Mastering the über pack

How I pack for any length trip in under 10 pounds, originally uploaded by loxosceles.

Wow, the lady who put flickr'd this pic of how she packs for 'any length trip in under 10 pounds' has it down PAT.

I can do this I can do this.

I figure we will have laundry facilities at our apartment in Montmartre and apparently a really cheap washing service at the Pensao Praca Da Figueira we are staying at in Lisbon so I just need a couple of tops, couple of pants and couple of gorgeous summer dresses and I'll be set!

It's more the laptop, camera, chargers, polaroid camera and boxes of film, sleeping bags and rain coats for Glastonbury that I'm wondering how to compress. Hmmmmm.

Not long til this though:

Tour Eiffel & Quai d'Orsay, Paris, originally uploaded by Rita Crane Photography.

A girl needs to be pampered

vegetable face, originally uploaded by Donna Lethal.

Lots of cleaning and packing today and tomorrow, but a little bit of pampering too. I'm exhausted and can't turn up at the UK office looking a wreck. Afterall we're getting the all star treatment - getting put up in a nice hotel in South Kensington AND they're sending a car to pick us up from the airport and drop us back! Does this mean that when we arrive in Heathrow there will be someone standing around holding a sign with my name on it? I am definitely taking a polaroid shot of that!

Alex keeps crying 'OH NO!' when I tell him another thing they are doing for us because he is feeling the pressure to impress. He got a haircut yesterday so they won't think too shabbily of him. I'm doing the same tomorrow morning and I won a free "oligopeptide facial" at La Clinica thanks to Michi Girl which I am having on Saturday morning. Apparently it is "an ingenious mix of amino acids that have magical anti-aging abilities that is used by La Clinica Organic Skin Bar to make you feel lovely". Here's hoping it's not one of those ones that will make be break out a week later eeek.

Anyway, don't know about you but if I am getting a new hairstyle I ALWAYS bring visuals into the hairdresser. I'm not getting a new style this time but thought I'd share my favourite website with you for photos of Asian hair: Kakimoto Arms

My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Leonard Cohen and The National... all in one week in London!

My Bloody Valentine, originally uploaded by Legendary Classic.

Finished my last day of work before the holiday today yippee!

And finally was able to stop stressing about handover and get properly excited and for good reason.

I had NO idea that My Bloody Valentine were playing reformation shows in London while we are there. Must have been something I blocked from my mind, and dismissed as yet another incredibly legendary show happening overseas that I would not be experiencing. I only found out because a friend mentioned they are seeing them on Saturday and I checked on their Myspace page and saw they are playing a whole series of shows while I'm there, all sold out! WAH

Thank god for internet ticket reseller sites I say, because I managed to secure us two tickets to MBV's sold out show at the Roundhouse on the night we arrive in London! 4 hours after landing at Heathrow we'll be immersing ourselves in all their noisy wall of guitar sound glory! Not a shabby start to the trip at all. Hope our flight doesn't get delayed or we'll be screwed!

I can not tell you just how excited I am about this. I have been little miniature squeals to myself and others all day.

During my three years working at a little indie record store, we'd listen to Loveless at least once a week, and each time I had to endure stories about how they had all piled onto a coach and gone to Melbourne to see the band's one Australian show and how incredible it was. While I sank thinking how I wouldn't have known who they were at the time and even if I did I wouldn't have been old enough to be let in the venue anyway. And of course they were broken up, and I would never see them.

AND NOW I GET TO SEE THEM! The circle will be completed.

And then we see Radiohead at Victoria Park and Leonard Cohen, The National and a billion other bands at Glastonbury yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Leaving On A Jet Plane...

leaving on a jet plane, originally uploaded by vanilla_coquelicot.

Just one more day of work yippee! And then p-p-p-packing.

I've decided to be sensible.

I won't over pack.

I'll stick to a colour scheme so it's easy to mix and match and I can always buy clothes over there :)

But I am still going to pack a couple of summer dresses. And, I've decided to take the plunge and bring our big ole bulky polaroid camera and bought a stack of polaroid film on ebay to bring with us. It'll take up some room but seriously - this is my last chance to spend a summer in Europe in my 20s and I keep imagining how cool a display of polaroids from the trip we could make when we return :)

Still freaking about Glasto weather though. I swear, the forecast changes drastically each day bah!

