Back on the chain gang

Today was day 1 of my new Christmas job. Oh no. Instead of tallying the days away like a prisoner I'm looking on the bright side, it's actually really good to do something totally different so I can come back to making things with a nice new, fresh brain. 

Here's some really nice stuff by co-operative designs (www.cooperative-designs.com) which were probably made on a fresh brain. Love the ribbage a lot. Would you just look at those shoes x 

FABric

If I didn't already have enough fabric to clothe an albeit impractically funky army, I would snap these up right away. 

There's so much incredible cotton out there dying to be made into something amazing. Most of this stuff is Japanese which you can find on Ebay or Etsy (www.etsy.com). Once you pop you cant stop, its so addictive looking at them. Fabrics are all too often much too sensible and sober, acting all grown up and chic. Said fabrics need to be taken down a peg or two with these bad boys. Baked potatoes definitely leading the way...

Pink is my favourite crayola

....and lots and lots of others. These are the sorts of colours I'm obsessing over for my t-shirts and jackets. Lots of bright, fresh tones which are especially lovely on luxurious materials like corduroy, fur and velvets. 

Today I have to finish a dress I'm making for my grandmother. Its a velvet navy blue dress which is for her to wear to a wedding. I'll have to put some photos up of it when I'm done as its actually turning out to be quite lovely (athough a little modest for young uns; hem could be a LOT shorter) even though its a really simple shape.

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Two for joy: Mr Magpie's latest addition

With no relevance whatsoever this is in celebration of the arrival of my new 

industrial sewing machine. The machine is so enjoyable to use and will give 

garments a more professional finish.

I now have a lounge that is less feng shui , more sweatshop and sounds a 

bit like a race track. Win some, lose some. Anyway, Happy Friday avo 

with Hedwig and the angry inch. 

Harlequin

While I've had to force myself to stop buying fabric (there's enough  to set up shop), I haven't managed to stop going into fabric shops altogether. My latest fabric fix comes in a diamondy form: The harlequin pattern. 

I've been drawn to circus themed fabrics. These usually come in either a cotton or a synthetic fabric. I'm going to keep an eye out for much thicker fibers or even jerseys as these would be more suitable for jackets or t-shirts. Until I see such things I'll keep working on my fabric mountain. Photos soon and that's a promise.