holidaying in the nong

A journey to The Nong is always like having a mini holiday full of exotic sights and smells. There is the supermarket that sells fresh Islander food, the Indian ladies now running all the op shops (always a good sign when the volunteer nationalities starts reflecting an area) and of course a visit to my favourite big sub-continent  grocery store where it is fun just to cruise around ogling the products. Like a 10kg bag of Tilda basmati, apparently, according to the sticker, it has been genetically tested to make sure it is 'pure'. So many different types of riceness to choose from!

And cordials and juices with excellent labels. No 'Mangola' though. Mmmmmangola! Mangola nectar in a bottle, tropical sunshine in glass.

There was even fun over at the disposal store, digitally printed woodland hunting suits! I am quite tempted to buy one of the jackets.......
I must photograph some of yesterday's op shop finds for you. Quite amusing.
Sometimes even a little change of scenery can be good for the soul.

For the rest of the day I got stuck into cushions in the studio. We have the start of a new run of Welsh blanket cushions, green and raspberry similar to some last year but a bit softer in tone and a fabulous  brown, like the colour of packet chocolate cake mix, mixed up with teal, celery green, coral, rose pink and lavender-y purple....... crazy but really beautiful.
Errands again this morning and then into the studio.
Better get a move on.

*Satchel update- they will be leaving UK early next week so we should have them the week after. One lonely 15" fluoro yellow satchel in the window looking for a new home. All together now.... how much is that satchel in the window the one with the waggily strap.......

the hunting of the snark

I stayed up late last night, accidentally, in email conversation with Cambridge Satchels. More satchels being added to the order- it's killing me waiting for the Fedex confirmation of shipment email but at least there are more satchels ending up in the boxes. This shipment is going to take over the shop! Fingers crossed it goes out tonight, we might get it by next Friday then...... Oh and I've relented and am getting in a small batch of batchels. You can't say I don't fold to customer pressure.
I had a little turn yesterday afternoon, the day was going so well and then I got snarky and upset. You know how it is.... someone said something/did something/didn't do something and you just feel like hissing and spitting and growling from inside your bear cave. I'm annoyed with myself for behaving snarkily and ashamed that I can't pull my head in even when I knew I was doing it. Sometimes the steam just builds up, perhaps a whistle on top of one's head would be good. A big steam whistle. It could let off steam and warn people to stay away. Perfect.
I'm off to glamorous Dandenong soon. Dear S.J.- 'Dandenong' isn't the same as 'the Dandenongs', the Nongs are leafy hills with nice views and Dandy is an outer suburb with great Indian shops and a colourful multicultural mix. Perhaps I'll sneak in a visit to Savers whilst I'm out there! I must remember to clear all the tapestries out of the back of the car before I leave.
I have lots of good things on the boil here (carrying on the steam metaphor) and I'll probably start complaining in a month that there is too much going on. I think I'm in the limbo that always happens at this time of year, the holiday season in all its manifestations is over, the change of seasons has quite started and part of me wants to get a big broom and sweep everything out to start anew. Did you know yesterday was the 4th anniversary of getting the key to the shop? That might explain it all.

a nasty case of the laura ingalls

So today wasn't 100 buttonholes, more like 48. I haven't managed to sew on any buttons as I was out socialising tonight but hopefully if I get my new glasses I'll be ensconced on the couch tomorrow night stitching, stitching, stitching. 

I got inspired today after the buttonholes to start work on a new dress. It seems to be channelling  Laura Ingalls/Little House on the Prairie (although Little House in the Big Woods is my favourite, I must have been about 5 when it was first read to me and it stays with me still) via American Civil War and a touch of the 1930s with a dash of the ric racs. I like it. I'm thinking it's an Autumn dress. It has a slightly dagginess to it that amuses me, a little bit Amish (if it wasn't floral, decorated and fastened with a zip), a little simple and plain but in a nice way. I know- prim!

The Biblical Jasmine is flowering out the back, only a couple of flowers but the scent is heady in the morning. I'm not a fan of heavily perfumed jasmines, the common purple/pink/white version makes me ill but this one reminds me of India and I love the Azores Jasmine, the two in the backyard are growing like topsy and I'm hoping it will flower at some stage. The Jasminum Sambac makes me think of flower garlands and piles of tuberoses and petals  being threaded up, such intense scents that only seem to work in somewhere like India. In fact I bought this plant at my favourite Indian grocery in Dandenong.
It's time for bed. Time to shut up my waffling and snuggle down in the cool, it's so much nicer this bout of cold than sweltering humidity. Perhaps it was the chill today that made me think of Autumn dresses.

