Wrapping a Rose

a little while ago i provided a sketch pattern

for a no-sew silkymerino slipdress

which can be worn in a multitude of ways

firstly as a shawl

or a scarf

while the two simple armholes allow it to become a dress

 

 wear it with a draped neckline

or hooded as below

roll the cowl down 

for a dropped shoulder look

drop one of the armholes

and it becomes a Grecian style drape

as worn to great effect by the late Princess of Wales 

on a visit to Adelaide a good many years ago. 

though i was told (by a friend who danced with her at the university ball) 

that hers was skyblue.

below you see it with the colour drained

thanks to the Snapseed app 

(which has provided me with a deal of amusement today)

it's hard to stop taking pictures of my gorgeous girl

if you put your head through one of the armholes

then you can wear it as a halterneck

this version is not quite no-sew as i added some pockets

but it is still a minimal waste dress

fold the top down

pleat and tuck

and it becomes a comfy skirt

(the pockets may become a little trickier to access)

and of course you can snuggle into the whole thing 

as if it were a footless sleeping bag

which is extremely comfy for sleeping on 

trains, planes and automobiles (best not if you're driving)

+
 

we had fun shooting in the hayshed

but our audience was rather bored

Kubbi snoozed on the tractor

Jack chose a more precarious spot

(we'll be moving him before we move that wheel).

 i used a two metre length of silkymerino to make that dress

if you're not confident of making your own

i'd be happy to make one for you

dyed with windfalls from the farm

please drop me a line

if you'd like to pursue the idea

 but you'll have to find your own Rose.

NoSew SilkyMerino SlipDress

  

if you've spent any time with me in recent years 

you'll know that i absolutely love the SilkyMerino knit that Marion stocks at Beautiful Silks

it comes in a tube

(i carry one for snuggling into on planes)

dyes like a dream

and doesn't fray

so when a student asked for help in devising a dress to wear to her daughter's wedding i had no hesitation in recommending she get a length and a pair of scissors

here's what we did

(using my grandmother's method of measuring/cutting based on your own body parts)

those little 'u's on the drawing are the cuts we made

notice that the cut is finger-shaped...a straight cut will fray at the point of the cut

do not be tempted to make the cut any bigger...though it looks small

remember the cloth is a tube

so the actual hole is bigger than it seems

and if you want the cowl neck to also be a hood, make it longer

(double is a good notion)

shorten the hem as desired, but if you keep it long the whole thing also doubles as a shawl or a sleeping tube for long-distance travel

oh

and if (like my granny) you think a little mystery goes a long way

wear it over a close-fitting T of some kind

otherwise, enjoy the breeze...or if you're really keen for some stitching, add a few tucks in the area between the cuts

last two chances to fly

i love it when somebody puts their hand up to organise a workshop
it means i don't have to do it
my skills lie elsewhere, though i'm getting quite good at finding reasonable value airtickets

having already embarassed myself by emailing someone from the waitlist twice
and being slightly pink around the gills
i am not going to attempt another rummage there
but simply tell you that

a couple of places have become available for the Second Skin class at Mansfield, Victoria [Australia]
in November this year

November 11,12,13, in fact.

here are the details


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Join me at Mansfield in Victoria’s beautiful High Country for a three-day retreat during which you will make and dye a beautiful and versatile Silkymerino  secondskin to keep you warm while wandering, together with an exquisite hand-stitched bag in which to carry it with you on your travels.

Each participant will receive an  ecoprint silk goodie bag containing several metres of fabric and a selection of beautiful threads as well as a signed copy of India’s zero-waste dress-making workshop handbook ‘shapeshifter’ and a few surprises. Aesop, bless them, kindly provides us with fragrant cream to keep our hands soft while we sew.

A delicious gluten-free vegetarian lunch [dairy components kept separate to allow for dietary considerations] served with your choice of wine, juice or water will be provided each day, together with morning and afternoon tea and coffee, supplemented by fresh fruit and Haigh’s chocolates.

please send your carrier pigeon through the looking glass if you are interested in securing a place [it will be the last time i teach anywhere this year]


+++ update added July 26 : thank you my friends, the class is full again!

fingerfood

ha.

i bet when you read "fingerfood"
you thought of the wedding reception in "Love Actually"
or
if you are my age
of prunes wrapped in bacon
strange stripy sandwiches cut on the diagonal
and those funny lurid coloured cocktail onions

that's not what this is about.
i'm talking the fingerfood that is the soft caress of SilkyMerino
fresh from the cauldron

it's just too delicious.
and i can't stop running my fingers over the surface.

the fabulous thing about SilkyMerino, aside from magical properties in the dyebath
and that it is delivered as an extremely useful tube
is that the merino part is pure new Australian wool sourced from fine wool producers in NSW
mixed with a little silk
and then transformed into this superb fabric.
this dress was made for my agent, Jen Loew
who trusts me that it's going to be perfect for summer in New York
as well as any other climate anywhere else.
she specified comfy.
comfy is winging its way to her.

