Travelling to WOW Up Close: The Exhibition

Here we are in New Zealand enjoying national lockdown number 2 - valiantly fighting the delta variant and basking in our "isolated dystopia". Thanks Matthew Lesh for these inspirational words which I think Tourism NZ should use in a future ad. It is always fascinating seeing how New Zealand is portrayed in the world's media. The things that grab their attention. No more so than with this current lockdown. Is New Zealand attracting criticism from the glitterati of public health and communicable disease medicine? Umm no not quite, it is the arm chair critics - the columnists and politicians. It is a bit hard whilst still in the middle of the pandemic to identify which strategy was best in the long term and I have strong feelings about how we collectively in New Zealand handled the last eighteen months. 

Whilst we won't know for a while what impact this current lockdown period had on the economy at the moment unemployment is back down to 4%. In comparison to other OECD countries the percentage change in GDP for the March 2021 quarter was similar to Australia and the United States, way better than Europe and the UK. The world has seen 214 million cases of the virus whilst we have had 3297 with 26 deaths compared to 4.46 million. On the vaccine front it has been slower than many other countries but the percentage of those fully vaccinated is not that far behind the world average (26.2% versus 27%) and very similar to our cousin Australia. The truth is no country is doing well in the vaccination stakes until the world is highly vaccinated and that is quite some way away. Below is a pie chart for each of these statistics as a percentage of the international total for eleven countries plus other (the rest) but some numbers are so small it is difficult to make the country visible in the pie chart!

New Zealand also produces its own comedic content at the 1pm stand up hosted by the Government and the Ministry of Health. Public speaking is not easy and we are so quick to mock. A tiny mistake made by the Honourable Chris Hipkins (Minister for COVID-19 Response) achieved world wide notoriety last week. For any who missed it here is a clip kindly put together by The Guardian. For me the more impressive part is Ashley's ability to keep a straight face.

So now I have got that off my chest here is the real purpose of this post a review of the fabulous World of Wearable Art Up Close Exhibition at Te Papa the highlight of my Valentine's weekend away in Wellington.

What is WOW?

The World of Wearable Art was created in 1987 by Dame Suzie Moncrieff a Nelson sculptor. It was a means of promoting a local co-operative art gallery by taking art off the wall and displaying it on the moving body. It has come a long way from the marquee in rural Nelson but it still brings together a combination of art, design and fashion into a theatrical performance. Today the annual World of Wearable Arts competition attracts entries from more than 40 countries with the finalists coming to life on a stage in Wellington. Every year the show is different, a spectacle to rival Cirque du Soleil. Last year the show was cancelled and this year's has just been postponed because with lockdown they won't have everything ready to open on 30 September 2021. So it seems fitting that I take you on a small journey of discovery of the magnificent WOW costumes.

The exhibition

The exhibition closed on the Sunday I finally got to visit and was what drove my desire to stay in Wellington for Valentine's weekend and have my beloved travel up to join me. He enjoyed some people watching whilst I did the guided tour of the exhibition. The guided tour was excellent and really enhanced my experience of the exhibition. We had a thorough tour of the exhibition with the guide and then had time to wander around on our own absorbing the exhibits. Not my first visit to an exhibition of the garments from WOW but definitely one of my best.

Underling by Gillian Saunders, New Zealand
EVA, hot glue and acrylic paint
2018 Open Section Winner

The Supreme Award (and runners up) Winners

Of the award winners I have three favourites two for their simplicity and the third its ingenuity.

Woven In-tent by Kirsten Fletcher is for me a fabulous form and use of colour, which took over eight years to make. Amazing that such inspiration should strike leaving the muddy campground of Glastonbury with all its abandoned tents. These two powerful female guardians of her imagined tent after-life are made from over 500 tents gathered from three music festivals over five years. Her vision came to life thanks to a basket weaving class and she threaded sustainable cane through tubes of her tent fabric before weaving them.

I have seen the Lady of the Wood on many occasions and I am awed by the skill of David Walker, an Alaskan carpenter, to make an eighteenth century ballgown from wood. He starts with sketches which become patterns and then sees how far he can push his materials to create the vision. This piece was the first overseas entry to win the Supreme Award.

Chica Under Glass is one of my favourites for its seeming simplicity. Peter, a boat builder from Motueka near Nelson crafted this dress by hand for more than 300 hours over seven months with not a mould in sight. This was Peter's first entry and he credits WOW with starting his creative career, attracted by the ability to dream up artistic pieces only to please himself.

Ernst Haeckel's Bride by Nika Danielska, Poland
Wire, paper, glue and paint
Under the Microscope section winner and Supreme Award runner-up 2018

Horridus by Lynn Christiansen, United States
Copper, silver and gold plating
Open section second and Supreme Award runner-up 2010

Persephone's Descent by Stuart Johnson, New Zealand
Mild and stainless steel, brass, chain and pewter
Reflective section winner, First-time entrant winner and Supreme Award winner 2002

Ornitho-Maia by Nadine Jäggi, New Zealand
Leather - wet moulded, embossed, carved, hand dyed; copper foiled and hand sewn; bronze buckles; steel rings
Aotearoa section winner and Supreme Award winner 2008

Woven In-tent by Kirsten Fletcher, Australia
Reclaimed tents, cane, wire, steel bones
Avant-garde section second, International design award - Australia & Pacific, The Residency Experience award, Supreme Award runner-up 2019

The Lady Warrior by Rinaldy Yunardi, Indonesia
Metal, recycled paper
Avant-garde section winner, International design award - Asia, Supreme Award winner 2019

Lady of the Wood by David Walker, United States
Wood - Mahogany, Lacewood, Maple, Cedar
Avant-garde section winner, Supreme Award winner 2009

Gothic Habit by Lynn Christiansen, United States

Felt, wood

Open section winner, Supreme Award runner-up 2014

Chica Under Glass by Peter Wakeman, New Zealand

Fibreglass, plywood

Avant-garde section winner and Supreme Award runner-up 2003

The New Zealand entrants

None of these are particular favourites. You have to applaud the imagination of their makers to create fantastic costumes from many ordinary materials and whilst I can appreciate the effort taken (creative and physical) none of them inspired the awe that draws you in and keeps your gaze for wondrous moments.

