The return of the 'long/formal' dress for evening, pistachios and autumn harvest.

Long or cocktail length for formal occasions?  
This  dilemma drove me quickly to see what was available so I could road test a few patterns. I was attracted to this Burda pattern as it has an elegance and is not fussy.

Not only did this pattern come together in a matter of hours but I managed to dispense with a zip

as I used a cotton with a little lycra from Cooper Street.

Autumn harvest is near complete as we are all surfeit with pears and chokos. The white cockatoos  managed to finish off the unharvested walnuts so we have started to pick pistachios and thankfully the processing and salting is easy. It is always a surprise to taste the sweetness and colour of fresh green pistachios. 

Rhubarb is still generous  and finally we are looking at the abundance of olives and deciding on their fate. Autumn flowers also start to flower on shorter stems, ensuring enough seed set for future generations though presenting challenges for florists.

All old farm sheds have a pile of hessian potato and seed bags that are testament to many of the big agriculture firms and districts. These bags have recently become a collectors item.

Finally the Easter Show is starting Thursday. It is a great opportunity to see our best produce and livestock. Whether you are a dog, pig, horse or chook fancier, it is the best show in town!

Nightshirts, nightgowns and palazzo pants

What happened to nightgowns? They seem to have disappeared into the ether along with any product that was a favourite at the supermarket! To add a bit of  interest I piped in a bit of spotty bias and finished  this great soft cotton with recycled buttons.
The same Butterick  pattern is being used by one of our 'half-made-never-finished' sewers, to make a white cotton nightgown with lace inserts, using sheeting cotton that is very good quality and cheap as it is 2.4 cm wide.

An alternative to the nightgown is the nightshirt; so versatile it can be worn over leggings with a belt, worn loose as an artist's smock or used as intended. Again, the patterns are readily available and cotton chambray works well.

Staying on the theme of  'sleepwear', we moved a little to the bohemian in response to a student's request and evoked the 60's with a return of the palazzo pants.  adaptation of  This first attempt was actually an adaptation of a pyjama pattern, and cutting the pants on the bias. The result was so 60's that all that was needed was a wide brimmed floppy hat and the transportation to the 60's  would be complete.

Thesurprise was their comfort combined with their incredible fluid style....they just feel great. The patterns are somewhat evocative of the lounge  pyjamas of the 1920s. Next week we may make an opera coat to match. 

  

Waistcoats,jodhpurs and the Tweed Run

With the first days of autumn and the Beurre Bosc harvested,we sigh at the slowing pace of autumn and the satisfaction of the harvests. It is a time to contemplate picnics, cycling and horseriding, all enjoyed  in crisp days with low slung sun and no flies.

The great outfits worn by the British cycling group called 'Tweed Run' were inspiration this week at the sewing workshop. They are a cycling group who favour traditional attire over lycra.

Waistcoats and jodhpurs are great outdoor activity attire, as they add a  bit of style while being functional. The latest vest  I  made has a collar and four buttons. It is fully lined with two faux welt pockets. The vintage  McCalls pattern has an excellent cut.

Finding a classic jodhpur pattern was a challenge.

Again, a search including 'vintage' was successful. There were plenty of patterns of jodhpurs with fitted hips but very difficult to find the classic style pattern with exaggerated.

This week in the Sewing Emporium we are making pellazo pants. These pants from the twenties are indicative of days spent recovering from high living. They were also known as Beach pyjamas and were quite full. I am sure Phryne Fisher would have favoured them; the trick will be to have the generous dimensions but not look swamped by the fabric.  Tuesday and Thursday mornings will have workshops going; ring for details.