elegentry

I got home at a reasonable time. Fed myself, made the meatballs for tomorrow and practiced my song (no voice to speak of and a sore throat as a result) After all that it was all of 7:30! I was braindead but restless so I shifted a bookcase and a cupboard in the sewing room. Decision to do made previously so a nice brainless job.

Oh I own a lot of fabric. A little bit less now, threw a few odds and ends out but still, a lot of fabric. I think I need to re apply the fabric purchasing embargo until I have made some room in the cupboard. Particularly since the last two major projects were/are from newly purchased yardage. Must make up more from stash, really. Plenty of potential there.

-There are now 9 rainbow chard seedlings planted in my garden
-I have been reading up on fruit trees. I am fantasising about my very own little orchard in the front garden. Hmm, I had best get cracking on organising those fences. My favourite nursery says the bare rooted trees start arriving in fortnight!

- I have wrestled the red velvet chaise lounge into the dressing room. It fits (barely) and looks great with the pink carpet. Now the green curtains look out of place. I am thinking the curtains should move into my bedroom BUT there are 20 lovely brass curtain rings hiding somewhere in this house. I can't find them, curses.

-there is ~12m of old carefully painted tent valance soaking in bleach. I washed it first but there was still moulding spots so I am giving bleach a go. The bleach does not seem to be attacking the paint which is good but it also doesn't seem to be attacking the mould.**

-The bodice of my orange wool cranach gown is recombobulated about 3cm wider and now fits in a circumference sense. However, the pressure on the points of my shoulders is rather higher than I think I can tolerate for long. Really I need to let the shoulders out a bit... or make a new dress? I think this means that I must call the purple gown TOO SMALL* I don't really have time to make a new gown before midwinter unless I drop everything else. I'm not really in that zone, would much rather putter about with house, garden and street clothes.

So I shall finish putting the orange back together, it should be OK for baronial swap I think given it is one evening only. Maybe I shall wear the new black Durer for the Sat, it's mildly speccy but not warm, deliberately. It was built for festi after all.

-It has taken 3 coffees to banish the fog in my brain today. I now feel reasonably awake and amazed I got so much done this morning even with a thick head. I was supposed to be cutting that black coat but I won't tackle that with said thick head.

*actually almost a relief to decide I shan't wear that. I have never been truly happy with it except the 'stomacher' which I love and could have a new gown made for it.

**old tent roof had two well sized holes ripped in it. The so called canvas now feels more like calico. I think I shall salvage the rope and throw the rest out.

I have been refashioning again.
( turning this into this )

it's after midday and I am only just having morning tea. I have managed to copy and add seams to the coat pattern. Now I could sleep. I wish there was a party to go to tonight- I want to go to one- except I would be too tired so it's just as well there isn't a party I have to miss I suppose.

Yes, I have managed to pursuade myself to do some work on the coat. Whew. I have
-found the black velvet for collar and cuffs
-purchased buttons and lining- warm, deep grey silk satin with a square dot woven in- I took the advice of catchmyfancy (or E?, not sure) and bought luscious lining rather than making do for such a (hopefully) good item.
-gone through the pattern, kindly loaned by doushkasmum
-recut the side panels with a higher armhole
-recut the sleeves to fit the altered armhole
-cut out half a jacket from waste fabric to try it on.
-fiddled with the shoulder
-raised the armhole again another cm
-lowered the sleeve head
-put it aside to try on tomorrow- see if I still like it.

I could have made the pattern up as is but one of the things that I hate about modern coats is the shoulder cut. They are made to look beautiful and sleek with your arms straight by your sides. They don't make good allowance for driving, sitting with arms at a table or otherwise reaching forward or up. I will happily put up with some  wrinkles in favour of a better range of movement. I just need to finish figuring out how to achieve this.

Then I need to finish fiddling with the pattern. Likely copy it- as much to prevent me accidentally cutting it out without seam allowances as to make another. That is probably worth the pain of recutting the pattern. Less rude words overall I think.

Then I get to cut out this thing and start making it. Slow process to start. Can I have another day off do you think? Why is it Sunday night already?

In other news
- had a pleasant afternoon with splodgenoodles and 10B yesterday. Ran a private session of my "tablet weaving 101" class. Got fed yummy food in time for me to get to...
-a concert- really enjoyed it. Catchmyfancy did a recital- classical/leider/opera singing and wow she is good!
-went out for yum cha for G's 21st- I so et too much.
-walked to clegs for buttons
-am trying to fight off yet more cold symptoms. Lots of it about.

In case you didn't know, Eurovision is on tonight, first night?? With.....bonus Julia Zamiro!!! Wonder if I would bother watching if lady J was not hosting? I'll give it a go anyway.

Addendum #1
Well the last song of the first semi final has just finished.
My vote goes to Armenia
-great sound, rather world music
-fantastic indigo ethniccy costumes, split up to here and down to there
-sexy barefoot dancing, not a stupid high heel, fluorescent colour or leather suit to be seen. Or stilts or a superhero cloak.

However, if it really is a song contest and not a wind blown choreographic spectacular- then the lady from Malta should win. Fabulous strong voice, completely solo on the stage. Wonderful.

