Today I'm excited to welcome Cass from Cass Can Sew! Cass was one of my first Australian bloggy friends and as luck would have it we discovered that she lives just near my parents in sunny Queensland! Last time I was up there we met in person and it was so great to chat about sewing and blogging while our girls played together! Things I love about Cass, her blog and her style - she just whips up amazing outfits and bags without a pattern, she writes with a lot of humor and fun, and vintage has become a real signature for her. Her creations from thrifted fabrics and linen have that old world beauty with a new practicality and purpose. She has also just (this past week!) opened her etsy store, Rosylou Handmade, where she will be selling her gorgeous items made from vintage fabric. Welcome Cass!
In Cass' own words:
Hello there! I'm Cassandra... some of you may know me from Cass Can Sew! I was so excited when my lovely sewing friend Roslyn asked me it take part in her Needle and Threads Interview Series.
I'm lucky enough to live in a lovely little bay side community just north of Brisbane, Queensland, right on the water! Literally! I'm not kidding... there's only about 5m between the beach and my back patio!!! Here, I reside with my fiance Tony... better known as "My Man the Muso" & my two gorgeous girls Emily (11 yrs) & Hannah (13mths) - HUGE age gap, I know!
Is sewing a hobby you have had since you were young or has it been something you have come to as an adult?
I HATED sewing when I was young! I recall grumbling my way through the sewing module of my home economics class in High School. When we were set the task of making an alteration to an item of clothing, I cut off a pair of my jeans and frayed the edges!!! As you can imagine, my teacher was less than impressed with my efforts! Sorry Ms Ball.
I only discovered my love/addiction for sewing about two years ago! To be honest, I can't recall exactly what it was that made me decide to learn again... what I do know is that it must have been my destiny! LOL!!!
Is/was your paid job or educational background creative?
Not in a crafty sense. The closest I've come to working with clothing would have to be when I took a job slicing up clothing (by the 20kg bag) for those rag bags that mechanics use! Let's just say that I didn't stay in that job long... working in a sweat shop environment just doesn't suit me... but it helped out a teeny bit until something better came along. I've actually got quite a mix matched resume that includes Dental Nursing, Postal Clerk, Waitressing, Food Service, Customer Service & Administration. Out of all of these, I'd have to say I enjoyed my role as a Major Projects Administrator the best and will quite possibly go back to it again one day once Hannah is of school age.
I've always been the creative type though.... I've gone through the arty stage, card making stage, knitting stage & have always had music in my bones!
What types of projects do you enjoy creating the most?
I love working on upcycling projects! I love how I can take
something pre-loved, like a vintage dress or pillowcase and give it new
life as an adorable little outfit for Hannah or a market bag. Every
time I sew something new, I can't help but look at it and chuckle at how
clever I can be!!! Go on.. admit it.. you do it too!!!
What are your favourite sewing tools and materials?
I
couldn't live without my rotary cutter & mat. If you don't have
one... YOU NEED ONE!!! They make cutting patterns soooo much easier! I
also have to give a mention to my overlocker (serger).... I just love
being able to create that professional finish on my projects.
As for materials, although I love working with lovely vintage
cottons, I'd have to say my favourite fabric to work with would have to
be knits. I often read that people are afraid of working with knits,
but I've never had an issue with them. I love that if I'm feeling a bit
lazy while working on a knit skirt project, I don't have to hem the
bottom because the end will roll up nicely on it's own!
Name your top five sewing inspirations.
Wow... this is a hard one to narrow
down into five! So I'll go with sharing the fantastically creative and
helpful crafty bloggers who have taught me almost everything I know in
the world of sewing & who I stalk regularly....
and of course.. Sew Delicious!!!
How do you balance your sewing and blogging with your ‘real life’ eg. Paid work, family?
LOL... this is always a fun question! Ummm.... with a fair bit of
neglect to the housework!!! It's not like my house is filthy... I'd
just rather sew or blog... or play on Pinterest... than fold
washing! I have my sewing space set up in our living area, along with
the laptop... so if Hannah is playing nicely, I'll quickly get a bit of
sewing or blogging time in. It's extremely rare for me to get even the
quickest of projects completed without any interruptions. I have also commandeered the pool table as my cutting table.... much to the disapproval of My Man the Muso!
Apart from sewing, what other creative pursuits do you enjoy?
I love music! To me, music = Life! I'd be so lost without it. When
I get the time, I like to play my guitar, sing & write little
ditties. It's been a while, but when the opportunity arises, I love to
perform & have been known to make the odd appearance in open mic
nights, jam sessions. I love nothing more than doing duets with My Man
the Muso and even Emily has joined me at the microphone a few times.
Oh! and I LOVE fishing! Which is helpful, considering that we live
right on the water! Although I don't mind eating seafood every now and
again, I'm not what you would call a seafood lover... but I love
catching fish! There's nothing like feeling that tug on your line when
you've hooked something!!!
Thanks so much for sharing with us today Cass! How gorgeous are those pictures of your little girl Hannah?!
You can find out more about Cass here:
Have a great weekend!
Thanks for sharing Cass as part of your interview series. It was great to learn a bit more about Cass, the person! I can't believe I was mentioned as a point of inspiration because I am always inspired by HER creative ability!
ReplyDeleteAwww! Thanks Sherry xo I love your projects!
DeleteThank you Ros for inviting me to be interviewed! It was fun :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to copy some of your intro to put in my media kit! You word things so gracefully! You're too kind <3 xo
Love the interview! I think we may live quite close to each other Cass! Your interview was great & it is always nice to know more behind the lady that blogs! Jos from sew, cook, laugh & live xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Jos! I had a feeling from some of your posts that we might too! I'm not far from Bribie Island ;-)
DeleteRos, I'm so glad you interviewed Cass! I had to laugh at the picture of Cass, with her frayed jeans, in Sewing Class with Ms Ball!!! Same as Sherry, I learn so much from Cass, both from her amazing refashioning and her ability to sew without patterns.
ReplyDeleteCass I too use a pool table as my laying out and cutting table so this gave me a laugh!!
ReplyDeleteLOL ... great minds think alike Delle! :D
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