When I am old, I shall wear purple

23 Jan 2013


Ben and me driving the train to the beach, so we can buy old things that no one wants and find a home for them in our hearts. 

My housemate aka landlord read me this poem last night by a lady called Jenny Joseph and I loved it.   It made me think about my Pins x Needles purple winter coat and a random cheap red beret that I've been wearing for two winters now.  I know the colours clash, but I simply don't care.


Warning

When I am an old woman, I shall wear a purple
with a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired
and gobble up samples in the shops and press alarm bells
and run my stick along the public railings
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick the flowers in other people's gardens and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at a go
or only bread and pickles for a week
and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
and pay our rent and not swear on the street
and set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.





I can sew straight lines already

21 Jan 2013



I have started this opening sentence a fair few times, because I just don't know what to write down first.  How can an hour and a bit at a sewing class make one so happy, jolly, enthusiastic, excited and a wee bitty too giddy.  Am I normal?

Jenni is my new sewing teacher/master and I think I'm going to be her next prodigy, because I can already sew straight, curvy, zig-zag lines and follow the 1.5 cm edge.  Her teaching style is perfect for me.  No long winded explanation of all the buttons blah blah blah.  After an intro chat about life, flats, her cat called stumpy, she let me get straight into it and my foot was paddling away. (Is it even called a paddle? I don't know. Maybe it's simply called a foot pedal????????????)

Jenni teaching me the importance of getting the edge right.  Get it wrong and my dress won't fit. Can't let that happen.
My brain has retained all the stuff about tension.  I know the correct thread strain will ensure the machine does what I expected it to depending on the material.  When we talked about getting a sewing machine, she understood my needs - solid, cheap, reliable, not brand new and most of all really pretty.  She agreed on all points and I thought - yes we are going to get on well.  So I'm off to a shop in Eastleigh on Saturday to get me a second hand beauty.  Already wishing Saturday was tomorrow.

In my next lesson I'm making my own needle cushion.  Boring maybe, but I need one anyway, especially one made by me.  I'm also making a silk pillow case.  I've read soooooo many times, Afro hair needs to rest on silk at night to help prevent split ends.  Do you know how many times I've googled silk pillows and never pressed the buy button?

Well, now I'm going to make my own and that just makes me very pleased (with me).   I've never liked silk and can't imagine what I'll get at the material shop that will be nice.  I've decided to pick white with holiday blue stitching around the corners.  I'm obsessed with that colour at the moment.

Me creating a a straight line through the dots
Then after doing small stuff like Male Pattern Boldness said,  I'm allowed to start on the dress I mentioned in it's the year of the sew.   Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! now this is the most exciting part.  I thought I'd be sewing some random bit of nothing before I got to what I actually wanted to do, but marvellous Jenni welcomed the idea of my silk pillow case and dress with an enthusiastic nod.  Male Pattern Boldness did say "make something you like and make up your own rules" and I have a good feeling master Jenni will let me.  So all is well.

I am on my way.  I'm one teeny weeny step closer to arriving at the wedding in an outfit that will have been put together by me with mixed emotions - frustration, joy, enthusiasm and apathy.  I'm sure I'll swear, loose interest, get obsessed and say uchhhhhhhhhh a lot.

My sewing master is confident the May deadline isn't a problem.  So Cinderella shall go to the wedding and maybe find herself her own prince charming amongst the left over men at the end.

Ha, I just hope when the clock strikes midnight my dress doesn't fall apart. 


My quiet little rules

Picture from Calivintage.
Even though you can't see it, this picture from my favourite blog Calivintage inspired me to try on a 1940s blue pencil skirt and team it with a navy top.  When she wore this outfit I just thought WOW lovely and WOW too expensive.  I didn't copy it, but took the gist of it and made it my own. 

I try not to follow trends.  If I see something that's "in" I'll make a little mental note to resist it.  It doesn't always work and I do a job where conforming attire adds to your credibility.

Ten years from today I think I'll still be wearing the same frocks.  I  know that because I still wear ones I bought 17 years ago.  Oh my.

