Well folks, Remy and I are off down south to my parents' farm tomorrow morning for two weeks. For the first time since I was about 12*, I'll be spending my birthday with my folks, and this one is a biggie - 30.
I'm not sure how much blogging there will be from me. They have a nasty dial-up connection that drives me completely potty.
I plan on visiting the Super Secret Second-hand Store while I'm there - yippee! - and this time I'm on the lookout for a genuine 100% I'm-living-in-the-country-now wireless on which to listen to National Radio, and delicious 1950s duck-egg blue crockery. Ooo, and I'll be doing the usual treasure hunt for vintage fabric and buttons. I can feel my heart starting to race while I'm just thinking about it.
I also have plans for whipping up a dress on my mother's to die for Bernina. All going well (read: better than that whole incident with the sack dress), I'll post photos of it on my return.
Speaking of my return, there's only 2 weeks between getting back to the city and moving to the country. Eek! It's going to be a seriously busy and exciting time.
*I served 5 years in a boarding school from the age of 12, and my birthday is at that funny 'is it Easter or is it not' time of year, so I generally spent my birthdays at school, and then I ran away to live in Wellington after that.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What's next?
Another ricey (as I've taken to calling them) for a darling little babykins called Olivia.
And I promise I will fill you in on the story behind the move and what we're planning but not just yet. I only realised today how deadly frightened I am to leave Wellington after 11 years - my entire 20s in fact. Not that my 20s have last 11 years but ... oh, you know what I mean.
Part of me is very worried about 'failing' and having to come back. I can't figure out exactly how I can fail at moving - surely I just like it or I don't? - and I don't know why returning would be a punishment...
Anyhoo, I'll keep pondering and get back to you.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
If you're happy and you know it...
We're moving to the country! In four weeks or so we'll be in South Canterbury, settling into our new life. Yay!
I'm not quite sure what else to say about it, so let's have another YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Why yes, I will sign that for you.
Thank-you, thank-you, thanks, ok, really, that's enough now.
Jules, Remy and I are enjoying our 15 seconds of fame after having a photo opportunity with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to celebrate the 500,000th person joining KiwiSaver.
It was on the telly (apparently - we haven't seen it because we don't have TV but we're hoping the gramps have taped it for us), and here is an article I was emailed by Steph from Lovestitches. I cannot get over the number of mistakes in it. For starters, my surname is Rose and Remy's not even 8 months old yet, and don't even get me started on the complete lack of fawning over Remy's cuteness.
Here's a Scoop article with photos; I was obviously so smitten with Helen Clark that I couldn't bring myself to smile at Scoop's photographer.
It was a big day for the little guy. He went to sleep at the award-winningly early time of 5pm and he's still out for the count. Thanks Labour!
Jules, Remy and I are enjoying our 15 seconds of fame after having a photo opportunity with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to celebrate the 500,000th person joining KiwiSaver.
It was on the telly (apparently - we haven't seen it because we don't have TV but we're hoping the gramps have taped it for us), and here is an article I was emailed by Steph from Lovestitches. I cannot get over the number of mistakes in it. For starters, my surname is Rose and Remy's not even 8 months old yet, and don't even get me started on the complete lack of fawning over Remy's cuteness.
Here's a Scoop article with photos; I was obviously so smitten with Helen Clark that I couldn't bring myself to smile at Scoop's photographer.
It was a big day for the little guy. He went to sleep at the award-winningly early time of 5pm and he's still out for the count. Thanks Labour!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Trousers: Take Two
The second draft of the pattern - where I widened the legs and made a few other tweeks - resulted in an annoying little problem where the gusset meets the inner legs.
I redrafted the pattern and thought and thought about the problem. In the end the answer was so simple - I needed to sew the legs with the seam of the gusset facing up. Duh.
Right now Remy is trying his level best not to go to sleep, so it's not really the best time to try the trousers on him. Pity really. I feel like I'm on a roll.
PS Sorry about slightly out-of-focus photos. My camera is playing up. Growl.
I redrafted the pattern and thought and thought about the problem. In the end the answer was so simple - I needed to sew the legs with the seam of the gusset facing up. Duh.
Right now Remy is trying his level best not to go to sleep, so it's not really the best time to try the trousers on him. Pity really. I feel like I'm on a roll.
