Sew Melbourne Garden Party
What a wonderful garden party. A spectacular lady garden sewing party if you will.
The Sew Melbourne Garden Party was planned through the collaboration of a bevy of gorgeous ladies, @craftyjane, @liblib and @abbythingsforboys. They coordinated a picnic within the Kings Domain at the Botanical on a perfect Autumn afternoon for the all inclusive sewing community. 
A delightful afternoon was had, lounging under the trees in the dappled sunlight, nibbling on sweet treats and listening to the string quartet (who did an amazing thing by outplaying the electronica festival next door).
We were quite the curiosity to those taking a stroll around the grounds. 
Leah and I met during a blogging course many moons ago at Blog with Pip, and now here we are playing ladies in the gardens!
I had decided the previous day that I wouldn’t be able to make it due to insomnia making it impossible for me to speak, let alone think, however I was blessed with 6 hours of snooze time. Bruce offered to chaperone me to and from the gardens so I packed a little hamper and made my way to the party.
I wore the Bardot dress by Simple Sew Patterns, although I’m struggling to find where I purchased the PDF. I’d seen this pattern some time ago, and when I purchased this amazing linen from The Drapery in South Australia that I knew they were destined for one another.
The dress was very straight forward. The neckline was what initially drew me to the pattern and when I sit still, the neckline sits perfect and still, but when I move it doesn’t quite stay in place. I’m thinking two small darts at the back neckline should rectify this issue.
The only adjustment I made to the pattern was to lengthen the bodice by 2.5cm which was just the right amount.
When the actual sewing had been completed I thought it needed a little lift so I hand stitched the ribbon around the hemline (approximately 2 hours work) so I felt more of a sense of accomplishment given the dress had taken so little time. 
I also purchased these amazing seamed stockings from What Katie Did. How have I not worn them before? I found them so comfortable particularly on a hot day. I most likely flashed them more than was necessary, but don’t fret, the Liberty knickers also went on display just for a second. 
I made my name badge from vintage liberty which took three attempts to get right. The first was too messy, the second looked as though my name was Pups but the third turned out perfectly. It’s now pinned to one of my curtains in the sewing atelier.
A lovely day was had by all. I was excited to finally be able to attend a sewing soiree since I’ve had to miss several due to illness. And so nice to put names and faces to Instagram names. Although I did find myself referring to people by their IG names because it was easier to remember. I have such fog brain and word salad that I was lucky to get out of the house that day. 
If you want to see more captures of our wonderful afternoon, search for #sewmelbournegp
That is about as saucy as I get yet I still get the feeling I look more demure than anything else. A friend once told me that even when I attempt to dress myself as a lady of the night I still looked ridiculously wholesome and like I’m about to attend church.
Thank you Libby, Jane and Abby for planning such a special event.
Photos by Bruce and also Lady Garden Party attendees. Fabric purchased from The Drapery. Aged ribbon purchased from Lilly Pond. Stockings purchased from What Katie Did. Shoes purchased from American Duchess. Flower crown by Lilly and Lace. Garden party held at the Kings Domain in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
No ones opening the door… guess it’s clear she’s gone. 
Ellie’s designs are exquisite and the underlying darkness in her design ensures it stands apart from that prettiness that is so often found in florals. Her designs are a mix of over sized blooms with digital enhancement and the odd butterfly floating in a sea of petals that give it a strong edge.
This is my Dirty Dancing moment, much to the horror of B1 and B2. I was, after all, having the time of my life. 
The water lilies were in fine form. And my death pose. May my inner gothling always be present.
The top is the Tiny Pocket tank (OOP) from Grainline Studio which I believe has now been updated to a similar pattern called Willow. I find this top very flattering with the addition of some shaping in the side seams. I stumbled upon the cotton lace overlay and silk remnant at The Fabric Store and was down to the millimetre to cut the Tiny Pocket out. The silk hangs below the lace which I’m quite pleased with when it is sitting over the skirt but I think it will be more likely tucked in. I used some black silk bias to finish the neck and arms that I’d made many moons ago to add some contrast. The the ribbon was originally threaded around the waist however it didn’t sit well so I’ve left it at the back to give a little extra gather and definition to the waist. 
The linen I used for the Chardon skirt was the Dark Floral II light by Ellie Cashman and it was heaven to sew with. No fading with washing and it retained its original beautiful structure which held the pleats of the Chardon skirt so well whilst providing a little pouf. The pleats seemed to give the flowers even more depth as they overlapped. The skirt went together beautifully and having sized down from my previous version, is now more fitted around the waist. And of course it has pockets. 
As this is such a special skirt, I hemmed it with vintage lace gifted to me by 
I hand picked the zip due the thickness of the fabric and to ensure greater control over where it was placed. It sits flatly across the derriere and has all the good curves in just the right places.
That centre flower looks so three dimensional within the folds of the pleats. Even when laying out the fabric it looked magical. I also caught a reclusive bug and lonely cute butterfly on the front skirt piece.
The history of daisies is that they demonstrate trust and loyalty. They are also often given to a person who is ill to brighten up their day. Fitting given that today I’m suffering the most amazing female malaise of surgical menopause. It’s great really. You roll 1-5 years of symptoms into overnight and then try and figure out how the world works again. If anyone ever mentions male menopause to me, beware, for I may get feisty….
the girl in a tea cup 