shop_home_active_9 but I altered it a bit to include elastic along the neckline and bias binding shoulder ties. It's really easy to sew and I highly recommend it.

I also made a few nappy covers, since I realise boys need clothes too! I am looking out for a good boy romper pattern to use in the future.

I also have plans afoot for a winter line of pinafores (or as they call them in the States - Jumpers) made from corduroy with cute appliques on the front and bright lining. It is lots of fun thinking up the appliques! I do intend to use the same streamlined sewing process to simplify things. I plan to use my new (to me) Elna press to put on the fusible web on the back of the appliques and avoid gumming up my iron. And I understand it's pretty cold over in North America so I hope I can get them in my shop soon.

So I set off today on a mission to find some more sheets to cut up, since the rompers are still in production and I will need lots of fabric to line the winter pinafores. I visited five op-shops around town, but sadly there were no suitable sheets. I did come across some lovely seersucker in gelati colours, and some gorgeous chunky purple corduroy. This did not photograph very well, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I also like to update my work wardrobe, so I found myself three skirts. They were more than I usually like to pay ($9 each!!!!) but I love them so much I had to have them. I took a photo for you, as well as a close up of the groovy fabrics.  There is one with big houses. I was so excited when I got it home I noticed the selvage had been left in a- and the fabric is the famous Marimekko brand from Finland. Whacka-doo!! It was made in Darwin by Raw Cloth, I tried to find their website but I think it's just a brand that sells at the markets up there. It'll look great with my red sandals.

There was also a lovely fine cotton with red and brown batik - the fabric is silky like lawn.
It has three tiers and the waist band is sewn directly onto elastic, so I think it is homemade.

Finally, an amazingly cute blue skirt with a map print showing streets, houses and trees. Bits of it are embroidered in aqua thread.

So here they are for your perusal, which one do you like the best? Leave a comment if you like

PS please ignore dopey facial expressions, and it is very humid here this afternoon which means my hair is fluffy...

Summer Skirt

Hello, Summer is here in Australia and I would love to show you my latest skirt. This one is custom made for a lady who wanted red at the hem, I usually have purple on the lowest layer but this turns out to be equally fabbo.
Here are some gratuitous model shots my daughter took for me down at Lake Tuggeranong. The last photo shows my photographer up a tree!

My favourite podcasts

I love listening to podcasts while I sew. If you know of any good ones, please leave a comment and let me know what you love about them!

You can listen to podcasts on a tablet, ipad, smart phone or just on the computer. I have provided links for you to the iTunes Store but I'm not sure if they will work for you cos I use Australian iTunes.

My absolute number all time best ever favourite comes out every Friday and I look forward to it every week, it's called "Confessions with Simon Mayo". It's a radio show on BBC radio2. Simon Mayo reads out four hilarious "confessions" that audience members have sent in, and then a panel decides whether the person is deserving of forgiveness. It really is a hoot. There are many tales of parents playing tricks on their kids, workplace misdemeanours, holiday hijinks - really there is nothing else out there quite as funny, at least, to my warped sense of humour.

Here's an example.

One family on holiday in Scotland. The dad told the kids in the backseat "see those sheep up on the hill? Those are haggis. They have two short legs on the uphill side and two longer legs on the downhill side, so they don't roll down the hill." Of course mum and dad were winking at each other and holding back the giggles unbeknownst to the kids in the back.

Fast forward a few months and the kid's at school. The teacher says  "can anyone tell the class what a haggis is?" Of course, you guessed it, her hand shot up and she told everyone about the wonkylegged Scottish sheep that are bred specially so they don't roll down hills. 

You can imagine what embarrassment that caused the poor child.... 

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/simon-mayos-confessions/id505408244?mt=2

Another of my favourite is "Stuff you should know."

This is highly educational. A different topic each week and I have learned about so many amazing parts of our world that I would never bother reading about. The hosts Chuck and Josh do an excellent job. Many of their episodes are US centric though.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407?mt=2

"Stuff you missed in history class" is also good and along similar lines. I do find the voices of the hosts ever so slightly annoying, but I still want to listen and learn and find the show very interesting.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history/id283605519?mt=2

"Saw bones" is a newish podcast, hosted by a married couple, the McElroys. The wife is a doctor and the husband is  a bit of a doofus, he pretends to want to know about all sorts of ailments. They explain the history of the treatment of that disease or problem by the medical profession through the ages. It's gory. I love it. It's a bit like the segment on "horrible histories" where the Egyptian doctor tries to treat a modern patient using ancient techniques. It's very funny and easy to listen to.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/sawbones-marital-tour-misguided/id665149280?mt=2

"Dr Karl" is a weekly radio segment on Triple J (Australia wide youth radio station run by the ABC) about science, it's a talkback show so people dial in and ask Dr Karl questions. People ask the weirdest questions. He has a twitter feed too which is a hive of information.

Disclaimer: Dr Karl is an evolutionist so his answers come from that world view but I still find his show informative and fun to listen to. For example, if someone rang up to ask "why do we have armpit hair?" Dr Karl would most likely reply that it is because we are descended from apes. Personally I don't get all het up about that kind of thing - I would say well, you might be an apeman but speak for yourself! 