PS Sorry about slightly out-of-focus photos. My camera is playing up. Growl.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
First attempt...
Yes, these are a little narrow in the leg. When I tried them on Remy, he had the distinct look of an emo teenager with a surprisingly large behind.
New things to be getting on with
While I dearly love the jackets I make, and while I plan to make many more, it's time to mix things up a little.
Remy wears cloth nappies and it's been a total pain finding trousers for him that fit properly. Often I have to buy them much too large to fit over his bum and it means that the legs are waaaaay too long, even for my taller-than-average boy.
Last night I drafted a pattern for some little trousers especially for the babes who wear cloth nappies. I've whipped up a pair in bright blue with small black spots*, and I'm just waiting for Remy to get home from his morning constitutional to try them on for fit.
If they look ok, I'm going to call for volunteers to test a pair of them for me. Interested? Just watch this space for further updates!
And, who knows, this might be a way for me to have something perfect to sell at the next Craft2.0, fingers crossed and all that.
*A big thanks once again to my wonderful Aunty Karen for giving me a whole pile of wicked materials! You rock!
Remy wears cloth nappies and it's been a total pain finding trousers for him that fit properly. Often I have to buy them much too large to fit over his bum and it means that the legs are waaaaay too long, even for my taller-than-average boy.
Last night I drafted a pattern for some little trousers especially for the babes who wear cloth nappies. I've whipped up a pair in bright blue with small black spots*, and I'm just waiting for Remy to get home from his morning constitutional to try them on for fit.
If they look ok, I'm going to call for volunteers to test a pair of them for me. Interested? Just watch this space for further updates!
And, who knows, this might be a way for me to have something perfect to sell at the next Craft2.0, fingers crossed and all that.
*A big thanks once again to my wonderful Aunty Karen for giving me a whole pile of wicked materials! You rock!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Craft2.0 is over
Craft2.0 was a blast. A few notes to myself for next time though:
1. Don't attempt 'one last thing' at the last minute. And in this 'one last thing' don't try to use three techniques that you have never attempted before and have only read about in books and/or on the internet.
2. Figure out how to get to the place prior to the morning you need to be there. That will avoid walking, missing trains, catching trains, more walking, asking directions from people who don't know where the local gallery is, and getting to your table 45 minutes late. But, you know, it's just a hint.
3. Practice laying out the clothes a few days before and think hard about what the display will look like. A pile of clothes on a table has more than a hint of a garage sale about it.
4. Have confidence in your product so that you don't sound like a dribbling fool when someone thinks you're clever for making what you do.
5. Remember to take photos because the whole thing will be over in no time at all.
6. Remember that the nice people will outweigh the arses at a ratio of 10:1. But also remember that you can respond to the arses in the same manner that they treat you instead of swallowing it down and giving them your best customer service smile. They probably won't buy your stuff, and you won't want to sell it to them anyway.
7. Get proper business cards sorted. There will probably be more after market sales than sales at the market*.
My favourite thing by far was chatting with all the peeps. Even though I don't think my jackets are made for markets (probably just shops and by commission), I wish I had something else to sell because I totally loved talking to potential customers. And it was strangely rewarding to see kids trying on my clothes.
Parenthetically, I picked up a wicked tip on how to do buttonholes after telling a woman about bursting into tears when I ruined a jacket I was in love with via a buttonhole made with a seam ripper... gosh, it still pains me to think about it. But the tip was so great that it will stop me from ever making the same mistake again. Thank you kind lady, wherever you may be.
*Let's pray that this is true and not just one of those things I've made up in my head to make myself feel better; you see, I didn't sell a single thing on the day. But having a goal of just selling one thing totally paid off - now I can comfort myself with the fact that I was only one sale off my target.
1. Don't attempt 'one last thing' at the last minute. And in this 'one last thing' don't try to use three techniques that you have never attempted before and have only read about in books and/or on the internet.
2. Figure out how to get to the place prior to the morning you need to be there. That will avoid walking, missing trains, catching trains, more walking, asking directions from people who don't know where the local gallery is, and getting to your table 45 minutes late. But, you know, it's just a hint.
3. Practice laying out the clothes a few days before and think hard about what the display will look like. A pile of clothes on a table has more than a hint of a garage sale about it.
