Getting going on the sewing here has proven a bit of a challenge, as my sister\u2019s sewing machine stubbornly refused to cooperate and would only go in reverse, and the local repair man refused to repair it because we took the cover off to try and fix it!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

My sister then sourced another machine from a friend, which turned out to have a few missing and broken parts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So I\u2019m on my third borrowed machine – which thankfully, after downloading the instruction manual, is actually working!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Mind you, after being used to the same machine at home for so many years it\u2019s amazing how tricky it is to switch to another, more retro model.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It\u2019s not just the little quirks, it\u2019s more that sewing machines have features nowadays that actually make sewing easier, and you get used to them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

My machine at home, for example, doesn\u2019t require me to lift or lower the foot; I just sew and it does that for me automatically. So of course now I keep forgetting and sewing with the foot raised, leading to many false starts and tangled threads.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is my new sewing station, where I get to watch amazingly huge, colourful butterflies flit by in the trees as I sit trying to puzzle out how to make the machine do something that used to be second nature to me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But slowly, slowly I am getting there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And there have also been materials to source\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Whilst I have been pleasantly surprised by the availability, quality and price of fabrics here in Australia (just look at those beauties above, bought locally for $10 (that\u2019s \u00a35) a metre!) I\u2019ve also had to find quite a few other bits and bobs to make sewing bears or making dolls possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This involves a trip to a large warehouse-like store several hours away, or an extended rummage through the eclectic stock of wonderfully-named local emporium \u201cGone Bonkers!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If I lived here I would probably be Gone Bonkers! best customer as it has every novelty you could possibly wish for, including large plastic toadstools and fairy garden furniture, as well as art and craft materials.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

My sister\u2019s forbearance has been admirable during this period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Anyway, I\u2019m hoping that there will, eventually, be a small collection of Australian creations to bring home with me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We shall see. I will keep you updated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So after a journey lasting a very long time, Bobo, my emotional support bear and I arrived in Brisbane (that\u2019s him above, before we left and below, on the aeroplane). We were met at the airport by my sister. There … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[11,1],"tags":[72],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n