Nailed It!

Let me start by saying, I had great plans for this photograph.  How could I fail....a stunning location, a catamaran and a top I actually love.  What could possibly go wrong?  What foiled my plan was actually the stunning location itself.  This photo was taken aboard a tourist boat in Milford Sound.   Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in the world and the wettest place in New Zealand.  By the time I had posed for this photograph and my husband had dodged nearly an entire boat load of non English speaking tourists who were also eager to take photographs, I was soaked, oh and cold and very much ready to return my seat with the picture window in the warm cabin.  I am not complaining though!  I have wanted to visit this area for a very long time, having never been before.  The stunning scenery did not disappoint and I am keen to go back to explore some more.   I just won't be taking any blog photos in the rain!

The top in question is another Tessuti Alexa.  This version is made from some lovely black quilted knit that I picked up at Cotura Fashions at the end of winter sale a couple of months back.  I love this fabric but resisted making it up until I could decide what I really wanted to do with it.  I briefly considered some kind of jacket but given my current practical sewing streak I decided to make a top which I knew would get much more wear.  I paired the fabric with a piece of ponti that I had picked up at the op shop a couple of years ago now.  I didn't change anything about the pattern and whipped the entire top up within an hour. I was modelling it when Courteney arrived home and she declared she would wear it (ultimate praise indeed from my daughter), so I set about making version two, this time with long sleeves.  We now have just about identical matching tops and no, we won't be wearing them out together!