4. Have confidence in your product so that you don't sound like a dribbling fool when someone thinks you're clever for making what you do.
5. Remember to take photos because the whole thing will be over in no time at all.
6. Remember that the nice people will outweigh the arses at a ratio of 10:1. But also remember that you can respond to the arses in the same manner that they treat you instead of swallowing it down and giving them your best customer service smile. They probably won't buy your stuff, and you won't want to sell it to them anyway.
7. Get proper business cards sorted. There will probably be more after market sales than sales at the market*.
My favourite thing by far was chatting with all the peeps. Even though I don't think my jackets are made for markets (probably just shops and by commission), I wish I had something else to sell because I totally loved talking to potential customers. And it was strangely rewarding to see kids trying on my clothes.
Parenthetically, I picked up a wicked tip on how to do buttonholes after telling a woman about bursting into tears when I ruined a jacket I was in love with via a buttonhole made with a seam ripper... gosh, it still pains me to think about it. But the tip was so great that it will stop me from ever making the same mistake again. Thank you kind lady, wherever you may be.
*Let's pray that this is true and not just one of those things I've made up in my head to make myself feel better; you see, I didn't sell a single thing on the day. But having a goal of just selling one thing totally paid off - now I can comfort myself with the fact that I was only one sale off my target.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Crafty goodness of the 2.0 kind
I've been sewing up a storm these past couple of days, all in preparation for Craft2.0 this Saturday.
Remember this material? Well, this is what it turned into. I originally wanted to match the fabric so there was one continuous pattern, but, duh, there are curved seams all through the jacket so that wasn't going to happen. I settled for a mirrored pattern on the hood, centering the pattern on the back inner, and matching the pattern on the inside fronts.
I was lucky Jules interveened with the next jacket. I had planned to use another, but thinner, stretch cotton in pink on the inside. Jules pointed out that the inner fabric made the outer fabric look cheap (and, damnit, he was right), so I swapped it for some double sided stretch - pink with tiny brown spots on one side and plain brown on the other. The resulting jacket is super soft and the perfect weight for winter.
You might be able to see the pattern matching on this one. No? I'll show you (because I am so blerdy pleased with myself about how this worked out!):
See it? The pattern on the pocket 'blends' with the pattern on the jacket!
And I got pretty close at the sleeves too!
Remember this material? Well, this is what it turned into. I originally wanted to match the fabric so there was one continuous pattern, but, duh, there are curved seams all through the jacket so that wasn't going to happen. I settled for a mirrored pattern on the hood, centering the pattern on the back inner, and matching the pattern on the inside fronts.
I was lucky Jules interveened with the next jacket. I had planned to use another, but thinner, stretch cotton in pink on the inside. Jules pointed out that the inner fabric made the outer fabric look cheap (and, damnit, he was right), so I swapped it for some double sided stretch - pink with tiny brown spots on one side and plain brown on the other. The resulting jacket is super soft and the perfect weight for winter.
You might be able to see the pattern matching on this one. No? I'll show you (because I am so blerdy pleased with myself about how this worked out!):
See it? The pattern on the pocket 'blends' with the pattern on the jacket!
And I got pretty close at the sleeves too!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Remy on swing; mother has good time.
Remy and I went to the park today; I popped Remy in the swing for the first time.
I was all "Wow! This is so cool, this is your first time in a swing. Are you having fun? Huh? Huh? Are ya?" and he was all "Whatever lady. Let's get home. I've got better things to do. Like pooping".
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Diet tip #14
Baking double chocolate brownie is not necessarily bad for your diet.
Eating most of it in two days is.
Eating most of it in two days is.
Friday, March 14, 2008
The story of my life is at this site
My darling friend Katrin sent me this link the other day. The movies are particularly fantastic; in fact, "I have to get ready" is the story of my life.
Avert your gaze if you are sensitive
Today I sewed a pleat that looked like labia.
Do you think six episodes of Sex and the City is too many to watch in one sitting?
I suspect it might be.
Do you think six episodes of Sex and the City is too many to watch in one sitting?
I suspect it might be.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
And all the Queen's glasses
When the queen came to New Zealand in 1953, my great granddad was the mayor of Picton - Or was it Blenheim? Help please Auntie Karen! - and he had the great pleasure of doing a walk-about with her. She, in return, gave him a set of glasses:
This isn't the set that belonged to my great granddad (they're somewhere else in the family), but these are a very close second. Never been used, in the original box with even the original tissue and purchased for the princely sum of $10 at the Thorndon fair a few years ago.