There's some outfits I've never bothered to alter and are still too big for me. But I imagine, age, time, contentment and maybe children will expand my waistline and the dresses I have in my wardrobe will still fit me the best way they can. 

Here's my own quiet little rules, that I sort of live by and swirl in my head.

Be proud of the size you are.
I truly mean that.  Acknowledging your body shape makes a huge difference in the clothes you wear to cover it.  I spent my childhood running the 100m sprint as fast as I could, but as girls do I saw my athletics thighs as fat.  Trouser shopping was a nightmare, so I switched to dresses.  My waist isn't as curvy as I would like, so I've defined my own waist and make skirts and dresses sit a little higher.

This isn't a model.  This is my beautiful friend Caroline.  
Don't follow fashion if it simply doesn't suit you.
I've seen so many woman throw themselves into outfits because it's in all the shops.  It's there so they think they have to wear it.  Don't.  Don't do it.  Ignore it.  Wait for something else to come along that suits your body and who you are.

Don't be a label snob.
I'm not.  I'll buy it as long as I like it.  Thinking about it, I might be anti designer labels, unless I managed to get a magnificent item cheap as chips.  The usual big names like Givenchy, Donna Karen or whoever else is popular don't give me happy butterflies. 

Nothing is perfect.
A recent purchase of a red dress came with a lovely long brown stain.  This didn't make me think gross, freak out, don't buy it, instead my head thought, oh great, get some money off and I did. Dirt doesn't put me off, neither does miss matching and missing buttons, loose stitching, holes and belts that have vanished.  If it's fixable, it's aye ok.
I bought the dress first and then noticed the label.  They make wonderful things.
I appreciate a good frock and will happily fawn over Alice Temperely.  Her whimsical, feminine dresses are magical. Instead of wanting certain labels I can't afford, I take note of a few things - patterns, cuts, length, style and keep them all lodged in my mind for future reference.  I discovered Nom de Plume Yaya last year.  They make pretty things and encourage their buyers to "indulge irresponsibly." I like that. 

Buy what you will wear.
I have one dress in my wardrobe that I've never worn.  It meant to be a bridesmaid dress, but that version of the wedding never happened.  There's no saving anything for special occasions or when I loose weight moments.  Buy it, wear it, feel fabulous.

Buy what makes you feel good.
When my heart rules - I can't say no.  If I see a dress and think it's ok, then I might walk away, but if I put on a dress and it makes me feel fab,  it's more difficult to ignore it.  Is that weird?

Magazines - to have or to have not.
I get why we buy fashion magazines.  They give ideas, they tell you what's in season.  They also make you want EVERYTHING and feel you have nothing.   There are also 1000s of other people reading the same magazine as you, seeing the same ideas and thinking "I'll get one of those."  So I stay away.  Instead I've found bloggers that I adore .

Another great outfit from Calivintage.  All rights reserved to @ Calivintage
I never weigh myself.
I was lucky to live in a home were my mum never huffed and puffed about her body.  There was no diet anything on the shelves and big pots of rice and stew were always waiting for me.  I remember once in a mighty blue moon, mum and I would laugh at her "shelf bottom" (said in an african twang). She'd dance and wiggle it and we'd laugh.

Food was for surviving and enjoying.  You can feel and see your body condition so why weigh it?

An honest model and designer who creates love

19 Jan 2013

Photographer: Greg Kadel
Cameron Russell says "looks aren't everything."

She's a model.  She's beautiful, so it's easy for her to say that isn't it?

I saw this TEDTalk on my way to climbing class.   I was a little cynical about what she had to say.  But when I got off the bus, the walk through the park was slowed down a little by my baby steps through the snow.  I also insisted on walking and watching the piece to the end.  

I didn't notice the trees drizzled with fluffy flakes and the tiny bird footprints dotted on the white washed grown.  I took this pictures on my way back home.
Palmerston Park
I let Cameron's words melt away my cynicism just a bit.  It does take courage for someone to admit they were "genetically gifted" and being "the biggest beneficiary of a legacy of gender and racial oppression."  Find her here on TEDTalks.

