Owen and Satine

Owen and Satine are my newest bjd sewing models. They're both Iplehouse EIDs (aka Akando & Jessica) in the normal skin resin (which is very hard to photograph if the light isn't good) and they're substantial in size and weight compared to my other bjd models. (I've posted about Owen earlier before Satine arrived.) I've had lots of requests from customers for EID sized clothing so I'm sewing to stock up the etsy shop as quickly as I can.

vintage textile fair

something to look forward to!

auckland netball

The 2010 college and club Auckland netball competition season ends today. I'm really pleased about this as the rainy weekends haven't been the best for playing outdoor netball. My daughter's school team is placed well in their grade of the school competitons. Her club team hasn't fared too well in the club competition, coming in at last place. It didn't help much that the team lost 2 great players half way through the season. Despite this, she's had a brilliant season, learned lots and is now in player development. Anyway it will be nice to have the leisurely Saturdays back!

tapa cloth

This tapa cloth measure approx 3 metres x 5 metres, is at least 25 years old and kept in a wardrobe. It was once on display but had to be taken down when it started to come apart in places. I don't have the know how to repair it, so for now it will just have to stay where it is.

Tapa cloth is also called bark cloth and is widely produced throughout the Pacific Islands (both Polynesia & Micronesia). In Samoa it is called Siapo, and is made from the bark of the mulberry tree. The bark is stripped and then pounded until it is flat and is cloth like in appearance. The tapa cloth is then dried and bleached by the sun before the designs are applied with printing type plates or drawn freehand. The patterns on the Samoan siapo depict various aspects of the Samoan way of life. It's uses include clothing, burial shrouds, bed covers, ceremonial garments and so much more. You can read more about the making of tapa cloth here.

While in Samoa, I'm attending an official chief (matai) ceremony, so the pressure is on to make an appropriate traditional inspired outfit (puletasi) to wear. After weeks of indecision, I was thinking about tapa cloths and patterns when I came by this tapa styled polyester cotton mix fabric. There's 3 metres of 90cm wide fabric in teal, copper & black and it's enough to make a top to go with a long, plain, black wrap around skirt.

muu muu dress

the muu muu is a unique, loosely fitting dress associated with the Hawaiian Islands. The muu muu was introduced by Christian missionaries, who for the sake of modesty wished to cover the bodies of Hawaiian women, who often wore only grass skirts. Then it was a very fashionable item of womenswear particularly in the 1950s -1970s, where it was worn for relax/lounge/sleep/beach wear. Imagine paying $1.89 for a dress?

The muu muu embraces colour and patterns. The brighter and bolder, the better! You wouldn't feel out of place wearing the loudest colours and brightest, boldest patterns in the Pacific Islands.

I've had McCalls 2250, a modern muu muu pattern, sitting in the pattern drawer for almost a year. I bought it at a closing down sale (it was $2) along with quite a lot of cheap & cheerful, bright, bold island prints from a retiring dressmaker. The shorter version would make a nice coverup for wearing over a swimsuit after a swim. Hooray for the muu muu - it's a true timeless classic!

being aware

In early June 2010, I had my first mammogram as part of the NZ national breastscreening programme. All seemed to go well and I didn't think about it again. Then 3 weeks later, I got a phone call that I needed to go back for further assessments. After an ultrasound and more mammograms, the doctor's opinion was that the area that he'd seen on the mammography was nothing to worry about and recommended that I go back on to the standard screening list (2 yearly cycle).

The next day, another doctor called to ask me to have some biopsies done as he wasn't convinced. So a week later, I had both fine needle aspiration and stereotactic core biopsies performed. The results came back 7 days later, stating that the area showing up on the mammograms was a lesion with areas of radial scarring and lobular carcinoma in situ.

The very next week, I had a hook wire put in and I was in surgery to have the area excised. The surgeon confidently told me that the success rate was 95%. At pre-op, the surgeon breezed into the cubicle with the biggest smile and said "Kia Ora girl..." 

After another anxious week of waiting, the results came back that the lesion was benign but that there were as expected, noted changes of radial scar and lobular carcinoma in situ. These had been successfully removed but because of the increased tendency to grow a cancer in either breast, increased surveillance was recommended. I now need to have yearly mammographic screening. I really believe that early detection gave me the best outcome possible.

This 2 month journey has both frightened and empowered me. I was shaken by the roller coaster speed within which everything was taking place. I'm thankful for the peer review system, where doctors could review my inital & subsequent mammography and recommend the biopsies. Who knows, what 2 years down the track I could have been facing? For now, I'm just glad to be alive! I am changed forever...

