Storms over Darwin

I was out and about at dawn
this morning, in Darwin,
(Northern Territory, Australia),
and there were some storms.

There are often impressive
colour displays in the weather here,
so I thought I would share this.

A rainbow often appears here.
Maybe that has something to do
with the large shopping centre
open air carpark below.











(c) Katherine Stuart 2014

Taking a Break

From now, for a few weeks, I'll be taking a break.

So, unless anything interesting happens,
there won't be any blog entries.

See you  !!   :)

Good Tidings

Merry Christmas
to all those who celebrate this.









Happy New Year
to all those party goers.











Happy holidays 
to all those who are going on them.









For all those who have to work
over this time of the year,
Peace be with you.

Things for me are a blank page
at the moment.
I'm having faith and seeing what happens.

I hope that everyone enjoys
what they are doing   :)

Behind the Scenes - Photography Area #1

This is a simple method, that I have been using to photograph
my creative work for my blogs etc.
This is at a very basic level, using the bedroom, and optimising the light available
to get the best possible result with minimal available equipment.



1. The Surface

Firstly, I prepare the bed, which I use as the
surface to put the work on.

All that I've done, is,
pulled the under sheet tight,
and tucked it in at the sides.
Then, pulled the over sheet tight
and tucked it in at the sides as well.

Then, any wrinkles,
I've levelled out
by drawing my fingers across the bed
and over the sides.

2. The light source
So far, I have found that natural light
is easier to work with
and produces a better result
than artificial light.

In this method, I'm using natural light.

So next, I open the curtains up at the window,
wide enough to let most of the light in.

For optimum light quality,
I've found that I've needed
the angle of light coming in through the window
to be direct, relative to the position of the sun,
as opposed to reflective (in general terms).

This means that the sun needs to be on the same
side of the house as the window.

                                                                   In my last bedroom, this occurred in the morning.
                                                                   But, in this bedroom, it occurs in the afternoon.

                                                                   It was a bit of trial and error, to find the time of day
                                                                   when the light was at it's best. Not too dull and not
                                                                   too bright.

                                                                   With the first bedroom, it was about 10am.
                                                                   With this bedroom, it is about 2pm.

                                                                   When the light is too dull, then the photo looks grey.
                                                                   When the light is too bright, then there is a lot of
                                                                   contrast (very light areas and very dark areas).

                                                                   So, when the light is about right,
                                                                   I place the creative work on the surface.
                                                                   These photos were taken from 1pm - 1.30pm.

3. Placing the work on the surface
This just involves finding a place on the surface
which has the best light falling on it,
and is going to be easy to access
using the camera.

I've placed the painting here
at the end of the bed,
as this spot has the best light
and I can stand behind the bed
to easily lean over to take the photo.

4. Taking the photo
I have used "no flash",
as with the "flash" there was too much contrast.

Here, I have just leant over the end of the bed.

Getting a good photo, involves -

-  adjusting the focal length
    (Withdraw - Towards)
    to make the subject fill most of the frame.

-  tipping the camera slightly
    from side to side
    until you find where
    the edges of the subject
    (especially things of a square nature,
    such as this painting)
    line up evenly with the edges of the frame
    otherwise it will look distorted.
                                                                       Unless that's the effect that you're after.

                                                                    The edge of this painting has gone a little wavy
                                                                    from the sealer that I put on it.
                                                                    So, in this case, it may be better
                                                                    not to include the grey background in the photo.
                                                                    Or, you can crop it out later when you edit,
                                                                    and that will give straight sides as well.

                                                                    Then, take a deep breath,
                                                                    having your fingers at opposite positions
                                                                    on the camera,
                                                                    to minimise twist when you take the photo,
                                                                    and press the button !


(c) Katherine Stuart 2014                                                                                               
                                     
 

Behind the Scenes - The Office Area #2

Here you can see that I've become a little more organised with my office space  :)

This is made up of -

  -  2 cabinets
  -  computer
  -  printer

This is working quite well, so far.
The two cabinets are enough at the moment
to house all my -
  -  files
  -  stationery supplies
  -  equipment (pens, rulers etc)
  -  business documentation
  -  accounting journals
  -  business and creative in-boxes
  -  materials and equipment for current projects
  -  information (from previous educational courses
       and the internet)

Here is a better look at the computer
and printer set-up.


The main things are that -
  - everything is in the one area
  - items can be physically placed
      in an order of importance
  -  items can be moved in and out
       easily


What more can be said ?  :)



(c) Katherine Stuart 2014

JIAS music therapy

JIAS music therapy is the -

    Johansen Individualised Auditory Perception program

This is a music therapy program that I've been doing over the last 2 years,
as I have Dyslexia and Autism Spectrum Disorder (without accompanying
intellectual and language impairment - Level 1).

I have always had problems hearing certain
sounds.

When I went to the Kenny Rogers concert
here in Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia)
a while back, I was in the taxi, having arrived
back at the place where I was staying for the
night. It was dark, and my brain couldn't
compute how to open the door. I was getting
a bit worried that I wasn't going to be able to
get out of the taxi !
I mentioned this to one of my Dyslexia
psychologists. So my hearing was tested and it was
found that I couldn't hear some sounds, especially
in the high range. It also became apparent that I
wasn't able to hear what people were saying
correctly. There were gaps in the conversation. So,
I couldn't understand what they were saying, and
hence, couldn't respond with an intelligent answer.
This explained a lot !

This system has involved,
- being tested to find out what sounds that I couldn't hear
- the psychologist (or person trained in delivering this system)
  sent this information to those who produce the special music CD
  which is tailored to a person's specific needs
- the special music CD was produced and was sent to me (at cost)
- I have to listen to each track,
   one a night, as specified on the sheet provided (pictured)
   for a number of weeks.

