Toastandcupcakes.

My ‘one finished item a day’ rule seems to have been pretty seriously broken the past week or so. My studio has instead become a haven for works in progress. Hoodies without appliques, bags without handles, cut out fabric ready to be sewn, appliques ready for the paper to be removed and piles of fabric representing ideas that are yet to be carried out.
I have a bad habit of letting this happen, I have big trunks ready and waiting for these semi-finished projects, with contents that seem to ebb and flow over with my moods. Occasionally I’ll go on a rampage and either chuck or finish everything in them, and other times I’ll fill them right to their brims with garments that usually end up re-cut and re-fashioned into linings, or given to friends who use smaller scraps in their work.
Right now the work-in-progress items will be finished before they have to make their way to ‘banish bins’ and these trunks are full of thrifted clothes, hoping to get appliques and come to craft 2.0 with me. (I thought it might be neat to have ‘toast-adorned’ items as well as ‘toast-made’). I’m not sure that they’ll get finished in time, but it’s nice to hold out hope. They also contain a few very old WIP’s that I can’t bear to cut up (or yet finish!), but their biggest content? Things that are waiting to be stuffed into parcels and sent to dear friends. (something which really should be equally as important as finishing things!)

With only two weeks until Aesop’s birthday, and three until craft 2.0 things aren’t getting done nearly as quickly as they should be around here. I also have three booklets of my course work to finish before going to Wellington (turns out I CAN find a way around the workshops. So study I shall!). I’m a little worried I might go insane, but I’m hoping that occurs after all the other important things are finished.

Hup, hup, hup Rhiannon! Times a wasting.

Sorry for my long absence, but never fear, I AM still here, and I AM still breathing/surviving/sewing and all the other important things I should be doing.
Being at such a crazy point in my life I seem to lose whole days to my thoughts every now and then. This past week has been a bit like that, and blogging has been the last thing on the list of ‘things to do’ in my head. Sorry ladies! But I think I’m back on schedule now, and regular blogging will commence.
I haven’t photographed the things I’ve been sewing, I’ll do that today, but here’s some pictures of the most incredible parcel I received the other day from Helen and Rach.


(Package included a huge big vintage Pyrex bowl, ‘pinch’, ‘dash’, and ’smigen’ measuring spoons, a vegetarian cookbook, incredible bundles of fabric, a book and dvd and car for Aesop, a trade aid purse, paper dolls, incense, zips, a zine, craft books, stickers, tea, soap, art, dolls clothes, handmade collage cards.. oh and more that I’m forgetting I’m sure!)

It was the most amazingly huge, beautiful, best surprise ever. Especially as I’d just hung up the phone from talking to Helen too! You two are the most amazingly sweet, amazingly wonderful, amazingly generous… oh and did I mention amazing?.. women in the world. Thank you so much. For the parcel and for being my friends. I feel so privileged!

Okay, so the very first product of the new (secret!) bag design is officially finished!
I’m not 100% happy with it, but I think that has more to do with my fabric choice, and applique choice, than anything else. It’s made from a nice soft, almost fluffy, wool blend fabric, and lined with amazing vintage floral cotton. The balls are, of course, made by a delightfully sweet (though very rough and manly), local wood-turner.
To show you the (huuuge) size of it I posed. Please excuse my hair/body/face. It’s been a looong last few days and It’s certainly showing.

I have the balls (oh me! oh my! Puns a plenty..) to make four more. I’m thinking more wool blend, or perhaps corduroy, hot pink kowhai flowers, lavender coloured primrose stems, and perhaps lime green asters. And of course loads of beautiful vintage goodness on the insides. I think the botanical theme, and the ‘natural’ feel fabrics go best with the wood, even though part of me screams out for complete contrast with unicorns, lightening bolts, acid wash denim, and huge polka dots.
Perhaps that’s what I’ll do with my next set of balls, if I have any success selling these!

(I totally just realised I accidentally named all of my photo files ‘ballbag’. HA. The pre-teen in me thinks this whole thing is hilarious. I really struggled not to make a joke at each and every mention of the word ‘balls’, oh man…)

So far this morning:
* I have sewn two things inside out.
* I have made one hood both crooked and too big.
* I have burnt pastry cups.
* I have made lemon curd which refused to thicken.
* I have pretty much achieved nothing at all.

And the biggest disaster? I have recieved my course work, and realised this course involves two five night compulsary workshops away from home, rather than five two night ones, like I had thought. The first being the week ending the day I go to Wellington for Craft 2.0.
Thus, I cannot do the course at all.

Somehow I’m able to laugh at all of this, but please dear goodness let that be the end of dumb stuff today.

