Piccadilly Market

I might be borrowing a phrase from my friend Crayon Chick if I said, if it's the weekend, then it must be another market!

Just as well I love the chance to get out from my workroom and have a chat.

And Piccadilly Market is one of those where there'll be lots of market friends to catch up with, and maybe I'll see you there too.

I've got some new dresses hot off my machine. 

My love affair with Liberty fabrics continues still.

And a fresh batch of shirts!

So, that's November almost done

Another month almost passed, and you know what that means!

December will be here in a blink. Crikey.

So, what's been happening?

We had an overwhelmingly great day for our little market here on Cup Weekend.

The Bay & Beyond Market drew almost 1200 people through the doors, and we've had nothing but great feedback. So, roll on Cup Weekend 2014!

I'm welcoming a new stockist this week.

The delightful Miss Moss in Milton will be taking delivery of some little shirts just in time for Summer, which I'm certain has already arrived in sunny New South Wales. Lucky them.

We're mostly still waiting, although I did get my first dunk in the very cold waters of Bass Strait this week.

It did feel good to sit in the warm sun and have a paddle!

My life in pictures

Busy, busy, busy!

A lovely market day on Saturday, as always at the Maribyrnong Makers Market.

The weather was better than kind to us, and it was delightful to get out of the house and have a day with friends and lovely customers.

And now I'm getting ready for the Melbourne Finders Keepers.

More dresses, and shirts.

Which means there's been lots of scraps being tucked away to make new scarves.

These are great to make when my urge to patchwork is strong!

And it tides me over until I can get back to working on quilt number two.

Being absent

It's been a while since I've made an appearance here.

We've almost made it to the end of August, which is always a relief for me as I am most definitely not a lover of Winter.

Roll on Spring, with smells of blossom and freesias, mown grass, and enough warmth to ditch the socks and shoes in exchange for sandals! Yes, I'm ready!

In the meantime, here's a snapshot of what I've been up to.

Indulging in knitting a few tea cosies just for the pleasure of them. You can find these in the shop.

Sewing many, many dresses as special orders for lovely customers.

It's a pure pleasure to create something new that people love.

Finding time to work on a new shirt design for Spring and Summer. 

One of these is already in my own wardrobe. Occupational hazard!

And enjoying a day trip to the city to have a wonderfully long brunch with 2 very special Melbourne friends to celebrate all our birthdays!

We're having a heatwave

Today marks the 10th day in a row over 30c. And it's Autumn!

Our home is a fibro beach shack built around about 1970, which basically means it's as hot inside as it is out.

It's not too bad really.

I've got a fan to stir the air, my workroom is downstairs in the relative cool, and I've got some of the nicest beaches in the state right at my doorstep.

I've been bunking off every afternoon for a swim, the best way to cool down!

I'm reminding myself that Winters are long and cold and wet down here on the coast, and once this weather does turn, it'll be a long time before the next swim.

Still, I am kind of looking forward to giving a new shirt an outing!

Shirts in the shop!

For the first time in ages, I seem to have enough stock in hand to actually list some shirts in the shop!

Enough said!

Here they are.

A new shirt

There's been new Liberty fabrics arriving again this week.

And one of them came speaking of cooler days.

While I love February for the warm and settled weather, and all the afternoons we've been visiting our lovely local beaches for a swim, I couldn't ignore this fabric.

I sketched out an idea for something that would do justice to my favourite fabrics.

Simple and easy to wear.

A shirt tail hem, an idea I've been wanting to put into practice for a while.

And, so here is the result.

A new shirt!

Shirts, Saturdays, February

It's been more shirt making this week.

I did have a moment when I idly wondered how many I've made since I first tested out my design way back in May last year.

Too many to count? Maybe!

I'm never tired of them. There's beautiful new Liberty cottons arriving almost weekly at the moment to inspire me afresh.

One thing is certain this week - the big January holiday crush is over as fast as it arrived!

The holiday makers change from families to couples and lots of travellers from foreign lands this month.

I'm planning on another morning down at my local market tomorrow, and looking forward to a more relaxed pace with time for a coffee and a chat.

There might even be time for an afternoon on the beach this week too if I'm lucky!

Welcome to you February, I've been waiting for you!

Laying low

Hello!

December already?

I can't possibly bang on again about how time is flying at this business end of the year.

It feels like much longer ago than a week that I was at two fabulous markets in Melbourne and Geelong.

These shirts have truly come into their own now that Summer seems to be here.

I really love it when people love something as much as I do.

So, I've been busy working away with my favourite Liberty cotton lawns turning out more.

I'm working hard on getting my stocks up for my last Melbourne market of the year in a couple of weeks time, and then for the busy January in my home town.

Seriously, how good is that celadon green?

There might be one of those making it's way into my wardrobe....

.....to add to the three others that I haven't been able to resist already!

Sewing a rainbow

I've been spending the last week replenishing my stocks of little shirts after a fabulous Finders Keepers.

Did I tell you already how much I love making these?

And the satisfaction of seeing them all hanging together, like a colourful cotton rainbow of colour and pattern!

I'm always a little sad when a favourite fabric runs out.

I got the last shirt made using this Liberty pattern this week.

And using the last little bit of it, I finally realised there's a little elephant lurking in the flowers!

Can you see him?

Ah, Liberty. You are a constant source of delight!

I've got another order in for more of their delicious cottons, so there'll be a new favourite arriving soon.

Making

Only a week to go until another Melbourne Finders Keepers!

I do love this event.

It's huge, it's in the beautiful and historic Royal Exhibition Buildings, there's so many great designers, and live music as well.

I'll be trying to get out and catch up with some of my maker friends too. 

