Gavin and the Not-Real Girl

Sometimes, I think I am not a real girl. 


(I mean, I'm like, totally an actual girl- I have had babies and everything. Ask Gavin. He knows.) 


But, I'm referring to 'Girlness'. I recently met a large group of cosmetic salesgirls. (I'm not sure of the collective noun for a group of cosmetics girls, but I think it's a Shimmer. A Shimmer of Cosmetics Salesgirls.) They were all so beautiful and made up and perfect looking. And I couldn't help but think- that looks like a LOT of work. I am waaaay too lazy to be that fabulous.


It started me thinking- what other girly things do I not do?


SO, here we go....


- I pretty much never spend more that 10 bucks on any piece of clothing. Whether it be thrifting or bargain shopping in chain stores, I just don't see the point in spending a crap load of money on clothes. I love clothes and accessories, don't get me wrong, and I totally look awesome ALL THE TIME.....but I'm also a real tight wad. Tight Wad wins.


- I've had my eyebrows waxed maybe three times in my life. I have never had anything else waxed. Life can be annoying and painful enough without torturous hair removal. 


- I am well renowned and critically acclaimed in the field of burping.


- I don't really care about the makeup I buy. As long as I have a foundation, a mascara, some blush and a black eyeliner, I'm good to go. I do love my Maybelline mascara (the pink and green one- been buyin' it for years) but other than that, I'll just buy whatever. Usually whatever's cheap. See: Tight Wad. 


- I don't care if you leave the toilet seat up. I need it down, you need it up. Big Deal. Why is the way I want it supposedly the right way? I do think everyone needs to put the whole lot down- lid and seat, just cos it looks tidier. But I'm not gonna go all medieval on any male's ass for leaving the seat up. You know what I do? I put it down and get on with my life.


- I four pairs of shoes I actually wear. 2 pairs of boots, orange Mary-Janes and some thongs. I have some others, but I rarely wear them. I am the anti-Imelda. The Antimelda.


- I point out nice boobs to my husband. He appreciates it.


- I never wash my makeup off before bed. What's the point? I'm just gonna put more on tomorrow....


- Like most real girls, I do like handbags. But when I want a new one? I make it myself. 

Made from recycled vinyl and fabric from Reverse Garbage

Are you a real girl? What IS a real girl?

Are you a Person-Who-Sews-Stuff?

I aspire to become a better sewer this year. 
Wait, is that what you call a person who sews stuff? A Sewer? It sounds weird. And I just noticed that it is spelt the same as sewer.... as in, drain with poo and wee in it. Gross..


Ok, so this year, I aspire to become a better Person-Who-Sews-Stuff.


I met and awesome Person-Who-Sews-Stuff at the blog meet the other day- 
Jos from Sew, Cook, Laugh & Live.

 

Jos' blog is great for newbie Persons-Who-Sew-Stuff like me. Her No Pattern required dress is just fantastic!


So, here is my attempt at Jos' No Pattern dress. I adapted an old hippie skirt I had. I'm pretty bloody happy with it!! Can't you tell by the slightly manic look on my face?

The dress is straight on the bottom- I think I am just standing funny. Or one of my legs is longer than the other.  Whatever.


I think I am going to make a million of these and burn all my other clothes. 
Or I might just throw them in the sewer. 
(Hee hee. See what I did there? That's a call-back, baby!)

Dolly

When I was a pre teen I was fully into Barbies.And, unlike little girls today (yep, I am an old, old, cranky lady) I didn't have 56 Barbies that were interchangeable and meaningless to me. I had 4. And one of them wasn't even a Barbie. It was a Marie Osmond doll. Hilarious.

But I didn't care. Those four dolls were my most loved possessions. My most favouritest toys. (My feelings toward Barbie and her slutty cousin the Bratz doll are very different today... but that's another blog for another day)


I had an old cardboard suitcase that I carted them around in. My preciouses. I would take them to sleep overs. I made up plays for them to perform in. Twirl 'n' Curl Barbie was often the star. Marie Osmond was her perky best friend. 


Man, I loved those Barbies.


I was totally blown away when my Nanna Tessie came to visit when I was about ten, and brought me enough handmade Barbie clothes to fill my tatty suitcase to the brim. Gorgeous little knitted jumpers, funky dresses made out of old socks, all manner of glamorous duds for my four special girls. I was in heaven. I would take the clothes out, peruse the collection and then fold them all so carefully and place them back in my suitcase. I think, even though I was only small, part of the reason those clothes were so special was that I kinda understood how much time and effort Nanna had put into each little piece. There were even little vinyl handbags, for goodness sake! And she had done that for me. And Marie Osmond. 


