deondergangvanmijnouders

As a sewing blogger, the hardest thing for me is when you don't sew things, what do you blog about? I have some projects I'll show you this next week, that aren't garment sewing exactly... fun relaxing kind of sewing! Like my millions of rope bowls last year, I have started some new ways to sew and make things. Art. Dare I say it! But, actually I feel throughout March, I spent a lot of time *sharpening* my skills... and rather like my son's lovely collection of pencils above... the more I'm sharpening, the more colours and pointy pieces of my career & personality are coming through. It's been a funny month career-wise, and full of more personal/professional development instead of getting paid, but I guess that's where I'm at right now here in Shanghai! Here's a hilarious (to me) list of things I've been up to in March: Started being a filmmaker - documenting aspects of Chinese Weddings, recording audio & video for the first time, seriousl...

Hey! Happy Thursday! I'm keeping busy this week and have been really *happy* for I've got lots of personal stuff going on and I'm loving Shanghai to bits. Not being in full time work is still very different for me (especially this week as everyone here and online returns to work), and now that I've got a few extra curricular activities happening, it's even weirder. I think I've become a freelancer. And a board member. And a voice over artist. (!) I'll get to it all, but firstly I wanted to let you know about the Blogging Workshops I'm hosting! Late last year, my friend Liv & I co-hosted a workshop for the Shanghai International Literary Festival... we only expected 10 or so people, but when more than 20 peeps confirmed their attendance, we were so happy! I've been working alongside the Shanghai Bloggers Society (my friends Line & Nando who started the app last year) to bring a springtime series of monthly blogging workshops to Shanghai f...

The first day of the year, and I’ve got a little news for you. I’ve been putting off updating my ‘About Me’ section of the blog because since moving to Shanghai, I’ve felt so many changes, and I was waiting to see where those changes shifted in real life and online. And you know what? I’ve outgrown myself as Veronica Darling here… and (yay!) for the first time online, from now on I’m going to update my blog as Amelia… my real name in real life!. Because there’s no real difference these days between online and real life, but there was when I started writing online in 2001. And so HEY, my name is Amelia and it's lovely to meet you again here! I know it might be a bit of a surprise to some of you and might take a little while to get used to seeing the change, but for as I’ve grown so much in the 8 years of writing in this space, I’m sure you have to. A lot of you are real life friends, and a lot of you I’ve met through this blog! So it’ll make real life catch ups & emails a littl...

Happy Holidays! Wishing you a happy holiday & merry festivus time, from us Darlings in Shanghai! We're zonked out - Husbie has worked nonstop for 6 weeks - and so we've quickly partied ourselves out... enjoying the luxuries of gorgeous friends in this city & the wonderful Internet this weekend. We shared a French family Christmas Eve dinner, exchanging presents with the children... then woke up to any other Friday! In China, this time of year isn't really significant for locals, apart from all the decorations and markets and ironic Santa clad couriers all around town ... (or maybe I'm the only one who think it's ironic) ... but my Husband's company is UK owned, so all the deadlines finished on Christmas Eve like in the western world. YAY But, as Husbie finally getting a rest and with no family with us in China... it's a bit lonely. Thank goodness for our lovely friends here in Shanghai, it's made being so far away from Mum & Dad that bit bett...

Thank goodness Future Islands wrote Seasons (Waiting On You) because now when I feel like the shift in temperature, the wind a little chillier, and the sun a little less strong... I have this song in my head. And so we're feeling the autumnal vibes around Shanghai this week, especially after a sunny holiday in Australia. The weather here makes us cough a little more, as our lungs and noses adjust to the pollution level... because that air in Australia is just so clear. And through this season and climate change (and that red moon last night), I am again confronted with all the millions of possibilities and choice of this fantastically great city! Last night I went to the comedy festival, the FIRST Shanghai International Comedy Festival, and will represent an Australian colleague today at a comedy discussion forum. I'm overjoyed to be meeting new people and sharing some stories about Australia's comedy industry. Also my friend and I are constantly working over new projec...

