Collect 2 Create

My Resurrected Blog - 2014

I have decided to start the New Year by beginning my blogging journey again.  This is a new start with a fresh perspective and ideas that others may be interested in (or not).  I have decided to write on a regular basis and have been using a journal for the last few months to document my style and inspirational ideas; some original, some borrowed from other creative souls.  
Therefore I have decided on the title of: 

Collect 2 Create

Some of my journaling ideas will end up on this blog, beginning with a cooperative of creative people who have some exciting and interesting handmade ideas.  This new enterprise can be found in the city closest to where I live in NZ and my favourite place of all time for op shopping and generally fossicking around; Napier.  Check out the The Department of Curiosities and Fine Things in Hastings Street, Napier and on facebook.

Holiday Relaxation

Today is the first day of the school holidays and I am already planned and ready to start on my holiday list of sewing.  Usually it takes quite some time to wind down at the beginning of each holiday and organize myself to make the most efficient use of my time and energies.  I have been scrolling through a number of posts on capsule wardrobes and wardrobe planning and have found these useful in helping me to coordinate a more structured plan of attack in my sewing and purchasing of items.  Not just yet another list, but a way of making clothes shopping more purposeful.  My relaxed state of mind is directly due to reflexology and the weekly sessions I have been having for the last month.  This lead up to the school holidays has had enormous benefits to my general health and ability to focus, so starting from tomorrow, the sewing begins in earnest.  

The first items that need to be completed will fit into my travel wardrobe for a long weekend that is coming up shortly.  Hubby is off on a sporting weekend and I usually accompany him to a city approximately four hours away.  Each Saturday there is an art and craft market, where you can find some excellent jewellery, and other items that you wouldn't usually see in other markets. When I visit this city I am always able to purchase garments and accessories that are not available anywhere else.  You could probably describe it as more of an artisan market, due to the original and unique nature of what's on offer.  Just my kind of place to find ideas for my own recycled accessories and refashioned garments.  I'm always on the look-out for inspiration and ways of making an ensemble look a bit different from what is available in retail outlets.  After all, that's why I enjoy sewing so much.  

New Season Sensations

What To Wear?

Having the low-down on what's up and coming for the new season is essential if you don't want to spend endless amounts of time window shopping and coming up short.  Or, as I have in the past, buying fashion duds that don't stand the test of time.  This is my magazine of choice for the new season over-view; Simply You always has a selection of styles that seem to suit all sizes and budgets.  I have been buying the summer and winter issues for many years now and swear by the magazines ability to show a variety of what's available for women in New Zealand.  

Wardrobe Planning:

My list making comes to the fore when the new issue if out, as I take stock of what I've already got and what I need to look out for.  I have already summed up my fabric stash for block colour combinations.

Colour blocking

The purple, pink, royal blue, red, turquoise and greens are my choice.  Unfortunately, orange is not my favourite and yellow makes me look like I'm sick, so no matter what the fashion season holds I'll be avoiding those two shades and leave it to those who wear it well.  At the moment I've got quite a list of thrift store finds and what to look for on my next visits.  The thrift stores in the nearest city are becoming very popular; possibly a sign of the times in more than one way.  When money is short people become very savvy in how they spend their pay each week.  For me I went back to sewing my own clothes out of frustration in not being able to find quality clothing at a decent price.  Also, I became adept at finding bargains in thrift shops.  Yes, it can be time consuming to seek out the best quality clothing, with a dash of designer brands now and then.  You need to have a good memory to remember what you already have sitting at home and how you can put together combinations that work.  This is always a challenge, but well worth the effort.    

Wardrobe Review

It has taken me sometime to get back to posting, for lots of different reasons, but it has made me very aware of the need to be realistic with my sewing, blogging and work commitments.  Many of the photos I had taken were not up to scratch, so I have decided to invest in a new camera.  I would welcome any suggestions from other bloggers.

My Me-Made-June challenge came to an abrupt end with a bad dose of the flu and MMJ became more of a personal challenge to showcase all of my handmade items of clothing than to show daily outfits on pininterest, or a similar site.  The months of May and the beginning of June were very warm for winter, so my wardrobe choices were more like an autumn wardrobe rather than winter.  Now we are experiencing full winter temperatures, with all the woollies I can find to layer one on top of the other.

My latest project includes a long sleeved version of this cowl neck top.  I will post photos when I purchase a new camera, but until now here is the pattern and images using Vogue V1197 by Sandra Betzina.