Pics from my week

I have been a little busy these past few weeks... a small pneumonia incident providing us with an enforced slow down. Here are a few pics from the past week.

Pictures from my week

I haven't been doing much sewing this week - I have been learning about watercolours instead. Thus I have been going in search of inspiration - here are a few pics that I have taken this week.

and a fishy I painted:

Watercolour on Paper; digitally altered

Weedy Inspiration

Loving the Interweb right now

There are a few lovely things that I have been loving around the interweb recently.

I just can't get enough of Katie over at Head, Heart, Health for her inspirational and motivating post action. I have follwed Katie along her journey and watched her transformation into an amazing, warm and inspiring lady. I can't wait to see what she does next!

I am also loving Tiny Buddah - so much of what is written on that site is speaking to me so loudly at the moment.

I guess I am trying to connect with who I am and be a part of that person even more so that I already am.

I am journalling and doing yoga, trying to absorb buddist philosophy and live a little more authentically.

I want to stop being concerned about what other people think and start doing the things that resonate most strongly with me.

I feel like I have all these amazing intentions and am not really acting on them so well. I think it is partially because I am worried that I wont enjoy what I find through this exploration process. But at the same time I want to start being kind to myself and free myself of the invisible walls and rulles I create for myself.

I feel like I need about a year of navel gazing and contemplation before I will find my way.

I think the first step is to embrace yoga a little more thoroughly. I am able to clear my head and think far more thoroughly when I am practicing regularly. The very thing I find I don't get enough time for!

Dress Surgery

Before - Frilly and Unnecessary cap sleeves

After - Sleeveless and infinitely more Wearable!

I found this pretty cotton summer dress in a local department store yesterday and while I liked the fabric and the style I didn't like the sleeves - even on the rack. I thought that I would try it on anyway just to have a look at the fit.
While I was in the fitting room I tucked one of the sleeves underneath the shoulder strap and it looked so much better. I then commenced to have a look at how the dress was constructed and whether or not I could do some surgery to make it better for me. All it needed was a bit of bias tape around the outer sleeve hole - there was enough fabric in the sleeve to do this - so it came home with me.
It was relatively easy and I am really happy with the result.

 I went to Spotlight today (just to get a zipper!! I promise) and had a bit of a look but came away with absolutely zero inspiration. I have so much trouble with fabric selection - I have trouble translating the drape of the fabric over to how the dress will look when it is finished. I am grateful for the internet in this respect because I can go searching for how others have approached the pattern and get some ideas.

I know that the patterns have suggestions on the back for fabric selection, however sometimes an unexpected fabric can work surprisingly well. The Sorbetto top is a good example of this - the first one I used a drapey light voile and it looked good - but it also looked good in the heavier cotton. I think perhaps that some of my problem is confidence. I don't want to spend money on the more expensive fabrics tat I know love because I don't want to risk messing it up - I know that this will improve in time - that is partly what this blog's purpose is I guess.

365pix/11 Those Eyes

Those Eyes!

Everyone in my husband's Family has those eyes. My sister in law takes him out and people think he is hers.They are crystal clear and the most perfect aqua blue.

The "Masquerade" Apron

I have wanted to make some aprons for a while now but the thing is i'm not really a fan of the more traditional style aprons - I wanted something that had the feel of a dress with the practicality of an apron.

Initially I went looking for a smock pattern but couldn't really find anything that I liked immensely - so with that in ming I set about resigning my own dress apron.

What I have here is really just a muslin - the fabric is a old sheet - but I think that the pattern itself  works. I didn't quite manage to get the halter neckline exactly right but I put a small gathering stitch in the front bust midline which adds a quaint design feature.

You can't really see in the pics but there is a sash that wraps around the waist that forms from the waist ties.

I wanted something that I can wear around the house over my clothes for small children to wipe messy hands on and baby food to get smeared on and yet still be able to look like I was wearing clothes rather than an apron.

It is like an Apron that Masquerades as a dress - thus the "Masquerade" Apron.