Making a Wreath

Don't die, but here is something that I got creative with that does not involve a sewing machine. Making a wreath. 

A friend of mine who lives on the street recently had a go at making one of these and offered to show the rest of us how to do it. We started the morning off by going to the local creek and pulling invasive weed vines off the trees to harvest for our wreaths. So environmentally friendly! I did pull vines too, though not as successfully as Darryl, pictured below.

After we had an enormous amount, we went back home to strip the leaves and start winding the vines into a wreath. We tied them off and added the dream catcher bit in the middle. I had enough vines to make two wreaths, and I decided to leave the dream catcher bit off one of them. I think in hindsight it helps keep the shape of the wreath, but it's not essential. 

After that you add moss and stuff in your succulents. What I loved most about this, was sitting around chatting with my street family while we did it. Our kids would come in and out, there were snack breaks and sharing. I'm so thankful for this place I live, and the people I get to spend time with who give me another perspective and enrich my life. 

Now to keep them alive....

Paver Painting

Continuing with the legacy I'm leaving at the girls primary school, here are some more things I've painted! 

These pavers are going into a garden area that we are replanting this year. Last year we fundraised and re-edged the whole garden. Step one complete it was time to rip out all the old plants, put some new dirt and fertilizer in and plant it out with lovely new plants. 

Part of the strategy to keep the kids off the plants when they run through the garden was to give them stepping stones to run on instead. And why have boring plain stepping stones when you can have beautifully painted ones? We asked each class to choose an animal, and then I sketched and painted them on. 

And I'll tell you what, I'm pretty gosh darn pleased with how it turned out. 

The last two pavers with the bees were for the working bee days (see what I did there?). All the kids that came on those two working bee days were invited to have their hand prints added to make flowers for the bees. 

So proud of how it looks! 

Sophie's Kimono

There is something wonderful about hand sewing. It takes time, is peaceful and is very portable. I did most of sewing Sophie's kimono at church on Sundays over about four weeks. It was really great to keep my hands busy and my mind focused on what our minster was teaching (mostly how David is an example of the kind of anointed king that we need in Jesus from 2 Samuel, if you are interested). 

Everything I needed fit into one bag, and as the weeks got colder, the kimono kept my legs warm while I sewed. So that's another one done.

The collar for this one was the trickiest thing ever. I'm not sure why, but maybe I need to actually document the process each time, rather than having to remember and reference my original work. Can't say I think there is much need for a fully documented process though, given that I don't think there is much need for hand sewn kimono in general, especially in Australia, but maybe I'm supposed to change that? 

In any case, this is done. 

I had to wash the fabric for Sophie's because there was some light marking on the initial bit of the bolt. It came out, but I noticed a sizeable shrink and had to go back and wash the other 11 metres of fabric as well so it would all shrink down to the same size. Then I ironed the life out of it, and I hope now that it will be fine forever. I'm a little worried for Rachel's, since it was the same kind of wool but I didn't wash it to start with. Hopefully she'll never wear it in the rain and it won't be a problem.

Cute kimono Sophie. So cute. 

I did actually try it on before I took in the sleeves to fit Sophie, but getting photos is super hard, and I wasn't thrilled with any of them, except this one of Rachel and I. 

She's so tall because she was standing on the big stool trying to take photos for me. Too bad none of them turned out. You can, however, see Rachel's kimono here. Or find out more about sewing kimono and yukata in general by clicking the tags at the bottom. Have fun!

Nana Flat: This bit is Complete

It seems unbelievable to type this, but the Steve's mum has been living under us in her newly built Nana Flat for three weeks now! We moved her in on a Friday night (one trip with the moving truck from John's place to here (good work boys!)), just before the builders wrapped up, thankfully avoiding moving on a very rainy weekend. 

As you stand on the patio, you can see the kitchen/dining straight ahead. There are curtains up now (for obvious reasons), but I love how open and bright that space has the potential to be. 

I took these photos just before the truck with all the stuff arrived, so it's not perfectly complete (cupboard doors aren't on, oven's not in), but you can get the idea about what it looks like. Here's the kitchen. 

