Linaloo

My muumuu

I bought some proper fabric from a proper fabric store on my birthday to make myself a proper dress.  I'm a classic pear shape - almost a size smaller up top than bottom, so fitted dresses are never easy, either to buy or to make for a novice dressmaker like moi.  So I decided on a more relaxed shape in a simple chambray/linen kind of fabric.  I have no idea what kind of fabric this is actually, but it feels and creases like linen.

I picked up this Cynthia Rowley pattern and spent the next few evenings patiently sewing it up bit by bit.  It was super easy to put together but it turned out to be a muumuu of mammoth proportions.  Even my normally very kind husband said it looked like a sack dress, so with a few adjustments on the side seams it became a mini muumuu.

I threw caution to the wind and actually wore it out last night without feeling remotely self concious and fidgety as I am apt to be when wearing something I have made in public.  Unfortunately though my non-fidgetyness did not last long as it was a very humid evening (in a supposedly swanky outdoor venue which somewhat hilarously clashed with a Megadeth/Slayer/Alice Cooper gig going on nearby) and the dress ended up being quite itchy... 

Hmm.  Maybe I should have called this post "what I wore to a Megadeth concert"?

Anyhow, the good news is (I'm clinging onto the bright side here) that I don't hate it and I learned how to make ruffles. 

Progress!

Lemonaide

A perfect summer memory created this week.  My children have been plotting for a while with our lovely new neighbours to set up a lemonade stand.  I finally relented yesterday and agreed they could try it today and preparations began in earnest immediately.  Along with stand building, price negotiations and profit sharing, there was a huge marketing campaign underway at the pool during their swimming lessons this morning.  Despite nearly being rained out, they set up shop and within 5 minutes there was a steady stream of customers.  It was amazing!
 
I made a few quick phone calls to neighbours to make sure that at least they'd get a few takers, but I was staggered at the amount of people who we didn't know who stopped and supported their little enterprise.  In the end they sold out within an hour and a half and had to turn people away!  Needless to say they were elated with their success and I feel very grateful that we live in an area where people are so kind and generous.

Up close and personal (macro mania)

Yet another lovely weekend spent with friends and family.  This one was extra special thanks to an early birthday present from my husband (he just couldn't wait because he knew how I excited it would make me), a 100mm macro lens for my camera.  I've been coveting one for a while but frugal old me couldn't justify the price tag.  My husband rightly pointed out that my camera is one of the best investments we've made considering how much use it gets and how much pleasure it has brought me these past two years. 

Here are just some of the gazillions of shots I took with it this weekend.
 
Thank you my darling. I love it.  And I love you for all your encouragement and support for my photography, and for not minding my snap happy craziness whenever we're out and about!

Seam rippin' yeah, that's where I wanna be

I tried something new this week.  Actually make that two things.  First was deciding that I would "have a go" at making my own clothing pattern from scratch based on two very old Monsoon summer tops that I'm very fond of.  Second, and slightly more straightforward, was making my own bias binding for edging armholes on said summer top.

Given that my clothes-making-for-me track record is pretty lame (last count 3 tops, 2 pairs of lounge pants, 1 skirt and 1 dress), new thing number one was quite adventurous.  The biggest challenge I find about making clothes is getting the fit I want and I rarely end up wearing anything I've made as a result.  Sound familiar?

Anyhow, I just focused on the process and worked using freezer paper to trace and draft pattern pieces and sewed myself a muslin.  It took 3 attempts and a lot of seam ripping to get something half decent looking.  Then my patience (or lack thereof) got the better of me and I abadoned the muslin in favour of using my chosen fabric (a thrifted Ikea Rosalie pillowcase).  More seam ripping ensued before things slowly started to improve and it suddenly dawned on me that seam ripping is perhaps not, as I had previously thought, an admission of failure, but simply a sometimes necessary part of the process of getting a piece of clothing to fit.  As soon as I got my head around this idea, instead of feeling scary and frustrating, seam ripping suddenly felt good, like it was one step closer to a potential fit. 

Could this be my "aha" clothes sewing moment I wonder?

The end result?  Well it's still far from perfect (as you can see both from the gaping and the fact that I look a few months pregnant) and I will most likely never wear it,  but I feel like drafting something from scratch was a valuable lesson in enjoying the process.  Above all, its encouraged me not to give up on clothes sewing...

PS This post's title is taken from Oceanic's Insanity (Dream Tripping) - a dire song of which I was once very fond in my first year at Uni about 100 years ago.  Please tell me I'm not the only one that remembers this one?!

Pool life

Much like last summer and the year before that, a large part of our summer is being spent at the local pool.  Swimming lessons, swim team, diving, synchro, water polo, let alone just hanging out with neighbourhood friends over a BBQ make this a very special community indeed.  Also perfect for cooling off when there's a heat wave - its 7pm, 33C with a humidex of 43C right now!  
If you need me, I'll be poolside...