Winter woollies

With a wool coat and a wool-blend skirt flapping around my legs, I certainly kept warm in this outfit. I did get a bit tangled up in my skirts a few times, though.

Studiously looking down to combat early morning eyes.

 Green coat - opshop

Red skirt - made by me and previously seen here

Cardi - Dangerfield outlet

Cameo and glass bead bracelet - gifts from Jay

Crucifix necklace - borrowed from Jay

Boots - Dr Martens

Television starlets in the making | a review

My television debut has been made! Collect your autographs while you can!

Jay and I appeared on television this week on ABC2’s Head First. The Episode was called the Wrong Body and covered what it's like to be transgender and make the transition from one gender to another.

I’ll be honest. My initial reaction to the episode was pleased but disappointed. The episode covered the experiences of people of all ages at different stages of gender transition, which was fantastic. It quickly seemed to focus on two people and left little time for others, including Jay. The episode didn’t include any footage from our third day of interviews, which happened to be the footage we were most looking forward to seeing. 

However, it was only a 50 minute television episode. You take what you can get.

The day after the episode aired, my reaction to the show was rapidly reversed by the responses I (and Jay) received. It was hard to feel anything but overjoyed that people had been so educated, informed and filled with admiration for trans people in general just from watching this episode. Facebook pages exploded with messages of support and love. Colleagues who I had never met emailed me to say how much they’d enjoyed the episode and to say how much they admired Jay and I for talking about our lives on television. Previously-held prejudices and ideas about trans people were thrown out the window. There were tears and hugs. People were grateful that transgender was brought to their attention so they could be better informed about it, especially as it is a very topical issue right now. People also acknowledged how difficult it may have been to talk on camera about such a personal issue, and it was very nerve-wracking!

Jay and I decided that if we could be part of this show and help just one person, whether they were a trans person or not, that we would be making a difference. 

Well, mission accomplished, and then some!

If you’re in Australia you can watch the episode on iview here. I think it will only be available for a few weeks so watch it now! I would really love it if some of my overseas followers could try out the link – I don’t think it can be watched overseas but if it’s possible, please try it and let me know if you can view it. I’ll leave links to this page on the right hand side of my blog and if it ever comes up on Youtube I’ll be sure to post a link.

Head First Facebook page

ABC Website -  Head First homepage

Television starlets in the making

This Wednesday Jay and I will be on television! 

We were interviewed last November for a series now airing on ABC2 called Head First. The episode this week is called The Wrong Body and covers what it's like to be transgender and make the transition from one gender to another.

The episode airs this Wednesday night at 9:30pm on ABC2. It will also be available to watch on iview the following day.

Being interviewed was nerve-wracking and fun. We were interviewed over 3 days (not consecutive days) around the time Jay had her facial surgery to complete her transition so she could begin living full time as female. We haven't seen a copy of the episode so I don't know what to expect. Having a camera in my face was not at all natural and I kept looking directly at it. We were told specifically not to do this. I forgot the host's name, Sabour, the second time they came to interview us, so I did the intelligent thing and just made up a name in my head, which I then said wrong. Hopefully they'll be kind and not show my nervousness too much. By the third interview I was much more at ease and able to talk about Jay's transition from my point of view and how the process had been for me. 

I also mentioned my blog which I hope they include!

The bad news - I am pretty sure overseas readers of my blog won't be able to view the episode on iview so I can only hope it goes up on Youtube at some point. However, I will update this post with my thoughts on the episode after it has aired.Very exciting!

Pink and black velveteen coat

The original purpose of this post was to show off my pink and pearly outfit.

Exhibit A:

  

 (Gaaaaah must remember to wear sunglasses for early morning photo shoots)

 

Then I realised I had not yet displayed this coat on my blog. Shocking! So here it is.

Exhibit B:

Black velveteen coat with pink fur trim, lined in pink satin.

The outdoor pictures show off the colour better, but I am running out of daylight hours when I come home in the evenings these days.

I Was Good and sewed on all the fur around the hood and cuffs (no glue). The tufts are actually all individual little squares of fur, like a grid, so it was easier than it looks to get between the squares to sew it all on.

The hood is far too big for practical purposes and flops right down to my nose if I try wearing it. I usually try and scrunch it around my neck like a scarf.



Mr Horse Head wears it well (he was the only thing in the house that it fitted and that didn't fall off Doris the Dummy while I took a photo).

Thinking about it, I realised I actually made this coat about 8 years ago. I was very proud of it at the time, and although I can now see several things that I could have done better or differently, I still consider it one of my favourite creations. I don't know what pattern I used but I'm sure after all this time it's no longer available anyway.

