(this post has been in my drafts since July 2022 due to life circumstances. I'm just going to write just a little and then just show some photos)  My friend worked on a Superyacht for many years and through this connection was offered a friends and family deal on a river cruise in Europe. It was a deal too good to miss even though it wouldn't have been a first choice for me for a holiday. She had done this trip before but during the winter  taking in the Christmas markets. We were going in June 2022. We decided to have 5 nights in Paris (where I'd been 5 times before) and ..read more

With some time at home, I've been sewing a bit lately and I finally had time to make the bikinis for my son's girlfriend for her birthday. I cut them out in February from some scrap fabric my friend gave me. I made my son some swimmers  and I see someone has some for sale if you feel you are missing out ?.   I had to piece together the bikinis as I had nearly nothing left over. I made the top back and the briefs from the free Madelynne Noelle pattern and the front top from another Madelynne pattern I can't find a link for it but was Mallory Lane. It's a basic top with scrappy ..read more

I go to aqua aerobics 3 or 4 times a week and I like to wear a rashie as it's outdoor and it's a bit warmer in the (not very cold usually but really warm this) winter, and I can't reach the spots for sunscreen. In Brisbane you must wear sunscreen every day even in winter as we have the highest skin cancer rates in the world and I don't want to be any more wrinkly than I am! Anyway, I went to the Gold Coast to see my friend for a few days and I left my rashie at her place and I she wouldn't get to Brisbane for a few days so I pulled out KS 2600. I saw this pattern listed on a pattern site an ..read more

 Hello ? It's been a long time. There are many reasons.  I've had two blog posts ready; one from a trip with a friend last year to Paris and Amsterdam and then a cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, and the other from my trip in late May/June this year with my son to Athens, and then I went onto Cyprus (to see my maternal family) and then Paris for a lone few days and then to Lisbon to see some friends who were there staying with their family. I've had some lovely things happen in the last two years but some really hard things too. Anyway, I had to go back to Athens to fly home alone a ..read more

 My friend gave me a box of scraps, actually there are a lot of scraps of some amazing fabric and there was some of this  Bubble O' Bill sports fabric. I had just enough to make Alex some togs, using the Jalie 3242 undies pattern I'd used before. It had been a while and Alex was in desperate need for togs. I also cut out a pair of Batman ones too but I don't have a photo yet. I'll edit when I do.  I had a bit more of both the Bubble O'Bill and Batman fabric to cut out a pair of togs for his girlfriend but I haven't sewn them up yet. I actually haven't been able to Tetris ..read more

Happy new year everyone.  So much has happened since last year. I have a post still in draft about my trip to Europe including 5 days in Paris and some fabric shopping but life has been pretty busy and at times very cruel so I just have not had the time to write a blog post let alone sew. I'll get to that later. One of my sisters wanted a Grinch t-shirt for Christmas but she couldn't find one (although she did later) and she bought a plain t-shirt and a kids Grinch t-shirt asking if I could sew the print onto her shirt. The black t-shirts were a good match. I cut an oval shape around the ..read more

 I have this cute vintage pattern and I also had some leftover red polka dot rayon from a dress I haven't finished yet. I had just enough to cut this cute little top out. I made this a few months ago now. I wanted to try the pattern as it was so cute - not that I have that much time to make random tops, but there you go.  It turned out really great! I moved the middle bodice part which is cut on the fold in 1 cm from the fold to widen the bodice a bit as I was making it for my son's girlfriend. It is and self line bodice.  I haven't seen it on as it just got cool when I f ..read more

 Hello, it’s been so long since I have had even a second to think let alone blog. I’d like to say I’ve been sewing  but I haven’t. The togs I made died and I found a new pair in a second hand shop so and they just died. I just adjusted and finished a pair I started making my sister a few years ago but she decided she didn’t want togs and I needed a pair to go into the spa and steam room in my friends Broadbeach apartment this weekend where I write this. Enforced time away from home. This is the last days of my week off and my son has gone camping with his friends. I’ll take some phot ..read more

This is my Mum. She's recently turned 83. She has also recently (last 6 months) moved into aged care. The first one was terrible but when a new one very close to my and her old home opened (delayed due to covid) she moved into there. It's a lovely place and other than being in your own home, she's pretty happy there and made lots of friends. There is a group of women who have joined their dining tables together so they can sit together and due to Mum putting olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar on her food, and everyone asking for the same, they have now taken to leaving these on the table ..read more

I use togs every week; mostly 3 times a week. My last togs were ones I got in Target for end of season sale for $5. They were a really lovely cut and I liked the way the racer back was too. I'll try to deconstruct them. Well you know how togs just are good one day and next they are stretched out and baggy.  I do aqua aerobics on Sunday mornings and when I was getting my stuff ready 2 Saturday evenings ago, I noticed the lycra had stretched out as it does. I had some Jalie togs cut out maybe 12 months but because I found this pair for $5 and my others were still ok, I didn't make them up ..read more