H-O-T

Most days of our Melbourne summer have been hot, and it's been tricky trying to keep Baby Darling cool as he also runs quite hot himself. Normally it's a summer of extremes, so it's weird just having consecutive days of 30 degrees plus.

We've been exploring our suburbs a lot too, taking Baby Darling to beaches we've never been to (Altona Beach pictured above!) and swimming pools. We love North Melbourne & Coburg outdoor pools! So great sitting under big old gum trees and baby pools aplenty!

Happy Weekend!

Atsui desu ne!

Japanese for 'It's hot, hey?' is 'Atsui desu ne!'

Oh boy. Yesterday was so hot in the 40 whatever (Celsius, was probably over 100 F) heat. I got a hair appointment earlier in the day, and then spent the afternoon at the ice skating rink in town where it cooled us down. It was my darling bestie's birthday, so she called the shots, but Husbie gave her the idea!

Poor Baby Darling was very sweet in the heat, and not as bothered as I thought he would be. But, inside in the air con, he LOVED the ice rink! So much noise, lights and action. He adores being around people, and you can see his little mind clicking over loving and learning about humans! Me too, I love it!

Post-birth, I'm not yet back into yoga... so I didn't skate just in case I got overzealous! I do have my eye on a few early morning yoga classes next week, and I think I'll slowly see how my body bends!

Stay cool guys, if you're in Australia of course! Thoughts are with those near bushfires and hope things are going ok!

x

Spring Break: Vitamin D

Thank goodness for all this sunshine during my mat leave, it's been glorious to be out during the day (instead of stuck in the office) but vitamin D is really important as well espech for the baby!

Happy Monday to you, I might have had Baby Darling by now, who knows? I'm just taking a blogging break until I can visit the computer and internet again!

Spring Break: Blue Skies

There are so many things to take photos of when you're out walking the dog.

Don't mind me, I'm just taking a little Spring Break from blogging (and showing you photos instead), as I may or may not be having a baby this week!

xoxo

A Saturday Morning Walk

Hey! Here's an idea for a perfect Saturday morning: sleep in, relax, cuddle, eat fresh fruit, have a hot shower, wear really comfy clothes, pin hair up, wear no make up or sunscreen and take the dog for a walk with gorgeous Vitamin D bringing more cuddles with the winter sun.

This week I was back at work, with lots of energy from my time off, so happy to see everyone again and kept busy but not too busy. But it was cold again, overcast and I was stuck with what to wear each day that was comfy and lovely and my style... so after 5 work days, I embraced my cushy comfy attired as much as Doris Day loves the grass and sunshine!

We're 32 weeks, perhaps? Someone in utero is upside down, hanging out comfortably with head in my pelvis... which makes sense why I'm getting kicked around so much on the top of my bump! I had a couple of check ups this week, with the midwives all happy. And now we're catching up every 2 weeks, which makes things a bit more real. Only 3 weeks of work as well, until my maternity leave kicks in. Um, Where The Fuck has the time gone?

Wishing you a lovely weekend and hope you get some Vitamin D too with the sunshine in Melbourne! xoxo

Mid Winter Holiday

I'm really excited as I've scored 2 weeks away from work, as a little Mid Winter Holiday... but of course it's been freezing, windy and all things terrible as I caught a cold! My immune system is shot, but I'm laying low... watching all the episodes of Masterchef (you know you can watch them online, catch up tv is the BEST) and crocheting in my warm little house with Doris Day the Dog.

My pregnancy is full of little mantras and they pop up here and there... Easy Does It... That's Perfect ... This is Such a Short Time in Your Life... Find the Time... and lots more...

Little sayings that when I feel a stress or an urgency or a dilemma, I repeat these little things to myself (some are from my Doula, or my hypnobirth cd or just things that come into my brain and maybe it could be as the baby grabs hold of its first brain waves...) and it makes things ok...

Today we're going for a little holiday to Sydney and you could say that I am NOT packing the above clothing... however cute that little jumper is. My friend Lindsay gave it to me last year (He's got a great op shopping eye for detail!), and I can think of nothing more hilarious that a fetus covered with poodles... so I wear it out walking the dog.

Happy Friday and stay warm!

xoxo

What to Wear for Winter: A few more weeks

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, has become a big deal for me and I'm so happy it came around this week. I'm not sure if it's living in Melbourne that makes me see it as a 'turning point' in winter, or if it's a marker that half the year has already passed? It always feels to me that July or August is 'mid year' for some reason, so I love the reminder that our days will get longer and less dark.