Underling by Gillian Saunders, New Zealand

EVA, hot glue and acrylic paint

2018 Open Section Winner

Mantilla by Fenella Fenton and Jeff Thomson, New Zealand
Aluminium, printing ink, bolts, nuts
Open section winner 2013

Firebird by Susan Holmes, New Zealand
Hand dyed stretch nylon, sticks
Fold section finalist, WOW factor award winner 2009

Axminstress by Kate MacKenzie, New Zealand
Axminster carpet, polystyrene
Avant-garde section second, Sustainability award runner-up 2018

Inkling by Gillian Saunders, New Zealand
EVA foam, paint
Costume & Film: Creature Carnival section winner 2013

Templa Mentis by Daniella Sasvári, New Zealand
Silk, polyester, silk scraps
Creative Excellence: Architecture section finalist, Sustainability award winner 2015

The overseas entrants

My absolute favourite of the exhibition was Kaleidoscope by Tess Tavener Hanks. Why I am so attracted to brightly coloured laser cut and engraved pieces of plastic (acrylic) I have no idea but I am. The way the light catches on the various colours reflecting back from the mirrors and the acrylic itself. It had real presence in the large gallery space. Is it a coincidence that I loved twirling the bottom of my kaleidoscope as a child mesmerised by the changing patters?

One that touches the heart is the second piece by David Walker Beast in the Beauty. Once again made from wood but with a much more personal back story this time. This garment was made whilst his wife was undergoing cancer treatment, representing the struggle to maintain dignity and beauty through treatment. There is a mirror on the ceiling above this piece so that you can look up and see the full effect of the radiation symbol skirt. The costume is inlaid with cancer treatment symbolism: the working mechanism of syringe, knife and IV system on the back representing the monkey on the back; the warrior helmet made using smooth blond wood for the hair loss caused by chemotherapy; with the blinders at the side of the eyes to highlight there is only one direction to go; the removal of the breasts replaced by radiation symbols; a small heart inlaid into the chest (his wife's idea) to represent the soul and heart within the warrior's armour; the boots symbolically laced with pink ribbon and a thorn through the sole for the pain endured.

Escaped Pods by Lynn Christiansen, United States
Felt, fabric
Open section finalist 2019

Spirit Bone by Guo Ziaotong, China
Plastic
Reflective Surfaces section finalist, Weta Workshop Emerging Designer award winner 2019

Human Nature by Saar Snoek, Netherlands
Hand dyed wool, cotton, silk, polyester
Aotearoa section winner 2017

Beast in the Beauty by David Walker, United States
Maple and Padauk wood veneers, aluminium
Open section finalist, International award winner 2012

Gemini: The Twins by Dawn Mastow & Ben Gould, United States
Latex, rubber, plastic
Avant-garde section third, International Design Award - Americas and overall winner 2019

Kaleidoscope by Tess Tavener Hanks, Australia
Acrylic, dowel, nylon line, fabric
Creative Excellence: Architecture section finalist, Cirque du Soleil Performance Art Costume award winner, Student innovation award winner 2015

236 Maiden Lane, Lynn Christiansen, United States
Felt, wood, metal
Open section finalist, Wearable technology award winner 2018

The White Section

This section had real impact as you first entered the exhibition hall and was a great start to the journey.

Front to back: Feathers of the Roc by Xu Ran, Donghua University China
Huaxia Totem by Sun Ye, Miao Yuxin & Yuan Jue, Donghua University China
Renascence by Ma Yury & Fang Siyu, Donghua University China
Ernst Haeckel's Bride by Nika Danielska, Poland
The Blomar by Akhilesh Gupta, India

Renascence by Ma Yury & Fang Siyu, Donghua University China
PC solid sheets
Open section winner 2016

The Blomar by Akhilesh Gupta, India
Acrylic sheet, sun board
White section second 2019

The Bizarre Bras

At the end of the exhibition as you left past the gift shop was a selection of Bizarre Bras. The Bizarre Bra section does not feature every year but it is always a favourite part of the live show, seeing these creations dance and prance about the stage.

Clockwise from top left:

• Prickly Heat by Wendy Moyer from Mexico, a fabric plastic and paint creation from 2010;
• Epicentre Divas by Claire Third from New Zealand, taxidermy hedgehogs, fabrics and jewels from 2012;
• Hands Off by Mark Crocker from New Zealand, a bra of kitchen utensils, nuts, bolts and bicycle inner tubes from 1998;
• Renewal by Alexa Cach, Miodrag Guberinic & Corey Games from United States, a cicadas, crystals, wire, brass, Worbla bra from 2016;
• aBRAcalypse Now by Wendy Moyer of Mexico a recycled clothes, silicon, gourd and wire bra from 2012;
• Fried Eggs by Kelsey Roderick & Rhys Richards from New Zealand, using utensils, sponges, fibreglass and rubber from 2016;
• Venus Fly Trap by Leon Vaz & Noel Braganza of India, a sequin, felt, fabric bra from 2010.

The travel wardrobe

I understand this is supposed to be a sewing blog and I did sew some of my travel wardrobe (only a small part of it) but now I have got to here I have run out of steam so here are a few pictures of the wardrobe because you haven't seen enough pictures in this post.

Tuesday: Elk Valby navy stripe dress

Wednesday: Maison blue check linen top and Peggy Yellow Flint Trousers

Thursday: Elk Janeke Maize Plaid top and Peggy Yellow Flint Trousers

Shoes: Navy Trippen sandals

Friday: Style Arc Palermo navy boucle jacket; V8710 KT Happy Place Bicycles top; Cone Mills Loomstate mustard denim Flint trousers; and navy Trippen sandals

Saturday: Maison blue check linen top; Cone Mills Loomstate mustard denim Flint trousers; and lemon Camper Right Nina Mary Jane flat

Sunday: Elk Janeke Maize Plaid top;  Cone Mills Loomstate mustard denim Flint trousers; and lemon Camper Right Nina Mary Jane flat

Monday: Elk Janeke Maize Plaid dress

Tuesday: WORLD Pink Mustard Black Stripe Positivity Tee and Peggy Yellow Flint Trousers

Wednesday: Elk Collage Print top and Peggy Yellow Flint Trousers

Thursday: WORLD The Break Up Dress

Shoes: Navy Trippen sandals

How I do love thee The Sewing Workshop Maison top

I have long considered joining The Sewing Workshop's yearly skill building course "Sew Confident".  In 2020 with no in person learning opportunities I finally leapt in. I thoroughly enjoyed the monthly magazine, quarterly new pattern and the focus on adapting that pattern throughout the quarter. Needless to say as with most things last year I leapt in but didn't make a single thing from any of the four patterns just leafed through the pages of the eye candy magazine and enjoyed Linda's Facebook Live shows.

This year is different I feel motivated, unfortunately by sewing not blog writing but I will try to do better. I joined Sew Confident Series 10 and have now sewn month one's pattern (Maison Top) six times. Even though I bought one of the Maison kits (not used yet) none of the versions sewn is as per the pattern. For all of the versions sewn so far I threw caution to the winds and used a woven fabric rather than the recommended knit.