Addendum #2
bonus- they are both in the final! yay.

well. I have an account, an aspirational username and intentions to set more aspects up. The rotten system won't let me upload a userpic though. Don't know what I am doing wrong. I'll work out the LJ connection later. Must say this posting page looks very familiar

Thanks mrsbrown , Anne's delivered. Good black wool/cashmere for $25/m. Brunswick fabrics has lots of coating but lesser quality, some interesting colours and cheaper. There was a fabulous bright, large check which I thought about but resisted. Sadly no emerald green for erudito . Anne's had really heavy dense green wool but I think it is meant for billiard tables. You could make hats out of it but not garments I think. She had a green of a nice colour but very poor quality- it's a bad sign when it is pilled already on the roll. For those interested- she had nice mid weight white linen for $15/m. Good stuff but not cheap,cheap.

Now I need to either buy a coat pattern, take one off my brown coat with alterations, or draft from scratch. Probably the second option. That requires my morning brain, so not now. Need to make style decisions, trim, buttons, lining etc. I have lots of lining fabric but no pieces big enough to line a long coat. Would have been good to have patterned before buying fabric but these places are not open Sundays and I don't mind having a bit extra black wool cashmere in the house.

I'm having an upside down day. Dressed up for fancy birthday breakfast for giddyaunt  this morning. Lovely fun. Then at noon I had my 6mthly haircut. I was distressed that my hairdresser near work seemed to have closed. Turns out they are refurbishing and will reopen, whew. I tracked my man down at their city store and went there after our (looong) breakfast. Hair man was most cute as usual and seemed pleased I had followed him. He even got a second chap to work on my hair with him for a bit. "Goodness, two of you at once!" I said. The retort was "Yes" (pause) "you'll have to go to church after". Much fun and I even got a nice haircut.

So very social start but quiet finish. I'm vaguely annoyed I didn't manage to set anything up for tonight. Generally I only have the emotional energy to ask twice. If I get turned down by two lots of people, I end up spending the evening alone. Never mind. I shall experiment with stuffing some home grown capsicums for dinner.

On my way to festi, I called in to Beechworth. I had never been. Am slowly calling in to various towns within easy reach of the Hume. Want some awareness of what is there given I travel it so often. Anyway, Beechworth is lovely and has many high end shops all wanting the contents of your wallet. I gave a bead shop some of mine in exchange for the carved items shown below. The rose and filligree drops are both shell. The blue stars are adventurine (whatever that is). Last Sunday I ordered the gold findings to make the bits into wearable jewellery and here is the result. I need to remake the string for the rose- it is a bit short- that is easily done. For now I need to do something more active or put the heater on, having sat for a while fiddling with pliers- I am now COLD.

Matters have improved since Monday night. Especially since Monday night itself but lets not go there.

Slowly getting a feel for this new job. The people are really nice, welcoming  and seem devoted to their work- I like that. . There is more accountingy sort of stuff in it that I thought, not sure I am going to enjoy that. However people say one can mould a job to oneself- I shall try to move it in more practical directions or something.

Am feeling odd. Emotionally exhausted or something. I need to get my head around the new job before I can redefine some of  who I am? If I'm not the old me, then who am I? I like to think I don't define myself by what I do for a living but that seems to not be the case. Also, spending a full week at a new desk with completely new people around me was tiring. It was like my antennae had to be up all the time, could not just settle and work, partly 'cause I didn't know what I needed to do. This will all improve over time but is probably the cause of my reclusiveness today.

I was considerably relieved that our planned harvest festival was postponed at something like the last minute. Not that I don't want to go, I DO. I just didn't want to go TODAY. Instead I have spent the day alone at home being domestic. Most unusually, I could not even bring myself to seek company for tonight. Don't have the energy to converse. Didn't really want to write this post but wanted to record something of this state of mind.

It seems I am slowly doing an (Autumn ) Spring clean. In some ways it makes sense. Want to get the house nice before I spend the winter shut up in it. One does spend more time at home during winter. As I haven't cleaned or tidied properly in a LONG time, and I live in a house that is far bigger than necessary.... there is plenty to do.

Of minor note today
-finally got brave and washed the two festi gowns (and one favourite underskirt )that needed it. Won't really know how that went until I try pressing them
-cleaned and polished the 2pairs shoes worn at fest and were rather the worse for wear
-tidied the back yard some. Including disposing of the plants that didn't make it through the summer heat.
-plant the new parsley seedlings out to the herb garden. Grown from seed and had already been potted up once
-lots of boring laundry, dishes, groceries
-some jewellery assembly. Might write more on that tomorrow.

Tonight I am cooking a monster pot of curry. I am trying to empty the freezer so I can defrost it but I keep making more stuff to put in it. Maybe tomorrow I will use the esky and go ahead to do the defrost anyway. Possibly  not the best day to pick- coldest forecast in ages. But It always seems mad to reject an impulse to actually do housework. Mostly I hate it so any actual inclination to do it must be seized or live in squalour.

Oh, and isn't it nice to be at home safe with storms going on outside? I have always liked that. Hasn't been enough proper weather lately. Go the rain!

Kitchen is successfully de-greened. 3coats of cream paint on, new lockable window winder installed and all door and window furniture back on. In addition
-blind is cut down to fit inside window frame and reinstalled
-blue gingham frill curtain made and installed. Bit twee but I am finding it nice for now. Matches the door curtain.
( see: )

Do you like? I do, vastly prefer. The cream colour is a treat for the (my) eye. I look at it and feel relaxed, my eyes go "ahh". What a great thing.