Anyways, it was also my week of entering the third trimester! I've been given 4 due dates in September throughout this pregnancy, and I haven't really been fussed to focus on the weeks because of those changing estimates. The baby will be born when it's ready to be born, but the medical system needs a due date! My midwife investigated and locked in September 12th, if you're wondering... and that's the same due date as NZ blogger & seamstress Kat! HOW funny, and I love a good qwinky dink! She's been sewing heaps of maternity gear this year along with the Sew Weekly themes, so you should go and check out her stuff.

As for me, I probably have a few good weeks of these warm winter jackets (pictured above at the train station) but I have a spare larger handmade jacket to don once these don't do up. My first handmade jacket was always too big, but I don't have the heart to ditch it because it took a lot of time & effot and the fabric was quite expensive at the time (a brown herringbone wool, that matched my red boots). Hopefully our freezing and darkest days are behind us as this year now turns with the passing of Winter Solstice.

Can you tell I've been watching Game of Thrones? I'm so wistful at the moment, and searching for poetry.

ANYWAYS, you may laugh, but I have been planning & thinking about some In Utero updates for you and I *have* been sewing (and a little op shopping) lately... as always, pinning myself (and Husbie) down for some daylight photographs is tricky. What's been really interesting, however, is that my sense of control & organising & producing is becoming more carefree, and fluid... and the hormones & feelings with this pregnancy tells me to just 'Let things go', 'relax' (I love that one) and a bit of 'This too shall pass'... so I'm kind of following my feelings and not pushing things. Just going with the flow...

And why not? Time moves so fast, it's just so lovely to go slow and enjoy these life changes.

xoxo

An Autumn Collection

I may go on about the weather a bit too much for a sewing blog, but it is MELBOURNE and we all know the song 'Four Seasons in One Day' stems from this beautiful place... lately though, I'm hearing our good friend Sydney has a bit of Crowded House poetry about it... and this old M-Town seems to be a little more consistent... you dress in layers, and you can expect to use them... but it's less topsy turvy than other autumns and winters.

The blue skies come by a few times a week, and as the temperatures drops... the city still looks pretty. Here's just a few snaps from the past few weeks from my path to work each day. By car, train and walking, there's always something bright to look at... a shape here and there or a splash of colour... The Napoleon exhibition at the NGV looks interesting too...

Talk soon!

SSS Days 22 & 23: Lost days

The trick with Self Stitched September is finding time to photograph my outfit when things get busy! With only two days left of September (where I'm not as busy - ha ha maybe I am) I thought I'd give you the round up of what I wore that was handmade; made by yours truly from the last week.

Thursday 22nd September:

More grown up things to do, so I dressed like a pirate (what else) and the self stitched part is my stretch knit skirt.

Friday 23rd:

Self stitched red dress and circle/loopy/cowl scarf I made to wear to Laneway earlier this year. It was a warm day and a total tease because then the weekend went sour.

And which leads me to the lost days of Self Stitched September:

Saturday 24th:

I wore a great LBD that you so can't see in this photo of me as a robot girl but I've worn it to DEATH! It's shrunk a few times in the wash, I've re-sewn the side seams a little and each time I wear it I think it's got to be the last. I'm wearing it here with my leopard print tights, as I worked at the Parklife Music Festival on Saturday, and my friends (The Yacht Club DJs) wanted me to wear this and dance on stage. Unfortunately I had to work :(.

Sunday 25th:

I wore this in the morning (my Sew Weekly outfit that I'll post more photos for you here) and a version of this in the afternoon:

It's my dyed bedsheet dress, and I think I had to wear leggings or tights as well because it started to get colder. And it was on Sunday that my iphone started going bad... the touchscreen isn't working as well, so my out and about busy liftstyle meant that I couldn't get good photos of me these next days.

Monday 26th:

I wore this red hearted IKEA fabric skirt, but paired with a black cardi, black top and the blue jacket with my Melissa flats. This skirt is so great and versatile, I've worn it twice this month now.

Tuesday 27th:

A version of this dress, but with a black cardi and my cowboy boots instead (also the second time this month I've worn this plaid number)... and yesterday:

Wednesday 28th:

The wrong shoes on a drippy wet day, but I wore my darling spring dress:

And yep, it so wasn't spring. Well, it was Melbourne spring as in four seasons in one day! YAY! (but a sarcastic yay)

So it's been a strange busy week, and with my phone behaving badly, a tough technology week too! I hope your last few days of SSS have been a little more successful than my past week! xoxo

Some handstitching - Oh joy of joys*

* some sarcasm there.

