mum i need a costume for tomorrow

Well it wasn't that bad, I had a few days notice that I had to make a lizard costume for a play. Not just any lizard, a blue tongue lizard.

So I headed into the shed and last night pulled out some olive chenille and made pants, a shirt (forget buttons I needed quick velcro action), a head piece and webbed mittens. Add a few eyes and a blue tongue to the head piece and Zgal become a blue tongue lizard.

Just in case the audience can't see the blue chenille, she is sucking on a blueberry lollipop to turn her own tongue blue for tonight's performance.

when bags get dirty

You just make some more. I had to spend a few days in Sydney which mean lugging around reports and paperwork so I had to sew another bag. It's a simple bag, with a zip pocket on the outside that fits A4 folders, while inside is huge and roomy with plenty of room to stash a handbag and socks, not to mention all the other stuff I lugg around.
I gave it handles and an adjustable shoulder strap as well. It's nice and solid and stands up by itself.
The outside is bright printed cord from spotties, the inside is a thick thick 70s vintage swirly brown curtain material. I'm kicking myself that I didn't put in a reversible zip as the way I put it together means it is reversible.
Oh well, next time.



The other bags is a matching shoulder handbag and wrist clutch, once again made from vintage curtain material. Like the work bag, these can be thrown in the washing machine and they are fantastic. The shoulder bag is reversible, but this one has the same lining as the outside, the next one I make will feature different linings. I saw on Etsy a bag using jute that was the handle and so I headed to the shed, drew a few shapes and this is what I came up with. On the sides there are pleats to 'tighten' the top of the bag and give it more room inside. The bottom is also shaped so it is a roomy bag as well. I love these wrist clutches, easy to make and the zip is a heavy duty 70s number, it ain't going to break.

re hooking

Look at what Lady* is wearing. Yes, that's a cotton hand crocheted cardigan and guessing by the colour I'm thinking late 60s, early 70s.
Well it fits the boobs so I nabbed it from the op shop, but it does need some work.
While I don't mind the collar and button bands look at those cuffs.
The sleeve are huge, but the cuffs, ugly, they are just too wide.
I was going to cut them off, thinking that I had found the seaming from cuff to sleeve, but before I hacked on in I checked with a workmate who is an experience hooker.
Seems the cuffs were done, joined up and then used as the foundation chain for the sleeves.
So a steeking I will go.
I'm aiming to have cuffs a little narrower than the button band.
Then the old gal needs a good clean and I have an out there cardi for summer. Considering I wear almost all black, this little number will go with everything!
* Lady has been part of the family for a decade or so. Normally she stands in the hall way wearing black with a velvet opera cloak on, ready to go out and haunt. She is a girly one, about the size of a 12 year old.

knitting as protest

Last night I headed into town with Rayna Fahey, left, founder of Radical Cross Stitch, and a fellow Kiwi Zoe Thompson-Moore.
Rayna now lives in Melbourne (with an adorable baby and a now competent finger knitting fellow) and she and Zoe organised a workshop about craft as protest and craft as a cohesive social structure for women.
The workshop was in the morning, but there was mention of another Melbourne-based artist that was doing huge cross stitch graffiti on hurricane fences as a means of protest and there was a brief mention of there being plenty of blank canvasses in the town.
Well Sally and I were interested and at the end of the session asked if they were going to do some.
The end results was at 10pm we met up in town, quickly mastered the skill of finger knitting and sat around knitting long, thickish threads that Rayna and Zoe used to stitch a message on the fence around what was the Palais, one of the towns oldest dance halls and a structure that is being demolished, leaving just the facade for heritage reasons. A few of the squatters who live in the area watched and spoke to us.
As soon as I can I'll get a picture of the completed saying, which was I want to Live Here with a big heart at the end.