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/dr-karl-on-triplej/id73331325?mt=2

"A history of the world in 100 objects" from the BBC was awe inspiring and marvellous - I was very sad when I got up to the one hundredth object and then there were no more. Each episode featured a different object from the British Museum and together they make a massive timeline of the entire history of humanity. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/ 

For Christian history I enjoyed listening to "Communio Sanctorum" which is a weekly podcast on church history.  

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/history-christian-church/id435665417?mt=2

I like to listen to Chuck Missler preaching his way through the Bible in "66/40" but for this one I tend to tune out and miss too much if I'm sewing, so it's one for when I'm listening properly. If I can't sleep st night I put this on and zzzzzzzzzzzz. Out like a light.

I figure if I'm listening to Bible teaching in my sleep I must be absorbing some by osmosis, right?

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/chuck-missler-66-40-radio/id105618703?mt=2

For a while I listened to many and various quilting podcasts but I gave up on those, they got boring after a while. And they made me want to take on more quilting than I could ever possibly get done in one lifetime!

Fabulous Fashions

I came across some lovely medium weight cotton at the op shop yesterday. As you can see, it is navy with green triangles interspersed with yellow and red triangles. I love triangles! The fabric is from Charles Parsons and I believe it to be an eighties design. It was from St Vinnies at Queanbeyan, which for my overseas readers is a thrift store that can be found in pretty much any town with over a thousand residents. 

I have used it to make a size 12 - 14 skirt for my shop, but there's enough for a few more so I am offering it as made to measure in sizes XXXsmall - XX large. It's an a-line skirt with a wide waistband, or yoke at the top, with a zip at the side. 

I obtained permission to use the "make it perfect" a+ skirt pattern for handmade garments to sell in my shop.

Here's the fabric ready to be cut up - a more accurate representation of the colour.

The finished product:

On the same op shopping expedition I also purchased a black velvet jacket, a navy cardigan and a brown tweed jacket, which should come in handy for work. I generally wear a skirt and jacket or cardigan to work. I only wear trousers if my tights have laddered or have disappeared into the laundry pile.

I found a knee length denim skirt with buttons up the front, it's more of a summer weight but it could be useful. Worn here with the tweed jacket (which is an odd combination).

I also bought a purple flowery sundress, which I am wearing as a skirt. It has a shirred and smocked bodice which I have folded down to use as the waistband.

My daughter says it looks hideous, I thought it was kinda fun. 

Maybe not with the tweed jacket...but what do you think? Should I send it back? Is it a good buy or a goodbye?

Thanks go to my reluctant twelve year old photographer. I'll provide a link to my skirt listing once it's up in the Banana Orange Apple shop.

Finally, here's what I have to put up with each week when I take my daughter to horse riding lessons. It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it ;)

This horse is named Armani, he sure is good looking

A visit to Lanyon and a completed herringbone quilt

Hi,
I would like to share some photos with you of a garden fair I attended at Lanyon Homestead recently. The area I live was settled in the 1820s. Shortly after Federation, the area surrounding Canberra became the Australian Capital Territory. In fact, Canberra just celebrated its 100th birthday.
There are several old homesteads remaining from the sheep farming days. Lanyon has been preserved intact as a museum, and is still run as a sheep and cattle station.
It is a popular venue for weddings, school formals and a place to go for a country outing. Even though it is less than five minutes drive from the nearest supermarket and McDonalds, being surrounded by green paddocks and hills makes you feel as if you are a world away.

The house is surrounded by gravel. The driveway is long and lined with old pines. Little outbuildings stand nearby. The garden is maintained in the style of the 1850s. You can read more about Lanyon here, and even go on a "virtual tour" http://www.museumsandgalleries.act.gov.au/lanyon/

The approach to the house. That's my husband and daughter in the right hand photo - They did not really want to come but I made them.

A succulent display from the cactii and succulent stand

I would love some of these metal sculptures for my garden.

the floor of the stables is made from logs.

A hawthorn tree with berries for autumn

this lawn looks down towards the river.

Various fruit and nut trees grow in the orchard.

flowers in the picking garden

Vegie patch

There is a lovely view from the vegies down towards the Murrumbidgee River. 

 

 

Some autumn crocus and cyclamen.

 

Here is the quilt that I have been working on. It is the herringbone quilt, made with this tutorial from Maureen Cracknell. http://maureencracknellhandmade.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/a-herringbone-quilt-tutorial.html 

I highly recommend this tutorial, the quilt is easy to sew and doesn't take long. It's my first attempt at "Quilt as you go". Basically, all the strips were cut at 2.5 inches wide, then were sewn right onto the batting, which was cut up into long 7.5 inch strips. I was able to use all batting leftover from other projects, I needed to sew several short lengths together to make long strips, and I have a variety of fibre contents. Once I had a long skinny section I sewed it to another one, with the stripes going away from each other to form the herringbone effect. Then I did a tiny bit of wavy line quilting, using some pretty variegated thread.

I found some flannel for the backing, and sewed right round the edge, right sides together, leaving a gap to turn it out. Then I quilted it by top stitching around all four sides and then in straight lines along the long rows.

There were a few bulgy bits but overall it turned out well and it was much much quicker than making and attaching binding. This technique I found in this tutorial here at Made by Marzipan http://www.madebymarzipan.com/?x=5235  

My doggy thinks I'm going to come out from behind the quilt and throw her a stick

I'm going to give this to my friend who is getting married this weekend. I made it couch sized so they can cuddle up under it on the couch, but it is just about the right size for a single bed too.