SALE is not a dirty word...

OK, so if you live in Melbourne, Australia you may be quite sick of the word SALE by now.

Department stores seem to have them all year round and the thrill of the post Christmas and End of Financial Year sales seem to have lost their sparkle.

Well, it is the end of the financial year and it is my birthday soon. So, from today until midnight, June 30 I am having a SALE in my online stores.

Oh and thank you Pilgrim Lee for my cute sale sign!

Webstore: www.petapledger.bigcartel.com

Etsy store (USD): Peta Pledger

Speaking of Pilgrim...

I blogged about the dress I made for Pilgrim Lee of draw! pilgrim the other day. However, I don't feel that I don't you enough about the girl behind the delightful designs.

I first read about Pilgrim Lee and her wonderful artwork on The Vine. The article was written by paintergirl - someone who has introduced me to many cool people and things over the years - and I instantly fell in love.

What caught my eye was her Alphabet series, my favorite being the one pictured above. I love the colours and I love the indirect way the pills and letter C remind me of The Carrie Nations from the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

I bought the print and had it framed by the amazing people at Melbourne's Outre Gallery.

Not long after reading the article, I started following Pilgrim via Twitter, and after learning that we both had sons the same age, I asked her if she was interested in a playdate. Thankfully, she said yes and we (and our sons) have been friends ever since.

Whether it's a sunny day or a grey & rainy day, Pilgrim always fills up my day with colour...technicolour to be exact!

She launched her Etsy store recently and is planning on adding new items every couple of weeks.

If you're after a pretty bright print for your wall or some super cute gift tags, visit her store and be sure mention that I sent you for a 10% discount off your purchase from her etsy store!

Website: draw! pilgrim
Twitter: pilgrim_lee
Etsy store: draw! pilgrim

Pilgrim's dress made from a 1960's bedsheet

My super talented friend, Pilgrim asked me to make her a summer frock made using one of the many beautiful pieces of fabric from her stash.

First, I machine washed the fabric using hot water and just a little washing detergent and fabric softener. I would have liked to have tumble dried the fabric but as I don't have one, I line dried the fabric piece.

Finally, to ensure as much shrinkage was taken out as possible and to make the fabric easier to work with, I pressed and steamed the fabric with a hot iron.

We chose a simple boat neck strapless design as the fabric print was quite bold. The skirt is a simple gathered a-line shape and the centre back has an invisible zip.

Princess seams allowed me to get a nice fit in the bodice and I lined it with 100% Viscose lining.

Hopefully I can post a photo of Pilgrim in her new dress later in the year as the weather gets warmer.

For now though, forgive me for the iPhone photo of the dress and be sure to check out Pilgrim's amazing website, draw! pilgrim.

One of the things that made me want to sew

When I was a little girl, my nanna and I watched this movie together many times. I remember the feeling of awe when they convert the "shack" to a pretty home.

I am about to make some new curtains for both my bathroom and laundry. I hope you enjoy this clip from the movie Calamity Jane as much as I do.

RIP Ronnie James Dio

I remember watching this on the ABC as a child. From memory, it was on just before I had to leave home to go to school...or was it when I got home from school?

Anyway, this is my small tribute to Ronnie James Dio, may he Rest In Peace.

A Shot Away

I am one of 'those people' that is lucky to be surrounded by friends that are not only faithful, but very, very talented.

One of those friends is Nicole Reed. I have known Nicole for 10 years or so, and I remember in the early days, my knees would go weak when I saw her as I thought she was just "so cool". Nicole is soft spoken, intelligent and a super talented photographer.

Well, I still think she is "so cool" and love her dearly as a friend, but I can also say that I am a big fan of her as an artist too.

Photographing a broad range of subjects, for tattoo, fashion and streetwear magazines, the thing I love most about Nicole's work is that her photos always look 'alive'.

Her wedding photography is unobtrusive and natural and the many photos she takes of her surroundings in her many travels, make you feel like you could get lost in that moment in time.

I hope to shoot with her soon, but in the meantime, please check out her work via the links below.

WEBSITE: A Shot Away

FACEBOOK: Business page

PHOTO CREDIT: Mr Cartoon photo taken by Nicole Reed for T-World magazine issue # 5

New dress in a limited run of three

At first glance, you may think that this dress is no ground breaking design. This is true, however, what makes my dress stand apart from the others is the fabric.

This dress is made from the highest quality cotton sateen, which means it's cotton with about 5% spandex/elastaine in it. It is thick and a dream to both sew and wear.

I have only half lined this dress keeping in mind that not everyone wants to wear a lined dress. It has an invisible zip closure in the back and leopard print trim. The 2 inch wide belt is included and I have not added belt loops to this dress, allowing the owner to wear the dress with or without a belt.

You can see a close up of it here and it is available from my online store.

Oh, and it's in limited run of three, I have already sold two so there is only one left!