1PL (1 Puddle Lane) is 10 years old.  My baby is growing up.  How time flies when you’re having fun!

It all started back in 2009 when my hairdresser and good friend, Linda, was having her first baby.  She had a little girl and that got me thinking I could make kids clothes and sell them.  I started with a simple design and sold them among friends and friends of friends.  Then my daughters friend said “Sell them on fb”.  I thought it was a silly idea, but she helped me set up a page and off I went.  It started very slowly but as more ladies making kids clothes got on fb it started to take off.  I then started the market rounds as well and it was such good fun.  I was lucky enough to have a good little model, Gaby, she was only 3 at the time and is now 13.  I made a range of clothes for summer and winter season and also a Christmas range.  

After about 2 years the market for kids clothes was really becoming saturated and I just wasn’t selling much anymore.    I wasn’t selling as well as I was in the past few years so I thought “What can I do now”.  I thought I’d make ladies pleated skirts and sell them.  So the Blossom skirt (which is now the Miss Fox skirt pattern) was born.  I then started making the Miss Audrey Dress (this is the Miss Fox dress with the Miss Fox skirt pattern).  Things were really starting to take off so I started my new label of Audrey Lane.  I bought out a range of new dresses each season and photographed my dresses on my lovely friend, Deb.  She became the face of Audrey Lane.  I had quite a few years of success with the dresses until it slowed right down and became quite hard to keep going.

Another friend of mine had been saying for a few years “Why don’t you sell your patterns”.  I put it off as I didn’t know how to go about it.  I researched and did a course online on how to get the patterns onto the computer and how to write up the instructions on Indesign.  So I went back to the 1PL label and bought out my first pattern Molly Skirt.  I started with kids clothing patterns then launched into ladies wear with the Miss Audrey Dress pattern.  

And the rest is history.  I’ve been designing and selling patterns ever since.  I love what I do as it satisfies my creative side and I love designing new garments for you.

To date the most sold pattern has been the MRT (Miss Ruby Tuesday) pattern closely followed by the MRT Add-On patterns……no surprise there.

So, to celebrate 1PL’s 10th birthday I’m going to have a 30% off SALE.  Now as I’m going to be away in Melbourne this week the sale will start on Saturday 9th November.  Not sure how long it will last – maybe 4 days – but I’d like to organise a giveaway for each day.  Anyway I’ll have a week to organise the fun.

After the sale I’ll be announcing the future of 1PL patterns.  I’m quite excited as it’s been in the making for quite a few years.  I won’t say any more.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll be back either during the week with more details about the sale.

Happy Sewing!

2019 has been a crazy, busy year for me – on the personal side but on the business side it’s been very quiet.  If you want to know what’s been happening keep reading.

First of all, in January, I turned the very young age of 60.  I found turning 50 really hard but turning 60 was so much fun.  I feel privileged to be so well and happy in this age group.  I had a quiet birthday with family but I knew the year was going to be big.  You know how you have a birthday week – well I’ve been having a birthday year.

March, Kate (my daughter) her best friend, Jackie and I went to Sydney for the taping of the new show The Proposal.  She was a Suitress on the show and had to eliminate 8 guys down to one and, in the true sense of the show, get a proposal at the end of it.  It took 5 hours to tape and then edited down to 1 hour.  So you can imagine a lot went on that didn’t make to the 1 hour show.  Jackie and I made an appearance on the show to ask tough questions to the last 3 men before Kate eliminated one.  Warner Bros paid for our flights both ways, our accommodation and we were picked up from the airport and driven to our hotel then picked up the next day to head off to the studio.  Then taken back to the airport after to show to fly home.  Yes, Kate did get a proposal but it only lasted 3 dates.  He got cold feet and just wanted to be friends.  Would Kate do it again – absolutely.  And me too for that matter.  After breast cancer the year before she was treated like a princess which took her away from her cancer concerns.  We all had the best time.

In April, I went to Melbourne with my good friend, Marg, to celebrate my 60th.  We did the same thing a few years back to celebrate hers.  It’s been our tradition, but will be continued, just because.  We were in Melbourne for 4 fast paced days and we took in Muriels Wedding…..which was such a hoot.

June saw my hubby (Tony) and I jetting off to Germany for 6 weeks to see the grandkids and family.  We flew into London first then next day flew to Bonn, Germany, via business class.  I could get used to it.  We had 2 days in Bonn and then an overnight in Wuzburg.  It is my all time favourite place in Germany.  It’s a gorgeous little city but the highlight was having a glass or two of wine on their bridge with a centuries old castle in the background.  So surreal and very civilised.  Then we spent 2 weeks with Tony’s daughter, hubby and their 2 little kidlets.  It was full on but very satisfying.  I’d forgotten what it was like with small kids and did not have the fitness for it.   We also had 1 week on a farmstay so the grandkids could interact with the farm animals.  Needless to say it was a great hit.  With a sad farewell we headed up to Hamburg to see Tony’s German friends for a few days.  Good fun but the language barrier was very tiring.  Off we went to London for a week to spend 3 days with my daughter, Kate, who was over there for the Ashes Test Cricket.  She is a mad cricket fan and had a great time.  More time then, spent with Tony’s friends, yes he has a lot of friends around the world, for a few days then our trek home via Seoul, Korea.  It was a great holiday but took quite a few weeks to get over the jetlag.  While I was away I decided to let my hair colour grow out and go grey.  It’s been the best thing I’ve done.  No more regrowth!!!!

October saw me going on a cruise with 2 lovely ladies – Julie and Lindy – that I walk with 2 days a week.  We weren’t sure how we were going to get on as the cruise was 5 days.  But what the heck, we thought we’d do it anyway.  We flew to Sydney to board the cruise ship which was bound for Hobart and Port Arthur then back to Sydney.  Well, what can I say, it was a great relaxing holiday.  Don’t get me wrong, going to Germany was great but it was more of an endurance race than a relaxing holiday.  The 3 of us shared a suite and all the stars and moons aligned for the holiday.  We got on so well.  We loved our own space but very flexible when we got together.  No one was more precious than the other.  I think I’ve found my cruising buddies.  I really felt as though I’d had a lovely relaxing holiday and everything was done for you.

So that leads us to November.  Still part of my birthday celebration, I’m going to Melbourne for Melbourne Cup at Flemington.  I’ll be going with my good friend, Marg and 2 of her friends.  I think I’ve got the sharing a room with others down pat.  I’ll be in Melbourne from Monday to Thursday.  I’ll put up photos in the 1PL group of all the beautiful and crazy fashions.

And that’s it.  Oh, I forgot it’s my hubby’s birthday when I get back to Brisbane and we are going away for a night to see a show on the Gold Coast.  His birthday is not a ‘O’ birthday so it doesn’t require a whole year of celebrating lol.

What a year it’s been.  And you can see why not much pattern making was happening.  But I do have plans for next year.  I’m not going anywhere next year.  It’s going to be a quiet year on the personal side but a busy year on the business side.

I have a surprise for you tomorrow and in a few days time I’ll be writing a post on what will be happening with 1PL in 2020.  You don’t want to miss it.

Happy sewing.