Starting off 2019 right! (Although my first blog is a little late)

Hey everyone! It’s been a while but I’m back and with good news… I’M CANCER FREE!!!

I haven’t really had the proper chance to reflect on being in remission, but I’ll write up a blog post soon once I’ve fully processed it. It still doesn’t feel real!

I got the news that I was cancer free on February 26 but between then and the start of the year, I was mostly working on my fitness by running, going back to relief teaching (or substitute teaching for my American readers), catching up with friends and just exploring what my area has to offer (I’ve lived in Sydney for 25 years and the places to see and things to do here are limitless!).

My hair has also been growing! This photo was taken at Bilpin Cider Co check out the place if you ever have the chance!

In terms of my sewing journey, I believe I started off the year right by sewing for other people!

Here are a few of my projects I’ve completed so far:

Altering my boyfriend, Gino’s, breakdancing crew shirt

I’m not used to doing alterations, I’m more used to sewing clothing from scratch with all the measurements I need in front of me. But my boyfriend ordered a shirt that was too big and so I volunteered to size it down. It was a good challenge for me to learn and practice doing alterations for other people.

Before (left) and after (right)

Personalised Shorts for Kaycee – New Look 6289

A childhood friend of mine, Kaycee, commissioned me to make her a pair of shorts. She chose fabric that was personalised to her style and it looks great on her!

We took a trip to Ikea and took a few photos with Kaycee in her shorts

Candy’s Memory Blanket

Quilting was definitely very new to me. Candy asked me to turn her sentimental clothing into a blanket. What freaked me out the most about this project was the possibility of ruining her clothing! But this was definitely a great opportunity to learn and try out something new!

Before it got turned into a blanket!

For this project, I cut each piece of clothing to 30cmx30cm square patches. I got two pieces out of each item of clothing as I cut one piece from the front and the other from the back. Afterwards, I sewed the patches together and then attached it to backing fabric. I finished the edges using a biased binding for a neater edge.

Figuring out how to position the patches

It was definitely challenging but the workers at my local Spotlight store gave me tips and advice such as using quilting safety pins to pin each patch to the backing fabric. It’s easier to use because the curve of the pin makes it more secure when sewing a quilt. I was about to use just my dressmaking pins! Other advice I got from the Spotlight store workers were to attach the patchwork to the backing fabric by first sewing in the ditch from the middle square, and to finish the edges with a bias binding. Because if you start from the top, it will stretch and not align the way you were intending it to.

Pinning the patchwork piece to the backing fabric

I was worried that I wasn’t the right person for the job but I finished it!

 

Finished blanket! That’s Candy on the right!

What’s next for sewing in 2019?

I just wanted to thank everyone whom I sewed for in trusting me enough to actually do a good job 😂. I learnt a lot through sewing for other people, in the past I only really knew how to sew for my specifications and preferences. For now, I’m finished with commissions and I plan on spending the rest of the year going back to sewing my hand made wardrobe and choosing projects that challenge me!

 

I also got a new sewing machine!

 

What now that I’m cancer free?

In all honesty, I haven’t really worked it out yet. Like I said at the beginning of this post, it still doesn’t feel real! My outlook on life and personal goals definitely have changed, but let’s leave that discussion for the next blog post. 😉

Me and my boyfriend at the hospital car park straight after we found out!

We had a family dinner that night at Mama Lor in Rooty Hill to celebrate!