Good morning blogland! I wish I could say it was a lovely morning here in Melbourne. Unfortunately the sunshine from yesterday has turned to clouds and misery. I'm sure it's because I am going to a footy game this afternoon. Always the way!

Busy with birthdays, weekends away and phd submissions!

Anyway. Things have been a little crazy here in the land of DeBeaux. In between work and pattern making classes we've had apartments flooding, birthdays and anniversaries occurring, PhDs getting submitted, visitors visiting and, and, and. It's set to get a little crazier still with moving apartments, going to weddings oh yeah and going on a HOLIDAY!

My blocks. I'm not sure they are a huge improvement on the original draft... But they are a place to start

My pattern making class has finished and I now have a skirt, bodice, sleeve and pants block. It really came down to the wire. I was on such a roll with my blocks and doing lots of work at home. And then I decided to be fussy about the fit. The thing with adjusting the fit is changing one little thing can put EVERYTHING else out. It was a bit like going around in circles. But in the end I made it. I need to trace them onto card and I will be able to share my blocks with the world. Oh and then all the amazing and perfectly fitted things I plan to make from them.



I now have a truckload of things to blog about... Here are a few tasters of posts already underway:

• A weekend away with some great vintage sewing purchases
• My first self drafted skirt
• Spring dress weather and some me makes from last year
• A seminar on interfacing with the Sew Melbourne group
• More vintage patterns...

So watch this space!



FYI: the apartment flooding was not our fault. I'll spare you the disgusting details (unless you want to know, just say so in the comments, it is a bit funny, now). What it did prove is that my boyfriend and I know we can get through all kinds of SH1T together. Yep.



Is anyone else suffering from life getting in the way of sewing? I am afraid it will be like this all Summer.



PS go Stonecats for winners in today's grand final!

I've gone back to school. Well for three hours a week at least. I'm studying pattern drafting.

In the first half of the year, wait, hold on, we are in the SECOND half of this year already!!!!! Anyway, in the first half of the year I did a 10 week course in pattern making (at RMIT if you want to know). It was great, I learnt all about how to take a basic pattern block and turn it into anything I wanted. The only problem is that the basic pattern block just ain't anywhere near the same shape as me. The only solution was to learn how to make pattern blocks to fit me perfectly. So I am now completing the second instalment at RMIT.

If I can get the bodice block right I may never need an FBA again!!

I have to sew up my first bodice block this weekend. Hopefully it's close to a good fit, but it might take a few goes to get right.





There are all kinds of Maths and measurements required to get the first shape.





I've pulled out my old rulers and tools from a previous life (I'll tell you about it one day). This crazy spiky thing, AKA a tracing wheel, is my favourite. I think the name crazy spiky thing is much better than tracing wheel.





Apparently I am too poor (of the time variety mostly) to spend $3 on an awl. Here is my improvised version - a nail taped to a pencil. I think it is actually really convenient. One less thing to worry about losing.



In other news of the educational variety, I am trying to actually learn something about photography and I have signed up for a few craftsy courses. I think I am heading towards brain explosion from all the great new things to learn. Not to mention all the new things I am learning at work. I have put knitting aside for now. It's too slow going for me. I'm happy just knowing that I have the knit, purl thing sorted out.



It's a big weekend for me. Not much time for crafting. I don't get to go to the Sew Melbourne meet up for this month either. I'm sad about that but we are celebrating other exciting things instead so it's ok.

Have a good weekend everyone!