Hello you, if you’re new around here let me fill you in on my goings on, I contribute to The Sew Weekly, sewing up the challenge put forward every week. It’s fun and keeps the creative juices flowing. A couple of months ago we had a Nature Challenge I was eager to show you my favourite Santuary -The William Ricketts Sanctuary? Last weekend Hubby and I managed to pop up there to get some photo’s for this weeks handmadey, I figured, because we are sewing with the colour blue this week the sanctuaries backdrop would complement the outfit nicely.

I’ve self drafted separates this week; our weather is slowly— but certainly not steadily rising in temperature so I’m thinking about my spring/summer wardrobe, I’m trying to get excited about the up and coming seasons, sorting and sourcing patterns a fabrics to accommodate where I want to head, stylewise. I want to be comfortable and colourful with a bit of spunk in my swagger. My hair is at that shit stage, I’m looking a lot like a cross between Jackson Browne and Rufus Wainright underneath these turbans. I’ve been trying to grow out my fringe I’ve had since birth, it’s been a long and tedious task and I have no idea where I’m heading so it could be all for nothing. Anyway, onto more pressing matters…

…this weeks garment may look like a maxi dress however, I have managed to draft me up some separates, I like the idea of teaming the top with pants or the skirt with a different top, more versatility, the skirt is just a long A-line with side zip and facing for the waistband, french seams with the hem serged and turned under, all pressed down neatly so, not much else to tell you there. The top I played around draping the fabric over the dressmaker dummy pinning into place until I was happy with a shape. What I ended up with was two long rectangle pieces with a series of sown down pleats in the centre which sits on the shoulder and then crosses over the body and is sewn up at the side seam. So, when you are getting dressed you place one piece over your head from the right placing your arm through and then place the other piece over from the left so it crosses over and drapes like that in the picture.

Because of the nature of the fabric— which I’m fairly certain is a polyester blend the fabric sits quite nicely and doesn’t swing around revealing any side boob. There’s no static and no wrinkles so no complaints there. Admittedly, the fabric did look all lonely laying there and I kinda felt sorry for it, you know the saying blue and green should never be seen? I thought I’d give it a chance to express it’s self here. It’s a whole lotta print and my hubby re-assured me that I did not look like Agnes Moorehead from Bewitched in one of her psychedelic frocks. I felt it was a thin line when I first stepped into it but after dressing it up with some accessories and walking around the sanctuary and then to the grocery shop we kinda became one.

If you ever do visit my neck of the woods-Victoria. Make your way to this lovely spot, you wont regret it and you too can stand next to one of Rickett’s statues and smile in your handmade ensemble.

I’ll call this one April Fool after one of Patti Smiths songs from her new album Banga which I’m loving. I recently finished reading Just Kids, such a magic book, I’m still carrying it around in my bag, I’m just not ready to let go.

Today I’m making knickers, panties, unmentionables whatever you want to call them, I’m going to annoy the family with super loud playings of Antony and The Johnsons and then we are off to take some piccy’s for next weeks challenge and I may even treat myself to a full glass of red this afternoon as I sift through the epic thickness of Vogues September issue.

See you next week.

Happy Sewing.