DIY jacket from pashmina (Tutorial)

Gasp! It's an outfit post!

I said I would show you my latest creation.

An old warm but not used pashmina which I wanted to make more useful. I struggle to wear wraps sometimes as they fall off my shoulders when doing housework. So decided to make it into a jacket.

Here are some very crude drawings to illustrate the process.

Fold the pashmina in half widthways. Cut off the amount you would like for sleeves (measure around your upper arm)

Of the remaining fabric, fold the sides to the middle and cut the folded sides.

Cut a shallow curve for the neck (measure off an old tshirt)

Stitch fronts to back at shoulders

Stitch sleeves on at shoulders seams. Fold sleeves in half to mark centre.

Stitch underarm and side seam in one. Don't forget to clip curve so seam will lie flat.

Zig zag the edge or do a fancy buttonhole stitch or a narrow hem or bias binding etc. I was lazy!

A closeup of my result.

In case you're wondering, I got bored with the black one day and needle felted a design.

I love how the fringing looks.

A closeup of the brooch for Kezzie. Go and see her brooch collection. Amazing!

Hood from the underneath top.

Wet look black leggings and black shirt from Black Milk.

Secondhand black wool tunic.

Old brooch bought for University Graduation.

(Unseen) Black cashmere jumper secondhand and felted black vest recycled from husband's moth eaten jumper.

(Don't laugh...I feel the cold!)

Hope you enjoyed this little walk through.

It is certainly a pleasure to wear now.

Do you think you will have a go?

Until next time, keep on creating!

Love,

Jazzy Jack

 

Did I say that?

There is nothing like making a statement online, to make me change my mind.

Recently I blogged that I couldn't comment on others' blogs much, and then proceeded to do just that because I couldn't help myself.

Last post I said I didn't feel like blogging much and now I find myself working on Photography and Outfit posts!

Contrary? Me?!

I think I just like bouncing from one extreme to the other. Not much given to middle ground, me :-)

So here is my contribution for Visible Monday.

Bushy and I went out on a date on Sunday Afternoon which we hope to make a regular outing.

I feel very visible in my blue.

To a tea house/cafe.

I was in drapey mode.

Poor down trodden explorers

It's Spring!

See all the buds?

Trying some walking shots...on your mark...

...Get set...

...hello!

Come and visit the other stunning Visibles.

Patti is wearing linen (my favourite) and a mysterious octopus!

Love,

Jazzy Jack

PS Linking with Kezzie and the stunning Mr Badger for Tardis Tuesday and My Closet Catalogue

 

Why not leave a three word impression (poem) or a smiley if you enjoyed your visit? :-D

In praise of quiet voices and a poem

Greetings my lovely readers and friends!

Do you like my elegant Winter outfit taken in front of my son's nonelegant bedroom?!

A good foil for my look!

Jacket, skirt, gloves - thrifted, scarf old, boots new - ebay

I wonder why it is that life is like blogging? I find myself hanging back in places where there are a lot of commenters, just like in life because I don't do well in crowds. I feel I have nothing original to add and they won't notice me in amongst hundreds of other voices. And I do like to be noticed if I'm honest! Also I prefer a personal relationship where they respond.

So I am attracted to the smaller less recognised more personal blogs. Often the big blogs are just better at publicity rather than content anyway!

I also have a lemming resistant gene, so if something seems popular I instinctively run in the other direction. I am compulsively original! Almost pathologically so! This isn't always healthy and I do miss out at times.

I like to create and follow original ideas. It gives me such a buzz. Like exploration when travelling...seeing what lies beyond the bend. There is a freshness with a newly minted idea. A whiff of composted earth. An excitement embodied within.

Rereading this I see I am equating small with original which is interesting. Of course large successful blogs can contain originality! Maybe what I mean is I prefer newly discovered to established. I like the trembling fiddle head of the fern frond emerging. However I adore rocks and trees. Hmmm.

It could be the noisy environments I eschew. Rocks and trees have a calm presence in spite of their size. In fact there is a special magnificence embodied in a quiet giant, like a large choir singing softly. Are there any quiet giant blogs?

I think sometimes we quieter people feel we shouldn't speak up because we have nothing to say. I say, rubbish! The soft voice is often a well thought through voice that is worth taking the time to listen to.

So I want to encourage all you softer voices...keep gently making your presence known!

I will continue to put out my original work, trying to create something of lasting beauty for the world. My blog keeps me connected with others, and gives me a reason to create. It is a record of our lives for the future and an archive of my work for my kids if noone else :-D

I like to think it embodies all I admire, being quietly original and personal, full of newborn beauty and quirky fun. I hope you do too!

See the face?

My morning musings

breakfast at 9am

in the sun

on a busy working day

traffic whirring past

as I dig into my toast

and the contrast serves

to magnify the cosiness

makes the tea taste better

tiny milk bottle

refractions on the table

sitting in the corner

of Cornerstone Cafe

sitting

in the sun

 

I hope you enjoyed my lying-in-bed-on-Saturday-morning thoughts!

Til next time, keep on creating and showing your beauty to the world.

Love,

Jazzy Jack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why not leave a three word impression (poem) or a smiley if you enjoyed your visit? :-D

Blogging with a disability, elephant pants and scarf hat

Hello there my beauties! I need to apologise.

I am still feeling overwhelmed. Surprise, surprise!

My approach to blogging (and the internet) has been much the same as my approach to life. I have launched myself into it with great enthusiasm, sampling everything so I can decide what suits.

Unfortunately the fall out of this is that I have only so much energy, and inevitably I have to cull. Oh the dreaded culling...! :-/

After over a year of blogging, I now can say that I find the friendships I've made to be some of the nicest people around. I really want to stay in touch!