Sew Confident Series 10

The 2021 version of Sew Confident is quite different to previous years. Linda Lee and her team at The Sewing Workshop mastered modern technology during 2020 offering a Facebook Live session every week which whilst a bit of a sales pitch for all things Sewing Workshop I enjoyed. Now that Linda is confident in front of the camera the 2021 membership focuses on a different sewing pattern each month, supported by a Facebook Live sewing class and a question and answer live Zoom session. Both of these can be watched on YouTube after the event.

For the sewing class Linda steps you through all the stages of sewing the pattern successfully, with her tips and tricks. Not always the way I would go about doing things or have been taught in the past but it is always useful to learn new tricks and see alternative approaches.

Month two focused on the Maison joggers - not something I am likely to make anytime soon (although I did see a really nice pair of Trelise Cooper trousers with a rib cuff hem finish so maybe...).

Month three is a new version of the Ikina jacket. I have the old Ikina pattern and maybe I will make it sometime but it didn't happen in March as part of the sew along.

Month four is the Charlie bomber - which has already sparked a number of ideas. Not sewn in April...sigh.   But you never know by the end of the year I may actually truly join in with the whole concept of the sew along. The earmarked fabric is ready and waiting, even ventured out to The Fabric Store to buy the lining fabric so hopefully something to show soon.

Month five is the Whistles shirt which I bought the kit for (Kit A in blue, turquoise and brown) as I just loved the panel print by artist Noelle Phares who paints images contrasting nature with modern structures. I don't like shirts however and haven't worked out how to alter the pattern to keep the placket wedges when there won't be a placket.

Month six is the Hibiscus shirt. Cute but I can't see myself bothering to alter the pattern into a non shirt style.

Month seven is the Gardenia dress and blouse. There was a fabric kit I really fancied which sold out very quickly but I have now bought the pattern so something else you might see by the end of the year.

Month eight is the pieced Eureka top and I immediately leapt in and bought the Havana kit an assortment of six fabrics in tones of teal, bordeaux, black/brown, cream and fuchsia. It was a tough choice between the Havana and Belize colourways. The Havana colourway will be a good match for the black and white striped ponte I am about to make into The Sewing Workshop Pencil pants.

So here we are in month eight and I am just blogging about the January pattern.

Maison Blue Check Linen top

The inspiration for this top came from The Assembly Line Cuff top pattern. I don't have the pattern and am not really interested in purchasing a simple kimono sleeve top pattern however I am constantly attracted to the cuff detailing which I thought would be well suited to controlling the flare of the Maison top sleeve. I have since bought the dress version of the Cuff top, something else to sew this year! With ruffles being all the rage at the moment I replaced the hem band with a pleated flounce which I prefer as a means of creating fullness rather than gathers.

This top is a real favourite. The semi opaque texture achieved with the gingham weave appealed the minute I saw the fabric at Fabric Vision in Christchurch. It has the added bonus of the texture being enhanced when it is not ironed - no worrying about wrinkly linen with this top. Sewing success like this deserves a twirl on the beach on a hot summer's day.

Common wisdom is to sew the first garment as it is straight out of the envelope but that would be too simple. The first thing I did was to make two pattern alterations for fit: a ½" forward shoulder adjustment; and added a French dart. These two fit alterations are common across all my Maison tops. 

On one of the TSW sample garments worn by Erin the diagonal fold of fabric pointing to the bust was clearly visible and this was easily eliminated with the addition of the French dart to provide the necessary depth for my full bust. I chose the size medium tapering from the medium at the waist to the large at the hem.

Specific alterations for this version were to remove 6" from the bottom of the bodice and add a 7" pleated flounce with a rolled hem edge. The 1¼" pleats were made using a dinner fork (instructions can be found in the V&A Mary Quant Georgie dress pattern instructions). One inch was added to the sleeve hem to allow for a 2" hem with 1¾" elastic inserted. I measured the hem of a knit sleeve to determine how long to cut the elastic.

This top was constructed on the overlocker, with only the neck binding and sleeve hem sewn on the sewing machine. Fold over elastic was used to bind the neck edge.

Maison Pastel Dots top

The Sewing Workshop describe this semi-sheer chiffon crepe polyester fabric as "soothing colours blend together like tiny fish swimming in a pastel reef. Seafoam green, mustard, and light pink are the foundation for blue and black bubble-like dots floating on the surface. This flowing fabric is suitable for many different garments; shirts, skirts, dresses, and even flowy pants."

This top was just wonderful to make, using exactly the same pattern alterations as the Blue Check linen version. I can wear different camisoles underneath and it gives the fabric a slightly different look.

Maison Bonne Chance top

As soon as I saw this black and white striped lurex ribbing I knew I had to have some. Then all I needed was the fabric and pattern to pair it with.

Both the Bonne Chance cotton sateen (a design by Lisa Congdon for Nerida Hanson Fabrics) and the black and white lurex ribbing came from Miss Maude in Greytown. The ribbing was the icing on the cake for the bright colourful Bonne Chance fabric.

The alterations for this version were to remove 2" from the bottom of the bodice and 2½" from the bottom of the sleeve. The neck edge was lowered at centre front by ⅝" tapering back to the original width at the shoulder seam using a french curve.

Unfortunately the top is a little short. I thought the 7cm ribbing would more than compensate for the 2" removed from the bottom of the bodice but it doesn't have enough length to blouse over the ribbing. It also shows skin if the arms are raised with just normal arm movements. I haven't quite worked out how I'm going to fix this yet or even if it will be fixed. One option is to add the black and white striped cotton jersey I used for the neck binding as a yoke front and back. Or I could change it to a set in sleeve like the Spotted Gingham top version.

The top was sewn with french seams, with the neck binding and ribbing attached using the overlocker. The neck binding was then folded over, stitched in the ditch from the right side and trimmed.

Maison Pink Pastorale Floral Raw Emotion top

This sewing adventure was inspired by Trelise Cooper's Raw Emotion top for AW21. Love the fabric and top design the price not so much. As the Maison top had been twisted and tweaked quite successfully already this was the natural pattern choice to be adapted into the Raw Emotion top style.

The pink pastorale cotton woven fabric from Fabric Vision was irresistible and well matched with the pink nylon organza. In the original Trelise Cooper top the organza is a flat piece under the pleated flounce fabric. For my version I decided to pleat the cotton and organza together for the flounce. The rolled hem on the cotton and organza was done after the pleating when an organised person would have done it before. The rolled hem came away in places on the organza layer and the top is awaiting some remedial work to replace the organza in the bottom frill.

As with the blue check linen version 6" was removed from the bottom of the bodice with a 7" cotton and 8" nylon organza pleated flounce added. The pleats were once again made with the dinner fork and are 1¼" deep.

The sleeves just have the pleated organza added to the hem. I also forgot to roll hem the organza for the sleeve before I pleated it and once it was pleated the organza strip was too narrow to roll hem so a few threads were pulled for a frayed edge. The frayed edge was stopped from unravelling further with the addition of a small amount of fray check.