Here is a close up of all my jewellery. I just love pearls. Not in a 1950's-neat-little-one-strand-about-the-neck way, clearly. When it comes to pearls, more definitely is more. I'm also wearing a little swallow pendant but he went sideways at the wrong moment here. 

It's next to the knot of pearls and chains.

Pink cardigan - opshopped

Pearl necklaces & pink stone ring - Diva

Swallow pendant - ASOS

Pearl ring - some hippy dippy stall at a market years ago

Boots - Dr Martens

dress & leggings - retail
Mr Horse Head - Dangerfield outlet

Mr Horse Head's contribution to the post:

Neigh. Bleh. Get me off this thing, I've got pins in me. Where are my pearls?

A Very Grande Week

Monday

Freezing cold and feelin' fresh for the start of the week

dress - opshop

cardi & cherry necklace - retail

boots- Modcloth

coat - made by me

bag - ASOS

Tuesday 

Stupid rain ruining my photo shoot. And yes, it was still cold.

top - opshop
skirt - made by me
tights, amethyst pendant & umbrella - retail
boots - ASOS

Wednesday

Midweek and I'm over it already. I will not smile.

dress - made by me (before I began blogging and the dress which started my love of
fitted bodice / full skirted dresses - the first I ever made in this style)
jacket and tights - retail
men's shoes - outlet sale
pendant - 70's from my mum

Interesting that the dress with which I began to fully realise my femininity I now decided to wear with men's shoes. Before I made this dress, my idea of dressing up was to wear my 'good'  black jeans.

Thursday

 Feeling so damn special being a woman.

cardi, tights, boots - retail

dress - opshop

brooch - Christmas gift

tired expression - Mother Nature

Friday

Lounging around....

....before hitting Helgastock 2013! (where I forgot to take any photos. Very clever). I met Sister Sarah, Helga! and Carli and a couple of other lovely lasses whose names and websites have completely slipped my mind! I'm sorry! Please remind me. I had so much fun and dinner was lovely. I wore this dress and this coat. No doubt someone will have photos up on their blog or Facebook sooner or later.

dressing gown - opshop

purple booties - Target

Saturday

An overdue photo shoot of opshop finds

Boob-squash dress

Also experimenting with hair extensions...

(further evidence of boob squash below)

....and camera focus... (grrr)

Hair extensions are good for hiding one's bra straps...

...until one forgets to fling one's hair over them.

 

The lace dress is what I'm showing off here. It didn't come with a slip but clearly requires one.

Sunday

I am attempting to photograph milk as it billows up through a cup of tea.

It is one of my favourite sights and I think I will continue to try and capture it accurately. Prepare for many tea and milk photos.

(How many effing photos have I used in this post??)

There will be more filler posts of work wear and opshop finds while I continue work on my winter sewing project. Sewing posts will be scarce for the next month or so.

Good night, shirt

Cold days and some very chilly nights are starting to hunker down in Melbourne at last. My pj/nightie drawer is rather depleted at present so I've decided to make some winter woolies. I found this soft brushed cotton in Spotlight and it just screamed "Night shirt!" at me.

A night shirt is not exactly feminine but they're comfortable and roomy, and I enjoy wearing them with bootie style slippers and imagining I look hot.

Here is the pattern I used, from 1980. I think I made view A, but I added about 10 inches to the hem.

 

I even made the proper sleeves and all, but I left the buttons off them. I like to push my sleeves up and feel trapped if they won't go higher than my wrists. And if they get wet it's very annoying.

I placed the bust pocket lower down at the hip for easy tissue storage and wot not. I forgot to cut the button tab as long as the shirt, so instead I sewed the shirt closed at the bottom of the tab. This worked out well as now I won't have to worry about it flapping open at inopportune moments.

And where do I sleep, anyway?

Why, right here.

This is my little sleeping friend. He is a bit bigger than a cat and fits nicely into my arm. He was a present from Jay not long after we met.

Here is my bedside table, with its slightly dusty Tiffany-style lamp and various odds and ends.

Wall art, special post cards and birthday cards, and my entire flower brooch collection.

Hankies on top of books to stop them getting dusty.

Note my artistic photographing techniques too.

Jewellery dish overflowing with pendants, rings, brooches, chains and miscellaneous bits and pieces

My not tested-on-animals skin care range, neatly hidden behind a home made birthday card for my 30th last year from Jay.

(And my fringe... see that red hair piece? That's what I wear every day because my old little short fringe is STILL growing out)

 The ever growing to-be-read pile of books

And some fragrance choices (which are probably tested on animals...hrmm...)

Night night.

x