But to do that I will have to spread myself so thin, I won't exist in the real world. Even though I have ridiculously restricted my blog roll!

I feel sometimes like I'm standing in front of a room full of people(gorgeous people), and they are all shouting at me their latest news. It feels as stimulating to my sensitive nervous system as actually interacting with them in person.

Unfortunately these same gorgeous people are the ones who leave beautiful comments on my blog!

So there is an unspoken agreement that I will leave comments for you and you will leave them for me. A conversation! Very civilised and a lot of fun.

However because of my recent health issues I find I only have energy to write blog posts, not comment on them. What to do? I don't want to be selfish and never comment on others, and I want comments on mine!

But I'm now taking the awful step of doing just that. The alternative is stopping altogether, which would grieve me more!

So I will be posting, and hoping some people still enjoy my offerings. But there will be no guarantees of reciprocation :-(

This is the sad reality of living with and managing a disability.

Feel free to drop me if you feel annoyed. I will still be trying to keep up with your news, and occasionally commenting, but can't promise the level I've managed up until now (which was pretty bad)!

I'm hoping that by taking this step I will have more energy to do art in the real world.

Of course I will be reassessing this down the track.

Another solution will be that I will leave little smilies to say I'm thinking of you. Please feel free to do the same to me! :-D

I am also abandoning Disqus although in some ways it has been great. There have been too many people have had issues with it, and if I can't manage the commenting anymore there is no point.

As far as the rest of the internet goes, I have Facebook to keep in touch with people I know in real life, Google for those who have followed me in photography groups, Instagram for cute quick photos, and Pinterest for inspiration. These have also been pared back to the minimum interaction, but I find them useful so keep them around.

Anyway, on the fashion front...I offer a photo (at the top) of my elephant pants, aren't they great?! And here is a lovely scarf I received as a surprise from a friend. Doesn't it make a great hat?!

'Til next time, keep on creating!

Love always,

Jazzy Jack

 

 

Heartwoods rewound

Last time we were at Heartwoods I took some shots and never shared them, so here we are!

The dam with no water except dried up mud...its most common state...it leaks!

The wombat home between two old bathtubs. If you look carefully you can see fresh cube shaped dung in front of the space.

The little tiny honey eaters love to swim in those same bath tubs, so we can't move them or clean them. This is the pool in the moss they love. Look carefully and you can see one in the centre of the left photo.

Birds above, wombats below!

This little fella you've seen before in my BeautyScope 227: Frog exposure

My niece says he looks dipped in silver, which I think is apt and beautiful!

Here are some more head torch photography experiments. I love how it isolates. You notice things you wouldn't in the day.

And just as a bonus because you made it this far, here is a photo of my reality. Sitting at the keyboard, in a renovated jumper, a gifted silk scarf and a handknit poncho, with my hat on my head from when I was digging in the garden, because I forgot I still had it on until I saw this shot! Hee!

Much love,

Jazzy Jack

 

Scarf roundup 3 and needle felted hat

Here is my latest scarf roundup! We are up to day 30!

Pseudo PJ day, with fluffy snuggles.

Dressed up on top and down on bottom.

Daffodil in "hair" for Northern Hemisphere spring.

Newly knitted necklace.

Love this vest, and my inside shoes.

A change of pace.

Oranges to warm me.

Day of the dead leggings with new neon sneakers.

A formal look...see I can do them.

What to do with a sarong in Winter.

I took my leggings to my son's circus performance!

And here is some random needle felting I did on my beret when I was bored. Like it?

'Til next time, keep on creating!

Love,

Jazzy Jack

 

Scarf roundup 2 and another gift!

Hi there awesome ones!

Here is another scarf roundup from the last few days. (I am doing a scarf challenge with the scarves that Mascha from Maschas Buch generously sent me. A new outfit a day, inspired by a new scarf a day)

Shoes, pants, vest - thrifted, cardigan - old retail

Shoes, pants, vest - thrifted, cardigan - old retail

Cardigan, shirt, pants - thrifted. Tie - gift...see below!

Jacket, top, dress - thrifted, leggings - Black Milk retail, boots - old retail

Jacket, jeans, belt - thrifted, shirt - generous gift...see below.

Jacket - Kathmandu retail, pants - thrifted.

Jacket, skirt - thrifted, boots - old retail

Jacket, shirt - thrifted, pants- old retail, uggs- new!

Jacket, skirt - thrifted, vest -old retail, boots -new, ebay

Vest, skirt - thrifted, shirt, boots - old retail

This lovely shirt is a new gift from generous Joni of An Artful Closet. It just happened to perfectly match the next scarf in line!

Nestled in the parcel was this lovely surprise bolo tie, which went beautifully with that day's outfit!

Thanks Joni. You rock!

So there you have my fashion adventures for the last few days.

On another note, I promised to update you on my health woes. I have been back to the GP who has given me a provisional all clear! With a confirmation ECG in two months. It may have all been an artifact of the medication. So looking positive!

Of course that means I'm without the medication which I need for sensory overload, so I am exploring ways of dealing with that, which I'll outline in another post. But the fact that I also had toxic levels of B12 which has since been eliminated and reduced may have gone a long way to explaining my sudden overload explosion. (My soy milk was fortified with B12 and unusually I am a person who retains B12 in my system. This can cause heart problems and probably also increased my systemic jitters, but wouldn't have caused my other heart problems)

So the complex picture is slowly being unravelled. I'm grateful for my long suffering family, and my wonderful GP!

Thanks for all your support as well. It's so nice to have such lovely friends.

Keep on creating and being fabulous!

All my love,

Jazzy Jack

PS linking with Visible Monday for the last link up before Summer