tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165393452024-03-18T13:04:54.747+10:00Making it up as I goThoughts on faith, life and a fair amount of sewing. Soli Deo Gloria. Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.comBlogger867125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-73204173794022270672024-03-13T10:22:00.001+10:002024-03-13T10:22:17.551+10:00Bean Bags<p>Teaching Japanese this year, I wanted to promote this relatively new subject with an all grades cultural festival day. I had been planning it for term two, but the deputy organised for a group of Japanese students to visit the school in the last week of term one and asked me to move it forward. </p><p>So I did. With Japanese students here, it made sense to make it a mixed Australian and Japanese cultural day. This worked well, because it meant that for a first time event, teachers weren't being asked to do completely new things all day, but a mix of things they were familiar with and other new things. </p><p>Anyway, one of the activities I have planned is a Japanese game called たまいれ (<i>tamaire</i>) which translates as "ball in". It's a game where you have a basket on a pole and then the kids throw bean bags in. The team with the most bean bags (or the team that does it in the shortest amount of time) is the winner. You need roughly 100 bean bags per team, so I asked the sports teacher how many we had. </p><p>She said we had about 25 without holes in them, so I asked if we could order more. I was relieved that she ordered them early, because I'm an organised person and it makes sense to me to have everything ready to go three weeks in advance. I was less relieved when she told me she'd ordered 50. This was a fair bit short of the minimum of 100 I had said we needed, but unfortunately those 50 bean bags had cost $400, so there was no way to order more and still have any money left for the rest of the year. </p><p>What is one to do, but solve the problem with sewing. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBWXxYWn7ok4SzAdIJl_TEFfEw7BSVZ67FQc0cjUZmFaSkXQ3vk-1VFYiTLaB3PlYsoS7QGZ-tqfivRlKdjJcLyyqS43i3Thblt65bcaHRrnHE10NapDOlecSmWjwmQqqgobtGKdUvS4GIQ1nLXWDOk8xSGjNKRECmF09-UkneheDnvpf-_4ITQ/s4032/PXL_20240301_020104785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBWXxYWn7ok4SzAdIJl_TEFfEw7BSVZ67FQc0cjUZmFaSkXQ3vk-1VFYiTLaB3PlYsoS7QGZ-tqfivRlKdjJcLyyqS43i3Thblt65bcaHRrnHE10NapDOlecSmWjwmQqqgobtGKdUvS4GIQ1nLXWDOk8xSGjNKRECmF09-UkneheDnvpf-_4ITQ/s320/PXL_20240301_020104785.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I looked through the material I had in my stash for something sturdy enough to become bean bags and found two of the blue stripe curtains that I'd made when we first moved into the house. You can read about them <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/search/label/Curtains">here</a> if you are really interested. These were not in use anymore, so I figured they would make great bean bags. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujQgQL3j_mGD6dbxT0cF3A93mrJEvbxlCx3leeWAiRCBB4Q7KVq8hKRQXq9XEC1ixmx0PPUU-gx0atlWiQ2NKLoEfp9TKSPwfrCx6b5xTL5fUdXAFlgIyHB3TmbY4So8BmY2c9Qjiq_uaEhqjcAAYf-BXnDXtuCO8Y_WUVUGVXvek8aj-0ky2lw/s4032/PXL_20240301_011901612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujQgQL3j_mGD6dbxT0cF3A93mrJEvbxlCx3leeWAiRCBB4Q7KVq8hKRQXq9XEC1ixmx0PPUU-gx0atlWiQ2NKLoEfp9TKSPwfrCx6b5xTL5fUdXAFlgIyHB3TmbY4So8BmY2c9Qjiq_uaEhqjcAAYf-BXnDXtuCO8Y_WUVUGVXvek8aj-0ky2lw/s320/PXL_20240301_011901612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Cutting them out was incredibly satisfying, because I could snip and rip. I watched/listened to the Emma miniseries while I did it and ended up with 240 squares of fabric to make into 120 bean bags. It took somewhat less time than I anticipated to actually sew the bean bags, and I did bother to snip the corners to make turning them out easier. </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecJFzx947aa9q_Y-AEWcCG4H5uVjAoBvyRsR0S6FhqKIc1U6T7VJTPeQR0xDWq2YlMCGZtLKO91wsqtICUsSZohDCGPnCq5WOc1ZUcJU45xjb3E-eAX6hmId6Yn8yDFyzNRAy2j_ibOzlYyPw90-EQhNBee5nIMTYx31e9pcJ-kV8DwDMqdTBng/s4032/PXL_20240302_020414441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecJFzx947aa9q_Y-AEWcCG4H5uVjAoBvyRsR0S6FhqKIc1U6T7VJTPeQR0xDWq2YlMCGZtLKO91wsqtICUsSZohDCGPnCq5WOc1ZUcJU45xjb3E-eAX6hmId6Yn8yDFyzNRAy2j_ibOzlYyPw90-EQhNBee5nIMTYx31e9pcJ-kV8DwDMqdTBng/s320/PXL_20240302_020414441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Both girls helped me to turn the bean bags, and I did a huge chunk of them in church listening to the sermon one Sunday morning. Then I came home and filled each one with 80grams of rice which happened to be on special at Coles that week, making it the most cost effective thing to fill them with. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxml_FKM_7C9At2wSguYzMFSYR3yNrMXMUP2Xl8I2rV3W491CsEAahoiQyoeKDjToxQRS3iPKXiuP6PH2acUIyEWI727t6AsFVUpWafiJZODLAiuQexb2kTRm3Kxo_44yqvtscvb3hrL5Z_U-veKwbptSEDVd0wU6eQPYTCfedSKyPRR3JOsurQ/s4032/PXL_20240303_054327581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxml_FKM_7C9At2wSguYzMFSYR3yNrMXMUP2Xl8I2rV3W491CsEAahoiQyoeKDjToxQRS3iPKXiuP6PH2acUIyEWI727t6AsFVUpWafiJZODLAiuQexb2kTRm3Kxo_44yqvtscvb3hrL5Z_U-veKwbptSEDVd0wU6eQPYTCfedSKyPRR3JOsurQ/s320/PXL_20240303_054327581.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Ten hours of work and $20 in materials (only the rice, since the material was recycled), and I'd estimate that these would have cost $300, which is considerably cheeper than the 50 we ordered for school. Mine are also environmentally friendly, since both the cotton fabric and rice inside will compost when we are done with them. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJzuhKO-ELPVBpjgaaQI59HFUlmHJPAaObxjQQemVyUUDs6Z7Y5T98i99B_mGT1dBbkmmDJqX0x-5s5gvcElrPHY7B7yU-bL1i2tDSwcXdVzHa2nML3Kvegqll-h-hXp9N7bX5yLoDq9VBIC-r1VKTausvh-wISfwqbrJlNXazBHve4yamBiQ9Q/s4032/PXL_20240306_001416152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJzuhKO-ELPVBpjgaaQI59HFUlmHJPAaObxjQQemVyUUDs6Z7Y5T98i99B_mGT1dBbkmmDJqX0x-5s5gvcElrPHY7B7yU-bL1i2tDSwcXdVzHa2nML3Kvegqll-h-hXp9N7bX5yLoDq9VBIC-r1VKTausvh-wISfwqbrJlNXazBHve4yamBiQ9Q/s320/PXL_20240306_001416152.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Not a bad effort for one weekend and now, I can rest easy knowing the bean bag toss station on the cultural festival day has more than enough bean bags to function as it should. </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-20148021635071924562024-02-16T15:11:00.001+10:002024-02-16T15:11:00.138+10:00Garden Bed<p>This post is nearly six months old at this point, but why wait when you can catch up now? When we planted the front gardens, we just had two trees in the front right in the lawn. You can see them pre-fence <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/09/normality-restored-planting-things.html">here</a>. Unfortunately we discovered that having two trees sitting in the lawn (albeit in their neat cubes of garden mulch) were annoying to mow around right next to the fence.</p><p>Steve and I kicked around the idea of a garden bed along the front, with the two trees from the sides encased in it. I think we had been talking about it back and forth for at least four months, when suddenly we were kicked into gear last October and decided to build the garden bed out. We had some leftover hard wood fence palings that we figured we would repurpose into garden bed edging. </p><p>Thinking to kill two birds with one stone, we ordered some top soil for the nature strip out the front, thinking that when we dug up the Sir Walter grass to make way for the garden bed, we would be able to replant it out on the nature strip. The whole nature strip was so weedy post-renovation and not at all level, so having a good amount of top soil would help things immensely. Unfortunately, the dirt arrived a whole week ahead of schedule, so we had to do a bit of a rush job with the grass transfer. The girls loved playing in the dirt pile though. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXhN87b3gm2W7cOFiSP5L0FKcA7NcvY9855WqFXkr5x4KVFLW0Tw7IPZ46bjDuKcfD0ToKRtj17S7b-g1rw_5koF7qb2vs56c2nIlg8SdbMlbI66R1vQl-bNVYZAZjwdNCvPZ7NWtW67p8jZ9vvCrAxEXD4ZFjHZ_7O078CyCB4ki7v0OfKZBCw/s4032/PXL_20230916_045011216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXhN87b3gm2W7cOFiSP5L0FKcA7NcvY9855WqFXkr5x4KVFLW0Tw7IPZ46bjDuKcfD0ToKRtj17S7b-g1rw_5koF7qb2vs56c2nIlg8SdbMlbI66R1vQl-bNVYZAZjwdNCvPZ7NWtW67p8jZ9vvCrAxEXD4ZFjHZ_7O078CyCB4ki7v0OfKZBCw/s320/PXL_20230916_045011216.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Anyway, we did manage to get the new garden bed boxed in and ready for some plants. We want to keep it pretty simple out there, but it is prime real estate for growing things, so I have been getting a little carried away. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVP_HWpHBqivT4BsuiMKUqwpcg4HBL97JM8z0NfjpFDkEnM85I8wyL3QaDf5XtInK8ml1QMg4k2bf4vlbyvqLE2fHa5cWPonRkKdCamypPwrN1HghlWFAN1cYReS_TNld8vliqw3LomMgnpRW1Joqz4qrBvQs_8pNX8kAZGMfMfcRA7ah3WMBvPA/s4032/PXL_20231006_031439856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVP_HWpHBqivT4BsuiMKUqwpcg4HBL97JM8z0NfjpFDkEnM85I8wyL3QaDf5XtInK8ml1QMg4k2bf4vlbyvqLE2fHa5cWPonRkKdCamypPwrN1HghlWFAN1cYReS_TNld8vliqw3LomMgnpRW1Joqz4qrBvQs_8pNX8kAZGMfMfcRA7ah3WMBvPA/s320/PXL_20231006_031439856.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Initially I just planted flowers and ground cover (herbs and pig face), but I got a stack of free seeds from school and decided Rachel needed a job one afternoon. It was a very hot October when we planted them, and I honestly thought nothing would grow (way past the recommended planting time), but suddenly we had spinach, beans, chilli and coriander growing in full force. I was so surprised at the coriander, since I've never been able to grow it from seed before. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqoZEDeDbtc7ypS4mYM0dAMRtBr-avq5W5RWQtH91MqDQKs2ZSOclCsWzo29LjR_ca2zWeuWQf4fmlSR2ZNs9MFcX3-QAsXQZXhQVP8wuBRVjw8-zgSMxhQ4vTG3B7wsC5WKGTqqFxGJEg1VFZLXc0NJDF4zPIMkdwwyQLQeIgOVqUhoDWo-pSQ/s4032/PXL_20231209_230358891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqoZEDeDbtc7ypS4mYM0dAMRtBr-avq5W5RWQtH91MqDQKs2ZSOclCsWzo29LjR_ca2zWeuWQf4fmlSR2ZNs9MFcX3-QAsXQZXhQVP8wuBRVjw8-zgSMxhQ4vTG3B7wsC5WKGTqqFxGJEg1VFZLXc0NJDF4zPIMkdwwyQLQeIgOVqUhoDWo-pSQ/s320/PXL_20231209_230358891.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>We also had a stack of tomato plants pop up from the compost (as well as pumpkins, but I've pulled them out since it's really not the place for them), and a random cucumber plant. It's been a very fruitful garden all up. Always so wonderful to eat your own salad at the end of the day. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-53622838611367129392024-02-14T20:08:00.001+10:002024-02-14T20:08:00.333+10:00Bright Orange Jumpsuit<p>Otherwise entitled one of the most re-purpose-able custom-made costumes I've ever made. Let me explain. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvyedfbtdvNxCRE01ofhAiWAt8LE-oYrzjzjKBVYdkAhzgZbmGBUkaNzDL9F52H9UchpTud67M72rTHV-chO_IpZRim5x0j0ffXUZ8lqi1G5mdexezpLjqhSY_jJj-mJTGPIg0MGVF0lPmY-nhz9yr75-kd60gMWcsqvyVm_8jRIrMhwi64vibA/s4032/PXL_20231216_070819962.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvyedfbtdvNxCRE01ofhAiWAt8LE-oYrzjzjKBVYdkAhzgZbmGBUkaNzDL9F52H9UchpTud67M72rTHV-chO_IpZRim5x0j0ffXUZ8lqi1G5mdexezpLjqhSY_jJj-mJTGPIg0MGVF0lPmY-nhz9yr75-kd60gMWcsqvyVm_8jRIrMhwi64vibA/s320/PXL_20231216_070819962.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>The saga of making costumes for Steve's work Christmas party of 2023 continues here with the final instalment; my costume. I was going as Chell from Portal. Her <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/chell-reference-sheet-both-portal-and-portal-2--359373245237961011/">costume</a> over the two games (Portal and Portal 2) does not change much and is essentially an orange jumpsuit. I had already made her <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2024/02/companion-cube.html">Companion Cube</a> (since that was way easier to sew than a Portal Gun). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Qn8HBNzRv9nzlNqzCFMFUqWEsOY4-xOz2zRbqmvjUE6PtcS61lwfew0bpUL0Kfhrm0iL5JmvVxA3xVpbE0GIqtXjzJTD6rO6of4Xdu4HRirlbLKj8yCB9XBZMt_wnW5zGXw5I49TqNQaVPBFJRpaVV6zxZ7GLEkV-k79Ri63e7VwJzeuXOoFLw/s385/Chell.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="191" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Qn8HBNzRv9nzlNqzCFMFUqWEsOY4-xOz2zRbqmvjUE6PtcS61lwfew0bpUL0Kfhrm0iL5JmvVxA3xVpbE0GIqtXjzJTD6rO6of4Xdu4HRirlbLKj8yCB9XBZMt_wnW5zGXw5I49TqNQaVPBFJRpaVV6zxZ7GLEkV-k79Ri63e7VwJzeuXOoFLw/w159-h320/Chell.png" title="Image from Wikipedia" width="159" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chell_%28Portal%29">Wikipedia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Given the heat of the Australian summer, I decided I'd be going for more of a Portal 2 look, so then I could have the jumpsuit top tied around my waist, rather than have to wear long sleeves. I grabbed the <a href="https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-heath-jumpsuit-free-sewing-pattern/">Heath Jumpsuit Pattern</a> from Mood Fabrics and went to town on it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6bbVNgqRhdmIwfry7kdzCDBVqeAILtK77o08S3fdYwRx9RwH6pWv9m0UqO_Zfqg_P_G-vQ6eXRsOGpv1CSGogAen8mDsu8CXg3gsf3VlnuSNUDLM7yVZo-q3wXVeRrAqzTYqRwm_1Kc43-MDeNoHbmQsnIPTssH-JfxyryWdUwTwXsxw3HhIHg/s4032/PXL_20231208_044548129.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6bbVNgqRhdmIwfry7kdzCDBVqeAILtK77o08S3fdYwRx9RwH6pWv9m0UqO_Zfqg_P_G-vQ6eXRsOGpv1CSGogAen8mDsu8CXg3gsf3VlnuSNUDLM7yVZo-q3wXVeRrAqzTYqRwm_1Kc43-MDeNoHbmQsnIPTssH-JfxyryWdUwTwXsxw3HhIHg/s320/PXL_20231208_044548129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The colour of the orange in the photos varies depending on the light (below is a "sewing at night" shot). It was pretty bright orange, but I actually loved it. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcJ3cU9rZPjvbouS3jMRqGB2xPqgfzouhrtaIIMy-ewnXbqHg_0bJtJKAEA5qWMSpI6DI3oGR-bl1FikiGxTl21Wgl8S6cEv3V-_JGNVE2iMZlbCMal7crn-KclJP7cPRiWWO-Tdc-2AtDP1_rMb4c2T4bp_sLhCCtDXpTTghpDek9YEDxXh8cQ/s4032/PXL_20231208_064135428.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcJ3cU9rZPjvbouS3jMRqGB2xPqgfzouhrtaIIMy-ewnXbqHg_0bJtJKAEA5qWMSpI6DI3oGR-bl1FikiGxTl21Wgl8S6cEv3V-_JGNVE2iMZlbCMal7crn-KclJP7cPRiWWO-Tdc-2AtDP1_rMb4c2T4bp_sLhCCtDXpTTghpDek9YEDxXh8cQ/s320/PXL_20231208_064135428.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture Science Logo</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I added lots of pockets, all trimmed with some faux white piping to match the reference images. The waistband got a bit of hacking to get the colour change from white at the back to orange at the front. I lengthened the sleeves and added tabs and buttons for when they get rolled up and the legs got tabs and buttons too. The only real "detail" that I left out was the line of white piping around the lower chest. It was just too fiddly and specific to bother putting in. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNdPTc2i1IG8MR-zUeOZ1jJ_3RwMkczT0viC7DzFZ-8hb75NUiUseDphxI0OJMOnt6yIVoE_62lA9XCOyUSPdF9d9aeQZQ8ME0ZKel7HzDV6cQOWITjFRazuugEPKSct7DBfoE2-BabU6WOtLQBl6s2nRRpBNrL0N-dYz3eQcZUXVR2BKnnAHEA/s3264/PXL_20231216_070410271.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNdPTc2i1IG8MR-zUeOZ1jJ_3RwMkczT0viC7DzFZ-8hb75NUiUseDphxI0OJMOnt6yIVoE_62lA9XCOyUSPdF9d9aeQZQ8ME0ZKel7HzDV6cQOWITjFRazuugEPKSct7DBfoE2-BabU6WOtLQBl6s2nRRpBNrL0N-dYz3eQcZUXVR2BKnnAHEA/s320/PXL_20231216_070410271.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I did work hard on the Aperture Science logo which goes on the back, since I figured that was the most recognisable part. And I lined the bodice with white (I think a bedsheet?) because that's what shows when you look at the reference images. I'm nothing if not accurate... or trying to be anyway. Biggest change to the pattern was the buttons down the front to a zip, and an invisible one at that! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHYT5XCJqyvuRPzFy-TifE65U-c-tD5zRQyk5zbgpTfZd9Tq4DSZ5VFCaZ8qsn02cRkmtxSgAo5JRhOJSDr-dxmJ9wzntG6pf0Qh809KCopq63iMyaPOgBEQbVFZLrAjDsRrxKheKrQyGDlA-BLyhBF_suziOi-FDvsPtPn_COU9OggWEAxU0IA/s4032/PXL_20231216_070204948.