It feels like ages since I've got out from behind my sewing machine!

There's been lots of shirt making, and the arrival of a spur of the moment purchase of some truly beautiful smooth and silky cotton chambray kept me busy for a couple of days working on a new skirt design.

And here she is.

Of course, there's a bit of Liberty worked in. 

I can't help it!

Colour and pattern

I'm loving my Liberty cottons.

I finish one little shirt, and I'm onto another.

So far, they've all been one of a kind.

(Although, depending on how much of each fabric I have, I can do a repeat or two.)

Guaranteed to keep me interested, and itching to find that next combination of fabric colour and pattern!

A little Liberty for all

I love it when somehow I hit on something that everyone seems to like.

And, even better, I love making them too.

There's an endless number of fabric combinations lurking in my stash.

So much fun!

A big week

Time flies when you're having fun!

It's Wednesday afternoon already, and this last week's been busy.

I've had the pleasure of another custom order for not one, but two, lovely little shirts, that are today winging their way off to Switzerland. Fancy that! 

Every now and again there is a reminder that we live in a little global village after all.

In other happenings, my friend Sally and I have been dreaming up a new adventure.

We're jumping our market trestle tables to become market organisers, and after several very fun meetings over coffee, and quite a few phone conversations, we've hatched our baby!

The historic Apollo Bay Mechanics' Institute Hall is booked for Sunday, November 4.

That's Melbourne Cup weekend, a strange non-long weekend that usually is, with most people making a 4 day break after Winter by hooking up with the first Tuesday in November public holiday. 

We've set ourselves up a facebook page, and a blog.

Come over and take a look, and if you're a designer, maker, grower, or cook, perhaps you'd like to come down and join us?

The long and the short of it

One gorgeous Liberty fabric, two ways!

Trying to pick a favourite is impossible!

But, I have always been a bit partial to a polka dot.

Winter

Have you noticed the way the light is changing?

It's getting closer to the shortest day, and Winter is here.

I'm no fan of this season, but at least a sunny day or two makes it a bit easier.

In the city I could almost get through Winter in a bit of denial, but down here there's no central heating to take the chill off the house in the morning before I poke my toes out from under my doona, my workroom is a walk in fridge until I put the heater on down there and go away for half an hour, and the morning walk sees me heading out of the house rugged up in several layers, and a hat, gloves, and scarf are absolutely essential.

I'm slowly learning to dress properly for life down here in the chilly south, and much to my own amusement I've taken to wearing a singlet!

All that nagging I used to get as a child...

The days of June seem to have settled into a nice routine.

Mornings I've been pre-heating my workroom and getting a shirt or two made.

It's nice to be slowly building a good number of these gorgeous tops to be ready for a couple of markets in the next month, and then for Spring beyond, when the air will be a little warmer.

This one is another custom order - a total pleasure to make up in a fabric that is totally not in my usual colour palette, but so delicate and feminine.

Then in the afternoon I can happily come upstairs to keep knitting with the fire burning, and enjoy a bit of afternoon sunshine if I'm lucky!

The shirt off my back

Noticing a theme over here?

I can't seem to stay away from shirts, especially when I came home from the city with a bag of more Liberty from the fabulous Amitie Textiles store.

My afternoon spent chatting in there surrounded by bolts of colour and pattern proved too much for my willpower.

I was lucky enough to be a last minute dinner guest to farewell some friends of my hostess who are, as we speak, enjoying some Summer in Italy. That's hard to take on this freezing cold, gloomy, and wet afternoon, but I digress....

I happened to be wearing my little shirt with a cardi, and the girl leaving the very next day on a jet plane was so taken with it, she talked me into buying it from me. Literally, I've sold the shirt off my back!

I'm getting a little thrill thinking of it and she having happy times on a European Summer holiday.

This new one is a custom order, destined for the mail this week, but I'm loving the colours and combination so much, a twin may have to be my replacement.

A shirt a day

Ah, Liberty!

My favourite, I am so having one of these for my wardrobe.

Just a quick one today. I'm off to the city for a flying visit (but no market)!

But, I'm working on getting some more of these ready for my next Melbourne market on June 30.

Keep warm!

Off on a tangent

I never know just exactly when a new idea will present itself, or why!

Obviously, I'm on a kind of shirt roll, and the only thing to do is go with it.

I'm still waiting for my new Liberty fabric to arrive for the long sleeve shirts, so I had to raid my stash of smaller pieces to run with this idea. 

I'll be honest, the different fabric yoke wasn't really part of the plan, but I'm loving it.

I made one of these up for myself, and I've only just reluctantly put it in the wash this morning. 

Don't you love it when something new in your wardrobe becomes an instant favourite?

I know this is looking like a perfect little warm weather top, and it will be! 

But, I've been wearing mine with jeans and a cardi this week, and it's been perfect.

I only have a few to start with, and I'll bring them along to the Shirt & Skirt market this coming weekend to give them a whirl!

A breather

Hello and greetings from sunny Apollo Bay!

That's me yesterday, posing for the old bloke in the middle of a hilariously bad round of golf.

It's been months since we've been out together on the course, but the good weather demanded at least a few hours out of the house.

Just what I needed after what feels like months of busy market weeks.

I'm making plans for the rest of this week that includes pretty ordinary stuff like giving the house a proper clean, doing a little bit of gardening, and writing an overdue letter to my dearest and favourite Aunt.

It's nice to be taking a little bit of a break.

But, of course, there's always plans for making new stuff happening here too!

I had a last minute frenzy of shirt making before Magnolia Square last week, and the happy result has me waiting for some new gorgeous Liberty fabric to make some more...

In the meantime, I'll be making the most of this sunny Autumn week!