Autumn Sack/Sock Club

Just a very quick post as I'm currently at Sew It Together in Sydney (and yes, I'm having a blast!)

Remember the project sack and sock yarn club that Carrie from Fibrewebs and I ran last summer? Well the autumn club has been organised and it's now for sale here


The colours we are doing for this season will look something like this:



More info over at the Etsy site!

Saturday, Sunday, Workday

March 19 - Saturday - thank heavens. Me-made denim apples skirt. And I got a new pair of Salt Water sandals. Love them.



March 20 - Obviously in silly, relieved mood after being sick all day Saturday. The Mister cracked a joke as he was taking photos and I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING. Me-made skirt.



March 21 - Monday, and we know what that means, don't we? GLEESDAY!!! Me-made blouse, me-made bad posture and me-made jazz hands (there is a photo out there which is a pair with this one. Go and look at it. It makes me laugh.)



March 22 - this is the day I found out why I have been so sick. That face is a mixture of fear and relief and "oh crap". Don't worry - I'll be well again in a few weeks. Me-made blouse, and I'm not too sure what I was thinking with those jeans. I have lost a fair bit of weight in my legs so I either need to take these in and call it a refashion, or start again with a new pair.



March 23 - I really, really love work but this week is dragging something awful. I'm waving to Bron in our early morning SMS photo exchange and to cheer me up a little. Me-made skirt.



March 24 - when does daylight savings end? This is getting ridiculous. But on the other hand today is the last day before a four day weekend. Go me! Me-made blouse.

My thoughts? I may have too many clothes, and they are all cotton and linen, so just as well I love to iron. Even though I am starting to repeat pieces I am still finding this challenge easy. But boy - it's fun, and I have more clothes on the sewing machine at the moment. Hopefully I'll be able to finish at least one piece before the challenge finishes in a week.

Working week

Thanks to Canberra Day on Monday, this week was a shortie when it came to work. Oh I do love a short working week!



March 15 was my first day back at work after being away for ten days. To say I was excited was an understatement. I am truly astonished that this photo doesn't better reflect that excitement. Top is me-made (same pattern as day 11 and 13) in a vintage-esque shirting with floral print.



March 16 - the top is the same as day 1, but I mixed it up with some black trousers that I didn't make. Not for variety mind you - it's because the usual bowtie skirt is in the mending basket waiting to be taken in.



Day 17 - This is my favourite me-made dress. Heck - it's my favourite outfit, full stop. I've been waiting for the right day to wear this, and today was the day. Yee ha!



March 18 - Finally a non-iPhone photo, and I got rid of that ridiculous brick wall. The thing with the iPhone is that it is easy to shove that into the Mister's hands first thing in the morning as we walk out the door past that red brick wall in the near-darkness. Much easier than handing him a DSLR is, anyway. Plus Kuka and I text each other our daily photos each morning (to keep each other honest, I think, but it's also a lot of fun!) and that's harder to do with a whopping great camera. But this morning's photos were positively grumpy, probably because I knew I had a horror morning of nuclear medicine and scans in front of me. By this afternoon I was mellow with the Friday vibe, and getting a decent photo in the front garden was possible.

Anyway where was I? Oh - my first me-made crochet items for the challenge, being the cardigan and the brooch.

Conclusions from the week - I seem to really, really love wearing red. And sandals. As a rule, closed in shoes don't get worn until after Anzac Day (that's my rule).

We have Brown Owls tomorrow and we are making brooches. That should keep me out of trouble as the weather cools and more cardigans and jackets come out of the cupboard.

Enlightened

When Canberra has a birthday, she celebrates over a few weeks and with a festival or three thrown in. At the moment, we are being entertained up by the Enlighten Festival, which runs over 10 days and finishes this weekend. There are a variety of music concerts and events, but the main attraction for me are the fact that some of my favourite buildings have been painted in lightand i can see them from free.

Like this.



This is the National Library of Australia, a stunning building at the best of times, always looking so imposing by the lake. But tonight it was bathed in some very beautiful images.





I could have stayed here and watched all night, but I moved on to the National Gallery of Australia. Space to set up my tripod was at a premium as a photography class turned up at the same time as I did. That was kind of fun, and made me extra excited about the photography class I'm starting in a few weeks. If I get the time, I'd like to go back and take some of the shots at the gallery on a different angle.









Finally, the lights on Old Parliament House, or the Museum of Australian Democracy as it is better known these days.