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHYT5XCJqyvuRPzFy-TifE65U-c-tD5zRQyk5zbgpTfZd9Tq4DSZ5VFCaZ8qsn02cRkmtxSgAo5JRhOJSDr-dxmJ9wzntG6pf0Qh809KCopq63iMyaPOgBEQbVFZLrAjDsRrxKheKrQyGDlA-BLyhBF_suziOi-FDvsPtPn_COU9OggWEAxU0IA/s320/PXL_20231216_070204948.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Have to say, I was pretty darn happy with the result, even if the party day was so freaking hot. And, the more I think about it, the more re-wearable this orange jumpsuit is. Naruto anyone? Or any of the "Orange is the New Black" characters (not that I've ever seen it, but you never know). Also the Guardians of the Galaxy all wear orange jumpsuits in prison. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYAYhDIPPk52QG3vzOP7vo4J8Z9Jnt8dTNbizhqVarrCABqZYMHJv_CVsVaQhrSy1P-D1jNtHjqngAcoQu7KtEiYqnt1Plqa1uGflZuSM7zP31LBl7BBfMUMS2aMwW2PMiMqOiGB8GwiO01e8JeTYb3zmt_W6_diIFUNTGeYj0zOsdKI9_YQktg/s4032/PXL_20231216_070609658.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYAYhDIPPk52QG3vzOP7vo4J8Z9Jnt8dTNbizhqVarrCABqZYMHJv_CVsVaQhrSy1P-D1jNtHjqngAcoQu7KtEiYqnt1Plqa1uGflZuSM7zP31LBl7BBfMUMS2aMwW2PMiMqOiGB8GwiO01e8JeTYb3zmt_W6_diIFUNTGeYj0zOsdKI9_YQktg/s320/PXL_20231216_070609658.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><p></p><p>Honestly though, this jumpsuit is super comfy, so I can see myself using the pattern to make stuff I can wear all the time that's not bright orange. My only take away is that my arms are kinda too buff for the rolled up sleeves. It was hilarious. I can get my arms in fine, but when I went to roll up the sleeves, the extra fabric was quite tight on my biceps. I'm thinking the next jumpsuit will just have short sleeves, to be on the safe side.</p></span></div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-54677064919235018342024-02-12T15:37:00.001+10:002024-02-12T15:37:37.544+10:00Companion Cube<p>So knowing I was going to go to Steve's work Christmas party (not going to happen every year, but this was year one, so I was keen to at least put some names to faces) I wanted to make a good impression with the costume. Again, I had costumes that would have worked, but they were all TV related. Steve's work literally has "game" in the company name, so I wanted to show my commitment. </p><p>Steve's character, <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2024/02/guybrush-threepwood.html">Guybrush Threepwood</a> does have a pretty epic boss girlfriend in the game, who I was interested in being, but in the end, I felt like I would be an imposter to be dressed as someone from a game I haven't played at all. That left me with very few characters I could actually be. The two games I've played the most (aside from Tetris), are Plants Vs Zombies and Portal. I was uninspired by the Plants Vs Zombies idea, but being the main character from Portal seemed like a good choice, and would mean I could make accessories. </p><p>So I made my accessory first. Because why not? Also, I figured that the Companion Cube would be the most recognizable thing I could have to make it obvious as to who I was, or at least, what game I was from. </p><p>This Companion Cube was made from some fleece that I bought from Spotlight for this project. Even though I don't love the thought of just buying fabric for something that might only be single use, I did know that making it out of soft fabric would pretty much guarantee a long and happy life. Spoilers: I was right, but more on that later. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHYtPDC0hRARiQ6YKI7qwinE8lLsxCEgoFezNYZxe1iNeY-Zib-pvRWNGMr77McrHc3igoHL41Qzmu5O5vAOHX_cXTfyeyYm9_uCi4s4irqRBv1s9lJP4BgjadJXUwPdhfI1UhSBfUT3gftZc6u4U4jVcXWTPivv0LyYx9xwJP5jZlQaFQLB8Iw/s4032/PXL_20231213_053147997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHYtPDC0hRARiQ6YKI7qwinE8lLsxCEgoFezNYZxe1iNeY-Zib-pvRWNGMr77McrHc3igoHL41Qzmu5O5vAOHX_cXTfyeyYm9_uCi4s4irqRBv1s9lJP4BgjadJXUwPdhfI1UhSBfUT3gftZc6u4U4jVcXWTPivv0LyYx9xwJP5jZlQaFQLB8Iw/s320/PXL_20231213_053147997.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I read through a couple of blog posts from people who have attempted a Companion Cube in the past, and looked at pictures of the cube for reference, then just drew my own pattern and got to sewing. Pink hearts went onto grey circles and then all the pieces (pink stripes, grey corners and grey/pink heart circle) went onto the dark grey. After each side of the cube was done, I sewed them together and added the grey patches over the edges. Stuffed the whole thing with leftover stuffing and two old pillows. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z0b3VszN9ZY4hwbSNTZuvBpDNI_tbfOa5m4jltQwduWw-CW8ne7tlocVmejguTiX5lPF7eAvH5vrhEg_tBy6t7gCll0X7lMku4hg-aKF4TU9909hg5ZDJE11mK4d-x15RNtkSAqs0-QaX2uieM0SFUpzKi3ItXKUiIVvSl3swoJvjjRPXGzPZQ/s4032/PXL_20231214_004549955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z0b3VszN9ZY4hwbSNTZuvBpDNI_tbfOa5m4jltQwduWw-CW8ne7tlocVmejguTiX5lPF7eAvH5vrhEg_tBy6t7gCll0X7lMku4hg-aKF4TU9909hg5ZDJE11mK4d-x15RNtkSAqs0-QaX2uieM0SFUpzKi3ItXKUiIVvSl3swoJvjjRPXGzPZQ/s320/PXL_20231214_004549955.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>It was possibly the most outrageous thing to turn up to the Christmas Party lunch with, but it was a good conversation starter and nice to lean against when I was tired. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTrGrON1v2Y8MahG2IREDJNVnoOecwXeHRXaZAQDk-AhyxeP2C4jKLFwsEtTb0eKFnD4iLUIAHm-pRZabr0QCW_8T5d585iW4lALirExpNlJ_sKaHbgiER4o9m9oCh33oE35QR0ZD4hxlBz01lJZaJx7VqwV7gdLEaviqwZYDcpQaulIb3ZyNmg/s3264/PXL_20231215_052611090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTrGrON1v2Y8MahG2IREDJNVnoOecwXeHRXaZAQDk-AhyxeP2C4jKLFwsEtTb0eKFnD4iLUIAHm-pRZabr0QCW_8T5d585iW4lALirExpNlJ_sKaHbgiER4o9m9oCh33oE35QR0ZD4hxlBz01lJZaJx7VqwV7gdLEaviqwZYDcpQaulIb3ZyNmg/s320/PXL_20231215_052611090.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>The Companion Cube was fun to have at home for a week after but also kind of impractical, so I took it apart and made three cushions for the lounge room instead. These are going to live long and happy lives.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-X2LyBOpb7uJhg1TcDR92CvUJ5AhTFkU1QDDeq3lB3HRHp9R6HL5YXLabue0RnKYEf2nWaw-oRRuUfu1PdO0J7r0S72j8eglMLE8faJc4HV8A1PFXTM31Q5G-_4IKq9G0JvBxYaSKv9CGu7CGqThD20Lau3w5EVnFAoq-TTXD4qvowYumP8liqw/s4032/PXL_20240212_052926846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-X2LyBOpb7uJhg1TcDR92CvUJ5AhTFkU1QDDeq3lB3HRHp9R6HL5YXLabue0RnKYEf2nWaw-oRRuUfu1PdO0J7r0S72j8eglMLE8faJc4HV8A1PFXTM31Q5G-_4IKq9G0JvBxYaSKv9CGu7CGqThD20Lau3w5EVnFAoq-TTXD4qvowYumP8liqw/s320/PXL_20240212_052926846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-5350403593669275212024-02-11T20:00:00.002+10:002024-02-11T20:00:23.151+10:00Guybrush Threepwood<p>Though I ended last year and started this year with good intentions for regular blogging, I again find myself with a set of posts that are now at least two months out of date. Alas. Still, aside from potentially being hard to find when I need to look back for them, it's not like it's a real problem, so on with the blogging! </p><p>Steve started a new job at the end of last year, and their Christmas party turned out to be a dress up/costume type event. Sounds like they had a pretty hard core group of cos-players/LARP-ers at one stage, so the standard was pretty high, which to me, was just music to my ears. For 2023, the theme was a pretty broad "games and tv" (I guess they were branching out from their usual "games"). </p><p>I did have a fair few already made costumes that we could have chosen from, but given that this was Steve's first Christmas party with the company, I wanted to make a good impression. Steve had just started playing through <i>Secret of Monkey Island</i> and requested to go as Guybrush Threepwood. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKys3isYJTY_ol2uytqTksiF01Q7YvrwLlEuWPhyphenhyphen8gEoUxe1VShufIr4gD5NIKAV44U1huHELcvQ9t1LfHnYI_XIvySlJRtRfov57NWrMRoiUm7gUSJOpzF2MgWDSOz2JHAffHa-DgIpf-sQT2n3vvutRZhHLv1sJelRr2lDfeCRNGiJE6XGmHpw/s853/Screenshot%202024-02-11%20194938.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="606" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKys3isYJTY_ol2uytqTksiF01Q7YvrwLlEuWPhyphenhyphen8gEoUxe1VShufIr4gD5NIKAV44U1huHELcvQ9t1LfHnYI_XIvySlJRtRfov57NWrMRoiUm7gUSJOpzF2MgWDSOz2JHAffHa-DgIpf-sQT2n3vvutRZhHLv1sJelRr2lDfeCRNGiJE6XGmHpw/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-11%20194938.png" width="227" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guybrush Threepwood image from <a href="https://thangs.com/designer/FotisMint/3d-model/Guybrush%20Threepwood%20-%20Monkey%20Island%203-971553">here</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Guybrush Threepwood does journey through Monkey Island to become a pretty swager-full pirate (see <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1128246390">here</a>), but for so many reasons (time crunch, money for the costume, knowing this may not be worn again and not wanting to contribute to the growing "single use" problem the world has, not to mention the freaking hot Australian summer that was in full swing), we went with one of the early versions of a Guybrush costume. </p><p>Steve already had a pirate white shirt that I made way back in 2005 or 2006, and a pair of gray pants from his kung fu days. The red sash was in the dress ups from who knows where, so all he needed was a pair of long white socks (thanks Big W) and a brown vest. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgue7qzRntXZ77PtdDlvcfAqKEE1XG8zbFVsZLXx3H8rzoD9Rft9VT4UKHPgccfdlg4A48u8pJPk_NlSsj2pM5K0jXiPSQlvidlG4AcW2wXT7F_V0y7OE7ATG0teETZGvfEA7JRBgbMSbd7QiRW61-mu8cFU8bTrpUCaS3Lgve22ueJer25JMlw/s4032/PXL_20231215_052557152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgue7qzRntXZ77PtdDlvcfAqKEE1XG8zbFVsZLXx3H8rzoD9Rft9VT4UKHPgccfdlg4A48u8pJPk_NlSsj2pM5K0jXiPSQlvidlG4AcW2wXT7F_V0y7OE7ATG0teETZGvfEA7JRBgbMSbd7QiRW61-mu8cFU8bTrpUCaS3Lgve22ueJer25JMlw/s320/PXL_20231215_052557152.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I whipped up the vest out of an old bed sheet one night in an hour and I think he looks pretty great. Too bad we didn't commit to a blonde wig, but even that light cotton costume was so hot on party day. Stay tuned to find out what I did for my costume!</p><p><br /></p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-271337119819064922024-01-23T09:19:00.001+10:002024-01-23T09:19:00.134+10:00Library Mural: Part 2<p>The second installment of the school library mural! This was completed with a bunch of parents who had time on the holidays in the first week of January. We had a stack of kids come and just hang out with us too while we completed the next panel. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8w-3pXIOMLVvOXE8PHAYFWXgjj2voA8I1L36W1GsrAqXypSqeewRaWcvnNjQuEq4Ueod681yMM4Yuk5E-NyiQGRErz8-S4fR5PutYpIIWJ9ccAdvOT_brMOnxHbmiT0V6jEDy9FWFgelcdJNWkT8Z6ahrM9rK025mdKDyzlQHFIBZghDxmVmwQ/s4032/PXL_20240105_045229651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8w-3pXIOMLVvOXE8PHAYFWXgjj2voA8I1L36W1GsrAqXypSqeewRaWcvnNjQuEq4Ueod681yMM4Yuk5E-NyiQGRErz8-S4fR5PutYpIIWJ9ccAdvOT_brMOnxHbmiT0V6jEDy9FWFgelcdJNWkT8Z6ahrM9rK025mdKDyzlQHFIBZghDxmVmwQ/s320/PXL_20240105_045229651.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The first part we did in the <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/11/library-mural-part-1.html">September</a> holidays last year. This second part of the mural continued the lorikeets and native flowers around to another wall. This banksia flower below was done by a student who graduated grade 6 last year! I also let my girls help by allowing them to paint some of the background blue between the leaves (after I cut it in of course). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJuqhfa4dw75RgVTms525GRtQkVgIE6jpbI6rXy1dHdULUvG-iMfYmBbgpEuzYrPkFNMvC0EsaWJfoEPNvrkQsYIHd7iF6oStanGFRxZ08SnYj4OI3klqoq5sjeoaJoQJdhLdQi6_kIEjr-yfl1CRjOvybtBBgYZTCcOmRRpdjN47oqiq_LnS-A/s4032/PXL_20240105_033935220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJuqhfa4dw75RgVTms525GRtQkVgIE6jpbI6rXy1dHdULUvG-iMfYmBbgpEuzYrPkFNMvC0EsaWJfoEPNvrkQsYIHd7iF6oStanGFRxZ08SnYj4OI3klqoq5sjeoaJoQJdhLdQi6_kIEjr-yfl1CRjOvybtBBgYZTCcOmRRpdjN47oqiq_LnS-A/s320/PXL_20240105_033935220.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>We got more creative with the design as we went, and also updated the first part with an upgrade to the wattle blossoms and the grevillea. I think there is more we could add, and the leaves behind our original lorikeet still need to be continued over onto the next wall, but after two solid days of painting, we were all a bit done and just had to call it. Maybe next holidays we will do some additions and finish the final panel (the wall to the left of the original - biggest one yet)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwryiGaPoJHWucj_ABvGNFdTRumMSdf2EZuEAMUhFQyq3kdpXD4fwQmF_-rSXy5ZDvvR9H6dNEXI6bDaNflD8G0knonE08hmIZS9lk0pWZK7doJFWtsEyA_EGpNcPyizjsO17nJMg6TXXVo-sqzeFfW7sUrvfe83EFCfSc6a94DfOTJYM1Q1NsA/s4032/PXL_20240105_045144957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwryiGaPoJHWucj_ABvGNFdTRumMSdf2EZuEAMUhFQyq3kdpXD4fwQmF_-rSXy5ZDvvR9H6dNEXI6bDaNflD8G0knonE08hmIZS9lk0pWZK7doJFWtsEyA_EGpNcPyizjsO17nJMg6TXXVo-sqzeFfW7sUrvfe83EFCfSc6a94DfOTJYM1Q1NsA/s320/PXL_20240105_045144957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Even though it was fun to paint, I think the best unexpected bonus of this mural is that now it makes it really easy to tell people where P&C meetings are - head to the building with the lorikeets! :D</p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-24890719856302644172024-01-20T21:13:00.001+10:002024-01-20T21:13:00.134+10:00Housewife 2.0<p style="text-align: left;">My very handy <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/11/housewife.html">housewife</a> has been traveling around with me for all the sewing for over a year now and I honestly love it so much. It's incredibly convenient to throw into a bag with whatever sewing project I have on my way out the door. Often I'm just using the un-picker, but man, is it so great to have the whole lot there. </p><p>It came to my attention sometime in 2023, possibly term 4, as I lost a button on a jumpsuit I was wearing at work, that really, having a housewife is great if you know you are going to sew something. Equally as great to just have on hand if you are out and about and, like me, find yourself in a bit of a fashion emergency. </p><p>I suppose the easy option would be just to pack my existing housewife in my work bag. It would certainly solve the problem, but as I only work part time, I felt for my colleagues who might find them selves in a similarly compromising position on a day that I was not in the office. The only solution I could see was to make a second housewife. (Actually, to be honest, I did consider purchasing a small travel sewing kit pre-made from Spotlight. But I have an abundance of almost everything that would go in it, and fabric to make one, so it seemed to be the more environmentally sustainable option to make my own.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbQJ8KesXcb5GjZ_cE7f-YRemofeuWkB1r5PG_BMPdTY9FqZ2iU22j_8HOZFnzfo98ce0wY3eMFyjssR9uOwnIEC3jmHpTxxHoNv4VAcyvwcPojRr1TOoJ6P6LQetZ8FUNp0VGEK8Ez_vr3C0BqEaL4W2GLz293rjcw-uliCXh05qpjO6OZSNzQ/s4032/PXL_20240112_055941113.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbQJ8KesXcb5GjZ_cE7f-YRemofeuWkB1r5PG_BMPdTY9FqZ2iU22j_8HOZFnzfo98ce0wY3eMFyjssR9uOwnIEC3jmHpTxxHoNv4VAcyvwcPojRr1TOoJ6P6LQetZ8FUNp0VGEK8Ez_vr3C0BqEaL4W2GLz293rjcw-uliCXh05qpjO6OZSNzQ/s320/PXL_20240112_055941113.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>So I did. I went through my fabric stash for some suitable fabric to use up and found some final scrap of this cool flamingo and cactus print that I had made <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2020/04/more-shorts.html">shorts for Sophie</a> way back in 2020 and then a pillow case cover for one of these <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2020/12/seven-years-late.html">Christmas tree cushions</a>. I also had a strip of that bluey-green stuff that felt a little fancy and made me worried about washing and ironing it. The bluey-green strip gave us the dimensions for this housewife as I just used exactly what I had. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAU3nKWfVhXHPP87_nykXB45BL29Wr1kh68zA0HvV7iM5OUH6v8E1VWW8Wbd2bm-5GchqCQHlXfls6IKJ7Y35DB5SlGw30OvPQs64YC2B-i5NQug5qo-o3El_NRJbcas3e36S96NvOqVF03pL2bnmUHmJKVveRibgDSJIPHt1sKy3FLN7l44syQ/s4032/PXL_20240112_055855437.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAU3nKWfVhXHPP87_nykXB45BL29Wr1kh68zA0HvV7iM5OUH6v8E1VWW8Wbd2bm-5GchqCQHlXfls6IKJ7Y35DB5SlGw30OvPQs64YC2B-i5NQug5qo-o3El_NRJbcas3e36S96NvOqVF03pL2bnmUHmJKVveRibgDSJIPHt1sKy3FLN7l44syQ/s320/PXL_20240112_055855437.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's a little longer and thinner than my original, but has similar features. I used some very small scraps for the inside features like the Ikea fabric, (featured in this <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2021/04/not-usual-pillowcase-dress.html">dress</a> for Rachel, <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2021/04/pillowcase-skorts.html">skorts</a> for both girls and a <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/03/skirts.html">skirt</a> for me) and some final remnants of some beautiful animal print fabric (initially Rachel's <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2018/07/nature-explorer-bag.html">Nature Bag</a> but also her <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2019/11/pencil-case.html">pencil case</a> and <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2019/11/library-bag.html">library bag</a> for school). No idea where the little floral scrap was from, but it's a lovely highlight. </p><p>On what works out to be the "flap" part when it's all rolled up, I was inspired by some <i>sashiko</i> style stitching that I saw on the internet and wanted to have a go at. It's a Japanese style of hand stitching patterns into fabric. I think I've got room to grow, but it was a fun to experiment with on this project. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0xsSgdBZWCz52jLKZzj-2pSrBhiWJmzoOKZUoMwPvS6yROC0tV_m4su4nHkTUu6PB2fOnd4-vuaF_4yvtUa6M8Me90lEywvUQkObzaVUNlagagSyylAv09s9V2HjQ8XVgCtpfT8krRLjJMIQdgVoUkcfPD1AheXGxcYCiQqp7hlp4ESFsxeqLg/s4032/PXL_20240112_055900208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0xsSgdBZWCz52jLKZzj-2pSrBhiWJmzoOKZUoMwPvS6yROC0tV_m4su4nHkTUu6PB2fOnd4-vuaF_4yvtUa6M8Me90lEywvUQkObzaVUNlagagSyylAv09s9V2HjQ8XVgCtpfT8krRLjJMIQdgVoUkcfPD1AheXGxcYCiQqp7hlp4ESFsxeqLg/s320/PXL_20240112_055900208.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I bound it all up by hand with some more self-made bias binding from a <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2021/04/pillowcase-skorts.html">Lorraine Lea pillow case</a> (which I've used before to bind things <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/08/guide-camp-sewing.html">here</a>). The housewife folds up in a similar way to the last one, and is all ready to live at work for a just in case emergency. I can already see it getting use patching some friendly classroom soft toys that experience a little too much love from the students (like this <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2021/11/catching-up.html">Happy Cat</a> from Sophie's school). Hooray! </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-60878805455299507102024-01-18T17:05:00.001+10:002024-01-18T17:05:00.147+10:00Zero Waste<p>A blogger I've been following for a little while now is Liz Haywood from <a href="https://lizhaywood.com.au/">The Craft of Clothes</a> who lives in South Australia (so amazing to find Australian bloggers/makers to follow). I don't know how I stumbled across her, but she is a big advocate for Zero Waste design and sewing. I'm intrigued by Zero Waste as the general sustainability situation of our lifestyles continues to be at the forefront of my mind, so I borrowed the book <a href="https://lizhaywood.com.au/zero-waste-sewing-book/">Zero Waste Sewing</a> from the library to investigate. </p><p>I read the book and considered the clothes. Some I liked, others were not my style. A couple of things I was keen to try. The biggest thing for me was having the time and brain space to read through all the instructions. I like to be ale to understand what fits where when I look at a pattern and to mentally connect things in my head before I start. Some Zero Waste patterns are straight forward, but others required a few mental gymnastics to see how things would fit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLE8ZalH0v8MAd_n5E6sc5w-daUNMkOFJT_Kkof9qwx4in5ShLzT9H5qSQrxXJVbBvDBRxyr985gWKahJXUV3MUY_Xa5-OgCKhdQTF0fWVdrmAo8voilqEjmpXFNLMuMqFTqj0ZUAuGT5InO-oHhwxfZ-EVjZZ9L5FJQQGjRGgtagw_KxChKHJxg/s4032/PXL_20231026_072011881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLE8ZalH0v8MAd_n5E6sc5w-daUNMkOFJT_Kkof9qwx4in5ShLzT9H5qSQrxXJVbBvDBRxyr985gWKahJXUV3MUY_Xa5-OgCKhdQTF0fWVdrmAo8voilqEjmpXFNLMuMqFTqj0ZUAuGT5InO-oHhwxfZ-EVjZZ9L5FJQQGjRGgtagw_KxChKHJxg/s320/PXL_20231026_072011881.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The first thing I tried was a top (could also be made into a dress) from the <a href="https://lizhaywood.com.au/september-and-october-a-year-of-zero-waste-sewing/">September installment</a> of a Year of Zero Waste Sewing. I really liked the style and it was fairly easy to get my head around how it would work. I made it and liked it, but was honestly not sure I'd wear it because the back was so low. I know that's part of that style and my sisters assured me if I got the right bra it would be fine, but I just wasn't sure I was ready to commit. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H0DKb7I63XzsfocFKEpI4NajZBPE2La1Vc3O5Z87HY4ZwdK0x3auagwm29PGTXpXzJjeP8a5S0Hrb3Iuvf4m702fHymgS-9IGMifFW8skmP_QXvneoJ_wXn4-r4WG39lOZjfh8KHmnGPGDIDiVPX-Y_8bg7InQdEEgGCF13zV3fGA2bulKJBcQ/s3264/PXL_20231026_071934286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H0DKb7I63XzsfocFKEpI4NajZBPE2La1Vc3O5Z87HY4ZwdK0x3auagwm29PGTXpXzJjeP8a5S0Hrb3Iuvf4m702fHymgS-9IGMifFW8skmP_QXvneoJ_wXn4-r4WG39lOZjfh8KHmnGPGDIDiVPX-Y_8bg7InQdEEgGCF13zV3fGA2bulKJBcQ/s320/PXL_20231026_071934286.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>My next attempt was another Zero Waste top this time from the aforementioned book. I was using up some old bedsheets that a friend had donated to me in the name of sewing to make both of these projects. It's the first time I've used old bedsheets (though I have been known to use a table cloth or two to trial things before) and I really loved not having the pressure of "making it work" knowing the fabric had already had a great life before I took to it with scissors. And really, it was giving itself to the great cause of experimentation and the gaining of knowledge that I would go on to use to sew better and thus waste less fabric in the future. Definitely a good cause. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXhRyPXCc4Bmy-1ANaRJxoZfSxUC7OuceK7r1RfGBfFC7d3-o5sLij3U5cMITqzZkaxZldlr8XkJm6qCx9QVzuxgEbwOm1bWUKBlYbS2OfZEJv3bU7B9DTDlxjK15xMHv1qaaNt2OVuMTgsPHUOUfH_ylC-cIxECZeZTdeOfH9LLtAI2C4qc7Vw/s4032/PXL_20231104_082034021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXhRyPXCc4Bmy-1ANaRJxoZfSxUC7OuceK7r1RfGBfFC7d3-o5sLij3U5cMITqzZkaxZldlr8XkJm6qCx9QVzuxgEbwOm1bWUKBlYbS2OfZEJv3bU7B9DTDlxjK15xMHv1qaaNt2OVuMTgsPHUOUfH_ylC-cIxECZeZTdeOfH9LLtAI2C4qc7Vw/s320/PXL_20231104_082034021.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the messy bathroom, notice the HUGE sleeves!</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Not sure if this top needed smaller fabric before I started, or if the style is just not me, but it worked out to be pretty enormous. I still like the style, so I did take the sleeves off to see if I could make a sleeveless version work (or attempt to make the sleeves shorter in some way), but we were getting to the report card end of term 4 when I was sewing these last year and then the library told me I needed to return the Zero Waste sewing book I'd borrowed, so it got put in a box. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGLLPLpMmGueAVUw5_tl62SFiNjNtVzT-egnoQJZETSFFscas65-r-x5MrnZJV03l7AujkELMHD1LcewcVWrARe5xYXow-xmQjt53vFHvO9-1CRA925lTz_vzhvaDBw_uwgxR_HUdeFjVlMnW19UPtGTv37g8xphNpsoRLgv2AJOnmsmrtTaYWQ/s3264/PXL_20231104_082040909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGLLPLpMmGueAVUw5_tl62SFiNjNtVzT-egnoQJZETSFFscas65-r-x5MrnZJV03l7AujkELMHD1LcewcVWrARe5xYXow-xmQjt53vFHvO9-1CRA925lTz_vzhvaDBw_uwgxR_HUdeFjVlMnW19UPtGTv37g8xphNpsoRLgv2AJOnmsmrtTaYWQ/s320/PXL_20231104_082040909.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really like the neckline of this with the bow - <br />but the sleeves were enormous and the bodice might also need darts? </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I hope I get it out again this year, because Zero Waste sewing still intrigues me and I would like to give it more of a go. Wish me luck!</p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-15874006820618207122024-01-16T17:05:00.001+10:002024-01-16T17:05:00.132+10:00Japanese Banner<p>Here is a little something I worked on in the September holidays of 2023. I didn't know for sure if I would be teaching Japanese in 2024, but I had Japanese fabric and I wanted to sew something. Was I sewing in faith or folly? No idea. I might have just needed a project. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLoAO67zt5qxBi3wF1JbgHaZwANUAQKu4DGqV0wcgWU2UySOhNuGel2YWih6EgFUNMgQbXUX0PDdMFWZxbHimmLlI-LheRse3Dd27QOwwmbYntcY8lqjGn2j0OKbg8VEVdE_JRcBbdld4iwQ-d5ZLNYNjOThOY5SCXhe8rHOFYqzqGBAJIhEcrw/s4032/PXL_20230814_030550406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLoAO67zt5qxBi3wF1JbgHaZwANUAQKu4DGqV0wcgWU2UySOhNuGel2YWih6EgFUNMgQbXUX0PDdMFWZxbHimmLlI-LheRse3Dd27QOwwmbYntcY8lqjGn2j0OKbg8VEVdE_JRcBbdld4iwQ-d5ZLNYNjOThOY5SCXhe8rHOFYqzqGBAJIhEcrw/s320/PXL_20230814_030550406.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><p>In any case, I started with a <i>yukata</i> that I loved wearing, but had found on inspection that it had some holes in the fabric from some little bug that had been living in my storage drawer. So much of the fabric was still perfectly fine though, so I took the thing apart and considered how to use it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9anB_3J3YxvrRCfke1SZDcBiH-_7FgjetrlXPMeaXxDIaIU-XVMZ_n2NObOXSW7GjvTqDMTDRE4H7DHrHuzrSTeiFoMJMmMukbHmWhK1Zc30ZNiT9PDL-1HvfbITxKEvWSkt8EwuQsO43M3JWnuQfFDiBZrR0Bv1I6WMJH_idF0NP9PHi3iMPAw/s4032/PXL_20230814_030419649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9anB_3J3YxvrRCfke1SZDcBiH-_7FgjetrlXPMeaXxDIaIU-XVMZ_n2NObOXSW7GjvTqDMTDRE4H7DHrHuzrSTeiFoMJMmMukbHmWhK1Zc30ZNiT9PDL-1HvfbITxKEvWSkt8EwuQsO43M3JWnuQfFDiBZrR0Bv1I6WMJH_idF0NP9PHi3iMPAw/s320/PXL_20230814_030419649.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I decided if I were to teach Japanese again, I would need something for my classroom. So this, along with a number of random Japanese fabric samples that I had collected from homestay students over the years, my old <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2017/05/reality-dreams.html">sushi dress</a> and a new piece of Japanese fabric mum had given me earlier in the year and I was ready to go. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigymQUD1qb23k8NORDGsbNrGms-NARqC94-YY2HkZYWrIafpXOxjOTdiQ6n5uNdiFf7K45zUCtTBq6B_sQkas5Z2sQEzc2CAeKWiBq2fTNp9rh4gv0puZd0wc9tzcgYF_45phv4_zD-TAfpsm5-kTE92fxuT6FKElgygRBUrg6D18tuqo1G9PBfA/s4032/PXL_20230918_032715042.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigymQUD1qb23k8NORDGsbNrGms-NARqC94-YY2HkZYWrIafpXOxjOTdiQ6n5uNdiFf7K45zUCtTBq6B_sQkas5Z2sQEzc2CAeKWiBq2fTNp9rh4gv0puZd0wc9tzcgYF_45phv4_zD-TAfpsm5-kTE92fxuT6FKElgygRBUrg6D18tuqo1G9PBfA/s320/PXL_20230918_032715042.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>I did end up buying some black fabric for the letters, wanting this to be more than just bunting (if there is such a thing as "just bunting"), but also a sign for a potential room that I would be teaching in. Doing the maths, I figured I had enough fabric to make a rather long and big sign to declare Japanese to everyone. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEn6brJrB6vZ4hW1IbhvxZ7b2tRt8XRtwHuJigvSnpreuAA1C1JnlO69MjWIe8Oh-PQkYz8Y2I_5BxuF52mcA7OK0innOvrWDG759jjNM7otukH817gtTInZZLvqjCJlyGhx7ryAOZGLCO5tSGPL7HHg1ZARzYfKMHmv1Dm2rMDqqCOOp7x7WtA/s4032/PXL_20230922_000155321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEn6brJrB6vZ4hW1IbhvxZ7b2tRt8XRtwHuJigvSnpreuAA1C1JnlO69MjWIe8Oh-PQkYz8Y2I_5BxuF52mcA7OK0innOvrWDG759jjNM7otukH817gtTInZZLvqjCJlyGhx7ryAOZGLCO5tSGPL7HHg1ZARzYfKMHmv1Dm2rMDqqCOOp7x7WtA/s320/PXL_20230922_000155321.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>This did make it super hard to photograph on the floor of my house. I printed/hand drew all the letters on paper first to check size and layout and then went onto the black. Did the fancy interfacing glue stuff to get it stuck down and then zigzagged around each letter with white to make it clearly visible. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8NzStmvzfhi4IRAIGpIT27E8cmTUZlgneIRbt6L3IIDVuHlV8ut-Dm0Ehl8qVkSjAGE-mxlDg4HZ75905tSP80MGTA6yQAUK6XNMIlIN6hq3lyDRmO8yR-F8oelSI5Ql_phk9eGADBXh94FSVp1BS1RHOSHOvt-uQx9ObLm6atypv-N0ACzLQCQ/s4032/PXL_20230922_000207601.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8NzStmvzfhi4IRAIGpIT27E8cmTUZlgneIRbt6L3IIDVuHlV8ut-Dm0Ehl8qVkSjAGE-mxlDg4HZ75905tSP80MGTA6yQAUK6XNMIlIN6hq3lyDRmO8yR-F8oelSI5Ql_phk9eGADBXh94FSVp1BS1RHOSHOvt-uQx9ObLm6atypv-N0ACzLQCQ/s320/PXL_20230922_000207601.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Each of the letters down, I sewed the backing fabric on (right sides together and then flipped out) and bound the top with a long strip of exactly the amount of fabric that I had left. This project was actually a great way to use up all this fabric that would possibly have had no life otherwise. I only ended up using the sleeves of the yukata and a part of the <i>okumi</i>, so I actually still have a stack of that fabric left for something else. Pajamas maybe? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVvt-QmFmzg4q45QnR0r25qQ7c6DfKaxcUTcZo6pEUPHf1-OLErrP5qelvPPJt5y5PJM9pAc_rg9x2b5lexX8M_0jxOH6Eougb-uoM-yBx-SEY9Yi2kbENs0gPKtSAY9ywBgucgnQmsLrCFk6d5HAzbd3kzwgCIW2VhmPRxQUIUN21NxgDei4QA/s4032/PXL_20231205_001629917.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVvt-QmFmzg4q45QnR0r25qQ7c6DfKaxcUTcZo6pEUPHf1-OLErrP5qelvPPJt5y5PJM9pAc_rg9x2b5lexX8M_0jxOH6Eougb-uoM-yBx-SEY9Yi2kbENs0gPKtSAY9ywBgucgnQmsLrCFk6d5HAzbd3kzwgCIW2VhmPRxQUIUN21NxgDei4QA/s320/PXL_20231205_001629917.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Anyway, I did end up getting given Japanese to teach for 2024, as well as my own room, so hooray for faithful preparation. Hopefully the kids get excited when they see it too. My classroom as a whole is still coming together, but it is rather exciting to have one! </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-90347285199052741002024-01-14T11:00:00.001+10:002024-01-14T11:00:00.308+10:00Annual Christmas Clothes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNbegPwOlaLOR2AyX2R-gmTtG1ew34ZY49MQNZ8zobAHpuU-nSMbtv4sjIfgc8dzR7eTxoNvcTc6vhzpm7g23XQxG-xd3ndEkYXGuPl2ui4mKWuDmjuZNjvZu4Dy_RDsyz9uDFCqqqf-lrMSHY83oa_QTT-nAeVuhNRaX2sxVe7Q5IDJ89MdGXg/s4032/PXL_20231201_225756804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNbegPwOlaLOR2AyX2R-gmTtG1ew34ZY49MQNZ8zobAHpuU-nSMbtv4sjIfgc8dzR7eTxoNvcTc6vhzpm7g23XQxG-xd3ndEkYXGuPl2ui4mKWuDmjuZNjvZu4Dy_RDsyz9uDFCqqqf-lrMSHY83oa_QTT-nAeVuhNRaX2sxVe7Q5IDJ89MdGXg/s320/PXL_20231201_225756804.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Before Christmas gets too far away (like it absolutely did for me last year, see these very belated posts <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-skirt.html">here</a> and <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-crowns.html">here</a>) I'm just going to do this quick check in and have a record that I did in fact make Christmas outfits for the girls. I already had fabric that I'd used to make Sophie some <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/12/christmas-outfits.html">new shorts</a> for 2022, so I grabbed it out and asked the girls what they wanted. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPUu404PqosLigEVlqT4Z0yi6ZB-x2Z8Qlz2lrWDxzzz2bAf7utcbXHZYpsJJAJ-dDMAcSN13Mwf5vKMm2Vf2PER_mvvpCMPNG2U9aThgaY9VMq-BrPcu1jwRS1EN_SJ36pnLt-9-a49hVqTOyIKhbapI1WrkmOLYohnqZ5H9mMjSn6gfUSpJMQ/s4032/PXL_20231201_225840265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPUu404PqosLigEVlqT4Z0yi6ZB-x2Z8Qlz2lrWDxzzz2bAf7utcbXHZYpsJJAJ-dDMAcSN13Mwf5vKMm2Vf2PER_mvvpCMPNG2U9aThgaY9VMq-BrPcu1jwRS1EN_SJ36pnLt-9-a49hVqTOyIKhbapI1WrkmOLYohnqZ5H9mMjSn6gfUSpJMQ/s320/PXL_20231201_225840265.