Sewing Season is upon us.

 Happy New Year all. It's day 11 and I've been doing sewing or sewing adjacent things:

• Traced off the Summit Dress pattern from Scroop. I have lipstick red linen and Italian linen black background with traditional Mexican hearts printed all over it for the godets. But the execution is being delayed for a while
• I've rehomed my small collection of A0 patterns to see through document wallets, all clearly labelled. Previously in rolls standing up in a laundry basket, I could never find the one I wanted and even paid to have one printed twice! I've also culled the collection of several that I think other people will be more likely to use.
• David cut up thin MDF saved from a collapsed kitset desk, to make shelves for my cubby stack. They're held in by pushpins! The level of DIY hackery in this makes me so very happy! And it works a treat
• I MADE a linen shift and sheer curtains and a whole dress! 
• I'm making my friend Joy a dress so she came over for a toile fitting and also rethreaded the @$#$%#$@ overlocker so I could finish the seams of said dress - purple linen. No photos of it yet.

Cubbies with shelves!

Boring linen shift but a very satisfying make nonetheless!

My oppressively sundrenched studio now has some sun quenching sheer curtains. they're cream so do an extra good job. No more working with the curtains completely closed needed!

Bonus smashed spuds content - my favourite holiday food. The perla potatoes are so yellow inside they look even more delicious when cooked! 100% recommend smashing your spuds hehe.

That's pretty much it so far - apart from a LOT of admin for my biggest project ever, but more on that some other time <3

I'm pooped- and Merry Christmas!

Pooped here in NZ means really tired, done in, knackered etc. We closed the shop at 5pm this evening after a full on fortnight.
The shop is moving, well if only it would move itself - we are moving it with the assistance of many amazing volunteers and a big van of ripped young men (we live in hope) in a couple of weeks.
Why, after two mere years? Because the greed of our recently acquired corporate landlord who thinks that he can get 90k MORE than we pay now.
So, his loss is our short term pain, long term gain, because we have scored an incredible space on the most charming street in the CBD - Cuba St. A street of little eclectic shops, amazing cafes - it is the street I made a beeline for as a teenager.
Sadly as in every city in the world, this once eclectic street has been gentrified a lot, and my favourite second hand record shop, Silvios, is now a posh cafe, the precursor to today's $2 shops, Crazy Ricks is also a posh cafe...you get the idea. the charming workmen's cottages up the top where dreadlocked arty types set up a wee clothes shop in their front room were all swept away for the motorway bypass.
So, we are returning there, about 60m down the road from where the original shop was opened in the early 70s. Which is now a posh icecream shop.
It feels really good. How my recalcitrant knee and I are going to get through I don't know.
But them's the breaks! Or the pulled tendons...
Anyway here are a few interior shots. 

 Yes, these are skylights of natural light. Such a lovely thing!

 Looking from front to back, loving the mural from when it was Matchbox studios.

 From back to front - about 25m deep

A genuine real display window at the front!!!

And so, Merry Christmas to you all. Tomorrow we are doing nothing, going nowhere and enjoying every minute xo

Santa is a family business!

Jim Stanton pretending to be That Kid who doesn't want to sit on Santa's knee.

 Early last week I got to be Santa for a playcentre group. Not Mrs Santa, just Santa.

 In the wake of a silly controversy here about whether Santa can be a different gender or race, Jim and I decided to just get on with it.
It was heaps of fun, handing out gifts to the children.
One wee lass called Nina gave me the grilling; she's going to be an investigative journalist.
Nina: So, where are your elves?
Me: Oh they're keeping an eye on the reindeer, can't just have them hanging about unsupervised, and they're on poop scooping. I'm not doing it!
Nina: So, I saw a man santa last week with a big white beard
Me: Oh him! That's Grandad. He's getting on a bit and the world is so much bigger now, so it's a family business. I'v got 64 brothers, sisters and cousins and we all have to pitch in at this time of year.

And she was happy. Kids get it; it's their parents that can kick it up.

My morning was made by a Mum who told me her wee girl whispered into her ear, "Isn't Santa Beautiful!"

Thank you tiny child, now I feel it <3 br="">

 Costume details for those who like that stuff:
Skirt is two felt tree base skirts sewn together, trimmed with hidjus tinsel and battery star lights.
Hair piece: I've had this for ages - a jandal (flip flop) tree ornament and a bunch of Pohutukawa, both essential NZ Christmas elements
Rainbow sequin earrings from Accessorize in the UK.

