Chotto ... a little bit of a catch up snapshot

A little bit foodie-

 beetroot, heaps of garlic and some potatoes.  Some fruit this year- strawberries, raspberries, an apricot and a lemon.  

A little bit sciencey - I've been making science-themed bibs, card wallets and scrunchies.

** this is a paper towel holder - I feel the need to point out that it isn't a toilet roll holder.

And another thing.

Some photos of what's been happening - 

Harvesting & processing: olives, jeans & quinces

Reusing: cardboard boxes & opshopped abc poster to make a READ sign

Made a denim rag cushion & am prepping for 2 quilts

Lots of juicing general pulverising in the new kitchen blitzer!!!

You reap what you sew!

Last November I said goodbye to my sewing group.  It was one of the hard parts of moving - I had settled in and realised I was super lucky - access to a knowledgeable teacher and a super supportive and fun group. Ahhh…I am looking for that again here in Bendigo- fingers crossed!

The group gave me skills, confidence and introduced me to appliqué.  Applique is a fun and creative way to use fabric scraps.  Here are a couple of cushions I made:

The blue wings on the second owl are from a fabric I purchased in Japan about 8 years ago!! I bought the fabric to make a cushion for my mum, but never had this one in mind. Because the silky material wasn't ideal for appliqué, I bought some iron-on interfacing.  The pink Chinese material was bought when I was travelling with Mum - in Hong Kong from memory.  Originally cushion covers, parts were looking worn so I felt this was a nice way to reuse the still ok parts.  

I have also been making more bibs.  I was so excited when I found this material at an opshop: 

I am planning to make cushions and maybe a play rug.  I love that the material is a bit of a literacy prompt - where is the nest?  Can you find an 'L'?  The opposite side is made from an old towel - absorbent for drooling or cleaning up after meals.

Next projects, sewing-wise, are gathering on my Chotto Nanna Pinterest board.  

Also on the go: making a play kitchen from a thrifted set of shelves…

This has been a joint effort with my husband.  Lots of fun - for us and our daughter!

…and then suddenly it was February 2015!!

Since November, we have been quite busy … AGAIN.

We have moved towns! Now located in Bendigo, my brain is buzzing with the possibilities a slightly larger community presents.  I have moved before and know how important it is to get right in there and make connections early on.  So we have been getting out of the house - and comfort zone - pretty regularly.  Today's theme is about getting out there after a move to tap into local networks.  Back in Nanna's day, it would no doubt have been very different - letters of introduction come to mind!

I am no stranger to moving.  For a while in my 20s it was my goal to live in a town and stay in a job longer than a year!! People expect this of the young, I think, and I certainly encourage it. As I approach my 40s, I am beginning to appreciate the upheaval a move brings to a family as well as social and professional networks.  So, if you are going to move, you need to jump right in and be pro-active.  You can't expect invitations or opportunities that happen in your home town.  Don't think the hard work is over once boxes are unpacked - that is when you need to lay the foundations for making the new town your new home.  Based on my experience, this looks like:

Research:

1. Making best friends with Google and Facebook (so you can get stuff happening in Real Life).  Searching "Bendigo" on Facebook brought up groups and local information.

2. Read the local newspapers and ask colleagues, neighbours or any other locals for recommendations - best supermarkets, jogging tracks, playgrounds etc.  It is a nice easy conversation starter!

3. Visit the tourist information centre.

Don't spend too much time in the research phase, it is the next phase where the magic happens.

4.  Join local groups: use that research to get you into the places you'd like to be.  For example, try out some yoga, gym or book clubs and see if they are for you.

My thoughts here would be to persevere, while also listening to your gut instinct.  I played a season each of netball and touch footy and now no longer feel bad about saying an outright "no, thanks" when these come up as a way of integrating into a new community.  I also found the local CFA to be a no for me, but only after giving it a good shot.  On the other hand, I love boot camps, classes (like sewing or Spanish) and sustainability and hiking groups.

