So many great intentions today. To sort patterns, sew, maybe clean up a bit. I feel like I'm in a bit of a crafty dip at the moment. As good as it's gotten today is wrapping up some soaps. I like packaging my soaps this way. I think it adds a bit of a handmade vibe to the soap, and also uses up otherwise unusable scraps. So it's all good, really!
On first peeking to see what this weeks eye spy theme was, I thought I would head out for a walk with the camera to see what was in flower, or even just to find some colour. It didn't quite happen that way. Instead, as the light was fading this afternoon, I popped into the back garden and took a few pictures. 
The snow peas are crazily flowering and fruiting, the broadbeans are awash with the flowers and strangest yet, the rhubarb has sent a flower shooting skyward. This thing would be far taller than me. It has a sweet earthy fragrance, and is dripping pollen everywhere. I should probably pick the flower off so it doesn't go to seed. I don't want it to die... I love being able to trace the history of plants; this rhubarb came from my aunty who got it from my Grandpa (who has been dead about 20 years). I have a few things in the garden like that, and treasure their presence in the garden.
During the past week or so, I've been applying some of the ideas I'd learned during my first pattern making class. I've drafted some skirts, but the sewn up garments have turned out to be all kinds of wrong. It's been so frustrating! Today I figured out where and why I went wrong. I'm hoping with a bit more fine tuning, the ideas I've been working on can come to be. I tend to be someone who wants results fast, but drafting your own patterns makes things happen a lot more slowly. I'm finding I have to slow down -which is good! 
So now, I'm happily bumbling along, slowing down, and sticking to the rules instead of taking shortcuts. As a result, I hope to soon have drafted a pattern for a simple skirt that will flatter most figures (especially mummy tummies!) and be a blank canvas for some screen printing. Time will tell I guess!
Yesterday, the morning at least, was the most perfect day fo being outside. My form of being outside was walking to the Asian grocer. But how can you just go from A to B and back again? It can't be done. Certainly not when there are 5 op-shops within very easy walking distance! So the smallest man and I went a-visiting, trawling the op-shop circuit. He found his holy grail (silver goblet so he can be Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade) and I found a vintage picnic set, still in the box. Shame this is a 4 place set, and there are 5 of us. But I couldn't just leave it there!!
My creative space this week isn't in my sewing room. I left my iron at Olive Grove yesterday, and I find it impossible to sew without it. So today, I've been trying to be creative in the otherwise neglected areas of the house. Erm.... everywhere else. So I've been to the market to get some lovely fresh vegies, herbs and spices from the Asian grocer. I'm making a green curry with tofu tonight. I can almost taste the kaffir limes leaves already! I am loving kaffir lime at the moment. But before I get to my mortar and pestle, I need to give the house one serious clean. It's hideous. So, I'm ready to don the little 50's apron at the bottom of the picture above, and create a clean house... and maybe some banana bread too! To get me moving, I'm listening to this:
