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Wild textures
A few months back I read a short comment by a homeschooled child about how he found exploring and learning outside so much more enjoyable than learning indoors. He commented on the colours, inside being more dull, the richness he could experience outside was what made his learning that much more of a joy.
This gave me pause. I have often marveled at the colours in the clouds, the way light is different at a beach, with the water often mirroring the sky, and the feelings that can evoke, I started thinking about textures too. So on a beach day with the kids, I was looking out for the wild textures we could experience nowhere else.
And this is what I found…
Punga log.
Holes in the sand dune.
Jetsam.
Seaweed.
Driftwood.
Sand, and more sand.
I was looking for mostly abstract inanimate inspiration, so no shells or sea creatures. Some of these textures would span the length of a sand dune, like a holes in sand bank, others were part of a huge tree trunk embedded in the sand. But then of course, there is the whole ocean out there, living and breathing.
Wild Play, I’m grateful to be able to quietly observe and enjoy adventures like this.
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Glorious vintage patterns
News from the sewing room, a few new vintage sewing patterns.
Check out the skirt flounce and cape on that one!
The skirt for the woman ‘who doesn’t give a damn!’ And below, for the party animal.
Pretty much all complete, many unused. This is going to be waiting ’til next spring.
Factory folded, which is a real treat. I have to say, these two are the ones I’m most excited about…
Lovely detail on the bodice and skirt, can’t wait to see what it looks like in the real.
And this one, house pajamas? The casual cocktail party outfit? Oh yes, YES.
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All the Christmas trees
On account of our handmade Solstice and Christmas tree, Luna has been making Christmas trees for everyone, including Austin The Cat. Here is his one, it is meant to sit next to his bowl of course.
Austin The Cat’s tree is a small branch with all the bird and egg decorations, because, as Luna notes, Austin loves birds.
This is my one, it actually reminds me of a bonsai I potted up when I was a teenager. Luna uses stones to hold the branch in place.
The rabbit and egg decorations were found at my mums place. They came from a mobile and are just so cute.
I like that Luna wants everyone to have one, and spends quite a bit of time potting them up, balancing the sticks, choosing the decorations, it’s a sweet interpretation of the conventional Christmas tree.
This is her tree, decorations are added and changed daily.
Even the pot is full of beautiful things… Almost all her decorations have been found or purchased from op shops, Luna managed to save her $2 weekly pocket money for a couple of weeks to spend up large on baubles and trinkets. Very exciting.
This one, in her room, became even more elaboraately decorated as time went on…
Luna’s embellishments appear in all kinds of places….
And yes, that is an vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll by her lamp.
A random surprise decoration.
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Other People’s Projects – the gabardine skirt
I found this skirt cut and pinned all ready to assemble in a suitcase full of someone else’s fabric stash a couple of months ago. I have finally completed it, and yes, yes, yes, I love it.
I’m guessing it’s a Simplicity pattern, number 1104, and quite certain it is from the 1970s. I probably would never go for one of these skirt patterns – but I enjoy finishing a garment that has been carefully cut and set aside by another sewer. This stash came from a woman who had passed on, so I hope somewhere she is glad the skirt is made and having a new life…
I used a couple of buttons from my stash and an invisible sipper, which I’m not so keen on these days, but this one looked more hardwearing than most. The buttons kind of look like closed eyelids, which I liked too.
The fabric is gabardine, in a medium blue, the skirt panels are cut on the bias, and it has such a beautiful drape to it. I think it’s going to be an Autumn staple, and if I don’t get it all snagged, it will last a while. And on a less windy day than this, has a nice shape.
I teamed it up with this bow-tie blouse from the 70s, that admittedly doesn’t get a lot of wear…until now! And my favourite retro boots.
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Vintage jewelry repairs
Mum has had this case of broken vintage jewelry forever, it is in an old musical instrument case that belonged to a great grand parent, apparently the contents are from my dad’s side of the family, some quite old imitation pearls, glass beads, including two three strand cream-beige pearl necklaces.
This one, above, is a single strand choker imitation pearl necklace, with a break close to the clasp. There were several cards of pearl thread, like these:
So I had to give it a go. I grabbed my sewign case for my stitch ripper, and set to. I found that there was a tiny coiled wire, less than one millimeter wound around the thread on either side of the clasp.