Bolero from my red sequin outfit, sparkly belt from city chic, old red cami, tights and knee high boots. I was warm!

Sister Act

Well jumping around, back to Christmas Eve, I was waiting for some photos but meh, instead I've taken some screen grabs of the live video I made for Facebook. That was fun! I only discovered how to do it by accident too.
I can't link the video here but it really is pretty terrible. Here's the "highlights":

Me pointing out the scaffolding on the church, which is being "de-earthquaked."

 Jo, showing us her eye makeup. she's a really good makeup artist for "real lady" looks, and she got into my glitter! She also, obviously, got into my Christmas costume! With multo safety pins too.

 Us mugging it up for the camera. The imbalance of face was because I couldn't work out how to put the camera into selfie mode while it was live so I was guessing.
Silliness indeed!

Merry Christmas

 Hello everyone!!! We're at home after a wonderful day with family. As pretty much every year since I started blogging, we got the use of the big lounge where my parents live. We were alas down the whole side of the family that came with my lovely step dad, but mine were out in full force.
I really wanted to get a photo of the table setting, which changes every year, but by the time I escaped from the kitchen, there were a few bodies already eating.

 Another view of the tale. Instead of lining up one long line of trestles, we doubled the width, so it was more communal.

 Mum made a gorgeous centre piece out of a mini bird cage, lilies, greenery, and some incredibly pretty reindeer decorations. Chris and Paul made the christmas crackers before dinner.

 A wee group of Xmas trees and baubles. Mum made the trees as shop samples a few years ago.

 The napkins had a stylised peacock feather design. I have to be honest and say that I prefer red, gold and green Christmas decor and always will. But the Mother quite likes to mix it up and this blue and white look so who am I to argue?

 A snap of the buffet. MrC tucking into some chicken. It all looks pretty messy in the photo but it was pretty delicious. as always, everyone contributes and I get into the kitchen and make it all happen on the day.

 Speaking of MrC, here he is in his gorgeous new shirt. Can you see the pocket his glasses case is poking out of? Or the button placket? I am teaching a promising sewist how to pattern match and this was her first make. She is the real deal, right?

It's pretty subtle, but this shirt has both the positive and negative prints in it - the white on indigo is across the yoke, on the cuffs and lining the collar. We LOVE this shirt, almost as much as the one currently being made!
After dinner we opened gifts, had a wee concert with my nieces singing and me showing off Constance's new songs.
Something I learned today - my new favourite topping for pavlova is rhubarb and strawberry compote, and passion-fruit pulp. Delicious!

Merry Cristmas to you all, wherever you are and however you spend it xoxo

Getting Ready for Christmas

Counting down peoples!!!! Only seven more sleeps!! EEEP!
So far I can check off my (very long) list:

• First batch of Christmas cards (I ran out, hence two batches)
• Christmas cakes baked and mostly distributed
• Christmas puddings boiled and getting to grips with the cointreau being fed to them
• Three out of eight gifts finalised and wrapped
• Cheeses purchased, hazelnuts purchased for oatcake baking on Sunday
• Menu for the day finalised with the "committee" (Mum, my sis and me)
• All shows done except the after dinner impromptu concert on the day itself.

Then there's work!

• Customer Christmas night done and dusted. I love that!
• Mucho Christmas stock sold. MUCHO.
• Suppliers closing up for the break so I just can't order things in for people. I am secretly thrilled as while I am happy to place orders for people it takes so much time.
• Random lampshade order fulfilled finally.

 And so I leave you with a couple of photos from my last show of 2015 in Napier, a 5 hour each way drive north, and a truly gorgeous place with gorgeous people like the fab Cherry Boomb, my partner in crime! I love this collage she made, but as per I am not in it cos I spend more time on stage than most.

 Pretty clear it's super hot - I am all shiny and not just from the glitter!

Proof it happened!!

Well, I got to don sequins and feathers again on Saturday night for Caburlesque's Happy Hannukah show. Eschewing any actual Christmas music on account of the Hannukah theme, I opted for a kiwi lyrics version of Summertime, which it is for us at this time of year, and a singalong of Ten Guitars, which is compulsory whenever a guitar and a fire on the beach are found together. ;-)

 We have a new head piece. In spite of the hours of work Santa's chimney just wasn't doing it for me, so I nipped into the Kirk's Christmas shop and got a jandal ornament and some fake pohutukawa from their small but perfectly formed NZ Summer Christmas offerings. Some flowers tucked in behind and there you have it!

