Creating a fabric closet

Long overdue for a fabric and sewing closet, I finally updated an old silky oak wardrobe with a few coats of paint, wall papered panels, and new handles. The blue of the photos does not do justice to the colour in life, nor does the present buttercup yellow wall. It was an unusual colour choice of mine, as I tend to be drawn more towards duck egg green and aqua blue.  However the citron chartreuse dandelion in the wall paper provides the fresh colour contrast. I get pleasure every time I open my sewing closet to see my fabrics on display, folded and stacked with care; ready for my selection.

 

My block patterns hang neatly, and my pattern & sewing reference books top my closet next to my vintage Singer. 

Lamp Shades - Sanderson Amanpuri linen

I just can't seem to get enough of Sanderson linen upholstery fabrics. I'm constantly watching Sanderson fabrics on Ebay, love the bright florals and linen weave. I found these lamp bases a couple of years ago at one of Black and Spiro's [ www.blackandspiro.com.au or http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com.au flea sales in New Farm, Brisbane. I covered these lamp shades late last year with Sanderson "Amanpuri". I love the mix of colours, and love them combined with the linen of our bed head and the duck egg/ aqua blue of the cushions.

Beside our oak bedside stands you will see a little 'vacant space'. 

Not for long !! I have two gorgeous oak framed wing back chairs with cabriole legs which I have plans for! I plan to cover the rear of the wing backs in Sanderson Amanpuri fabric, and the fronts in Warwick Beachcomber Oatmeal. I'll post some "before and after" shots. 

Our grand Italian lady.....

It's been a little while, and life sure has been busy. So busy I've just not found a moment to post. But here and there I've been working away at things, playing with my fabrics and decorating our new home. In August we became the proud owners of a 70's Italian brick home. Double story, two large front and back terrace balconies, perfectly positioned to soak in the morning sun north east and the afternoon sun to the west. I've spent many a blissful moment with my face turned up to the sun these past few months, dreaming up my next project. So large and spacious, and solidly built; our grand Italian lady just has so much potential. Many an eye would see the red brick and white column balustrades, and cast their eyes on to the weatherboard bungalows surrounding, cute and concise. But I see an extremely comfortable 4 bedroom home, and the beginnings of our French/Italian style villa, rendered with white colonial windows, french external shutters, a grape vine covered terrace perfect for summer evenings and winter mornings, spacious rooms with wide oak floorboards, and a large kitchen with and island bench. Admittedly there is some distance to travel to bring to life our vision. The previous owner combined a variety of vivid carpet designs, tiles and colours - none of which match, or have any kind of "flow", which we often laugh about as we show our guests through room to room. The buttercup yellow painted walls seem to absorb rather than reflect the light, we have a lavender bathroom with a matching lavender toilet seat.. But all in good time, and "slowly slowly" as my Mother in Law reminds us :). Thus far though our home has been a delight....in all it's craziness.....

Our back sun soaked terrace.

Kumquat tree and succulent pots

Afternoon sun on the front terrace.

 So watch this space .......

Gastronomica Italia...Carbing our way around Italy

One week has gone by since the hubby  and I commenced our vacanza in Italia. We've covered some ground in the past 10 days. Treviso, Venezia, Lake Garda, Cinque Terre,Pisa, Siena, Firenze, Assisi, and now Roma.


Con's first visit to Italy and he is delighted with the Italian diet, ordering varieties of pizza and Italian beer (birra) on every occasion possible. Between pizza, beer, gelato, and tiramisu; he believes he is presently in food heaven, and has taken to giving reviews of which town or city has the best Malaga (rum & raisin) gelato.  So far Sienna is streaking ahead in the Malaga stakes.

My good friend Elena in Treviso advised that her strategy for critiquing gelato was to order pistachio & ciocolato gelato in every town and city, in order to pick the nuances in flavour.. I've adopted this strategy, & I'm amazed at the subtle differences in the pistachio flavour from town to town. My favourite town thus far has been Corniglia in the Cinque Terre, following a Acuighe (anchovy) pizza, and a small jug of the local cinque terre white wine.

Con is also greatly enjoying the  italian breakfast of cornetti (croissants) and cappuccino. Some of the cornetti are custard filled, whilst others are chocolate,or marmellata.There also is the prolific availability of nutella for smearing on cornetti or bread.


