fountain of youth part II

fountain of youth part II, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

So just how to fit the handcrafting in, around and in spite of the family?
Well, the answer is location ... location, location, location .......and a recent snowfall.
The boys, with cross country ski passes for Cypress burning holes in their pockets, took very little persuading to leave the house together this Saturday.
Childcare - check!
Leaving me peace and quiet to get some housework done ..... pardon?
Not a chance! I was 'oot the door' off to the local Swaporamarama meet up at Douglas College in Coquitlam.
What an absolute blast! - tables of sewing machines (thanks to Sundrop Textiles who were a major sponsor of the event), embroidery by hand and by machine, screen printing (sponsored by Yudu), overlocking/serging services (from PoCo Sewing Machine and Vacuum Ltd) and tables of clothes just begging to be upcycled into fabulous!
The event was in full swing when I arrived (late, thanks Translink). I picked a T shirt and some fabric scraps then tackled a modern sewing machine (my current at-home model is about 25 years young).
Ten minutes later; sewing machine 1, human nil.
Luckily help was at hand for the threading up and installing the bobbin (totally defeated me and I know how to machine sew!). Once all my loopy threads were corrected I settled down to make flower ruffles for the neckline of the simple green T shirt.
It was great fun!
There is something truly relaxing but inspiring sitting crafting away from the home. For one thing, there's no housework or dirty corners giving you the evil eye. For another, the company was truly inspiring. Entire garments were being stripped down, refashioned, re-assembled and joined with other elements. Simple jersey became funky fashion pieces, skirts became jackets and plain fabric embellished with paint. Awesome!
After stitching yards of ruffle I joined the hand embroidery table to stitch my creations. To my right a pair of flannel PJ trousers had their snowflakes embellished while the embroiderer talked about her sister's doll making. Krista, running a smooth and quirky embroidery table, talked about combining creating with a science background. Students dropped by to ask questions.
Eventually my T shirt was done, photographed and clean up commenced ...... and I was ready in time for the boys to give me a ride back on their way home from skiing.
Yay location!