I am surrounded by boys. 

I will not have a house full of Barbies and pink things. 99.5% of me thanks the universe for that.... but a little part of me was super excited when Jasper asked me to make a dress for their one and only doll. 

Nanna Judy found her in an Op Shop. We think she may have had a previously sordid life as an exotic dancer, as she was wearing purple tear away pants and nothing else when Mum found her. Weird. She was being called Stripper Dolly, but now that she is rehabilitated, she is just called Dolly.


And she is sooo much more demure in her new Tessie Fabric dresses.


She was a little shy at first...

But she soon warmed up to the photo shoot. 

These will probably be the only doll clothes I ever make. They are very crappily sewn. And the novelty of Dolly may wear off in a day, or a week. But regardless, I dedicate these little dresses to my Nanna and I thank her (wherever she is) for that tatty suitcase of amazing doll clothes and for making me (and Marie Osmond) feel so special.

 I pass on that message to my boys. I will always try to go above and beyond for you. I will put my love into the things I make for you. I will always try to make you feel special and unique. All three of you.


x Gillian


* I wish I had a picture of my Barbies. But I don't. When I was about 13 or 14 I gave my entire collection- Twirl 'n' Curl, Malibu, No-Name and Marie Osmond and their fabulous Nanna-made wardrobe in the tatty old suitcase to my fabulous cousin Bianca- who was about 8 at the time I think. I have it on good authority that Bianca loved those girls every bit as much as I did.

Christmas Giftiness

My bestest customer this Christmas has been my Sally. Some of her purchases were off the rack (or out of the Craft Cupboard) and some were custom orders.
I love to be challenged and pushed into new areas when fulfilling a brief for a customer, so I was super excited to tackle this apron and try a few new techniques.

My Sewing Yoda (Mum) was out socialising, so she is sacked. You Tube is my new Sewing Mummy*. 


But, come on, how many videos does the world really need on gathering???Apparently A. LOT.


Sal also ordered a clutch bag for her Mum. I am really happy with how it came out and I think it's the best one of these I have made. 

(Trumpet-blowing over.)
(For now :-)


Thanks for being as awesome customer Sal and I hope your peeps like their Tessie Gifts!!!


X Gillian

*I haven't really sacked Mum. She wishes!! She is still my Go-To girl for all sewing, toddler, cooking, life, universe, related queries. Always.

Pretty covers for my pretty things

I made myself some presents.

 A4 Sketch Book Cover

Sketch Book inner. Buttons. Yeah , Man.

And because I am the luckiest wife in the world, my Lovely Husband gave me a Kindle Book reader for my birthday. It is incredibly cool and I am a little bit in love with it. Ok, a lot. I downloaded Nick Hornby's 'Juliet, Naked' and am finding it really easy and comfortable to read.

So, I made it a cover!! Doesn't it look happy?

Emily Dickenson was a Tessie kinda gal

I used my patchwork material- I have been saving it, waiting to make something special. 

I love making little pouches and covers and cases for my things. I like carrying things with me that I have put love and time into and that are totally original.

Have a lovely Saturday!!

x Gillian for Tessie Designs

new bags

Here are the newest bags that me and Mrs Janome have made. Hooray!!

I am so happy with this one. I made the patchwork fabric from my offcuts and scraps. That was so much fun. It's lined with cute fabric and I like it heaps and heaps!! I have some more patchwork in the works and am trying to decide what to make with it... maybe another bag, or a baby clutch... 

This cute butterfly bag is a cross between a messenger bag and a satchel.  It has a wide, long handle and is lined with quirky orange and white stripes!! I made this pattern up, and learned a few tricks along the way!!

X Gillian for Tessie Designs

Reverse Push

When I was considering getting a sewing machine last month, I asked my sister if she had one that I could borrow, before I committed to buying one.

She said, 'Sure! I have one. It's a bit old, but it should be OK. I'll find it for you."

I said, "That would be RAD!"

A few days later, she phoned and said, "Sewing Machine found. It's a bit crap,  the cord is a bit frayed and it's a bit dirty. But you can still have it if you want."

We weren't sure if it worked and neither my sister or I have any sewing knowedge at all at this stage and  in my mind, it was a daggy looking yukky plastic thing.

So, I said, "hhmmm. Sounds a bit NOT RAD! I'll pass."

Yesterday, I met the Sewing Machine.

It's awesome. What a gorgeous old lady! While I totally don't want it as a sewing machine (Mrs. Janome is an ubermodern goddess) I totally love it! Look at the Knobs! And the dials! And the wooden base! And the dirt!

And I am totally in love with the 'Reverse' knob.