The inspiration top had set in sleeves and I wanted to replicate this in my version. The set in sleeve was achieved by measuring across the back pattern piece and marking the shoulder point plus seam allowance. Using my favourite woven back armhole template it was matched at the shoulder and swung out to meet the side seam. The back shoulder seam was then matched to the front and the front armhole template used in the same way.

Here is the new front pattern piece overlaying the original Maison top front pattern with the armhole template on top.

Sewing was done on the overlocker with only the fold over elastic used for the neck binding sewn on with the sewing machine.

Maison Daisy Raw Emotion top

I was so pleased with myself and the outcome I achieved for the Pink Pastorale version this black white and mustard daisy fabric was purchased from Fabric Vision with a gold nylon organza to become my second Raw Emotion top, this time more appropriate for the imminent Autumn season (it was sewn back in March).

The original Trelise Cooper Raw Emotion top has a high low hem which I replicated for this top by adding 2" to the length at centre back curved to the original side seam using a french curve. This was after I had shortened the bodice by 6". The flounce rayon layer is 7" deep and 8" with the organza. The organza flounce on the sleeve is 1" with ½" deep pleats.

The top was sewn with french seams. Both the bodice and sleeve flounce were attached using the overlocker. Black velvet fold over elastic finished the neck edge.

With the problem I had with the rolled hem pulling away on the organza of the Pastorale top I added a 1" strip of fusible washaway stabiliser to the hem edge of the organza before sewing the rolled hem. The settings on my Bernina 800DL overlocker for the three-thread rolled hem were: right needle 4; upper looper 5; lower looper 7; stitch length 1.8; cutting width 2; differential feed N. The washaway stabiliser was removed once the top was sewn by soaking the flounce in cold water. This seems to have resolved the problem of the rolled hem pulling away from the organza.

Maison Spotted Gingham top

Another sewing pattern provided inspiration for this Maison top version - The Sewing Revival Fantail shirt and sweatshirt. This is a New Zealand pattern company which names its patterns after (New Zealand) birds for a really cool reason. If you are intrigued you can find out why here.

I do have one or two of their patterns but not the Fantail - even though I love the bird. The pattern has raglan sleeves which I find difficult to fit so I used the features that I most liked about the Fantail and adapted the Maison top. The fit proved less than ideal and the elastic has now been removed, with the plan to chop off the shirt tail and hope that there is enough left-over fabric to make a 4" deep pleated flounce. The pleats will be about ½" deep based on another Trelise Cooper top Happiness Blooms.

The pattern alteration for this top was the addition of a shirt tail hem using the shape of the Megan Nielsen Dove blouse back pattern piece. The front bodice was shortened to match the back at the side seams plus a deep enough hem to form the casing for 40mm wide elastic.

This was sewn entirely on the sewing machine in my Wellington hotel room with french seams. The neck was bound with a sparkly pink fold over elastic. For the shirt tail hem a basting stitch (longest stitch length on my Bernina Activa 210) was sewn ⅜" from cut edge. The double fold hem was achieved by folding the cut edge to the basting stitch then folding again over the basting stitch. Once the hem was sewn the basting stitch was removed. This produced a really nice narrow hem with no torquing. Pity I didn't like the finished garment.

This top was originally made using the Maison top sleeve. After wearing the Bonne Chance top and realising it was a bit short I thought altering the sleeve to a set in sleeve would solve the problem, and it did. A modification was needed for the set in sleeve to have the same hem width as the original Maison top sleeve. The pattern piece was slashed from the hem to the armhole seam and the pattern pieces spread apart until the desired hem width was achieved. This resulted in a curved hem and a hem facing pattern piece was drafted wide enough to form the elastic casing. The alterations to the sleeve were necessary to achieve the gathering when the elastic is inserted. With a bit of reverse sewing the original sleeve was removed and provided enough fabric to cut the new set in sleeve. There was enough left over fabric from cutting out the top to cut the sleeve hem facing.

This top was made from fabric left over after cutting out a Merchant and Mills Trapeze dress which makes it a zero cost top apart from all the sewing effort trying to get it to the point where I will wear it!

The pattern

Unlike Sew Confident 2020 where each quarter's pattern was included in the membership, with Sew Confident 2021 the pattern is purchased separately. The Maison top and joggers was the pattern for January and February, with the top made first then the joggers.

The Sewing Workshop describe the pattern for the top as "a very loose fitting top slightly eased onto a hem band at the hip, bound neckline, and full ¾ length sleeves."

I was in two minds about purchasing this pattern as joggers are really not my thing - I have only owned a pair as part of my school sports kit and don't see myself embracing the trend this time round either. The Maison top on the other hand had some interesting features and I decided to bite the bullet and purchase this PDF downloadable pattern. A big thing for me as I really dislike assembling the multiple A4 pages into the pattern. This dislike may be alleviated by Papercut Patterns offering an A0 pattern printing service printed on their signature newsprint for those of us living in New Zealand.

The pattern cards

Outfits of the day

These tops have been on many a trip away over the summer so I found numerous outfit pictures but there is definitely a theme with the trousers. The blue jeans are the Untouched World Pure straight leg jean; the black jeans are the Andrea Moore Boyfriend jean which are much loved and starting to show their age; leading me on to the yellow jeans which are a poor attempt at mimicking the Andrea Moore Boyfriend jean using a highly modified version of the Megan Nielsen Flint trouser pattern.

Even the shoes are not demonstrating much variety. Top left and right, middle left and bottom right are the P448 Skate Pailettes Stroil Sneakers; top middle are the Ernest Wyler Keesha booties in Sunflower; middle right and bottom left are the Camper Right Nina Mary Jane Flat.

Liesl + Co Rush Hour Lagos Laurel Blouse

Good job no one is hanging out for my every word as despite sewing up a storm so far this year I have not been very productive on the blogging front. Sometimes this is because I am not very proficient at the photography stage other times it is a lack of inclination to write the words. However after a long hiatus (more than three months if anyone is counting) I feel the need to commit my projects to the blog. I enjoy flicking through to see projects of the past so I need to up my blogging game and catch-up with the 2021 sewing. Starting oldest first this top was made in early January (twice - but more about that later) when I was still enjoying the summer Christmas holidays. Now we are enjoying the downward rush to winter.

This knit top was made as part of the therapy to ween myself off Vogue 8710 which I have sewn so many times now it almost sews itself. Two of the things I enjoy most about Vogue 8710 are the slightly flared hemline and the princess seams for fitting the bust. The Rush Hour blouse has an interesting peplum (the reason I bought the pattern) and the princess seams. Sewing it before peplums become passé was another motivator.

The big question is does the Rush Hour blouse have enough similarities with Vogue 8710 to replace it in my affections? I was hopeful the answer was yes and set off on my new pattern adventure.