 6 metres of feather boa went into this garment.

 I have toyed with losing the skirt and getting my legs out when I wear it, but time is not my friend in December and it won't happen before my next show on Thursday. Next year perhaps.

Happy Holidays!

Building a Christmas Tree Dress

I saw a few of these online and had to make one for the shop. Like Dior made Christmas his own!
So, last Sunday MrC and I purchased a 210cm tall artificial tree, some new lights and baubles, and on Thursday I got stuck in. The mannequin is a new one that is technically for sale in the shop and I felt its black and cream dramatic patterning lent itself to the concept.
I am really uncomfortable with heights even little ones, and working on the 3 foot high display dais was pretty freaky for me. Because taking pics meant getting down and up off it, I didn't capture every stage in the process but here's how I did.

 The mannequin before.

 I tied the small, fluffy branches around the leg to create a petticoat. Tied on with cotton tape.

 The next stage involved gun stapling another layer of longer branches to the underside of the mannequin. Then a layer of the longest branches hooked through a cotton tape around the waist. 

At this stage the weight of the branches caused the base of the mannequin to bust. So, we took the three little feet off and just propped it on a angle into the corner! The skirt is only around the front so it needed an angle to stop it toppling forward.

 Lights! Pink organza around the waist to hide the workings.

 I changed the organza sash to be deeper with no bow, made a necklace out of baubles and hung the baubles, of course.

 The almost completed display  - fake presents and Mel's clever Wall tree made from decreasing rolled up strips of wrapping paper.

A close up of the adorable dress ornaments I bought in Greytown. The six of them cost more than all the baubles but they had to be bought, right? 

I am in love with this display, no other way to put it!

Christmas Plans already!

I have plans, Readers! Lots of USOs (un-started objects!) and in some ways that is worse than UFOs - because UFOs are a bit like those really active molecules hunting for atoms to bond with and make lovely new things, so have a certain energy that makes them attractive. But USOs are just piles of fabric that require cutting out. Erk, I dislike cutting out, and the idea of having to do it puts me right off sewing sometimes.
HOWEVER, I have made some progress. Constance is Emceeing several Christmas shows and I felt that it was time to make a special Christmas costume.
Remember, all costumes must be seen from space, so I was thrilled to haul a length of red sequinned fabric out of my stash (I don't remember buying it!). It is gorgeous - the sequins are sewn on not stuck on, at one point only so they can all move and shimmer deliciously. The fabric has a little stretch too.
Of course, a Christmas costume requires white fur trim. But we are having cream feather boa instead. Because Constance.
I riffled through my patterns looking for an off the shoulder number but to no avail. Then I thought oh good grief, that is why you penuried yourself to get a dressmaker's dummy! So I draped it using pattern cloth, and when I was happy, I cut it out of the sequin yummy stuff, checked it on me, tweaked it and tada! This is where we are at!

 Rolled up hand towels are an essential addition, replacing my arms ;-)

 And with the feathers pinned in place

I really like the drapey thing across the front. I used to look at such things with a sense of sadness that I could never wear them (where? why?) but now I have the perfect excuse.
Now, this dummy is very rigid in ways that I am not. I am soft, squishy and bumpy. BUT, under this costume I will be wearing a corset so I will be rigid at the time. Not super tight or anything, just firm and smoothing. Not for every day use however!

So, there we are. I imagine it will stay like this until three days before I need it, as usual. Right now, as in today, I need to complete and then learn a new song for next Saturday. And another one for the following Saturday, as well as a bit of costuming. And my six day a week job.

Oh one last thing, colouring in is a big trend right now I believe. So I gave it a go. We sell Doodle Art pads and one is on the counter with thee fab twist up crayons so anyone can have a wee go while they are being served or waiting etc.

I did the big butterfly to get the ball rolling :)

See you all soon!

Let them eat (Christmas) Cake!

