The Goddess Within

It is the weekend here and I have lots to do (marking) and lots I'd like to do (footy, sleeping). I'm sure your weekend looks something like that too, perhaps without the marking.

This week I listened to this incredible talk by Naomi Wolf - you know the one - she wrote The Beauty Myth in 1991. I've never read it, but I think I should. Half a dozen times at the start of her talk I almost turned off because I didn't fully agree with her but then, wham! She hit me with her conclusion, which she'd be building all along. It is that if women spend their time thinking about their bodies, their appearance and measuring their desirability against other women they are not using their beautiful, smart and incredibly creative brains to think, solve, create and believe. That the enslavement of our brains to this 'beauty myth' means we are not free and that we cannot become all we could be. Breaking away from this, she argues, is freedom; is happiness.

A big call, yes. I have to admit to spending stupid amounts of time in my day thinking (obsessing) about these things and I think many women do this too. Since I listened to Wolf I've tried consciously to stop those thoughts in their tracks, which has been an interesting exercise. It is about being mindful - using mindfulness to alter habits. Something I've been working on for a while now, but not in this area.

Anyway, well worth a listen if you have some time.

Success!

As I was making this cushion I could feel the sewing block that has been haunting me for about a month start to lift. This cushion represents all the ideas I have in my head but haven't been able to realise for one reason or another.

I was also thinking about how, as my mother's only daughter, I was drowned in pink when I was younger. When I turned 21 I told Mum 'that's it! no more' and she dutifully filled the front lawn with pink flamingos on my birthday morning as my 'last pink treat'. It took me a lot of years to get back to pink, but now I quite like it. Now, in fact, I really enjoy making cute, pink things. Not for children, but for women who like a bit of pretty in their lives.

I'm really happy with this cushion. Every time I do hand-sewn embellishing or applique I drift off into a wonderful place where there is nothing but the next stitch to worry about.

Watch out for this cushion and others like it at the Upmarket and my Etsy shop.

Frustrations

I'm really happy with the way this reverse applique turned out. And the branch worked really well as well.

I'm not loving the yellow background colour - in fact it looks better in this picture because it is more grey than yellow. But I can't do anything about that now.

But a slight sewing mishap on one side that was completely undoable meant that I had to make the whole thing smaller. It was originally supposed to be a cushion cover but now it isn't cushion cover size (unless I tailor make an insert). I was thinking of turning it into a tote, but, hmmm. I'm not sure. Perhaps I will make an insert. See, I know writing about it would help!

OAMSAT

I've joined a club run by a friend called the Once A Month Sew And Tell where each month we have to sew something to wear for ourselves or friends/family - that is, not for sale. I really needed this motivation to start sewing my own clothes again (I used to make myself shorts when I was a kid) and I actually managed to make something for January!!

In the end the whole thing took about four hours from going to the shop and finding the pattern and fabric (about two hours) to cutting and sewing (another two hours). Really quick and REALLY cheap - all up I think it was about $15 for the fabric and a bit more for the pattern (which I can use again, of course).

I chose really slippery fabric that wasn't fun to work with at all, but it ended up okay. I will probably make another one of these in a cotton fabric that is a bit longer with a lower neck line, just to make it a bit more 'me'.

Exciting! And now, onto this month's task - a simple circle cape....actually I'm not entirely convinced that 'simple' and 'circle' belong in the same sentence! Check back in a month or so...

aaaand, we're back!

I've just spent that last week or so without my computer, which has been especially challenging because it was totally unplanned and completely disruptive to all the things I've needed to do. Luckily, I did have access to another computer to use the net with, but keeping up with emails and blogs was the limit of that little computers ability.

I guess, though, the positive to come out of this is that I have managed to collect quite a few blog post ideas! So, I'm hoping that this will give me the head start to get this blog running regularly and smoothly for the foreseeable future.

Something I was just about to post about before my computer decided that waking up in the morning was just all too hard, was the little curtain I made for my drawers in my bedroom. This was really my first home-project - the first thing I'd made specifically to solve an issue in my house. It was also on my New Year's list of projects for January (this makes me sound so organised!!) and so I'm inordinately pleased with myself for having done it.

