Another fabulous dress for Outfit Number 40

I've got heaps of news! But first, I hope your summer/festive season has been great, and you're taking care on the roads etc. I drive A LOT over summer (8 hours to get back to Mum and Dad's and 8 hours back!) (Oh, and 3 hours to Melbs and back too!) so hope you are travelling well and enjoying yourself!

So! After two weeks in Gippsland, I've got the hang of my Mum's really easy Brother Sewing Machine. I tried the button hole thing, foot thing, you know what I'm talking about Experienced Sewers! (Remember I'm self taught, so often forget the names of things) (Why are the dogs called 'dogs'? etc etc etc)

AND WE CAME BACK TO SYDNEY AND MY HUSBIE CONVINCED ME TO GET:



A BROTHER SEWING MACHINE ALL FOR MYSELF! It's a mid range computie one, NS or NC 50, and so far SO GOOD! I went to the Sewing Machine Warehouse and met Lou and Kate, who were both fabulous. But get this.... The customer JUST before me, like she and her partner were leaving just as I was about to buy my machine... were just like My Husbie and I... and Lou & Kate couldn't believe the coincidences:

We were BOTH from Newtown, we were both upgrading *from* a Janome to a *Brother* and we were both buying the same machine. We also BOTH had very handsome husbands, and were wanting to hold off buying a coverstitch machine, and just use the Brother's twin needles for lingerie and bikinis. KWINKY DINK!

What a laugh. I love these guys at SMW, but Penrith is hilarious, and not sure if it'll be a regular visiting place. But still, a great adventure to the SUPA CENTA (sic!)

So, I tested the machine out with a good old dress, a 1970s Simplicity Pattern, it's the THIRD time I've tried this pattern (altering it each time to my liking and to suit the material!), and decided I'd go stash all the way... even the zipper:



My lovely Mother in Law visits the occasional op shop in Brissie and often finds me some ace zippers, I have zillions of them and LOVE their old retro labels!

The material is a tablecloth, I think I bought it in Adelaide this year, but what I loved about it was the diagonal squares... I wanted to focus on the black squares the best, as black is my fave, and I'm super proud with how the bodice and the dress bit all matched up, but what I didn't plan is the pockets!!!! How good is it!!!



So I'm wearing it right now, and frantically blogging to then get some dips ready for a little neighbourly get together!

xoxo