Flynn's blog

Among various little jobs yesterday (shopping - with list to save money, dying my husband's irretrievably stained polo shirt chocolate brown) I took my Mum's old sewing machine up to the repairers. I'd tried to use it to stitch something up at the beginning of the year and suddenly smoke issued from the foot pedal and it started sewing by itself (bit like Close Encounters). Anyhow I finally got around to contacting the repair shop and asking if they were up to repairing a 30 year old sewing machine. They were calmly confident that they were, knew what the problem was, and that it would probably be a breeze - so I dropped it off and now they're finding out if it is a breeze and I'm awaiting a phone call.

The main reason for this lurch into domestic science is that I like to wear baseball undershirts. But I'm picky about them. I like them with three quarter length raglan sleeves, lowish neckline, scooped hem and made of heavy cotton jersey. A company called toxico used to make some I liked but they've stopped. Also, recently, my work colleague came in with a couple of baseball undershirts he'd ordered for his 3 year old daughter and the contrast sleeves were made of patterned print cotton jersey which was really nice - and which don't come in adult sizes. Only one thing for it - make my own. Over the next few weeks I will be attempting to rediscover my Home Economics skills from sec school - I'll let you know how I get on . . .

You know how useful a sarong is on holiday – you can use it as a skirt, headscarf and we’ve all seen people do that thing where they make a top out of it by twisting the ends round their neck. What if you could do a lot more with it?

The idea following occurred to me on holiday one time, but fashion design isn’t a strong point with me so I thought I’d just put the idea on this blog so anyone who wanted to run with it could, might be useful as a project starting point for a fashion design or jewellery design student.

The idea of Flat Fashion is to design a set of accessories so you can make more interesting creations with sarongs (and other flat pieces of material). As I said, I’m no fashion designer so I haven’t tried to do this, but I’m thinking along the lines of possibly a ring that would convert a bandeau type bikini top (made from a sarong wrapped round your chest) into one with more shape. Maybe buckle shaped pieces, would an S shaped piece help to make interesting sarong creations? I also got the idea from the intricate folding that makes a sari stay where its put and the fact that Romans and Saxons wore quite simple clothes held in place with decorative brooches, buckles and pins.

So, first thing to do is to research clothing past or present, that relies on folding or brooches/pins. Then, start experimenting with interesting ways to wear a sarong (you could also use smaller scarves for variety) and design maybe half a dozen attachments/accessories which could be used to help create a variety of ways of wearing a sarong (scarf etc.) You might not want to stop at clothes but design attachments to turn a sarong onto a bag for example.

Produce a leaflet/booklet of the ways you’ve invented (or a downloadable web pdf) and then the basic set of attachments can be customised to various styles. There could be for example a bling set, or a carved wood set, the designs are added to the basic set of attachments (like, for example in jewellery, you can have a gold bangle or a silver bangle or a wood bangle – but it still basically a bangle).

From the marketing point of view the designer just needs to sell the rights to make the patented attachments to various costume jewellery and fashion chains. There’s scope to have them made in craft collectives with Fair Trade certification if the designer wanted to give the rights to them. Or sets made in pewter or copper or ‘celtic style’ (for example) from the various tourist boards. It would be possible to make a larger set of attachments if a company wanted to put matching flip flops with the attachments for example.

There are other advantages to wearing flat pieces of material. Cheaper, easier to iron, fold and pack and you can wear all that beautiful ethnic material you bought on holiday as a souvenir.

And that’s about it for the idea. Anyone who wants to run with it is more than welcome – good luck.

Took my nephew and his mate (15 and 16) up to the Mansell Raceway in Dunkeswell in east Devon (the Blackdown Hills) yesterday. Can't recommend it highly enough - 800 metre outdoor track, 40mph karts and computerised timing (£25 for two 15 minute sessions). The staff were great and really friendly, happy to give advice and tips. Its the home of the Devon Karting Club and at the moment doesn't advertise much as they are going to build a restaurant etc. Currently all the offices and things are in portakabins. A great afternoon the boys had a whale of a time.

Its just up the road from Dunkeswell Airfield which has a flying club with a restaurant open to the public, flying lessons and flights, and a privately run wartime museum. (Must be the largest flat area in Devon which is otherwise really hilly).

Excellent - the magpies I watched building a nest earlier this year have been hopping around with a young one (still a bit fluffy, shorter tail). There were also three wrens around yesterday so a couple of those were probably young ones. And there was a young robin without its red chest.