crafty signs

We walked past this wall several times a day. Each time, we'd stop for a minute and have a go at reading the signs with the worst and fakest accents ever. Even funnier was when people walking by stopped and joined in the fun.



found this fine example of guerilla knitting in the Cuba Mall, Wellington. I would love to have added a piece to this. I didn't have any knitting stuff with me and finding the local Knitworld store was a mission. When I finally found it, Miss 2 decided it was time to have a tantrum, so we left straight away. Despite it's hard to find location, Knitworld looked like a really great store, well stocked and full of goodies. Maybe next time?

monet & the impressionists

Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment

Claude Monet


the exhibition was well worth the trip to Wellington with dear hubby and 3 children in tow. There were 27 Monet paintings to view including Meadow with poplars, Camille Monet and a child in the artist's garden in Argenteuil as well as works from his Water Lily, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral series. The exhibition was structured into 7 parts:

Monet's early career
Sources of inspiration
Monet and early Impressionism
Monet and the triumph of Impressionism: the 1880s
Monet and Japanese art
Monet's series
Monet and Impressionism after 1900

Monet's impressive works were displayed alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, Cezanne, Boudin, Millet, Corot, Courbet, Jongkind, Manet, Rousseau, Toulmache & Troyou.

I also viewed 'Impressions of France: French prints 1850–1900' featuring etchings, lithographs & woodcuts from Impressionist & Post Impressionist movements as well as from members of the Barbizon School including Toulouse Lautrec, Manet, Corot, Renoir and others.

I was thrilled by all that I saw. I studied art history years ago and fell in love with the impressionists paintings, with Monet being my all time favourite painter. There's nothing quite like seeing the paintings in person. Prints and photos just don't do the artworks enough justice. I went back and looked at the paintings from different angles and distances and noted new details in light, colour even brushwork detail that I hadn't seen before.

Apart from viewing the exhibition, I did some shopping, saw some great crafty stuff (I'll post about that later) and did a lot of walking. I love Wellington!

wellington

off to Wellington we go...

play clothes

I can still remember as a child, having to take off my 'best' clothes (which were beautifully, 'made by mother' dresses) and changing into play clothes. My play clothes were handmade/homemade smocks, pinafores, rompers, trousers, jumpsuits, all simply designed for comfort and lots of play. Again all sewn by my mother from left over fabric or sheets.

Inspired by Enid, I've been working on making some play clothes for Miss 2. She loves to wear dresses and skirts. She'll happily go twirling and whirling in a pretty dress or skirt straight to rolling around on the ground or stomping in the mud. Hopefully she'll enjoy her vintage styled play clothes too.

I'm off to Wellington tomorrow for a few days. Can't wait to see the Monet exhibition while Miss 12 and Mr 10 are very, very keen to see the colossal squid, urgh lol!

play clothes

I can still remember as a child, having to take off my 'best' clothes (which were beautifully, 'made by mother' dresses) and changing into play clothes. My play clothes were handmade/homemade smocks, pinafores, rompers, trousers, jumpsuits, all simply designed for comfort and lots of play. Again all sewn by my mother from left over fabric or sheets.

Inspired by Enid, I've been working on making some play clothes for Miss 2. She loves to wear dresses and skirts. She'll happily go twirling and whirling in a pretty dress or skirt straight to rolling around on the ground or stomping in the mud. Hopefully she'll enjoy her vintage styled play clothes too.

I'm off to Wellington tomorrow for a few days. Can't wait to see the Monet exhibition while Miss 12 and Mr 10 are very, very keen to see the colossal squid, urgh lol!

not sew good tote bag

with the trip to Wellington in mind, I've been preoccupied with making a tote bag. In the Spotlight remnant bag was this open weave cotton fabric with the worst grain issues ever. So in a moment of mad inspiration, I thought it would be a great challenge to use it for my bag. Looking back, I was certainly challenged!


