Ageing gracefully!

This is me about 12 years ago. Short hair, a bit slimmer and living in a different city.
This photo came from a photo shoot with a lovely friend who is quite a famous photographer here in NZ. he asked me to do a trade to assist with some sewing, and we did this shoot at 8am on a week day!
I remember we were both jammed up against one of those big lights, with a reflector disc just below the level of the shot. He is very tall and is silhouetted in the reflection in my eyes.Very arty!
The view past him and the light was piles of leisurewear as they were shooting a catalogue.
I absolutely love it when life occurs with these ridiculous contrasts. So grounding!!!

I'm a Granny!

This little bundle of human is my step grand-daughter. She's in a different city so I've not met her in person yet but I will soon. I can't wait for snuggles! She's just gorgeous and her lovely parents are understandably besotted. So are her aunties, grandparents and, well, everyone!
A few months ago my step daughter asked us all what we wanted to be called - this kid has three grandmothers and three grandfathers. I chose Mamush, which is what my nieces and nephew call me, so as to leave all the G names to the other two.
I'm too young for this!! But also, I'm not! Eep! Tips welcome!

What I've been up to...

 More Constance Ravings! Truth is, I am working a day job which I'm really enjoying but I can't talk about it even if it was interesting to do so, so Constance is the only interesting bit. Oh wait there's something else but that is for my next post!

 Golden Garters Awards, hosting with Mae de la Rue from Sydney, singing possibly the ROPIEST version of Razzle Dazzle em ever!!! We'd like to think it was so bad, it was good hehe.

 My Golden Garter for Favourite MC. Behold how masterfully I manage microphone, clipboard AND award. Those skills got me where I am today hehe.

And THEN there was the NZ Burlesque Festival last weekend, three days of mayhem, music, musings and mugging on stage!!

 Thursday night's Meet and Greet, Clever and I broke out our best Weimar? Vy not? look...

 Yip, we were channelling our best look!!

 And then Mr Lola Illusion joined us for a moment of filling viewing that reminded me of..well, I found the pic!

On the Saturday I taught a workshop in the afternoon but that was it really. So Mr Lola and I went hand in hand to the show- please note the matching cape thrown over his shoulder - he made it from the offcut of my dress! We caused quite a stir, it was a lot of fun to be this EXTRA and not have to perform. Which is fun to, but not three nights in a row thank you!

So that's what I have been getting up to when not doing boring things to pay the mortgage. Cos, well, ain't nothin' going on but the mortgage!

Award Winning MC apparently!!!

Look! I won another thing! I'm so excited because I never win anything, let alone three years in a row. It means a lot to me. And after a week of amazing experiences.

This wee baby is going on my wall soon. ALL the glitter!

So the week before on Thursday 21 March, Leo and I got to MC at the ILGA World Conference dinner. When we walked into the venue and saw how big it was, we had a giggle! 450 delegates, 40 tables of gorgeous humans from all around the world! It was so much fun to get up on stage and look out at them.

Leo and I hosting the ILGA World Conference Dinner

 Me before the show in the shade hence the blue tinge. Prize for best use of a $2 lawn ornament? ;-)

$2 lawn ornament head piece!!!

 This is me with Ross Weistroffer! Who is Ross Weistroffer I hear you ask? (Unless you know him and Googled his name and this came up in which case HI!!!) He is a Research Analyst from UCLA who hunted me down at dinner time to sit and chat because he loves drag queens. What a poppet! I adore gorgeous Gay American men so we're a match! Ross took the photo of Leo and me on stage, bless him.

Ross Weistroffer and me

We had an amazing night with incredible food, dancing, speeches, food, dancing.

Dessert Unicorn!!!

On Saturday 23 March I was up in Auckland, sans lawn ornament, co-hosting the NZ Burlesque Industry Awards with the ravishing Mae de la Rue from Sydney. No photos as hosting an awards is a huge and busy night, so my phone hardly got touched. When the photos come out, I'll post some. It WAS fun!!
Right now I have a rotten cold but I'm dragging myself into work anyway, dosed up on Codral. Trying hard not to cough on people. Don't judge me; it's my second round in three weeks and I don't have time to be sick again!

