Made Another Dress

I had been wanting to make another dress for a while, and there was really no excuse, because I had the material, but life gets in the way. Finally, probably in an effort to procrastinate doing any paperwork for actual work, I got out the material one night and cut the dress.

This material came from one of my parents travels, like the three previous dresses (one unblogged, the other two here and here). It's a Batik. I still don't know what that means. Same pattern as my original sushi dress, but I just pleated the skirt, rather than have to measure and cut an A-line. I wasn't sure I loved the two big box pleats that I ended up with, but they are growing on me.

I literally cut and sewed this dress in less than a week, and finished it the night before we left for a Bundaberg weekend in May (so I could wear it there). The neck and arm holes are bound with some self made bias tape. I used some fabric mum had given me that was left over from one of her own projects.

It's taken me a while to post, because though Steve too photos of me in it in Bundaberg that first time I wore it, I was pretty unhappy with the photos. The wind was manic that day, so my hair was crazier than usual, and I'd not bothered to put on any make up (which is standard for me), but I looked so washed out. Blah.

I did wear it again at our Extension Warming Party and made the effort of putting make up on, but promptly forgot to take close up photos in it. Gah! So you still get to see the washed out, crazy hair photo of me in this new dress, because six weeks on, I still don't have a good photo.

Still Got This

I make so many lunches now it's all a blur. But every now and then I make one that makes me think: Heck Yeah!

These are those Bento.

 

Reading Again

I have just finished my most recent set of books that I got out of the library and I'm already languishing. Reading is so lovely. I can't quite describe it actually, but it's just wonderful to be lost in a world for a moment, get to the end and feel as though you've accomplished something; like you've been on a journey too. Well, it is for me anyway.

I know I might not get to the library this week, so I thought I may as well publish this most recent slew of books now, rather than have it wait until next month. This last six weeks has been the most productive reading time I've had recently, I didn't realize it until I was counting up the books at the end of May and saw I'd read twelve in just over a month. This is a lot of books.

Book of Secrets by Cynthia Voigt
Book of Kings by Cynthia Voigt
Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
The Marvelous Magic of Miss Mable by Natasha Lowe
Gap Year in Ghost Town by Michael Pryor
A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Goth Girl and the Fate Worse than Death by Chris Riddle
The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Phillip Pullman
The Last Duchess by Laura Powell
Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddle
Secret Guardians (Rouges Book 2) by Lian Tanner
The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I just want to give a few notes now for people's reference as well as my own future memory jogging.

The two Cynthia Voigt books are the next two in the Mr Max series that I started in 2018. It was absolute joy to see them both on the shelf together at the library and know I could finish what I had started. They were excellent.

Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix was absolutely amazing. I can not rave enough about this book. I read it twice in less than a week. Does that count as an extra book? I don't know, but I know I could certainly have read it a third time and still loved it. It is a period drama meets with magic and a detective story. Fantastic. Hands down winner. Even now, I want to read it again.

Gap Year in Ghost Town is by an Australia author who I have never read before, but apparently usually writes the kind of books I love, and Gap Year in Ghost Town is away from his norm. I did like it, especially being set in Melbourne, it was really interesting to read a book that referenced locations I knew or had been too.

Based on Rumpelstiltskin, A Curse as Dark as Gold was a little long, but good. Although I had no idea the original fairy tale is apparently anti semitic? Who knew!

The two Goth Girl books were hilarious to read because they had so many references for grown ups. For example, Ada Goth has six nannies who leave in quick succession, including Hebe Poppins, who walks like a penguin, spontaneously bursts into song and ends up running away with the chimney sweep, and after that comes Nanny Darling, who is a sheepdog. I am looking forward to when the girls can read them, because they are very similar to the Ottoline books, which they already love, but with a bit more dark humor.

Secret Guardians (Rouges Book 2) by Lian Tanner. All I have to say is it's better to know that you are reading book two before you start than finding out half way and then being too far in to stop. I would like to read book one. And also book three.

The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend I have seen everywhere before, and it was really glorious. A little Harry Potter, but also unique.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Fabulous, really enjoyable. I hear there is book two, which I would also like to read. Neil Gaiman, you continue to be my favorite Doctor Who writer, and I am increasingly wishing I had more of your books in my collection.

And that's all from me. Go read some books people. I should probably do some paperwork. Or sewing. But hopefully also more reading soon.

Easter Garland... Bunting?

This is such a belated post, but I felt like I should still post it. I like to have things organised like that. 

I sewed some Easter egg bunting way back at Easter time. I was inspired by a tutorial I saw at Olivia Jane Handcrafted, and also a visit to a friends house, who had Easter decoration simply everywhere. I was excited about Easter, but there was nothing in our house to show it. 

And of course, I had lots of scrap fabric I knew I could use up to make this garland/bunting, and using up scraps is always a worthy cause right? Do garlands count as bunting I wonder? What is the difference? 

 
Anyway, lots of sewing and cutting 30 eggs later, I've got a string of eggs that can be used every Easter. Here is the one photo I have of it hanging above the bay window. Photos do not do it justice.