One of my favourite parts of the run-up to Christmas is making Christmas cake. I am not the biggest fan of eating it, given it is summer and all, and it is suited far more to winter. But it does keep a good long time so it's possible to have the best of both worlds.
This year I have made two types. The Embroidenator has a real soft spot for the fig and chocolate version I do - it has only figs, prunes, ginger, apricot and dried peaches in it, and a lot of chocolate, and lots of orange zest, and the fruit is soaked in green ginger wine and cointreau. I made four of this type, two little ones and two medium ones.
The much larger batch is your standard one. This has good quality cake mixed fruit, to which I add prunes, ginger, apricots, peach, dried cranberries and dried, not glace, cherries, and dates. The fruit was soaked in black beer. Last year it was Guiness, but this year it is a combo of Tuatara Black and 8 Wired's iStout, at the advice from the very clever beer guy at Moore Wilson's liquor store. It tickles me that he really took the whole thing quite seriously instead of dissing the crazy cake lady. I may have to gift him one!
So, today was Cake Day. I left the shop just after 1pm to get home and get started. It's a big job and there's no rushing it. After all, the point is to enjoy the process.

I start by lining all the tins with brown paper and silicon paper. This is a few of them.

I set the Kenwood onto creaming all that butter, sugar, melted chocolate, marmalade, spices and extracts. Then the eggs, a little at a time.

Fig cake fruit I soaked in a 6 litre stock pot but for the big mix, I didn't have anything big enough, so I was chuffed to find this huge food safe sealable bucket at Moore Wilson's - it holds 15 litres so this year it was only half full.

The Kenwood is too small to hold the whole thing, so I tip the fruit into this big gardening tote - it is soft sided and has handles -of course I never use it for gardening or anything dirty - for the rest of the year I use it as a place to put scraps of fabric I want to save from my sewing. I think it holds 50 litres. Anyway, I tip all the flour and rising stuff in with the fruit and dredge it thoroughly, then tip the creamed mix in and blend them together. David does this if he is home as it takes more strength than I have to use a spoon, so I washed my hands and got stuck in! It worked really well, though I hate mixing with my hands.

Most of the second batch tinned up, we're just waiting for the oven to be free.

And finally at 9.30pm,the last ones come out of the oven. Here they all are. 14 cakes, ranging from 4-8 inches. I used to make bigger ones but I find a lot of smaller ones more useful and easier to distribute.
All up I used:
2 lb butter, same of sugar
1 lb chocolate
22 eggs
8oz marmalade
3.5 lb flour
13.5 lbs dried fruits
plus all the other flavours, spices etc. And the beer, cointreau and wine.

So now they just need to cool, get fed some brandy, put on cards, decorated, wrapped in cellophane and distributed.
 And I need to decide which ones to keep! :)

Santa's Sleeves

I'm starting on Santa's sleeves. This is because I've been sick and they are small and doable compared with the acres of heavy velvet in the body for which I don't have the energy. Also, sleeves are a great place to sample finishes.
They are the red velvet, lined with the brocade and edged with the fur. The fur trim is 15cm folded in half, and sandwiched between the outer and inner with the down stroke on the outside.
I really love the view into the sleeve - very opulent.

It also means Santa can get away with wearing a t-shirt underneath, as his bare arms won't be too obvious in all of that. I actually reduced the depth of the sleeve end so I could get both sleeves out of the width of the fabric, and I'm glad I did.
But on the outside, the look is too plain, too department store Santa. So, I decided to do some machine embroidery.

Just holly, using a metallic thread. I don't usually do fine detail like this as it doesn't 'read' on stage, but this is not for stage - little kids may sit on Santa's knee and they will get a very up close experience. I want them to discover the little details, if they are that way inclined. I love the idea of some little child being so impressed by what they see, they vow to become a costumier. I remember that moment myself, at an exhibition of the costumes from The Six Wives of Henry the 8th back in 1979..
Still too plain, so I added a trim...

But it was still too plain, so I added beads...

They are just little seed beads in groups of three - they how up better in the flesh, as it were. I used shiny rayon thread to sew them on, it is SO nice to hand sew with almost as nice as silk! However, I still felt is was all too twee and lacked depth, so...

...I took it off and added half of my all time favourite gold lace. The whole width was too lacey looking - I just want it to look trimmy. That's a real word you know, stupid spellcheck...

The first trim goes back on over the raw edge of the cut lace, and we're nearly there. I'm hand sewing it all using the same metallic thread as the machine embroidery. Also surprisingly nice to sew with. Because of the very heavy seam allowance inside - two layers of fur, one of velvet and one of brocade, it's easy to hand sew knowing there's no way the stitching will show through the other side!
I've only done about 8 inches so far. But the time is far more consumed by the planning and sampling. Now I know what I'm up to, I can get them done in a few hours.
Next up, hood action!