BdF Update and Fabric Dive Enabler Alert

Clearly on day release from the Zoo.Postings on blog, whatever next.I had planned a "sweatshop" weekend sewing like a loonie , but have done zilch.Oh well.

Local Enabler Alert for Locals and Londoners
The fabric dive, Material World have just cleared out stock from "The famous British Plaid company "factory ends.

The " Plaid" lining
Plaid bias binding in cotton and silk .
Buttons with crests, other button assortments.
Fantastic selection of Italian wools , linens , and the trench cotton used for their summer pants , skirts and trench dresses.
Gutermann silk buttonhole on 10m and 50m spools.Extremely rare on the retail market.
As ever NAVY.....................just a customer

Bergere De France Update
The post including details on their Cd generated some blog traffic.
Article # for them are
2006/2007 ; #119.771
2005/2006: #691.331
2004/2005: #655.491
2003/2004: still available just not listed on the website.Contact me for details

As I have just been astonished by the generosity of an online knitter in locating a sought after Knitting Machine( more when it arrives next week) I will be ordering bits from with BdF this week .
Done , just waiting for postie with my colieco

Easy Unlined Jacket? That,s telling porkies

If one is told that making an unlined jacket is easy,Abi says that,s porkies ( cockney slang for lies.Porkie pies ?get it)
I line most of my garments, even line/cotton summer togs.I had just finished a duo , skirt and jacket combo in a silk/linen/tencel fabric.
Yummy colour , feel and drape but not suited for anything structured.
Unlined jacket.Yikes , with the overlocked seam edges exposed.
No I dont think so. Not very pretty

The alternative was to draft a half back lining , front part lining by extending the front facing to match at side seam similar to armhole chest piece or plastron.
Description and details for drafting the lining pieces can be found in Singer Tailoring or Taunton Press Easy guide to lining( I dont advocate blatant copyright violations)
Fusible knit interfacing cut to match the lining pieces, shaving away 2 cmm at outer edges, with pinking shears to soften /reduce strike through.

HongKong finish on every exposed seam edge tadded a few hours to project.Lucky I had Ambiance lining bias roll( from Paul Costeloe factory sale)
Perhaps twice or thrice as long as it would have taken to sew a full lining.

MORALE EASY IS NOT ALWAYS FASTER

Soon Come, Soon Come, ? Soon Come

Soon Come , pidgin way of saying "I'll right back in a jiffy"
Sewing , Knitting , Looking at and Gleaning details from RTW, and the rest of life , just not in the mood to blog.

Line drawing above , a couple of the dozen or so garments I have finished in the past four weeks.Just need to find the will and time to put up pictures

Bad news from Burda Publishing.Verena and Anna and its special publications have been axed.
German link to Burda website forum with the editorial team fielding questions
Carry on whingeing about Burda WOF .....................................................

Great ( new to me) Sew-4-Fun blog with an excellent primer on Topstitching.Bonus is that the lady sews on the same machine brand I use.
Ciao

