Fibre Dreams and the Five happy thoughts.....

I wish I'd painted this!!

I have lent my car out to another person!!!!

So this means I'm doing a lot of walking.
Yes good for the body and soul!

I'm afraid my making mojo is taking a holiday.....just when I need it!

So here I am walking along...my feet are not agreeing with the exercise by the way!

Trying not to speak out loud the conversation I'm having with myself!

So....think of five things that make you happy with yourself....in my present mood I wasn't hopeful...

1. My daughter....she is such a lovely person (on a good day!), loving, hard working and ambitious....

2. My making ability....this is all important to me!

3. My life has certainly been varied....so I can smile without regrets when I'm old!!!!

4. I gained an Honors Degree....and the first in my family and the first woman!!!

5. I'm glad I did'nt do too badly raising my daughter...yes number 1 and 5 could be the same but for the fact that I raised her by myself...

6. My cats....both long dead but barely any time goes by without thinking about them!

So I realised on my three hour walk around the near by countryside that yes I do make ridiculous mistakes BUT I have got at least 6 things I can shout about with pride in my heart!

And today....well today my feet have won out as I have blisters all over my feet and I'm restricted to the house walking around like a goblin witch!!!!

But I've done the vacuuming and after this I'm sorting out my sewing room...a bit late for a spring clean but hey ho!!

And then onward to completing the Hot in the City bag range...I'll post some pictures when they're finished.

I'll start with making an abstract shape button for the closure decoration of my huge flat purse clutch....you know like those clutch bags in the black and white Hollywood movies....I'm clear about this bit!!!!

Well I'm signing off to make sure I do the bag things!!!

And you know it really does work...thinking about those things that make you happy.....Are you thinking about yours too????

I hope I've made you think about happy stuff....Does this sound like Hailey Mills!!!!!!

See you soon.....happy thoughts.....Jacqui

Hot in the City! Part 2!

How beautiful is this little girl!
I was looking for something and found this picture (as you do!). She's dressed in one of my first attempts of dressmaking....as I remember there was a hat and she little red wellies (yes I know paddington bear!!)
I was very proud of my achievement!
When waiting at a bus stop one day an older lady remarked,
"Is'nt it lovely the things you can buy them these days"!!!!!!!
Arrh enough of memory lane!

Here's some more making stages of Hot in the City!

This was where I was up to last post. I still did not like it, it felt incohesive?!? Well scruffy! And I wanted it to glisten.
I played about a bit.
I know I wanted more gold mesh. I like the effects of the mesh on the gold organza rather than the burnt orange.
I also wanted to solidify the pattern which meant to me that bold strips across, going with the base fabric could bring it all together.


Then I pressed it like mad until it was pan flat!

Y0u know I was thinking that the fabric did look like a cityscape of roads and houses. I thought of the images when you see the car head lights in darkness moving at high speed.....a red glitsy thick embroidery yarn, couched with the orange thread was added....

The whole fabric got another pressing and it's time to cut out the bags peices...this is where I'm up to now!

What do you think?

Well this is where it's been up to for the past week as I'm waiting to purchase some magnetic bag clasps. I'm working on a oversized under the arm clutch bag with the larger section....I'll post pics of that next time...I think I really like it!!!!

So this is my life in my sewing world to date!

Don't forget if you stop by please say hello....'til next time take it easy and enjoy your moments,

Jacqui

Feelin good....feelin Hot in the City!

I've fab news!

I....(drum roll)....sold my first clutch bag and change purse!!

They are SOLD...SOLD...SOLD...somebody else loves my fabric creations enough to buy one from me... giggle giggle...oh really!!

This is my Croation Sea fabric made into a clutch bag and coin purse!

These close up photo's are of the closure treatment...wire crochet and a button, bead. The dream of finding a real pearl in those beautiful waters around Croatia did seem real!!

The coin purse sits inside.The person who bought it is going to a posh doo on Saturday and she will be using it...it never even made it for public view!!

Hot in the City, Hot in the City....tonight....(wish I knew how to get the sound track on!!!).

After that success I decided to make another fabric....perhaps this is my niche??

So I thought I would challenge myself (oh dear!) I was to use colours that I'm not so attached too and I would try to make half a metre of it in one full piece HA!

So I measured my muslim, got out the fusable double sided fabric adhesive....

Oh no the adhesive is not as wide as the fabric but I want 60cm width....oh cut it in three....one down the middle and the other two down each side...only leaving a 2cm gap of adhesive....

The gap....THAT was my MISTAKE!

This photo is suppose to show the gaps in adhesive....a picture and the memory will remind me NOT to do it again....(I think the camera lies again!)

