Travel: Mornington Peninsula

We had the in-laws visiting last weekend. Instead of sitting around Melbourne all weekend we decided to get out of town and visit the Mornington Peninsula. A quick look on Stayz and I found a house to rent that would sleep all six of us and had plenty of room to keep the boys happy. It was fabulous!

We visited the strawberry farm for fresh scones with jam and cream plus a much need caffeine boost. Unfortunately, it was the last day of the picking season so we didn't get to do the U-pick option. I did manage to buy some jam strawberries. 4kg for $20!! I now have 3 huge jars of homemade strawberry jam.

Besides our strawberry fix, we went to a few wineries and had lunch at Montalto. Which, by the way, is perfect for lunch if you have little ones. You can sit there sipping your wine in the sunshine, surrounded by the vegie patch, while the kids run riot of the huge patch of lawn. Just be sure to get in early!

We also went to Cape Schanck, Portsea and Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens. The maze was amazing and was surrounded by fabulous gardens. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time there, so I hope to get back there soon. I also want to try the Peninsula Hot Springs next time. An excuse to go back for a family weekend!

Travel Details
Destination: Mornington Peninsula
Accommodation: Alfresco House at Blairgowrie
Places to visit:

• Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm - beyond amazing strawberries!
• T'Gallant Winery - stocking up the wine cupboard 
• Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove - excellent pizzas, beautiful gardens and lots of space for running
• Cape Schanck
• Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens
• Peninsula Hot Springs (for next time)

Overall, a fabulous place to visit that I really hope to get back to soon. It was also a great place to visit with kids. Most wine and gourmet regions are not that kid-friendly but Mornington Peninsula was fabulous.

Before we hot-footed it down the freeway, I took my in-laws on a bit of a fabric and yarn shopping adventure. This involved my MIL and I leaving my FIL in the car with the kids while we had a "quick" look in Rathdowne, The Fabric Store and the new yarn shop on Smith Street, Yarn & Co. It was a fabulous afternoon. I managed to grab some fuschia pink wool for my Anise jacket and a few jerseys for t-shirts. I even subjected the in-laws to the Mr Burger truck for lunch! The. Best. Burger. Ever.

L x

PS. I just noticed on the Yarn & Co website that they do high tea!!

Meet: Sydney Sewing Social

Rachel (aka Boo Dogg) & I had a fabulous weekend in Sydney!! Of course we went to the Sydney Sewing Social but we also did some shopping and sightseeing. It was fantastic to spend a weekend away in good company and without the boys. Plus there was lots of Prosecco!

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast with the trendies (and my good friend Kate) in Surry Hills at Four Ate Five before taking Kate on her first ever fabric shopping mission at The Remnant Warehouse. For a beginner she had an exceptional eye for good fabric. I bought a few pieces on her advice and I am so happy with them.

On her way back in to the city, Kate dropped us off at the Dinosaur Designs Extinct Shop. This is the outlet shop for Dinosaur Designs and has lots of discontinued and excess stock items. You should all know by now I LOVE Dinosaur Designs. I have a large collection of necklaces, bangles and earrings. On entering the shop my heart was bounding and I was beyond excited. I ended up with a few pairs of earrings and some salad servers. Perfect!

 

From there it was on to The Fabric Store for a quick scope of the 50% off Sale before meeting everyone at Tessuti. I am so glad we did this as I found the most divine Lisa Ho red wool coating for my upcoming Lady Grey coat. It wasn't on special but it was beyond perfect so I decided to buy it then and there. Thank goodness, as it was all sold out by the time we returned a few hours later with the Sewing Social ladies.



We had a fabulous time with the Social Sewing ladies. We met in Tessuti before heading to The Fabric Store. Most people left us in The Fabric Store but the stayers all headed to The Clock Hotel for a well earned cold beverage and a good chat.

At the end of the afternoon there was Rachel of The Two Windmills, Christy of Little Betty Sews, Rachel of Boo Dogg & Me plus myself. We headed to Bills for dinner and some more Prosecco! There was great debate over which dessert was best. I think the lemon curd & raspberry trifle won. Overall it was a fabulous day!!

Sunday saw us at Adriano Zumbo cafe bright and early for pastries and coffee. With our 12 pack of macarons in tow, we headed to Circular Quay and the CBD for a wander.

We stayed at The Sebel in Surry Hills which was great. It was between The Fabric Store and Tessuti. What more could we ask for?!

I suppose you are all wondering what I bought on this epic trip to Sydney... I had a well defined list and bought all but one thing on the list. I also picked up two extra pieces which were too good to leave.

