So,I got my new labels. I thought they were lost over the Atlantic somewhere,but three weeks after they were posted they finally showed up.
I bought them from Jennifers Jewels on Etsy ,I really didn't know what I wanted for my new labels,I just knew I couldn't go on embroidering each one individually as it took waaaay too long.
Eventually I decided to stay with the shell theme and emailed Jennifer some watercolours I had done previously.She did the rest,and for a bargain price too.
I also finished my appliqued limited edition podeagi,but honestly they just haven't turned out as well as I thought they would. I'm not sure if it's just me losing interest in the project,but although I like them,I feel the finish isn't up to my usual standard so I've added them to my store for a bargain price.
Sometimes a project just doesn't quite go to plan,but I hope my next limited editions will be more successful.
I admit,I'm not keen on celebrating my birthdays,generally they either don't live up to expectation,or if they do I just get embarrssed.
Today I'm all too aware that the twelve month countdown has now started for my 40th!
Most of my friends are 40 already,and they all tell me the anticipation is so much worse than the reality.
For now,I should really try harder to enjoy being 39 (hmmm..)
I did get a new camera for my birthday....well kinda,it's really too expensive a gift for just me,so it's a family gift,and as it happens to be my birthday it's mostly mine.
It's a Nikon D40 I'm not confident as a photographer (bad experiences in college dark rooms) ,but I'm already impressed with the quality of the photos I've taken so far compared to my old compact camera.
Another work in progress.I've been playing with pattern drafting again .
The older children are back at school, the house is far too quiet,but at least I can finally start work on these limited edition podeagi.
OK, so here's the whole outfit! The event was a surprise 40th,and everyone was asked to go in outfits from 1968.
This is the only photo I'm going to add,cos I'm the least photogenic person on the planet...that or my darling husband deliberately takes every photo when I'm pulling a stupid face...or worse still I constantly am pulling silly faces!!!
I have to be careful now what I say about this first project. Lets just say I needed to make a vintage 1960's dress for a special occasion,and that occasion hasn't happened yet,so there will be more details and modelled pics in a few days time.
So all you get for now is the pattern (above) and the resulting dress (below)
I can say safely that's it's always interesting to use vintage patterns.This particular one came in a bundle from a friend. On first glance it's not so dissimilar to many tunic style dresses available to buy now in 2008,but the construction is so different.
These days a dress like this may be made of a stretch fabric,and would almost certainly be less fitted around the bust. There are six darts in the bodice of this pattern.Two at the front and four at the back.
I was very nervous making myself such a fitted dress,and I had to make a fair few adjustments to the pattern to fit my 21st century body.
I am on the whole pretty pleased with the results,though am slightly concerned that instead of looking like a cool 60's chick,I may just look like Mama Cass, who was cool in her own way,but not really what I was aiming for!
Moving on to project number two, which although it's not a vintage pattern,definitely has that vibe to it. The Emmeline Apron,Montessori by Hand.
This pattern caught my eye a while ago,it's so feminine and pretty,and I sometimes like to at least try to be pretty while cleaning up after my scally wags!
The apron is reversible,so if one side gets dirty,there's still the other side to wear.
It goes perfectly with these shoes ,and surely everybody knows that wearing great shoes while cleaning the kitchen floor makes the whole task so much more appealing!