It’s unusual for me to post twice in one day, but I just had to show you what the thrift gods gifted me this morning! Ohhh my.

The goodness that the store was raining had a very 80’s theme to it today. I managed to nab four pairs of amazing retro glasses (two very 80’s and two perhaps a little older) and as you can see.. an stone wash denim jacket. Alas I don’t think I’ll hang onto it, it will be embellished with appliques and will probably accompany me to Craft2.0.

Also in my sweaty little hands were these amazing tablecloths (it seems everyone in Whakatane it getting ride of their never-been-used vintage Australian tablecloths! weird!), a piece of pure wool, a cute little pink bucket and an amazing, quite 50’s little straw handbag. My mum bought a slightly bigger one of these in an antique store in Nelson last year for almost six times the price!

Also: two photoalbums in perfect, perfect condition with amazing vinyl covers, and cardboard frame type pages, and a very old looking box of little gold paper fasteners. I have so many ideas for these.

And last but not least, this book:

A gorgeous book about all the things New Zealanders know and love. It’s got some lovely old pictures and I’m going to put it in the reading basket in the ‘guest toilet’ so hopefully it’ll actually get read!

And the best bit? All this (and a few little bits which are being sent to other lovelies..) cost me less
than one pair of the sunglasses would have on Trade me! I love you sweet thrift gods!

Today was a fairly average day, busy, but average.
We awoke fairly early to do groceries, had an interview with a lady which somehow related to my benefit, tidied, pottered, read a kajillion books and drew pictures with felt pens. We had my Dad for dinner and then I spent the evening talking to my sweet boy on the phone.
It had it’s high points, but all in all it was pretty average.
The high points?:
Received:
 
My half of the organised swap between myself and the beautiful Deborah of Go Whistle Dixie (Who really doesn’t seem to have anything on the web, so her e-mail is here. And she’ll be joining us on the 17th March at The Dowse for Craft2.0). I e-mailed Deborah wanting to buy some of her incredible cards, because we made a wee swap at the last craftwerk and I’d since found so, so many occasions I could have used one of her cards! I throughly recommend them, they’re beautifully printed and she uses the scraps to make amazing gift labels and bookmarks!
I’ll have your hoody for you at Craft2.0 lovely, I hope it’s even half as beautiful as my cards!

completed:

The extent of my sewing yesterday was minimal but I did get this one anchor hoody completed. It’s a simple one colour hoody, made from a sort of toweling/sweatshirting mix. The hood is houndstooth and it has a black and white anchor applique.

Also yesterday I finally got around to recovering the stool in my bedroom. Please don’t look too closely, as I fear I did it much less than perfectly, and It’s going to take a bit of getting used to the big change, but I’m quite proud!
So thanks to Grandpa’s staple gun, some fifties vinyl and a few muttered curses I can finally say I’ve joined the hoards!
Also, because a beautiful ‘new stool’ looked so out of place in my hideously messy room, I sorted out my jewellery into some yellow plates I had displayed in the kitchen. Voila!

Today has been a day of making myself feel better. A soul-soothing day.
I’ve tidied the house, I’ve op-shopped, I’ve planted the very first plants in our new garden, I’ve taken my Bach flowers and said my affirmations, and I’ve done my darndest to reassure myself that everything will be okay, and I should count my blessings and not dwell on the rubbishy yucks.
I’ve also decided today to start watching what I eat again! I have gained almost 5 kilos in the last month and a bit, and it’s awful. I’ve printed out my ‘before’ photos, carefully drawn underwear on them, and plastered them on the fridge with little speech bubbles reminding me to think about how I felt back then, and not to let anyone’s words or feelings make me fat.
Things are looking up again, perhaps yesterday’s moment of despair was just that, a moment.

In half an hour I get to go and pick up my new sewing machine. I’m so, so excited. I simply cannot wait to get sewing. I have so many things I want to make, so many ideas of new things to try and less and less time before the fair! So as of today I’m back on the ‘at least one finished item a day’ rule, no excuses (and hopefully no machine trouble! touch wood!).

Oh, and happy valentines sweet friends. I wish you all the love in the world.

I didn’t want to leave Hamilton today.
Perhaps I knew what amounts of shitty rubbishy yuck lay awaiting for me here.
In Hamilton I laughed, I cuddled, I ate, I enjoyed company and I felt loved and happy.
Since leaving I have cried in the bus, then had stupid things happen and bawled my eyes out in the middle of the supermarket, I’ve felt like everything is worth nothing and I’ve had to battle with horrible thoughts and ideas. I’ve felt despair and I’ve felt incredible feelings of sadness, angry, resentment, grief, loneliness, regret and a huge sense of being completely trapped.
But like usual, I will survive. I get my sewing machine tomorrow, so I’ll be sewing my worries away.
I have a lot of sewing to do….

