Far, far away – ready for my close up

I am in Denver this week working on a very exciting project.  I submitted proposals to Craftsy last year, but when they called while I was Sweden to ask if I could film a class, I was overjoyed! But as the time got closer, I was worried...was…

Multiple Births at the Enchanted Castle

Just arrived at the store - the four colours of power nets we have been waiting for! These are all the Regular Power net FP-1, 60" (150 cm) wide, with a blend of nylon and spandex. It is the firmest power net we have for bra backs. It seems…

Far far away – A “slight” miscalculation

Today we went to the Vasa Museum. This was my second time there in as many years but this place fascinates me. The Vasa was a ship built in Stockholm which sunk in the harbour on her maiden voyage in 1628.The Vasa was built in the shipyard in…

Far, far away – On stage with ABBA

Today was a sightseeing highlight for me. We went into Stockholm and walked along the street. You can see the agrand Hotel at the left with the flags...temporary home to many rock stars who perform in the city.Here's the Stockholm Theatre along…

Far, far away – classes are over

Classes are finally over but this is always a bittersweet time....I have to say goodbye to my new Friends but yet I know they are going home with new knowledge and hopefully inspiration to make themselves some beautiful bras.We did a class on…
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Far far away – Shelley Digital Fashion Show

The Shelley class finished today far far away in Stockholm, with 14 students making my Shelley bra pattern, with a four-piece cup, split lower cup and a built- in power bar. So without further delay, here is the Shelley digital fashion show! First…

Far, far away – surprise project

Yesterday afternoon we started a project you may not have seen before. That's because I have never posted pictures of any finished garments before today. EVER! But today, you will have the surprise I hinted about a few days ago.The students…

Far, far away – fun with foam

For the last day and a half, the ladies in Stockholm at the 2nd annual European Bra Summit have been making bras with the cups of pre-formed foam. Some call them contour cups, but we call them foam cups. We had five ladies from all over Sweden,…

Far, far away – First class beginners!

The first beginner bra class is over in Stockholm and what a first class group they were! As soon as they settled in yesterday morning, they were eager to sew.The language barrier was not a problem, as their English was WAY better than my Swedish!…

Far, far away – midsummer fun

My first full day in Sweden and it started off with a trip to my favourite Swedish grocery stor - Ica Maxi!Ica Maxi has everything from clothing to groceries and lots of whatever you might want! Apparently, the Ica Maxi in Haninge, which is…

Countdown to Sweden

On Wednesday, I will be leaving for Sweden for 2.5 weeks, where I will be teaching bra classes again this year.  If you haven't been to Sweden, here it is, a large part of the country is coastline. I will be in Stockholm, which is  the…

Far Far Away – hugs all around

It is hugs all around and pack it up for another year. Sadly, today is the last day of the corset class and the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference. Both are coming to an end this afternoon. Just after lunch I said good byes to Margaret, Noreen…
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Far far Away – Corset Building

The Saskatchewan Stitches Conference is drawing to an end, but our corset building class is just beginning. We have a small but enthusiastic class of corset builders. Corsets have gained some recent popularity as a garment to wear on the outside,…

Day 7 – Making cheesecloth into water

Today was the second and last day of the landscape class taught by Heather Grover. Yesterday I got my layout of the waterfall done, more or less. Today I started adding textures and shadows.Look at how layers of tulle over any fabric can simulate…

Day 6 1/2 – Landscape layout

I am taking a class this afternoon at SSC! This is a first for me. The class is called Landscape Quilting, and although I am not planning a quilt by any means, one certainly could incorporate all these elements into their quilting projects.The…
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Far Far Away – Shelley Digital Fashion Show

When students finish their Shelley bras, it's time for the Shelley Digital Fashion Show.  Shelley is my designer bra with a split lower cup, a power bar on the side for push-ahead support, and a lace upper cup. Shelley always looks great…