As a side note here, in the last town I lived in, I arrived knowing no-one.  There was a local young professionals social group, so I went along for "1 drink".  Turning up to a bar when you know no-one isn't everyone's/anyone's idea of fun, but that's what you have to do sometimes!!! I chatted to one woman for a bit who basically introduced me to a group of blokes and then disappeared.  Luckily the guys were friendly and one that arrived 5 minutes later is now my husband.

Be a big kid & tourist : get to know the neighbourhood and local attractions

5. Get to know the place by going for walks, bike rides or taking the long way home from work.  In Tokyo, poking around the neighbourhood led to finding a great international supermarket, a bamboo forest, a lovely park and the local 100 yen shop.  When my mum visited, she also found some great shopping a bit further afield.  From experience, the initial weeks in a new place go quite slowly - you are super aware of time.  So filling up this time with explorations and getting your home sorted is a winner.  Soon, you'll be busy and ensconced in the local community and might not get a chance!  We went on the Talking Tram in Bendigo early on - bit of fun to see how much my daughter loved it as well as getting some local history.  If you are a Bendigo local, you can get an Ambassador Card - basically it means I get in free when I am with another visitor (be it my husband or visiting friends/family). Ask at the Tourist Information Centre for details (plus bring something with your Bendigo address on it).

Spend time in the new place.

This means not leaving town at 4:30pm Friday arvo and returning Sunday night to do your washing!!!  Sure, go "home", but make space and time for the new place.  This also goes for online - spending a lot of time reading newspapers or listening to radio from home means you reduce the new opportunities available to you.  Again - I'm not suggesting you disown your former life, just that you don't overdo it. 

Make your own group.

I tried all these strategies when I returned to Melbourne from Japan.  Maybe my head was still a bit in "Expat" land - I craved the conversations and shared understandings that you develop when you live overseas.  So I started a "meet up" group for expats and former expats living in Melbourne.  The group met monthly in friendly bars and other venues.  I can be super shy, but being the organiser meant I was a lot more outgoing.  I welcomed and chatted to newcomers and introduced them to others.  I met up with people between official meet ups and loved it.  There wasn't anything just like it locally, so if I had waited around for it to happen, I wouldn't have meet so many ace people.  

So, back to February 2015.  

We have moved a bit over an hour away and people are asking, "Do you know anyone?".  In this case, I do know a few people: a close friend, some former colleagues and extended family.  But in some ways that is irrelevant.  They have their full lives and I want to grow my full life in this new home too.  I think of all the places I have arrived and thrived as just one: the USA, Japan, Korea as well as a handful of more local communities.  Each place was different, including locals that were more or less welcoming to new people, but in the end it all comes down to the individual and how much you are will to invest in making the "new place" your "new home".

Nanna Moments from October

Busy times here at Nanna Headquarters!  While my blogging has slipped, I have been enjoying moments of Nanna Technology that keep me inspired and excited.  Here's a taste AND I would love to hear about your Nanna/Papa moments!

I discovered applique!  This is such a fun activity - perfect for those new to sewing.  As you can see, I appliquéd the owl to make a cushion.  I bought a pack of scrap material from an opshop and also used some other scraps I had.  It was fun to see which colours worked best together - that probably took the most time.  Then I just used the zigzag stitch to attach the pieces.  

Beetroot quiche! Yum!  Each year when the beetroot crop matures we go scrambling for a recipe for cheesy beetroot parcels with dill.  They are great.  This year, I adapted the recipe a bit to make it less fiddly/pastry-y.  Really lovely with green salad. (And how good is dill?! My favourite scent/taste at the moment!!)

Pants!  I found this material at the opshop for $2.  I was able to make my daughter pants and a pair of shorts.  I have had some great finds with material at opshops recently; my guess is that people buy gorgeous material but never get around to the project OR buy too much and have big scrap pieces left over.  I also made cushion covers for my outdoor bench- the fabric was a bright Ikea design for about $4.  

Peas! We had so many beautiful snow peas and sweet peas.  My daughter loved eating them raw.  I loved the peace  of podding. 