I don't have a proper chest of drawers at the moment and am making do with two Antonius frames with clear plastic Antonius drawers from Ikea, naturally. When I bought these units they were to sit inside a built-in wardrobe, but in this new house they just sit out in the open. Which is okay, except I didn't like the mess of being able to see the clothes in the plastic drawers. And my budget stretching to a proper set of drawers (and wardrobe, for that matter) is a long way off.

I had some Toile de Jouy fabric sitting around not doing much and decided it would be perfect. Really, the whole thing was ridiculously simple - just measure, cut and sew. Seriously. I bought a thing called a lace curtain rail (about $4) which is basically metal encased in white plastic. There were hooks and eyes to screw into the rail and whatever it is attaching to to fasten it. I did things a little differently, but the concept is the same.

The difference this curtain has made to my bedroom has been quite amazing. It adds a more peaceful element and makes the drawers part of what I'm trying to create in there rather than just an extremely functional object with no aesthetic value at all.

Some of my favourite things now sit on top of the drawers - my stack of jewellery cases, a crystal plate my grandmother gave me, a plate my brother painted, my mittens from the winter I spent in Sweden, a great book and, most favourite, my childhood night light - a mushroom with a family of mice living in it! So cute.

New ideas

I really should stop having new ideas just before a market. It completely throws me and my plans - I just can't resist trying something out, which usually results in a new direction and my previously planned out 'collection' is warped by this new idea.

So, the story goes that last night Mum and I went to the opening of the George St Artist Group exhibition in Hamilton Hill. I love openings because they have a vibe and it is lovely seeing the people who make the art there. Plus with my current funds crisis free food and booze doesn't go astray either! Anyway, there was some great art there. I decided, while looking at one piece in particular, that I needed to start and art collection fund. Just small amounts to be saved so that when I go to something like that and see something I really love, I can actually buy it. But this is beside the point...

One of the women there had made this incredible wall hanging of silk and hand dyed...something, silk perhaps, and had used a technique she called something I can't remember (I was in awe of what I was looking at, okay, not taking in the details!) but I saw it as reverse applique.

I've been thinking about reverse applique for a while now. I love, love, love applique - the kind that you do with silk thread and minuscule needles and liberty fabric. I first read about reverse applique in a book about using Charles Rennie Mackintosh's designs as inspiration for embroidery and thought it was intriguing. However, I find it hard to use books for inspiration - I really need to see and touch something to get an idea of how it is made.

Anyway, this morning I got up at 6am and made the bag below. My first reverse applique and I'm pretty happy with it. I have lots of other ideas for smaller applique...

Like I said, it is annoying having new ideas just before a market!

New Bags!

Just quickly, because I have to get back to the sewing, but this is what I've been working on the for the last few days. They are sturdy, practical totes. Made with either canvas or duck canvas - very usable and also pretty!

Check out the rest of them at flickr.

Seven-seven-four

I used to listen to 774AM in Sydney - the local ABC radio station, but in this case 774 is the number of folds I just finished to make the individual layers of brooches as you can see in the photos below.

The above ones are made of Liberty fabric - scraps from my lovely applique quilt block that nursed me through the worst of this year. The ones below are from pre-cut squares from Materialise my most favourite fabric shop.

None of the brooches are finished yet. I need some plain fabric to put between the printed then sew the pieces together, put a button on the top and a clasp on the bottom. Still a lot of work. To get this far took me about five hours. Four last night watching telly and another hour this morning to finish off. That was after a solid day's sewing bags too. Phew! I'm loving it though, because it is always exciting when a piece is finished, when a brooch is done and can be pinned on or when I turn a bag out the right way or hold it up finished. I find it very satisfying and when each is done I look forward to meeting the person who will take it away and use it.

I've been wanting to include some of the lovely things I see on the net in this blog, but I haven't really had time. On Monday I'll have more market announcements to make, but suffice to say that I barely have time to blog at all. This post has been a quick stolen moment and now I need to get back to it. Perhaps with another cup of tea...