Day 5 – When the lights went out

Today was the first day of out Shelley class and they won't be finished until tomorrow, so I won't have photos of any Shelley's until then. However an interesting thing happened tonight.Tonight was my night as the "live entertainment" part of…

Day 3 – Things to do on a Convict Ship

We started another bra class today at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference in the tiny hamlet of Muenster. The town is home to a monastery where, each spring, hundreds of enthusiasts of sewing, quilting, knitting and other needle arts gather…

Far, far away – Day 1 SSC

Today was the first day of the first bra class at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference (SSC). The class didn't finish their bras but that's not at all unusual. Tomorrow they will finishIn the evenings, we always have some great group activities.…

Far,far, away – first day at St. Peter’s

Yesterday was a day of firsts for me.First, I was denied access to my flight out of our local airport because I was five minutes beyond the 45 minute boarding time cut off. Five minutes!  For "safety" reasons, they said they could not let…

Saskatchewan Stitches!

If you have been reading this blog, you may remember that every year I go to the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference, which is held in a most unusual location - a monastery! Yes, a real monastery in downtown ( I am kidding!) Muenster, where the…

Dyeing in the Kitchen

After the last post on dyeing, I thought I would share a list of the items that we have dyed successfully. Generally speaking, nylons and nylon/spandex blends dye very well, but so do some metals and plastics. Test to be sure. I have had some…

Countdown to Monastic Life

In 10 days, I will be leaving for my annual migration to the lovely rural hamlet of Muenster, Saskatchewan. There will be a surge in population that the town has come to expect at this time of year. Like the annual migration of mallard…

Stretch into Spring

The last few posts have been about tulles, those lovely embroidered meshy tulles that are so at home on an upper cup! But not everyone wants tulle all the time. Sometimes you just want a stretch lace. For panties to match your new bra, as just…

Sew Hungry

Twice per year, in spring and fall, our street in the fabric district hosts Sew Hungry, a gathering of more than 30 food trucks from all over southern Ontario. (Personally, I think it should be called Sew Into Food, but I digress...) This…

Taipei shopping experience

My last evening with the students ended on a high note, indeed. Vanessa very kindly offered to take me to the famous dumpling place in downtown Taipei for an authentic Taiwan upper class experience.Here is the Taiwan 101, which is the World.…

Taipei’s Night Market

Last night, the teachers and students "conspired" to take me to the famous Night Market. This is a market that only starts up at 6 pm and carries on until midnight, each night.It is a very popular place for locals and tourists alike, and I can…

Teaching in Taipei

I was invited to teach Bra Design & Draft at  Shih Chien University in Taipei and I have been here for a week. I had no idea of what to expect - I was only told they were fourth year students.  Also, two of the pattern drafting…

Move over Ottawa Street!

I have been very proud of the fact that Hamilton's Ottawa Street was named Canada's top shopping street, due partly to the abundance of fabric and antique shops within a few short city blocks. Yes, I counted 13 fabric shops between Barton and…

To market, to market #1

Yesterday was a great day. Even though I am still screwed up over the time difference, I wanted to post the pictures I took .First after breakfast, I took some pictures of our very quiet street in front of the hotel. I expected the noise of…

I have arrived!

When I say, I have arrived, I mean that in both the literal and the figurative senses of the word. After 3 flights ( Toronto to Detroit, Detroit to Tokyo and lastly Tokyo to Taiwan) almost 18 hours in the air...I have arrived.After picking up…

Last minute stitchin’

Just finished my last minute sewing before my trip to Taiwan. I hemmed my new pants and sewed the pockets shut ( I always do that). I also put a clip on my airplane pillow so I can keep it fastened around my tote bag or suitcase. Also around…

Countdown to Taiwan

This is it...the final days in Canada before I leave for Taiwan! Why am I going, you may ask? Is it abuying trip - no, although I won't completely rule out the possibility of going to the lace and fabric markets over there!pleasure…