Working in the Fashion industry
Recently I was directed to a sewing site which was more about professional sewing but it reminded me of my youth. My first ever job was working at a small boutique fashion knitwear place called Sigrid Styleknit….I did Google the name and got one photograph in some Australian migrant archives.

Working in that industry must run in the family as my mother ran her brother’s knitting mill in Germany when the “hired” help didn’t materialize and orders were piling in. More on that maybe on another occasion.

My job amongst other things was to write out the sequence of how the garment was put together. Basically a garment construction plan! Which machinist the said garment went to and in what order, the accessories used plus much more.

For example the material started at the steam pressing table straight from the knitting room with its order label tag swinging from the side…style 1347; size SSW; colour red; order Judells (I think they are still around). From here it proceeded to the cutting table and began its long journey through the work room being moved from one section to another. where most of the girls were from European counties…for example Italy, Greek, Polish, Czech. It went to an over locker girl to sew shoulders together and to neaten the side seams. Then the sewing machine girl to do side seams and sleeve seams. Back to over locker to set in sleeves. To the linker machine which I thankfully didn’t get to use as it is very fine eye straining work in the putting on of a knitted edging without missing a stitch. Like this one I had done on a favourite Cardigan of my husband many moons ago!

Then onto to a blind stitch hemmer for sleeves and bottom hem edge…plus a myriad other jobs to create the finished garment with unique buttons and hand sewn buttonholes to its final inspection for flaws and package into order boxes to be delivered by Comet Freight throughout Australia.

At the beginning of each new range, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring one job I remember doing was following a new garment right through each process. I had to time with a stop watch the different stages for the office to include in the costing.

Writing it like this makes me marvel what I actually learnt and did as I gained experience …me a young, shy, naive girl. I had no idea what I wanted to do for a job and it was only that my father had done some work on the big industrial knitting machines that I ended up there. That quite often happened I think as once you left school you just went to the first job available unless you were specialising or going to business college…for example my hubby just wanted to leave school and work. His first job ended up being what he then did most of his working life in International Airfreight with its myriad changes.

Thinking back, I was only young and straight out of school at sixteen. I did an apprenticeship, went to night school for three year doing examination courses in advanced dressmaking and tailoring. Also learning pattern making ( really hard ) where we had to draft patterns on blue paper in quarter scale. I left work when I was about 22 before our eldest was born. A lifetime ago. Later on I wished I’d been older to fully understand and appreciate the concepts of all this dressmaking.

My mother, my teacher

But it did serve me well through the years as I sewed for myself and our children when it was expensive to buy ready-made and have always mended. I have sewn curtains for our homes and made bags and know how to make do and repair. So in essence my first job set me up with Life Skills….what more could a girl ask for.

What about you.

Joining with Frontier Dreams, a Waldorf schooling creative mum

Some old photos I found taken between 1967-1970.
First one was the advert for my job and the second was a photo shoot for Sigrid Styleknit. Young blonde me in back and Sigrid the designer in black sunglasses in front. It was a Candid snap taken for Sigrid….the other ladies were well known Adelaide models whose names I cannot recall now.

Photo courtesy from {click} at morgueFile free photos

Sustainability …what does it mean for you and me.

What about …How to live a joyful and abundant life by observation, example and Attitude…or changing our Attitude!

So many different things to different people and depending on your circumstance.

Sustainability in suburbia, sustainable living in suburbs, sustainable living in the city, sustainable living in the country, apartment sustainable living, high-rise sustainable living, single person household sustainable living, rental sustainable living, sustainable living garden, sustainable living with communal garden. Endless list here.

I Googled to find the meaning and was met with a vast array of discussions. Then I found a site for children which made it so much easier for me

http://www.googolpower.com/content/free-learning-resources/environmental-education/definitions-of-sustainability-for-children

“Like a circle it goes round and all is reused” ….

Now this I can understand because in a way many of us already use this principle without even giving it a name.

An example could be that we are trying to make a recipe and don’t have all the ingredients, so instead we Google to see what substitute we can use. Easy, we do it all the time without thought. Then instead of going to the shop, or because we can’t spend any money on petrol to drive to shop and anyway our grocery budget is already shot and we can’t juggle the money any other way we use what we have. Stew those wrinkled apples that otherwise would go bad and into landfill and use that instead of oil in a muffin recipe. Find that recipe! Or make a Dairy free and egg free cake. Simple again.

I’m sure you have done the same in some other way without even realising it!

Thinking back to my childhood I fondly recall mother doing so many of these things. It was not because it was fashionable or had a name or that everyone was discussing it on talk back Radio, but because it was a way of life for many people to survive by making do.

….toothpaste tube rolled up and squeezed and squeezed to get the last bits out but I really did want to start a new one …No!

….all the kitchen scraps were saved in the kitchen bin and then had to be emptied in the garden. Us girls put it off for as long as possible till not a scrap more of vegetable peelings could be squashed in ….mum was patient, but we still had to do it!

….clothes were remade -

Mum was given a woollen skirt which was showing some wear in the weave. So she washed it and then unpicked and pressed it. No steam irons then. Just a damp cloth and hot iron. Every piece was reused. So by turning the material inside out there was a new looking skirt which lasted for many long years and looked classy.

