Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Learning New Things...

I love sewing and make lots of my own clothes, but I'm self taught and cannot follow a pattern. Usually I see something in a magazine, or have something already that I love and I just copy it. I wear pretty simple clothes! However, in April when I was over in Scotland visiting my parents, I bought a wee summer dress and I love it. I wear it all the time and eventually it's going to 'go'. I really wanted to make a copy, but it has smocking ( I think it's also called shirring? Is it even the same thing?) on the back and all the edges are finished with binding made from the fabric. Two things I have no idea how to do. However, I do have a lovely friend who is a clothes designer/maker who lives over in the Hokianga and she said "Come on over, I'll teach you, it's easy!" So I headed over there yesterday morning and had the most lovely day, sewing, eating scones, drinking tea and chattering. Then I came home and immediately went out to my sewing shed, which is really called The Pip because it's in the orchard. But I never remember to call it that! If you do go and look at the link I should be honest and tell you that it no longer looks as clean and tidy as those photos would have you believe - in fact it's total chaos!

However, it's still conducive to making things. I finished the dress in a couple of hours ( amazing what a difference a home made pattern made out of newspaper will do!)
And here it is...

Look at that lovely binding! ( Oh yes, I learned all about cutting on the bias)

Smocking! I could now smock till the cows come home.

Just before I was leaving, Carol said, "would you like some pink hydrangeas?" Would I! I have shades of blue, and a white one I bought, but our soil is not naturally what makes hydrangeas pink. I've just put a cutting in a pot so I can try to control the colour better - lime helps to keep them pink, something about the lime making them not absorb the aluminium in the soil because it raises the ph...Anyway, I now have a vase of gorgeous mixed hydrangeas. I love them!

15 comments:

  1. Laura, it's lovely! And so nice to look at pretty summer things when it's blinking freezing here! rxx

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  2. thanks Ruth! I must admit to absolutely loving it! Wonder what Mrs Stewart would think of all this sewing - considering how much I hated her class at school!!

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  3. Hi Laura, I'm still popping in to keep up with you goings on. Your dress looks lovely and how clever of you to learn how to smock. Now you can make one for every day of the week to wear all through summer. The fabric is so pretty too. Have a great Christmas. Maa

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  4. That is a beautiful dress, you did a great job making it. x

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  5. Aren't you clever, that looks so pretty. Stop by my blog fora give away.

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  6. Oh, so very pretty (the dress and the hydrangeas). Somewhere deep inside me is a girl who would love to be all pretty and wear a frock, if only the dominant jeans and farm boot girl would let her!

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  7. Oh Alison! I don't wear this as a dress! I'll wear it with jeans and wellies to do the garden in! I'm somewhere between a girly girl and a... boy!

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  8. Well done your dress looks so good. One lesson and you are away.
    Love the flowers.
    Hugs
    Kay

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  9. absolutely gorgeous frock, cos its floral and summery so that makes it a 'frock'....and those flowers, what is it about cut flowers that just makes your heart sing...I think I will buy some this week...cos my garden has none with little fingers picking all the time!

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  10. Anonymous5:05 pm

    The dress is gorgeous, so are the flowers.

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  11. What a pretty Blog post. Your dress is lovely, well done, and the colour of the flowers are beautiful.

    I've heard that if you bury some rusty nails at the bottom of the pot your pink ones will stay pink, I've never tried it though!!

    Sue xx

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  12. You are so my style...just heaps more stylish. Keep the fashion tips coming! XXX

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  13. Both the dress and hydrangeas are beautiful. Well done you!

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  14. That is fantastic! Smocking is something I really enjoy in a dress. I am, however the opposite in regards to patterns. I almost always sew with a pattern. I've tried to just "make it up" as I go a couple times...never with really satisfactory results.

    Good work on the dress.

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  15. Lovely, lovely!! Congratulations!

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I love it when you leave me comments, it lets me know there are folk out there reading my ramblings! Thank you, I appreciate them loads and loads
Laura x