Norway trip

Torghatten - hole in the mountain

I'm BAAAACK!

Well, a month has gone by since I last posted.... I had the good fortune to go travelling, and this travel included some sewing, too.

The problem is that I don't have much to show yet for that sewing!

We went to Norway. Norway was chosen so that I could attend a sewing workshop in Rauland (Telemark) with my Pattern Review friends, Litapita and Moxie Carol. We decided to make a vacation out of it, so the resident entomologist and I travelled to Trondheim together, and did a week of camping on the Helgeland coast, before he went on to Oslo to work a bit in the insect collection at the museum there, and Litapita, Carol and I did a road trip to Rauland.

Torghatten - top of climb

Norway was wonderful.

Even if it never got dark....

The vistas on the Helgeland coast were beautiful. The weather was excellent (well, a bit cold at night). Did some hiking and visiting and no complaints!

We camped one night North of the Arctic Circle. Can't do that easily here in Canada!

The road trip from Trondheim to Rauland (in Telemark region) took us two nights so that we could visit places. We were kind of doing a pilgrimage to Sigred Unset, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1924 for her medieval epic story about one woman's life: Kristen Lavrendsdatter. We visited hethe author's last home (in Lilliehammer), as well as a couple of places where her character had lived. When I got back I tried to get the book from the library. I was number 39 on two copies! Not sure why this 'obscure' early XXth Century author is in such demand! I ended up buying a vintage copy at the local Second hand book shop.

Sigred Unset's home

Sigrid Unset's garden

We also visited the largest stave church in Norway. I learned that a stave church is a construction technique.... there are large wooden pillars holding up the church, and they are, in effect, 'movable.

Stave church

rosemalen painted 'bowl'

SWIMMING

We also found a couple of places to swim...

First swim

The first place I swam was on our first night camping. It was 8:30 at night and still very bright out. I decided to swim in the lake at the campground... knowing it would be cold. BRRR so cold I could just do about 10 minutes, and did not venture far out! Unfortunately, I did not warm up all night!

Swimming 2nd location

I did not swim again during the camping trip, but on the road trip to Rauland, Litapita, our Norwegian host, found a couple of spots for me to swim. More comfortable temperatures!

Very cold here!

At Rauland the Akadamiet is close to a very deep, large lake. (Lake Totak) It was VERY cold. But a very short drive away was another lake, which was way warmer, and where I got a good swim in. (Lake Lognvikvatn)

lovely here!

Finally I swam at Sorenga Sjobad in Oslo Fjord. Carol and I arrived in Oslo on the Sunday evening and it was 35 degrees! EVERYONE was out, trying to cool down. So I found the swimming pier, and although I felt like I stood out, donning all my gear, I had a lovely swim. So lovely that I went back early the next morning.

Oslo fjord

AT 7:30 a.m. it was quite empty - a few people doing yoga, a few people in the water. So I swam, but as I was swimming I felt little stings on my arms and legs. My subsequent research suggested swimmer's itch (nope I know what that is, and it doesn't irritate until several hours later), sea lice (this seems to irritate under your suit, and I was getting these stings on exposed skin). A bit of digging found that it seems to have been the hydromusea stage of Podocoryna jellyfish. Not sure why that was so hard to find though - surely other people feel it too?

SEWING

the special fabric

At the workshop I decided to sew up the wrap dress (McCAll's 8528) in the special fabric. I wanted to really nail the fit, and felt that the workshop would be a good place to do that. I thought I will sew this up in a few days and then work on drafting a project from the master patterns.

Well... famous last words. My special fabric (a Zegna deadstock, purchased in Montreal: wool/silk/linen combo summer suiting. Well, after fitting the pattern, when I went to get my fabric I realized... it contains some elastene and was a STRETCH fabric. UGH. This was NOT what I had wanted, nor what I had fitted for.

This put a wrench in the works

fabric harder to work with;
fit changed;
pieces did not go together nicely anymore:

the lapel was now too long, so I had to fudge it (it was hitting the curve of the wrap, so would not sit properly.)
the left front piece was stretched and puckering (the facing was interfaced with silk organza)
the front part was not falling properly.

So I did not even QUITE finish the dress before leaving (just a couple of finishing touches to do), and I did not do more than trace the master pattern in my size for pants and blouse, but did not work on them.😟

LOVE the back pleats!

still finishing the front edge

I learned a few tips and tricks, though.

For example how to sew in the facing so that the stitch line rolls to the inside. In fact, the instructor suggested that I make an all-in-one facing, rather than the piece-meal facings in the actual pattern.

Souvenir fabric

I had packed so much for the trip (what with camping stuff, swimming stuff and sewing stuff), that I really had very little room for purchases. I purchased a souvenir fabric in Trondheim, and made up a tote bag on my return. I resisted some lovely linens at Selfmade. I will just have to go back. To be honest, I could not buy something without wondering what I could make with it, and I am still working through last year's travel stash, as well as my off-cuts. Photo below shows the sights that are depicted on the fabric. Also made a pencil roll with the offcuts.

Back home

I have been doing some sewing here back home. When I got back, I purchased some discounted knit to make some underwear and another pair of 'shorties' to wear under my short skirts & dresses (I have made them up!).

I also continue to work on piecing diamonds for my winter robe plan. I almost have the equivalent of one sleeve pieced. I think it will look good. The question is - do I actually have enough suitable fabric for this project?!