While I do some handstitching on my Sew Weekly Coco Chanel dress, I am reflecting on the stories I've heard on the radio over the past week, and how there are so many amazing people in the state of Queensland, Australia who are in extreme weather conditions this week.

In times like these, I discover I am not a visual person at all with breaking bad news. In that I listen by the radio, I hear stories and occasionally I read them in the newspaper. John Birmingham's piece today was particularly good, but that and other stories there in The Age made me gulp tears back and it wasn't even 9am.

I can't watch the telly. I can't when there are homes and buildings under waters all over the place, and people on top of cars one minute and the next they're gone.

Last week I donated money the day this Queensland Government website was printed in the paper, and now the situation is worse, I might have to donate more this week.

For those of you not in Australia, ABC News 24 has been broadcasting online without it's 'geo block' so you can check it out, if you know friends and family in Queensland or need to look at the footage. Unfortunately it's too much for me.

My Aunty and Uncle are cool, but blocked in with water, and my Mother in Law and Sister in Law are together and safe. I hope your friends and peeps are safe too.

xoxo

Friend Friday: Success!

Hi guys! Happy Friday! It's really hot here in Melbourne (AGAIN), so while I write you another Friend Friday post, I've got some HOT photos from around my town!

Here's the post from Katy at Modly Chic:

As I was reading through everyone's new years resolutions and where they want their blogs to be I got to thinking how easy it is to become discouraged by some of the very successful blogs out there, or the ones we perceive as successful. We compare ourselves and suddenly find that we are lacking. So this week we are going to be talking about that.


1. Have you ever looked at someone's blog and thought yours will never measure up?

Oh man, I look at a lot of blogs: crafty, fashion, food, flowers, writers, photography, illustration (and that's just the past week). I get inspired and I love heaps what I see, but I don't really care where my blog 'fits' into all this, so don't really ever consider that I 'measure' up. We're all different, in style, as people, as personalities: there's no way I feel less or more than any of you bloggers; you're all different, individual and amazing because of that.

 2. Do you (did you) feel pressure to meet some kind of undefined standard for fashion bloggers?

Nup, I choose my own standards. A couple years ago, I was like: I need to take better photos, I'm too lazy. So I practiced and took heaps of photos (and have a Husband who's a photographer/cinematographer/film colourist) and then got better with critique. But I thought I needed to get better for me, for myself. I like to set my own standards and challenges.

 3. Many established fashion bloggers are also extraordinary DIYers, bakers, and crafty people. Do you think you need to combine all of these things to be successful at blogging?

I can recall a conversation a while back, and I think it was on a fashion blog (and Outfit a Day type blog - sorry I can't remember which one!) about how there was a need to 'define' blogs, and especially to define what type of fashion blog you were (vintage, rockabilly, girly, or whatever else). I'm not really into calling myself a fashion blog or a craft blog (I did have 'crafty adventures' as my title initially as I knew I needed a focus to blog - it's a long boring story, but I was once an academic who wrote about hypertext theory, so blogging for me was very dry and formal... I needed a different angle) so to be many things online (bakers, crafty, DIY stuff) is just who I am in real life. I'm not just a girl who works in radio for a day job. I'm someone who loves radio, loves narrative and storytelling, loves making clothes, loves making foodz, loves decorating the house, etc etc etc. We are all different things. And we are all also successful, so I think the best success is to be true to you. (PLEASE DON'T READ THIS AS A SELF HELP BOOK, I'm starting to think we need to call the Buddhist or Taoist Police as I misquote philosophies all over the place!)

4. The most successful blogs are the ones that have their own personal voice - how are you developing your voice or how did you find yours?

Oh this is a GREAT question! Awesome! Now I'm kinda excited about the topic, and promise no more snarky self help stuff! I found my voice by having a goal to blog about the stuff I make. I was sewing for about 4 years before I started blogging, and everyone would always talk about my clothes to me at work and when I went out. So after googling some sewing techniques, I saw heaps of you guys were starting to blog about sewing too, or fashion and fun things... so finally I had a purpose to write about and through this, I found my voice.

