zoom zoom zoom

I feel like I have been running a marathon these last few weeks, and there's still a long way to go.

Not running a marathon in the every muscle hurts I am so exhausted kind of way, more in the there is no pause between laps kind of way. I have trained for it, the scenery is beautiful, but I'm still needing all my strength and focus to maintain my pace.

I have started facilitating the Sew Inn at Tessuti Fabrics which has been engaging and exciting and filling my head with all those things teaching brings to my life. Things in at the spanner works have been pumping too and I regret not one jot my decision to keep my hours down this year. I think if I was doing more some of the really complex issues I grapple with when I am there may well be doing my head in right now. So I feel I am making a very narrow escape being engaged and challenged without being overwhelmed.

And this last weekend I was off at craft camp and I have come home full up with goodness. Aside from all the usual things, this was the first time I drove myself. And without crapping on too too much like an 18 year old p-plater moron, it was totally awesome. Packing at my leisure in my own way, leaving when I wanted, not worrying about inconveniencing others, stopping for thread on the way. I totally freakin loved it. Sigh. I know.

It was also a more relaxed weekend than I usually have, with perhaps a little less sewing and a little more faffing about. A little more thinking and wandering. And a total crap load of pants wetting laughter and late nights. Perhaps as a result I am very very pleased with all the things I made, but none so much as the pin stripe bengaline shirt.

This was a remnant from Tessuti and the very second I saw it I knew pretty much exactly what I wanted to do with it. I pondered for a few days how I would make a pattern, and I looked through lots of existing patterns to make sure there wasn't something I could use, but just making it up it came together really effortlessly. So much so that I immediately made another, which turned out very differently and a change of pace for me, but very pleasing none the less (No photo of it yet).

I also made another pair of jeans using the same pattern as last time, but taken down a size after the last pair came out too loose. These are a lovely dark denim also from Tessuti (noticing a pattern here?) and the fit is much firmer than last time, but excellent I think. I also made up jeans for Wil from an unfinished WIP of someone else's, whose child had thankfully grown out of them. Very uncharacteristically for me, I left with this item unfinished too since I had no idea about length and waist fit on Wil. Hopefully I can finish off the hems and top in the next few days.

There were new bathers for Amy - gratefully received as you can see. I also spent quite a bit of time remodelling a boiled wool coat I have. It was quite expensive when I bought it and although I have continued to wear it and like it, I have always felt a few aspects it the fit were not quite right. But I was nervous to mess with it, since I was risking a perfectly serviceable garment in the pursuit of something better, so it has bugged me on and off for a couple of years. It felt fantastic to tinker and see it improve - the basic shape retained but refined and improved. It still needs a bit of work because I don't like the way the unlined wool has bagged out around the button holes, so the next task is to perhaps add something firming over the front edge and redo the button holes and add a few more to get it to sit better. Another job to finish!

And of course, many hours were spent in pursuit of the perfect tea towels for the swap I had already printed in my mind. The whole print thing took wildly longer than I had expected and was utterly exhausting. I wanted to try some fabric printing too, but I left it for another day and I will be thinking long and hard about the process before I start next time. Many lessons in there.

I returned home, dumped everything in a heap and went off to work on Monday morning without catching my breath. Now it is Tuesday night and time to move to high gear to get tea towels labelled and posted, sewing jobs finished, some order restored and the bags packed for Sydney. Amy and I and our lovely travel companion have 4 days and a string of fabulous dates with fabulous blogger friends in stunning locations across the city, a sleep over and only carry on baggage. So you know, planning is required.

I come home to 2 more weekends of teaching, a solo parenting stint while D is off in the wilds of PNG and then we all collapse into school holidays and hopefully some blobbing time down at the beach and a rest from all this tetrisising of my life. I'm trying to make more space for blogging, but realistically things might be thin on the ground for a little while yet. But for those who were enjoying the photos I had been posting, I am trying to keep the kids daily and what i wore today groups updated at least a couple of times a week.