and of course it has a little camouflaged pocket.
of which there will be stories in the 'shapeshifter' book
[which is the next one in line once i finish the student celebration book]
and did i mention that it smells really nice?

only because you asked so nicely

i've had at least half a dozen workshop enquiries from Queensland in the past ten days
and so when i was booking my flights for the US next month
it seemed that fate was poking me
when the possibility for coming home through Brisbane emerged

my friend Roz kindly agreed that i could swing in for a visit on my way home
and share a stitch-and-bundle day around the firepit in her beautiful garden

[the end of May is usually gorgeous in Queensland but if it DOES rain we have a plan]

we will be working with my favourite ever cloth and thread
to make a versatile and gorgeous "snug-as-a-bug in SilkyMerino"
that folds into its own pocket

i'm envisioning the day as intensive and soul-nourishing

and i'm going to post all the materials we need to her ahead of time
so that all you need to bring will be your scissors and thread

Roz and i are planning a lovely lunch for you
[vegetarian, gluten free, keeping dairyfoods on the side]
with a glass or two of wine [or juice or that nectar from the gods, water]
while the bundles bubble in the cauldron
rest assured there WILL also be chocolate [possibly even from San Francisco seeing as i'm coming home that way] so it will be body-nourishing as well

after lunch i'll demonstrate some nifty cutting tricks while the bundles cool
before we have the glorious reveal

please drop a line to Roz if you're keen

rozhawker09[at] gmail[dot] com

or email me via the contact page on my website
and i'll forward more details

second skin, another chance another dance

there's something purring in my lap

one of the [many] things i really enjoyed about the second skin class last week 

was that by Sunday afternoon 
each participant had a beautiful and unique SilkyMerino dress 

as well as a rather gorgeous infinity scarf which wouldn't fall off 
in a stiff winter wind

and that most people went home already planning their next dress 

one of those present [who goes by the name Mazzaus on her blog] 

has kindly written two posts mentioning the class

here's

one

and then

another

and here's another story
from a little further along the table

anyhoo given the Mansfield 'second skin' class filled quite quickly

Sally Harvey [proprietor of Crockett Cottage Studio] has suggested 

that it would be a good plan to offer a second sitting

such a good plan i don't know why i didn't think of it myself.

so there you have it me dears

second skin will run again on November 11, 12, 13

at the same venue in Mansfield, Victoria

 

four places have already been snabbled...

please drop me a line if you'd like more information

 and in case you are wondering what these pictures are about

i shot them on the way home from Murray Bridge 

[whence i had driven for the opening of

"How does your garden grow"]  

i love the road that curves below the hills from Palmer to Murray

it makes me want to sing Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" on repeat, all the way home

[and i did]

"Heart Of Gold"

I want to live,
I want to give
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.
It's these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

I've been to Hollywood
I've been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean
for a heart of gold
I've been in my mind,
it's such a fine line
That keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

Keep me searching
for a heart of gold
You keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm growing old.
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.

 

the trouble with my name

i have had trouble with my name from time to time
especially when it comes to email
which is why i changed it to appaloosa rather than using
mail AT indiaflint DOT com

because things with india in them do bounce back
and people like spotty ponies better, it seems
i suppose it could be worse.
nigeria, for example

but this morning's advice from PayPal
that they were investigating me for money-laundering
due to the sudden inflow of $ [thank you, those kind people who opted to purchase a scarf!]
took the cake

so
today i am posting the scarves for those kind and quick people who paid before they closed the gate
[though apparently i have to await an investigation before PayPal will pay me]
but any further interest will have to rest on ice

and given today's weather forecast promises 43 degrees C
...that's  109.4    on the scale of F major
ice may be a good thing.

like wearing a watercolour

i was so excited to be at home
and unpacking a pot just for me
that i completely forgot to take pix of the cooked bundles
they were rather luscious, if i say it myself

i love dyeing SilkyMerino. it takes colour so very well
and it feels so delicious and buttery soft when worn
[i really need to do a dance commission again, just to show the whirled what a versatile fabric it is]

anyway the three presents have been packed up and will go to the Post Office tomorrow
[for some reason i cannot face driving into the village today and there are too many flies for walking to be fun]
which leaves a limited edition of SilkyMerino loop scarves available for purchase.
i'll make it lucky dip as the colours are "of consistent variety" throughout.

there are a couple on which i only used Eucalyptus cineria
that look like this

but mostly they are variations on this theme

i'm notorious for dropping scarves and from a small child was always concerned NOT to emulate Isadora Duncan so i like my scarves not to fall off.

these are 50cm x 70cm [which would be 140cm if opened out].

wear them slung once as a neck ornament
wrapped twice for a lovely loose twisted scarf
or three times around to keep out a good ice storm

you can even flip a loop over your ears in a pinch
and it's like wearing a watercolour painting

anyway if you think you might like one, simply email me here
[making sure your return email address is correctly typed please]
and we shall discuss how you might cross the gypsy's palm with silver...

to see Sidnee Snell wearing a slightly wider version [70cm x 70cm] please pop over here to my website