But it does show it's nearer the true colours....trying to get texture, pattern, sheen, reflection, balance and that little something!

The bumps, bubbles and pieces are just acting like themselves and they're on the loose!....as the double sided fusable fabric adhesive bonds the layers together all the fabrics act as one, no matter their previous life was....hhmmm I think I get too involved with my fabric making!!

AAAaaaRRrrhhhh! Look...look.....what happened......my normally well behaved Bernina 807 was eating the fabric.......

That was the last straw....I was having bad feelings about this fabric....."give up, you don't like the colourways anyway...."(MGH it's only fabric I'm getting emtionally involved here)....strange!

I GOT FED UP AND CUT IT INTO THREE PIECES! No second thoughts or worrying.

It had to be done.

I just could'nt manage it under the sewing foot because of the size and the fact I'd been stingy with the double sided fabric adhesive.

So eventually (and under strict instructions from my friend Maddy Beth! to have another go!) I decided to fuse a layer of wadding to the underside.

The Croation Sea clutch had a layer too but I'd attached it after the fabric was finished and cut. I thought a little padding would finish it off....

Now that was better my fabric base layer was tamed!

So to the next layer.....

I've laid burnt orange, gold organza and gold mesh ontop of the base cloth. It's fixed with varigated orange embroidery thread in waves and swirls.

So I swirly free-hand machine embroider over the organza and then artistically (!) cut away to revel the base cloth.

So Hot in the City started life from this.......

.............to this....with organza overlay.....I'm now considering my next move....red sparkly thread....red thick wool...have got some handmade organza ribbon, red or yellow ribbon, gold sequins.....ooooo the possibilities!!

Watch this space for the next layer of surface treatment of 'Hot in the City'!!

And finally here's the work blouse washed and ironed!! I put the top button on for safety sake!!!! But the front goes slightly off line...I don't think others would notice.....Makes me feel fresh wearing it!!

What a week, beautiful weather, no school people, creating fabrics and Stitch Keepers...aarrhh now they're another story!! Purrrrfec.

Don't forget to say hello and tell me your thoughts on this installment of

"Jacqui's fabric adventures"....

My NEW Fabric's!

Hey and Hi!

I'm so excited today...why....because the fabric I ordered back in February has arrived!! Yeah!!!

And I have been creating some more fabric myself!!

And I successfully sewn buttonholes onto my work blouse!!

The Japanese Designer fabric's I had ordered are as lovely as I'd remembered! You know what I mean you build it up in your mind then when it happens it's never as good. Well this time it's better!!

This first one is called echino by etsuko furuya

This fabric is beautiful!
What a wonderful print of zebras, fawns and trees! So distinctive!
It's look favours the Linen side, so you are getting the crisp summery appearance. However, you get the soft feel to the skin and the easy iron qualities of the cotton content!

I've got a Shift dress in mind for summer for myself!!! And I think longer length skirts, casual summer trousers and bags will look perfect in this gorgeous fabric!

And this fabric is beautiful too!

This one is by KOKKA and is called Trefle.
What a fabulous print of trees and flowers on a purple stripe background! Really unique!
This striking fabric has a soft feel to the skin and the easy iron qualities of the cotton content!
Suggested projects by Darling Daughter: Shift dresses, blouses, tops.

I have been hard at work too, well at least on the latest batch of textile art fabric (now that's got to be a good marketing buz word!!).

I call it The Croation Sea!

It has organza, blue furnishing fabric, blue metalic mesh with gold patterns, black withblue wool suitingand blue/green lining stripes.

Here's a close up of part of the fabric. You can just see the mesh and the free hand embroidery in metalic blue/green.

I'm thinking of making a Clutch bag with a small coin purse....then a friend called Nina suggested I make a picture with some of it...you know I might!!

And finally my Work blouse...well I have finished it...nearly! I wore it for work and in practice I think it needs another button further up from the last one at the boobs! Everytime I bent over I felt as if people were looking down!! I know funny, but thankfully for me and et al, I wear a vest!

So why arn't there any photo's well that's because it had an arguement with a tomatoe!!

I have a long drive to and from work at the moment, at least half an hour to three quarters....rush hour...pooh!

So I get board....and thirsty...and I remember the un-eaten tomtatoe I had brought to eat at lunch and did'nt get a chance...

I bit into it without thinking of the burst effect!

I thought I'd gotten away with it...NOOO...tomatoe seeds splattered down the front of the blouse!!

In to soak with it and a wash...I'll post photo's when it's dry and buttonholed complete!

And that is all for now except to say if you like the Japanese fabrics go to my online shop and you can buy some. Fibre Dreams.

See you all soon and I know you will learn from my mistakes....tomatoes and thirst in a car do not mix!!