A weekend away and a wedding

Hi there! Life has ratchetted up somewhat over the past few months and that makes it hard to find time to write. Plus most of the busy is very, very dull.

Relaxing at a friend's wedding recently

A few weekends ago a bunch of us headed up to Auckland for a wedding. It was lovely to hang out and not have to do much - usually we are madly producing shows. Clipboards were swapped for glasses of bubbles for the day. SO nice. Plus we got to go op shopping and eat brunch.
I bought this little off the shoulder number to wear as most of my clothes are either too ordinary or WAY too sparkly for even a formal wedding.It was cool and comfortable in a very warm and humid climate, which was the plan.

The Caburlesque Family - son Jack, me, Pinot Sister Debbie and everybody's Daddy, Soundbitch!

What a glamorous lot we were! I do feel that we are one Timmy The Dog away from being The Famous Five here however. Or perhaps the Narnia children. I wouldn't put it past Jack to dob us all in - not for Turkish Delight but possibly jersey caramels!

A lovely day was had by all - a couple who are meant to be together got to be together and it's always an honour to witness that.

You've got to Move it, Move it!

 Finally moving day is here for Made Marion Craft, our little but thriving business in Wellington.
Assisted by a small but perfectly formed army of volunteers, everything got packed up by close of business Sunday and all we had to do today (Monday) was get the furniture coded for the movers who arrived at lunch time. It was weird being sort of open but not really. And there being nothing to do for a few hours.

And now just about half of the stuff is over there; through friends with big cars or vans on Sunday taking the odd shaped things like mannequins, spinning wheels and racks, and the movers arriving today at lunchtime and whipping out most of the furniture.
The photos below show the incredible back room that will be our storage and staff area. It has a mezzanine and graffiti!! For some reason these two elements combined seem incredibly edgy to me!

It's scary but also exciting to be growing, sort of (much, MUCH busier part of town, more rent, more classes etc) when other shops are folding. We're holding our own which is a good feeling.
Tomorrow, more moving, more unpacking, rinse and repeat for the rest of the week. I will take some pics of the new space as it develops. Today I was too comatose!
P.S. Cuba St is very edgy. We're all deciding how to rise to the occasion. I feel I should get more tattoos, there may be dreadlocks and pyjamas or leather studded wrist bands. Curly moustaches, it's all here! 

A robe of one's own.

I love robes! I love a nice thin cotton robe that folds into next to nowt, for travelling, for lounging, and for doing housework and baking first thing in the morning. So glamorous!
My own current robe I've not blogged about, which is remiss of me. But when staying with amazing friend B in London, she commented how cool it was and I decided she needed one of her own. She's back here in a few weeks on holiday and it's waiting for her under my Christmas tree.
Right, my early onset NY resolution is to go into more construction detail about my makes. But I took no progress pics, so it might be more wordy than visual.

The finished garment on a too small mannequin. Fabric is a classic Jason Yenter print from 2018- butterflies in a secondary colour based pallet that makes me very happy!

Lying flat - the pattern I based it on is an old one, size 14, cut straight up and down. Women have curves, dumb pattern! When we wear straight cut robes the front curves open below the knee, and opens out when we sit down! So, I always angle the pattern pieces to create an A line shape. I added about 30cm to both front and back at the hem, starting at the shoulder. So, more bust and hip room.

All the seams are flat felled so no raw edges anywhere. patch pockets won out over in seam pockets for their strength.

The inside showing the front band. I have three different ways of applying these, depending upon the fabrics used. For this stable cotton, the raw edge is folded under.

It's quite hard to see on this busy print but this is the back neck  - with a reinforcing yoke on the inside and a loop caught into the band seam for easy hanging up.

Front of robe with sleeves folded inward. Shows the band. Gosh I love this fabric but more to the point I know that B will!

You know I've made satin robes and robes out of saris, and they are pretty but they don't stay closed. And those internal ties always bug me. I know there's a place for these lux fabrics but I like a robe I can bake in, even if I am wearing an apron! Easy to wash, cool to wear, breathes, washes and dries easily.

My own current winter robe is made of polar fleece but it bugs me. I think my next one will be corduroy. Maybe interlined with flannel...