August & September are busy months now in our family & world… it’s taken me a little while to find a rhythm to our days and weeks! Birthdays and parties and then visiting friends and relatives have made me soooooooo happy! I’ve pretty much eaten and drunk all the dumplings and wine and as I catch a moment to myself this morning, I’m like: IT’S now autumn/fall. It’s almost OCTOBER! We’ve been in Shanghai for one whole year so I know how to handle the season changes… but it still feels like it should be gearing up to summer holidays as Australia tends to have a season change around now and then it’s all GO til Christmas. But in China, we’re all busy with school days for Felix and crazy work hours for my husband, and then it’s the Chinese Golden Week holidays and we’ll be travelling back to Australia for a short time. The year’s broken up so different in China to Australia, not to mention the northern/southern hemisphere thing! This week, I’ve also been workshopping a workshop (!)...

I never really thought I’d be sitting in a cafe in Shanghai, having soup noodles for breakfast and a very delicious latte, while Mariah Carey sings ‘I can’t live (if living is without you)’ on the stereo…. and a song I sang at the Eisteddfod (the performance contest/festival in our area, growing up) …. we just don’t know the funny places we’ll be in life, and what memories will pop up with particular songs or music. When I started singing with my teacher Faye, I was probably 14 or 15 years old and sometimes I didn’t really think I could sing well, but after a lot of performances (Barbara Streisand’s The Way We Were was the first song I ever sang alone in public) and theatre shows… I finally felt very good about my voice. I didn’t think I would be just a ‘singer’ or a performer… I loved doing it, and I loved being in plays, but my theatre group was a special group that you only find once in a while and you know I started my radio career and somewhere in your twenties you sort of focus o...

In the sewing blogging community, Me-Made-May is a thing and came about in 2010 (really? Where does the time go) via the refashioning fairy godmother Zoe at her blog So Zo, What Do You Know ? This was my first year documenting what I wore for this particular month, because really it's a great way to wear what you make, instead of just make and sew and create and not have the day to day wear out of the clothing. The last time I followed the 'Photo Everyday, Handmade Everyday' like this was for Self Stitched September in 2011 (and also in 2010) because I am fickle and don't really like the 'me-made' grammar as I like writing how I talk, and I never say 'Me-Made' (it's also spring in September and a better month for documenting clothing/taking photos in my opinion)... but this year, I decided to get over myself and get my selfie stick (NOT) out for a bit of handmade celebration! To prepare I made a couple of tshirts, one a refashion, but that's abo...

Hey! How was the weekend!? Today, I wanna talk about this blog, and maybe some areas where I’d like to take the blog… AND see what you think! I’m brimming with blog content ideas, and I’m trying not to bombard you with too many too soon (and at the same time try to set up my blog as having regular posts again)… but one thing I’ve noted after being in Shanghai for a short and quick 6 months: There is just SO much creativity and so much create-ing in this town. In the English speaking world, I am overwhelmed, and I’m only seeing these amazing glimpses in the local and (tricky for me, but maybe one day) Chinese speaking Shanghai art & fashion scene.  So, as I started to plan my sewing projects and to ‘get back’ my sewjo mojo and body love (to make my own clothes & feel happy!) … I have started to also say ‘YES’ to all things, and because I’m not working my usual radio job here in China … I also have the independence and time. For the first time in my life p...

In May 2014 my Husbie visited China for work. In July we decided he should take the new job, by September we were on the plane to Shanghai. We packed up and ordered things, and moved things and sold things. We gave things away and we put things in storage. We laughed a lot, and hurried a lot, we stressed a lot and cried a bit. Sometimes (and even a bit now) we wished that other people helped us decide things. Made choices for us. Mapped our lives out and just did the things that were hard to do. But, after lots of talks & debate & discussions (and still that now), we are the makers. We make our lives, we decide and do and enjoy it. It's thrilling and fucking scary moving countries. I still cannot believe we have done it. We did it. So! Yes, I brought both my sewing machines to Shanghai, but hardly any supplies! Here's what sewing supplies did come with me, and currently hang out in my Shanghai Sewing Studio (AKA the spare room for my parents to stay in - or any friend w...

