Photo Use

So for the first time since I started this blog I've found one of my photos being used by someone else.   Here it is.   Scroll down to about the middle of the page.   Not really sure how I feel about this.   I mean, I knew it could happen.   It's always a risk when putting your stuff online.   And it's not as if they're using my photo to make money.   It's just being used to advertise a job.   But still, it's a bit weird.   But if you google Inchcolm Island my photos come up fairly near the top of the search page.   Here is my original blog post.   So now my question is, do I just shrug this off or do I start watermarking my photos?   Or at least the ones I really like?   Hmmmmmm.  

My First Dress

After the success of making my own curtains, I decided to embark upon the challenge of making a dress.   I really can't think what possessed me to do it now.   Really don't know what my motivation was.   But either way, I decided to try it, without the slightest clue what I was doing, really.   I sort of vaguely knew that the first thing I needed was a pattern, so after a fairly uninspiring hunt online I took myself off to my local fabric shop, browsed through their catalogues, and selected this design:

I chose to do version A, the one with straps rather than sleeves.  A nice 50s style type dress.   I'd been wanting one for a while.   I picked up a zip and interfacing at the shop while I was there too.   The next step was buying fabric.   The design I chose was black with white polka dots.   It's a classic.   The pattern told me how much I would need, and I just chose some cheap fabric on ebay.   I decided I didn't want to spend much money on fabric seeing as it was a first attempt and was bound to go wrong.   I could get some better fabric for a later attempt if this one went well.   This was a decision I came to regret, cos the fabric was horrible.   It was very thin and slightly see-through and also left dye on my fingers as I worked, like cheap newspaper.   Yuck!   And after just one wash it faded a fair bit too.   Ah well.   Live and learn! 

So next I took my measurements and cut out all the pattern pieces I would need to my sizes.   This was a seriously boring job and took aaaaaages.   I had to listen to lots of audio books while cutting to stop me from going mad.   Then it was time to cut out the fabric pieces.   I was terrified of making a mistake, but the instructions were really clear and it all went pretty smoothly.   I did have a problem with space though, as my bedroom is quite small and there wasn't room to lay the whole length of fabric out at once.   I also couldn't fit all the pieces onto the fabric in the layout the pattern suggested.   Good thing I bought extra fabric!   Still, I pinned all the pattern pieces to the fabric with the correct orientation and cut all the pieces out.

                                                             Cut out pattern pieces

                                                     Some pattern pieces pinned to fabric

I decided to lengthen the skirt a bit to cover my knees.   Risky move, changing a design when I didn't really know what I was doing.   Still, my modification seemed to work just fine.   :)   Anyone spotted the mistake though?   Yep, the darts.   Those little triangular nicks in the bodice were meant to be sewn, and NOT cut out.   Ah welll, live and learn.   I sewed them back together and it went OK.  

The next step was sewing things together!   The instructions were pretty clear and I didn't have many problems following them.   I found dress parts were much easier to work with than curtains.   So much less fabric!   Sewing was so quick!   So much less heavy too!   And sewing curves was really no more difficult than sewing straight lines.   So I started off with the bodice.   Sewing was all pretty straightfoward, really, though some bits were a little fiddly and frustrating.   The interfacing was a bit bewildering though.   I still don't really understand why I put it where I did and it's purpose.   It's iron-on reinforcing stuff.   Does the chest portion of my dress really need reinforcing?   Shrug.

                                 Some interfacing ironed onto an inside bit of the chest part.




After the fiddliness of the bodice, it surprised me just how quick and easy doing the skirt was.   When all the bits were sewn together to gather it all I had to do was do a couple of rows of loose stitches and pull them until the gathering was even.   Easy!   It was also surprisingly easy to sew the bunched up fabric to the bodice, and it also looked good!   I was worried that it was going to look terrible.   In fact things only got complicated when it came to the zip.   Urgh!   Annoying fiddly thing.   Did you know you have to use a completely different sewing machine foot for sewing in zips?   And it turns out you also have to pin and baste them before you can sew.   You have to pin the zip into place and then sew the fabric parts closed over the zip, otherwise the fabric moves and shows the zip when you sew.   And once the zip is sewn in you need to cut all those hand stitches.   Annoying...

