MIA and now hopping around the blogging world

MIA - Missing in Action - otherwise known as Miserably Inconvenient Arthritis and Meniscus Injured (and needs) Arthrosopy.

I have spent the Sydney winter hibernating and doing not much of anything let alone sewing. I don't know if this winter was particularly harsh (I know I know - compared to the rest of the planet Sydney has a very mild winter)... or if I am just getting older and more rusty but the cold really hit me hard this year. Sydney just doesn't cater for winter and I only have a small bar heater to warm me up.

Along with the usual suspects of hip, foot, shoulder and elbow, I have developed a searing pain in the right knee. So much so that even driving is difficult - let alone walking or pressing the foot on the sewing machine accelerator. An x-ray showed the usual arthritis in addition to my tibia and femur being out of alignment, shards of bone floating around and my kneecap not where it should be. An MRI then showed a severe tear in the meniscus - so - pain..

I am happily now on the hospital waiting list for a knee operation and carefully taking anti-inflammatory medication. Won't be a full knee reconstruction as I am still young - according to my surgeon - isn't he nice... but he will go in and fix up my issues. Just have to wait my turn.

So I haven't been sewing - cutting - or anywhere near the sewing room since July... Wow. No sewing meant no blogging.

I have tried to keep up with all of my blog reading and what you all have been up to and I have been reading about the around the world blog hopping and learning more about the bloggers I read. The lovely Michelle from Happily Caffienated  was a recent blog hopper (go on over and learn all about her) and she has very kindly nominated me to go on the next leg of the hop.. I thought it would be a good way to ease myself back into the blogging world.

The idea of the blog hop is to learn a little more about the bloggers you read - so there are questions to answer:

1. What am I working on?

So many different things my head is spinning.

Spring has hit me with a bang (hopefully not causing more injuries!!) and I am starting to really want to sew again - knee pain or no knee pain. I have also been trying not to purchase lovely fabrics. I did clean out my sewing space yesterday in preparation for a long sewing binge now that the weather is warming up.  

The last thing I was working on before my hibernation was a jacket that a friend is helping me with and a skirt block that I started in a class with the ASG. It will be great to get going on the jacket again. I am also hoping to pull out the skirt block and see what I can do with that. May end up with a business suit.

I also want to make another pair of StyleArc pants - this time the Linda pants in a lovely Crepe from Emma One Sock.

I also want to make the StyleArc Fiona Top. I actually purchased orange jersey so fingers crossed.

Another pattern on my list is the below Lekala top. I want to give another go to Lekala patterns - the first one is still waiting to be sewn up. I am hoping this one will suit me and the gathers won't add too much bulk but hide some bulges.! What do you think - flattering for a plus size or OMG what was she thinking??

After I play with these to get me into the flow of sewing again I really want to build a neutral wardrobe. I have been awed by Sharon at Petite and Sewing's wonderful wardrobe creation. She managed an amazing 377 outfits out of 24 pieces of clothing. My problems is that I have way too much colour and patterned items and not many neutrals. I need much more neutrals. 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don't think it really differs apart from size, skill level and what we want to sew. Certainly there are many other sewists out there in the blogisphere who are creating things similar to mine. There are also ones who are creating much more complex items and ones who are at the very beginning of this ride. I don't see my sewing as any different, I just see us creating what we want and / or need.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

Why do I write? Stared out purely as a journal, a way of keeping track of what I have done. Now it is a way of connecting. I have always been a writer and have written 2 unpublished books and many many many learning resources, manuals, assessor guides etc. I have also just started writing and designing e-learning.

Why do I create what I do? The need to have good, colourful, modern and accessible clothes that 

a) fit better than I can buy

b) don't cost an arm and a leg - come on - I know more fabric means more cost but surely not $100 more!

c) That are not black or tent like

4. How does my writing/creating process work?

Wish I could say there was a method to my madness but there is more madness to my method. I LOVE LOVE LOVE planning but not so much the carrying out thereof. I find myself distracted with shiny pretty new things and a plan will go out the window the minute there is a new release of patterns or I see a pattern on a blog or PR that I just have to do or I fail in my endeavours to stop buying fabric and a new arrival passes the threshold of chez BeaJay.

As for my writing process. I just sit down and write. This is not what I tell my students to do when I teach writing but hey - do as I say and not as I do.


Now I would like to pass the baton..

There are many wonderful bloggers that I would like to learn about.. However I have decided to flout the rules and nominate only one person. I find that it can be difficult to locate people who haven't been nominated and want to participate after a while so I thought that nominating only one blogger leaves room for more. Well that is my logic anyway.


I am nominating the lovely Angela at Collected Yarns. I was inspired by her lovely grey and white chiffon summer dress and the trials she had with it. She persevered and the dress is gorgeous. Check it out.

It is so nice to come out of hibernation.