Gymwear

I am going to the gym quite a bit and also do Jazzercise once a week. I just cannot face wearing any old T shirt or "daggy" pants to go. Since there is very little available in colors other than black/dark blue or gray, especially in the pants sector, I decided to buy stretchy material and make some tops and pants. The patterns are either copied from some tops I already had and patched those together with some leftovers. The pants are an altered Burda pattern, from an older magazine. Do not recall which one it is. I do not have an overlocker but my trusty Bernina has some stitches suitable for stretch material. Together with the twinneedles I bought it works just fine.
I already have another couple of pieces of material ready to go. However, I definitely need other things more urgently than gym wear.  I bought the electric blue and turquoise from Spotlight when they had a sale on and the patterned bit from Pitt Trading. Another store I really like and which has lots of nice and more unusual material. I may even have an order to make an outfit for one of the girls at Fitness First.   

Winning pot at the Easter Show

As mentioned in my previous blog I have entered a piece in the competition.

My bowl called  "Ethnic Blue" won "highly commended" and sold  as well. Thanks to my friend Anna, who despite me saying I had nothing decent on hand convinced my to enter it! 

As you can see I am very happy indeed.

10 members of our group, "The Port Hacking Potters" have been there all day on Friday and demonstrated what pottery is all about. Some did throwing, others decorating and a few hand building.

Everybody loves watching someone on the pottery wheel, it must be fascinating to see a piece take shape from a lump of clay to a usable item.  

If you are at the Royal Easter Show make sure to drop in to the feature demo site manned by a different group of potters every day and say HI.

Anyway, it was a long but enjoyable day meeting and talking to all sorts of people. I may have entered a piece of pottery for the first but probably not the last time!

Winter Impressions from Switzerland

Early morning view from my attic at our friends place in Bern

Beautiful buildings abound in the old part of the city. They are hundreds of years old but are still inhabited.   




Sights from one of our bracing walks in the country side. 

Sustenance for the birds is being provided. Despite this, if the winter is extremely severe a large number of birds perish.

While visiting my sister in the Zurcher Oberland sky region it just would not stop snowing!  
The snowplough came early, it usually woke me up around 6 o clock.   

Flying over the alps. Glad to be on my way home to warmer weather!

Sorry guys, have still not put together my wintery pictures put had another blog stored away for for lean days.......here we go:

Once there was some Tessutti Fabric.......

A couple of years ago, the first time ever I went to Tessutti's I bought some nice cotton sateen fabric for a summer dress. Well here is the finished result, finally. The pattern sort of leans towards  New Look 6002 but the top is one of my own altered designs with FBA and the pleats in the skirt are about half the size of the ones in the pattern. I had to cut the top twice since the first one was to tight. Then I had to juggle to fit another top on the small piece of material. Anyway in the end I made it and here is the result. I am working towards making my own pattern, up to now it is still trial and error. I am just to big at the top compared to the bottom and the waist is practically non existent. I know, I know, nothing unusual but to get a proper fit still needs some work. I feel I even look somewhat pregnant in it. Not one 100% happy, but still a comfortable summer dress.
We are already in the process of organizing our next trip which will take us to the US of A. 
As always we will be camping as much as possible, especially in National Parks and State Parks which are always nice to camp in. I am looking into making something new to take along, like a versatile jacket which I could dress up or down and perhaps a T-Shirt dress to go with it for something a little nicer besides shorts and T shirts. Shall see....Generally speaking I find it a lot harder to make things suitable for my "non working" life style. I am sure you know what I mean, no more little suits and blouses etc. I feel I am constantly in pants or shorts and have to make an effort to dress up a little when I go shopping or so.  What about you other girls not in the workforce any longer how do you feel about this issue???