My hobbies include

Keep painting, and painting…and painting

Fatigue from too much still life. No better way to get acquainted with the medium, I guess.

Collars, collars – take your pick.

I like the sailor style best.

The benefits of being friends with bibliophiles.

Bedside. A select frame. Kitty cat clasp purse made of kimono fabric, a gift from Japan, containing my good luck charms | Crabtree & Evelyn Le Source hand cream | Body Shop Deep Sleep essential oil for dabbing on pillow | A Round-heeled woman by Jane Juska, Ruling Your World by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger | in the background is an acrylic tissue dispenser from Muji

A Dog’s Life.

The need to be expressively creative

I’m so very pleased with my sewing accomplishments. Have completed 2 (proper & orthodox) skirts, so far, in class, the second of which nearly killed my eyes, being a linen herringbone, making the weave very tough to work with for a beginner like myself. My ignorance of fabric really did me in when I had to stitch up the whole hem by hand. *emerge cross-eyed*. Today I signed up with a friend for acrylic painting classes which begin later this week. Can’t wait!!

Material Posessions

Though I haven’t joined her support group, I’ve been hugely inspired from a distance by Joslyn’s resolution for (the first bit of) 2009 to “Don’t buy anything new”. This spending hiatus has a support group with progress tracked on her blog and practically performs the exact functions a real-life support group would and, though digital in nature, seems to be very very powerful! I’m definitely still hugely inspired by the resolution which started it all, and we’re almost into March now! Cutting down on the impulse purchases or on buying stuff just for the (short-lived) satisfaction of a new acquisition to tote home in a shopping bag(s) is so healthy!

With my now-improving sewing skills and sewing machine set-up and readily accessible, I’ve taken to modifying, re-engineering and re-constructing (a tonne of) existing clothing which I haven’t worn in ages but just haven’t had the heart to throw out (I’m a pack-rat).

Honestly, who actually absolutely needs all those new material possessions? Not buying anything new (unnecessarily) is almost habituating into a lifestyle! Coincidentally, this results in greater budget for foOoOooOOd!!

I’m so satisfied with this non-purchasing PLUS re-cycling. On top of that all, I’ve been trying very hard to overcome my internal pack-rat by attempting to ruthlessly declutter my wardrobe and my room. I’ve put all my handbags into their dustbags to keep them clean and to lengthen their livespans generally; prior to which I cataloged these bags!! I’m so pleased with myself. This enables optimal outfit co-ordination and maximizes utilization of existing bags.

Imagine my shock when I came across this catalogue of EVERYTHING:-

By Simon Evans || via A Cup of Jo and Black Eiffel

What to do with scraps of fabric

I got a bunch of fabric scraps from a friend some years ago. The fabric scraps had been bought for cheap at a (flea) market of sorts in Sydney when she was in university there and had since sat unused. Upon her discovery of my foray into sewing, the bag of fabric changed hands and sat unused for a few more years.

This evening, I pulled it out and made a cushion cover:-

Re-construction, De-construction

I’ve had this sewing machine for probably 3 years now, but it hasn’t seen much daylight during this time. I took it out from storage and set it up yesterday and have been sewing non-stop! Mostly de-constructing and re-constructing old clothing and some linen. So far:-

(1) cut up and hemmed a few pairs of trousers into shorts, some with large cuffs. Life in the tropics doesn’t call for trousers, especially not the tweed ones, which I’ve had from living in more winter-y climates.

(2) shortened some sweat-pants into capri-length for yoga (I kept stepping on and almost slipping on the hems)

(3) Converted a queen sized quilt-cover for the single quilt.

(4) Finally sewed the pink-checked lining of my laundry hamper basket into a proper lining with circular base and tube-like sides.

As I was sewing, Living Etc came on TV and the stylist was doing a photo-shoot with re-cycled stuff and was sharing a tip of glue stain removal using lighter fluid for glass jars and bottles saved from the kitchen. She says recycling is almost like a hobby and will be the new knitting. I found myself nodding.

Sewing, finally!

A year or two ago, I bought a sewing machine for $100+ on sale at Courts in the hope of successful self-taught sewing. That didn’t happen.

If I had the luxury of time (and other resources), I would choose to do a full-blown fashion design course. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury.

However, I’m proud that I have now gotten off my lazy-fat-ass and into sewing (+ dressmaking) class!

Kadomay
60 Eu Tong Sen St
#03-29 Furama Hotel
Singapore 059804
Tel: 6221 3191