Picture from TEDTalk
I also listened to Ronny Edry's talk about his love story Israel hearts Iran.  He's a graphic designer who accidentally started a peace phenomenon on both sides of a war zone.  Israelis and Iranian people are not supposed to be friends - that's the unofficial rule.  Edry's simple poster created after an innocent impulse, cuts through beliefs and has stimulated amazing reactions he never intended to happen.

"This is a courageous thing to do: to try and reach the other side before it's too late."
                                                                                                                - anon
 At the end he whips away a tear and so did I.  

A twenty minute walk passes easily and I get to my climbing class in time and inspired.

It's the year of the sew


I thought it was my idea.

It's been on my list of things to do for about four years, but I didn't realise it was on everyone else's.

A page in my Sunday mag said "sewing will become reality TV's next big thing and you will pay people to tell you what you want."

A few years ago I started telling people what I wanted.  Even though my seamstress didn't really listen, I was happy with my Ibiza dress for my holiday in Ibiza. 

That's me in my made in North London dress.  It looks better when I'm standing up not slouching.
Well, the Great British Sewing Bee will be on the telly soon and I'll watch it with curious eyes.  Until then, I'm going to focus on materials, buttons, zips, colours, textures, patterns and more buttons.

So much too pick from... brilliant.
I have grand plans to create my own made in Southampton dress.  My deadline is May.  I'm going to a friend's wonderful wedding at Finsbury Park Town Hall and I want to look the part.  When someone says "Oh Ena, where did you get that dress?"  I can't wait to shriek with understated excitement

 "I SEWED IT MYSELF."

I've discovered Male Pattern Boldness. He only started two years ago and look what he's churning out now.  He wears it well too doesn't he?  MPB says he's proud to be the most popular men's sewing blog. I'd be proud of me too if I'd achieved so much.  I just want to make lots of dresses for me and maybe for you too.
MPB a.k.a Peter Lappin's "Cathy" shoot in New York.  Picture taken from Male Pattern Boldness.  
The site has great tips and really helpful quirky articles on all sorts of things.  There's plenty of information for people like me.

::: Start with a good machine - not got that yet.

::: Buy a good starters book - waiting for mum to remember the name  of the book she thinks is great.

::: Start small - mmmmmmmmm I'm going to ignore this and make a whole big fancy dress.

::: Make up your own rules - ooohh my favourite piece of advice so far.

::: Find a sewing community - i've got Barbara's gang and just added Peter to my virtual community  

::: Make something you really like - totally agree.

::: Take a class/Don't Take a class - i've booked a lesson, but I might cancel it now.


Got to pick a machine first.  Functional, but very presentable, very excited.  

I'll let you know how my year of the sew goes.

I like velvet now

16 Jan 2013

 

Velvet is everywhere this winter.  

I've seen lots of red velvet, crushed and shaped into standard dress formats.  Today I contemplated buying a mulled wine coloured skirt in this material  with corduroy trimmings until I tried it on and it just didn't fit.  (sad face)

I've refrained from adding this delicious fabric to my wardrobe because there's already a dark green dress waiting for me at home.

When I was younger I always thought velvet was for older people.  Now that I'm that older person this dress makes me carry myself in in a different way.  I feel like a proper grown up and lady.


I found it amongst the crammed clothes rails at Judy's Vintage Fair in Durham.   When I pulled it out my friend told me it was yuk, but you've just got to trust your instincts and go with it.  So I did.

Why am I reaching for a window sill, in a back yard that looks derelict,  stepping on a dodgy chair?  
Velvet feels like a winter fabric.  But I'm happy to wear it any day of the year.  I bought a nice pink (some pinks are not nice) velvet jacket last year and wish I had never taken it back.  It would have made a great light summer throw on.  I'd love something velvet in navy blue and I was going to say sky blue until I remembered I already have one that I bought nearly 10 years ago.  I'm off to go and dig it out.  I think it's been in my "gone off you, but will like you again soon" drawer for way too long. 

I leave you to look at my feet.  