You could probably sift through some of my earlier posts (and I've left them there because I can't believe how much I've evolved online! I did think to delete them, and I was like 'who cares if I was kinda fucky and dorky at the start?', it's kinda funny now! I have always been very self conscious about what I write online (because I studied writing online, and had my own philosophies and theories about what 'electronic writing' was and meant in the world)... but now because I had a purpose and a focus on talking about clothes, it just kinda evolved naturally. I'm comfortable now.

5. Toot your own horn... what's one thing you do that is unique to you and your blog? What gives your blog an edge?

TOOT! YAY! Ummmmmmm, these days I like my photos (because they've improved so much) but as for 'edge' ... maybe I'm a DIY fashion blogger who's focused on being sustainable and green conscious in the world. (I've just read a great blog post from Zoe over at 'So Zo', so quite inspired at the moment)

I don't know, and perhaps I don't really care. Is that bad? I'm really silly at these questions! Perhaps I'm offering a different angle on things (like these questions)? I don't mean to be arrogant (like, I don't care about anything), but I just think I'm not 'In it to win it'... I'm not here to have heaps of fun, and hang out with like minded people... if that's cool with you! Speaking of cool, I'm so not cool... it's still freaking hot (and it's 8.30pm!) and let me check the current temp... it's freaking still 31 degrees! ICK!

After just eating my salad for tea and listening to the AMAZINGLY voiced guy from The National (going to see them on Monday night!), I'm going to watch some Project Runway episodes and maybe even sew something! YAY!

Oh! Almost forgot the next hot dog photo, wearing matching scarves dipped in cool water:

Spring then Summer then Winter

It's a bit all over the place weather wise, and it makes it harder when I was kinda over my winter wardrobe so having to revisit it again and put stockings BACK on, is a bit annoying...

So today, I thought I'd reflect on those summer and springtime days of only 3 days ago, and show you my American Beauty (yes, I did have to google to check that film's name) photo:

And some more blossoms from the car park on Monday.

The good thing, I guess, is that when the weather turns like this, I'VE turned to my crochet blankies, and I've finished two baby ones, and have started another granny square one made up of little pieces of wool (Leftover Blankie!). AND, I've finished one of my giveaway items... I'll show you soon what it is before I put it in the post! Yay!

xoxo

Sunday: Busy Bee - SSS

Hey there!

It's been a great weekend here in my house! Well, mostly for me as poor darling Husbie had to work on his photographs and then go to work, and my sore back got heaps better thanks to a barley/lavender warm up pillow! They're really good!

Thanks for your lovely words for my sore back, I bet they helped too! After the funnest Grand Final Day ever (LOLZ) I hung out a bit in the sewing room

And the sun shone and all was well! I'm working on some of my giveaway items, and planning a BABY QUILT. I have never made a quilt before, but have heaps of cotton scraps, that I thought would be great for my babies (well, friends' babies)... I'll just have to figure out how to make them! This one on Mary Quilts's site looks kinda simple. Right? I have no idea how to stitch it together, or to do the loopy stitching on top... and do you actually need quilting stuff, or can I use old tshirts or thick fabrics (love recycling!)?

Anyways, I finished this for my friend:

Made the neckline a little scoopier, because it was a high neck tshirt... but the fabric was really soft and stretchy, so I tried to reinforce it with another collar, but didn't have any ribbed material so it's kinda floppy now. It's for a sports match, so I bet floppy and light is better anyways!

And here's my Self Stitched September outfit for today:

A dress I made last year for my friend's wedding and a new (old) headscarf from my fave vintage furniture shop in Yarraville. It's a Pincurl Sunday today. It was such lovely weather today, and officially the first day for me not wearing tights. WOW.

Hope you've had a nice weekend darling! xoxo

Sending some gush to you!

Jeepers, it's hot AGAIN today lovies, so I'm in the bedroom with all the curtains drawn, a tired out and hot Doggie Darling beside me and we're not going anywhere!

I tried to sleep before, but it's too hot and the workmen behind us are too NOISY. Gah!

So time for some peaceful blog perusing and some GUSH in this crush post to Kristina Sostarko over here (who's JUST started blogging under her own name, and putting her own name on things, so well done! I am not so brave!), but I was in a shopping mood last week (for my sister in law to be's birthday) and spotted a sale for special blog peeps on Kristina's blog. How freaking gorgeous is this print!??