Back in Time for Tea

Had a fabulous time at the Sewing for Pleasure Expo at the NEC last saturday.
Arrived in Birmingham pronto and made a quick dash to Giesse Scampoli at the St Andrews Retail Park.Notions, interfacings and buttons, made small talk in Italian and 50 minutes later worked my way to the NEC.
Loved the Knitted Garden complete with a tea party in progress.
Met the knitters from the Guild and Liberty Knitting Group and learnt to properly finger knit.Very cool , will be able to teach my lilnneens.
This particular show is probably the best of the current UK ones for dressmaker.Well worth attending.
Some of the highlights were
Sewing Today ( Vogue , Butterick, McCall's Patterns) Workshops
Sewing World Magazine dressmaking forums.
I attended two workshops( welt pockets, all in one dress facings) lecture on fit/fabrics.
Pattern fitting clinic .
The main British sewing educators including Gill Arnold , Lorna Knight ,Janet Moville, Alison Smith, Michelle Pye.
Update on the Terry Fox method speed tailoring.
Great Fashion show .
Fabrics : loads ( none for me though) Spent time chatting with Mrs Duffy and team on the Linton Tweed stand, Geoff at M Rosenberg & son, Danny at Giesse Scampoli.
Great yarn deals at Black Sheep , Riverside Spinning, Web of Wool .
Knitting Clinic by Rowan/Patons from Coats.
Sewing machines purring , Embellishers galore with very competitive show discounts.None for me at least on this side of the pond.
.
Did I make any purchase??? No big tag items
Nifty hoestmass, a self retaining tape measure from Germany
Presser feet from Husqvarna Viking Studio
Lingerie findings
Tailoring stuff( interfacing , and assortment of shaping tapes) from English Couture Stand
NO YARN NO YARN NO YARN
FABRICS ?????? *************
Didn't get sucked into some dodgy magazine subscription laced with useless gifts.
Goody bags with great notions , samples ,brochures catalogues and

I am back to the usual , trying to play catch up with a very hectic schedule.

Catch up sewing update???

The picture above was taken almost two weeks ago , something along the lines of loving the postie with brown envelopes and the blue sticker bearing par avion or Airmail usually indicates goodies.And no exception this time.More poignant as the Patrones magazine and Vogue Miyake pattern landed with a wishwashyesque Interweave Knits and worse , more ghastly( not really) professional titles.
Thank you very much Marita &Sue.
Well mandatory medical journals added to the almost tottering pile meant catch up in the real world beckoned.
Have done a fair amount of sewing over the winter , mainly basics and replacements.
Dodgy Internet access and a dressmaker dummy recovering( or not) from a botched nip and tuck and the lack of time to post drivel......................
Brown/pink plaid bias skirt with back fishtail .Pattern OOP McCalls
BWOF 10/2006 jacket

Sunny sunny day in London , but wool boucle coat needs to be finished

Back Home lugging my designer( laundry )bag

Back in London , maybe not lugging the above Louis Vuitton S/S 2007 bag.
In london it was the buzz before Xmas 06 , now it is mainstream( on UK telly , forums , chat shows ) so very very passe.
Just that my niece in Canada saw pictures in a glossie and was absolutely horrified at the price.
She rolled her eyes and asked what was so different from the half a dozen or so in the attic???
Search online will bring up many posts about the bags , blah blah blah.
We know them as laundry bags in the UK, West African label it as " Ghana must go" a very demeaning referral to luggage used when there was a mass Ghanian deportation form a neigbouring WAfrican country about two decades or so ago.Safe to say street cred down the tube if sported on that subcontinent
The designer MJ in a recent magazine article was quoted as saying" The aesthetics of the design team is reverse snobbery.The clever irony of the laundry bag being a prime example, but the fact that it is finished in exquisite leather elevated it to luxury status".
Me thinks he is taking the mickey.

Six flights, many hours in executive lounges, three time zones , differing weather systems, professional meetings and talks , luxury spa and ski chalet( not piste).I am knackered and need to try and play catch up.
Thanks to all that popped by Bleaksville and left comments.
Have a great weekend

Hand Crafted for me

Precious.
Happy Valentines's Day

Currently away on a field trip.

Not been anywhere near this or any other cybersite for some time.
Currently a few thousand miles from base , for the last week and the next too.Closer to eskimos and polar bears than mirages and oases.
Spending some time in Canada on a work trip, then off to a spa for a few days .
After that the ski slopes beckon, more apres ski and hot drinks all day long for me than the ski piste.

Nothing to do with sewing knitting , fashion or crafts.I could come up with some half baked crap , about travel wardrobe choices, fashion spotting .........

Spending time in airports / lounges connecting a zillion flights means I have read many fashion magazines in the past ten days.And I am still convinced they are a complete waste of money and time.
A detour to a bigger Canadian city to look at yarns and sundries if time allows .
Back to London in the next week
A bientot