You know when you’ve not blogged (or written in a journal, or caught up with an old friend) for awhile, and too many things have occurred and you simply can’t decide which ones to talk about? I’m feeling a little that way today. It’s not that any of the things have been really important, simply that there have just been so many little things I’ve thought at the time’ Oh! I could blog about this!’.
I’ve spent the last few days in a blur of last minute sewing, jason visiting, incredible stupid heat, and the usual mundane daily tasks. I’m heading to Hamilton in about two and a half hours, and despite sitting up until one in the morning dyeing my hair, finishing parcel to send, packing, tidying, cleaning and doing washing, I still have ALOT to do before my ride arrives.
Firstly: I won the sewing machine!
And I want to thank everyone who e-mailed, or commented and everyone who has asked for things made (I’ll be sewing like a.. well.. machine, when I come home! So much to do!). Thanks you for offers of loans, advice and well.. donations! I’m so overwhelmed by this community every single day. It blows me away to think that I have so, so many amazing on-line friends even though in my ‘real life’ on a day-to-day basis I rarely even see anyone! So thank you sweet friends! The sewing machine is on its way!

Yesterday morning was spent at Ohope Beach, which luckily for us is just over the hill. Being someone who doesn’t drive, I don’t really get to the beach very often (the idea of going on the bus with Aesop and all his beach gear is a little daunting to me.), but my dad had the day off yesterday and Aesop just loves the beach.
It was going to be my first swim of the Summer (I know..), but once we arrived it was high tide, and really quite rough. I waded out up to my waist and the pull was so strong I could barely hold myself up. I didn’t even get my hair wet! I guess officially I still haven’t swum this summer!
Aesop loved it though, digging, collecting sticks, swimming in the shallows.
I still can’t show you the two projects I’ve been working on, as they’re top secret for the next few weeks,so here are some of my latest thrift scores instead:

Mostly fabric and old linen, some old patterns (hello 80’s sportswear!) and an incredibly fine knit scarf. My favourite part? Look at this incredible piece of embroidery, its on both ends of the mat and so really quite detailed and beautiful:

See you all on Tuesday! May your weekend bring you lovely, lovely times!

Dear universe,
When I asked you to please deliver me a mannequin I was not offering up a trade.
And I most certainly was not offering up the workability of my sewing machine as a trade.
But since my sewing machine now no longer sews, I would appreciate a very, very quick delivery of the mannequin which must be now coming my way.
Or perhaps you could just forget all about the mannequin and just return my sewing machine back to it’s working state. That would also be acceptable.
Yours semi-sincerely,
Rhiannon.

Okay so obviously asking the universe for things which are non-essential was not a good idea. This afternoon after laying Aesop down to sleep, I sat down at my sewing machine to do some much needed work. I threading the machine, lined up the fabric,  put my foot down and..nothing. I pressed the foot thing over and over, but still… nothing. I turned the power on and off, unplugged and re-plugged and still… nothing. I panicked a little I must admit, verged on tears.
I have so, so much to get done for orders which need to be finished by this weekend, not to mention a tonne of things which I have only just over a month to get ready for Craft 2.0. It’s a public holiday on Tuesday too, so any repair work would have my sewing machine away for most of ,if not all of next week.
Thankfully I have had an offer of a sewing machine to borrow from Tuesday until the weekend, and perhaps one to borrow until Tuesday, but considering this is the second time my sewing machine has given up in the last six weeks I’m thinking perhaps it’s time to just get a new one!
By new one, I of course mean an old one, new to me, but old to the world. And Ideally very similar to my beloved usual sewing machine, which I have of course developed a huge attachment to as it’s the only machine I’ve ever had and my Mum bought it almost 30 years ago!
So here’s the thing: I’ve found one EXACTLY the same on Trade me. I figure I can probably get it for $100 including postage (if noone nasty outbids me too much), but I don’t have $100!
This is where I ashamedly ask for your help.
If by any chance you have been considering buying things off me in the past, or present, then pretty please let me know. Everything shown in the last few posts is available, and I’m more than happy to do custom stuff. I’ll give you a sizable discount, and I’ll have it all finished and sent (providing I have the materials!) by next weekend no matter what it takes. Just let me know! I’m going to go batty without a sewing machine, and it seems perfect to have finally found one the same, so if by any chance you’ve been contemplating purchasing pretty please let me know!

(Thank you. You all know how much I hate ‘promoting’ sales, and more importantly, taking money from friends. I’m sitting here red faced, but my itching-to-sew hands just keep typing.)