Any packing tips?
Any MUST PACK items you always have on hand?
Any favourite on-flight outfits for maximum comfort?

We have an overnight stay in Seoul and will have to live out of our hand luggage because our checked in luggage will be kept to be put straight on our flight the next day. Hoping to hit at 24 hour shopping mall I have heard they have there, and pick up some cheap comfy shoes. I think these are cute as far as sneakers go:

Adidas Handbags For Feet, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

Adidas Grün, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

Do a little drain dance for me, would ya?

Muddy Hell, originally uploaded by kagey_b.

OK so rain is SHOWERS are predicted for the Friday of Glastonbury at least. It's to be expected, I mean, doesn't it rain like at least every second day in England?

If it's something like this above, I can handle. I handled it at Splendour In The Grass (MUD!) a couple of years ago, but I didn't have to pitch a tent in it. I came prepared with some pretty polka dotted gumboots and they did me just fine though I had the sorest calves for a week later and it took me a while to realise it was because of the incredible workout they got from pulling my feet out of the sucking mud with each step.

However, if it ends up being more like this I am just going to DIE:

Glastonbury 2005, Day 1, Flood, originally uploaded by English Invader.

I've put up a little Glastonbury weather forecast widget on the blog, so you can watch my demise.

I eyed some wet look vinyl material stuff at Spotlight the other week, for $18 a metre - you know, the kind they use for costumes and stuff. I am wondering if it is waterproof and if it's worth grabbing some to make a BRIGHT quick poncho out of? I'd be easy to spot, that's for sure! But I'm too busy this week really. Gawd, how to keep warm and dry in those conditions? I might have to hit a fishing store for one of those wet weather overalls that come up to your armpits. Mm mmmmm.

Sewing Is The Best Procrastinator

Sewing, originally uploaded by twolimeleaves.

Today I wrote up a list of things I need to do around the house before leaving. And then I proceeded to finish off my dress :)

It's looking pretty good but not PERFECT. I think I might have gotten a bit ambitious after doing Alex's shirt. I think mens shirts are a lot easier than fitted women's retro dresses! Boys just don't have curves. Anyway, it is looking generally good but needs a bit of unpicking and adjusting to get there. I might take some photos of where I'm at with it tomorrow to show you all but it might not get finished in time for the trip.

Anyway, tomorrow the plan is do some cleaning - of house and smelly pets! - before the house sitters arrive. And start packing stuff I can pack now. I just need to get up early, put on some cleaning music and get going!

When we get back from holidays we're going to swap over our housemate bedroom and office/ sewing/ guest room. I can't wait to set it up properly! Also going to keep an eye out for some nice wallpaper while we're overseas.

Flight freaking

Korean Air Airbus A330-200 HL7552, originally uploaded by Lin.y.c.

So we leave for our trip next Sunday. I wish I could just be purely 100% excited at the moment without a billion small random work related things weighing on my mind. I think I'm just being a perfectionist when it comes to handover notes that might not even get read. Anyway...

This is the first time I have been overseas on my own... well I'm going with Alex but neither of us have been overseas when WE and we are alone are in charge of getting ourselves to every stage of the international journey. I've always just tagged behind my parents. I'm freaking out a little!

I'm a bit nervous about this whole e-ticket thing. I've paid thousands of dollars to the Flight Centre for Alex and my Korean Air tickets... and all I have is an emailed flight itinerary to show for it. I don't even have any kind of print out with a barcode on it, or a flight booking number! Just my itinerary from the Flight Centre with our names on it. It makes me feel a little ill! I'm told that since everything is done electronically these days, all I need to do is rock up with my itinerary and passport and off I'll go. But our flight leaves at 9am on a Sunday morning - and we're aiming to get at the airport at 6am, so if something goes awry I won't be able to call the travel agent about it! Ahhh.

Someone out there... please reassure me they'll let us on the plane!

Bibs aren't just for babies!

Simplicity 2995, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

Not when they are attached to a dress or a shirt anyway. How cute is this pattern! I missed out on it - they didn't have it at Spotlight the other day when I stocked up but I must keep an eye on it coz I think these dresses are super cute.

This one is for you Lupinbunny!

I wonder how I would go with sewing them on though - I'm not the best at rounded sewing I have noticed - not the best at circular SYMMETRICAL sewing anyway hmm.

