It's a small world

How fortunate are we today to have the world at our fingertips.

A little while back I was contacted by an American designer who sells her patterns on line.  She made some flattering noises in my direction and asked if I would be interested in making up some designs from her patterns which I could sell in my Etsy shop, with a link back to her own shop.  Always a sucker for complimentary remarks, of course I agreed.

The patterns arrived in PDF format and in no time I was well into the task at hand.

It was early autumn and I knew that I would have to get the finished garments down to talented Melbourne photographer Yvette of Kees and Me Photography before the poor little models froze to death.

I also sent one dress to lovely Queensland stylist Sandrine of Image In Cafe, knowing that the weather would be warmer and therefore a little kinder to the model.

The latest completed dress was mailed to California where talented child photographer Sara of Boutique Baby Photography advised that she had a rare opening for a photography shoot.

So from America I received PDF patterns thanks to the magical mysteries of the internet.  The dresses were made in Sydney, mailed to Melbourne and Brisbane here in Australia and to California to be photographed and finally put up for sale through Etsy, with its headquarters in New York.

Amazing.

All these garments can be purchased through my Etsy and MadeIt shops.  I know, I know, blatant self promotion.  I have no shame.

There were bubbles

We mothers had been promised bubbles and we were not disappointed.  And they were indeed of the champagne variety and not soapy ones.

Sydney put on her best clothes for Mother's Day yesterday and the city came alive with people taking advantage of the incredible weather that only the month of May can produce.

We gathered at our favourite hotel in the city for what our grandchildren claim to be the best food ever - buffet.  Where else can you have hot chips, tomato sauce and chocolate macarons on the same plate?   Some of us preferred the champagne which appeared to flow in abundance.

The children were preening themselves with pleasure at having both sets of grandparents present when our son-in-law's parents flew up from Melbourne for the weekend.

And there was Aunty Maz who is always good fun.

 

As we were sipping our coffee at the end of the meal the hotel staff presented us mothers with a gift box.

Full of chocolates.

Thankfully the city gardens were across the road, so handy to walk off the meal.

A perfect day.  When Sydney turns on her charms, you wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Forgotten crafts

Our quilting group does a lot of this every Tuesday - we stand around a newly completed quilt, full of admiration and wonder.  But this week it was a little different.  We were shown a collection of hand-crafted items which many of us had not realised even existed.

Note our fashion diva Ann's matching shoes

Prize-winning quilter Rae Cashman is an avid collector of vintage craft, and she has often entertained us with her remarkable acquisitions.  But this time she had quite an education lined up for us.

Doyley covers.  Of course.  Anybody born after the Fifties probably doesn't even know what a doyley is, but I can remember a time when no self-respecting housewife would be caught without a doyley placed under just about anything that sat on a table or dresser.

But doyley covers?  I guess my beautiful mother had other fish to fry, as we sadly lacked one of these to protect all those spare doyleys carefully stored in drawers, waiting for their moment in the sun.

Ah, simpler times.