Sunshiny wedding frocks ahoy

It was a dark and dreary morning, and I was tired and didn't feel like working on a sunday, but I still made the effort to drag myself to Wollongong council chambers to run a natural baby care workshop. And boy am I glad I made the effort! My lovely friend Ally came along, and we got talking about her wedding plans, and she asked me to make her wedding dress. What a precious honour! I have made a couple of wedding frocks in my time, and it is seriously one of the most fun and rewarding things a crafty lady can do.
Ally is a gorgeous, sunshiny, inspiring and smart woman who, with her equally gorgeous and inspiring partner, Richard, takes care of a startlingly spectacular permaculture garden in Unanderra. Check out their extra-special work at www.happyearth.com.au
It is lovely!
SOOOOO when she said that she and Richard were planning on getting married in said gorgeous garden, in sunny November, I thought of this bright yellow dress that I'd made about a year ago. I LOVED it. So golden and bright, made from a linen tablecloth and a tea-towel, it was a gorgeous weight, and fitted really well because the top is cut on the bias. I modelled the design based on a 1950s vintage dress pattern, and I've made a few dresses from the same pattern because it's so darn great.
So we're having a brainstorming luncheon, to look through my fabrics, draw some pictures, and hopefully get started on something beautiful for her to wear on her extra-special day of love!

Babcia!

They've got to be Nannas, right? Well, before they took up residence as a pocket on this rather lovely, newly-completed (like, 10 minutes ago) olive-green corduroy skirt, these nannas were on a tea-towel which was made in Poland.

A little research reveals that the Polish word for grandma is "babcia", and so, the babcia skirt is named.

I do love to name a skirt. Sometimes I'll name a skirt if it particularly reminds me of a friend, or if, for some usually inexplicable reason, a name pops into my head while I'm sewing it. I once made a grey wool skirt with some gorgeous old red and white sailing boat buttons. It was called "Stormy seas" and remains, to this day, one of my favourite skirts I've ever made.

Rather a large number of skirts are Pearl-y, named for my love and muse, Genevieve, aka "Pearl". A couple of days ago I made quite a special little denim number, with panels of deco-esque poppies down the side. As I was piecing it, I was thinking to myself, "Pearl would LOVE this skirt". When it was finished, I thought "This is probably going to fit her perfectly". LIKE A GLOVE! Needless to say, that skirt will not be sold. It's staying right here in the tree-house. The point being, my friends are my inspiration and usually, if something is going to be perfect for them, I'll make it, without even realising, in their exact size. Spooky.

Honourable mentions

Well, here's an oldie but a goodie, posted after Cut + Paste festival last year. I was thrilled (!) as it was my first ever blog mention, and I thought that was cool... And the blog itself is cool... so check it out.

More recently, however, my holidays were made a little brighter (they were pretty bright to begin with - far South Coast op-shop adventures and swimming every day whilst eating all and sundry sweet treats and drinking healthy doses of Death in the Afternoon. The word that springs to mind is "awesome") by a mention on the Frankie blog, AND the absolutely gorgeous Frocks and Frou Frou.

The first time I read Frankie, I was a little affronted that a schmick, glossy magazine could be so perfectly pitched to ME. But then I got over my delusions of being too unique for a magazine publication and fell in love. Like my brother says, that magazine makes you wanna buy shit (on account of EVERY SINGLE THING in it being so frikking cool) so I was pretty much EXCITED that my boleros got a mention on the blog. Now if I can only get something into the magazine itself....

When Sally (Georgie Love) first told me about the lovely blog belonging to Lilli, I was in love. Apart from being GORGEOUS, Lilli is doing her bit for the larger ladies out there, looking totally hot and helping to spread the word about little designers like yours truly. When I heard she was a bit keen on P&E I decided to make her a skirt. The brief? "I was thinking the other day that I didn't have much in pink - so could we use that as a colour base? I also love your skirts with Australian birds and flowers on them, lol! Look, to be honest I love EVERYTHING you do, so I might be one of those annoying customers who goes "YOU choose!". When you think "pink" and you think "Australiana" the obvious choice is a Galah, is it not? Well it was to me, so I went with it, and was pretty happy with the result. But more importantly, Lilli was happy too.

Here's to pink birds. On tea-towels. That have been made into skirts. Worn by lovely lasses.

My nook, how I love thee

The situation of my sewing adventures: a corner of the bedroom, a marble-topped kitchen cupboard, a bunch of old baskets and suitcases, and a collection of owls. My beloved combi machine (yes, it's a sewing machine and overlocker in one!) sits atop a gorgeous table, acquired from thoughtful and very special friends, and I sit and sew, gazing out on the chicken coop. I think to myself: "How good is this!!??"



Mumma came to babysit the kids last week, and brought me some delights, including this fabric, which I'm VERY excited to work with...

Custom skirts now available from Georgie Love!

I am thrilled and excited, inside and out, to announce that you can now purchase your very own, custom-made P&E skirt from Georgie Love.

http://www.georgielove.com/product.php?productid=17672&cat=0&page=

Should you choose to proceed, a skirt will be HAND MADE by me, to your exact specifications: Colour, size, pockets, no pockets, rickrack, or no, frilly, tie-up, WHATEVER your heart desires. And it will fit you. Perfectly. It's a dream come true, right?