Anyway, all that being done, tried it on...and it didn't fit.   Too loose in lots of weird ways.   I'd made wee adjustments on quite a few of my shop-bought dresses in the past.   I've had to shorten the straps on just about every dress I've ever bought.  But I just had no idea where to start on this.   In the end I did the only thing a girl can do in these sorts of situations and asked my mummy.   She put darts in here, here, here, here and here, and it now looks pretty good.   Hurrah!

                                                                        Finished dress!

                                                               So.  Much.   Fabric!

On Melancholy Hill

Can't really explain why I like this one so much.   It's got a quiet sort of catchiness to it.   It makes me feel peaceful.   I didn't even know the Gorillaz were still going.   This sounds very different to the hits they had a few years ago.   Anyway, worth a listen!  

Up Blackford Hill

I love Edinburgh.   I love looking over it.   One of my favorite Edinburgh views is from up Blackford Hill, with Arthur's Seat towering over it all.   Like so:
 

In the right light, Blackford Hill itself is very pretty too.

Hold On

This week I love this song.  Can I marry his voice please?

Gigs

Time to review some of the gigs I've been to recently.   First, Bowling for Soup.   I saw them back in the Autumn at the O2 ABC in Glasgow.   I like the ABC as a venue.   It's convenient to get to, and a good size.   Not too big.   I decided I had better things to do than stand around all evening, so I skipped the opening acts and turned up for nine, just to see Bowling for Soup.   I hadn't seen them for several years, and the boys were on form, as usual.   They played all their old favorites, along with some of their new stuff, and some songs they don't usually play, like Life After Lisa.   Their perfomances haven't lost any of their energy, and the boys till seemed to be loving every second of it.   Despite all of the show's good points, I'm wondering if I'm outgrowing them a bit.   I did love the songs, but a lot of their in-between songs banter does now seem to very immature and a bit annoying.  Still, despite a bit of growing up on my part, they're still well worth seeing!

Next, Nerina Pallot.   I saw her in Pleasance Theatre on Valentine's Day.   This was my second time seeing her, and once again I loved her!   I loved her wacky clothes, her great performance and her hilarious banter.   Her opening act, Carrie Mac, was very good as well.   I definitely don't really like Pleasance Theatre as a gig venue though.   The audience was definitely more subdued than they otherwise would have been if they'd been standing.   I think it was only Nerina's talent at putting an audience at ease that made it an enjoyable show.   And I do think it's lovely the way she takes the time at the end of her shows to meet fans.  

     




And finally, Amy MacDonald.   I saw her, for the first time, in the Picturehouse at the beginning of the month.   The Picturehouse is another gig venue I really like.   Again, it's not too big.   I always like it when people come to Edinburgh, instead of us having to go to Glasgow, but I can understand why they miss us out.   Most Edinburgh gigs seem to be full of weegies!   Anyway, Amy's performance was excellent.   I love her songs so much.   She also had a much bigger band with her than I'd expected.   I think it could have been improved with some female backing vocals though.   The male ones just didn't sound as good.   And despite her being great during the songs, I didn't really like a lot of her chat.   She did a fair bit of moaning, complaining about the small backstage area, and being away from home so much.   We don't want to hear that, Amy!   The lighting was awesome though!   Really big and bold and colourful.   Her opening act, Ben Montague was very good too.   I'll definitely be looking his stuff up! 

Save the World Get the Girl

I like the slightly rough and ready quality to this.   I like the accent and the tongue-in-cheek-ness and the sentiment.   Cos sometimes you do feel like the world is expecting rather a lot of you, and I couldn't have put it better myself.