Shoes: Oasis Sale: £15
Tights: Not in Sale: Tabio

Make a place for yourself to be creative

14 Jan 2013



This was the corner of my world that gave me some peace.

I'm a city girl.

I didn't think Glasgow bred appreciation of things that were green.  I thought I grew up in grey streets only finding colour at home.  African food, Africans materials, African ways of communicating.  We all talk loudly when my family gets together.  Loud with love.

In London, I insisted on living close to parks.  When I went back to Scotland I noticed all the wide open spaces that I'd taken for granted.

In Newcastle I lived right in the city.  And this is where I created this space. This view - limited but satisfactory.

The desk cost me £5 from a second hand sale in North Shield (Newcastle) and Brian, a seller, a man with a van that I'd never met said he'd drop it by.

The light was given to me by a friend and if you look close enough, very close there is a slide.  I found it in my mum's attic. It's a picture of her looking so content.  I stuck it onto the lamp and let the light shine through her eyes and her smile.  I think I'm going to find more slides.

Anyway, I've moved from this space, but I replicate it where ever I go.  I have a similar look here where I am.  


The view is less green, I have not yet heard the birds, but I've seen the cat with a dodgy neck that scrambles confidently across my path.  I am much happier, so the view becomes less important (I think).

Now when I'm writing, I'm typing on good memories.  I'm close to some things that matter to me and when I finally take a break to look up, I always like what I see.

Where's your space?

I feel I've had this little plaque all my life.  It sits on my desk or sometimes I blue-tac it to my window, so it's staring at me. I never ever want to loose this. x

People watch - don't let the world go by


Matilda always turns up looking great.  You can feel her calm confidence when she's around.  There are lots of ladies I know and have met that shine. 

I get my fashion tips just paying attention to those around me and those that walk past me everyday. Some people might wear stuff that I think just isn't me, but have on the prettiest earrings. Their coat maybe yuk, but underneath their old jumper with jeans looks great.  The scarf tied quickly on their head, looks way better than they think or hope or believe. 

I might not like what they wore yesterday or tomorrow, but today could be different.

Then there are people who get it right all the time.  They know who they are, what goes and what doesn't.  They are confident enough to experiment.  Meet a few more of the ladies in my life.


Susannah, but I call her Sarah.  Always glamorous.  Does sexy casual, beautifully & classy very well.



Ling.  My friend David's wife.  Quirky without trying.  She taught me tights & sandals were aye okay.




Julia. Always the best dressed lady in the office.  She put things together that I went home and copied. 



Caroline.  Innocently beautiful and gently soft.



Terri.  Laid back, confidently experiments with styles. Signature hair and a lovely person.



Alice.  Happy Alice has wicked taste, isn't afraid of colour, and is always smiling with her sisters



Danielle.  Knows what suits her, young and bold, smiley and fun with the world yet to explore.


Kaara is my happy happy traveller,  she gets out there and makes sure life gives her everything it's got.



New day. New scarf

2 Jan 2013



Here where I live, I'm waiting for the cold to come.  I am going to make sure I'm warm when the ice forms on the ground and every breath I take creates a little white cloud.

I've opted-out of getting a new winter coat this year because I've decided I'm searching for something at the moment that doesn't exist.

Every morning I wake up and the sun insists on shinning.  I'm not complaining.  The beautiful days make me want to step outside the one street I know well and explore.  

My new housemate and I went to the New Forest today.  He took his new fancy film camera, so I thought I'd take my new scarf.


We met some wild horses and I think this one thought my scarf was aye ok too.  I call the colour holiday blue door because I think it's like the vibrant shades I've seen in seaside villages in Morocco. White washed houses with my perfect holiday blue doors.

I can't wish I was there, because being here today was wonderful.  Wide open spaces.  No buildings in the distance, just sky at the end of the horizon.  I also met Terence.  My own Beast of the Southern Wild.


I'm looking for a hat to match my new purchase. I'm thinking navy or tangy yellow and then I'll find a little broach with a hint of blue in it, then everything will be just perfect.

I'll be ready when the cold days come.

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