button holed

Oh yes the studio was foul yesterday. By two I was almost comatose put I ate a lolly snake and drank some tea sitting in front of a fan and pushed through the 'pain barrier' and managed to get the dresses finished up to button stage- yay for me. Now I have about 100 button holes to do today- blah for me. I might break it down into sets of 4 just to feel like I am achieving something. It's a silly game I play but sometimes it works, production is such a pain that you have to set smaller goals to feel like you are getting somewhere.
On the satchel front it looks like there is movement at the station and we may be receiving stock very soon. I may even be relenting and ordering a few batchels this time around (I don't like the handle very much and you know I am exceedingly opinionated). It won't be a full range of colours and sizes but any stock sells so stay tuned. Sometimes I feel like we are a Cambridge Satchel Company shop, they drive me totally mad at times, I feel like a cartoon character being chased by flying satchels!
I slept in this morning after a bad first half of the night's sleep so I better get moving. I'm still in my pyjamas. Hoping the studio isn't too awful.

hopsack happy

Vintage floral linens make me happy. Yesterday I started cutting and sewing new batches of cushions. I couldn't work on the damn Swiss cotton dresses because I ran out of cream thread and needed to get buttons (which I discovered last night I had already bought) and I couldn't finish the skirts because I had no 20cm invisible zips, my haberdashery wholesaler was off on a long weekend so cushions it was. One of the cushions might actually need to stay with me, it's a rare bit of floral with a beautiful dark grey background. I don't want to let it go. I rarely keep much that I make, not because I don't like it but sometimes when you work and collect and spend your days surrounded by it it just becomes a bit overwhelming. There are things that I have regretted parting with but I take great joy in other people's delight in them.
So I worked my way through a pile of linen fabrics, smiled lovingly at a beautiful golden tinged linen hopsack and stitched up some manky green floral. Joy oh joy! Then I started on the Welsh blankets, a riot of pattern and colour. Most of the linens have made it into the shop but only a couple of the Welshies as I still haven't ordered new cushion inserts. Next week's job, well, one of next week's jobs.
I need to re-do the shop window. It's still basically the Xmas window de-tinselfied. Perhaps it will have to have a floral theme.
I'll say it again..... how the hell is it Saturday again?? This week seemed to run down the drain and 'poof!' it was gone. I know there is no way to stop it but I'm finding it annoying. I mark the weeks out in what I have/haven't achieved and perhaps this is not a good yardstick. I am longing for Autumn though, the Cottage is just that bit more cold-friendly I feel, gloves and hats and woolly things. I've quite enjoyed the dry heat over the last week but I see the humidity is on the rise and thunderstorms are forecast again, which means I will get all lethargic and sweaty. Pretty huh?
Time to get ready for the 11am shop opening.

dogs of unusual size

Thursday felt like Sunday. Sitting in a backyard, eating good food, enjoying the breeze and the chat and not actually 'celebrating' Oystralya Dai. I'm scared of the flag waving, the cars with flags attached, the face painting, the jingoism, the xenophobia. But it's nice taking a day off to hang with friends. Now this morning I am all over the place- is it Friday, Monday or another Sunday? I"m sure there will be a high rate of absenteeism today. I'm tempted to retire back to bed.
The throttling (of the internet) has stopped and joy oh joy it's like the first time you log on to high speed ADSL after years of dial-up! Amazing! Stupid! Ridiculous! I'm getting to see images in quick time rather than giving up and walking away, some of them are exciting but most of them are ho-hum and I have to laugh at myself for getting such internet withdrawals. I was amusing myself by imagining photos from peoples blog/website descriptions, imagination is a lot better sometimes!
I wish I had been able to take a better photo of the dog painting above. It might take you awhile to work out the scale of the thing. If those couch cushions are close to the camera and are 'x' in size then that would make the the painting...... put simply if I was standing next to the painting it might top me my an inch or so and I am 6'1" in my bare feet (if I haven't shrunk which is possible). Those dogs are freakin' huge. It would be hilarious to have it in a really small room- or even a middling sized room or a hugely palatial room.
So no more excuses, I better get off to the studio, do some work, make a living.
And it's Saturday again tomorrow! Perhaps it's this getting older lark, I seem to be losing days and weeks like sand through my fingers!

dressmaking with the dodgy duchess

Thankfully the humidity is sticking around 30%, it may be hot, hot, hot but at least I'm not a greasy pile of sweatiness. The studio isn't actually too bad and I've spent the last few days working on a new batch of dresses. Lovely Swiss cotton floral voile. The components are all ready to go, the skirt bits, the bodice and the facings, they just all need to come together, then lots of button holes and buttons to be done.
I still can't do any hand sewing at the moment, I've just done the third trip to the optometrist and I am really hoping that this time I will get a pair of glasses that work! The first pair were completely wrong and the second were off so if the next pair are right I'm hoping for a clear view of the computer, my books and a needle slipping through fabric. Hopefully by then I shall also have high speed internet connection.
Beck delivered the lovely Dodgy Duchess to me at the studio today. It's amazing how her eyes follow you around the room, in a cross eyed sort of way.

By the way the Cottage isn't open this Thursday, Oystralya Dai. I'll be at the Clarke Street BBQ, drinking ginger beer, if you need me.