August 2019
Hello!
Hope all is well with you and your sewing life.
If you've been reading my blog during July you'lI know I sewed a Tuta, the forerunner of what we now call the jumpsuit (the pattern is in the final post if you'd like to try it). I wore it on the weekend and felt really comfortable and smart.
Lots of nice behind-the-scenes things happened with this project:
I connected with a patternmaker in the USA who was doing one too (he's still going with his).
I had the privilege of corresponding with the curator of they Thayaht/RAM archive when I emailed to ask permission to reproduce the original pattern diagram. The curator also happenes to be Thayaht's nephew and kindly answered all my questions as well as giving permission. We're now facebook friends. This made me glad I had asked rather than just taken a picture off the web (not that I would have). We sometimes see copyright as a hassle but honouring it can bear unexpected fruit.
Some things you might enjoy
If you don't have the time or means to visit the Mary Quant exhibition in London, you may like to download the free Mary Quant mini dress pattern from the V&A's website.
Take a look at Barbie's instagram.
Read about two women preparing to photograph knitted lace at the Shetland museum.
Medieval shoe fashion fads: the ridiculously long poulains.
While researching jumpsuits for my blog, I came across 68 of the jumpsuits Elvis wore on stage during the 1970's (some are two piece though, so not technically jumpsuits in my books). There's some incredible embellishment.
Want a good laugh? Tiffany Beveridge made a Pinterest page called My Imaginary Well-Dressed Toddler Daughter. The imaginary daughter's name is Quinoa, and she has friends with names like Boursin, Chayote and Gazpacho. Kid's fashion pictures are given new captions describing Quinoa's life.
Lots of interesting facts about plaid and links to plaid websites can be found here.
In book news...
Some of you know I'm writing a new book, containing sewing projects. Looks like it will be finished in October/November with a publishing date sometime in March. I can't wait to show you!
On the blog archive
Need short amounts of bias for piping or rouleau and have an old necktie? Cut up the tie - even ugly ties can yield beautiful trims.
Some tips for sewing corduroy, including pre-shrinking advice, are here (scroll down to the end).
Pop-up sewing classes
For those in the Clare Valley area, there are just a few pop-up sewing classes this term:
August
Tuesday 27th 9am-noon, 12.30pm-3.30pm
Thursday 29th 9am-noon, 12.30pm-3.30pm
Saturday 31st 1pm-4pm
September
Tuesday 3rd 9am-noon, 12.30pm-3.30pm
Thursday 5th 9am-noon, 12.30pm-3.30pm
Saturday 7th 1pm-4pm
Venue: Clare Uniting Church, Victoria Road. Parking and entry at rear off Guilford St
Cost: $35 per three hour session
More details are here.
To book, just reply to this email. I'd love to hear from you!
Showtime
Do you live in Adelaide? While entries for the Royal Adelaide Show have already closed, the handicrafts promise to be very interesting. There's a theme of Victoriana celebrating 200 years since Queen Victoria's birth.
The one-day Clare Show is on the 19th of October. Consider entering your sewing or handicrafts to support this event. I entered last year and suspect there were very few, if any, other entrants in my category.
If you're a new newsletter subscriber, Welcome!
For regular readers, please enjoy the free backpack pattern available to new subscribers:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6fd43af92118daacff1ddf3d4/files/d36ec3cb-240e-43f0-9586-415e6d07b520/The_3_hour_backpack_instructions.pdf
Wishing you a creative and productive week,
Cheers!
Liz