fiveandtwo

The Burnt House

There's this house around the corner from me that was gutted by fire a couple of years ago. It's been behind security fence ever since, until Monday. Early that morning I walk past with the dog (resplendent in her patchwork coat) and the security fence has gone. I am excited by this, I've long wanted to photograph this house. I have this fascination with ruined and abandoned buildings, you see.

I thought, "Right, I'm going to take photos there today, before the fence goes back up or the house is demolished". The Old Laundry was boarded up and made inaccessible before I could finish photographing it.

So, I trespassed, in broad daylight, and took photos. I may have to go back tomorrow to capture more detail, now that I've looked at those photos. I didn't actually go inside the house, it's looks pretty precarious (you can't tell from the street, the serious damage is inside and at the back).

It was frightening to see the damage to timber structure (I live in a timber-framed house). I think, soon, the roof would have fallen in on the back half of the house.

See what you think:

 

Exploded window at the side of the house.

 

From the back doorway.

 
 

Back of the house. Where the fire started, obvious even to the untrained eye.

 
 
 
 
Inside. I took these photos through the exploded window, by holding the camera up and clicking away (I have cropped the photos - I'm not that good!). The house was half renovated and carcases of kitchen cupboards, dishwasher, stove and fridge are in there, and all sorts of other paraphernalia...coathangers, shoes, mattresses, kid's plastic play equipment in the shed. Probably left untouched for insurance investigations.

The doorway photos inspire me to paint. I still have "Old Laundry" paintings partially finished. And several of the "Scrapyard Series" paintings unfinished as well. Sigh.

Now, there's another obviously unlived-in house on one of my dog wall routes. Hmm, time to carry the camera.

Yam + Shadow

I bought a yam at a fruit 'n' veg. shop today. I looked at it and thought, "I want to draw that, draw that horrible alien hairiness". So I bought a yam.

 
Trouble is, it will rot, or become withered and shrivelled, before I draw it. This is probably why I photograph the vagaries of light. Ephemeral things. Like yams!

 
I got Ally to shadow her hand in a patch of sunlight in the back hallway. This reminds me of an ultrasound picture. I was acquainted, once, with a radiographer. Ultrasounds were called "cloud pictures". This sunlight comes filtered through the hedge and the fly screen on the window. Cloud picture with hand?

 

Vintage Trim

I mostly go op-shpping on Wednesdays. I buy food and if there's enough left over I hit the local oppys.

The last couple of weeks the Red Cross oppy has had a lot of vintage trim (also nylon lace and other very synthetic trim). I've bought a bit of it, trim that I'll use. I was talking to the "craft and sewing" lady Wednesday just gone and she said she's, "Working her way through two deceased estates at the moment". This lovely elderly lady only works on Wednesdays so my timing has been good.

 
Lace and broderie anglaise.

 
Spots

 
Pinks. Imagine these, in rows, trimming the bottom of a little girl's skirt. Or embellishing the whole skirt.

 
Flowers

 
Geometric

 
Cats!

 
Tree, car, house, motorbike...and so on. Very cute.

Much left behind, so you can imagine what was there. I did buy some more lovely items.

 
Just a scrap of fabric - gardening fabric! I had to have it.

 
Ris-Rac and an apron panel with crochet ladies sewn on. I think this will make an excellent trim for a little girl's skirt.

 
Squirrel cross-stitched on another apron panel, another idea for a skirt.

 
Small tablecloth - a "supper cloth" I believe. I really like the grey/green/yellow/white/orange colour scheme.

Haven't had such a splendid haul for ages...probably two or three years.

All very good.

 

Smells? Scents?

I've been thinking about my favourite smells. All those things I like to sniff.

I've compiled a list.

- freshly ground pepper 

- mint  

- citrus: lemon, orange, lime...all kinds.

- eriostemon (Aust. native shrub, wonderfully  fragrant leaves).

- spices: freshly ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon. Spice mixes like garam masala. Mmmm.

- rose geranium, and roses generally.

- gardenia

- ginger flower, grated gigner...it's a good smell.   

- apples. I get an enveloping scent of apples when I go up to Picnic Point (local orchard) to buy apples and raspberries.  Sweet.

- Washing dried in the sun. Can't be beaten.

- lemon verbena: makes a splendid tea.

- artist's oil paint. I don't like painting in oils but the smell of them...soooo good.

- books: I am a certified book sniffer. Old books...ssnniiiffff. New books...ssnniifff.

- chilli: yum

- my mother's camphorwood blanket chest.

- rain on dry ground. Very powerful for me .

- the bush after rain.   

OK, I could go on and on.

