A Strange Pair: Project Update

Things That People Look Through

I realised it's been some time since I last posted any photos from my project, A Strange Pair.

As a memory refresher, this project is based on information found in a psychology book, relating to the way some schizophrenics categorise objects (see my post, Stop!, for more details).

Things That Cut

Things That Hold Other Things Together

Things That Should Not Be Jammed Into An Electrical Socket

A summary of the project, as I wrote in my first post about it, is:

A Stange Pair is an exploration of the relationships between everyday objects.

Which sounds pretty fancy but is basically me popping various objects and a white background, and snapping pictures, having spent hours trying to come up with unconventional yet logical reasons for those objects to be paired together!

July Roundup & 365

Big Day (208/365)

Aside from attending my cousin's wedding (above) and upcycling a dress into a waistcoat, I didn't really do anything worth blogging about in July, so this post is going to focus on my 365 Project photos.

Despite doing little of note, I did experiment with some different techniques and ideas when taking photographs this month!

Reflective Afternoon (182/365)

Musical Wave (183/365)

I began the month with a couple of abstract images--reflections of light on the ceiling!
Over the course of the month, I experimented with other types of reflection too.
All will be revealed further on in the post...

How to Remedy a Shrunken Dress

If you've been reading my ramblings for a few years, you'll know that I bought this awesome embroidered dress at a vintage/second-hand kilo sale, back in 2014.
If you didn't know, you do now ;)

Anyway. Over the years, this dress - which, it turned out, is partly made of wool - shrank when I washed it.

Every. Damn. Time.

No matter how I washed it, that outer later got a little shorter, a little slimmer.

Until the underskirt stuck out a good few inches, and I couldn't zip it up anymore.

It's sat in my project box for a while as I tried to decide what to do with it. I couldn't bear to get rid of that lovely embroidery!

So I made a shrunken waistcoat from it, instead. :)

Though this refashion was simple in theory, in practise it was time-consuming and a bit of a challenge!

I completed this a couple of weeks ago, but until today didn't get around to blogging about it (I know, I'm a slacker.)

The skirt was fraying away from the bodice, so unpicking all that stitching took ages, and because the seam allowances were tiny, it was fiddly work to create new hems.
I also had to remove the side-zip, and create new seams for the outer and lining. Originally I was going to leave the little red tie on it, but after I'd finished sewing, I decided it didn't look right, so cut it off!

Though I can't easily do anything about the slightly shrunken armholes (that wool is a pain in the ass and I am lazy), I've still managed to get a cute, wearable garment from something that I would otherwise have had to get rid of.

Plus it goes nicely with a shirt I have!

With this refashion I complete a goal from The List, so colour me doubly happy!

080. Refashion/upcycle 3 items of clothing

My other refashions have been:
01. Refashioned Retro Dress (another kilo sale find!)
02. Customised Glitter Boots

Seems I've inadvertently refashioned myself a new outfit!

I did the first refashion back in 2014--took me long enough to complete this goal, didn't it!
Having griped in my post about the dress that I messed up the bodice, I fixed it last year--fits much better now :)

So....how to remedy a shrunken dress? Turn it into a waistcoat!