My nana has the hat that my great grandma wore on the day she met the queen. From the number of times I've heard about that day, I can tell it was one of my great grandma's proudest moments ever.
This isn't the set that belonged to my great granddad (they're somewhere else in the family), but these are a very close second. Never been used, in the original box with even the original tissue and purchased for the princely sum of $10 at the Thorndon fair a few years ago.
My nana has the hat that my great grandma wore on the day she met the queen. From the number of times I've heard about that day, I can tell it was one of my great grandma's proudest moments ever.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Rock your baby, err, rocks.
I'm not really a label-bashing mummy (I'm more of a bargain-hunting kinda mummy) but these darling tees arrived today from Rock Your Baby and now I want all of their clothes!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Let me eat cake!
I've never been on a diet before. Never had the urge or the inclination. I've had those days where I've felt flabby and toyed with the idea of a diet but, muh, I've not had enough willpower to (not) bite the bullet.
And now that I am going to be a bridesmaid, and will appear in photos I can't photoshop or stage, I think it's time to lose a few kilos.
BORING!
Other people's diets are so, utterly, bloody BORING.
But I still want to tell you this bit. Now all I can think about is cake. Chocolate cake, orange semolina cake, lemon sponge, cream sponge, christmas cake, banana cake, big ones, small ones, tall ones, short ones, cake, cake, CAKE CAKE CAKE.
For the love of god, someone bring me some cake.
And now that I am going to be a bridesmaid, and will appear in photos I can't photoshop or stage, I think it's time to lose a few kilos.
BORING!
Other people's diets are so, utterly, bloody BORING.
But I still want to tell you this bit. Now all I can think about is cake. Chocolate cake, orange semolina cake, lemon sponge, cream sponge, christmas cake, banana cake, big ones, small ones, tall ones, short ones, cake, cake, CAKE CAKE CAKE.
For the love of god, someone bring me some cake.
Rosy Tin Teacaddy
My darling friend Katy sent me this link to Rosy Tin Teacaddy.If you like tea in the country, with perhaps a slice of sponge filled with cream and passionfruit syrup, then I think these guys will be for you. Yum!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sneak peek
These are the (nearly finished) little rice bags for the non-sleeping baby friends:
Finally, progress on the sewing front!
Finally, progress on the sewing front!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Hairtastic. Now, where's the sewing at?
Thanks for all the super sweet comments on my new hair cut. One thing I never expected was that first thing in the morning I would look like I'd copied my haircut from this man. Jules is a lucky, lucky guy.
I have loads of sewing on the go - there's all my stuff for Craft2.0 and special little presents for some baby friends - but no time to do it in. It's frustrating having all these fun ideas for projects and not being able to do them. I have the fondest memories of being able to whip up something to wear in just a few hours, spending night after night teaching myself crewel embroidery, the luxury of procrastination... but, eh, what's a girl to do but try and fit in just a little sewing everyday and hope like hell there's enough produced to fill a table at Craft2.0 at least.
I have loads of sewing on the go - there's all my stuff for Craft2.0 and special little presents for some baby friends - but no time to do it in. It's frustrating having all these fun ideas for projects and not being able to do them. I have the fondest memories of being able to whip up something to wear in just a few hours, spending night after night teaching myself crewel embroidery, the luxury of procrastination... but, eh, what's a girl to do but try and fit in just a little sewing everyday and hope like hell there's enough produced to fill a table at Craft2.0 at least.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Ooo, rick rack how I love you
I was walking home yesterday and happened upon the Aro Street Markets. And then I happened upon these beauties and all for the princely sum of $6. Lovely.
Now, can anyone tell me how I'm supposed to attach this stuff? Not, shudder, glue I hope.
Now, can anyone tell me how I'm supposed to attach this stuff? Not, shudder, glue I hope.
Ok, here's the photo some of you have been waiting for
I've had long hair for about...um...forever. And it was time for a change. So I got my wonderfully wildly camp German hairdresser to cut it all off.
I like that this significant change on my outside matches the change I've undergone since having my darling boy. Crikey, that's deep for a craft blog.
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