As I mentioned, I've been doing this for 2 years now, and am on the 4th CD,
as a person has to be re-assessed every so many months, to make changes in the CD
if there are improvements. But, now this is the last one and the therapy is tailing off
over the next 4 1/2 months.

One striking change which occured in my hearing was this -
The 3rd CD had a special sound wave incorporated into the music tracks.
Previously, the sound that my brain was hearing was "flat", or you could say,
two dimensional. But, as I listened to the 4th CD, it triggered some things to work
in my brain that weren't previously, namely in the back part of my head and my temples,
after which the sound that my brain was hearing was 3 dimensional, or you could say,
stereo, but much better !! I can now have a wonderful sound experience when I listen to a
music CD, if it is produced properly, that is !!

So, thankyou to the JIAS system and inventor, and to my psychologists, Maria De Ionno and Anthony Franklin of "Dyslexia and Reading Solutions" (South Australia - Australia) for making this and other things possible.


(c) Katherine Stuart 2014

Clothes Design - 2 Aprons

I just made these quickly out of a spare piece of polycotton fabric that I had, as I needed to
replace my old ones.

In the middle of doing these, the motor in my sewing-machine broke down completely. So,
I had to move the machine wheel by hand to finish them. I was going to anyway, but also
because of this, I will make this the last sewing project for quite a while. But this just
means that I'll be doing other things. With these aprons, I hope to be doing some cooking
in the not too distant future. Here's hoping  :)                                                                                                                                        
The basic measurements for these
pattern pieces are, (cms) -

Small rectangle -
    1 piece    x    27   across                                         23   down

Large rectangle -
    1 piece    x    60   across
                        60   down

Neck strap rectangle -
    1 piece    x    47   across
                          4   down        
                               (to fold over
                                  lengthways)

                                                                                    Waist strap rectangles -         
                                                                                        2 pieces    x    72   across
                                                                                                                4   down      
                                                                                                                     (to fold over
                                                                                                                      lengthways)

                                                                                    Then add
                                                                                     seam allowances -
                                                                             
                                                                                     2 cm    -    where the seam allowance
                                                                                                       itself will be folded over
                                                                                                       and then stitched down.
                                                                                                       (edges)

                                                                                     1 cm    -    where the seam allowance
                                                                                                       itself will lay flat.
                                                                                                       (within the straps etc.)

                                                                                     Your own size
                                                                                     You can take your own measurements
                                                                                     from your body, to draw up the idea
                                                                                     of the basic pattern shapes in sizes that
                                                                                     fit you (scribbled on a piece of paper).
                                                                                     Then just add the seam allowances
                                                                                     around them.

                                                                                     Laying and marking the fabric
                                                                                     I laid the fabric (wrong side up) with
                                                                                     the long edge along the long edge of
                                                                                     my bed, and that gave me a good idea
                                                                                     of where to do the perpendicular lines
                                                                                     from, by eye (judging just with my
                                                                                     eyesight).

                                                                                     I then marked my pattern shapes
                                                                                     directly onto the fabric, with -
                                                                                               -  a lead pencil
                                                                                               -  a metre ruler (yardstick)

                                                                                         * Draw the lines on the wrong 
                                                                                             side of the fabric.

                                                                                     
                                                                                      Sewing the pieces together
                                                                                      *I hope that these directions are not too
                                                                                       confusing, and that you can work it
                                                                                       out ! It's the best I can do at the
                                                                                       moment.

                                                                                      Happy stitching, if you want to have a
                                                                                      go.
                                                                                 
                                                                                      My tips are -
                                                                                          -  A step at a time
                                                                                          -  It doesn't need to be done in one
                                                                                              day,
                                                                                              you can take as long as you like.
                                                                                     
                                                                                     I sewed the pieces in this way -
                                                                                     1.  Edges folded over and stitched
                                                                                          on the small rectangle and the
                                                                                          large rectangle (3 sides of each).
                                                                                     2.  Centred the small rectangle on the
                                                                                          large rectangle at their unsewn
                                                                                          edges, and pinned them together.
                                                                                     3.  Zigzagged one end of each of the
                                                                                          waistband straps, then pinned each
                                                                                          on either side of the small rectangle
                                                                                          along the edge of the large rectangle,
                                                                                          overlapping the zigzagged edges
                                                                                          enough to go a bit over the stitched
                                                                                          seam allowance edges of the small
                                                                                          rectangle.
                                                                                     4.  Stitched all these pieces together
                                                                                          along this line.
                                                                                     5.  Zigzagged the seams together along
                                                                                          where the small rectangle meets the
                                                                                          large rectangle, Pressed the small
                                                                                          rectangle and the waistbands up from
                                                                                          the large rectangle.
                                                                                     6.  Pressed the seam allowances of the
                                                                                          waistbands over, and the waistbands
                                                                                          as well. Pinned the waistband edges
                                                                                          together.
                                                                                     7.  Stitched in one long line from the
                                                                                          end of one waistband, along that
                                                                                          waistband, in a rectangle to catch in
                                                                                          the end of the waistband to the
                                                                                          small rectangle, across the bottom
                                                                                          of the small rectangle, and the same
                                                                                          on the other side.
                                                                                     8.  Pressed the lengthways seam
                                                                                          allowances over of the neckstrap
                                                                                          and the neckstrap as well . Pinned
                                                                                          the lengthways edges of the
                                                                                          neckstrap together, then stitched
                                                                                          them together. Zigzagged the ends
                                                                                          of the neckstrap together.
                                                                                     9.  Stitched the ends of the neckstrap to
                                                                                          each top corner of the small
                                                                                          rectangle.
                                                                                 

(c) Katherine Stuart 2014