 

Image by Kristina Sostarkos - Here

I just had to make it big so you can go 'OOO'. It's her first lot of prints on 100% recycled post consumer paper ... and it may have been those words and those pictures that had me hovering the mouse over her esty shop link and then I saw the 'blog special sale' and I clicked for sure! I have NO idea how Kristina works, she's a mystery to me, but she's really got great colours and lines and things going on and I LIKE IT! She sometimes laughs off her sewing skills, but my aim is to make something so inspiring to her that she dusts of her sewing machine one day and gives it a go! Sewing's easy right gals... right? Right?!!! (Not at the moment in my sewing room, hence my hanging out here)

Admittedly, I don't spend much time shopping online, and I'm really bad for remembering people's birthdays, so I have one print of Kristina's now for my SIL and one saved up for another good friend. I have to STOCK up!

Also admittedlym\, I don't spend much time shopping at all, today I was trying to describe how expensive mens' sneakers are to a work colleague, and I realised I hadn't been into said store for perhaps 2 years. We're very thrifty round these parts of my world, and especially since we're working on 'The Bigger Picture' we're saving like crazy. At the moment 'The Bigger Picture' is not a baby (I think some of you were wondering) it's something else and isn't confirmed yet either, so can't report on anything yet. EEK it's annoying!

Anyways, it's still hot! Where's the freaking cool change loves?

Yellow in the Rain

Here's Butterick 3526, with a bit of redesigning! I started this dress last Sunday, as a 'back up' dress to the Music Festival, because I was worried I'd be too hot in this dress, but it turned out fine. I used the bodice pieces, where you can see best in the black n white checked dress:

Those pattern pieces mean your bodice is right up under your boobs, and I wanted a gathered skirt, so I thought I'd also make a waistband to attach the gathered skirt and the bodice together (so that it didn't like a baby doll dress gone wrong) and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out:

 

It was a cotton table cloth before (at least I think it was, since all the edges were hemmed) and I folded it in half and used 20 inches of fabric for the skirt and I used the hem of the tablecloth so I didn't have to hem the skirt at the end.

I matched up the yellow stripe in the bodice and the waistband so that the brighter colours were at the front, and kinda matched the collar as best as the fabric left over allowed.

 

As the tablecloth material is kinda thick, and I didn't really have enough to do a proper collar (you know facing or lining or whatever it's called) I zig zagged the edges and then ironed them under and top stitched the edges. It doesn't have the weight now, and I'm considering ironing interfacing underneath, but we'll see if I get round to it. As I'm over facings in bodices, I used the bias binding technique again on the collar and the armholes, and with heaps of ironing they work fine.

As for the umbrella? It has rained NON STOP since Friday here at my house, and Husbie and I were laughing so much outside taking these phots! And the pin curls? Addicted! I keep forgetting to show you after shots of my hair!

So, it's another rainy day here and I think we'll get the house a little ship shaped and then I'll finish off a few other things. I guess this dress is kinda part of Amanda's Vintage Pattern Challenge, but I will do the full version of the dress too (maybe with sleeves?) AND I've got to show you the pink stripey dress finished too (hemming today).

Dusty Pink Top of Weigel 1941

Here's parts of what I put together yesterday, as I continue with Amanda's Vintage Pattern Challenge, where I make a vintage pattern up each week, as chosen by Amanda of Adelaide from her lovely collection. For you regular looker on-ers know, I need a challenge to keep me in the sewing room so I may as well review vintage patterns along the way!

The pattern is Weigel 1941 and as it's summer here I'm not doing any sleeves. Here's the front:

I remembered to interface the top collar, but forgot to do the yokes (bottom collar bit) but that's ok I guess. As the front bits are layered, I'm hoping there's enough stiffness going on.

The pattern is going well really, no hiccups that I can see. I love all the darts in the front bodice bits, they are always quite flattering for my figure. It has a side zipper, so my next step is to sew the sides together, but not all the way down on one side, do the bias binding on the sleeves and then it'll be time to attach the skirt I imagine.

Here's the back collar, and it was really windy this morning when I took these pics, so I didn't get a photo of it looking smooth. I may have to iron all over again, looking at this photograph now, as the collar looks puckered a bit.

Everyone is on lockdown in my house today, it's predicted to be very very hot, and we did all our shopping and doggie stuff early so we can just be in the house and stay cool. I'm going to try out the sewing room now, as I've read the ENTIRE paper and had a good brunch, so hopefully it's not too hot in there with the iron on!