And when you turn and look back out, you can see the patio. Beyond that, when I took these photos, it was all mud. We have since laid some turf, but I'll save that picture for our next update. 

It was a bit surreal after so long waiting for it to be done (and living through all the delays!) but such a relief and excitement when it was finished. The next photo is taken from the dining room corner of the kitchen. The bathroom is behind that kitchen wall, the doorway in front is the bedroom, and around the half wall to the right is the living room. 

You can see the living room on the left in the photo below, and then the dining/kitchen around to the right. 

Lastly, this is the very big bathroom, which also doubles as the laundry, though the washing machine isn't there yet. 

Maria has settled in, and so I won't be sharing any more inside photos of her place now. She has really made it her place, and we are happy that she is comfortable there and it's great to see her making it her own. 

The general renovations have continued a bit longer, finishing up things inside the Nana Flat and outside around the house, so we have a little ways to go yet, but it's great to know that this bit is now complete. 

Me Made May Wrap Up

 Well, after a rocky start, my Me Made May for 2022 finishes with these two items. 

Both skirts that I made last year. The purple one was on it's maiden voyage, since it's a little short to wear without stockings. The green has been out for a spin or two. Looking at these two photos, and previous Me Made May photos (which were so hard to remember to take), I think I've also learned that I love this jacket to bits. 

It was a hand me down from my sister initially. I didn't wear it for years because the sleeves were a bit baggy and I never really like long sleeves anyway. Then I rolled up the sleeves and found I loved it so much more. The pockets are fabulous and even though it's lost a button, I'm still rocking it. Maybe this is the jacket to replicate for next year, so I've got more than one. I've had this one for at least 12 years now. 

Anyway, I came to the conclusion at the end of Me Made May that I do love wearing clothes that I've made and that next year, I need a very specific goal, rather than fumble around at the start and not know what I'm doing. 

I also listened to a podcast from the creator of Me Made May, Zoe, who blogs at So-Zo, What do You Know?. Maybe this was something I should have done at the start of Me Made May, but it really helped clarify something about the challenge. 

It's a wardrobe challenge. 

In it's essence it's about improving your relationship with your wardrobe. Specifically the self-made section of your wardrobe, but in general, the clothes you wear. I've never been one to really care about what I'm wearing; my sisters will be the first to attest to how blasé I am about fashion and shopping. But recently, I've really started enjoying my own style and what I'm wearing. And I'm loving making my own things. 

I think part of what makes me not care about clothes is the years of trying things on in shops to find they don't actually fit properly, but being totally unable to find something that does fit perfectly leads to having to buy the sub-par outfit anyway. It's exhausting and depressing for someone with no shopping stamina or drive to continue looking so they come out of the fashion battle with a win. 

Something I came across as I stumbled around in the sewing corner of the internet, was the idea that size is just a number, and that our bodies are all different and weird. It is actually ludicrous to think that I could pull something off the rack at a store and think it will fit me perfectly. That item has been made for a particular set of measurements, which may or may not match any one or all of mine. So empowering is sewing your own clothes, because it is no longer your body that needs to change to fit the clothes, but rather, the clothes need to change to fit your body. 

I don't think I've ever had a wardrobe that I have put so much choice into than I do at the present time. I don't like shopping, so I never go looking for new clothes, and I am pretty frugal, so I don't like spending money either. I've been (very thankfully!) outfitted by hand me downs from both of my sisters for a large portion of my life, and also from my mum, supplementing my wardrobe when she found something for a bargain that she thought I'd wear. 

Now, my wardrobe (as demonstrated by this latest round of Me Made May), actually consists of items of clothes that I've chosen. Clothes that I've made, or adjusted to fit. That I'm comfortable in and excited to wear. It is amazing to me that I realise this, and I have Me Made May to thank for it. 2022 really did improve my relationship with my wardrobe, even if I did stumble and fall at the start there. 

I don't know if I want to achieve a completely self made wardrobe. Sewing jeans is not high on my list by any means, but having clothes that I have made, that fit and that make me happy to wear, that is something I do want to continue with. I also kind of wonder if Me Made March might be better for me, because it's not as cold, so it would be way easier to wear my self-made clothes. But then again, maybe it's time to make a jacket or two?