Bitonale memorial cushion

Last week we killed and ate one of three geese that live at our house. If you're not up to speed on the goose story, you can read about it here.
In order to use the goose in its entirety, I made a goose cushion. Not quite enough for a pillow, but a nice little cushion.

Beppe washed the feathers in some ammonia mixture, and left them to dry under netting.

The pillow fabric was an upholstry sample I found about the place and some of that satiny yellow cotton that i made the puffy sleeve shirt out of (the one I haven't photographed yet.)

Not having any decent cording for the edge, I twisted some knitting cotton and made it myself. Thrifty.

As a finishing touch, as I was closing the pillow, I embroidered the name of the dead goose; Bitonale, Two toned.

(I am not an embroiderer)

Lace and silk- coming together!

I'm almost done with the top I wanted to make to show off the very old lace found in a house clean up. Remember this? I've also added some border lace found in the same box. The border lace was cleaner than te square pice though, so I carefully rinsed it in a very diluted bleach solution. I then staked it out to dry.

Concerned then that the waistband wouldn't hold up to washing, I've made it detatchable with a couple of snaps.

Maybe someone in Australia remembers the book 'Playing Beatie Bow?' We studied it at school, and the story came back to me with this top, of a girl who makes herself a top with some old found lace and travels back in time. I liked that book.

This top is still quite victorian, and I don't know how long this kick for silk and lace blouses will go on.

I still must finish the yellow top, it only needs a hem. Procrastination. If I was a racehorse I'd be the first out the gate and the last to come in.

Meh

Its been a hard week. Last Saturday my (brand new!) laptop was stolen from inside the house, as we were out in the garden. With it went a whole lotta good humour, an intended trip to Berlin and my sewing mojo. It's hard to get past the funk, but I'm working on it. I only managed to do the slightest additions to my shabby yellow blouse, adding the sleeves and collar.

I'm fairly happy with the sleeves, though initially fearing that they'd be too poofy. They are, but acceptably so. The collar I should have done without a collar band, but for now I can live with it.

Also gone are plenty of little projects I'd worked on in the last couple of weeks, including a skirt for my mother in law.
So, yeah. Meh. By posting today I'm hoping to get back on the wagon of sewing and posting. Leave me a comment if you can. Cheer me up. Go on.