Why HELLO! It's been a while, right? I'm so glad I actually told you what was coming up , because otherwise it'd be a bit DUR what happened to Veronica Darling and her little darlings Husbie & Baby and all the sewing? The SEWING?! What happened to all the stash !? Time has gone so uncontrollably fast! Well, the greatest thing is that we are A-OK and living in Shanghai, China, not Melbourne, Australia as last year. We moved in September and are SLOWLY settling in... there are a million reasons, but it takes a long time to get into daily life (for me, anyways) in China. It's amazing, crazy, sad without friends and family, but happy to make new friends, and all those other things... like getting lost without knowing the usual places to go but then amazed by other places that you accidentally stumble upon. The whole world as you know it is upside down. (We did not speak ANY Mandarin before we got to China - only Thank You = Xie Xie) (It's really hard moving to a new...

Hi! I haven't posted here for a while, because something big came up. Not a second pregnancy, like some of my friends have suspected. A big move. To: SHANGHAI Us little old Darlings are currently packing up, putting things in storage, selling stuff and giving stuff away ... and we'll be in China, in one of the largest cities, in less than 2 weeks. Yup. I don't think it'll sink in until I'm there, or on the plane maybe.... ? Husbie's got a great job, and it all seemed like a perfect chance for a big challenge and a big adventure and yep... something big for all of us. Our boy turns 2 next month, and why not take in all these great adventures before you turn two? So! I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing yet. . . I know I'll be managing the family and helping and supporting us settle in to Shanghai! I'm still not 100% sure of my blog here, because there's a strong part of me that longs to write more than just sewing projects. So I'll see if ...

We had a wonderful start to the year, visiting Thailand and celebrating our good friend's wedding with loads of other great friends. Such positive energy, great focus on love and friendship and it felt like a great kickstart to 2014. Things are going so well, and it's great to be outside of your everyday life to see how well things are. There's so much to be thankful for really. Today (being Australia Day), I'd love to send a big thank you out to every single gorgeous person. We don't have a Thanksgiving type day here. But today's 'Australia Day' has so many meanings for Australians. It's sad day, it's a happy day, it's a celebration and it's memorial. But overall, it's a day for looking forward for all Australians. I'm thankful to be Australian, I'm thankful for all my friends & family, I'm thankful our country has a long history of Indigenous people and their stories, I'm thankful we are able to live such beautif...

YAY, we're back from holidays in Singapore and Thailand and I've just been reading through all your lovely notes from my 31/31 pieces from my personal sewing marathon in December. LOVED that you loved my little things (the exciting ones and the boring ones alike! Boring is still good, right!?) and thought you'd like to see the Romper I made for the wedding ! I outlined the sewing construction details ( By Hand London 's Anna top, vintage 1970s pattern for the shorts) in the blog post but here's me in it with my darling friend Jo (and cousin of the bride) who is from the amazingly gorgeous Melbourne band Big Scary ! Aren't we vintage pastel fabric queens: We loved being away and just adored Thailand, such a beautiful spot for a wedding! I'll post some scenic shots soon, there was just really gorgeous landscapes with the water, huge cliff faces and bush land, jungle spaces! Anyways, I loved wearing my romper, it was really comfy and good for crouching down wi...

Just mucking around today while my baby has an usual naptime of 4pm - 5.30pm (he's got 2 molars on the way - ouch) and remembering the time (yes, I'm old) when digital photography first came in, so we all started taking a million photos to finally find out our 'best side', and which poses suited our face sizes. Of course it took several years to finally get it right! Whatever did we do before digital photography (I always had my eyes closed, or I was looking around at everyone else in the photo instead of the camera) Yes, this was before the selfies of instagram and probably around 2005 was my peak as I discovered 'Up and To the Side' (BELOW) instead of just 'To The Side' (ABOVE). You see I have a R-O-U-N-D face, and it was advised to me (LOL - we were drunk at the time, so can't remember who) that Up & To The Side was best for round faces... check out the angles: The other best 'look' at the time (oh maybe it was 2006?) was 'Cooling ...