fiveandtwo

Hot Enough For Ya?

Yeah, we're sick, sick, sick of the blast furnace

Things we do to combat the heat:

First thing in the morning close all the windows and pull the curtains. When the sun goes down reverse the procedure and open everything up.

We're fortunate to have ceiling fans in most rooms. Wetting a lightweight cloth (eg. a sarong), draping it over oneself and lying under said fans works surprisingly well. So does dunking under the shower and standing under the fan (without drying off.first).

Swimming. We live only a few blocks from the outdoor pool, and there are some nice swimming spots along the Tambo River for young kids. My older kids, who can swim reasonably well, swim in the Mitchell River which is also only a few blocks from our house. It's deep though, too deep for novice swimmers.

 

At Bark Sheds on the Tambo River.

 

The dog doesn't mind a dip, but she has march fly phobia. Just some buzzing caused her to run to the car and try and launch herself in the (open) window to get away!

Note human feet in the background - that's the husband on his folding chair cooling his feet in the river. Another thing that's nice at home is to put your feet in a bucket of cool water.

I don't use the stove at all. We have a barbeque with a wok burner. You can't use both at once though! It's the burner OR the barby. The best precaution I took before this hot spell (hot spell? freakin' Hell's Gate) was to pick most of the lettuce crop, wash and dry it and put it in bags in the fridge. So, we've been having these salads...amazing what you can add, vary the dressing you make and Bob's your uncle: different salad every night! What I didn't pick of the lettuce crop has started bolting to seed and generally looks very sad.

The garden is surviving, mostly. A couple of pittosporum that hedge the driveway have very crispy leaves, not a good sign. I try and water the most vulnerable plants every night - vegies, things in pots, the portable garden which is in foam boxes. You know, if you hose your feet and legs as you water it's very cooling.

If you're a dog you dig monstrous bear pits all over the place, as the soil dries out and warms up, well, you just dig deeper...and deeper.

I've used some of the hot weather to make a prototype pair of pants - almost done. Here's a pic. of my sewing machine lurking in the gloom!

 

How about that sun trying to penetrate the double-layer roman blind (west facing window).

Here's the muslin nearly done. Then I am going to use it to make about four pairs of pants.

No "proper" sewing can be done - it's too damn hot to have an iron going. Why add to the furnace.

Oh yes, the muslin uses an old bed sheet from the op-shop. 

Thoroughly spoilt by a cooler start to summer, we are now copping it! Roll on the cool change (make it sooner, rather than later...please). 

Weigel's 2121

I made a dress using a vintage pattern!

 

Not for me though - I'm too fat for pretty much all vintage patterns. 

I made it for Linsey to wear to her graduation. She chose the pattern from my collection, and chose view B, but didn't like the three-quarter sleeves. I was able to make it sleeveless - there was just enough fabric left from the cutting out to make facings.

It also needed it made smaller. The pattern is for a 36" bust and she is only 34". There are some extra "design features" on the bodice where I used extra darts to make it smaller.

  

   

I'm very pleased with the result.

And here are some little felt birds I made while I was at Bendigo. I find it hard to "just sit". I've learned to take some sort of handwork and some books whenever we go away.

 

Just Some Stuff

I made a quick visit to one of my regular op-shop haunts last week. Two of the Wednesday volunteers, Gwen and Monica said, "We've got something for you", and brought out a pile of fabric. "You're always buying fabric here so we saved this for you to look at". I felt really honoured.

Since I am in the process of a big fabric purge I carefully selected two pieces and put the rest in the material box.

 

My fabric collection has become insanely huge. Boxes, suitcases and drawers full of it. Piles all over the place. It's hard to get your head around sewing and crafting when getting to the machine requires moving piles of stuff, and then moving it all back to enable getting into bed at night!

So, I've been through it all once, and the monster has diminished slightly. Another go should see it back to manageable proportions. Man, do I find it hard. Every piece suddenly seems rife with potential. The ideas that pop into my head as I sort make the process more difficult, even though I know they'll never be realised (who has that much time?).

Some use was made of my stash on the Sewjourn weekend. Here is the first thing I made, based on what I think was a "housecoat" from the op-shop (I pulled it apart to use as a pattern).

 

My top is actually blue and my leggings purple (and it was really hard posting a pic. of myself on the blog...). I"ll make this pattern again, I think, and fix up the neckline gape when I do so.

Some weeks ago I raised the sides of my vegie garden using besser blocks, those concrete blocks with holes in them. I filled the holes with soil and compost and planted seeds and seedlings. I am most pleased with the result (and they will keep the mulch in the garden too).