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Sophie wanted another pair of shorts. No surprises there. Clover Shorts pattern once again MVP. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngxrcRYhCoaRRvw1d-_2oHplPDtKhQutuShtT7MG8KQsJ90WZ-lwDMXNr1HcZZUjUhUq6i36SkfEo5FWbnLE-vMmkEnj7xRnyErJsGfeLaTaKA-znOxDuGg5ORm3sC__qxMr2s6EC8Kss_OoRTUf8vPU_ykM9VmiGNGJ4jeE94oRDu1timUSBvA/s4032/PXL_20231201_225935720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngxrcRYhCoaRRvw1d-_2oHplPDtKhQutuShtT7MG8KQsJ90WZ-lwDMXNr1HcZZUjUhUq6i36SkfEo5FWbnLE-vMmkEnj7xRnyErJsGfeLaTaKA-znOxDuGg5ORm3sC__qxMr2s6EC8Kss_OoRTUf8vPU_ykM9VmiGNGJ4jeE94oRDu1timUSBvA/s320/PXL_20231201_225935720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Pockets all round! Rachel asked for a skirt with hidden shorts inside. I explained to her what a skort was, and then modified the Clover Shorts pattern to make one for her. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TMVH0THjWHMlH_Ji6VjrLmtdT_XOLW3jhWjWzQpZa82kwx_fhTcqKydFnX0IKBH_kU6Dd2ZcJvcNH9vNNnIFgDpnF0PK5OyMpR58HooHBr6s4Q0UDtoYUy5tcnFHqb9SmpixaBpLExhEPg_g7V-3tu4wHUlxIyQ2lDytguLS7HZRO92i5qrpzA/s4032/PXL_20231201_225918402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TMVH0THjWHMlH_Ji6VjrLmtdT_XOLW3jhWjWzQpZa82kwx_fhTcqKydFnX0IKBH_kU6Dd2ZcJvcNH9vNNnIFgDpnF0PK5OyMpR58HooHBr6s4Q0UDtoYUy5tcnFHqb9SmpixaBpLExhEPg_g7V-3tu4wHUlxIyQ2lDytguLS7HZRO92i5qrpzA/s320/PXL_20231201_225918402.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>My only regret is that I forgot with the skort that I wouldn't be adding the cuffs, so it would have been prudent to add a bit of length. The skort fit her beautifully, but it won't grow with her for very long at all as a result. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxb4o9AJQsoB7MSgxrR9ExHSnjFIRqF6qevo6BVUBihsKawThOs91UQggbr5l_-j4y-cDedsb9BB31Df-az2-go495mWLtN8M1vVcnMJGU7kv7tsJl8y8ev7ovUqBrF7UTlU1ApVvOeazzac7xJt_xZzvTZ3NaE1qfU11nb74z-PyGhaoAriDww/s4032/PXL_20231201_225910591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxb4o9AJQsoB7MSgxrR9ExHSnjFIRqF6qevo6BVUBihsKawThOs91UQggbr5l_-j4y-cDedsb9BB31Df-az2-go495mWLtN8M1vVcnMJGU7kv7tsJl8y8ev7ovUqBrF7UTlU1ApVvOeazzac7xJt_xZzvTZ3NaE1qfU11nb74z-PyGhaoAriDww/s320/PXL_20231201_225910591.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>She's rockin' that skort though. </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-58771325272929414692024-01-12T13:59:00.002+10:002024-01-12T21:22:19.193+10:00Hebrews 12<p>Here we are with a new year before us. These holidays have been both long and short, as well as busy and restful. Now they are nearing their end though, and I'm finding I have more things on the list to do than I would like. I've made a bit of progress in these last few days, but many things, not the least of which is "catching up on blogging" are slowing down the usual reflection and planning phases that come with a new year. 2024 has started with speed; I feel like it's already racing to the big events. I can count the weeks to going back to work, school starting, milestone birthdays and suddenly holidays again, knowing these will fly by.<p>We started post-Christmas, with a bit of a clean up and out of the kitchen, though we haven't fully committed to an official "de-clutter" by any means. Steve has announced that the word of the year for 2024 is "AWAY" (yes, in all caps), and it's really gaining traction for us. Plates meant for the dishwasher - AWAY! Books lying around on the couch - AWAY! In the kitchen for me was 20 cups we never ever use - AWAY! I'm hoping that focusing on what needs to be AWAY can make space for the things we want to have in our lives, and also that we consider the AWAY things carefully before they go, so they are not discarded carelessly.<p>Another thing I'm looking forward to in 2024 is spending a year going through <a href="https://bibleproject.com/">Bible Project</a>'s series on the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's Gospel. I'm encouraged to be slowing down and letting the core message of Jesus' teaching start resonating and shaping me in new ways.<p>Before I say goodbye to 2023, my last thoughts on that year that was quite an emotional rollercoaster for me, are the bible verse from Hebrews that I kept coming back to. When I was tired, when I was numb, when I was exhausted or confused, I was reminded that the race is a marathon not a sprint, and that while there is much to go, Jesus has gone ahead.<p><i>So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees</i>," the wisdom of Hebrews tells me. Take that new grip of 2024 and stand up straight Paula. God has not let you go and 2024 is bright. Sure the drafted blog posts count is longer than ever, and not everything is done on the list, but Jesus offers peace and rest. The kingdom of heaven is here and now, ready for us all.</p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-79576994845658381042023-12-22T08:30:00.001+10:002023-12-22T08:30:00.151+10:00Sushi Dress 2.0Another dress I made in 2023 was a second version of a Sushi Dress. Not a replica of the <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2017/05/reality-dreams.html">first</a>, but pretty close in style. The original dress was so well worn that the bodice tore one day after a wash. I did save the large skirt portions of the dress to reuse in another project, but the dress itself was beyond repair. Sorry for the rather rubbish photos. It's hard to take full body selfies. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-iDuYZaE5TA7Pkl7iVwdPs_r2VAp5sRpWVNFlX_kCBA1tbZnKzZJgfqvsCMOC_dVe0uu26myCacR-ajx9WAb6o3eqJ_z_CmLsN3JpWMyA4BnA34r0k3kATMhUTeDZKtS87OV_21uCfyS8K__PubcCRYYtcQKz8Acy0tv_lhXvvJTv-OM9PewLw/s3264/PXL_20230820_041218188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-iDuYZaE5TA7Pkl7iVwdPs_r2VAp5sRpWVNFlX_kCBA1tbZnKzZJgfqvsCMOC_dVe0uu26myCacR-ajx9WAb6o3eqJ_z_CmLsN3JpWMyA4BnA34r0k3kATMhUTeDZKtS87OV_21uCfyS8K__PubcCRYYtcQKz8Acy0tv_lhXvvJTv-OM9PewLw/s320/PXL_20230820_041218188.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily I still had three metres of the original fabric to become version two. I used the self drafted pattern from my earlier-in-2023 <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/08/despair-dress-hopefully-redeemed.html">dresses</a>, and spontaneously added sleeves. The pockets are lined with some perfectly matching orange scraps which came from a donation box from Steve's Aunty Sue.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GeP-UD2bz9qajhwvAEx6t7B0vgvmJmw7fjNIndvuAfsIeWfHbq8iOFgIUV9_9bu__mSjFoVS4-8iUuGB09WFsZg8BMtrTppUM7qzzoffG1YGA2FHQirSbDl5QRF_zdlCfsYrVhQUzIbVA54GYqtXopfzhwrOAn6gD8Ld-_RtyZ0hDx7I_fEK8A/s4032/PXL_20230820_041255796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GeP-UD2bz9qajhwvAEx6t7B0vgvmJmw7fjNIndvuAfsIeWfHbq8iOFgIUV9_9bu__mSjFoVS4-8iUuGB09WFsZg8BMtrTppUM7qzzoffG1YGA2FHQirSbDl5QRF_zdlCfsYrVhQUzIbVA54GYqtXopfzhwrOAn6gD8Ld-_RtyZ0hDx7I_fEK8A/s320/PXL_20230820_041255796.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Beautiful to wear and perfect for a Japanese teacher. </div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-2342000365897657382023-12-20T16:05:00.002+10:002024-01-12T14:02:00.096+10:00Christmas Crowns<p>Once again I interrupt regular catching up to bring you something from 2022. This time, it's making reusable Christmas Crowns. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghnKaujzfp0K3DqfkZrjQAVdzAeJCSn2r9GpZVAjau_XyuiM9UkyuTdXTsikdorYdr7E_p4XfWLnLgD663AW2eFo15TOns8au0Ia7vaYD9ZCps2qBP3f372r-Lp1o1z_6WsjgLKaFrspEXkG2Ri8cgRA7C3wHnqjJyFJVKQWfSGmOgIY6LoleJw/s4032/PXL_20221226_025801917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghnKaujzfp0K3DqfkZrjQAVdzAeJCSn2r9GpZVAjau_XyuiM9UkyuTdXTsikdorYdr7E_p4XfWLnLgD663AW2eFo15TOns8au0Ia7vaYD9ZCps2qBP3f372r-Lp1o1z_6WsjgLKaFrspEXkG2Ri8cgRA7C3wHnqjJyFJVKQWfSGmOgIY6LoleJw/s320/PXL_20221226_025801917.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Last year, I subscribed to Peppermint Magazine blog, and they had a <a href="https://peppermintmag.com/diy-reusable-fabric-christmas-crown/">post</a> about making your own re-useable crowns, encouraging people to think about ways to reduce single use waste at Christmas time. I'm here for it, and I had Christmas fabric I wanted to use up, so I went into a crown making spree. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4HvQnv0cGQGWIeMNfEIM5tUTKnzqLvMucI48w6NfGQYP4dp65aD9u6IjG5KTu6g-q01n0qKM67jqXnGiM-fjvhzPMICsYHFm1pf4NZ_MYPewcFF9h6GyZGCm0lYLNZCMoBa18b9LAENlfN03zwSBsDgJooCQGmu-fABBm3PF3VVZl9lwpDRUSg/s4032/PXL_20221213_032210339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4HvQnv0cGQGWIeMNfEIM5tUTKnzqLvMucI48w6NfGQYP4dp65aD9u6IjG5KTu6g-q01n0qKM67jqXnGiM-fjvhzPMICsYHFm1pf4NZ_MYPewcFF9h6GyZGCm0lYLNZCMoBa18b9LAENlfN03zwSBsDgJooCQGmu-fABBm3PF3VVZl9lwpDRUSg/s320/PXL_20221213_032210339.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>These were pretty straight forward to sew, and used up a good amount of fabric and ribbon that was otherwise languishing with no future. I like that they are double sided, so people can choose what they want when they put it on. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZUx39Yk8mEiZ9KndAlTDvtyXY_B1yHrt6kPCiq6sge2pKXSlEQxO-djz1iocmKztVZAk8vaup8fZPSlcDeS5nO5HEqy1G3LLex79uUwAPysfGBYIrVwD_y7gsbza-jkqkBjZTlVQ3Aoq3WfHgSM9LyTUI_yxuEMnTN6V9xxuLkkCeNpd2yP00g/s4032/PXL_20221226_025721602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZUx39Yk8mEiZ9KndAlTDvtyXY_B1yHrt6kPCiq6sge2pKXSlEQxO-djz1iocmKztVZAk8vaup8fZPSlcDeS5nO5HEqy1G3LLex79uUwAPysfGBYIrVwD_y7gsbza-jkqkBjZTlVQ3Aoq3WfHgSM9LyTUI_yxuEMnTN6V9xxuLkkCeNpd2yP00g/s320/PXL_20221226_025721602.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Of course, I did start with six, but couldn't stop there, because I figured, it's pretty easy for Christmas to turn into a much larger affair. We only ended up needing four last Christmas, but maybe this year will be different. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FtZfP5gFaRpoyyNintN0A0OF2iweH3TCI1gtJPilJCbqGYbTE5a0Nl8W6zbuvoqC0osl8BS60rghbaH9Ir3EEYcDju-CQZJtfeteJmpvjvLLV9V26lmwfFHm7B7Kev1JwpZtHIxWTilJkOOysl17YYQrdnOEI1jtwrJJY7KIR5QZhQU5x5QiDw/s3264/PXL_20221225_042017835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FtZfP5gFaRpoyyNintN0A0OF2iweH3TCI1gtJPilJCbqGYbTE5a0Nl8W6zbuvoqC0osl8BS60rghbaH9Ir3EEYcDju-CQZJtfeteJmpvjvLLV9V26lmwfFHm7B7Kev1JwpZtHIxWTilJkOOysl17YYQrdnOEI1jtwrJJY7KIR5QZhQU5x5QiDw/s320/PXL_20221225_042017835.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Either way, these are lots of fun, and I'm glad I sewed them. </div><p></p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-45396611525805645172023-12-17T07:00:00.001+10:002023-12-17T07:00:00.246+10:00Bluey Fest 2023<p>This was possibly one of the most fun things we did at home this year. Lots of just hanging out, but so much quality time together. </p><p>For some back story, <i>Bluey </i>is an Australian kids show, aimed at four to seven year olds. My girls were either on the older end or older than the target demographic when it came out, and we don't watch too much TV as it is (Play School all the way), but gradually we found ourselves enjoying the <i>Bluey</i>. As far as children's TV goes, it's so quality. Both the writing and animation is great, not to mention the topics covered and portrayal of kids imagination play and positive parenting just blows every other kids cartoon out of the water. Suffice to say, we love it. </p><p>I'd seen a fair few episodes and had even started using them in the music classroom (such quality music, both original and remixed classics) but Steve had been missing out. Somewhere towards the start of 2023, we started watching the episodes together whenever we needed a bit of a break. It was really nice to sit down every now and then to watch a few episodes and just enjoy the good quality humor that was <i>Bluey</i>. </p><p>At the start of November, ABC announce they would run "<i>Bluey </i>Fest" which was where they would play <i>Bluey </i>episodes all day from 6am to 7:30pm. People were encouraged to vote for their favorite <i>Bluey </i>episodes for the count down of top 100. </p><p>We voted. </p><p>And also planned our day. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX364YHtnKR5Ml2iTYXfLivFj9zwWfav0nkBRFTHLDh5s0LlG_r8t_1EcvovMBC4hEWugHaMckWLurqNfg-jVOXMFcmdfKNzY7ZFSAy4h8rThaKriw2ETBnuuz8diacAnYqe2Q62OgT-yylam1xy6RTXluQQQ6ipGL7DB5mxAsdtBoUndlyRIgA/s4032/PXL_20231118_022234275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX364YHtnKR5Ml2iTYXfLivFj9zwWfav0nkBRFTHLDh5s0LlG_r8t_1EcvovMBC4hEWugHaMckWLurqNfg-jVOXMFcmdfKNzY7ZFSAy4h8rThaKriw2ETBnuuz8diacAnYqe2Q62OgT-yylam1xy6RTXluQQQ6ipGL7DB5mxAsdtBoUndlyRIgA/s320/PXL_20231118_022234275.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Sophie had bought a <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/07/one-of-those-cakes.html">Bluey Cookbook</a>, which I've mentioned before, and since we had seen all the episodes, we had a lot to choose from. We planned, all our meals around food that appears in Bluey, including snacks, though Steve vetoed another <a href="https://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2021/11/duck-cake.html">Duck Cake</a>. We also printed the charades cards that Sophie coloured and I laminated. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7TjGPTJqnuj4mmiG47rXR-kX4lm4szHIhTJPvLMpALtmeNMGmRiKqdG2nl-gH9Kgi2jEto85MJ_hvXY9mVFT83SZUFnOSGf5LycvoJwgRKdZEyhe4sj8YsUV9WwFRmJgM8lqTjU-Gl_DjP4-k4mSFWLo2kBuAE4d2kpg2-BVLAHxbqRRJtHwCw/s4032/received_883672259833696.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7TjGPTJqnuj4mmiG47rXR-kX4lm4szHIhTJPvLMpALtmeNMGmRiKqdG2nl-gH9Kgi2jEto85MJ_hvXY9mVFT83SZUFnOSGf5LycvoJwgRKdZEyhe4sj8YsUV9WwFRmJgM8lqTjU-Gl_DjP4-k4mSFWLo2kBuAE4d2kpg2-BVLAHxbqRRJtHwCw/s320/received_883672259833696.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Rachel helped cut out the fabric to make a Bob Bilby puppet. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEg3SFOCeZDyTNcyP19Z7HFtHOgUZL_XuSHgYBr5CbTGjKyeOglRQv-D6Gf1ZbRszHf3Erjw_lO1c4MP_UmD20CXIUZ9kyjV0PyxvVYl-xnqmrP3hTLm2bvlMZ4jrtPFjV7QUgNiLEC7Q30GHU4CVEziOseYyjE7eXiz63PAgI_gODMC8HSl4lzg/s4032/PXL_20231125_054716146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEg3SFOCeZDyTNcyP19Z7HFtHOgUZL_XuSHgYBr5CbTGjKyeOglRQv-D6Gf1ZbRszHf3Erjw_lO1c4MP_UmD20CXIUZ9kyjV0PyxvVYl-xnqmrP3hTLm2bvlMZ4jrtPFjV7QUgNiLEC7Q30GHU4CVEziOseYyjE7eXiz63PAgI_gODMC8HSl4lzg/s320/PXL_20231125_054716146.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I printed <i>Bluey </i>bunting. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIu_OpcSw8gUErT-nPKggcHTDCH_9QbFb48j6G4188BQ_bR_xDvIjmJ6wfGL8fuKgiBA-ogbnqVh2sFTsYOmj5MHkXM0FlcjJv6vgnqJF2hoeBXSnNKHrAvqq5Wx9tiChzCeiEE5lxI0P7_Xw0zhfemlxqoAj7RFWXUUF0jVGDOde6XNeEq9Mpg/s4032/PXL_20231118_213430134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIu_OpcSw8gUErT-nPKggcHTDCH_9QbFb48j6G4188BQ_bR_xDvIjmJ6wfGL8fuKgiBA-ogbnqVh2sFTsYOmj5MHkXM0FlcjJv6vgnqJF2hoeBXSnNKHrAvqq5Wx9tiChzCeiEE5lxI0P7_Xw0zhfemlxqoAj7RFWXUUF0jVGDOde6XNeEq9Mpg/s320/PXL_20231118_213430134.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Even though it sounds like the actual day was going to be a lot of TV watching, it really wasn't. The girls did watch a bit before breakfast (proffertjes), but then we ate and went to church just like normal. When we got home, we popped it on again, but the girls were also colouring some <i>Bluey </i>pictures while we watched and chatted. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWeWx1DeouRGYtxOCDk7pXdTVx2Kn2K59RXhZNZFj5S-P1VmeaDimAgWHq5XXAeUPewvsv7KE2phG-vaPR4M-UjIpDfbZMDXsTmHNj_YyjmXr12dyyFLI15o2BWdImbPXWCQ9zEV9AV6RsBIBwa6OoSqxqNf5woTGI2X5QYFrk7IYM8yZvkn1CA/s4032/PXL_20231119_025100951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWeWx1DeouRGYtxOCDk7pXdTVx2Kn2K59RXhZNZFj5S-P1VmeaDimAgWHq5XXAeUPewvsv7KE2phG-vaPR4M-UjIpDfbZMDXsTmHNj_YyjmXr12dyyFLI15o2BWdImbPXWCQ9zEV9AV6RsBIBwa6OoSqxqNf5woTGI2X5QYFrk7IYM8yZvkn1CA/s320/PXL_20231119_025100951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>We took a break for our <i>Bluey </i>themed lunch (sausages and capsicum salad with Aunty Mary's dressing) and Hugo came over, so the three kids went off to have a swim together at our neighbor's place. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFp2W9m_1Z_9Ja4qsswqs2DOf-WNerb2BgQy5J8aEeKjf8Qa1F2WVZpMyYUNFaOCgPdvt8QBh_81QZ7CfaF376andIeMf1suqEDpxGIltX3YEyg9lchuT85irhDdy4Heccf4OQpEHsqcvKOT8-QG4m9fnDlRh6p-gTgioy1AZmydqHYALZvm2TQ/s4032/PXL_20231119_025918601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFp2W9m_1Z_9Ja4qsswqs2DOf-WNerb2BgQy5J8aEeKjf8Qa1F2WVZpMyYUNFaOCgPdvt8QBh_81QZ7CfaF376andIeMf1suqEDpxGIltX3YEyg9lchuT85irhDdy4Heccf4OQpEHsqcvKOT8-QG4m9fnDlRh6p-gTgioy1AZmydqHYALZvm2TQ/s320/PXL_20231119_025918601.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Steve was sadly missing most of this day, since he and his brother went to Bundaberg for the weekend to help his dad move. He made it back for the last hour of Bluey though, so did get to see the top ten. It was so fun to watch together and we all agreed the top episode (<i>Cricket</i>) was an excellent one. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40kemG0VYaVlQyNEhHDBRm07-eZSPZaDmwf1qakgiibPFIrXEF0X4Ox0bFm1g_MfMPbyTDyyCQNnamVG8FkuODqoeONo99tix9NlxCgy5bAsdiVqfLv61qHauQeOZrtYFKiml9D_Lsnjii8eSYO2TBBkGHWzwCrzVv6soVswwLS-MLylETgfmWQ/s4032/PXL_20231125_054541196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40kemG0VYaVlQyNEhHDBRm07-eZSPZaDmwf1qakgiibPFIrXEF0X4Ox0bFm1g_MfMPbyTDyyCQNnamVG8FkuODqoeONo99tix9NlxCgy5bAsdiVqfLv61qHauQeOZrtYFKiml9D_Lsnjii8eSYO2TBBkGHWzwCrzVv6soVswwLS-MLylETgfmWQ/s320/PXL_20231125_054541196.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Still not sure why the grannies episodes are so high up though. </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-43758034395831075762023-12-16T13:33:00.005+10:002023-12-16T13:33:52.990+10:00Christmas Skirt<p>I interrupt the regular programing of 2023 (otherwise known as "blogging about things that happened a while a go") to bring you a special post (otherwise known as "catching up on things that happened in 2022). Exciting times I know. This post starts with a very ramble-ly backstory, so strap yourselves in. </p><p>Seventeen years ago, Steve had a 21st Birthday party that was a multicultural themed costume party. I had wanted to make a flamenco dress, but in the interests of time/money/skill I had just made a red skirt with ruffles and white off-the-shoulder shirt instead. (You can see a quickly snapped photo of it <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2006/11/weee-pretty-picture-of-me-from-big.html">here</a> if you are desperate.)</p><p>Sixteen years ago, for my 21st, Steve gave me the pattern and most gorgeous red material to make my flamenco dress dream come true. What a true champion he was. </p><p>I didn't blog about it at the time, because I was rather disorganized about blogging in those early years, but sometime between April of 2007 and July of 2007 I not only broke my hand, but also managed to sew a flamenco dress for myself. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nkXkfxw65ruaOTVy-D1xPh3Fq3FNpRJ6Tm7ug6S25m09m4NshIJmoYQr3oml-v-JysGz5I-WdlFaM0F1bIfPGI9shKle_YtmgbVIb9-QPUbxRjXhNqav7WAbIM6IXphS86r6Zm0uxLWfPUReqZoUEoBHjBHlXQzGfK-XieKD6_1FikOML9cUOw/s1279/IMG_0372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1279" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nkXkfxw65ruaOTVy-D1xPh3Fq3FNpRJ6Tm7ug6S25m09m4NshIJmoYQr3oml-v-JysGz5I-WdlFaM0F1bIfPGI9shKle_YtmgbVIb9-QPUbxRjXhNqav7WAbIM6IXphS86r6Zm0uxLWfPUReqZoUEoBHjBHlXQzGfK-XieKD6_1FikOML9cUOw/s320/IMG_0372.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I wore it first to a winter ball in 2007, and then not many time since. Maybe to a fancy dress party or two over the years. It was an easy costume for anything with a movie theme because it is pretty much exactly what Fran wears at the end of Strictly Ballroom. (If you have not seen this Australian classic, you must. Right now.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCiQLtmo0U4mkgNM7wIBCOPIm73xFge-VCJ6ysqR8k18XLIK7qR041lcY7nYtP0Bdj-gjUK5j2mulbWQ-S9MJQR9IcA24_sbM-2kT7M3SczOOd3v2f6Os7ATTFzzGZ_Lsgg01jEtd8nWUrfXiX4ehTEZHzykYwUhTEWQqW9LvWt852IEhROeujA/s960/FB_IMG_1639423486985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCiQLtmo0U4mkgNM7wIBCOPIm73xFge-VCJ6ysqR8k18XLIK7qR041lcY7nYtP0Bdj-gjUK5j2mulbWQ-S9MJQR9IcA24_sbM-2kT7M3SczOOd3v2f6Os7ATTFzzGZ_Lsgg01jEtd8nWUrfXiX4ehTEZHzykYwUhTEWQqW9LvWt852IEhROeujA/s320/FB_IMG_1639423486985.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I did most recently wear it to a Christmas party for work in 2021. It was masquerade theme, which I figured lent itself to a somewhat fancy dress. There is nothing more amazing than this beautiful dress for a night out, let me tell you. </p><p>Welcome to 2022, I notice that I have exactly this much of the original fabric left and I think to myself, maybe I can make a skirt. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Hp_bx1LMfDDOEkPwe90Rh8UZXQZykLgXamX8dlV8bpuFSdkRqOcu2zTu4z2TKm5wMABFYkpMi1XzVoC2760ZLb7camqwFbCW24762kZ518UEXerd4K_pZEuQmeoyJa4ZlXsYxUk284fIx-SJWk07G6QgSpakAR-fuFr7wfQHXVatmzJy3FlMzQ/s4032/PXL_20221218_055108716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Hp_bx1LMfDDOEkPwe90Rh8UZXQZykLgXamX8dlV8bpuFSdkRqOcu2zTu4z2TKm5wMABFYkpMi1XzVoC2760ZLb7camqwFbCW24762kZ518UEXerd4K_pZEuQmeoyJa4ZlXsYxUk284fIx-SJWk07G6QgSpakAR-fuFr7wfQHXVatmzJy3FlMzQ/s320/PXL_20221218_055108716.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Decided I wanted as much of a circle skirt as I could get (turned out to be a half) and I made it slightly longer in the back (and promptly got zero good photos of that). Inquisitive Rachel helped me with the pattern. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0YIrZl97ABIvIUu_g4pHk-4wb_nrfMIhMVDJVb6aRSAS8De0e9NYrUP83kUpThx0bt3QQXj0dcxckVWVWDnLPbjLres71bjZPVl7KhyUw0bA7wlTvlP4XXfbpye1u51KFBeRX8wPkn5VyLSktzxUzO9zX78I0V8wFo0is_SkvjRqoAKhbyLqJQ/s4032/PXL_20221218_040547898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0YIrZl97ABIvIUu_g4pHk-4wb_nrfMIhMVDJVb6aRSAS8De0e9NYrUP83kUpThx0bt3QQXj0dcxckVWVWDnLPbjLres71bjZPVl7KhyUw0bA7wlTvlP4XXfbpye1u51KFBeRX8wPkn5VyLSktzxUzO9zX78I0V8wFo0is_SkvjRqoAKhbyLqJQ/s320/PXL_20221218_040547898.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Then I added pockets, sewed the waistband and had a perfect skirt for Christmas. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9zzJa8f_VH0ttHThAz-vFKOG2LU_2gv0pXZv-r-onLRWxn1K9YO2i-w9cXa3fRitdm_y2_AN-szW3s02oLvkyXydDW3ca-N00Tl1-ll_XbI7XKCbtWyd7Yf9eZq89xVYY2RXoJ0MbXCOv1tKv2VBGicFHNgnnPfqoNUGubmKLtJj9Yw8ikqZZw/s3264/PXL_20221225_005629073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9zzJa8f_VH0ttHThAz-vFKOG2LU_2gv0pXZv-r-onLRWxn1K9YO2i-w9cXa3fRitdm_y2_AN-szW3s02oLvkyXydDW3ca-N00Tl1-ll_XbI7XKCbtWyd7Yf9eZq89xVYY2RXoJ0MbXCOv1tKv2VBGicFHNgnnPfqoNUGubmKLtJj9Yw8ikqZZw/s320/PXL_20221225_005629073.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, since I sewed it in the literal week before Christmas, I didn't get a chance to blog about it then. And January was busy. Then it felt too late since it was a Christmas skirt. To be honest, 2023 kinda got away from me. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoN3UAeZ96h05hQe_jMUYCp2d9f0LfNf8FRBKM8nMPEsse1gLKfXpe_7JhbO297Sc7xLi8mNeVv9y1LusLqz9rlCSez07TEjWgBOOP_zyY3lrROdBIzmJRteAnt3QMHCiN_Y1oB2e8y4ngadYPN7PTpGmlf2s6df4A9V311aaC9Pc3GMBP3Lp6Q/s4032/PXL_20221221_205821806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoN3UAeZ96h05hQe_jMUYCp2d9f0LfNf8FRBKM8nMPEsse1gLKfXpe_7JhbO297Sc7xLi8mNeVv9y1LusLqz9rlCSez07TEjWgBOOP_zyY3lrROdBIzmJRteAnt3QMHCiN_Y1oB2e8y4ngadYPN7PTpGmlf2s6df4A9V311aaC9Pc3GMBP3Lp6Q/s320/PXL_20221221_205821806.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>But here we are, Christmas time again. So why not record it now, before it's forgotten forever? </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-51935278110542885622023-11-28T08:40:00.000+10:002023-11-28T08:40:02.919+10:00Spontaneous Star Wars Stormtrooper<p>I was not planning on making this. Indeed, when my nephew called with the request, my initial response was thanks but no. Unfortunately it turns out I love a sewing challenge more than is probably healthy.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFObhPe52j1bgfgBEb2scVRypEUocCgbG9j2YgoZtsq3lTQ6eF4KK0Bg1oJ6aJ0nkv9ZreyMRN_krh9IixLAd1GO_icV1bB-B1yVdt-1lKsdiWCyN4R7FYYFO7w-WMxc6lyefdsqeauMQPznImlql2vmGBiAIF6eI6Ln0LR5ddsTEvaUO_E1Ddw/s4032/received_364610015920511.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFObhPe52j1bgfgBEb2scVRypEUocCgbG9j2YgoZtsq3lTQ6eF4KK0Bg1oJ6aJ0nkv9ZreyMRN_krh9IixLAd1GO_icV1bB-B1yVdt-1lKsdiWCyN4R7FYYFO7w-WMxc6lyefdsqeauMQPznImlql2vmGBiAIF6eI6Ln0LR5ddsTEvaUO_E1Ddw/s320/received_364610015920511.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>So he is the scenario: My nephew Hugo, flushed with cash from spending two hours cleaning the house, decides he wants to buy a Stormtrooper costume. Not wanting some cheep polyester rubbish (can't blame her!), Sarah redirects this request by suggesting Hugo ask me to make it and pay me instead. As I said, my initial thought was no. Stormtrooper costumes are so complicated and layered and yuck. Not something I wanted to venture into. </p><p></p><p>But I told Hugo I'd think it over and let him know. When I hung up the phone, I was thinking it over and my mind refused to let it go. How could I solve this puzzle? A comfortable, wearable and also recognisable Stormtrooper costume. Was it possible? </p><p>I did a bit of research on the internet of what other people did for a DIY Stormtrooper costume, and found that people resoundingly made them out of foam or cardboard, but that the reviews were "looked great, kids loved the photos, but they couldn't wear it long term, it was too uncomfortable". So could I make one that was comfortable enough for my nine year old nephew to run around and have a nurf gun battle with his mates? Also remembering that this is Australia, and he's likely to overheat even in October. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiYMQtTIHtjOekYsf6baHrSp0BEJ6xQv310bJydDNUp5iDim2vFTMQpvLGasSXvQlELvNOBpriYvTZaYX7iHQzlhUdCME55F9nzSqJo0X_Vy-N4FwpVyqsL11jnDHjDUKyVk9gl537y8WOm50wCD-F6JlGbrQbE6OOHNBLLSNJpBbZAC1znnb3w/s4032/PXL_20231009_095825964.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiYMQtTIHtjOekYsf6baHrSp0BEJ6xQv310bJydDNUp5iDim2vFTMQpvLGasSXvQlELvNOBpriYvTZaYX7iHQzlhUdCME55F9nzSqJo0X_Vy-N4FwpVyqsL11jnDHjDUKyVk9gl537y8WOm50wCD-F6JlGbrQbE6OOHNBLLSNJpBbZAC1znnb3w/s320/PXL_20231009_095825964.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I broke down the parts, and figured it came down to the vest, waist part and belt. If I could make those and potentially a pair of basic white pants, he should be right to go. Fabric is way more comfy than cardboard to wear, and all it would need would be some strong interfacing, which I happened to have leftover from making some obi earlier in the year. So, I got to work. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ouil7HTpBsukqvE4Nmvb2e3U-VnWkBkyF40ROroVKJaoEgN0MVLfI90QHc3-xxwvpdDU1IMA5UOxPJD7hG87sdaqzA4yp5tv-ryiVlU5wtbpBiNyJiXvuX_zsl69E9hvvvaWTrQevGwSH_ELwqie0RkshqwkPKjQ46mtwxt0Wa_urPfevAAW5Q/s4032/PXL_20231015_093550393.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ouil7HTpBsukqvE4Nmvb2e3U-VnWkBkyF40ROroVKJaoEgN0MVLfI90QHc3-xxwvpdDU1IMA5UOxPJD7hG87sdaqzA4yp5tv-ryiVlU5wtbpBiNyJiXvuX_zsl69E9hvvvaWTrQevGwSH_ELwqie0RkshqwkPKjQ46mtwxt0Wa_urPfevAAW5Q/s320/PXL_20231015_093550393.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I did this costume in a week and a half, so not many photos at all. I traced around the girls for a basic pattern, dug out white fabric from my stash (I think I bought it for cheep table cloths for Christmas over ten years ago) and got going. I hand sewed the features of that waist part at church. Everything else was pretty simple, and I managed to have all the parts in my stash - black elastic that had come from someone's stash at some point, a sturdy clip for the belt and some scrap velcro from who knows where. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtbfI4LpC1W7Ux2UYTGGBZGG3tuVYCLNRTpG_78p2bzv2VgUcVQRe75o2YMvhGnRMNpBgaaGmD7JvyOQM1P59pFEAZWvapHu1Ppjl6-Or-6giWAdyekGSbY0k-0Uckg_d-j9PcgcQc1yo7p5PhyphenhyphenMdMwJGsVMyJPjWxfRggng-DuYusYhH0H9vYQ/s4032/PXL_20231014_234043228.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtbfI4LpC1W7Ux2UYTGGBZGG3tuVYCLNRTpG_78p2bzv2VgUcVQRe75o2YMvhGnRMNpBgaaGmD7JvyOQM1P59pFEAZWvapHu1Ppjl6-Or-6giWAdyekGSbY0k-0Uckg_d-j9PcgcQc1yo7p5PhyphenhyphenMdMwJGsVMyJPjWxfRggng-DuYusYhH0H9vYQ/s320/PXL_20231014_234043228.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The vest needed a bit of extra shaping along with the super sturdy interfacing, so I added a layer of cotton batting. The belt has blocky parts on it, which I sewed on and stuffed with some random stuffing from an old pillow. I did end up having enough time (and fabric) to sew together a pair of white pants and we were good to go. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsHOKeM3GJzeNWSPtjJddbt397KLS7nCL4TiZST3d6qSFiEP5V80-gOqcjvj33kF-7yQ7ZpHbAlzITuct7CtbgGUHDt4D7oGu0d93o9BDslI0Fqi-V706KipqqRAR-RKrKH6pTpRGuKW3IpVIBMOMVduQmvxVFNYsz11O5j4mejgeq0yLgt9zqg/s4032/PXL_20231018_091412221.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsHOKeM3GJzeNWSPtjJddbt397KLS7nCL4TiZST3d6qSFiEP5V80-gOqcjvj33kF-7yQ7ZpHbAlzITuct7CtbgGUHDt4D7oGu0d93o9BDslI0Fqi-V706KipqqRAR-RKrKH6pTpRGuKW3IpVIBMOMVduQmvxVFNYsz11O5j4mejgeq0yLgt9zqg/s320/PXL_20231018_091412221.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Hugo had a mask and a white shirt at home already, and he was over the moon with his costume. I'm pretty happy about how it turned out too, for a week and a bit of sewing with no pattern at all, and no trips to Spotlight for whatever I didn't have. Hooray! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YW1o4oenUhyphenhyphenCvs2BPHeldVtfOpf84Ik3ZOvRtIfSYqOeEHb5UUyMTg-mlRrN4gZfK4iSV3Oswiz4DTrXNA92c7dsMVdlm_xGtofGbX9880Q3pubILjVeGVAdRWcZkILeEbs9ZXD_xB_vnU6rvr4elD2FVDr5NBS0TfEY9L6SrvadBcxTCHGtCA/s1712/received_718830056732543.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="1284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YW1o4oenUhyphenhyphenCvs2BPHeldVtfOpf84Ik3ZOvRtIfSYqOeEHb5UUyMTg-mlRrN4gZfK4iSV3Oswiz4DTrXNA92c7dsMVdlm_xGtofGbX9880Q3pubILjVeGVAdRWcZkILeEbs9ZXD_xB_vnU6rvr4elD2FVDr5NBS0TfEY9L6SrvadBcxTCHGtCA/s320/received_718830056732543.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-6020188971115345872023-11-18T11:05:00.000+10:002023-11-18T11:05:48.174+10:00Library Mural: Part 1<p> A little project for the September school holidays: just painting another mural at the girls school. This was designed by a local tattoo artist and is on the walls of the Library building. The decking outside the building has garden beds with grevillea and wattle flowers in it, often frequented by the colourful noisy lorikeets that inspired the mural. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cW5iUyz_u2cHKZnQOJYUWXnjsiC6_6nDfLZK2CeWoGIMwHd__L6dLVQ8-HRHwHB9UyRV9LQuKcNu5EceWo7n-_5nJRxD6TqWQn1p9Pcxohr9JUEXmIxz-igmb5r9NsPK7U2dFvD0JSlj_GhWxua2CQ6P0aysHL52a0n3FfGFv_KT5lnkcrDVYw/s4032/PXL_20230920_061653829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cW5iUyz_u2cHKZnQOJYUWXnjsiC6_6nDfLZK2CeWoGIMwHd__L6dLVQ8-HRHwHB9UyRV9LQuKcNu5EceWo7n-_5nJRxD6TqWQn1p9Pcxohr9JUEXmIxz-igmb5r9NsPK7U2dFvD0JSlj_GhWxua2CQ6P0aysHL52a0n3FfGFv_KT5lnkcrDVYw/s320/PXL_20230920_061653829.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>We did this one panel, but the plan is for the mural to wrap around to the adjacent walls too. Maybe next holidays? </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-91282807213465488992023-11-13T09:07:00.001+10:002023-11-13T09:07:14.859+10:00Kimono Days<p>Wearing traditional Japanese clothes, at least through the cooler autumn to spring months, has become increasingly regular for me this year. I like the comfort and simplicity of the <i>yukata</i> and the warmth of the <i>kimono</i>. Even though I've historically worn my <i>kimono</i> significantly less, I'm really beginning to appreciate the warmth through the winter months these days. Maybe I'm getting old and feeling the cold more, who knows!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BR1Qty0jeZMQldk939ecygmKB3hiuTNQhHd2qMa8_wr6Xrmx61ulYHIqFB1-9yWGQAXi9fNhiJhI3cXS9-nlJP5NPcmcKVUDZ97kNkm1NTlv-HT87J6uNZplgnupVjDVdcprqn9aZHzGHYphlK1vyR5rnH7Xo4QdyHuJcxzIs4wMIN5Q4MqTcw/s4032/PXL_20230718_201752431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BR1Qty0jeZMQldk939ecygmKB3hiuTNQhHd2qMa8_wr6Xrmx61ulYHIqFB1-9yWGQAXi9fNhiJhI3cXS9-nlJP5NPcmcKVUDZ97kNkm1NTlv-HT87J6uNZplgnupVjDVdcprqn9aZHzGHYphlK1vyR5rnH7Xo4QdyHuJcxzIs4wMIN5Q4MqTcw/s320/PXL_20230718_201752431.