The finished garment

This is version one which would never have been made like this if I had read the reviews for this pattern on PatternReview. However as I only read them after the event this version saw the light of day. It was worn on an expedition to The Fabric Store. As I stretched to reach or pull various fabric bolts I could feel a definite draft around my kidneys. An undesirable situation according to my grandmother who often exclaimed "you'll catch your death" when as a teenager my tops got too short thus exposing my kidneys to the cold. Wise words I didn't appreciate at the time but I certainly do now! 

A top that is only suitable for quiet moments of contemplation doesn't really suit my lifestyle so after a few pattern alterations a second version was born. I can reach and stretch to my hearts content in this and there are no unwelcome breezes on bare skin.

In all of the photographs I am wearing the Megan Nielsen Flint Peggy Yellow trousers and Arche Ikhini Yellow Sandal.

The fabric

Another Liberty of London fabric from The Fabric Store. This time it is the Lagos Laurel Ganton jersey in colourway B. I also happen to have this fabric in the A and C colourways. Whilst I clearly like this design this is the first of the Lagos Laurel fabric to become a garment. It is also the most recent purchase fitting in with my current yellow obsession, and my imaginary Stitcher's Guild SWAP 2021.

This Liberty jersey doesn't have that much stretch and I took that into account when thinking about the size to sew. 

The pattern

I had long admired this pattern and resisted buying it because I felt the design would be easy enough to adapt from the ever faithful V8710. Eventually I succumbed and the pattern was mine to sit quietly with its friends waiting for its turn on the cutting table. This is the second Liesl + Co pattern to join the collection but the first one to be sewn.

Liesl describes this top as a "lined, fitted peplum blouse. The princess seams on this style allow you to customise the fit easily. View B, the peplum top, features your choice of short or long sleeves and an asymmetrical peplum, with an invisible back zipper. The pattern includes cup sizes, a Dior dart, and instructions for customising the pattern to fit your shape."

The pattern card

The pattern alterations

I can't really detail the pattern alterations for this make because I didn't use the original pattern pieces for the bodice. When I looked at the pattern I discovered that the bodice wasn't a true princess seam as the centre front piece had a Dior (bust) dart, which means it has a shaped side front piece and the centre front piece has a short dart. In fairness the pattern description does highlight the Dior dart it just never entered my consciousness until I started working with the pattern to achieve the fit I wanted.

Even though this pattern comes with B, C and D cup pattern pieces I knew that the front pattern pieces would require alteration to fit when what I really wanted was the cut out and sew simplicity of a TNT pattern. Given the reason I bought this pattern was the peplum the easy answer was to add the peplum to Vogue 8710. This should have given me a perfectly fitting top.

The challenges of version one were because instead of using the length of Vogue 8710 minus the peplum length, I used the length of the Rush Hour blouse. It should be noted that the finished back length of the Rush Hour blouse is not stated.

The starting point for me for any pattern is choosing the size based on the finished garment measurements. For the Rush Hour blouse in a knit fabric I chose size 8 (D cup) at the bust grading out to size 16 at the bottom of the bodice pattern pieces (3, 4 and 5). There would be zero ease at the bust (the ease comes from the stretch fabric) and 2½" of positive ease at the waist. For no logical reason I can remember I chose the length of size 8. For a woven fabric I would choose the size 14 at the bust grading to the size 16 at the bottom of the bodice pattern pieces.

In short the bodice pieces of Vogue 8710 were cut at the size 8 length, shaped at the side seams to match the peplum / bodice seam width, and the original Rush Hour peplum added. This was done by:

• laying the TNT centre front and back pattern pieces for Vogue 8710 on top of the Rush Hour Blouse bodice (pieces 3 and 5) matching centre front / back, size 8 at the shoulder neck edge and shortening by chopping the pattern off at the size 8 length
• shortening the Vogue 8710 side front (piece 4) at the hem to match the seam where it joins to the centre front pattern piece
• removing the ½" centre back seam so pattern piece 5 is cut on the fold and the zipper omitted
• shaping the side seams on pattern pieces 4 and 5 so that the bodice seam length where it joins the peplum was the same as the size 16 peplum
• cutting the peplum (pattern pieces 12, 13 and 14) as a size 16 with no alterations.

Other alterations were:

• lowered the back neck edge ⅜"
• lowered the front neck edge 1⅜" and altered the shape to more of an elongated U
• used the sleeve pattern from Silhouette Patterns 195 Sweater Set (my favourite knit sleeve) which is the same sleeve used in my TNT Vogue 8710.

As I said at the beginning of this post this resulted in a top that was too short for anything but quiet contemplation and a few more alterations were made, as follows:

• bodice lengthened 1½". As I had used my Vogue 8710 TNT pattern pieces I just cut them off 1½" longer than version one. If I had been using the original Rush Hour blouse pattern pieces I think I would simply have added the extra length at the bottom rather than the lengthen shorten line. For reference my lengthened pattern pieces are ⅞" longer than the size 16
• back bodice side seam increased ½" at peplum seam line tapering back to nothing at the armhole.
• front peplum (pattern pieces 12 and 13) lengthened ½" at the side seam hem blending back to the original size 16 at centre front
• back peplum lengthened ½" at the hem and widened ½" at the side seam. I also wanted the back peplum to have more swing so I slashed the pattern piece at the hem up to the bodice seam line and curved out the hem edge until it was 1½" times larger than the bodice seam length
• ¼" dart made in the curve of the U as the front neckline gaped slightly.

If the original Rush Hour blouse comes in B, C and D cup sizing why would it require fit alterations?

• the bust dart tip is just over 4" from centre front (size 8 4⅛" and size 16 4½"). For most women this would result in the dart tip being at the bust apex, as generally the distance between the most prominent part of each breast is 8". From a pattern drafting perspective it is not incorrect as the dart can end anywhere within the bust circle. However as Ann Hathaway in that pink Prada dress will attest this is not the most flattering look. For me having a larger bust the dart tip is generally about 2" away from the bust point, as the more the bust is rounded the further away the tip of the dart will be from the bust point, with the dart stopping short of the flat part of the front of the bust
• the bust point is not marked but measuring down from the shoulder / neck edge point, based on where the dart tip is, it is about 10" (size 8 9⅞" and size 14 10⅜"). I need the bust point to be 11½"
• other alterations may be required but the reality is I can't ever see me making the Rush Hour blouse with the bodice pattern pieces. I have a good knit version now using my TNT Vogue 8710 and am most likely to make a woven version by adding the peplum to my TNT Silhouette Patterns 400 Traditional blouse.

The sewing

There is nothing interesting about the sewing and I didn't use the pattern sewing instructions. Apart from the hems it was sewn on the overlocker with four threads and a ⅜" seam allowance. The pattern uses ½" seam allowances so I increased the circumference of the peplum by ½" and at the bodice peplum seam line. 

