Thursday 10 January 2013

belated up date



I have finally read through all the blogs that I follow so I feel the need to update mine.
When I last blogged I had almost completed Me Made May.  I can’t remember exactly what I wore, but I recall thinking that it was just as well it was over when I received the news that my father had died as I didn’t have a me made black dress!  (Strange thoughts go through one’s head at these moments). 
The same day I was offered a job that was far from the job of my dreams but a job that would keep the bills paid in the mean time.
Over the next few months I was overwhelmed by the difficult circumstances surrounding my father’s death and the stress of a new job along with the acceptance that, for the time being, the less than perfect job is what I have to settle for.  I have spent a lot of my life holding the proverbial black dog at bay, but for the last six months it felt as though he had moved in.  

After 18 years living in New Zealand I was also declined citizenship, which left me feeling rejected by the country that I consider home.  Even reading other people’s blogs seemed an effort, and when I did it looked as though everyone else was doing better than me.  Updating my own blog was just too hard.
It’s not that I didn’t sew; in fact I sewed like a mad woman, feeling that sewing was the only thing that I could do that didn’t make me feel like a failure.  I continued to attend pattern making classes and drafted new patterns, but didn’t want to write about it and risk bringing the black cloud into my blog too. 
Finally, at the suggestion of my adorable little boy (22 yrs old), I managed to scrap the funds together to fly to Australia for Christmas, visit my mother and reconnect with someone special who had moved to Australia just before the black dog moved in.  

As I’m sitting on a train back to Mum’s I can’t believe I didn’t realise how healing two weeks of his calm and care would be.  For the first time I feel able to plan forward without seeing blackness ahead. (I’m also impressed that the Brisbane Air trains all have Wi-Fi on them)
While I was being healed in tropical North Queensland I read through all the blogs that I follow, and even picked up a few more.  I was inspired by Karen (Did you make that?) to make a small commitment to getting jeans sorted in 2013.
One small sewing commitment… Why stop there?  So while I was on the plane to Brisbane I made a list of all the projects that I would like to complete in 2013:
1.       Small case for travelling medication
2.       I Pod case
3.       Brown Print Maxi Dress
4.       Black and Yellow Bikini
5.       Re-trimming a straw hat (using new bias binding making machine! More later)
6.       Patchwork quilt – following Craftsy course
7.       Tote bag for pattern making classes
8.       Purple and  grey dress
9.       Black and grey polo shirt for special person
10.   New cover for my deck lounger
11.   Barrel shaped saddle bag for my bike
12.   Bucket bag to fit into my bike basket
13.   Grey and Black Jacket
14.   White Leather Hat
15.   Pink and brown tweed skirt
16.   Black and white checked skirt with arch shaped godets and red piping
17.   Pink and black houndstooth bias cut skirt
18.   Short sleeved black and white checked jacket
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19.   Red Silk Shirt
20.   Red Lycra mock wrap top
21.   Blue, black and white Lycra dress
22.   Grape “Couture” dress (another Craftsy Course)
23.   Olive Green Short sleeved Jacket
24.   Olive green tailored shirt
25.   Grey crinkle Maxi dress with embellishments
26.   Candy Striped dress
27.   Blue Lacy cardi/wrap
28.   Black Merino Cardigan
29.   Black Merino T shirt
30.   Green Peplum Dress
31.   Green and cream silk skirt
32.   Brown Tencel Shirt
33.   Blue and Green Striped skirt
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34.   Blue, black and white dress
35.   Red white and blue striped shirt
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36.   Blue and white striped shirt (for undetermined male)
37.   Black and Blue striped dress
38
38.   Black and white Corset dress
39.   Graduated dyed dress (originally white)
40.   White flowered sleeveless blouse
41.   Bottle Green Tailored Pants
42.   White slashed shoulder blouse
43.   Teal Crinkle dress
44.   Chambray short/culottes
45.   Pale Green laptop bag
46.   Quilted dust cover for my overlocker
47.   ‘Purple seahorse appliquéd cushion for my bedroom
48.   New York cushion for the living room
49.   Pink and silver blouse
50.   White Flowered jeans
51.   Red ¾ Jeans
52.   Grape coloured Jeans

If anyone reads this you may have noticed that there are 52 projects for the year, averaging precisely one a week (nifty bit of maths there!).  Unlike the commitment to Karen’s challenge, these are projects that I would LIKE to complete.  I recognise that one a week is an ambitious goal, and quite possibly unattainable.  However, there are several reasons for such an extensive list:
A)     It will ensure that I always have something to sew to distract me should the black dog attempt to re-appear
B)      I am embarrassed to admit that everyone of these projects are from my stash – no fabric purchases required.  Should an irrational urge to purchase fabric come upon me, the list should remind me of just how much fabric I already have.
C)      The list includes a number of projects that I don’t have the skills to achieve at the moment, so I’ll be up-skilling as I go (including two craftsy classes).
D)     If I even get half-way down the list I will have made a real dent in my fabric stash, so I’ll have to go fabric shopping – Whoopeeeeee!
Irrational, yes, but I’m going to give it a go.
First up – a major re-organisation of my sewing room: While I was relaxing I had some major inspiration as far as my options are concerned and can hardly wait to get home and get started.  

Once it has been re-vamped I will re-christen it my Sewing “Studio” – Sounds much more industrious
“Where’s your Mum?”
“She’s upstairs in her sewing room” or “She’s in her Studio” 

I like the sound of studio.






2 comments:

  1. Oh I need a studio. Yes please. Now then where is it?

    I'm sorry to hear you've had a rough time of it and silly ol NZ for not giving you citizenship. They should know better I say (and I live in Welly BTW)!

    I am dead impressed with your list though and here's to hoping it helps keep the black dog at bay. We are all here anyway :-)

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  2. Very clever calling it a studio! Looking forward to seeing it finished. How could NZ not give you citizenship?? Seems bizarre! especially after 18 years there!

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