How To :: Creating the Perfect Workshop Space

Regardless of what workshop/class you are considering conducting

if you never do anything else

I would strongly suggest

not to sit participants at separate tables

I learnt this lesson years ago 

and was reminded of it when I saw an image of someone elses sewing class on bookface

- everyone was sitting at their own tables

 looking very serious & sombre

at one stage yesterday I wandered round the corner of the Studio from a trip out the back

straight into a frothy cloud of laughter & chatter 

the girls in my full-to-bursting Saturday morning class

are more than capable of creating their many & varied projects in this atmosphere

l-r Kate, Sue, Bron, Bree, Georgie, Jeanette

and as long as there's room to 

move around

do a bit of fabric shopping, make a cuppa & cut out projects

you have created the perfect workshop space

although 

a bit more room would be nice....

The Power of Positive Thinking

Just a little reminder 
to look out for those fish...

[source - advanced style]

In the Studio :: Fabric DEstashing

I've done it before

removed all my filed fabric from behind cupboard doors

then refolded, colour coded, matched fabric types
and returned them

not this time

most of them aren't going back
they're going to be measured, labeled & priced
and eventually [hopefully] they'll make their way to other peoples cupboards

could be your cupboard....

but don't hold your breathe 
it's taken me 2 days to get 3 ready to go
as typically I'm having trouble parting with any of them.

Op Shop Rescue :: Local Label Love

I have long admired Anthea Carboni

her talent is limitless

and her gentle persistent generous resolve

is enviable

finding one of her gorgeous Yuniko pieces
in brand-new-label-still-attached condition 

at the local Op Shop

rates as one of my more memorable 

Op Shopping Treasure Rescues

 and the fact that it suits my loose layering style

means it's a new wardrobe favourite!

****I contacted Anthea before sharing my joy just to make sure she was okay with me sharing and it wasn't a problem.

  

Fashion Predictions for 2000 from 1939.

Little did they know the fashions from 1939
would never go out of fashion...

What's on Sally :: Silk & Sequins Shirt & Skirt

As I contemplate stepping back from workshops for the whole of next Term

I started to freak out about not having any images to share over that time

turns out I have enough images of past REinvents 
to keep us going for a few years Terms

not that I would consider opting-out for that long

I found these couple of older REinvents 

I recently REphotographed

***Everything you are about to see has been
Op Shop sourced.

The Alannah Hill silk & sequin shrug 
was big enough for a toddler
and because I wanted to wear it
the sides were carefully unpicked and opened 
the finished edges from a filed garment were added to the openings for width 
and along the hem edge for length

the Rag Rose Brooch was created for another garment entirely 

that's the beauty of brooches
they're versatile.

To date I have only ever worn it over this

Shirt & Skirt Frock REinvent

I liked how you could dress it up or dress it down

The bodice of the Frock

is the reverse of a shirt

and the skirt of the Frock 

is the Skirt 'as is'

all I've done to change the skirt [apart from attach it to the bodice] 

is add the fronts of the shirt to disguise & level out the original shaped skirt hem

and the straps came out of the shirt sleeves.

There weren't many left-overs from this REinvent.

Furniture Fudging

Is there a term to explain 
when a certain item of furniture is used for a different purpose 
than it was originally designed...?

I'm calling it 
Furniture Fudging


for a very long time I've thought

a vintage kitchenette

would make a great linen cupboard

 and I was right.

Feeling Better One Hand Stitch at a Time

Apologies for blogging being a little light on lately

I've been preoccupied 

 neighbours are building next door

we're planting trees in the hope of camouflaging the neighbours & their building 

a hard to shake illness

disrupted workshops due to illness

family comings & goings

big birthdays

high school specialist program tests

creating for myself and treasure rescuing has also been neglected 

however not entirely

at the end of the day I find myself yearning for my happy place 

 on the end of the couch 

with a full Frippery Tray & threaded hand needles

  I'm currently obsessed with woollen petals

  that's because I've run out of my favourite doilies

 

I'm also rapidly filling every available space with them.

Change your Words Change your World

An interesting way to get a powerful message across...