This is the beyond beautiful Lisa Ho red wool coating from The Fabric Store that will become a Lady Grey coat.

The denim is a lovely soft denim with a bit of stretch from The Remnant Warehouse for a pair of Juniper pants. The stripe will be a shorter McCalls 6559 with or without sleeves and the black/dark aubergine is for another Vogue 1250.

These lovelies are from Tessuti. I got a brilliant red lycra for a vintage inspired swimsuit and the She Read Red jersey for a draped Vogue 1159. 

These beauties will all become dresses. A few Simplicity 2444's (the black/white cotton from Tessuti and the purple/green from The Remnant Warehouse) and a few undecided patterns. I bought extra of a floral silk to line a future Anise Jacket.

So overall a beyond fabulous weekend which may have to become an annual event.

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

Sew: Vogue 1250

I made a new dress for the meet-up today. I cut it out early yesterday morning (I have an early riser) and sewed it up during Play School that afternoon. It took a total of about 2 hours. Seriously, this dress is quick!! I wore it today with my new Simplicity 2250 jacket, tights and boots.

Project Details
Pattern: Vogue 1250
Fabric: Remnant from Clegs
Alterations: Due to fabric limitations, I had to cut back top as two pieces and make a centreback seam. Next time, I probably need a sway back adjustment. 

The meet-up was fantastic. I would post the photos but I left my camera at the cafe. I do have a funny photo on my phone. The line up for buying fabric at Tessuti had scrum potential!

Everyone was very restrained in the fabric buying. Except me... I happened to be the first person to the remnant table. Fantastic! Want a peek in my shopping bag?

I will post the proper photos when I get my camera back. Thanks to Rachel for organising a fantastic day. Sydney next?!

L x

Review: Rathdowne Fabrics

Rathdowne Fabrics is a little to close to my house for my comfort. It is an easy walk and an easy place to spend a lot of money on fabric...

It is basically a big shed or warehouse full of fabulous fabric and notions. The ladies are lovely and the fabric is super easy to peruse. I really like how the fabrics are sorted according to type. Knits, swimwear, rib trim, craft cotton, corduroy, silk, dress, printed sateen... The list goes on.

If you're after t-shirt material, I've had great success at Rathdowne Fabrics. And out the back, there is a whole section of upholstery fabric.
Store Details
Store: Rathdowne Fabrics, 154-158 Victoria Street, Brunswick (near Lygon Street)
Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 8.00am - 4.30pm & Saturday 9.00am - 3.00pm.
Parking: Limited parking spots out the front but plenty of street parking. 
Access: It can be a bit tricky to get down the aisles with a pram, but there is plenty of room around the counter to park it.
Extras: Public transport options (Lygon & Sydney Road trams), good coffee around the corner on Lygon Street, near other fabric shops on Lygon Street (Clegs and GJ Fabrics), limited seating for uninterested shopping partners.

All in all it is a great shop with lovely and helpful service, a great selection of basic and fancy fabrics, a great knit selection, and a large range of notions and supplies. The only thing is it can be a bit hit and miss with the fabric (so you just have to come back again!)
This is what my latest haul looks like.

I've got a charcoal knit merino for another Renfrew, a spotted denim for a skirt, a textured spot knit for a casual tshirt, a lovely super soft Collette Dinnigan cotton for a Hazel dress (even though I don't have the pattern yet), some swimwear fabric for a new swimsuit for our upcoming Fiji holiday and a geometric cotton.

I'm not sure why this view from our back deck is one of my favourites but it is. Maybe it is something to do with the tin roofs, galvanised fence and autumn leaves.  You can see my fabric and elastic drying on the washing line.

Happy, happy days!

L x

To Market We Go

Our regular Sunday morning outing is a trip to the Queen Victoria Markets to do the weekly shop. After the shopping we have a coffee and some jam donuts and watch the kids climb over the statues... I love the markets!

My market top on this hot and blustery day is the freshly made Grainline Studio Tiny Pocket Tank (sans tiny pocket). This is a great simple pattern which took about 2 hours to make from cutting out the pattern to hemming (all whilst watching Playschool and Thomas!). It is a bit low in the neckline so I will raise this about an inch in my next version. I made the newly available size 18 but took the side seams in an extra 1cm. I could probably go down a size but I like it loose and cool.

Project Details
Pattern: Grainline Studio Tiny Pocket Tank
Fabric: Navy Hanataba Japanese Cotton from Tessuti Fabrics (remnant leftover from this dress)

On my sewing machine now is the Colette Patterns Ginger Skirt in a navy drill. I am also working on my Autumn/Winter Wardrobe plans, but it is a bit difficult in this heat.

What's on your sewing machine?

L x