The peplum hem was stay stitched at ⅜" and turned up. The open side of the right front peplum hem was mitred, using the same method as detailed here. The sleeve hem was turned up ½". All hems were sewn with a straight stitch (length 3.0).

The neck binding was a 2" wide strip of fabric folded in half and sewn to the neck edge with a four thread overlock stitch and ⅜" seam allowance to give a finished ½" band (⅛" is taken up by turn of cloth).

Sewing construction was: sew centre and side fronts together; sew front to back at right shoulder seam; attach the neck binding; sew left shoulder seam; sew the sleeve in flat; attach the back peplum to the bodice back; turn up the hems on the two front peplum pieces before attaching to the bodice front; sew up the side seams; hem the bodice and sleeves.

Take two

I wrote a lot of notes about what didn't work in the first version and decided it was unlikely to be worn as I don't want to expose skin when I reach forward or raise my arms. Luckily I had made this top from a relatively recent fabric purchase that was still available at The Fabric Store. Before I rushed off to buy more I got out the left-over fabric to see how much more fabric I would need to purchase. An amazing thing happened and the shapes of the left-over fabric were perfect to cut out a whole new top without the need for a fabric purchase. Think the cup of tea helped.

Outfit of the day

Whilst I was very happy with version two of the Rush Hour blouse it took until April to be worn in real life (for a whole day as opposed to the few minutes it takes for blog photos!)  It was worn for work and the outfit was recreated for these photos as I don't have the photographer with me during the week.

I do think I need to learn how to take timed pictures with my phone as I would like to record my outfits everyday as it gives a lot of useful insight both into what in the wardrobe gets worn as well as the different styling choices.

The Rush Hour Lagos Laurel blouse was worn with the Untouched World Weekend jacket in colourway Kowhai; Megan Nielsen Flint mustard check trousers and Ernest Wyler Keesha Sunflower ankle boots.

I preferred it styled with these mustard check Flint trousers rather than the peggy yellow ones. Both of these trousers were sewn for the never entered Pattern Review Endless Combinations 2020 competition.

The photographer found these photographs challenging to take as he kept capturing the moment I had my eyes closed. He also captured the moment I was futzing with the outfit.

The year of not quite getting it done...2020

So how was it for you?

For me it was a blur, a blessing, a curse, a hopefully never to be repeated once in a lifetime event. If asked what I did in 2020 the answer would be work - any concept of balance disappeared entirely.

Why did I choose this title for my end of year post? It really has been the year for making plans that don't eventuate, not all of which can be blamed on that pesky little virus. Sewing for much of the year took a back seat (with a burst of productivity in July), as did blogging, but some things worth mentioning did happen. A month into the new year and I finally managed to capture the sewing and other things that created the memories of 2020.

A cup of tea and a biscuit may be required to get through this post - it turned out quite long.

Staying safe at home

Here in New Zealand COVID-19 was managed decisively but not without economic impact. On 23 March with only 102 confirmed cases the government announced widespread restrictions of movement to come into effect at midnight on 25 March. By 25 March we had recorded 205 cases and when restriction of movement started to be lifted on 27 April there were 1,469 cases. To date we have recorded 2,315 cases with only 25 deaths. In fact according to a recent article in The Lancet New Zealand's mortality rate was lower (by 11%) in 2020 than in each of the preceding four years.

The economic impact on our small island nation has mainly been in the service industry especially the tourism sector as the borders effectively closed on 20 March, with increased rates of unemployment amongst the low paid and women. In September 2020 quarter there were 37,000 more unemployed (5.3%) than in the June quarter (4.0%), the highest quarterly rise in unemployment since the current calculation method began in 1986. For perspective prior to this the highest quarterly increase was 18,000 in June 2009 during the global financial crisis. The Treasury did announce in December that we were doing better than forecast!

I appreciate the impact this virus has had on the rest of the world and worry about the health and well-being of friends and family overseas. I also know that we have had it really good here so far but how much longer can we manage with closed borders? Not all of the skills we need are available here, we manufacture very little and there is a high probability of significant issues with our supply chain within the next six months. Whilst the vaccine is here this virus is not finished with us yet, and I will continue to be grateful if the impact is only on my work life balance.

On the sewing front I was quite excited for the potential of our stay safe at home month but the pile of fabric which I photographed with such big ambitions was untouched when I went back in to the office two months later. The other idea I had was to take an outfit of the day picture every day as I was at home with the photographer. Maybe taking an OOD picture when you don't go anywhere is not a true representation of your style but I have been inspired by other bloggers who committed to a photo a day and the insight they gained from this about their wardrobe.

Not for me though, apart from the pictures taken of the knitted top I sewed, only two OOD pictures were taken. The first of me hugging a post is more about the empty landscape taken on one of our daily walks, the other was to record my love of the Untouched World Ammil sweater (worn with the first version of the Vogue 1410 dress), just perfect for working from home.

The sunset became my Zoom back drop, with an aerial view of the Canterbury plains to remind me of what the wider world looked like.

Working at home enabled me to take a photograph of a Fantail. These birds are notoriously difficult to photograph because they flit about catching insects. This one settled on the five finger plant outside the lounge window and I was able to quickly snap a couple of pictures. The cat on the other hand is a regular visitor and was keen to do a bit of working from home too. Sometimes I think I should leave the cat in charge he would do a fabulous job of running the show, as he certainly manages us.

On the plus side I spent more days at home with my beloved in 2020 than ever before and he is still my beloved.

The classes

Virtual of course, as both Design Outside the Lines and the International Quilt Festival in October were cancelled. No trip to the States for my friend and I this year. International Quilt Festival went virtual with many online classes. I was keen to do quite a few of them but didn't manage to get organised in time.

Being a subscribed member of Craftsy there are always a few classes I take throughout the year. I do enjoy Marcy Harriell watching her Remake series. Other than that the main focus was knitting trying to learn the Magic Loop techniques for circular knitting and changing my style to Continental knitting. The latter is almost impossible because my fingers automatically go back to English knitting. Even though my knitting has been pretty non-existent over the last twenty years, the muscle memory of how it should be done is extremely strong!

Apart from the ad hoc classes I dip in and out of my main focus was Silhouette Pattern's fitting classes. I did all three (trousers, knit tops and blouses). I have done the trouser fitting class before (and an in person class with Peggy) but wanted to refresh my memory. All three were brilliant classes, although I understand Peggy isn't for everyone her methods work for me. This year I am signed up for the basic and advanced pattern making classes.