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Side note - love this </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/09/final-kimono.html">kimono</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"> so much! Such a beautiful warm wool! Made it myself and same with the </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/09/sewing-obi.html">obi</a></i><span style="text-align: left;">. (So hard to photograph at ten to six in the morning by yourself in a bathroom that is currently having a sink drain replacement!)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Since July though, I've had extra reason to be reaching for these when I'm considering my wardrobe choices in the morning, because I picked up an extra day of teaching Japanese at a new school. I wasn't really looking for more work, though Steve and I had thrown around the idea of me increasing to four days next year, but my principal came to me and said she had a friend who really needed a Japanese teacher. I figured why not? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBDDBySziTV6sg-MxWagcxsKx9w9mHwm-gKc-hwwnoKpUV2Zll3eVCNLQFOY9jS7MzsY7svHDzRQ3T9YjtvAlPyLCYTEmz_GyvNyXARqN8D1aP5CJ-YNjr7Yr97O9Ot7VuZwNebgBsYGgtrpMlrHGe5EhTXU-Ua2GFQelK0n6tn2kM0FrWGQM8w/s4032/PXL_20230803_031233161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBDDBySziTV6sg-MxWagcxsKx9w9mHwm-gKc-hwwnoKpUV2Zll3eVCNLQFOY9jS7MzsY7svHDzRQ3T9YjtvAlPyLCYTEmz_GyvNyXARqN8D1aP5CJ-YNjr7Yr97O9Ot7VuZwNebgBsYGgtrpMlrHGe5EhTXU-Ua2GFQelK0n6tn2kM0FrWGQM8w/s320/PXL_20230803_031233161.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>The job was literally handed to me (I got to choose my classes and day that I worked), and it was the same school system, so I figured if I liked it, a transfer would be easier. I just signed a six month contract, thinking that would be enough time to see if I firstly, could actually handle four days a week, and then if I liked it enough to stay. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKgFjSxv7x-QPFDqW9uXlLsi7Ll7kAa5f0QlP7Q2W89ZBRvPvh4hiOsAV8YDMjRXkR8O0ZNxryshLi8t1dg7PTaxgSED8oxlNa6gSc82Eco0a7sbgApPIiPmT7shgngdWBgDayS05vy-IRozroSz9y88qbD32WQgNQpnSxSNqoKI9QclRuPXgXg/s3264/PXL_20230726_053204448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKgFjSxv7x-QPFDqW9uXlLsi7Ll7kAa5f0QlP7Q2W89ZBRvPvh4hiOsAV8YDMjRXkR8O0ZNxryshLi8t1dg7PTaxgSED8oxlNa6gSc82Eco0a7sbgApPIiPmT7shgngdWBgDayS05vy-IRozroSz9y88qbD32WQgNQpnSxSNqoKI9QclRuPXgXg/s320/PXL_20230726_053204448.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>A day a week at a new school solely teaching Japanese was the perfect chance to wear a different kimono each week. I actually have enough that I could have worn them with no repeats, so that was a little bit my motivation, especially to challenge myself to wear some of the kimono that I haven't gotten out for a long time. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGNWFqgpXoD0mUAhm8BIKW-jG2c-WKMznnSzbARoQVo7-G57PUE97ZsJEf4dChiIlKqnkluQCBicymBbzUC_lHM8vBPsfiI7nwY6Ygy2sk0FU3KqYNdOxsdW5jo5DjPhp-xvIkgw4ePJeZ751Tt-QHXeUe-j_Ro7-E9Lw3sQgptzjN7sdG3Ty6A/s3264/PXL_20230913_004345767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGNWFqgpXoD0mUAhm8BIKW-jG2c-WKMznnSzbARoQVo7-G57PUE97ZsJEf4dChiIlKqnkluQCBicymBbzUC_lHM8vBPsfiI7nwY6Ygy2sk0FU3KqYNdOxsdW5jo5DjPhp-xvIkgw4ePJeZ751Tt-QHXeUe-j_Ro7-E9Lw3sQgptzjN7sdG3Ty6A/s320/PXL_20230913_004345767.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I started pretty strong, but a kimono does take longer to put on in the morning, and the weather did warm up, so I switched to yukata toward the end of term three. I'm glad I did challenge myself to give it a go though, because I did learn that one of my kimono is just too small for me (pictured below). It's a vintage one that Sarah bought in Japan the first time she went, so it's beautiful, but small. You can still wear it, but it takes a lot of fiddling to get it looking just right. Sadly not worth it in my books, especially when I have eight other options I can choose from. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqjN-C49_j0goA3YNe9-_Uz19Sl78ltW5Svgref35CIjPVVnrB-1zTmiOobjQFy5v-4fqdecehgqWYmcu9oXg-96eDRwefWutKMTOTtyEYsHAUmxDlISv1uaE6turiw00jVVWIJ-IPRCARaggFiHbGB1P-fJrtnFF3fA_YpicBHXliUvb7bsiaQ/s3264/PXL_20230808_220302066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqjN-C49_j0goA3YNe9-_Uz19Sl78ltW5Svgref35CIjPVVnrB-1zTmiOobjQFy5v-4fqdecehgqWYmcu9oXg-96eDRwefWutKMTOTtyEYsHAUmxDlISv1uaE6turiw00jVVWIJ-IPRCARaggFiHbGB1P-fJrtnFF3fA_YpicBHXliUvb7bsiaQ/s320/PXL_20230808_220302066.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Challenging myself to wear theses each week with no repeats made me really work hard mixing up which obi I wore with each yukata/kimono and finding new ways to tie them. Even though no one else noticed, I loved it! I forgot to take photos of myself every week, but hopefully this gives you an idea. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZ2-sJoGMX3lb4sxazJGNYWxsd6cBiLpg9xWWz6kWoAdJlpxBC8AYCOaVu6_rSIL6H3Hz_MdGaPPzu94PFyUNTCbD1xnYridbCQup3F1McsZZMcU35OykeQyj8WaYDya3HQtGvT06dqQMhFPkJLoBaolUZYZVxS5GZeCet_VHGttm6fTa4EhOdQ/s3264/PXL_20231011_061253231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZ2-sJoGMX3lb4sxazJGNYWxsd6cBiLpg9xWWz6kWoAdJlpxBC8AYCOaVu6_rSIL6H3Hz_MdGaPPzu94PFyUNTCbD1xnYridbCQup3F1McsZZMcU35OykeQyj8WaYDya3HQtGvT06dqQMhFPkJLoBaolUZYZVxS5GZeCet_VHGttm6fTa4EhOdQ/s320/PXL_20231011_061253231.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>In term four, I figured I would make it through October but have to give up in November as the weather is usually just a little too hot for comfort by then. I was right about the end of October being a little uncomfortable, but November started unseasonably cool. I could have made it at least another two weeks! Alas, I had already spent an afternoon packing up all of the yukata and kimono from the floor/walls of my room and I wasn't committed enough to get them out again. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1brtyYFvev5pvYWhYkQLR1kuDqAWCDFvzkqciHVhiJlKZSreLOI22BcXP05qAHwyYDvHZXaFNak7FAwI4297xyCq9ytNZ7bYIdG-j9Y909Luw2FlniQQxcShWBNEzolLqEQcXXPcPPBiNgxyR6GlPdta1fZGLr5V2QO3lQCCG3cza3u8tIMITA/s3264/PXL_20230711_202806751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1brtyYFvev5pvYWhYkQLR1kuDqAWCDFvzkqciHVhiJlKZSreLOI22BcXP05qAHwyYDvHZXaFNak7FAwI4297xyCq9ytNZ7bYIdG-j9Y909Luw2FlniQQxcShWBNEzolLqEQcXXPcPPBiNgxyR6GlPdta1fZGLr5V2QO3lQCCG3cza3u8tIMITA/s320/PXL_20230711_202806751.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I had an uncharacteristic amount of Japanese outfits to clean up because my family had joined me in traditional dress for a Japanese evening in the Botanical Gardens. We sat in the Japanese Gardens eating our bento and enjoying Japanese music together. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOr3ieD-i4NVL_R5p8FsioRV8XE2BdT-afWv5kG-FnsmJfNYR1Z9Tl5OH8HnBESeOTAk1zkpMHaApQdkLrRqt6lrX1wzEQtSTxNWKSt2rqqX9_TgkSUhrvgeMVL_EgFJ93v1Ukq4RPacuD46a65_6mOL48a6VViLja6Him93GHZSqdoGRfUcjNlQ/s3007/PXL_20231007_064923949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3007" data-original-width="2291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOr3ieD-i4NVL_R5p8FsioRV8XE2BdT-afWv5kG-FnsmJfNYR1Z9Tl5OH8HnBESeOTAk1zkpMHaApQdkLrRqt6lrX1wzEQtSTxNWKSt2rqqX9_TgkSUhrvgeMVL_EgFJ93v1Ukq4RPacuD46a65_6mOL48a6VViLja6Him93GHZSqdoGRfUcjNlQ/s320/PXL_20231007_064923949.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><p>Perfection</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2M7Z3eqEKAY1aVSKxpd87KjZRi5KAxscatWpyxC9kwxEkNBV7Lpl0ipJhk8o1JfCs29kjkARdRyiCjC2aaW-ZviqFZOhdayrSbuyeLMgEbBSeHRYnvEw4EgOqtqvb1EGiTCtJpMCUv4MJ7zWXiGyiS9aYl8h-q29W_ZEH11nQizB_8q5QmyAKg/s4032/PXL_20231007_075228506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2M7Z3eqEKAY1aVSKxpd87KjZRi5KAxscatWpyxC9kwxEkNBV7Lpl0ipJhk8o1JfCs29kjkARdRyiCjC2aaW-ZviqFZOhdayrSbuyeLMgEbBSeHRYnvEw4EgOqtqvb1EGiTCtJpMCUv4MJ7zWXiGyiS9aYl8h-q29W_ZEH11nQizB_8q5QmyAKg/s320/PXL_20231007_075228506.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-23681213573441054502023-10-21T07:27:00.001+10:002023-10-21T07:27:09.210+10:00Travel Blog: Cairns 2023Australia is beautiful. Sometimes I forget just how big it is, and how little of it we have seen, but it turns out, it's really worth exploring. This year, we've already done a little trip to <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/08/travel-blog-canberra-2023.html">Canberra</a>, but our main holiday for the year was nearly two weeks in Cairns. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div>We considered driving, but the added time it would take just didn't seem feasible. We have friends who are currently doing a three year placement in Cook Town, so we knew we'd be doing a chunk of driving to get there. Visiting them was a major factor in going up north so we ended up flying and hiring a car. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cairns was warm, even in June, but the nights were chilly. We started by doing the touristy things, like taking a boat out to Green Island and snorkeling. The reef there was beautiful, even if the water was a little chilly. The trouble with snorkeling is that it's something that does take time to figure out how to do, and was particularly tricky for our girls. Sophie was less than persistent, though Rachel gave it a good go. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETbcTINAbo_Sz333k1bWwo8MH6CE7Bkl5pXxht0ofdUy7wzk178g3L63qK_wmlD6B31plRq8dAqm-ZFb60NzUNsvWfWRDkbqrfK2Ay_xTq1SHwXe0pNHZ3oUMikOkZ_a67w8Y1_wywkYTUrzP-64V6IOeDl3COBcLAMnVgH0l0QpsmiglDwCNoQ/s3248/PXL_20230626_044719315.PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1661" data-original-width="3248" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETbcTINAbo_Sz333k1bWwo8MH6CE7Bkl5pXxht0ofdUy7wzk178g3L63qK_wmlD6B31plRq8dAqm-ZFb60NzUNsvWfWRDkbqrfK2Ay_xTq1SHwXe0pNHZ3oUMikOkZ_a67w8Y1_wywkYTUrzP-64V6IOeDl3COBcLAMnVgH0l0QpsmiglDwCNoQ/s320/PXL_20230626_044719315.PANO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Even on the beach, there was lots to see and explore. Everyone was feeling pretty meh about the boat ride over. Steve had taken sea sickness tablets, but it got the girls, especially Rachel. Poor kid had a rough time on the way back especially, but luckily managed to sleep for part of it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next day we went out to Kuranda on the sky rail. We a little bit wished we had more time up there, because by the time we got up, did the Butterfly House and had lunch, there wasn't quite enough time to do a walk around before heading back on the train, but oh well.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83Ggj7aoTjH1f_WB0RN3xU0-k_f2s9rccTvi69uPWj3gey0TqrgOND3MF5XUkv8qjzLW-9gFyAcClUzkTlRv8B_s5xqy8uLyZyXD9-dzxLZb_YzYnLfdy77LmPku0UUUMA8hsJRyRCd4eBjjmMuvmJKHUgLj-jqXzU_3d9fLFw93RMuqzONHAaA/s3264/PXL_20230626_232356029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83Ggj7aoTjH1f_WB0RN3xU0-k_f2s9rccTvi69uPWj3gey0TqrgOND3MF5XUkv8qjzLW-9gFyAcClUzkTlRv8B_s5xqy8uLyZyXD9-dzxLZb_YzYnLfdy77LmPku0UUUMA8hsJRyRCd4eBjjmMuvmJKHUgLj-jqXzU_3d9fLFw93RMuqzONHAaA/s320/PXL_20230626_232356029.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div> <br /><br />The Sky Rail up was so beautiful and well worth it. But the real highlight here was the Butterfly House. Rachel was in insect heaven, and they even landed on Sophie sometimes, we think they were drawn to the colour of her backpack. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fgH_5lG5N8LybVfUvyLhueVI7bjQl0mD18IE-CvoY3OjlOBvalQIoVcSNILYvcsi5czvQbGVNDxH7TEhdIAs2PVxt7F11sYeHjJ7zTH8_tnqTfklLdztnJ1TCvRzcpn2-I9S0rMkDTWjfOeXsY0TlGfk1A2j7M-KyG7SkxLhPpi9MPGEaAwdYA/s4032/PXL_20230627_010903881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fgH_5lG5N8LybVfUvyLhueVI7bjQl0mD18IE-CvoY3OjlOBvalQIoVcSNILYvcsi5czvQbGVNDxH7TEhdIAs2PVxt7F11sYeHjJ7zTH8_tnqTfklLdztnJ1TCvRzcpn2-I9S0rMkDTWjfOeXsY0TlGfk1A2j7M-KyG7SkxLhPpi9MPGEaAwdYA/s320/PXL_20230627_010903881.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Exploring the Tablelands was next on our agenda, which was going to be lots more fun before the girls got car sick from the windy roads. Luckily we still had the sea sickness tablets, so we gave them half doses and took it easy. We went to the cheese place for some amazing cheese, and checked out some waterfalls and rainforest walks. The Curtain Fig was lots of fun. We also went to a gem and minerals museum which had a really cool walk through set up and the girls cracked their own geode at the end. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YS3WesbT0SxuEAs3T5f9kbCTvqksryoaWIXO-JuhSJsMlN7WQnS2g42MZYEXSt_5tWSIw2L-f2HcXBMCuh75KqAKIH-_-lpQr-5GxAjDxsyfUcMv_uOxYi7dWYgf8H2nBkQ5BovVLYyBNzf_HndQeHxQalul1NPIFUzVwsjlnZR_SI9p6qqshw/s4032/PXL_20230628_020836535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YS3WesbT0SxuEAs3T5f9kbCTvqksryoaWIXO-JuhSJsMlN7WQnS2g42MZYEXSt_5tWSIw2L-f2HcXBMCuh75KqAKIH-_-lpQr-5GxAjDxsyfUcMv_uOxYi7dWYgf8H2nBkQ5BovVLYyBNzf_HndQeHxQalul1NPIFUzVwsjlnZR_SI9p6qqshw/s320/PXL_20230628_020836535.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirS3elH_7pa8lWPoOHEuXAKzPcJ3JyT8ntcCdUq-F3N7D7nsnkG3o7fWHb64Og3L66pAUntxF0bmSNqpqljT1W67QEKMGuhuEpgaKjIEnEXcnE-S-BeDdnwoY1YAnboSKZhnM8N0RjYrOS2aw103gujjFGlC0O23LP6HpQH82BqzO4JvIer9c3Q/s4032/PXL_20230628_040558447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirS3elH_7pa8lWPoOHEuXAKzPcJ3JyT8ntcCdUq-F3N7D7nsnkG3o7fWHb64Og3L66pAUntxF0bmSNqpqljT1W67QEKMGuhuEpgaKjIEnEXcnE-S-BeDdnwoY1YAnboSKZhnM8N0RjYrOS2aw103gujjFGlC0O23LP6HpQH82BqzO4JvIer9c3Q/s320/PXL_20230628_040558447.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Street friends of ours had recommended getting kayaks down Babinda Creek, so we made sure to have that on our to do list. It ended up being possibly the highlight of the trip. We went to a place where a guy put us in kayaks at the back of his property on the creek and then just the four of us sailed down for about 9ks. There was lots of fun just enjoying the cool water on the hot day, and we stopped on the creek bed for a picnic lunch. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTrcZf81-uNwZAL_Wh4U2ioXwAxG5RGN-E0TyYUZzZLpNmuXKJE02AcIO7kHE3y_b-vwiFcie7mKA9JaqJG2f-76iFoEgkBQSaYWwugY_DzqjqFeNPOONA3NIq9qA8KuHh9bhCl6aQCR3Nv7OO8jkNJ-pnLdYsZZNw4Caj9hGonAjaz_DeNOfQA/s3264/PXL_20230629_004935016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTrcZf81-uNwZAL_Wh4U2ioXwAxG5RGN-E0TyYUZzZLpNmuXKJE02AcIO7kHE3y_b-vwiFcie7mKA9JaqJG2f-76iFoEgkBQSaYWwugY_DzqjqFeNPOONA3NIq9qA8KuHh9bhCl6aQCR3Nv7OO8jkNJ-pnLdYsZZNw4Caj9hGonAjaz_DeNOfQA/s320/PXL_20230629_004935016.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Afterwards, we checked out Josephine Falls, and the girls braved some pretty freezing water to go down the rock slide. Kudos to Steve for spending the time and effort coaxing and encouraging them through the water to the top and sliding down with them. Rachel was keen to swim pretty much everywhere, even though it was actually quite chilly. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSF42R52HnLKfrSxHBfyrRJJZHfzuTK1yBwj7ibib5JCo9hzxCSmBgz8HnBkUBIf0DCTRteauMWA7JdqZkQPe40UF1E52_Tp5qlBeWnonfNoFnFaFHQ92_EUxkTgK3wCaKoFeCDbfTHZqy6SCKGF7CSffBguNLJHyGtbqeKoGgikWXqmIUHIo5w/s4032/PXL_20230629_035804282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSF42R52HnLKfrSxHBfyrRJJZHfzuTK1yBwj7ibib5JCo9hzxCSmBgz8HnBkUBIf0DCTRteauMWA7JdqZkQPe40UF1E52_Tp5qlBeWnonfNoFnFaFHQ92_EUxkTgK3wCaKoFeCDbfTHZqy6SCKGF7CSffBguNLJHyGtbqeKoGgikWXqmIUHIo5w/s320/PXL_20230629_035804282.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>After Josephine Falls we went up to Babinda Boulders for a look and managed to see a wild cassowary. Those birds truly look like dinosaurs have come alive. Hilariously though, when we got out of the car the first thing we saw was a random chicken strolling around the car park, so even though the cassowary was impressive and amazing, the more memorable moment for the girls was the chicken. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6al0IlEgwlqxUoeDiQp_bGkaSWfXcPguKkC6j0VzCNgH3PPwYGzYNxI5C2bxEVF2FkYyQqTwgMUElB0ICgi7vkViRzTJsyonCddgih9LMha-4sQPTDxbAuz9VljmmxoIVCfQdlfXK5NWLu8beDIEmy6jO0qhvNxSpnrEfo-wytq3Qcd0LM-j9Q/s4032/PXL_20230629_054905585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6al0IlEgwlqxUoeDiQp_bGkaSWfXcPguKkC6j0VzCNgH3PPwYGzYNxI5C2bxEVF2FkYyQqTwgMUElB0ICgi7vkViRzTJsyonCddgih9LMha-4sQPTDxbAuz9VljmmxoIVCfQdlfXK5NWLu8beDIEmy6jO0qhvNxSpnrEfo-wytq3Qcd0LM-j9Q/s320/PXL_20230629_054905585.