We've moved (again).

Hey we have moved to new premises check it out http://chachooblog.wordpress.com/

Collection finished

And so I have come to the end of another project. My collection Smells Like Rain is finally finished. Even if it did involve a few tantrums at the end, I think it was worth it and cant wait to see my outfits on the catwalk. I cant post pictures yet but below is my collection board outlining the final designs.

Collection.

So the collection is starting to take shape finally! And I seem to be improving my Adobe skills along the way, which is always a bonus. A mental workload lies ahead of me, but I am VERY excited. Along with two of my housemates I am also planning to create a magazine to promote us all at our end of year shows. Lots of work, but all worth it, I think. Right is my flat for my trousers. Toile photos to follow soon.

Travel journalism.

So below is my first attempt at serious journalism, for a Travel Writer of the Year competition.

And so the student becomes the teacher.

From being pursued by a Lion Fish whilst getting into a Vago to 360’s round turtles I don’t think I’ve had a quiet moment at Neilson!

My passion was first ignited on a ‘stay and sail’ holiday with my family in Nidri (Greece). You could say I caught the bug. Other holidays no longer came up to scratch. I can no longer bear to lounge by a pool all day and go out all night on a typical ‘18-30’ holiday. I need to be entertained, constantly! So, being a poor impoverished student I decided the way to do this would be to work for them.

Enter the Dahab academy. Nine weeks in Dahab going from a complete novice sailor to an instructor and taking in the scenery along the way. Seventeen of us were thrown together, all ages and experience levels, none of us knowing quite what to expect. To be honest I was a little nervous, tears were shed on the flight out I have to admit, but massively excited too!

We were blasted in Picos in a Force 7, experienced many a sand storm, and shared the water, and the bars, with the pros. What a mental way to start off my Gap year!

On top of that we had a rather out of this world trip to Cairo with a police escort for fear of being shot from the Gaza strip. We also encountered an irate tour guide, miffed at the fact we weren’t real tourists and knew when we were getting ripped off! I have to say I didn’t tell my mother any of this until I was safely back in Dahab. I also found out the exact area we stayed in was bombed the week after we left!

After my crazy stint in Dahab I was sent to Porto Heli, somewhat calmer both with regard to wind and atmosphere. It was more a case of not heading out because of lack of wind than sand storms. We were however hit by a mini tornado in which Kat lost ‘the best bit of my [her] sandwich’ in the pool. Of course food loss was the most important thing, not the fact that she was thrown off her chair with concrete blocks being lifted into the air around her!

Porto Heli saw my first real teaching experience, including a pupil I was convinced was a spy; my first guest being our newest member of bar staff. I learnt how to windsurf there too, although as I was later to discover, windsurfing in Porto Heli is not really windsurfing. Flat water and gentle winds are not so challenging! Sadly however, I never saw the elusive Myrtle (the turtle that lived in our bay); I have to say I was more than a little gutted. Banana bar, yacht picnic trips, chilling on the beach, being a Yacht Mate for a week, Rendez-Vous and Nemos; who needs a holiday in Ibiza when you have all that and are making awesome friends along the way?

This season by contrast I was sent to Teos, my first time in Turkey. I arrived in the dead of night with a taxi driver who hardly spoke any English, so I didn’t know what to expect when I woke up for my first day of work. It was windy I can tell you that. After being used to the gentle breeze in Porto Heli it was a massive shock to the system that I would be teaching in this wind. But no worries, we had SB3’s (which I thought were performance skiffs until I saw them, they are in fact small keelboats). They don’t capsize ‘oh no’ but people do fall out of them; two people in my first week to be exact! It wasn’t the best start to my season I must say. But we all laughed about it and no one was hurt. ‘Hey, time for an impromptu man over board drill’! Luckily that week seemed to be the unluckiest of my season and I went on to meet many lovely people and....get planing!

The buzz is immense. If you haven’t learnt to windsurf yet, DO IT! Frustrating at first ‘yes’, but when you get it, you will never want to stop. I am even going to try it here in this freezing country. Why? I’m not quite sure yet. I’m not as excited as I was when doing it in warmer climates but once you’re bitten it’s hard to stop. Kite surfing is my next goal. Hope to see you on the beach soon. Get out there! Trust me you won’t look back.

My first sock.

I decided I wanted to include some form of knitwear in my collection but I'm not sure if i want to make a whole garment so I thought I'd have a play with socks.

OK so there is only one right now,

its rather plain and the wool is thicker than normal for a sock,

BUT its the first sock I have ever knitted and I'm exicted about it.

HERE it is. And i shall be experimenting more in the future.

21

It’s my 21st tomorrow. VERY excited yes. BUT it means I need to knuckle down and start getting this collection under my belt. When I get the money together I'm investing in CS5 and planning to work on website design and getting my final designs sorted CAD style. Then pattern cutting and final make followed by styling and a photo shoot or two. VERY exciting but also stressful times are ahead I feel. So in conclusion this weekend will be given over to celebrations but after that its work time! I promise I will keep you posted.

Then theres the deadline.

Water, ripples, jersey, stretch, tonal and well constructed.