It's interview time again, and this month I talk to the effortlessly stylish Rachel of Boo Dogg and Me from Melbourne, Australia. I'm constantly in awe of Rachel's sewing productivity - for every project I finish, this lady produces ten, and they're are consistently chic! So let's hear from Rachel about her sewing stash...
What's your sewing area like?
Rachel: "My sewing area is one half of my study. I have a large
table as the sewing table that I only keep my machine and my threads on. Next to that I have my sewing chest that houses my stash in one drawer, various notions in the next drawer, and all my patterns in
the top drawer. On top sits my sewing books, my little sewing basket with
rulers and other various items, a box with all my scissors and necessities
(i.e., unpicker) in it and three boxes that have zippers, trims, and buttons. I
got the sewing chest at Ikea – it was only $100 and it really does keep my
sewing table much more ‘use-able’ as there is not a great big hodge-podge of
everything on the table like before! I used to have a poky little hole in the corner of the
kitchen, and move my machine onto the dining room table, so my new space is
much improved and much loved!"
You're one of the most productive stitchers on the
blogosphere! How do you fit so much sewing around your job and life? Tell us
your secret!
Rachel: "At the moment I don’t feel very productive at all!
I’ve really hit a brick wall. Usually though, I think there are a few things
that work in my favour: I don’t have children; my hubby also works
Saturdays at the moment, so this leaves me with a fair bit of spare time to sew
if I wish; I don’t really own very many clothing items
that I’ve bought - as my sewing skills have improved over the last year I’ve
really wanted to update and improve my hand-sewn wardrobe, so I’ve been working
like a maniac to do that; until this time, I haven’t chosen projects
that have been overly difficult (with a few exceptions) - my plan over the next
few months is to sew something more difficult than I’ve sewn before and really
challenges myself - I think this will slow me down; I really, really love sewing (most of the
time) - it is my number one hobby."
Talk us through some of your favourite items in your sewing stash...
Rachel: "I don’t have a huge fabric stash. My favourite stashed
fabric at the moment though is 4m of checked Japanese cotton that I bought with
some birthday money. It is soooo soft and so pretty. I’m planning on making a
60’s dress out of it (think the dresses in Rosemary’s Baby).
I do hoard buttons. I love buttons, but don’t really
sew a lot of items that require them. My favourites (there are so many!)
include: Gorgeous white flower buttons from the 1950s; lovely green ones from the 1940s; blue and white ones from the 1940s.
Do you tend to hoard or use things up quickly? What pattern or fabric has been sitting untouched in your stash the
longest?
Rachel: "I don’t really have a huge stash. It really is just
the bottom drawer in my sewing chest. My hubby used to chide me for stashing
until I showed him pictures of other seamstress’ and bloggers’ stashes, and
then he realized that I really had no stash at all!
I generally buy fabric for a purpose and use it pretty
quickly. I do hoard buttons though, and really love them. I think they’re so
pretty, and will see ones I love (most often on etsy or in second-hand or
antique shops) and buy them thinking 'I’ll make a great shirt-dress (or
something similar) with them'… and then they just sit in my button box because
I haven’t found the perfect fabric for them!
The pattern sitting in my stash for the longest is the
infamous vintage repro Butterick 'Walk Away' dress. It was the first pattern I
bought, as I wanted to make something vintage and it was rated 'easy'. Then I
looked on Pattern Review and read a huge number of bad reviews and never made
it. I don’t think I actually ever will."
How did you learn to sew?
Rachel: "I did do Grade 8 Home Economics where I learnt really
basic straight stitching. We made a cushion cover with a felt animal stitched
on. Mine was a green cushion with a frog.
I didn’t sew after the froggy cushion until around 2.5
years ago when I became interested in vintage fashion. I was doing my PhD at
the time, and was in an office with a lovely friend of mine, Maree (Maree P on
Pattern Review), who always wore very cool clothing. I discovered she sewed
these garments, and made vintage frocks for her daughter.
In what was very fortuitous timing, I was living with
another lovely friend who owned a sewing machine. One very hot evening, we cut
out a simple A-line skirt, and my friend taught me to stitch it together. I
sewed in the zip without her there, and it was truly awful. I didn’t know there
was a zipper foot.
From there, I took every opportunity to bug Maree with
sewing talk. Her wonderful advice and wisdom, amazing online tutorials, and
very generous bloggers detailing their sewing adventures taught me how to sew.
I bought my own machine, and have never looked back."
What sewing projects have you got planned for the
future?
Rachel: "I have a few things floating around in my mind: a fitted jacket; the sixties Rosemary’s Baby dress; a wrap around dress made in cool cotton; a beach cover-up (I have a holiday at the
beach coming up); a pair of shorts. I have no real order for these, but I’d like to do
them!"
