The fun continues

Following on from last week's film fun, I had a call to say that a national newspaper was going to do an article about the project and would it be possible for a journalist to come along and talk to me about the ideas and tips I'd given. On this occasion, I would have the support of the PR person and there was nothing new to do - simply use the ideas I'd already got together. Since I didn't feel I had to perform live on camera, I was a little more relaxed about it and made arrangements for them to come here, to my home - somewhere I normally guard carefully and keep private on such occasions.

But then a photographer was arranged and yes, he took over, as they do. We moved furniture, exercised patience as he scouted out suitable locations for pictures of the before, the after and the processes in between.

The journalist had brought a skirt with her, with a "weirdly drooping hem" - her words not mine.


My challenge was to do something with it to make it wearable. Sally's suggestion of making a jacket out of it was a no-go, as were other creative proposals from the Artful Dodgers. This was to remain a skirt, albeit a rather shorter one.

I was a little anxious about it for after all, I don't cut other people's clothes up every day - if at all! I remembered the old chalk and string tip for getting that hem right and managed to pull it off successfully. Fortunately, the Gods were on my side and the shortened, neatened skirt was enthusiasically received and shown off to the photographer with genuine delight - unless the journalist was a better actress than I was!

The results will be published next week sometime I believe, in an article about the project as a whole and will include details of how I did it, illustrated by some of the 450+ photographs taken during the afternoon. It will also be accompanied by my ten tips for survival sewing, because I'm such an expert, you know!

(I had my fingers crossed when I said that)

Getting ruffled

I've been invited to a party tomorrow, to celebrate a 75th birthday. The invitation suggests that guests wear clothes of the 1930's era. For reasons best known to myself, I've decided that I will be a Nippy for the evening, so this afternoon I grabbed an old cotton sheet and began to sew.

The apron was easy. Half an hour and it was done. A quick spray of starch and it looks quite good. But then I had the cap to tackle. All of those ruffles! I muttered to Mark that I felt sure I had a ruffler foot for my trusty Bernina 1630 somewhere, if only I could remember how to use it.

Thanks to Sue, of Sue's Sewing Palace, Helena, MT, I have a set of Bernina "Footsteps" worksheets, each detailing exactly how to fit and use the fancy feet. Oh boy, did I need that sheet, because fitting the thing wasn't exactly straightforward.

But just five minutes later, there I was, happily ruffling away with not a care in the world! Wow - once again, Bernina wins through. How I love my machine!

And, since I'm working on the use of a little digital camera to record short videos to upload to a website right now, I strapped my little gorillapod to dangle off the top of my sewing machine and here we are, complete with (loud) sound effects.


As for the complete Nippy outfit, it may be unveiled tomorrow. Watch this space.