This tote tutorial makes a nice, roomy bag. It's ideal in size for supermarket shopping, library books or as a gym gear bag. Next time I make this tote bag, I'll sew a lining inside it. For now, the bag is host to a number of toys including a vintage golliwog 'Mr Jim.'

simple nightgown

now the big reveal of Miss 2's simple nightgown. As with all of Enid's patterns, it was easy enough to draft up. I usually skim read the instructions and then put the garment together my way. The fit and length is good. When it was made up, I realised that Miss 2's wrists were larger than the finished nightgown. It was something that I hadn't thought of. So the french seams on the sleeves were undone to make room for her wrists. I guess the 1950s 2 year old had tiny wrists. As you can see that nightie is made up of floral & plain pink wincyette (both remnants), ricrac and leftover pink satin ribbon. My nightie has to be a salute to 1950s thriftiness.

simple nightgown

now the big reveal of Miss 2's simple nightgown. As with all of Enid's patterns, it was easy enough to draft up. I usually skim read the instructions and then put the garment together my way. The fit and length is good. When it was made up, I realised that Miss 2's wrists were larger than the finished nightgown. It was something that I hadn't thought of. So the french seams on the sleeves were undone to make room for her wrists. I guess the 1950s 2 year old had tiny wrists. As you can see that nightie is made up of floral & plain pink wincyette (both remnants), ricrac and leftover pink satin ribbon. My nightie has to be a salute to 1950s thriftiness.

more enid gilchrist magic

finally found the 70s styles pattern book by Enid Gilchrist. It's been on my 'want list' for sometime. It has patterns for over 70 designs, ranging from tops, skirts, dresses right through to caftans. My favourites are the crossovers top/dress & frills and flounces patterns. Definitely watch out for more enid sewing magic!

craft reading

a visit to the library today was a welcome chance to see what craft books were on the shelves. While the children dispersed to different parts of the library, I had the chance to have a good browse. There seemed to be quite a lot of knitting books in, so I chose some 'easy' baby knitting books and a sock knitting book that I've been umming and ahhhing about buying for a while.


I've already started reading the couture sewing book. It's an interesting read so far. It's all about the fascinating world of haute couture & the amazing work that goes into a haute couture garment. Loads of tips and techniques too. I think that I'll certainly have learnt a thing or two by the time I've finished reading it.

little girls nightie

Miss 2 prefers wearing nighties to pyjamas. It was easy to find her nighties for the summertime but it's been almost impossible to find her winter ones. In the Spotlight bag was a floral wincyette remnant which should make up nicely into a little girls nightie. I'm using an Enid Gilchrist pattern from her 'Babies' book. Like all of Enid's patterns, it's easy to draft. Luckily Miss 2 is small for her age so she'll probably fit size 2 for a while with room to grow. The only challenge for me is remembering that I'm working in inches rather than centimetres.

Remember my A+O pants? they're in the 'lack of enthusiasm' box at the moment. I just don't seem to 'feel the love' for the pants project so I guess it'll sit there until I either force myself to finish them or they go into the scrap basket for rehashing.

little easter bunny

The Easter Bunny's feet
Go hop, hop, hop,
While his big pink ears
Go flop, flop, flop.
He's rushing on his way
To bring our eggs today,
With a hop, flop, hop, flop, hop

(author unknown)

little easter bunny

The Easter Bunny's feet
Go hop, hop, hop,
While his big pink ears
Go flop, flop, flop.
He's rushing on his way
To bring our eggs today,
With a hop, flop, hop, flop, hop

(author unknown)

polar fleece toddler beanie

a remnant of spotted blue polar fleece from the Spotlight bag is perfect for making toddler beanies. I used this free pattern to make up the beanie pictured. Although it's a perfect fit for Miss 2, I think it would work better with a little more length added. I'll add 2.5cm on to the length on the next ones I make. I've got 45cm of 150cm fabric and it looks like I might be able to squeeze out possibly 6 beanies. These beanies are destined for the hospital charity. Miss 2 is in love with her beanie, it hasn't left her head since she put it on early this morning.

crafting for charity

my crafting for charity is inspired by my little nephew Jodeci, who was born at 24 weeks gestation. His twin brother passed away at birth. Jodeci is a real fighter and against the odds, he's progressing well. He celebrates his 1st birthday next month.

