Sew Happy at last!

My mother was an excellent, creative seamstress, and I grew up familiar with sewing machines, specifically the heavy-duty Singer that Dad gave her as a wedding present in 1956.

This machine still works beautifully, and at the age of 80 she still uses it to do small repair jobs and to alter clothing to fit. Very recently she had it lovingly serviced by Henderson's at Chermside in Brisbane, and she feels it's working better than ever. 

Mum used to make her own clothes before she was married, whipping up dresses for dances with a wing and a prayer, literally, as she had no time for patterns or conventions. And yet she understood all about cutting on the bias and how to drape fabrics. A genuine creative.

I learned to sew on this machine, but believe me when I say that I was an absolute disaster at it - to the extent that my mother's heart was always in her mouth when I went to work, wondering if her precious machine would survive. Not one of life's naturals, by any stretch of the imagination! Which just goes to show that where there's life there's hope, and it IS possible to teach a more mature dog new tricks, so to speak. Unlike my mum, I used patterns, which I didn't always understand, nor have the patience to follow when I did, and my frustration with the results lead to vigorous arguments with Sally Singer. Finally, leaving a trail of threads and scraps all over Dad's study where the sewing machine lived in those days, I was banned...a relief to me, Mum, and the sewing machine no doubt!

Which didn't stop me feeling a need to sew. When my boys were born I made tentative steps back into the sewing world with a little basic Janome, a pile of Top Kids magazines, and the strangely sparse retail fabric world of Queensland in the 1980's. 

My sons got to wear some interesting dressing gowns and jackets as toddlers: the best attempt I could make at the cool world of German children's fashion meets Saved by the Bell.

The need was definitely there; I just hadn't found the skills (or, it has to be said, the resources) at that stage to meet my aspirations.

Fast forward to 2007, when my sister gave me a new sewing machine for my [mumble]-th birthday.

In fact, a sewing machine is the last thing that she would have thought to give me, but as she lives in London she gave me cash and I chose to buy a new sewing machine...traded in the rackety old Janome which I couldn't even remember how to thread, and replaced it with a shiny new Janome complete with instruction book, tool kit, and a determination on my part to finally master my demons!

This is actually the second machine of the modern era, a step-up after I began to feel confident that my skill set was up to the mark and my present-day sewing interest was a lasting phenomena. There is a crafters' bumper sticker that reads "my other car is a sewing machine", which is very apt, as my new car fund went towards the more recent purchase (although that wasn't generally known en famille until some time later).

After many decades of struggling I came out of the shade and into the light with my sister's gift 5 years ago and began to master the art of sewing. Number one reason for that I think is that I am a much more patient person that I was at 15 or 25...I will pull out a seam and re-do when I mess it up these days; I will make something and then do it all again, better, in the interests of mastering a skill; I will devote a day and a half, or as long as it takes, to finishing something properly.

Number two reason though is that this century we actually have the most wonderful array of fabrics and notions available to us, here in Australia, and on-line as well, so that creativity is never stunted by a void of resources. And that makes it worth getting the nitty-gritty sorted, big time!

These days I love fabric, I love clever patterns, I love opportunities to improvise and be creative, and I love my sewing machine...never thought that I'd ever say that!

I have just delivered some goodies to Rosemont Collectables in Lismore, NSW, where I have rented Candace's shop window for the month of September. These little dresses are hopefully testament to my present day ability with Dear Machine, and the cushions illustrate an even more recently acquired (if not yet mastered) skill in crochet.

Until next time, have great weeks...

Steph xx

Winter in Brissieland!

This lovely shot, not just of wimcee's market stall but also of the idyllic setting St Augustine's provides, especially in winter, comes courtesy of Bristylette Sandrine. Such was the July BrisStyle indie Designers Market - wonderful weather, green lawns, delightful shoppers, exceptional colleagues, seamless organization  from the volunteer BrisStyle committee.

My next market is my first Billycart Market, a hugely successful hand-made only market from southern states that this year is extending to Queensland. This takes place on July 30th, 9am - 2pm, at northside Sandgate - can't wait!

Also looking forward very much to holding some workshops with the newly opened piece together , a sewing studio, meeting place and retailer in the Woolloongabba Antique Precinct, rubbing shoulders with some of the funkiest stores and swankiest cafes in town...lots of fun to be associated with this venture, and with the creative brains behind it all, the lovely Tammy!



Loving having a few weeks off from the markets to play around with some new fabrics and new ideas. I have just delivered new pouches to Hanasho at West End, and I'll be contributing to their special fundraiser exhibition during the first week of August, so do please visit and support this very worthwhile cause - there will be a great many donated items and all funds raised will got to help the Japanese earthquake victims.