Oh my gawd, I had to re-thread that! Not as tricky as it looks.
I cut the thread between each pearl with my stitch ripper, they were threaded and knotted between each bead. Then, rethreaded the wound wire spring at the clasp, then set to re-beading, and knotting at each interval.
Which took a while, but was worth it.
Maybe I’ll get on to this one next time…
Then again there are all of these, and two of the three strand pearls need similar repairs….
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Decolicious 2014
Auckland Art Deco Society Vintage Market.
I dropped into Auckland Art Deco Society ‘s Decolicious Vintage Market, it was lovely to meet the real people behind some cool vintage sellers and vintage inspired businesses.
And of course to look at vintage goodies… Like these earrings from Mintage.
Vintage fascinators from Mean Streak Vintage.
And hand made floral fascinators from the same, Mean Streak Vinatge…
I met Natasha from Glory Days Magazine, she had a stack of their very first printed copies of the magazine, quite exciting for those of you into the vintage and retro scene… Go on, pick up a copy!
SO many goodies…
Lovely, bring on next year….
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Big Day Out 2014!
It was yesterday and it was awesome! Partly because it was the first BDO I’ve been to since having kids, but mostly because Pearl Jam were headlining. Wohoo! Here we all are waiting for Arcade Fire.
Who were AWESOME! See?
SO AWESOME!
Wild!
And pretty.
Primus were choice too.
Waiting for Pearl Jam…. everyone was so excited.
And more photos for your enjoyment….
Mike McCready, what a dude.
Exciting!
Not quite the same energy…. but still good!
Very colourful.
I’m not a big fan of their latest album, so didn’t get into some of the songs they played, but I’m so glad I got to see them!
Eddie swinging on some giant light bulbs.
Encore!
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Pink dragons and glitter moons
I’m sure that Luna isn’t the only kid who transforms this:
Into this:
Fabulous huh? She helped me to assemble it, mostly working on the vertebra and legs, quite tricky for a small person, and the instructions were fairly non existent. Luna’s finishing touches included glitter moons and pink feathers…
We worked together to make it, and I left her with the job of adding extra glue in problem areas she identified, I returned to find her attaching feathers and glitter sprinkles. Good fun!
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Clouds
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I’m seeing clouds in my plastics, the material I’m working with at the moment…
I’m a bit obsessed with clouds, they are pretty amazing, I do a bit of cloud watching most days, weather permitting – of course.
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In plastic:
Sky like this, stunning:
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I’ve taken a few photos of clouds lately, it’s just impossible to capture their grander with a camera. Like this, clouds over Cornwall park, in the heat of summer.
Above and below, a cloud bank approaching Auckland city viewed from One Tree Hill summit.
And below, Point Chevalier beach at sunset.
Aaaaand, in plastic….
Omaha Beach.
View over Kawau Bay.
And more plastic…
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Homegrown strawberries
This rough old patch of strawberries has been giving us fresh berries most days, what a delight! It’s not that fancy, several transplanted plants, who honestly didn’t look that happy a few months ago have been quietly growing fruit, consitently enough that we can harvest a little bowl like this almost every day or two.
I admit, I had given up on these babies, and had neglected them somewhat, focusing on seed raising and caring for the other garden plants… So these feel even more rewarding, if slightly undeserved.
And they taste SO good! The plants themselves are sitting in not-so-well established chunks of earth (from where they were moved from when we shifted house) on fairly compacted soil. It was not the best place for them, but the only space we had, however, with very regular watering and doses of worm wee from the worm farm and lawn clippings, they seem to be very happy now.
Towards the end of spring the bed had become overrun by weeds, mostly grass, when I decided to pull it all out (having given up on the plants fruiting) I discovered that the grass cover had concealed flowers and new fruit and kept the birds unaware of the delicious treats that were so close…
All in all, well worth the effort in watering and feeding now, Luna enjoys making ‘salads’ with them.
Which are meant to be eaten around the fires her and Blake are making these days, complete with dandelion blossoms for flames…
artist, writer, curator, mentor
Angela Rowe 