Please read the comments attached to this post for updates on this journey.

rainy day

the photography task for today was to capture rain at work. All the elements were present: light drizzling rain, ok natural light and a somewhat mobile photographer. After making this post, I'm heading back to rest as per doctors orders. 

vintage dress patterns

these are the 4 patterns that I bought the other day from etsy and ebay. I'm now waiting for them to arrive in the post. Apart from 7120 (which is a 1960s pattern, in the top right hand corner) the rest are all from the 1970s. All 4 patterns will need to be graded down to fit along with my usual adjustments.  As you can see, lately I've been thinking about dresses, especially A-line shifts and smocks. Just the sort of thing to wear on an island holiday. Once I'm feeling more like my normal busy self, I'll be back to work on my 'island sewing' plan. 

at home

I've been at home all this week recovering from an operation. While resting/recuperating/being good, I've caught up on all the episodes of Rosemary Shrager's School of Cooks competition (Series 1 and 2) as well as catching up with Lark Rise to Candleford (Series 3) and Return to Cranford (Series 2). Hey, I've even found time to shop online for more vintage Simplicity 'look slimmer' patterns on etsy and ebay. Now that puts a smile on my dial!

colourful

in the middle of a drab wet winter when everyone is wearing dark sombre colours, it's a welcome escape to be sewing for a tropical holiday. There's nothing quite like a splash of colour to brighten a cold, wintery day of sewing.

All these gorgeous fabrics have one thing in common... lots and lots of colour. Spotlight had a massive sale on their summer weight cottons (with a little added stretch for comfort), all at $5.00 a metre, down from $16.99 per metre! and so I came home with a huge pile of colourful inspiration.

camera at work

todays photography task was to practice taking images of ball jointed dolls. More particularly the face as well as details of the clothing. I'm wanting to step up my bjd sewing and better photos of what I plan to sell is a must! I'm enjoying the s9500 so much that I've now bought a s9600 as well.  

mountain shadows

we took a nice, leisurely stroll up Mount Wellington this afternoon - enjoying the afternoon sun, making shadows and taking in the views of the city. The Maori name for Mount Wellington is Maungarei, which means "watchful mountain." From 1630 - 1700, the mountain was the site of an important Maori "Pa" (fortress) with about 2000 people living there. By 1820 the fortified pa no longer existed although there is still evidence of the terraces, palisades and food pits today. The mountain is now home to a herd of rather bossy black cows who delight in leaving their cow pats on the trail, which all adds to the fun of going up the mountain!

winter

Today's photography task was to focus on capturing some of the interesting winter moments in our back garden: a single leaf on the magnolia tree, a lovely ornamental bush and the old concrete bird bath surrounded by fragrant rosemary.

1970s patterns

I'm inspired by the many talented, blogging sewers who sew up a storm with their favourite vintage patterns. It seems that every retro sewer has a pattern era(s) that they enjoy sewing. The 40s, 50s and 60s seem hugely popular and I love seeing modern day interpretations of classic designs. The 60s and 70s styles in women and childrens wear appeal to me the most. With the Simplicity "look slimmer pattern" collection being my favourite. These 70s patterns suit my silhouette and are more flattering on me than the A-line mod inspired styles of the 60s. Here's a look at the 2 patterns that I'll be making up for myself.

Simplicity 5914 - this pattern is designed to make the dress wearer look slimmer - sounds great to me! I'll be grading this pattern down to fit and then making my usual adjustments. I haven't chosen a fabric yet although I plan to wear this dress more as a tunic with jeans. So I'm considering making this dress up in a cotton print.                                                

Simplicity 6213 - this pattern deserves special attention. I love the formality of it's design - it reminds me so much of what air hostesses wore in the 70s. Again it's another 'look slimmer' pattern (my favourite sewing theme at the moment) which I'll have to grade down and then again make my usual adjustments. I just love the contrast piping and buttons details. This is going to be a very fun sew!

the buzz

Photo: Jill in WV

Photo: Tehrin

I always get a buzz when a happy buyer shows off a bjd item that I've made... here's customer photos of a psychedelic print top (top photo) and a pair of knit tights (lower photo) that I made. It's also a timely reminder that I should be stocking up my etsy shop with more bjd goodies.

to market

a visit to the local farmers market was the best excuse for using my new handmade grocery bags. Hot off the sewing machine and ready to be filled with loads of shopping. These bags were made using Butterick 5413 and some funky 'green' themed cotton fabric and vintage bias binding. The pattern makes up a nice, roomy bag. At the market, the local growers, farmers and artisan food producers sell their wares directly to the public. There's every imaginable in-season fruit and vege, cheeses, artisan breads, jams & preserves, coffee... the list is endless. So of course, I had no difficulty filling my bags with lots of yummy goodies. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera, maybe next time I'll take photos to share.

hello dollies

Friday afternoon is the perfect time of the week to sneak in a little op shopping. My favourite thrift store had undergone a massive revamp and this was the first time I'd been in for a while. Although it looked absolutely fabulous, probably as great as any department store, I kind of missed the familiar clutter and mess.

