End of Term

Last weekend Bunneh and I met up to organise ourselves for the annual SvenJen adventure in a few weeks, (11 days, no, not counting.... much!!), once again to Ballarat for the Winter School of felting. We can hardly contain our excitement as we now head to familiar territory, and look forward to walking around the lake in the (freezing) morning and spending creative (freezing) days making felted garments. We decided on colours, and dyed wool to suit the merino jersey fabric we intended to use, but then things changed, and we are now working in all white! This takes away a whole level of decision making for us, and I for one am pleased about that!! Did I mention I'm a little disturbed at how cold it is going to be?!!

Yeast Bomb!

Measuring and mixing

As it was a long weekend, we were able to spend Monday pretending it was Sunday, and ended up in the yard with the pizza oven, turning our hands to our first batch of bread. Well, Matt did all the hard work, whilst I sat around sewing and enjoying NOT being the one in the kitchen!

Into the oven!

mmm, making bread is hard work, isn't it, Matt?!

 Matt was the dough master, and created this yeast bomb during production!! He implanted the dough with sun dried tomatoes, chorizo, pancetta and olives. The loaves turned out perfectly, and we enjoyed a dinner of bread and wine in our backyard oasis with our favourite neighbours!

The last few weeks have, as usual, been a whirlwind of activity as the end of term approached.For
me this has mainly been focused on the presentation of my ‘Studio’ garment(s), which encompassed explaining the entire process from inspiration, design and patternmaking, to full garment production and development.

SvenjaCoutureSwing tag

Embellishment is already a very comfortable zone for me, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity and challenge myself in other areas, such as patternmaking and sewing. I surely achieved this, with a cut-out keyhole back design on one, and a bell-shaped skirt.  The key-hole design was a wonder to behold throughout the patternmaking process, as gape dart after gape dart was added to ensure a beautifully snug fit. Sewing the garment to the lining through this area was also an education, and I now FULLY appreciate the value of balance points or notches! It wasn’t until the end of the first version of this design that I realised I had forgotten to allow for a back split/vent to allow for movement, 

SvenjaCouture Label

as the skirt was quite narrow. Henceforth a day of my life lost in sewing a lined vent – ouch – my brain hurts!

The bell skirt (AKA "The Blueberry"!) didn’t get tricky until the garment was constructed and said, “ohhhhh, but I need more support!” This is when the foam underskirt came into existence, further complicating the finish of the hem. However, with the bell shaping taking away some of the length, I was happy to not have to take any more away, and ended up applying a facing which was then attached to the lining. I am now super happy with the smooth couture finish.

Obviously, shoes and a headpiece were required for at least the main presentation garment, and I proceeded to bend needles, stab my fingertips to buggery and bleed over everything as I attached shibori organza pieces to some shoes. Worth it. Totally worth it. Especially when I got to see the whole outfit on the real-life lovely Sammi for the first time!
I presented the three garments to the panel at TAFE today, as did my classmates. On the left is Shani's beautiful dress featuring stiffened calico origami pieces as well as a twisted metallic fabric centrepiece. To the right, Sarah's amazing practically reversible jacket with piping and beading detail in the lining (that's right, the lining!!) and skirt with lined godets (and they say I'm crazy!!) and Debbie's beautifully dip-dyed skirt, midriff top, and jacket. Also, Maefan's garment, accessorised by her fabulous work in EVA foam, not to mention wig, ears, staff, and contact lenses. Well done to everyone, and our heartfelt thanks to Janice, Helen and Gywneth for patiently assisting us through this process.
Last night was the Light Fantastic Fashion Parade for graduating Diploma students, where the winner of the GESA/TAFE/Rotary Global Learning
Scholarship funding the study tour to New York was announced. I was thrilled to be one of the five finalists, but alas, was not the recipient. However, this whole process seems to have actually awoken my dormant travel bug, and I am planning on going on the 10 day trip anyway!!! YIKES!! I have printed out the map of NYC and taped it to my wall, and have vowed to STOP watching Aircrash Investigations!!