Over to you!  What's been on at your place?

Latest Research: What NOT to get your friends and family for Christmas rant

Here I am back at the keyboard ready for a chotto rant.

Today I was op shopping and came across my bugbear:  vast collections of gift-type items that seem to have been used once or not at all.   I went a bit secret squirrel and took some photos to show you what I mean:

Piles of gift boxes and tins

Bags of plastic toys - mainly happy meal toys! Also soft toys that you can tell have never been loved.

Unopened decorations

There was also a pile of unopened pamper packs with bath supplies and hand creams that I didn't get to photograph.  I often see these types of items in oversupply at op shops.  

I am not anti-gift-giving, but I am anti-thoughtless-gift-giving.  It is a common scenario - you have people to buy for on your gift list and you have no idea what they like. I am thinking this is especially common for work or group Kris Krindle's or for the in-laws you don't spend much time with.  It is a busy time of year and and you have no time to research an appropriate gift.  What do you buy? A gift tin with biscuits or chocolate?  Some soap?  A little plastic toy?

Jump forward a week in this scenario and you are now appraising the newly gifted stuff you have accumulated.  How do you sort your piles?  Do labels like: keep, regift, return and op shop come to mind?  What I am trying to say is that we need to stop giving these generic gifts when they are unsuitable.  Gifters are throwing away their money while meeting society's need to provide a wrapped package.  Giftees are all generally so affluent that they can pick and choose the gifts they will keep and redistribute the rest. It seems so wasteful when you consider how the money could otherwise be spent .  And if the money wastage doesn't bother you, consider this: these gifts are shitty to receive.  If it is the 'thought that counts', the thought behind these gifts is: 'I don't know you well and don't have time to think about you' (and that is a best case scenario).

So what CAN you buy people?  I suggest it is possibly better to get that information from them.  It is October so there's still plenty of time to get some snooping in before Christmas.  Perhaps just ask them, their friends or family for suggestions.  If you are at their house or desk, get some clues there.   Could you get them a coffee voucher, refill their chocolate stash or a movie ticket?  Lastly, if you must take the generic route, at least save yourself some money and buy from the opshop!  Or maybe you could get crafty and try to up cycle some opshop finds, like these:

tutorial here

From this blog

My American Quilt Experience & some sunny inspiration

Recently I thought of something I said here back in February:

I want to learn how to look after myself and my family and feel the self esteem that comes with doing it myself.  I also want to spend time with my daughter and my older relatives to learn and teach and do - and while learning get that intangible bonding time that we are missing in modern society.

I want to step in to the movie, "How to make an American Quilt".  

I just joined a local beginners sewing class and on my first night I thought how lovely it was to be in a room with a mix of ages.  I provided the mix, I guess, being about 15-20 years younger than the other students.  The class is currently student-centred; students bring their sewing project and the teacher supports. However, there are plans to all complete one project so the teacher can take us through the process from start to finish.  Another student and I have decided to attempt a simple A-line winter dress pattern for her grand daughter and my daughter.  One student was altering a top from round to V-neck, another added lace details to towels while the third was starting a pants suit.  Can you tell I am excited? I am!

My family and I are just back from a trip to the Sunshine Coast.  It was great being warm, walking everywhere and watching the waves.  We went to the Eumundi Markets and I came away super inspired.  Madzara skirts are Chotto Nanna!  Made from recycled cloth - including curtains and table cloths - they are gorgeous!  And go nicely with boots for the cooler climate I (**currently**) reside in.

There were some gorgeous owls at the market that I loved. I'd also like to make more toys - below is a first attempt at a sock monster for my daughter.  She likes it - Monster was given a big hug and got to join in many interesting activities.

I have also been working on my BIG project: slippers from a blanket.  There's been some progress... After several effort to make the blanket in to felt I have given up - I don't think the front loader is up to the job.  Instead I used the blanket, making a pattern and prototype.  AND breaking my sewing machine needle.  More to come!