Many a day we lament the delicious carb intensive  Pranzo (lunch), pizza glossy with pomodoro passata and mozzarella, pasta with ragu, ravioli, and of course a bottle of the regional vino. Consequently we have " waddled, fatty bombalada style" (or at least it felt like waddling) around cobbled streets site seeing for many hours, by which time we have digested our lunch and skipped dinner with the exception of a possible gelato, glass  of prosecco in the piazza,  or some local biscotti to nibble on back in our room to tide us over until morning. Thank goodness for the miles of walking up hills and over cobblestone streets for some times hours on end under the Italian sun. This somewhat compensates for the current daily gastronomic indulgence.

My favourite meals thus far have been: Pappadelle con Ragu (Venezia), Fried polenta, atichokes, Spaghetti Marinara and Tiramisu (Firenze),  Spaghetti con Noci, Panna Spagna (Assisi), and today in Rome delicious Finochi filled  with ricotta pear and that cream walnut sauce, rocket parmesan salad, and  pear and chocolate crosstata with a shared bottle of Pinto Grigio from the Veneto.

Yet  despite the delicious daily fare,  the meal I enjoyed most of all was after a day of intensive hiking between the Cinque Terre 5 villages under the heat of the summer sun. Upon arriving back at our hotel overlooking the Mediteranean, I put together  a simple salad of lettuce,  cherry tomatos, cucumber, good quality olives, olive  oil and balsamic vinegar, and some prosciutto; with chunks of bread to dip in the olive oil and spread wth soft cheese. Ripe peaches for dessert, washed down with sparkling water. I don't know whether it was just that we were ravenous and exhausted after a day of up hill climbing, or the view of the sun descending into the Ligurian Sea, but it was certainly a meal that induced a feeling of perfect contentment.

A Little About Me & Stroppiana Couture

I developed a love for couture as a young girl surrounded by the beauty of quality fabrics and haberdashery in my parent's fabric shop in Brisbane.


The love of sewing, and all things creative, was passed down from my Nonna (grandmother), Anastasia Amelia Gandini (1903-1981, an Italian immigrant to the North Queensland cane fields. My mother Guiseppina Stroppiana (Josephine) spent many hours as a young girl with her mother Amelia, poring over dress designs and fabric remnants, constructing quality garments together by machine, and by hand. Those were hard times, where coat seams were unpicked, and the coat resewn with what was the wrong side of the fabric, in order to not discard quality wool. For what was a life of hard labour assisting her husband Giovanni on the sugar cane farm, my Nonna was captivated by the small pleasures of creating fabric flowers, crocheting, embroidering, knitting, cutting dress patterns from old newspaper, and constructing garments with her daughter Guiseppina. I like to think of my Nonna like this, stealing a few quiet moments after all the work of the day was done, to ponder her next creation, cutting designs from newspapers, and considering her fabrics, just as my mother has done. Just as I  do now ..:)

My Nonna - Amelia

My mother Josephine was lucky enough to make her passion into her livelihood. Josephine established a dress making studio in North Queensland for some years, before moving to Brisbane with her husband, and my father Kevin Simpson. Together they opened Simpson's Fashion Fabrics, and I grew up playing among rolls of fabrics, buttons, and the smell of fine textiles. 

Josephine

Like Josephine and Amelia I inherited the appetite for fine fabrics, well- tailored garments, and generally all things creative, .....Even the simplest kind. My conversations with my mother still centre each of our current creative projects, fabric finds we've unearthed, and deconstructing designs to be drafted into workable patterns. I love pulling out my fabrics, stroking them, smelling them, and propping them around the room to look at each time I walk by for inspiration. I constantly sketch designs from the inspiration I see around me every day worn by the women of Melbourne. I opened my business Stroppiana Couture in 2008, and love the challenge of bringing to life my client's design into a garment that flatters their form, and highlights all their attributes. For myself I tend towards vintage styles from the 1930's-1960's, as I love the femineity, and vintage glamour of the fashions of the era.  

My mother & I

I live in Melbourne with my husband Con, and cat Lucilla; and I love the inspiration and style Melbourne provides on a daily basis. I look forward to sharing with you "all things creative", the inspirations that 'take me' day to day, whether it be fashions, decor, handmade items, children's clothes, or house renovations. For creativity is an expression of the very essence of our selves...