When I was asked to be Flower-girl (now called junior bridesmaid) mum was given a pale pink cotton dress from neighbouring ladies. This also she took apart and remade into a pretty dress for me.

Inspirations for us today….for us to pass on to the next generation and live joyful content lives. Teaching by example and our attitude.

So now as a grandmother just doing a little looking back to my mother’s days I am so thankful for the many things I have learnt and have been able to implement into my own and my family’s life. It’s just the simple observations of the everyday life that can unconsciously work its way into our routines.

Who visits the Op shop or also called Thrift store? Isn’t that part of sustainable living. What one person has decluttered is something that is useful for you….and vice versa, don’t you put things in the Op bins or take to the thrift store? I found a new looking beautiful fine knit red woollen dress that is hand washable. Great again cause it doesn’t need to be Dry cleaned and especially, saves me money.

…sew that button on, redo that hem, fix that tiny undone seam, put funky patches on little trousers worn at the knee, fix worn bottom of trousers….and if we don’t know how to just ask someone for a helping hand or Google ” How to…” , there are myriad sites which will give you info. Just be willing to learn. Slowly.

I am sure that if we stopped and thought about it, we would find there are many ways in which we ARE living richly by reusing or making things go around…and that also includes how we deal with or treat each other.

Busy little cousin fun, “How to…”

So have a great day all and remember it’s in the little things that changes can happen.

Alexa x

Title photograph courtesy {click} morgueFile free photos

Also came across a tiny kernel of an idea for this article whilst having stumbled upon an article on microfiber cloths in a Blog called Sustainable suburbia….

http://sustainablesuburbia.net/the-pros-and-cons-of-cleaning-with-microfiber-is-it-really-eco-friendly/

All other Photographs and writing belong to Alexa from

http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com

Courtesy curlsdiva at MorgueFile free photos

What happens when you have time…

Unusual title?

Just like that, and without conscious thought it surfaced. I had been thinking back on some of the last few days and what I had accomplished.

There had been no need to rush out doing myriad errands watching the clock. Not worrying about being caught in peak hour traffic or be on time to pick up somebody. Instead, a refreshing pace which is good for the soul.

So what was one thing that was good for the soul….taking my time and discovering.

I had purchased a sweet cheap dress at Kmart because the material was strong and appealing and the basic lines were right. Except that I am tall and the dress too short for me.

So on and off over the space of a few weeks I was able to muse on how I could adapt this dress for me.. I thought of this or that and then acted. I enjoyed working out the strategies and in which order I would proceed…some hand sewing and some machine sewing..and all at no cost, which was a bonus!

Tried dress on again. …ok, I’ll add a double thickness band to bottom in the plain black poplin from my linen press/cupboard as a block colour. Pinned, tried on, sewed, pressed , tried on again.

OH!!.. Still not quite long enough when I move. OK…what now. Another band the same and it looks as if it’s meant to be so.
GOOD. Wait…now it’s a bit too bouffant round the waist. OK!…a belt. Like this? Or like that.

Another day…Show daughter and granddaughter. AHAH…a wider belt and pull up the shoulders so the underarm does not gape as much. Teen Granddaughter likes it….cool

Again…another day I find a link for an Obi belt tutorial by Mimi G on YouTube.

I had never heard of Obi belt till I read it on Deby’s blog

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxlYutzNBa4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZxlYutzNBa4q  (there must be a shorter link for this… hmm)

http://so-sew-easy.com/poppy-skirt-easy-elastic-waist-skirt/

Anyway back to story . I made the belt from same black poplin and by watching the YouTube link, downloaded and printed the easy pattern. I made belt longer as I’m bigger than the petite presenter. I also saw how the lady fashioned a small tight rose with the ends of the ties to sit at the waist. It was so easy and classy.

Obi Belt

Ok, to the last bit. Taking up the shoulders on this sleeveless dress. Tacked it together how it should go and tried on again.

Unpicked and unraveled the salmon coloured overlock thread and removed clear plastic/nylon tape for reuse. I did this as I had no matching cotton in that shade. Now I had plenty of thread to handsew in tiny backstitch the shoulder seams….hand-sew you say…well there wasn’t enough thread to wind on a bobbin/spool. Instead of overlocking the seam I blended one thread of near match cotton with the ration size recycled thread and blanket stitched the raw inside shoulder seam. Just enough thread. Perfect!

So what are some popular words being used at the moment…. Reuse, recycle, repurpose, redesign, thrifty, make do, be inventive.

All I did though was to take time, enjoy and use the skills that I have, learn some new ways of doing things, be inspired by others when all I wanted to do was to chop the top off this dress and turn it into a skirt!

Instead I finished up with a really nice and oh so comfortable summer dress. Please excuse my amateur photography styling skills won’t you. Also thanks to Deby from Sew So Easy for asking me for a photograph of the finished dress….

Brave me feeling inspired.

What are your inspiration moments?

They don’t have to be earth shattering.

Courtesy smartpc at morgueFree photos

…but do give a gift of time

…to yourself

…to another

Till later ~ Alexa