 

Coriander seedlings and strawberries.

 

Pick a salad. The hole goes all the way through the block so reasonably large things can be grown - the roots go out the bottom of the block and sally forth.

Gratitude

I'm immensely grateful for all your kind words of support. You are all wonderful.

I wasn't going to say anything, you know, revealing too much, going too far on what is supposed to be a craft blog, after all. Interestingly, I've found I have less time than before, although the no drinking change coincided with others that're labour intensive. I have an old Kenwood mixer from a garage sale, with a dough hook, and that makes short work of kneading the bread! The machine beavers away while I do other baking or prepare tea. Highly recommended, although I do knead it a little bit by hand at the end because I enjoy it. The Laucke organic bread flour I can get locally comes from Turkey! Rather more than 100 miles.

Not that much crafting has been going on. Hmm...could be I spend too much time fossicking in op-shops.

Leah had a netball game in Lakes Entrance on Saturday. With two oppys open and an hour to kill was I going for a walk along the beach? Not likely.

Buttons! And the bowl that they're in and the gorgeously soft charcoal wool fabric (with red embroidered dots) in the background.

Enid Gilchrist pattern books. How I love these books (no, love is not too strong a word). I have been using them for inspiration for my children's clothing designs. You know, that shop I'm going to have. You are all going to die of shock when it finally gets off the ground.

Old patterns are inspiring too. Interesting styles and design details. Little girl's dresses and skirts were  very short in those days. Well, except for the long 70's styles.

I think this comes from the days when many everyday objects had covers made for them. Baby powder containers and the like in this case.

Old cards. I particularly like "Jolly Birthday Greetings". I have a collection of old cards now. Like I really need another thing to collect...

I was very taken with this book. Clare and Ally don't like it and they usually like old how-to books. Mainly because the making materials are usually found lying around the house or in the shed. Materials usually don't have to be bought.

This book is full of interesting stuff. I guess I bought it for myself - I would've loved to have it when I was a kid.

  An old Sindy doll. My sister had Sindy and I had Patch (an English schoolgirl) and a trio called The Sunshine Family (mother, father, baby). Sindy today looks like a wannabee Barbie, sadly. My mum despised Barbies, hence the other dolls. I wasn't even aware of Barbie though, living in the boodocks without TV helped, and I loved my other dolls. I used them to play "Borrowers", I was very influenced in my play by the Mary Norton books.

And I have actually made something. This jacket for the new baby sister of one of Clare and Ally's friends. The pattern is from a Japanese book that I no longer have but was called something like "Organic Cotton Baby Clothes".

Must go and walk the dog !

Pink Clouds

Coming home from Net, Set, Go with my budding netballers yesterday it was hard to keep my eyes on the road. Look at these splendidly coloured clouds. So beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I guess this is where having Photoshop would be useful - I could edit out that powerline. Can you do things like that using Photoshop?

Now, why are my photos all this big regardless of how I resize them?

I obviously haven't had time to have another Typepad fiddle and investigate Typepad Help (usually quite good).

I've been fiddling around designing and drawing little dresses, skirts and tops. If I make a pettern for a basic A-line dress, a basic skirt and a couple of basic top styles then they can form the foundation to which various sleeve, collar/neckline, fastening and pocket styles can be added. The patterns can be cut apart to have contrast insertions and the like. I have an end roll of newsprint, the measurements for sizes 3 months to 4-5 years (beyond that young lasses get too picky), a how-to book of patternmaking, a long ruler, set square and french curve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready, set, go! Cough...

Peg Bag

Old peg bag.

What a sad state of affairs.

New peg bag.

In the nick of time I reckon.

The pattern I used. Found at the good old op-shop in a plain envelope, along with tea cosy and apron patterns.  I always wonder about the women that  items like these belonged to.

Collections

Noticing a few collections around the traps lately got me thinking about what I collect.

A surprising number of things. Things in constant use that I've never considered collections would actually qualify.

Like linen tea towels.

Old beach towels.

Old bath towels.

These towels and tea towels, because they're used, get all raggy: wear out. So I'm always on the lookout for replacements.

Fairy stories, folk tales, myths and legends, nursery rhymes. I enjoy them all, in their myriad versions. Some of these were mine when a child, some I've bought for my kids, some given to them, lots from the op-shop.

Some things I buy sporadically, like the fairy tale books.

Old bottles, I have a collection of them that hasn't been added to for years.

When we did some renovating several years ago they got their own special shelf in the laundry. I had an "Angus" glue jar which I gave to a friend whose son is named Angus - how could I not!

