Monday, May 7, 2012

Banksia...

... is the name of the plant beside me.  Actually the name given to huge range of plants, this one is a bush, although banksias also come in the form of trees and groundcovers.  Did you know that Western Australia is a botanical world hotspot?  Mum and I visited the Australia Gardens in Melbourne a few years ago, enjoyed a lovely tour with a talk by a guide, and discovered (well, I discovered; Mum already knew) that Australia holds one of the most unique, diverse and huge plant populations in the world, and of that unique population, 95% is from Western Australia.
Interesting, huh?
All this is to distract you from the fact that my outfit is pretty meh today.  I thought it looked nice in the mirror this morning, but I am less enamoured of it in my picture.  What the hey, I am comfortable and perfectly warm.  I do like the interesting little peep of floral cross-stitched silk skirt coming out the bottom.  Ah well, you win some me-made days and you lose some.  :)
I've finished my "wacky" project, and will wear it soon; not tomorrow, but soon.  I'm pretty excited about how it turned out now!  It is weird and wonderfully so!!  Imo, anyway...  :D  
And this afternoon after I have finished my office work I am planning a little dyeing session, on another recently almost-completed project (wish me luck  ;))
Watch this space! 


Picture taken around 1pm;  Temperature at the time 21C.
Overnight low: 13C; Today's high: 22C 
Mostly fine and cloudy, very very windy.  That is my excuse for the hair  :)


Details:
Dress; Burdastyle magazine 06/2011, dress 102, purple shot rayon, details and my review of this pattern here, and see this dress styled in 6 different ways here
Skirt; Burda 8071 with the bodice removed, cross-stitched silk dupion, details here (as a dress) and here (turning it into a skirt)
Cardigan; knitted by me, Jo Sharp's Knitted Cardigan with the addition of knitted lace edging on the sleeve hems, using Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton in Sapote (col 216), details here
Shoes; Bronx, from Zomp shoes
Later edit; I almost forgot! today was a me-made bonus day for me, since my husband wore a shirt I made for him  :)
Craig's shirt; Burda 7767 modified, burgundy linen, details here
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16 comments:

  1. I like the dress! Nothing meh about it for me:-)

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  2. You've put these pieces together really well.
    I'm looking forward to the new projects :-)

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  3. Not even a week and you've already apologized twice for not-glamorous-enough outfits. Glamorous enough for what?? You say both times that you're comfortable, in my book that's crucially important :-). And maybe walking the dog is a very important part of your day, so what? You walk the dog in gorgeous scenery. And yes, today's a bit monochromatic, but take a larger view - you have built-in color that amply compensates for what may lacking in your clothes :-).

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  4. I like this outfit and it really brings out the color of your hair! :)

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  5. I remember reading some kid's book from Australia where the banksia man was the bad guy. Am I right about that, or just totally making it up? My aunt lived in Melbourne when I was a kid and brought me that book. Now I can't remember the title. I think you look fabulous and I love the shirt you made for your husband. I'm about to embark on a shirt making adventure for J.

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  6. Not only you look always great but you are also a source or knowledge! I never saw those bushes, but then, I don´t live in Australia. I heard about the plants-animals diversity though.
    What´s wrong with your hair? I wish!

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  7. The banksias are a perfect backdrop to your hair! Gorgeous!

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  8. ...and Banksia is also the name of a sewing pattern by Megan Nielsen! http://megannielsen.com/collections/sewing-patterns/products/banksia-top-sewing-pattern

    Good to know where the name comes from :)

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  9. I think this is a great outfit, and I love the yellow peeping out from the bottom.

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  10. I love this dress too, especially layered over the skirt.

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  11. One of the reasons I love your blog is the first hand peak at bits of australia I get from it. The outfit is perfectly fine and the skirt under the longer tunic/dress is well done.

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  12. That really is interesting about the plant population, my mum is a serious green thumb and I'm wondering if she even knows that!

    I'm looking forward to seeing this "wacky" project of yours.

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  13. I like this outfit. I like the tonal dressing with just a peep of contrast.

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  14. Yep, I knew about the 'botanical wealth' of WA already and I'm in constant hefty battles with our 'local Greens' which behave indeed like some Nazis, since even plants from WA (!) are considered weeds here !!!

    Greets,
    Gerlinde

    PS: Kindly enough, they give at least 'permission' to pay for a property here whilst they're telling me what I'm allowed to do on/with it; nearly formerly 'russian' isn't it?!

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  15. I really like your skirt. Don't know whether I would have the nerve to dip dye a brand new skirt though!

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  16. I really like your chocolate-y dress. :)

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