This Week was Canceled

I dodged 'sick bullets' all of last Winter

but not this one

the week before Winter is officially here

and I've been on the couch for most it
in my PJ's & Ugg Boots 
not far from cups of lemony & garlic honey drinks, tissues, the remote & hand stitching 

usually I can soldier on through & tackle workshops

not this time

for the first time in my workshop conducting history I cancelled 3 whole days

which made me feel sicker

everyone was understanding 

which made me feel better

knowing the fall-out from my decision will mean juggling schedules & refunding monies

made me feel sicker

so I swallowed more drugs & headed to the doctors

where he told me it was a virus and I should keep doing what I'm doing

which made me feel better

it's also made me think
 on-line workshops make a lot of sense. 

Best Friends Sew Together

I am beyond privileged to be doing what I do

I know this to be a fact

not only do I get to share the creative stuff bouncing round in my head

I get to do it here at the Studio

in my beautiful garden

and I get to do it with the most gorgeous people on the planet

just like best friends 

[since they were 13yrs old] 

Reggie and Sue

Journal Covers completed during the Basics & Beyond Workshop.

and I get to do it again next week
*
*
*
and the one after that
*
*
*
and the one after that....


forever.

The End

Wrapping up for Winter :: A Quick REinvent

Winter Wraps are wonderful

with a 1m x 1.5m piece of knit or woven fabric

cut circles where you want your armholes to be

try on

manipulate any excess fabric out of the way

and 

voila...

Bron wearing her Wrap with Tie Brooch

 

Elli wearing her second Wrap created from needle felted fabric

 

Sues Wrap created from Op Shop sourced velvet.

and if you love your first Wrap 
as much as Sue & Elli did theirs
you'll be busting to start the next one!

Treasure Rescue :: Op Shopping on a Monday

Monday 

around 10:30ish 

seems to be the best time to do a spot of Op Shop rescuing around these parts.

Fabric & buttons & bowls are always welcome finds

 as are plain cardys 
in my favourite colours

  

even if the pink one doesn't fit now

it will after a litte tweaking.

The watermelon red wool cropped pea coat 

will fit like a glove once I remove the sleeve lining 

and the leather skirt 

I wont wear 
however I know someone who might

and if not 

the soft, supple & flawless leather will become my new shoulder bag.

I thought I was doing well
until I walked into the last oppie on my way home
and you know how sometimes treasure takes your breathe away

when I spied the trim on this hand make silk chinese style Jacket 
I couldn't get it under my arm fast enough

and I've plans 

for the jacket 

and the trim.

Maybe a REinventing Exhibition

I felt an immediate connection with Loes Veenstra

not because I'm knitting 58yrs worth of Jumpers

it's because I've already sewn 20yrs worth of REinventions

and

like Loes

I've pretty much still got everyone of them

Since 1955, Loes Veenstra has knitted over 550 sweaters and stored them in her home on the 2nd Carnissestraat in Rotterdam. The sweaters have never been worn. Until today.
Loes and the fruit of her decades of knitting were 'discovered' by Museum Rotterdam. The museum has put her sweaters on display as part of the exhibition ´Over leven in Carnisse´ (Life in Carnisse), on show until January 18, 2013 in Gemaal op Zuid (Pretorialaan 141, Rotterdam).

these days I struggle with parting with anything I create

and without seeking professional help I've concluded

that for me it's not about the outcome

it's all about the journey 

[at the moment]

and maybe 

I'll look forward to the day there's

a REinventing exhibition 

in a Musuem

with a flash mob of

past, present & future workshop participants 
wearing their creations & mine

whilst dancing in the streets.....

sitting on a throne kinda appeals too.

Love Gingham.

My love of Gingham began with a frock

I was 8yrs old

I wore that frock til the seams started to give

then the trauma of having to make an apron during home ec classes put me off wearing Gingham ever again

to this day though Gingham makes me smile 
and remember fondly
sneaking the fave frock out of the house so I could have my school photo taken in it
[sorry Mum]

Thanks Sue for sending this video through
- it's as much fun as the fabric is. 