Haven't come across any old scissors for a while.

Those tailor shears on the right are a family heirloom. Originally belonged to my mum-in-laws grandfather, who was a tailor,of course. They were passed to her when she began sewing from home for extra money. A superbly skilled dressmaker, I've learned much from her.

Those little blue-handled scissors toward the left: look closely - it's a rabbit!

Old keys.

Scissors and keys. Make what you will of that.

Wooden cotton reels. This collection gets added to from time to time. Well, they're not made anymore...

Continuing the sewing theme, old trims.

Oh, and the lace - old, modern. No synthetics allowed.

Bad photo, big shame.

How about buttons.

A mere portion of the button collection. This is a highly active one=actively seeking additions to the collection.

Baskets, those ones from the big basket making craze of 1955, or thereabouts. With the masonite or ply base, "cane" and some plastic-covered stuff. Called barsticks in this house. Toddler small fry's inability to pronounce basket.

The latest addition. A small one. Excellent to store the wool for a sudden interest in pom-pom making.

Can't explain my fascination with old maps, atlases and street directories. Collection added to sporadically. I'll use these. Circulating in my head are numerous ideas yet to achieve fruition.

The colours of these old maps are much more vibrant and distinct than the ones you can buy now.  I get all "arty" when I see them, but no artwork produced so far.

Happy collecting, people!

New Needlebook

My old cardboard needlebook was falling to bits. Plus I wanted a small project to actually finish.

A plain green leaf didn't look right, hence the stitching.

Inside I was able to use some of my collection of old flannelette. Leaf : flowers, goes together, right?

The leaf template came from a kid's sewing book that I picked up at the op shop recently called Busy Little Hands - Sewing, illustrated by Douglas Hall and published by Hamlyn.

There's also a pattern for a little hedgehog (echidna?) pincushion where the pins form the quills.

Clare and Ally have been inspired to sew. I must say it's easier to teach them now than it was even a year ago.

Clare's flower brooch and angel, Ally's bracelet. They used my felt and fabric scraps. I helped with needle threading and knot tying.

I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to sit stitching and chatting. Or to be lost in thought if I'm on my own. I think there's something magical about handwork.

Kid Sewing Finished.

All the clothes I had cut out - finally finished the last of them!

I think I'd be wasting my time, sadly, if I do any more in the way of clothes sewing for Clare and Ally.

The end of an era...sigh.

Fabrics sourced from op-shops, except for the skirt pockets. It's a quilting fabric but I can't remember what it's called or which of two local shops I bought it from.

Now I must make some warm weather clothes for myself - much harder than sewing kid's clothes. I did sort-of make a duct tape dress form. Well, the duct tape part worked. The idea of filling the "body cavity" with expanding foam did not. I ran out of foam, the two sides of the form sank together as the foam was setting...flattened my stomach but not a reflection of my actual shape unfortunately!

I'm glad, in a way, that it didn't work. As it sat perched on a kitchen chair (with a caricatured-face balloon for a head) awaiting filling, I began harbouring dark thoughts about it. Thinking perhaps I'd take it out the back and hack it to pieces. It was all a bit tiresomely symbolic.

Gone now, and I will muddle along with sewing for myself as usual!

Return From Unannounced Blog Break.

What have I been doing? Battling demons. With a bit of teen wrangling for light relief

What else? Walking. Changing the garden around - seem to do a lot of digging things up, moving them and changing the size and shape of garden areas when unwell. I think it parallels the changes I struggle to make within.

Two views of garden work in progress.

Doing what else? Sewing clothes for Clare and Ally to not wear.

From this book (ISBN 978-4-579-11132-9)

In a past life it was a linen shirtdress from the op-shop.

Used the same pattern for the "Lady" jackets  for the Book Day costumes.

Little top, cute bumblebee fabric (from Spotlight, as with apple fabric, below)

From this book (ISBN 978-4-579-11954-4)

Heh, could've ironed it! Lovely green linen from the op-shop.

Old Burda pattern (9995) with sash added. Fabric is two vintage pillowcases. All from op-shop.

Clare actually wore the one below..!

Used Ottobre Design's "The Best T-shirts" pattern for these, all op-shop fabrics. The stencil came from Stencilry, loads of stencils you can print and use (personal use only, of course). I used freezer paper for the first time and was very pleased with the result.

A couple more things to sew up and a couple needing buttons. I want to make some pants and skirts for summer. Thinking of making a duct tape "body double" to help with fitting, perhaps then there won't be so many duds - look terrible/don't fit properly.

The Japanese pattern books come from Yesasia. They have free shipping.