Making a start...

... on a few different things.

Yesterday I started making my corset with my friend K.  We'd previously sorted out the pattern pieces, but this was the day that scissors met fabric for the first time.  I've discovered the usefulness of making a calico mock up, as the dimensions were not quite right, so I've got a bit of sewing to do at home now, to make sure that the new pieces are OK.

I'll keep up to date with this project now and again, as it's likely to be quite a long-term thing.  I'll try to take photos of it at each major stage, so hopefully there will be a pic of the calico mock-up soon.

I've finished one of my Classic Classics in the book-reading list: Frankenstein.  I'm glad I've read it at last (I really felt that it was a book I should have read, as a good little Goth ;)  ) but I don't know that I would want to re-read it, as it is so sad in places.


I've got some flower bulbs to try to add some colour to the garden, so when the weather warms up a bit, I'll put them into some pots, and hope that they grow!

Hmmmm, I'm sure there was something else... Oh yes!  I tried Samphire a couple of days ago.  I remember reading a poem with a reference to samphire in it when I was at school, and wondering what it tasted like, and it was on offer in Tesco, so I decided to try it.  Very salty, even too salty for Himself, who likes salt.  Possibly it would have been nicer steamed, and in a smaller amount, but so far, not one I'd want to try again.  Ah well, can't win 'em all - I liked figs, adored Bilberries and quite liked the Turkish sweets I had, so on balance this part of the Challenge is doing well :D The 5-new-foods project is nearly done, I think... only one more thing to try now.

I'm planning a bit of a re-think of the list, as some of the things are outside my budget at the moment.  As I've said before, even if some things on the original list don't get done, as long as there are 40 things by the end of the year, I'll be happy; the list is more of a set of suggestions / an aide-memoire as it were.  One of the new things on the list will be 'Make a Dragon'.  I decided that, since it's the Chinese Year of the Dragon, I would make a point of getting this project onto my list, and therefore hopefully done this year!

I've been collecting various bits of interesting junk, that I now want to recycle into a sculpture.  The idea has grown from 'a something' to 'a dragon' and it may well morph into something else in the doing, but notionally, it's going to be a dragon. 

Since the dragon will be quite a big sculpture, it will probably have to wait until the weather warms up a bit, as I imagine that some/all of the making of it will have to be done in the garden, as I'm envisaging this critter is going to be fairly large, and be a garden 'ornament', rather than anything else.    

Wish me luck!