Frippery, Frocks & Stripey Socks

Lucky me
I've been able to wear my favourites more often lately 

and never more so than today

Frippery

Linen Frock

Stripey Socks

Vintage crochet cardy

Boots

With back to back workshops for the entire day
I'm keen to stay comfortable
hence the 'loose look'
and

I decided a while ago that I'm in love with red & pink

however not sure if stripey socks are appropriate at my age...

of course they are!

Workshops

I've just updated the workshops on the Website

soooo

if you're in town and you're quick 

you could still join us for Term 2

and if not

there's always Term 3 & 4.

What I Wore

I'm in my element

savouring every Autumn moment

loving that Winter's just round the corner

wearing Jumper Wraps & Frippery 

boots & long stripey socks

with skirts & frocks

...living in one of the hottest/driest places on the planet
the cooler temps will be over too soon
so I'm making the most of it
and you might see more slightly out of focus shots of me doing just that.

Tie Collar & Bibs

Come see what the girls created during the first ever one day

Tie Collar & Bib Workshop

They were a group meeting for the first time

and as always were best friends in the first 5mins.

l-r Sue, Charlotte, Alex & Rennae

As with any workshop I haven't conducted before

I can only run scenarios through in my head

and hope that my instincts don't let me down 

and that everyone achieves their desired outcome....

happy to report my instincts are pretty sharp.

Charlottes Collar 

was created by combining a mens tie with a frock collar, belt & pearl buttons

and this one 

from a mens cravat & tie 

with some impromptu tea dyed lace embellishing.

Rennae had fun creating her Collars with her hubbys donated ties and a couple of mine

Sues fancy Bib was created by combining a mens tie with favourite fabrics, doilies & collected buttons

and a cheeky addition right at the end.

Alex is back 

and worked on her Jigsaw Jacket 

when she wasn't taking photos of us all

 Sue brought along her Nuturing & Wellness Cakes to share

and told the story of how everytime she made & shared these cakes

a dear friend who was on the brink of death seemed to

reach another milestone on her road to recovery. 

they were beyond delicious

and knowing the story you can't help but feel nutured when eating them

and I will post the recipe once I've time

because as I type I should be packing 

for another trip south. 

Rebs latest REinvent

Rebeccas latest REinvent

had nothing to do with me

and everything to do with 

her being a creative genius

what Reb lacks in cooking skills

she well and truly makes up for with her 

ability to REinvent & paint

and as always

after a recent visit to Ross & Rebeccas ranch

I'm left feeling refreshed and reinspired

ready to tackle Term 2.

Winter Woollies & Wellies

more treasure rescues

in time for winter

woollies for Wraps

and steel cap New Zealand made fit-like-a-glove Wellies 

for visits to friends farm

and if I'm totally honest
my first thought on finding them was
they're a sign
that
the renovations
or more specifically 
the polished concrete floor I lust after
is more likely to happen
now I have kick arse gumboots

not that I plan on doing any concreting myself
that's just how desperate I am for this reno to happen. 

What Op Shops Used to Look LIke

I know I'm old

if I haven't looked in a mirror for a while 

then I'll say or do something and my children will be quick to remind me 

and I remember things

like when there was no canal development down the road
when Harry lived next door
when my children weren't taller than me

and when Op Shops didn't look like department stores

Second hand recycling boutique retro stores & vintage markets
seem to have replaced the Op Shops of olde

however
there is a shop which reminds me of 
what op shops used to look & feel like
and when visiting friends in the south west
a visit to the 'shop at Witchy' is a must.

Described on their fb page as
'a collectors paradise'
it might be
however for me
it's a refreshing reminder of what Op Shops used to be like

where I can rummage & fossick




and so can hubby

where old books aren't locked behind glass



where some of the sorting has been done for you 




 and the displays are interesting & enticing



with prices to match.

Unlike some most of my Oppie trips these days 

I rarely walk out of the place without some treasure

and always with a sense of having been treated fairly.

I would like to add 

that I have no affiliation with The Flying the Wardrobe 

and I have no interest in turning back time

however it would be nice if more places dealing in second hand tatt

were as unpretentious as these guys.