And, finally for this post, a peak at some of the new brooches I'll be dropping into my little cube at Bleeding Heart gallery-gift shop-cafe on Ann Street in the city.

Until next time, 

see you later alligators!

Asset-less!

Not really - one only has to reflect for about 2 seconds on the lot of so many locally affected by floods and cyclone, not to mention further away catastrophes this year - but a little robbery at home has left me without my laptop, my camera, and our second set of wheels, which did feel a bit personal at the time and has kept me on my toes for the past 6 weeks chasing up bits and pieces of insurance claims. (Photograph your techno treasures, reader dear, and then keep the photos somewhere other than on your laptop!) Did anyone say: "back up"? One moves on, but it's hard to blog without images, so I'm going to resort to my pinterest boards to liven up this post.

Pinterest is a site for cyber pin boards - collections of images. For someone who makes a full time occupation out of collecting images in hard copy it's one of my favourite down-time past-times to go on a hunt for a new pinboard on pinterest, my own or someone else's. My latest has been 'fibrication' - things crocheted or knitted, for example:

the knitted wedding party from Elizabeth Anne Designs

Check out Pinterest for further collections of images from across the world.

News for wimcee is that I will be joining the wonderful collective of hand-madees again at the BrisStyle indie Designers Market, the first day-time market that they have held for 2011, on July 9th. Get all the details from BrisStyle at BrisStyle on Facebook

One of the beautiful resin necklaces from BrisStyler,  Strat Designs, who will be at the July BiDM.

And immediately following the BiDM, Piece Together will be launched on July 11th, a wonderful initiative from some of Brisbane's super sewers and craftees, which will offer sewing and crafting workshops for all levels as well as a gift shop and gallery space, and embracing the lost arts of handiwork combined with an environmentally friendly ethos. Wimcee will be providing workshops in bag-making and embellishment, but there will be a range of opportunities to learn skills and develop interests at piecetogether 

Insurance front suggests that I may be getting my camera back shortly so hopefully back to more reliable blogging soon. Apologies in the interim!

Work space

I have just read somewhere that one of the most important things to do if you want to create via sewing is to keep an organised work space.

Hmmm.

I try.



I have numerous units from IKEA with wire baskets filled with colour-coded or texture-coded fabrics; plastic trays with various braids, tools, beads and so on; even paper patterns semi-sorted into type, market gear stacked up in crates according to type and importance, magazines and books in shelves, clothing hung on racks....

But when I really get going the organisation goes out the window and my work space quickly becomes a jumble of everything I am using or have used in the last couple of days, all at arm's reach, and so it goes until the jumble threatens to frustrate even me, penetrate the zone I'm in...I can no longer find any of the four pairs of scissors I've been using,  nor either of my two current seam rippers, and buttons and braid have been swallowed up by bottomless piles of fabric scraps. So a half day is sacrificed to tidying it all up again...and here we go round the mulberry bush all over again.

Not efficient, but this is the way I work, and it probably works as well as anything for me. I've even stopped being embarrassed about it, mostly -  people may as well know what my husband copes with, generally with great patience and good humour!

Wimcee will be at the Mamma's Market again this coming Saturday, April 2nd., and I am hoping for a really lovely Autumn day, because as beautiful as Buderim can be in the rain it really was tough on those how came out last time in the deluge, so time for a bit of sunshine!

BiECO-lossal!

reconstituted woollies ready for the BiECO

wimcee's next market is something very different - brisStyle's first ever eco market, on Saturday July 10th, at St Augustine's church hall and grounds on Racecourse Road, Ascot. Local etsians will be amazing us all with a wide range of upcycled, repurposed and vintage wares. While most of my usual stock is made from new fabrics and fibres, I have previously offered a few eco-friendly pieces, so the BiECO is a wonderful opportunity to devote extra time and energy to upcycled denims, reconstituted and embellished woollies, and all manner of wimcee-cal numbers put together from my supply of vintage fabrics, buttons, ribbons, trims and scraps. As usual, just never quite enough hours in the day and days in the week to make good all the ideas I'd like to try out, but so much fun -!

Easing into Easter

Some upcycled coats and skirts in the works, ready for the BiTM - BrisStyle indie Twilight Market - coming your way if you are local, the very first ever to take place in Brisbane's King George Square on April 30th.

And some pretty cute woolly hats taking shape if I do say so myself...almost cool enough to knit again, and the summer cold that's lingered here makes knitting such a nice option.