Pattern Me Pink

Apologies - I feel I've been a bit slack on the blog front of late but it's a busy final fortnight before the big trip!

Got a few patterns half price from Spotlight on the weekend:

3823, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

3744, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

3504, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

V8080, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

I'm halfway through a dress using the top pattern at the moment, with the silver paisley material.

I must thank the lovely Melissa at Thread Den who showed me to get more out my fabric and pattern cutting. I couldn't really get my head around it, but she showed me how if, you're a bit short on material, if you cut pattern pieces individually rather than just fold and cut, you can maneouvre things to make them fit. I really thought I was going to be short with the amount of material I had but I actually have a fair amount left over. Hopefully should be finished the dress by the weekend so I can show you all.

And fingers crossed I might have time to make a top or to to bring to Europe with me. I want LONG FLOATY tops so those were the types of patterns I was looking for. There was another cute Simplicity Project Runway pattern I was after but they didn't seem to have it at the store.

If you're in Melbourne, keep your eyes peeled for the Saturday Age - A2 section. It will probably run while I am away but they are going to run a feature piece on Thread Den! They did interviews and took photos on Monday night at the store, and I was lucky enough to be invited along. I hid out in the cutting room though and managed to skip the photo shoot but still got cornered for a quick interview, wonder if anything I said will get used. I'm so used to setting up the interviews, it was odd to be doing one for a change. Nat said I should have plugged my blog but I didn't :) MOO!

Less than a fortnight til we jetset! Woohoo!

A fool for fabric

So... I have a confession to make.

A few weeks ago I went to Spotlight to pick up some buttons for that shirt I made Alex. As I entered the store, I chanted to myself 'just buying buttons, just buying buttons, just buying buttons'.

But as I passed the sales table I saw they were selling all these dress fabrics - 5m for $10! And for ALL quilting fabric - buy 1m get 1 free! All those Japanese import prints - buy 1m get 1 free!

Ohhh - but how could I resist. That was $2 per metre for the dress fabrics. Surely I won't get a bargain that beats that in Paris. So... I just picked up a few things. I stuck to my rule though - didn't buy anything I didn't absolutely adore. Check it out:

P5242207.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

P5242208.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

P5242210.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

P5242211.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

P5242204.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

Sew It, Stretch It

I'm excited because today my 'Sew U, Home Stretch' book arrived:

I absolutely adored the first book 'Sew U' and I can't recommend it more for beginning sewers. It covers absolutely everything you could need to know - different woven fabrics, tools, how to organise your sewing room, basic sewing skills through to sewing clothes from patterns and then customising patterns. And includes patterns for skirts,shirts and pants. Though admittedly I haven't gotten around to using any yet, I have been too busy working my way through Burda Style! But it's on the to do list.

Anyway so this is enough of a blog today. I have some reading to do! I think this book is going to make me want to buy an overlocker though, or 'SERGER' as the yanks call em!

Moo For Men

Lordy, what a busy weekend.

Had a small dinner party on Friday night and made the 'beef and sweet potato stew with toasted rice'. It was a success! It's quite a sweet one but not overpoweringly so. I'd definitely make it again and everyone seemed to love it.

Alex has been marking exam papers ALL WEEKEND. Man, I don't think people have any idea just how much work being a teacher is... except teachers that is! So I have been busying myself with other riveting pursuits such as weeding the garden (they are popping up everywhere and they all look so lush and green!) and speaking with potential new housemates.

And also finishing off this little number:

I made it from BurdaStyle pattern for the 'Jakob shirt'. Have I mentioned that 98% of these Burda Style patterns are completely free? Well they are.

Sewing my first shirt wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected it to be. I think I've done enough pieces now that if I don't understand the instructions I don't freak out too much, I just figure out my own way of doing things and so far so good. Also, because Alex is quite skinny I had to grade the pattern down about 2 whole sizes which required measuring and drawing in a new pattern for most of the pieces actually. I am so pleased it all worked, and even better, it fits Alex perfectly.

It's my second menswear item. I made some pinstripe trousers at a Thread Den class that I keep meaning to photograph. Actually Burda Style have put up a pattern for some slim fitting mens trousers that look hot! You can find them here: they are called Jochen trousers. Will have to try them soon too.