Crafty Mermaid

I attended one of the best crafty/sewing classes ever a few months ago.  A fantastic upholstery course run by Elisabetta Renwick  on the Kapiti Coast.  Elisabetta runs the course out of her home in Raumati South. I came home with... My very own footstool at home in our bedroom.  Love, love, love it! The course was $170 and you also had to provide a metre of fabric (with specific instructions provided to make sure you got the best bang for your buck and the most suitable material). The course had four students - so lots of one-on-one instruction when needed.  Each of us had a large table, our own compressor staple gun (fun stuff!) and all the materials we needed in our own basket.  It felt really organised and her documentation for us to take home was superb.  I really can't speak highly enough of the course - I've been to quite a few crafty type classes and lectures (at handmade etc.) recently and its been the best by far. The very exciting staple gun.

I was lucky to finish something on the sewing retreat.  I started a trouser muslin and still haven't finished it so at least there was some physically productive sewing going on! Another T Shirt - they're rapidly becoming a habit.  This was a speedy T and I couldn't be bothered to look online to see how a pocket should be done (it would have turned out a lot better if I had!).  But this is a summer sleeping T (and the fabric cost $2 as it was seconds) so I had a quick fix mentality! Green and light blue.  Prefect sleeping T for summer - though in the depths of winter, its really hard to imagine! Green for the front, blue for the back, collar, hem and pocket.

I'm finally beginning to sort through my photographs from the last few months (or longer - oophs!).  I came across the Fabric Hoarders Sewing Retreat from last year and had to finally post about it.  Such a great weekend with a great bunch of people!  Its the second retreat the group organised and this one was a little larger than the previous AND catered! On our way to the retreat, I finally made it to Pete's Emporium  in Porirua with the wonderful  takahe bites  and the fantastic Sixty Six Stitches .  Despite the less than sewing related images on the front door, inside contained a few treasures. But a lot of tat too! I did spend a bit of time actively NOT buying stickers (my collection being a little excessive as is). A row of tulle... Rows of ribbons and sequins...  Obviously there was a lot of fabric on display too! The next sewing retreat is coming up soon, I'll have to see if I can stop off on the way... So on to the retr