I consider this the original 'Ctrl+Z' command. From now on, when I wanna 'undo' on the computer, my brain will be saying "Reverse Push!!"

X Gillian for Tessie Designs

Me and Mrs. Janome

We got a thing.... going on......

Me and Mrs. Janome have been busy! I tackled a Tessie Messenger bag last night-
I'm pretty happy with it. 

I used our green flower Spoonflower fabric and one of  my girls.

I like all the different textures- the velvet, the upholstery fabric, the ribbons

I made this one for my very good friend Linda. (shhh, don't tell her!)
She and her little boys were really the inspiration
for my recent fascination with Owls. I made clay owls with them one day last year,
and have been hooked on Owls ever since!

And she is such an amazing supporter of everything I do...
and have done for the last 20 years!

This whole sewing caper is making me happy.

X Gillian for Tessie Designs

Check me out, Mrs Williams!!

When I was in high school, I was very good at some things. Art, English, Drama, Browbeating Others With my Opinions... (I topped that class).

There were other things that I was very bad at: Sport, Handing in Graphics homework, fitting in and Home Economics.

Even though my mum was always an amazing sewer- clothes, toys, (she even made me a pair of togs once! I know!), I just didn't get sewing. I was scared of the noisy machines and pointy things...

So, My Home Ec teacher, Mrs Williams, banned me from using the school sewing machines in Grade Eight, after I managed to render two different machines inoperable. At the time, I thought- Awesome. Now I don't have to do it. And this is a recurring theme in my life- If I am not good at something, I just don't do it. I didn't want to have to learn to do things I was afraid of. I was scared of failing. I still am.

 BUT, I bought a sewing machine!! And I am going to teach myself to use it. And I am going to make mistakes, and things that suck. I am not going to be the best straight away, and  the things I make won't be perfect. But, I am so enjoying the challenge. I never thought I would sew anything. Crafting has captured my creativity in a way I haven't felt for years.

Here are my first creations on my beautiful Janome! They are imperfect, I made mistakes and I need help to work out some things, but they make me happy!

 How do you like me now, Mrs Williams!!!!

Elephant!!

It's totally an ELEPHANT!!

I have had a great time making this little guy. He is the most complex animal I have atempted so far and I couldn't be more pleased wiht the result! He is available over in the Etsy Shop.

He kind of reminds me of the Elephant in the Peter Sellers film The Party. Birdee Num Num.

And in other VERY EXCITING NEWS......

I bought a sewing machine!!! I know! I can't believe it either. It's a beautiful thing and I cannot wait to learn how to use it!!!! 

I will be raiding Mum's uber-sewing brain and I might even go to a class at the Sewing Centre... hee hee. 

I have slightly moved away from my girls and fabric design for the moment, and I sometimes wonder.. Who am I? All I know is that my creativity and drive takes me where it wants to go, and if I am smart, I just follow it and enjoy the ride!

X Gillian for Tessie Designs

i heart felt.

Here are my newest little felt pouches. They are lined with cute flowery felt and are padded to protect your camera, or phone or glasses.

Today has been a tough day. The logistics of life kicked my ass a little... Being the mum of 2yo twins and a wife and an craft artist all at the same time can be overwhelming. Trying to be perfect is ridiculous. Intellectually I am well aware of this. Yet, why do I still fell like I have to be?

The pressure is self imposed, and so is the solution.
Stop. Breathe. Regroup. Sew some Super-cute Camera Pouches.

You can find Flower Power here and Mr Owl here

x Gillian or Tessie Designs

my camera gets a new outfit

I have had an unfulfilled creative urge bugging me lately. I just needed to MAKE something, you know? Owls and cats weren't frying my burger..... so today I made a camera pouch!  I'm still learning the ins and outs of sewing, but I think it came out pretty well.

So, what do you think? Is this a product I could make for our shop? 

Friday Top Five

So, even though we all got sick this week- (thanks to the germy babies!) and Lovely Husband is away in Melbourne today and I miss him like a sooki baby, here are 
Five cool things that happened this week.....

1: While watching Seinfeld repeats the other night, I'm pretty sure that Eli did an awesome George Costanza impersonation... on purpose

2: Mum came to stay, which is always great. Our latest fabric delivery is awesome and I can't wait to share some of the finished products!! (this is a sneaky peek at some super cute round cushions!)

3: I made cute Custom Owls for my nieces and nephews

4: Me and the babies were on TV! (We appear at about 2:44)

5: The Awesome Teenager came 15th in the Cross Country

Oh, and unofficial #6.... I started this Blog! Yee-hoo!!

x Gil for Tessie Designs