Saturday, July 16, 2011

Computer very ill

My personal computer has started to die a slow painful death. I can't seem to get it started anymore. That's a bit of a shame as I had some cool pics ready for a few posts. I'll keep trying and see if I can continue my soap story/ sewing the crepe dress/ and a few other things I had planned.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Friday, July 15, 2011

A sleepy afternoon.

Amazing, I can create 'stuff' about 'sleepy' little Rochester, MN from the other side of the planet. I lived in Rochester last year and the images in this stop motion are from the webcam at UMR.  I logged into the webcam today and whenever I had a break in my work I grabbed a few screenshots. Then, using screenr.com, I put it all together into this simple stop motion.  Not earth shattering, I know, but a way to capture an afternoon and save it.  I really got into watching the 'ant people' seeing how long people lingered on a park bench, who rushed through, and how long parents let their children enjoy the water fountain. For those who don't know, the event you see here is Rochester's "Thursdays on 1st and 3rd".

I wonder what other people would do if they had one afternoon to fill any way they liked...

Sunday, July 10, 2011

We did it!

I forgot to mention that we finished the half marathon. It was my fastest one yet - 2 hours 10 minutes and 10 seconds. My man & personal trainer extraordinaire came in 1 second faster.  A good result for not training!  I have promised myself I won't go into another race without trying to prepare. I was probably lucky not to get an injury. Phew!

Crepe attacks!

I'm struggling with my gran's old sewing machine - it keeps jamming - but I managed to make some progress on my dress this weekend. The pattern is by Colette Patterns (Crepe).

Yes, I couldn't stand to cut up the beautiful pattern so I've made a copy of my size.

There are a few bloggers who have attempted this pattern who recommend making a lining. That's a bit beyond me so I've just used the facing pieces from this pattern.  There are little facing pieces around the selves and around the neck and back.


Oh, yes, those are my fave brown boots in this pic.  The bodice is coming together nicely.

Friday, July 1, 2011

My month in pictures

Phew! Work really kicked me around this month so I didn't have a lot of time for blogging. Here are some of the highlights though. In no particular order!

Sweet enough June was really difficult. Here's  the final post I put on the small Facebook group that my friends and I used to share our ideas, admit our defeats, and announce our successes. I recommended a group like that if you're ever going to try this!
:

I also made some resin based earrings (well, I constructed them...some of the work was done for me). I'm selling these to friends in Australia at the moment, just for a few dollars. I'm not brave enough yet to sell things to other people.  I'm a bit worried about all the logistics of it.  Plus, there are heaps of people selling 'stuff' on the Internet. We probably don't need another person in the mix!  Was a fun thing to do and has helped me acquire some new jewelery without much expense.


I also had two holidays to Maleny (see some tourist info here) One trip was with friends and one with family for my mother's 60th birthday. It was very relaxing. Here's a pic of the Australian wine and beer we drank.


I did some more baking. I also tried to make some cookies/scones without using sugar. They turned out OK but the recipe needs some work. You can see a short video below.



One of my most exciting outings was to the new "Stitchery Collective" in Spring Hill Brisbane. These ladies are QUT graduates and are developing a collective around not for profit fashion. Look at their amazing fabric samples!

"The Stitchery" hold classes and I went to the 'upcycling' workshop. I made this dress below. The idea is to make new fashion from existing pieces. Can you guess what type of item my dress used to be?
Yes, it used to be a men's business shirt!  I'm hoping to expand my skills in this area - if I can just get my sewing machine to work properly!  I've also just bought this book:

I've started to read through the chapters and, as a beginner sewer, I'm really happy I purchased it. The book starts with a brilliant introduction that gives statistics and figures about how much we waste by discarding clothes too quickly and the cost involved in making clothes.  I really liked this and instantly wanted to show it to everyone I know.  The chapters are also set up so that easier patterns and ideas are towards the front and the required skills/ experience builds as you get to the back.  The best part is that there are op/thrift shopping ideas at the start of each project; Tina tells you what kinds of items you're looking for, how large, quality of the fabric etc.  That's great for someone starting out in 'upcycling' clothing!  I'll let you know how I go with the projects.

You can buy it here.


We also went for a few walks. Here's two of my fave pics. No editing etc.


So now it is onwards and upwards as we head into July. This weekend I'll attempt to run my third half marathon. I'm really nervous right now because I haven't trained much at all. It is winter here and I've found myself getting home from work and sitting in front of the TV or in the kitchen a lot. I don't seem to be in a routine with my exercise and so I know this will be a difficult race for me.  I'll let you know how it goes!...I'm scared!
The race details are here.