New for me in 2020 was The Sewing Workshop Sew Confident series. I haven't made any of the (four) patterns included in series nine but I thoroughly enjoyed the monthly magazines and the different ideas for each quarter's pattern. Linda Lee has started doing weekly Facebook live events which I watch on YouTube after the event. These often have useful tips and tricks, as well as ideas for altering Sewing Workshop patterns. Was such great fun that I signed up for Sew Confident series 10 

The sewing

From a sewing perspective 2020 could be seen as the year of repetition. Most of the patterns sewn this year feature more than once. The clear winner is Vogue 8710 a Katherine Tilton knit top pattern made six times, closely followed by Megan Nielsen's Flint trousers made four times. The Style Arc Palermo jacket was a late starter with the pattern only purchased in October and I still managed to make it three times. At times of stress repetition is good for my soul. I can sew when the urge takes me and the chance of failure is much diminished.

Adventures with new patterns is risky and often why I procrastinate. With the fabric uncut the glory of the finished garment is only limited by your imagination, cut and the results can be less than anticipated with no hope of redemption. Unless you happen to have started the project quickly enough for the fabric to still be available or you can make a second version from the scraps of the first, both of which are unlikely.

Clockwise from top left: Vogue 9243 Cowl Neck Renaissance dress; Silhouette Patterns 4000 Winter Red swing dress; Vogue 9243 Twirling Firebird dress; and Silhouette Patterns 4000 Dottie swing dress.

Let's start with the dresses. The year started on a high with the Cowl Neck Renaissance dress. Still can't believe that I changed the neckline to a cowl and had a wearable dress. Whilst I really love the style of this dress it hasn't seen much wear. possibly because of the colour. I need to find a way of styling it that fits into a week at work capsule, so it gets more wear. 

The Winter Red swing dress on the other hand was started in 2019 with the sewing of the French darts and never progressed past this point until February 2020 when I got daring and chopped off the uneven hem and finished it. This dress had an unpromising start but is worn a lot on hot days at home - great for Zoom calls when the short length doesn't matter.

The Twirling Firebird dress is probably not the best fabric pattern combination I have ever made. The fabric is a very loosely woven knit and you can actually unravel the fabric, so it was underlined both for opacity and to give more body to the fabric. The construction of this dress would have been worth a blog post but alas it didn't happen! The dress has been modified since this picture as I tried an asymmetric neckline that ended up looking more like bad sewing. Quite disappointed by the finished garment, although looking at the pictures it is better than I remembered, and it has only worn once.

The Dottie swing dress was sewn whilst we were away in May. It is version four of this pattern and the most successful, effortless to wear and I love it. A ray of sunshine on a grey day or cooling on a hot day.

Clockwise from top left is: Dreams of Summer (the start of the love affair); Blue Temptation; Little Mustard Stripe; Busy City; Fall Blues and lastly Happy Flowers.

Not a lot left to say about Vogue 8710 - the first four are blogged about here and the other two mentioned as part of wardrobe plans.  I love all of the versions of this simple top and it is proving difficult to make any other knit top. After seeing how many versions of this top there are I browsed through the Tilton sisters patterns to find an alternative - the two contenders are also by Katherine Tilton Butterick 6136 and 6564. Let's see if they wean me off Vogue 8710.

That said, I am starting 2021 with another three versions of this pattern (two made and one cut-out), with some style modifications. The pattern is such a favourite that I would rather make style changes to it than find a new pattern.

Other top patterns did feature in 2020, four to be precise.

Top left (Paisley cotton lace) and bottom right (Fly Birdie Fly) are the Sew Different Sheer top. Top right (Reef) and bottom left (Sacred Symbol) are the Style Arc Rosie top. The middle two tops are (left) Silhouette Patterns 400 Traditional Black Stardust top and (right) the Alabama Don't Give Up Hope sweater

The two Style Arc Rosie tops along with the paisley cotton lace Sew Different Sheer top were made during my mammoth Endless Combination sew in July along with six other garments. The two Style Arc Rosie tops and two Sew Different Sheer tops are fabulous but not worn often. With the challenges of my uneven temperature any top with long sleeves is off the high rotation list even when like the Sheer tops they are full of holes! Cardigans are much more useful as they are easier to take on and off (in quick succession). My adaptations of the Style Arc Rosie top (not sure anyone would actually recognise it as that now) have evolved significantly and I really should write a blog post to document the changes.

The Traditional black Stardust top was started back in 2019 as a quick project to be worn to a hockey game supporting the NZ mens team (the Black Sticks). It was abandoned with only the shoulder seams sewn. One shoulder seam was sewn without incident but the other was sewn with the French seam on the outside. After a quick bit of unsewing and resewing I proceeded to sew the bias binding around the wrong side of the neck edge. I didn't want the binding as a feature on the right side so I tossed it into a corner and wore a different black top to the hockey match. Over a year later it was retrieved and after a bit of unsewing was finally finished. This is another blog post I should have written to highlight the style changes made to the original pattern - see a year of it not quite happening, maybe the next time I make one!

Lastly is the Alabama Don't Give Up Hope sweater which has been worn often, featuring in many Zoom calls on working from home days.

In total five pairs of trousers were made in 2020, mainly the Megan Nielsen Flint trousers which I have pretty well perfected now.

The four corners are the Megan Nielsen Flint trousers: top left peggy yellow heavy tencel twill; top right Prince of Wales check; bottom right Cone Mills Loomstate mustard denim; and bottom left  white/mustard check lightweight wool. In the centre are the Silhouette Patterns Lana's red metal linen jeans

The Megan Nielsen Flint trousers on the left were made as part of the Pattern Review Endless Combinations contest and the ones on the right are part of the Pattern Review wardrobe contest that I didn't finish sewing. All four of these trousers are worn often, although the white/mustard check ones less so at the moment because the hem has come undone and needs re-doing.

The red metal linen Lana's jeans were started at Easter 2019 whilst we were away in Ahipara. When I came to pack some sewing to take away in May 2020 it was time for them to be finished. Unfortunately I am larger around the waist than I was when these were cut out so whilst they are finished they are unworn. I will keep them for 12-months in the hope that I lose the extra inches.

And the last of the multiple makes: the three Style Arc Palermo jackets - the Satin Cloud shrug was made in October; the red plaid in November and the navy boucle version on Christmas Eve. There is nothing further to say about these three jackets that hasn't been said before. I will reiterate how much I love this pattern and all three versions I have made. This is another pattern that I am struggling to walk away from although my next cardigan is likely to be a Sewing Workshop pattern.

Two other cardigans were made: the ochre merino Arden shawl (left) and the Firebird Fjord Cardi (right) neither of which received much love.

The Arden shawl was too small and definitely didn't resemble the inspiration version by The Row. I do however have another piece of the ochre merino and plan on making another version which I will blog about when finished successfully.

The Firebird Fjord cardi is too much when worn with the Twirling Firebird dress and isn't that easily worn with other things in my wardrobe. Despite years of wardrobe planning I finally managed to create a bit of an orphan garment. It was so meh that I didn't have a picture of it being worn and like a number of other things had to do a photo session just for this post.