These photos took a long time to get right. When I first set up my tripod, I was too far away, even for my zoom lens and tripod and the shots were over exposed and blurry. Eventually I walked right up to the pond, across from the Tent Embassy, and set up there. Much better.







There were a few of us photographers standing by the pond, all taking slow shutter speed photos. It was quite peaceful, just the sound of our timers beeping and the occasional utterance of "cool" and "nice shot". I like photographers.







A lady turned up as part of a group, and started using her camera with a flash. Which was kinda silly when we were standing 100 metres from the building, but also annoying because we were all taking slow shutter shots about 8 to 10 seconds long, and we were getting un-stunning flashy bits in our shots. Luckily she decided to turn her flash off before any of us could turn into Wanker Photographers and growl at her.



But oh - isn't the old lady beautiful?

Clever hem marker

One of the things I'm loving most about Me-Made-March is the discovery of new-to-me blogs about sewing clothes. And in finding those blogs, I'm find other blogs, and before you know it my Google reader is full of beautiful sewing blogs!

Last night I came across the most beautiful blog called Crochetie, written by a Japanese girl called Ophelia. And in one of her posts, she has made a video of a hem marker she has made.

A hem marker? Seriously, you should watch this. I'm amazed that something so simple and beautiful could be so damn USEFUL.



(Now I want to get some washi tape and make my own, and one for each of my sewing friends)

A Me-Made Long Weekend

Since we last met, I've been lounging around the house on my sick leave planning outfits to wear each day for Me-Made-March. Ha! As if! In reality I've just been opening my cupboard each morning and pulling something out to wear that I've made. No really - I have. I'm not trying to boast, but at some stage in the last year, most of my clothes have become me-made. When did this happen? How did it happen?

And most importantly, can I keep this up through autumn and winter?

So let's catalogue the last four days, three of them which were a long weekend. Happy birthday Canberra! I think you're awesome!



March 11 - This is my "I can't believe you are making me drive you across town in peak hour traffic for a training course when I'm SICK. Can't you take a bus or something?" face. The black and cream madras top is me-made, using McCalls 5640.



March 12 - A lovely hot day, and we were off up the street to sticky beak at a house for sale. The weather was perfect for this dress! This is the dress I promised to blog back in January but never did. I will blog it properly one day. It's a beauty to make, and to wear, I love it. It's Simplicity 2929, the shorter version of the dress I made and blogged here.



March 13 - It's still lovely and hot, so I'm going all summery while it lasts. Plus I'm going fabric shopping with Carrie for our next sack/yarn club installment this morning, and I need to wear something comfortable if we're going to lug blots of fabric around the store. The top is me-made (the same as March 11), and it is the first version of it. This was the version than made me realise how ridiculously oversized this pattern is. It's far too big for me, but boy is it comfy. I now make it four sizes smaller (no really - I do) because, ooh, bra-strap alert!



March 14 - Oh hey! This is what I am wearing RIGHT NOW!! Coincidence? Oh wait ... Anyway, me-made top again, this time a buttoned back top courtesy of McCalls 2873 and some nice double gauze cotton. I'm doing a little skirt sewing today, so comfort is paramount.

Thanks for everyone for your kind thoughts and good wishes in the comments on my last post. I can report I am feeling a lot better and the pain has mostly gone. The tiredness is still there so going to work tomorrow will be a test, but I'm looking forward to spending some time with my crazy work peeps! It's been 10 days since I've seen them and I miss them!

Days 2 to 10

I know I've been quiet about Me-Made-March 11 lately, but I've had a good excuse. So let's summarise, shall we?



March 2 - I rode my bike into work and showered and changed there, hence the crappy iPhone-in-the-locker-room-mirror-shot. I'm wearing a me-made linen/cotton skirt and a me-made cotton top.



March 3 - Taken at the end of the day so I'm looking a lot scruffier than usual. I'm wearing a me-made skirt and possibly some tea spilled down my front.



March 4 - after a spectacular night of out-of-the-blue abdominal pain, I awoke very tired but in a lot less pain so decided to go to work. I was ready to kick the world's arse. Hard. I went for no-nonsense red and white stripes with a me-made skirt.

After two hours of kicking the world's arse, hard, at work, I admitted defeat and went home sick. Six hours later I was in the emergency department getting my own arse kicked by severe pain but enjoying the effects of morphine. 24 hours later I went home again, having slept in my black me-made skirt all night. It was actually quite comfy to sleep in, but that may have been the morphine talking.



