The flu really got us at the end of Winter/beginning of Spring... one by one, dragging it out, day by day... Right at the end of term when Daddy was working late a lot, when the school play happened, finally after months and months of rehearsals... but we made it, with what seemed like a hundred days of school and work, and doctors visits and day sleeps.
The house looks like several small bombs went off, all. over. the. place... and the children have gotten to know the movie Trolls so well, that they could probably recite it for you word for word, and I could definitely sing you the whole entire soundtrack, and I've even found that despite all my aesthetic sensibilities, those songs make me smile!
Look at that light streaming through the window. Complete relief that winter is on it's way!
And I found this book at the library, which is American, so some of the ingredients aren't as easily available here, but interesting to read about mordants and all those types of things, and colourfastness- the things that intimidate me. I recognised the name because there is a really interesting podcast with Kristine Vejar on Seamwork Radio. And I love the name of her shop- A Verb for Keeping Warm, it kept popping into my mind after I listened to her story.
Just to begin with, I did some dying with regular commercial dye powder that I found at a local yarn store- which I didn't know existed until I stumbled upon it. I'm not a knitter, but the yarn hair for the dolls has opened up a whole new world of fibre love, and I signed up to Fibre Share, which has meant that I am seeing a lot more amazing yarn related posts on Instagram. Anyhoo, dying this way was a great, easy, safe way to see how it all works, and see the way that it soaks everything up. It's completely unlike dying with fabric. The possibilities are quite amazing!
And to cope with the complete lack of doll making, well, not complete lack of doll making, but just the extreme reduction in doll making that my brain required to get through the weeks, I managed to finish off a hundred little things that I started quite some time ago... like kids dresses and bags and dog overalls, and skirts, and to begin some things that I'd been meaning to get to for a very long time. And to cut into some fabrics that if I'm honest, I can admit that I've just been hoarding like pretty treasures... it's the vintage op shop finds that are hardest to part with. To me, they are just the most precious, limited, rare, who knows when they might strike again! And in my early sewing days, I was a bit braver/unaware, and not a very good garment maker, and oh, the waste! Makes me sad to think of what I cut up, only to ruin! But such is the learning process. Always make a muslin. And the plus side is that now I've finished quite a bit, I know how much I have left over for doll clothes. YAY!
I subscribed the Seamwork almost as soon as it started, and I have about a million extra sewing patterns now because of it, but I don't always have time to make (who does!?). By the time I print out the patterns, tape them together, trace what I think is the right size, and then make a draft- which is what that black floral thing is up there, and then resize, well, I need to pack everything away and feed my family. But with Spring coming, I just thought, I'm doing it and we can all eat leftovers and I will cop the stares and rolled eyes about the exploding sewing mess... and I want to use the fabric sitting there gathering dust! It's pretty nice! And more importantly, it's already paid for. I think this might be my approach to Spring cleaning... Spring using?! But this is a cross Georgia/Veronica dress where I used the Block/Paper/Scissors adjustment, and it's a little big, but it will be great and breezy over my swimmers this summer. I love the Blue Mountains, but I don't love the summer heat... it's a little inland and it's often in the late 30s... sometimes low 40s... This is double gauze and it will be perfect.
And now I have a brain exploding with doll making ideas, I just need to clear the physical space in the house for that to happen!
B.