Some ready to wear was remodelled - from the simple to the complicated.

This purchased WORLD W Friendship tee was a size medium but being unisex it was too long. The WORLD Cut Make Trim tee pattern was used to determine the length and shape the sides. A simple change that makes the tee shirt more wearable. If the t-shirt had been a bigger size I would have taken off the sleeves and removed the drop shoulder but there wasn't enough fabric to raise the armhole.

The WORLD Giraffe Friendship tee was bought in a size extra large because whilst I loved the embroidered giraffe patch I knew the unisex styling wasn't for me. By buying an extra large there was enough fabric once the t-shirt was completely unsewn to recut it as my very favourite Vogue 8710 Katherine Tilton tee. Love Love Love it now. 

The WORLD WWW tee was such a great colour combination for my WORLD Saunter Stripe trousers that I bought it even though I knew any alterations would be complicated. I started off with an extra large to have enough fabric to re-model. Shortening this t-shirt had to be done from the top, as the W remains recognisable with length chopped from the top. The WORLD Cut Make Trim tee pattern was used once again to determine the length and shape. You can see from the middle photo how I reshaped the neckline, shoulder, armhole and side seam to get a much more wearable t-shirt and personally I find the W to be more balanced now.

The Untouched World Leaf dress had great texture and was knitted with my favourite possum and merino wool. Whilst I loved the "fabric" a knitted dress in such a thick wool just won't work for my lifestyle. As soon as the Leaf dress went on sale I bought it and a Bleep scarf in the same colour to make another Ecopossum coat cardi. The cut lines for the cardi can be seen in the middle photo, with the same changes and construction method used as for the Zephyr Ecopossum Coat Cardi. Now I have a Leaf Ecopossum Coat Cardi added to my collection.

The other creative endeavours

There was a bit of jewellery making - well stringing beads on cord mainly. Four necklaces and a pair of pink pearl earrings (you can't really see with the pink necklace). There is a second pair of earrings which I forgot about, that are made from turquoise ball beads that go with the rainbow necklace. The beads for the rainbow necklace came from an Etsy seller Atelier Element-Terre. There will be more beads from this seller as I just love them. The other beads and jewellery findings came from Beadz Unlimited in Christchurch.

From top left: Yellow wooden hexagonal beads spaced with a large silver bead threaded on wax thread with a sliding knot; Pink wooden hexagonal beads spaced with a large silver bead and glass beads also strung on a wax thread with a sliding knot, worn with pink pearl beads threaded on a silver head pin for dangly earrings; ceramic beads in a rainbow of colour spaced with a glass bead in a colour corresponding with the ceramic bead and a silver bead, threaded on wax thread with a sliding knot; three lampwork beads combined with amber and other small glass beads with each set threaded on silver wire and linked together, with a silver clasp for closure.

The Inspiring Bernina Christmas Stars were my Christmas treat for 2020 gifted to 95 friends and family with a chocolate truffle inside. My UK friends and family missed out this year as the postal service was problematic so will have to make up for it in 2021 when hopefully the postal system is better able to cope with the new normal.

The travel

Sad but true - I had to refer to my photographs to see if we went anywhere at the beginning of the year. I know we went to Westport in May and Charleston in October and December but did we go anywhere else? Luckily the beginning of the year isn't completely lost from memory as our first holiday was May.

We were supposed to go back to the UK in April / May and it was the year for my biennial trip to the States in October. For obvious reason neither of these trips happened. Whilst we are allowed to leave New Zealand it is hard as there are so few international flights and so many closed borders but the biggest barrier is the $3,000 (each) cost of the two weeks compulsory quarantine on arrival back in New Zealand. Luckily New Zealand is a beautiful country and there are many fabulous places to visit in our own backyard.

Top to bottom: Okari lagoon at sunset; Okari lagoon; Maruia falls

Wellington, top to bottom: the aerial view; the harbour at night; Queens wharf

Top to bottom: Southern alps from Springfield; Cape Foulwind beach; Charleston beach

Westport harbour loop track, complete with inquisitive Weka

Top to bottom: The Star Tavern Cape Foulwind; Whitebait pattie for Christmas lunch; Charleston

Fox River beach and market

The Exhibitions

Despite the virus I managed to visit four exhibitions in 2020 two of which have featured on the blog and the other two may feature on the blog someday but haven't quite yet.

The start of the year was the Marilyn Rae-Menzies exhibition in Oxford (New Zealand). I have admired Marilyn's weaving since I first came to New Zealand and it was a pleasure to see her Extinction is Forever exhibition. Amazing pieces of art with an important message.

Next came Wonderland at Te Papa and I finally got to pose as/with my alter ego the White Rabbit. Another wonderful exhibition of all things Alice in Wonderland from its first emergence as a story to the current day. 2020 certainly felt like the year you fell down a rabbit hole.

Moana Currents: Dressing Aotearoa Now is a celebration of our different cultures in contemporary dress. I first saw it briefly in March and was keen to spend more time looking at the exhibits. Then along came the nasty little virus, luckily they extended the season and I managed to re-visit this exhibition on its last weekend in Christchurch in September.

Top left:  Natasha Clare Senior Avarua linen organza top with recycled denim trousers and Adrienne Whitewood Pitau dress; Bottom left: Ema Lea-Phillipps Untouchable Kākahu cloak with Commes de Garcons Tattoo top SS2019 designed by tattoo artist Victor J Webster; Right: Kiri Nathan Akatea woven texture top, Porohita pleated skirt and woven belt with Mother of Pearl pendant by Neil Adcock and Samoan tatau by Tyla Vaeau of Karanga Ink

We had the Van Gogh exhibition on the waterfront by Te Papa in Wellington. Such an amazing event being able to see Van Gogh's paintings projected onto shipping containers. This exhibition was impacted by the resurgence of COVID with the numbers of attendees initially limited to comply with the rules about gatherings. It was a huge success but I managed to get a ticket for the final show in the late evening and I am so glad I persevered.

Goals for 2021

I need something to help me focus. My attention span has seriously deteriorated and I flit about from project to project like a butterfly.  Hopefully the 100 Day Project and Stitcher's Guild SWAP can keep me on track, not that I'm officially signed up for either of them (sigh). There won't be a word of the year this year because Balance for all the years I have persevered with it has been a complete failure so I am going to try activities to achieve the outcome for the year I want rather than words.

My main aim is to enjoy this year, whatever its challenges. To make the most of what New Zealand has to offer and not hanker after what I can't have (like international travel). To make an effort to keep in touch with family and friends, which is something I am really bad at when life gets busy (or too much).

With eleven months of the year remaining I am hopeful and forward looking. Will let you know how that worked out in 2022!