Pattern cutting

As the title suggests, I have been learning pattern cutting, my tutor is the wonderful Tracey Stewart (aka MIN atelier)
More and more I've been getting fed up trying to find clothes that I like and that fit me. If something is in a nice fabric, the pattern is horrible or the garment has some silly frilly bit or cut too low or just plain doesn't fit.

This is a very precise science and I love it. Proper measuring and marking out. Really appeals to the engineering side of me.

Too involved to take photos but will try in the future.

The Frigate Unicorn - Dundee

The HMS Frigate Unicorn is almost 200 year old!

"HMS Unicorn is considered to be the best preserved of all historic wooden ships in the world from her era.

She is now the World’s last intact warship from the days of sail, one of the six oldest ships in the world and Scotland’s only representative of the sailing navy."

http://www.frigateunicorn.org

This is a fascinating ship to visit and I've been lucky to have been shown all over, even where visitors don't get to go. There are still initials and names of the original shipwrights in some places.

Ships of this era carried with them small animals to provide fresh food on  long journeys. These would include pigs, sheep, goats and chickens. The Unicorn management team wanted to inform the public by putting animals, a large stove and hurdles on the ship. I was commissioned to paint some life sized animals in the same style as the painted sailors already on the ship.

It was a great deal of work but enjoyable, so here they are.

 

  

 

SCRAPANTICS - the move

WE MOVED!!!

An incredible feat of will power, fabulous helpers, a van, good weather and a shopping trolley.

From small acorns, mighty oaks will grow.

Luckily the move consisted of leaving our wee unit on one side of the carpark to a much bigger unit on the other side of the carpark and round the corner.

The original store

 What you see in this photo is almost all there was, such a small unit but a brilliant way to start.
Our fabulous helpers were mainly my mum and sister, they were quite outstanding, although I did try to stop mum lifting things that were too heavy, quite often without success.

The front of our new store - now highly visible from the road instead of hidden away at the back of a carpark.

The boat was one of about 5 half boats on scooters from a play at the Dundee Rep Theatre. Great fun to play with and all went to good homes.

Going Slow

The last few days have been a little stressful, not due to anything in particular,  but more because I've been feeling overwhelmed. The list of things needing doing has become more than a little long.

Until, I decided to cycle into town, pop into my favourite bar and hang out with some friends. It was certainly a great buzz on the way in. Passing under the Tay Road Bridge, the sun still out and the water doing it's glittery thing in the sunshine. Very lovely, even more so due to the changes along the river front as the V&A slowly grows up and out into the Tay.

Along past Slessor Gardens with a stop to stroll and view the exhibition of masks on show for Dundee Mental Health Awareness Week.

Check out some of the masks.

The way back though, inspired this post's title.

As I cycled home through the shadows and sunspots, past blossom that I had time to smell, over the rail tracks I spied this... looks old to me and probably part of railway dealings but I had never seen it before. Going slow allows a different perspective on the world and one I'm happy to have.

It's been a good day. 😀