Oh Red, White & Blue. I do love you!

I have made a few of these tops now for a few people, but never for my girl's. So I thought it was time. I have so much fabric waiting to be made into their Summer clothes. Yesterday I started. The top fabric I have had for a while. It is from the "Pique Nique" range by RJR. The bottom is a Moda fabric from a range called "Fruit Cocktail". The trims are a combination of new and vintage. Bought and swapped. I really like how it all came together. And I love how this one looks over 3/4 jeans. And now I need to go and cut out another. Because what you sew for one, you must also sew for the other!

Gorgeous Things made by a very clever person ...

In my last post, I mentioned Tamara and her beautiful ribbon hair accessories for girls. I thought I would do a feature post on her products because if you have little girls, you must have some of these. Especially with Christmas coming up. Great to put in those stockings. Tamara makes them herself, which is even more reason to mention them.Tamara's business is called "Ella and Kate". She creates beautiful bows on hair ties and hair clips. A set such as those featured in these photos cost $8. Very reasonable. For smaller children, she also makes a very, very sweet baby bow, which is just a single bow on a clip, for $2.50 a clip. And the clip is very secure. I can vouch for it.The most wonderful thing is that she will make them to match your child's outfit. Very important to have completely co-ordinated accessorised children! I have given her swatches of fabric that I want bows matched to. The double bonus with this is that now I have to get cracking and sew these outfits for my girls. We can't have hair accessories with no matching clothing, can we?

If you would like to purchase some of these little treasures, please e-mail Tamara attmmorris@bigpond.net.au or phone her on 03 8812 2824. Tell her Jo sent you!

Note to self: 10 things to remember about doing a market ...

Dear Self,
Next time you have the "inspired" idea to have a market stall, please remember the following:

1. You will work and work and work to get things just right. Day and night. Night and day ( I feel a song coming on ...). You will exhaust yourself so as any "bug" doing the rounds will find you as a lovely and willing host. Gastro the day before is not a good thing. And dragging yourself there and trying to smile through the stomach cramps is damn hard work.
2. No matter what month of the year, it will snow. Yes, in Australia, November is late spring. In fact, November 15 is only 15 days away from Summer. But due to the fact that there was a market on that I was participating in, we had weather from the Antarctic.
3. Weather from the Antarctic means people stay at home.
4. When you participate in a market that is held at a primary school, it doesn't matter how much bunting you use, your table will still look like the classroom science display table. See Exhibit A.
   
5. Even though you have a very presentable sign saying "Button Bracelets", four people will still pick up said bracelets and gush over the "bookmarks".
6. Somebody is always bound to come in and ask to buy the worst made thing that is not for sale - the bunting.
7. People love to pick things up and have a look and say how lovely they are. And then put them down and walk away ...
8. You won't sell half as much as what you thought (daydreamed) that you would. But that is what the Internet is for!
9. Lovely friends (thanks Jenny !!) will come and mind your stall for you so as you can walk around and have a look and pick up some things for Santa to bring. And you will realise that your stall looks pretty darned good.
10. And you will meet wonderful people like Tamara who makes the most beautiful ribbon hair accessories for little girls, who gives you loads of inspiration to keep giving it a go.

Now, when is that next market?

A little bit of bunting ...

I think I'm ready? For my first market, that is.

A friend yesterday asked me if I felt like I was studying for an exam. Yes! A perfect description. You study, write, re-write, have a day off here and there, cram and then you close your books and think to yourself, "Well, I've done all I can do and now I'm in the lap of the gods".

Sure, I planned to have everything for both markets made by the first market. I have a bit over two weeks between the two, but a lot on in those two weeks. So the organisational freak in me had everything made and just had me kicking back, on a deck chair, wine in hand ....

Alas, that is not to be. And I am now at the stage where all I really want to do is sew some clothes for my children. But that will have to wait.

I am very happy with how things have turned out. That comes in no small part to the kindness and generosity of this soul. My computer and design skills are a little on the shabby side. And I'm not talking shabby chic here. I knew the look and feel that I wanted for my logo, but just didn't have the expertise to go about creating it. Marianne stepped in and offered to help and hey presto! After a few trials, namely due to me changing my mind on colours, my logo was born. Nothing made this venture feel more real for me than opening an envelope and finding pages of postcards and labels that Marianne had printed out for me. Her help has been invaluable. A thousand thank you's Marianne.

With that, everything just seems to have come together (touch wood). I even found a basket to display my pencil rolls in, in the local hard rubbish collection! Hey, it was clean! It was sitting there! Re-use, recycle, I say!

I've made little price signs, ironed my calico for the table (I know, I'm sounding pathetic now), pinned on all my swing tags until my fingers were sore from those little brass safety pins, my neck hurts from sewing, sewing, sewing ....

But still something was missing. I laid everything out (as you do) and looked and then, it came to me!

A little bit of bunting.

For the front of the table.

Very quick bunting, mind you. Single sided, just cut. Not even edged with the pinking shears. Just cut and sewn on the gingham ribbon. The perfectionist in me says "shame on you". The stylist says "hey, looking good!".

I'm hoping that people will be gathered en mass around my table and the bunting will never see the light of day. However, if they are not, and I am sitting there, all on my own, while shoppers flock to the stall selling cheap imported Indonesian jewellery, at least my table will be looking pretty.

A little bit of bunting.

Sometimes that's all it takes to make a girl happy.

Welcome ...

Welcome to "The Complete Adventures of Violet & Rose". A new blog about the trials and tribulations of having your own little sewing adventure. It's bound to be a bumpy ride, so hold on. 

I will be sharing many a tale with you all. Some of which will be along the lines of:

• The Tale of the Magical Bobbin.
  This is the bobbin that always knows to run out when you are on your last line of sewing.
• The Story of the Cunning Cotton.
  The Cunning Cotton is a friend of the Magical Bobbin. He too runs out when you only have a line to go on something that has to be finished by tomorrow. And you will never have any of that colour left.
• The Scary Scissors.
  The Scary Scissors have a mind of their own, and even though you have cut to measurements, these scissors always seem to cut just that little bit smaller, rendering your fabric useless.
• The Fabulous Fabric.
  It's not all doom and gloom over here. There will be lots of happy tales of fabric that is bright and fun and fabulous.

I'm not sure what else I can promise. As we wander along there might be posts a plenty, or posts that are few and far between. We'll see ...