March 5 - In this photo, taken a few hours after I escaped back home, I am wearing what is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever made - McCalls 5896. It doesn't fit well, it's baggy, the bodice sucks, it's in freakin' green gingham, for heaven's sake, but yet it is the most comfortable and coolest thing I own. I'm all about the comfort on March 5. Also, my belly hurts so much I can't wear trousers.



March 6 - oh, this is a special look, it really is. Me-made skirt, Myer-made top, and me-made dark circles under my eyes.



March 7 + 8 - Oh yes - I wore the same outfit two days in a row. I'm on sick leave. Shoot me. Me-made skirt. It's my favourite - an Ink and Spindle fabric that I don't think I've ever blogged before.



March 9 - by this time my bloating had gotten really bad so I feel and look 8 months pregnant, and the pain is worse and worse. I would have stayed in PJs all day except I had appointments. Do I look like I care what I'm wearing? No? Well I don't. This Me-Made-March thing can seriously GO. TO. HELL.



March 10 - isn't it amazing what a good night's sleep and a haircut can do? Also, the pain has reduced significantly, and I'm thanking that foul lime cordial tasting liquid I had to drink for my CT scan yesterday for that. It's coincidence, I know, but one can imagine. Anyway, I woke up this morning and it was raining. Lovely! So I decided to get all sunny. Me-made skirt, me-refashioned top. I had to put a jumper on an hour later because it was so bloody cold.

So there's where I'm up to with Me-Made-March 11. I still have at least another four days at home and my casual wardrobe is starting to look a little dull. Also the temperature is decreasing so it's time to maybe stop with the bare legs and get out some tights and leggings.

I was hoping by this stage in the challenge I would have finished sewing another couple of things, but alas I haven't been able to do much of anything, so I'm stuck with what I have in the wardrobe.

Luckily that should be enough, but I really do need to do some adjustments on a few more skirts.

Dessication

Autumn is here.



A feeling of sloughing off the old stuff pervades the air so richly, that I can smell it.



I'm really tired and worn out. Last month I started a Twitter account, but I suspect it's days are numbered. I almost deleted my Ravelry account last week, but stopped myself at the last minute.



Why is it that autumn makes me want to take a loofah to life, scrub it all off, and put on something fresh to wear? And I'm not talking about sewing something new, either.



Maybe a holiday is in order.

My Creative Space - Swap

This week I have been planning the name badge I am making as part of the Sew It Together name badge swap. We have to make something using the colours of orange, yellow and brown.



Even though these three colours are amongst my favourites, I am still finding this colour combination a challenge. Together they could be very country toned, or 70s inspired, or like a child's paintbox. Finding the right combination of colours to put into a name badge no bigger than 9 cm - that's where I get to be creative and have a lot of fun as a result.

More creative spaces at Kirsty's.

Day 1

So the first day of Me-Made-March '11 has been and gone. I am lucky that I didn't have to go to any effort to find this outfit, as it's a regular in my work wardrobe. Taking a photo at 7 am on a dark cloudy morning wasn't the greatest idea though - and I've had to do some terrible Picniking to the photos as a result. (I haven't installed photoshop on my new computer yet - tragedy!)




This is an outfit I made a couple of months ago, but never blogged. The skirt is McCall's 2873, just like the Christmas Skirt, only I've lined it because the cotton fabric was quite see-through (it's from Tessuti's, in case you were wondering - and it's just fab). I also am really, really unhappy with this skirt in general. The lining, which was way shorter than the skirt when I made it, now peeks out under the hemline. The skirt seems to have shrunk even though it was prewashed, yet I have lost a little bit of weight so it now swims on me and I am forever adjusting it when I walk. I have decided to remove the facing, take it in (perhaps to pencil skirt proportions), raise the lining, and add a waistband.

The blouse, however, I am very proud of. It is a silk/cotton blend with a red thread woven into it which I bought from The Fabric Store on Brunswick St in Melbourne. I love how crushed looking it is, even after ironing. You can't see the front very well in the photo above, but it is an adaptation of the gathered-neck dresses I've made this summer. I've lengthened it, and added a button-up back variation. This is the part I love the best. Plus I got to use some of my vintage buttons.



My biggest task this week is to head into the sewing room and adjust a whole heap of skirts that are in danger of looking like potato sacks. Hopefully at least one will be done tonight. Otherwise tomorrow I'll be wearing a me-made crocheted scarf and duds that I've purchased.

Oh - you should go and check out Bron's blog too. She's doing the Me-Made-March '11 challenge with me (it was her idea to start with), plus she's a whole lot cuter.