Meet: Melbourne Sewists

What better way to spend your Saturday afternoon than with a few friends fabric shopping, talking all things sewing, drinking beer and eating pizza?! Seriously I was in heaven. We met at The Fabric Store on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy and then proceeded on down the street to the Alannah Hill & Gorman fabric outlet, before grabbing a table at Little Creatures Beer Hall. A lovely afternoon with lovely people.

I had sneakily been to The Fabric Store on Thursday as my mother-in-law is in town from Toowoomba and asked if we could go to a decent fabric shop. I'd grabbed two gorgeous pieces on Thursday but had my eye on the Marc Jacobs leaf print. So that was the first thing I grabbed when I went back on Saturday to meet my fellow Melbourne sewists. I then mentioned to the lady that I was after a bright coloured stretch cotton to make another pair of Clovers. She reappeared about 10 minutes later with a fabulous bright orange stretch cotton drill. Perfect!

I'd never been to the Alannah Hill fabric outlet as it involves stairs and I usually have the boys and a pram with me. So I was keen to check it out. You have to be prepared to put some work in to finding the good stuff but I did spot a Liberty jersey and an amazing red wool crepe from Alannah Hill.

In the photo we have my recent fabric purchases. On the top we have a printed cotton sateen from Spotlight (my local is closing down so I had to buy something!), I'm going to make Vogue 8667. Then we have the orange stretch drill for a pair of clovers and the Marc Jacobs leaf print cotton/silk for a Grainline Scout Tee. The red wool crepe is for Vogue 8787 with the cowl neckline. On the bottom is a silk print for a Colette Sencha, a Marc Jacobs cotton sateen for another New Look 6000 and the Liberty Jersey for a few pairs of undies.

So much for my "No more fabric!" pledge... Time to fire up the machines and get sewing!!

Thanks ladies for a fabulous Saturday. Lets do it again soon.

L x

Meet: Melbourne Sewists

On Saturday, Rachel organised a sewing meet-up in the city. Any interested parties met in Tessuti for a spot of shopping before descending on Federation Square for a few drinks. It was a fabulous afternoon and it certainly has been a long time since I rode the train home on a Saturday night with a few drinks under my belt!! One of the best things about meeting fellow sewing enthusiasts is talking in pattern numbers. Fantastic!



Most people were sewing bloggers but there were a few non-bloggers who came along. Here's the attendance list!

Rocket Sews - Kirsty
The Two Windmills - Rachel
Little Betty - Christy
Funkbunny's  Kitchen Garden - Helen
Bella's Collectanea of Sewing - Belle
The Perfect Nose - TJ
Sew Squirrel - Sarah
My Messings - Rachel
All the Whimsical Things - Kat
Sew Love Red - Robyn
Thornberry - Lara
Seamstress: Poppykettle - Melanie
Boo Dogg & Me - Rachel
Catherine
Sue A
Anna
Heather

Apologies if I missed anyone.

It was a fabulous afternoon and I hope to do it again soon.

Now, on to my fabric selections. I am documenting them here now so Christy (aka Little Betty) does not claim them as her own ideas!!

These three pieces will become my Freddie vest. Rachel & I are doing the class at Tessuti in a few weeks. From left to right we have a double sided linen for the front, a metallic cotton fabric from a dud skirt for the back, and a bit of rockstar (bronze & black print) for the lining.

On my list I had the washed linen in a gold beige for a Simplicity 2443 jacket. The green floral is a wool blend that I found in the remnant bin. It has a lovely drape. Not sure what it will be. Any suggestions??

A jersey called Under Fire for another Vogue DKNY 1027.

And another remnant bin find, a hot pink knit which will become a Drape Drape dress of some description.

All together a super successful shopping trip with some good times thrown in.

L x

Explore: Napoleon at NGV

Mr Sew Brunswick is in Canada for the week, working and hiking and hopefully avoiding bears... To keep me company my mum came down from sunny Queensland to visit. I am sure she is looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet after a week in my household.

High on our list for the week was a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Napoleon: Revolution to Empire exhibition. I highly recommend this exhibition. It is truly amazing. The audio tour is exceptional. We took it in turns to see the exhibition and mind the boys. They don't appreciate the art but they do enjoy the NGV Kids Space.  

After my turn in the exhibition and a picnic in the NGV gardens, I wandered over to Federation Square and the other part of the NGV whilst the boys napped in the pram. It was a beautiful winters day. 

A lot of people don't like winter in Melbourne. I think it might be my favourite season. For many, many reasons. Boots, jackets, leggings, football, gallery visits, museum exhibitions and hot coffee on a cold winters morning. Just to name a few!

PS. Clegs is having a half price remnant sale!! I got a few sneaky bargains on the way past.

L x