Todays find were these 3 vintage dolls, circa late 1960s/1970s for $12.50. These poor dollies were from a deceased estate and have an overwhelming pong of mothballs and lavender water. That said, they have been lovingly played with, enjoyed and cared for. The best thing about them is that their bodies are in great shape (no frankendolly surgeries) and they have all their hair. To get them back to looking as good as new, all they need is a jolly good clean... then these lovely dollies will be saying hello to my little girl who has plenty of social engagements, (think tea parties, picnics and the like) for them to attend.

tahiti

the very first item in my 'island sewing plan' is this thrifted poly-cotton blend lavalava (sarong) from Tahiti which I bought for $3. From the looks of it, I'd say that this lavalava has spent more time in the drawer than being worn and may have even featured as a table cloth in it's former life. At 90cm wide by 180cm long, there's plenty there to maybe make a top for myself or even a girls twirly whirly dress. Yes I'm really trying to make it work!  

vintage boucle coat

the latest addition to my wardrobe coat family this year, is this lovely vintage boucle coat with a luxurious fur collar. Each winter I'm on the hunt for another 'perfect' vintage coat to join the ever growing coat collection. This beautiful coat is a lovely example of 1960s glamour at its best and is a perfect backdrop for my vintage brooch collection. Just right for chilly winter evenings at the netball courts too!

new beginnings

my experience with the cyber stalkers has given me a great deal to think about. In an effort to maintain the privacy of my family (as comments were also made about my children), I've decided to revamp this blog and remove the blog posts that refer to them directly. So it's a new beginning of sorts, for both myself and this blog.

buster the cat

Time for a snooze in the afternoon sun..

You've got your photos, now leave me alone!

finally I've got photos of our elusive cat Buster. This cat has to be the most unco-operative model that I've ever worked with. At last 2 photos of our feline family member for the family photo album.

flowers

Todays photo task was to look at flowers up close. I love the macro setting on the s9500 as I seem to be fascinated with tiny details at the moment. Everything is so much more interesting up close...   

garden

just a quick post to share the first few photos that I've taken using the s9500. These were all taken in our back garden using the automatic setting on the camera and on a slight cloudy, sunny afternoon. I still have to read the manual and learn about all the different settings as well as use a tripod to avoid shakey hands.

Thanks to all who've taken the time to send me an email or leave a comment about the cyber stalkers. I really appreciate your support. I'm going to keep doing what I love.

cyber stalkers

I'm sad to say that this blog has become the object of unwanted attention from cyber stalkers, who have taken the contents of some of my blog posts and have been ridiculing me elsewhere on the internet. I don't know these people and what they're saying isn't enough to get the police involved. I love blogging about my interests and sharing with you all and I'd be really sad to give it up. So please don't be alarmed if this blog suddenly changes format. They haven't got me beat yet!

BSA 1952 motorcycle

a very good friend came to visit with his all original BSA 1952 classic motorcycle. It was a lovely surprise!  even more surprising was my realisation that a classic motorcycle is a thing of beauty. Imagine the miles it has travelled and the many journeys it has made. It also seemed a perfect opportunity for a final photo with my old camera - the new one arrives tomorrow. 

samoa

it's hard to believe that our trip to Samoa is just a few months away - especially with the cold and rainy weather we're having here. I'm not too good with sewing for a purpose (especially if I'm required to stick to a sewing plan over a period of time). However I do need to make some clothes for the girls and I to wear while we're away. I'm looking forward to Samoa's tropical climate, especially the hot, sticky heat that makes relaxing in the shade a necessity. Now I just have to make a realistic plan of what I can actually sew...

reading aloud

Slinky Malinki

was blacker than black

a stalking and lurking

adventurous cat...

our current read aloud story is another Lynley Dodd delight called Slinky Malinki. It's a pleasure to read - the language is poetic and has such wonderful rhythm as we learn all about Slinky's kleptomania. Miss 3 has declared Slinky her all time favourite. Poor Hairy Maclary and his doggie pals (stories also by Lynley Dodd) have moved into second place which is a little sad since I love to read those stories out aloud too!