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Then it was time for us to venture north to Cooktown! We listened to Artemis Fowl in the car on the way. Even after all the years of travel to Bundy, I'm still surprised that the girls can handle longer and longer car rides now. We did nearly three hours straight at one point! </div><div><br /></div><div>Cooktown was a real change of pace after five days of traveling all around Cairns. Little things to look at and enjoy, but mostly just time together and with friends. One thing that the girls found in Cooktown was the coconut trees with actual coconuts on them. Rachel explored around our accommodation and began a collection and was quickly obsessed with the idea of opening one to find out what was inside. It was quite the saga but the girls were victorious in the end and had the pleasure of drinking the water/milk and eating the fresh coconut. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eQ7wOdy1VXEyLMOcwU9raYjz1Hx2rF_ynzcRpYonPGwOO30Phj8x3bBFzszCq0k93wNMdUHMEFiTqtMU6g45Z0I_mpJdkBP0vKVr91bkNqnjDE1T411NDDjJ6D5SREj7c1mOp4m71qwfpd4ywG3-K7bjxzXOoW5e4fzj-uKlnCHLtcIIgsniww/s4886/PXL_20230702_063053685.PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1660" data-original-width="4886" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eQ7wOdy1VXEyLMOcwU9raYjz1Hx2rF_ynzcRpYonPGwOO30Phj8x3bBFzszCq0k93wNMdUHMEFiTqtMU6g45Z0I_mpJdkBP0vKVr91bkNqnjDE1T411NDDjJ6D5SREj7c1mOp4m71qwfpd4ywG3-K7bjxzXOoW5e4fzj-uKlnCHLtcIIgsniww/s320/PXL_20230702_063053685.PANO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the most beautiful places we went to was Cherry Tree Bay. A picturesque spot with lovely views on the walk there. Then our trip to Cooktown was over and we headed off to the Daintree. Unfortunately, this was where the weather for our trip turned a bit rubbish. We had planned to go to the Daintree via Mossman Gorge, so we could spend some time doing some rainforest walks there, but it was so so rainy and cold we didn't have any fun at all. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had a Daintree River cruise for crocodile spotting booked before we were going to take the ferry over into the Daintree proper, so we ended up just having to kill time and hope the rain would go away before we did that. It cleared up a little, which was a relief, and we did enjoy the river cruise, complete with crocodile spotting. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6W8mswK6_kJwY99yIIwP1KzC8PsB35vy8pfj5LJdnQ6TkJYggUNG_u1i_pHM8tvJVuPkpdiKFKDlALjV74l-DJC0kmzV1sLQFDpEtaa0Vl3i2HW1q6juKRIBCrz8alu1mK2uhq7mcJG-73SZxF7p0SiDcRsOrLQKMPEqwTcMn05gcgAxde_DAQ/s4032/PXL_20230703_055123585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6W8mswK6_kJwY99yIIwP1KzC8PsB35vy8pfj5LJdnQ6TkJYggUNG_u1i_pHM8tvJVuPkpdiKFKDlALjV74l-DJC0kmzV1sLQFDpEtaa0Vl3i2HW1q6juKRIBCrz8alu1mK2uhq7mcJG-73SZxF7p0SiDcRsOrLQKMPEqwTcMn05gcgAxde_DAQ/s320/PXL_20230703_055123585.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Daintree Rainforest is something to see. The way the thick rainforest creeps right up to the coast is rather spectacular. Still, the weather was not kind to us, so we couldn't enjoy it was much as we would have liked. I did like how relatively untouched the rainforest area is though, and really appreciate the way that it has been thus far protected. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqJau-fGF0r95yu_VHP4Kk_Ex8Ei1q6TxuebGaVK5oNK37jUqx_qQ3GfHQDLaQqEJZrQF585-7YhJIwKJaIOnUaB7tJeRC6tfvW1GbilVZO4YI6iL7rHNfqRl-HDTUIhWq8dDAiw-b4p0DebdwdCisAXBBAn7-wNnW7dnB2WbVZbcdAm_NvbyTg/s11048/IMG_20230704_112030062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="11048" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqJau-fGF0r95yu_VHP4Kk_Ex8Ei1q6TxuebGaVK5oNK37jUqx_qQ3GfHQDLaQqEJZrQF585-7YhJIwKJaIOnUaB7tJeRC6tfvW1GbilVZO4YI6iL7rHNfqRl-HDTUIhWq8dDAiw-b4p0DebdwdCisAXBBAn7-wNnW7dnB2WbVZbcdAm_NvbyTg/s320/IMG_20230704_112030062.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>We rolled back into Cairns for a last couple of nights before flying home. We asked the girls what they wanted to spend our last day doing, and top of their list was going kayaking again. When we told them they couldn't do that, we compromised by spending time at the water park on the esplanade and visiting a second hand bookstore in Cairns city. </div><div><br /></div><div>The girls hit the jackpot in the bookstore, as they had a huge stock of Tintin books in fantastic condition for a great price. They were so flushed with the victory of the Tintin book purchase that it was all they talked about for days. Even now, they read and re-read those Tintin books like they are the best thing since sliced bread. We have the animated series on DVD which they have watched before, but now they really like to study it and let me know when things have been missed out or changed from the original text when they are watching the episodes. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y_C9Gsi6X7YxLXBD9xG-T0o258haxTZGpPr02vqZP3e0EcTRVSVTKj6yuu8S_oe5CHk1_DVxN0l4KxLi-yShh4F__hPOaoGsrelKbgWEMxjtu-u4tt7nYn38CxdPBlPgBBtug-D54fkoIghwEhhB_WZeZGGiEYhTx84gchLrEdm8ZyE2lEdj1Q/s4032/PXL_20230705_211953141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y_C9Gsi6X7YxLXBD9xG-T0o258haxTZGpPr02vqZP3e0EcTRVSVTKj6yuu8S_oe5CHk1_DVxN0l4KxLi-yShh4F__hPOaoGsrelKbgWEMxjtu-u4tt7nYn38CxdPBlPgBBtug-D54fkoIghwEhhB_WZeZGGiEYhTx84gchLrEdm8ZyE2lEdj1Q/s320/PXL_20230705_211953141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>On our last night, we went out for Japanese dinner and then an ice cream treat and stroll through Cairns city before heading back to our AirBnB. We happened upon a street performer, so we stayed to watch and Steve got to be part of the show at the end. Girls were delighted. It was a nice change of pace to just take it easy for that last day and a half and enjoy being together.</div></div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-37062834675969926142023-09-19T09:57:00.000+10:002023-09-19T09:57:56.126+10:00Sewing Obi<p>While I've sewn many a <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/search/label/Yukata">yukata</a> or <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/search/label/Kimono">kimono</a> now, I don't think I've ever made an obi that I've gone on to wear. This year, I was gifted a box of fabric from some family friends which included two silk wrap things. The moment I saw them, I knew they were destined to be obi. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8s08yQhDocE6DoLPga0zScWJjFjMI_23z7e1bqE0H96InQSeUbSKbQBoHKrp5-zzsqJZKxhlgtmFPYSTOxx2EWg1X22Z6BmcRp_E8vRpt93FIqkgeE6Vkpw_d1WxtkNznZnIbSA9CmZ46UUCdH_4y2fi8x4LDpYSprL7bAIeRJuX_3BnVB3-UA/s4032/PXL_20230609_035241352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8s08yQhDocE6DoLPga0zScWJjFjMI_23z7e1bqE0H96InQSeUbSKbQBoHKrp5-zzsqJZKxhlgtmFPYSTOxx2EWg1X22Z6BmcRp_E8vRpt93FIqkgeE6Vkpw_d1WxtkNznZnIbSA9CmZ46UUCdH_4y2fi8x4LDpYSprL7bAIeRJuX_3BnVB3-UA/s320/PXL_20230609_035241352.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I washed them, unpicked them and lay them out. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegSmA2jq-rODpgX_Lc1Qy8-cg1kP-IA8kPEt_PQftzwUlaCCpPhjj3AABrGNrdLwCWVoCNR3aWhD3zp_eACX7TrM9G45B2yflBDPp4pf7CzPnHgGQroV5FZ_bOdQq6tcDR3ZvnOmaPTELUiDwK3VZH23Qlv8wFD9TmErm6ZUch_Dn8knT3v7Dhw/s4032/PXL_20230609_035305196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegSmA2jq-rODpgX_Lc1Qy8-cg1kP-IA8kPEt_PQftzwUlaCCpPhjj3AABrGNrdLwCWVoCNR3aWhD3zp_eACX7TrM9G45B2yflBDPp4pf7CzPnHgGQroV5FZ_bOdQq6tcDR3ZvnOmaPTELUiDwK3VZH23Qlv8wFD9TmErm6ZUch_Dn8knT3v7Dhw/s320/PXL_20230609_035305196.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUxxoAHqJCnX4COkGCnQjg5-a9WK0snAgqYazlL3c6Dy0p-GBXP01Os9lwpORZpWIQt7v_DFnFETEliWaNhMAzakvOkmbsW_cRJTsjeh5S__bb3uQ__LBFuIbdz2UEQXQr9_l_AQQkS81tksunv9vo4nl3a8N2Az_4LZmRtXnObBrGGgAJIahcQ/s4032/PXL_20230609_035249429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUxxoAHqJCnX4COkGCnQjg5-a9WK0snAgqYazlL3c6Dy0p-GBXP01Os9lwpORZpWIQt7v_DFnFETEliWaNhMAzakvOkmbsW_cRJTsjeh5S__bb3uQ__LBFuIbdz2UEQXQr9_l_AQQkS81tksunv9vo4nl3a8N2Az_4LZmRtXnObBrGGgAJIahcQ/s320/PXL_20230609_035249429.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>They had the most beautiful embroidery on them and I loved the colours, particularly the black and gold. Everything about these made me happy for sewing and the potential of taking something that wasn't being used and making it into something else. Hooray!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikW41PzpXYuOvOYbft9Loafwb_v_n1sdZ1ASAJQtVsEuna333aFpGzdBfbO7wuLKGznrq-9KB1gG-4XoF5_k8rEfFPrt4ahucIQetPOH14arQJbbJf2Zuhuel7wY8jJdPENDO9_QsWKrdMhzuTDhd_IEXjXhPX8cyghMyPpFTfeUAifa-9aX_bVA/s4032/PXL_20230609_093533186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikW41PzpXYuOvOYbft9Loafwb_v_n1sdZ1ASAJQtVsEuna333aFpGzdBfbO7wuLKGznrq-9KB1gG-4XoF5_k8rEfFPrt4ahucIQetPOH14arQJbbJf2Zuhuel7wY8jJdPENDO9_QsWKrdMhzuTDhd_IEXjXhPX8cyghMyPpFTfeUAifa-9aX_bVA/s320/PXL_20230609_093533186.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I bought some fancy interfacing stuff that I think is generally used to make jackets and lapels sit correctly, because I really wanted the silk to hold up as an obi without crinkling. Then it was a matter of cutting them into rectangles and sewing it all together. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8Mp2IX9Ve1LuwouBEFU3Kj6k7GijGGh9oDEjOZhpQGYwsUK3jl4j9ro429xIfgBSpY_Ys_R4ZQRjSjeYfVAxVOaFGfbyiMsiqxKwEuD-eMDlhXgfV6KreUiJ8a9yUBUTBB9CTSRPqF8H-rXqn1nzezTQ8NbzcX0Be8x3Sy5--JHRh-4MhapkmA/s3264/PXL_20230718_201811088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8Mp2IX9Ve1LuwouBEFU3Kj6k7GijGGh9oDEjOZhpQGYwsUK3jl4j9ro429xIfgBSpY_Ys_R4ZQRjSjeYfVAxVOaFGfbyiMsiqxKwEuD-eMDlhXgfV6KreUiJ8a9yUBUTBB9CTSRPqF8H-rXqn1nzezTQ8NbzcX0Be8x3Sy5--JHRh-4MhapkmA/s320/PXL_20230718_201811088.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The black one really does look stunning on, but it's so so difficult to get a photo of. I'm wearing it here with the <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/09/final-kimono.html">kimono</a> I made last year. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Qg49yfGjEyGRhPv0QYT75gxLwn1t4ZQuNWfmBQvY5UVWRr3LtaxHSDXgZ87dZ18C0nm7BONZR_t9VQnGkT63W3xdLusc28Zsnrjeh1Tit9dK5ruJ5aB5lYs_rV0vqZrGKtfMMVzLsO7fI6xQexhvYVoboS0fSDfHa_iv3mHuTVtyFGm8Ie85Wg/s4032/PXL_20230609_093507250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Qg49yfGjEyGRhPv0QYT75gxLwn1t4ZQuNWfmBQvY5UVWRr3LtaxHSDXgZ87dZ18C0nm7BONZR_t9VQnGkT63W3xdLusc28Zsnrjeh1Tit9dK5ruJ5aB5lYs_rV0vqZrGKtfMMVzLsO7fI6xQexhvYVoboS0fSDfHa_iv3mHuTVtyFGm8Ie85Wg/s320/PXL_20230609_093507250.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Can not say how much I love these. Guess I'll just have to wear my kimono more often so everyone can know. Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-83988912491086925112023-09-10T16:19:00.001+10:002023-09-10T16:19:07.185+10:00Happy Bento<p>Nothing more satisfying in life than a beautiful lunch greeting you on a hard day. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUuZr8S8-S1Um0jIgdkCPp90U8nja4GyiQaYLZ3tDw-s7hTxFKz7tci0nIfoL50msE1a71wbtCLIkIO_epa6cjKulPiYqhV0kjeMLpPWGIC2HTnM2JqiAA-cG_Rq_PDk4FnIzGOSsJ6JgAS-UFKnInSdwG5gqc6vKxtfQAvhODNnRkPdbzlj5-A/s4032/PXL_20230803_221504221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUuZr8S8-S1Um0jIgdkCPp90U8nja4GyiQaYLZ3tDw-s7hTxFKz7tci0nIfoL50msE1a71wbtCLIkIO_epa6cjKulPiYqhV0kjeMLpPWGIC2HTnM2JqiAA-cG_Rq_PDk4FnIzGOSsJ6JgAS-UFKnInSdwG5gqc6vKxtfQAvhODNnRkPdbzlj5-A/s320/PXL_20230803_221504221.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGLbZiwreYA_fbEGjMnggHZ0bEA4mvz7bHRIDkYNOIxPbVeu5PSV_Ca8kOGfWOVdOPjOa5wKh-TnCmcoqHelwVSRH8TEZ2u3LfFnpYepRaGf4xAujoRm46AQnPbAuS0PT4Q2crmyhOzWytoneDbF9VHQl5Yb3y6c8JjxR8cwgPzZqLgiUMGVtAQ/s4032/PXL_20230511_215038311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGLbZiwreYA_fbEGjMnggHZ0bEA4mvz7bHRIDkYNOIxPbVeu5PSV_Ca8kOGfWOVdOPjOa5wKh-TnCmcoqHelwVSRH8TEZ2u3LfFnpYepRaGf4xAujoRm46AQnPbAuS0PT4Q2crmyhOzWytoneDbF9VHQl5Yb3y6c8JjxR8cwgPzZqLgiUMGVtAQ/s320/PXL_20230511_215038311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy3xK3tD4dZvroSsp69GbPDPYun2qPE1cJ-lJvzl1k68jO_JRH64gKi09HYl7UuUebEnjLFSEkAOgMBzqTn65QaTZPF5hA96-Tx8gB4WTxTui-4NNqcE9PiChGOt9mEmnUyXAEYBElkhx4pQnceD3mli_5rlql1QtmtGEpaVCztrXoASk63rycQ/s4032/PXL_20230803_221452527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy3xK3tD4dZvroSsp69GbPDPYun2qPE1cJ-lJvzl1k68jO_JRH64gKi09HYl7UuUebEnjLFSEkAOgMBzqTn65QaTZPF5hA96-Tx8gB4WTxTui-4NNqcE9PiChGOt9mEmnUyXAEYBElkhx4pQnceD3mli_5rlql1QtmtGEpaVCztrXoASk63rycQ/s320/PXL_20230803_221452527.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Obviously these aren't every day occurrences, but when they pop up, it is indeed wonderful. </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-55594573322184939762023-09-08T10:13:00.000+10:002023-09-08T10:13:10.944+10:00Palate Cleanser<p>This was some sewing I did at the start of the year as a palate cleanser after the <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2023/08/despair-dress-hopefully-redeemed.html">cherry blossom dress of doom</a>. My sister's husband owns a heath and wellness practice and had some Japanese style door hangings over some of the doorways. The ones they had were looking a bit worse for wear, so she asked if I could make some new ones. </p><p>Easy. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnE5hoDMtsOJEc3OnoO8DeSvwdlatF9LPYyWWHeNiUhNJ3TUgAR2nlRoHixRiQN0ARFRAxP09BDOVcFHHCyefQqln4Y8LISiK-MDfkvUJw9dEj0PR05H9sDIkrnHcTMcOKa6tQvt2AfXYO7DJChdpfpAsPogiIU0LUM-P-_mysCO8kDrk4pMZEA/s4032/PXL_20230216_233808492.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnE5hoDMtsOJEc3OnoO8DeSvwdlatF9LPYyWWHeNiUhNJ3TUgAR2nlRoHixRiQN0ARFRAxP09BDOVcFHHCyefQqln4Y8LISiK-MDfkvUJw9dEj0PR05H9sDIkrnHcTMcOKa6tQvt2AfXYO7DJChdpfpAsPogiIU0LUM-P-_mysCO8kDrk4pMZEA/s320/PXL_20230216_233808492.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Fiona ordered some cool Japanese themed fabric from Spoonflower which was very nice to sew with. Given that everything was rectangles and straight lines, all the sewing went beautifully. The only tricky thing was remembering to turn the cranes so they would be the right way up on both sides. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecpCIJupOFT6YpqEoxY1FWsGFTLCiFjK3JyY2g1mtwUDQuDpjxryfrCwEp_8IrUkcuC42tmSXhy7rUPsE0gaYTc20dpzPzHRkgOVgqlz8QNEFdTQOhPyG_WRE6XBxB2Dy9tGTHiYsV_dKUnVeA3vWp7mP9nFK9HlAAf_tDqag736dD_6_KB5mZg/s4032/PXL_20230226_052324012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecpCIJupOFT6YpqEoxY1FWsGFTLCiFjK3JyY2g1mtwUDQuDpjxryfrCwEp_8IrUkcuC42tmSXhy7rUPsE0gaYTc20dpzPzHRkgOVgqlz8QNEFdTQOhPyG_WRE6XBxB2Dy9tGTHiYsV_dKUnVeA3vWp7mP9nFK9HlAAf_tDqag736dD_6_KB5mZg/s320/PXL_20230226_052324012.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Incredibly hard to photograph, but they really do look lovely in the practice. This is what having sewing skills is for! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDP9antOHuPYHGTaI_SjWGbRCtHbOLRifMH4ZK3ORkBUzBlmRO5Qp7KRRot7cCLfN9IgEVasXit4c2C49Pourw0BFdiCGPAVsLPescK0ytMTRJD3gt9xgjWWeltKqouy0k-w_KR7ure8anJeRdrw0_P5K793Qq2Ch2WAxkRRDqdDiCm3iHWclhQ/s4032/PXL_20230226_052252847.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDP9antOHuPYHGTaI_SjWGbRCtHbOLRifMH4ZK3ORkBUzBlmRO5Qp7KRRot7cCLfN9IgEVasXit4c2C49Pourw0BFdiCGPAVsLPescK0ytMTRJD3gt9xgjWWeltKqouy0k-w_KR7ure8anJeRdrw0_P5K793Qq2Ch2WAxkRRDqdDiCm3iHWclhQ/s320/PXL_20230226_052252847.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-3521820259055412092023-08-30T16:40:00.000+10:002023-08-30T16:40:36.868+10:00Travel Blog: Canberra 2023Trying to make the most of opportunities this year, when Steve was sent to Canberra for work in April and it happened to fall over the school holidays, the girls and I booked some flights to join him. Steve worked Tuesday to Thursday and then took Friday off so we could have the long weekend together. School started again on the Monday, so it was a quick trip, but still lots of fun. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CzWveNtZiMB-uzzYAp7OpruaMQSF4KbEmHwQPhmGEObupl0AT-MBLORYnvhMjH1gZjhlNGW8nSJEcQ9BXrwcBv2e6s1YQ-WwsE4HSldxbYWxPZNqb8Mmg6WHBoqQ1RBoyrboPgCUsG33nS9fskQcbFBBW_lF3YdKQc5KFODdHCLtXF0awGnbww/s4032/PXL_20230413_022553385.