 Please add your own favourite "smells"!                                                             

Ottobre "Cosy Pinnie"

I started this at Crarf Camp but didn't finish it due to much staring at, and pondering, the sewing instructions - I should point out that this is my modus operandi with any new pattern...followed by sewing, some more sewing and then unpicking. Don't know what happened with the invisible zip here, I had to unpick it several times! Once, I'd managed to create some sort of origami garment: it zipped up fine but half the dress was inside out. Got it in the end, back home. Nutted out the sewing of the armholes (only unpicked once!), sewed buttons and tabs = done.

 
I did a test, a toile, and the only tweak was to take it in a bit. However, it's a bit tight at the back. I will make this again at some stage and I'll cut a more generous seam allowance on the back pieces. This pinnie is really comfortable - it's fully lined and I've decided lined garments are the go. They sit better, bulgy bits are better camouflaged. Only for winter I think. Lined garments would be too hot in summer.

I used the button placket, but cut it bias, and made side tabs (also bias). The fabric I got from ebay some time ago and was feeling guilty about not using it., butons from my stash and lining fabric some lightweight cotton from my stash.

Oh, it's "Cosy Pinnie" pinafore dress from Ottobre Woman 5/2009.

Mat For A Cat

I felt sorry for Pip, sitting on that broken china hearth. Being a cat, he selected the warmest place in the house to relax. I used broken bowls, cups and plates for the hearth so it's far from smooth and level.

So I made him a quilt-mat.

 
He likes it.

No close-up pictures will be available. It has to be the most bodgy thing I've ever made. Going reasonably well until I did the binding (with some pink velvet strips I had kicking around). Looks ok from the front, except for the corners. Rather wonky on the back. Rather wonky? Hideously wonky. Glad I did this before attempting to bind the Wagga.

Speaking of the Wagga, I'm endeavouring to hand quilt it. It's pinned in each square, however when I started stitching it looked good on the front, but the stitching on the back is all over the place, so I gather it's not sandwiched together well enough. Do I need to baste it with stitching as well? Is quilt basting spray any use? Does the basting spray allow for many months of on again - off again stitching? Does the spray cause the quilt to deteriorate before its time? I've chosen to hand quilt because the wagga sanwich is quite bulky and I don't think I can roll it all up for machine quilting when I get towards the sides.

Your hot tips welcomed.

Etsy Shop! I Has One!

See! There! On my sidebar! It has the grand total of four items in it , haha. I am still getting the hang of the listing business.

It's only taken me, oh...five years to reach this point, haha again.

And about the same amount of time to put a flickr badge on the sidebar. I had to put the etsy shop one on and realised a flickr badge would require the same process. It was easy...once I'd fiddled around for an hour and a half. Haha once more.

Ottobre Long-Sleeved Top

Another Crarf Camp make. As with many patterns I use for the first time there was much staring at, and pondering, the pattern. I used the op-shop wool jersey that I dyed recently.

 
The "Renee" top from Ottobre 5/2010. Note to self: don't do stuff at the sink before photo is taken. Those marks on the top are water splashes. Very pleased with this, fitted, but loose enough to wear another LS top underneath (and today a coat, scarf and gloves as well - cold!). The pattern had the sleeves gathered with plastic elastic to the cuffs but I didn't have any so made a pleat instead.

 

Away

A weekend at Sewjourn. I cried on the drive home, but by halfway home (it's a five hour journey) I was ok. Hung out with awesome women. Women who can make clothes without a pattern, Kate and Mim were inspiring. Janet who can knit socks, so can Suse, but she was making a divine, tailored deep purple jacket for work. Jenny and Cath are blogless, but I wish I'd photographed the sock monkeys  (and dog) that Cath made, and the really creative vests that Jenny made from old woolly jumpers (brilliant applique).

What did I make? Two bags complete, one almost complete, seven partially done. A wool jersey vest, a wool jersey long-sleeved top, a LS t-shirt and may have finished a lined pinafore dress if I hadn't stuffed up the invisible zip so many times. Today I wore the fringed woollen skirt I made to work.

 
Photo courtesy of Ally. My own pattern, just a basic tube with elastic waist (dubious advantage of having not much difference between waist and hip). Made from oppy wool fabric and lined with silk, also from the oppy.

More sewing, but not from the weekend.

 
Clare and Al's sewing. They're becoming really skilled. Clare is holding a bat made from Make Your Own Misfits by Fumie Kamijo and Rosie Short, the Ninja is her own design. Ally holds a felt "mascot" dog from a Japanese book. All in Japanese but she was able to follow the illustrations. Ally's blanket stitch is really good. Hmm,  maybe I will employ her to sew my felt toys. The "fierce rabbit" is her own design. The one she's holding is my mother's day present but she's made others. I find these girls really creative, the older three are too (Giles and Leah are in denial but they're awesome at drawing and photography respectively).

 
Closeup.