He was so tiny and needed specially handknitted teeny tiny beanies to keep his head warm. That's what got me started as I'm the only one in my family who knits. From there, I heard that there was a charity programme associated with the hospital that always needed knitters and sewers to make clothes and blankets for babies & toddlers. So I joined the South Auckland wool programme straight away & have been knitting & crafting since then.

I feel connected to my community when crafting for charity. I'm now more aware of the world around me and feel blessed to have talents that I can share.

baby blanket

whenever Spotlight has a sale, I try to buy at least a couple of fabric remnants bags. They're a real bargain at $5 each and are bursting with fabric. I'm always surprised with what I get as I can't see what's inside when I buy a bag.

Today's bags were full of children fabrics including this really lovely muslin in a sweet shade of mint green which I thought would make a nice baby blanket. I rounded the corners and hemmed, adding some simple animal appliques in one corner. This blanket is off to the Middlemore hospital charity. There's also some towelling which would make great bibs and polar fleece for toddlers beanies as well.

mary quant inspiration

Miss 12 has a school project to work on during the upcoming holidays. She has to choose a 'well known person' and then put together a presentation based on their life and achievements.

Inspired by this retro pattern in my stash, she's chosen Mary Quant. As she has to dress up like Mary Quant, she's convinced me to make up this pattern for her. Miss 12 is a Junior size 8/10, so I'll definitely have to do a number of pattern alterations to make it fit. Plus trim a cheap black wig into a geometric bob & find some 1960s styled shoes.

Our flights & accommodation to Wellington are booked, so that we can visit the Monet exhibition. We'll be travelling in about a fortnights time. Can't wait!

pattern making textbook

Last year, with well meaning generousity I lent this textbook to a friend who lost it when she moved house. Needless to say, our friendship was a little strained for a while.

Anyway, today I received my replacement book from the 2nd hand textbook shop. This is my favourite reference on the subject of pattern making. It's well written with easy to read instructions and lots of diagrams. When I have a 'brain freeze' moment (which happens sometimes as my drafting skills are more than a little rusty), this is the book that I turn to for the answers. It's on the recommended reading list for most NZ fashion design courses.

It's pricey (so buying 2nd hand is worthwhile) but worth every penny if you're interested in pattern making. There's a great chapter on creating 'knock offs' from ready made garments. I always have a giggle when I read this section. It reminds me of someone I worked with at Barker & Pollocks years ago. She would pop into her favourite High Street boutique, buy something that she adored but couldn't really afford, take it home, make a pattern off it and then return it for a refund. I know, very naughty! She always had the best wardrobe lol.

simple sewing by lotta jansdotter

from the library is this book by Lotta Jansdotter called 'Simple Sewing.' I've managed to snatch a few quick reads between Miss 2's naps. It's obviously a book more for the novice sewer, but there's plenty of inspiration for the experienced sewer.


I'm really enjoying the photos. Especially the photos of the retro styled furniture and accessories. There's something really appealing to me about the clean lines of Scandanavian inspired design and the clearly defined colour palette. I'm the opposite, living in a colour 'explosion' environment.

another 1950s hard plastic

another bent knee walker by Pedigree NZ. A very lucky find considering that they're hard to get hold of now. Anyway her owner was having a major declutter and wanted to find a new home for her doll. So now she's joined my little collection. There's some repair work to be done, especially around her head and face plus a new wig. Other than that she'll be looking good very soon.

It's been a 'no crafting' zone since Miss 2 has been ill. She's been unwell for almost a week and today's the first day that she's been anything like her happy self. So until she's better, not much sewing or crafting will be taking place. I'll pop in every other day and post photos but probably nothing crafty until she's 100% well again, which is probably up to a week away.