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CzWveNtZiMB-uzzYAp7OpruaMQSF4KbEmHwQPhmGEObupl0AT-MBLORYnvhMjH1gZjhlNGW8nSJEcQ9BXrwcBv2e6s1YQ-WwsE4HSldxbYWxPZNqb8Mmg6WHBoqQ1RBoyrboPgCUsG33nS9fskQcbFBBW_lF3YdKQc5KFODdHCLtXF0awGnbww/s320/PXL_20230413_022553385.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>The weather was cold, but clear skies for most of the time. We spent loads of time on the Friday at Questacon, where Steve was in his science element, explaining all sorts of things to the girls and just generally having a great time. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAKZOa3RkT4audNmlroQphTdq2zlGX6RuSIx3PUt8f8jq7sH5C2S0nhGRaHZuSG97T7kvhMFVG7TnbZRqCL8r3AODcwbLI4L450DZTTkoARKIjqzI04Wgscferkg6xtpkrBWSiRZ7ss0fM85pqrffOa_eecxD5yztgHNyYC4Qe6jv-0h9FH18DQ/s4032/PXL_20230414_001657380.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAKZOa3RkT4audNmlroQphTdq2zlGX6RuSIx3PUt8f8jq7sH5C2S0nhGRaHZuSG97T7kvhMFVG7TnbZRqCL8r3AODcwbLI4L450DZTTkoARKIjqzI04Wgscferkg6xtpkrBWSiRZ7ss0fM85pqrffOa_eecxD5yztgHNyYC4Qe6jv-0h9FH18DQ/s320/PXL_20230414_001657380.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We went to the War Memorial. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAz3OOVbPu3oFSyT32XvJ_6ooUo9YA8fDQzPiVCMcRCA1Ek2uHbhFzJXvRSgvQ6v6hxU37zSwveUnEOWF9kA4xNMQTVZtktEAe_EY5OM8xCWzcw_acraOR7XyNhbBxTRBDho6tqa6x4ivgiSMtfUMnaZXjuVLTkezHV0Sv3Hbhk_oBhVqEUyM64A/s4032/PXL_20230414_055114818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAz3OOVbPu3oFSyT32XvJ_6ooUo9YA8fDQzPiVCMcRCA1Ek2uHbhFzJXvRSgvQ6v6hxU37zSwveUnEOWF9kA4xNMQTVZtktEAe_EY5OM8xCWzcw_acraOR7XyNhbBxTRBDho6tqa6x4ivgiSMtfUMnaZXjuVLTkezHV0Sv3Hbhk_oBhVqEUyM64A/s320/PXL_20230414_055114818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And up Mt Ainsley. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNQL3Y9lYrKa1Gj9vId67AxIG6nEn8mbCgMKvq1aQqpJiWa7-yru8c1uT9brnOkTaElzB2uwknbUoVnsd0VbXY7mm2HcsUqJWM7N40u0rjHX5og_RmizydkL8a1DNSDbk-_E3rCv1u_Kxq4F5q1HQFHIn2mupqd2HT0OHSMSSuKhtpI9__YLg9Q/s3264/PXL_20230414_063429501.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNQL3Y9lYrKa1Gj9vId67AxIG6nEn8mbCgMKvq1aQqpJiWa7-yru8c1uT9brnOkTaElzB2uwknbUoVnsd0VbXY7mm2HcsUqJWM7N40u0rjHX5og_RmizydkL8a1DNSDbk-_E3rCv1u_Kxq4F5q1HQFHIn2mupqd2HT0OHSMSSuKhtpI9__YLg9Q/s320/PXL_20230414_063429501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The next day we did a walk through aviary, and a round of Cockington Green. Before going to the Arboretum. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY0tudXr3tBwTvucRmOuarht0ldVru3H8dzYhi45oHf39t-LNlJEPoDaRLOn8X62uJlezBn5g_xt69u-AAMxUq4cMNEialtEyv6TyAcVw0Fffs9Kpkf43j5eGVEY0F_8cACbyKxsruIl-zRpqETLUkLrJPePXIZtO0cfNogkp2pME4hL-VTE1Aw/s4032/PXL_20230415_000519544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY0tudXr3tBwTvucRmOuarht0ldVru3H8dzYhi45oHf39t-LNlJEPoDaRLOn8X62uJlezBn5g_xt69u-AAMxUq4cMNEialtEyv6TyAcVw0Fffs9Kpkf43j5eGVEY0F_8cACbyKxsruIl-zRpqETLUkLrJPePXIZtO0cfNogkp2pME4hL-VTE1Aw/s320/PXL_20230415_000519544.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Arboretum turned out to be fantastic. We had thought we were only going to spend an hour or two there, to let the girls have a play in the park, but we ended up staying for ages. There were heaps of different gardens to explore (including bonsai!) and the girls just had lots of fun running around. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-1xvmk5aBpDlQtsQgbbLM_Co-7kxhkuvC3boHADbClDSeOF4BMSJvYHx0yyk__JCeFC6H1-KnDGRFT0MI-2eKezVGZ2Ooxgpt4c1IkEoqJX_7jaAcsiUnWv_RzJjDhoJspHIKOLLki5BP1OB_3zM6PeHGE_KXsvY8AJTr2muuoz8PWmSXeYzLA/s4032/PXL_20230415_050710118.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-1xvmk5aBpDlQtsQgbbLM_Co-7kxhkuvC3boHADbClDSeOF4BMSJvYHx0yyk__JCeFC6H1-KnDGRFT0MI-2eKezVGZ2Ooxgpt4c1IkEoqJX_7jaAcsiUnWv_RzJjDhoJspHIKOLLki5BP1OB_3zM6PeHGE_KXsvY8AJTr2muuoz8PWmSXeYzLA/s320/PXL_20230415_050710118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The weather on Sunday was rubbish, but we were meeting up with friends to go to church and then hang out before our flight home, so it all worked out ok. The colours on the trees were pretty spectacular for us Brisbane-ites and overall, it was just a lovely little spontaneous trip for us. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3MNGe2nvZkGVJURDT7XbVUxKDhaA8jFCuayVnepkieVVZTPpbbkV8aKYvuC9zg_LN5mBZhm-6Ngr601gYRNglrlKsESzhl8jaGrOUxuCFmFaH82Td2q2VuycWxGgU-CPjUrXtZ8pT2I9gPjfCzWP3sdrmJw8puk2681ONOxCgeuPpvGWTWsTmw/s3264/PXL_20230416_020340000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3MNGe2nvZkGVJURDT7XbVUxKDhaA8jFCuayVnepkieVVZTPpbbkV8aKYvuC9zg_LN5mBZhm-6Ngr601gYRNglrlKsESzhl8jaGrOUxuCFmFaH82Td2q2VuycWxGgU-CPjUrXtZ8pT2I9gPjfCzWP3sdrmJw8puk2681ONOxCgeuPpvGWTWsTmw/s320/PXL_20230416_020340000.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-48825810157395226802023-08-27T06:56:00.000+10:002023-08-27T06:56:50.264+10:00Book Week<p>It truly is the most wonderful time of the year when people are talking about reading, books and characters that have influenced their lives. Book Week is just magnificent. Even when I see characters that were definitely movies first, I'm not too worried, because for everyone one of those, there are five more kids dressed up as someone they read about first. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjketJioZOp2eHnPT0K0VETsPR5K_eDLG7B_h8rrAw58XvYL2aJiBL9LcTbLlVxocd3yD8GW73IVw_TEEEEjvJRjjXsVY33wD7tKfDooGOuBrwrWYGT-XnusMJsJTrWxjTa1ePnCcQYfxu9aG__DM51DKWuGKfjJfVBYOrBvUgJcxhzjxRLmFLwXA/s4032/PXL_20230823_204513933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjketJioZOp2eHnPT0K0VETsPR5K_eDLG7B_h8rrAw58XvYL2aJiBL9LcTbLlVxocd3yD8GW73IVw_TEEEEjvJRjjXsVY33wD7tKfDooGOuBrwrWYGT-XnusMJsJTrWxjTa1ePnCcQYfxu9aG__DM51DKWuGKfjJfVBYOrBvUgJcxhzjxRLmFLwXA/s320/PXL_20230823_204513933.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />This year was a no sewing year for us. Not by design, but just serendipity. Sophie wanted to be Anna-Beth from the Percy Jackson series. Arguably the hardest costume, because finding an orange shirt proved to be incredibly difficult. Once we had that though, my friend Amy was kind enough to print and iron on the appropriate logo. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimGs_EvcDbCRjoAWf_tXUkY03ZZeArsN2u5fIK8IRilBCHKkqDcyezxp49WEw0OjFP5Ejo06eNj4fHvphN3IvVejFcLipUiGldR3IvCVAMrbHEPfxJSxDx2PjOu3WTx0jIi3gF7fHSilY824Q8a8XqLFFuCp8aqIXr_ZB653H1SYI18XqM-KPqg/s4032/PXL_20230823_204359418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimGs_EvcDbCRjoAWf_tXUkY03ZZeArsN2u5fIK8IRilBCHKkqDcyezxp49WEw0OjFP5Ejo06eNj4fHvphN3IvVejFcLipUiGldR3IvCVAMrbHEPfxJSxDx2PjOu3WTx0jIi3gF7fHSilY824Q8a8XqLFFuCp8aqIXr_ZB653H1SYI18XqM-KPqg/s320/PXL_20230823_204359418.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Rachel wanted to be Lavender from Matilda. Mostly because she has a pet newt called Isaac. I guess this was the sewing part of the costumes, because I did whip up that little lizard the night before. We could have used some more forethought though, since the legs didn't turn out at all, and I ended up sewing them on inside out, but whatever. Rachel sewed the eyes on herself like the good little sewer she is. We borrowed her a different school uniform dress from a friend on the street. </div></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOkCRE2aNp9YlGSyrhKDIS_4m0HhKd8KfrpL0slLMF-WWNN0ZeWMaTnBHLE83BZC8wibTH4UuwJXwo55oq7AaDrTOi0DthHNx4Som4_0IR4TXPA0w9WfGbnVdYrSyBZLDkUuuFdPwFULFuX5dRMWiSOqpCd3Zdg4MQv3z5e8eSO_7n_akZwTLXw/s4032/PXL_20230823_204451320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOkCRE2aNp9YlGSyrhKDIS_4m0HhKd8KfrpL0slLMF-WWNN0ZeWMaTnBHLE83BZC8wibTH4UuwJXwo55oq7AaDrTOi0DthHNx4Som4_0IR4TXPA0w9WfGbnVdYrSyBZLDkUuuFdPwFULFuX5dRMWiSOqpCd3Zdg4MQv3z5e8eSO_7n_akZwTLXw/s320/PXL_20230823_204451320.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I got to have two Book Weeks, so I recycled the <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/08/book-week-mary-poppins.html">Mary Poppins</a> from last year, and went as Matilda on the second day. I based my Matilda costume off the stage musical, since I wanted to be able to sing the songs. Borrowed a grey skirt from a girl at church (it's her high school skirt), and then wore a Cue shirt of Sarah's that was in my dress up box, along with my blazer and tie from when I lived in Japan. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_-0yutAB2vTHS4SrPo1ZVf5Ahizmd8q1-hlE8WKJ_qeamuCgS_RwGzgRrvOd4ZObeo18g34rE0PaotJ34ZELK_jbAP8If_KUPxywSzW2XseYR4I_zYFainnjI9Dmcjy_GefpbaPDh_rkU3CAmowwN9DpaKhQVlXe3vZ1NJiKzb3-d5ddEJSlNQ/s4032/PXL_20230823_204407558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_-0yutAB2vTHS4SrPo1ZVf5Ahizmd8q1-hlE8WKJ_qeamuCgS_RwGzgRrvOd4ZObeo18g34rE0PaotJ34ZELK_jbAP8If_KUPxywSzW2XseYR4I_zYFainnjI9Dmcjy_GefpbaPDh_rkU3CAmowwN9DpaKhQVlXe3vZ1NJiKzb3-d5ddEJSlNQ/s320/PXL_20230823_204407558.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p>Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now! Here is me as Matilda leading the revolt against the Trunchbull at school. Some days are the best. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXJB33TaIENe9hnpMf2G9e25k4vcZj_XSXzsLYWar7R7z_tLz6rNXDp_yQmSJvV2cSbutPVfA5ttI1iM6MVA1Eqwlf7ooGSKBaYrvy8rREIY48rsp-1vGhyFd6zB9uh2MMA35eAht2WurNqUvfxd5AYMPzaO1ar6X6bjsh0lnsgd6PrJF-1zmxw/s4032/received_974478790469390.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXJB33TaIENe9hnpMf2G9e25k4vcZj_XSXzsLYWar7R7z_tLz6rNXDp_yQmSJvV2cSbutPVfA5ttI1iM6MVA1Eqwlf7ooGSKBaYrvy8rREIY48rsp-1vGhyFd6zB9uh2MMA35eAht2WurNqUvfxd5AYMPzaO1ar6X6bjsh0lnsgd6PrJF-1zmxw/s320/received_974478790469390.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539345.post-72376850964036451612023-08-20T19:25:00.000+10:002023-08-20T19:25:09.726+10:00Despair Dress Hopefully Redeemed<p>Much much earlier in the year, I decided I wanted to make a replica of a Princess Highway dress that I love to wear. I'd already made replicas of a <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/03/skirts.html">skirt</a>, which I feel was very successful, since I was able to reuse it to make my <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2022/08/book-week-mary-poppins.html">Mary Poppins skirt</a> for Book Week last year, so I was pretty confident that I could replicate this dress. </p><p>I'm fairly sure I did a mock up of the bodice in leftover sheet fabric, and then turned my attention to some Japanese fabric I had in my stash. It was a lovely cherry blossom print, and there were meters and meters of it. I thought it would look really lovely, so I lay it out and got started. </p><p>Then I found out it was very sheer. I hadn't noticed before because it had come folded over, into what would be a good width for kimono making, but when I unfolded it, I discovered it's true see-through nature. Totally fine, I rationalize, I'll just line it. I've got loads of lovely cotton bedsheets that will work perfectly. So I cut the bodice and everything is going smoothly, before I remember, now the skirt has to be lined, my pocket construction won't work the way it was supposed to. Sigh. So I've got to rethink all of that. </p><p>The other thing I've got to rethink entirely, is how to cut the skirt out. The fabric is only about 60cm across, which is pretty narrow. One width, won't be enough for a front panel of the skirt. Two is a bit much, but doable, except it lands me with a centre front seam, which I don't think I can stand. I did sew it with the centre seam initially and it did turn out I hated it. So then I unpicked it all, and cut one of them into two and sewed them either side of the front (is this making sense to anyone?). </p><p>The skirt of the dress was definitely much fuller than it needed to be, but the fabric was so sheer and I was using the selvage edges for the skirt, sides, rather than have to deal with firstly working out by how much smaller to make each panel and then spend twice as long on each seam because I would have had to French Seam them to make them sturdy and beautiful. </p><p>It turned out that I had also cut the skirt panels excessively long, and the hem on them was turning out to be ginormous. At this point, I was so over this dress. What I had thought was going to be a beautiful, flowing easy to wear dress, was turning out to be a layered, bulky monstrosity. Not sure it would ever recover, I put it on the dress form and tried adding belts to see if that helped things.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDWMjyfBTMeFWyuZBKT5xlWNX93dtkWCor9n06IUE-oC2eSMigrTw1bFb3cqZ35q1aVnyQEE8FmiIan2mZlx_MX7E8tAA3bPnD691iASLqeGm9TxfLRqxSAhsQAjbzlFgBh0ygbikz7S-Dvw7nlgnlXLRbTDdynxIBINlDie2diKcFgdamT-mcA/s4032/PXL_20230205_025812117.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDWMjyfBTMeFWyuZBKT5xlWNX93dtkWCor9n06IUE-oC2eSMigrTw1bFb3cqZ35q1aVnyQEE8FmiIan2mZlx_MX7E8tAA3bPnD691iASLqeGm9TxfLRqxSAhsQAjbzlFgBh0ygbikz7S-Dvw7nlgnlXLRbTDdynxIBINlDie2diKcFgdamT-mcA/s320/PXL_20230205_025812117.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="text-align: left;">. </span></div><p>It did. A bit. So after another week or so of procrastination, I just finished the hem and called it done. </p><p>I've honestly been having a rough year in my mind, and this sewing experience did not help things. Even though I've since made other, much more successful projects, I'm still not feeling all there. I did wear the dress twice before the weather got too cold, in an attempt to move past the somewhat disastrous sewing experience. But I was not feeling like I would reach for it too quickly when the weather changed. </p><p>What I did do, after a sewing break and a palette cleanser, was use the pattern, and all I'd learned from making it, to make another dress. This time out of a (non-sheer) cotton that mum picked up on sale at Spotlight. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtTYr5dqz0teSlNJpdgGJeyxQZrgf6qbIfz8aXFK4qtLtJP6s8x28EABqx5icag9pI0DOcuthe9Rb4uekxgQLQ7ygAAEECJiz6TeSCzMyH2fUBTUDv93k_tOmMbuBue-wJ3L6DWoOrZk3KYsf1HCxyBCqRzBUe_oAYkeXv9NcDqQWsyl7hXsbXw/s4032/PXL_20230225_004848421.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtTYr5dqz0teSlNJpdgGJeyxQZrgf6qbIfz8aXFK4qtLtJP6s8x28EABqx5icag9pI0DOcuthe9Rb4uekxgQLQ7ygAAEECJiz6TeSCzMyH2fUBTUDv93k_tOmMbuBue-wJ3L6DWoOrZk3KYsf1HCxyBCqRzBUe_oAYkeXv9NcDqQWsyl7hXsbXw/s320/PXL_20230225_004848421.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>This dress worked exactly as I had wanted. This dress fit so well, sewed without having to rethink or unpick anything. This dress looks beautiful on the inside as well as the outside, because I did do French Seams on the sides and finished the other edges with bias binding. This dress has pockets to write home about and is exactly what I need to wear for a great day. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBIwnScz3K1j7VbSOYj3NuJwXFNUJ_LcjU1-u4MY8fwqWOO0_I1MA9486Mhzy9ZUd2vtnb18ibTLunY5xUBh_SphGnTuNuDTlXBCtjZp8CbxqX8lD2qljy6-l4vFGRTwd3da2EbZDzLmC_2H_5nY8y3xLszR5I1E9_USfpHCB2iXbWvXAB2bRPA/s3264/PXL_20230225_004526652.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBIwnScz3K1j7VbSOYj3NuJwXFNUJ_LcjU1-u4MY8fwqWOO0_I1MA9486Mhzy9ZUd2vtnb18ibTLunY5xUBh_SphGnTuNuDTlXBCtjZp8CbxqX8lD2qljy6-l4vFGRTwd3da2EbZDzLmC_2H_5nY8y3xLszR5I1E9_USfpHCB2iXbWvXAB2bRPA/s320/PXL_20230225_004526652.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I listened to a sewing podcast recently which talked about taking the time to reclaim the items that you didn't have the best experience making. Make new memories with that item, so you can move past the bad ones and still enjoy it. </p><p>I guess I don't often have too many bad sewing experiences, or items that I'm so frustrated with that I can't bring myself to wear. The last one I can remember was this <a href="http://ostinatoseaker.blogspot.com/2021/03/dont-know-if-id-wear-it.html">dragonfly dress</a>, which wasn't a terrible experience so much as turning out to be not my style of dress after all. Maybe it was time, but listening to the podcast did make me consider the cherry blossom dress again. I should give it another go. </p><p>After all, I'm the only one who knows about the sewing grief I experienced, and I don't need to let it stop me wearing it. Also, it did pave the way for a dress I do truly love, so it can't be all that bad, right? </p>Ostinato Seakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01823934158314414590noreply@blogger.com0