This week I was laid-up in bed for days with a nasty stomach flu and migraine. It’s torture to have fever dreams of sewing and not being able to act upon them.
- I have just started to feel better, so there has been a little sewing, on the bags I have cut out. They came together quickly and easily. I was grateful for the motor of my new Juki sewing machine to get through all the layers. I have never used fusible foam before and I think it is quite the marvel. I want to test more varieties.
- Now I am waiting for leather for the fastener and handles for three bags. I’ve ordered them online but next time I want to go shopping for skins myself. I’d love to make a bag from a skin like this.
- I listened to Adam Buxton’s Bowie Wallow podcasts. I love Adam Buxton and he hasn’t disappointed with these podcasts where he mourns the loss of Bowie and muses on the nature of aging, heroes and inspiration. I once spent an afternoon looking at paintings with Bowie. He was a unique, intelligent man and I can understand why he was so idolised.
There’s lots of discussion and held breath, at my knit night, over season 2 of Outlander, which is coming to Amazon Prime this weekend. I should wax lyrical about the wonderful costumes. I mean just look at these glorious tartans
and this knitted shawl.
but there’s really only one thing that I am eagerly awaiting…
- I have been looking for a casual coat dress pattern inspired by this.
I’ve looked through coats and dresses and haven’t found anything quite like it. I guess it’s a linen duster coat. Can anyone suggest a pattern? No Tina Given though. Her fit is crazy. I will make a pattern myself if no one can suggest one.
- Kim won Fug Madness 2016 which seems about right.
Yummy bag! Need more detail on afternoon spent with Bowie?! As for coat search, what about Folkwear patterns http://www.folkwear.com ? You may find something close there…
Folkwear is a good idea, I hadn’t thought of that. I remember they have a smock pattern that might work. I’ll have a look, thanks.
On Bowie: I was looking at an exhibition of paintings, with a friend, at The Whitechapel, about 20 years ago. We were alone in the gallery. A handsome man came in to the gallery and I thought he looked a lot like Bowie but was too short to be Bowie. After a while he came over and looked at a painting with us and started to enthuse about the artist. Of course, as soon as I looked in his eyes I knew it was him. We spent the next 40 minutes going around the gallery and looking at the paintings together. He loved the painter (whose name I can’t remember but I remember the paintings) and was very intelligent and insightful in his comments. It was a pleasure to enjoy the exhibition with him, although I doubt I would have remembered the incident if it had been some unknown man. I do talk to strangers every where I go, but he initiated the conversation. I think he was so enthusiastic that he wanted to share it with someone else.
What an extraordinary experience!
Where do you go shopping for leather? I’ve seen some amazing things on Berwick St (probably at eye watering prices)
I’d like to try Olympic Leather and Walter Reginald. But I live around the corner from Dalston Mills and go there often so will check out their leathers as well.
Have you seen Linnet patterns from Japan? I have never ordered from them but love to look at their pattern range, which includes lots of smock style dresses, similar to your picture, a duster coat and bags too.
Maggie, You’re a star. I hadn’t seen Linnet before. Of course their patterns are like a lot of the ones available in Japanese sewing books and magazines but I’m really interested. They seem to only do paper patterns though, no pdfs. I found the perfect coat pattern there. I will investigate further.
Thanks so much.