Sewer, sewist, dressmaker, seamstress, what term to use?  I tend to stick with sew-er – obviously not the sanitation type of sewer – but I know that many people are now leaning toward sewist.  Anyway, a group of nineteen sewers/sewists/seamstresses/dressmakers met up in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.  And it was fun!  I started blogging over five years ago, and at that stage met a whole lot of bloggers who quilted, made toys, sewed bags, made clothes for their kids, crocheted, knitted, embroidered and crafted in general.  Now I am meeting a whole other wave of (mostly younger than me) bloggers who love to make their own clothes.  I have mostly stumbled across their blogs via PatternReview and then the way that one blog leads to another, and I am SO pleased that I have!

(photo courtesy of  The Perfect Nose)

We met up at Tessuti. Oh, what beautiful fabrics!  I was rather overcome with choice paralysis.  It was interesting to watch us all wander in and try to work out who was there for the meet. Often we recognised the clothes, and then the faces from their blogs. I’d met a few before – Christy and Rachel, who joined us from Sydney, and Leith, who I run into on the tram sometimes – and had corresponded via email with others, but most were new to me.

(photo courtesy of Kat at All The Whimsical Things)

Attendees were (list stolen from Kat’s blog):

Kat: All the whimsical things
Robyn: Sew love red
Rachel: Boo dog and me
Rachel: My messings
Kirsty: Rocket Sews
Leith: Sew Brunswick
Lara: Thornberry
Melanie: PoppyKettle
Helen: Funkbunnys kitchen garden
Christy Little Betty
Rachel: The two windmills
Sarah: Sew squirrell
Kirsty: Rocketsews
Tj: The perfect nose
Belle: Bella’s Collectanea of Sewing

As well as four blogless ladies who love to sew and love to read other people’s blogs but don’t actually blog themselves! I was so glad that you all came along too :
Anna
Catherine
Heather
Sue A

(photo courtesy of The Perfect Nose)

We debated the merits of particular patterns and pattern sales, fabric shops, pattern alterations for particular figure types, and generally talked all about sewing. Well, until we went out for drinks and nibbles afterwards and the conversation turned to all kinds of topics!  And I have to admit that I was among the last to leave.

(photo courtesy of The Perfect Nose)

I did make one purchase – some ponte from the remnant table. It’s destined for some colour-blocking with other fabrics in my stash.

I was also the lucky recipient of this interesting light, floaty, silky large-scale print from Kat. Not sure yet what I’ll do with it, although I am considering Vogue 1103 (now out of print) .

Thanks so much to Rachel for organising the meet – everyone obviously had a ball, and I think that we’re all looking forward to meeting up again one day!