What else I've been doing...

Back in January/February, my friend Sharon mentioned to me that she was doing the Moonwalk in June, in Iceland and asked if I’d consider helping her decorate her bra.

I knew of the Moonwalk – not the Michael Jackson version - Walk the Walk, a nighttime, marathon length charity walk that raised money for breast cancer charities. Some friends of mine had done in London some years before I moved to Bangkok so I knew two things about it: that it’s pretty tough and that the (mostly) women entrants were expected to decorate their bras to wear on display.

Sharon’s Moonwalk was happening in Iceland so she wanted something that reflected that destination. There was NO way I was going to refuse a commission like that. Sharon ordered a hot pink bra, I started sketching and then we set off together to Chinatown to buy sequins…

Over the following three weeks I sewed and sewed, sequin after sequin, followed by ribbon and here's how it looked:

First there was the design... followed by the planning.

Each sequin went on one by one. The silver ones were sewn onto silver fabric first, and then each snowflake went onto the bra.

I began to see sequins. I used the ribbon to turn the sports bra into something plunging and prettier...

More space. More sequins needed. There's no room for subtlety...

Finally, the fringing and then the TA-DAAAA: the finished bra.

Sharon raised £3400 for breast cancer charities. You can see her fundraising page here and more about the moonwalk here.

I say this a lot...

One of my favourite places to go in Bangkok is the monthly Thaicraft sale at the Ambassador Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 11. I always go on my own so I get a Saturday morning to myself; I often bump into friends and I get to lust over stunning crafts. And quite often I buy some. Oh alright, I always buy something.

Their range of goods is fantastic: cutlery, jewelry, hand woven silk, baskets, toys, beauty products, tea and coffee and lots more. It's a Fair Trade organisation and the prices are pretty much the same as you'd pay anywhere else in Bangkok ... except more of the money I pay goes to the craftpeople. No middle man.

Each month they feature one of the groups in more detail and the some of the craftpeople will come and do demonstrations of their work. Today they featured Ban Nong Takai, from the Buriram Province who spin and weave silk using traditional methods. The women here have developed products which are different from other communities' work, but that embrace cultural styles. Now I'm thinking about it, the last time we saw the silk weavers here, Husband was with me, and the lady spinning the silk offered Husband boiled silk worm. It's a delicacy, apparently.

Back in March I spoke to the Thaicraft Director about writing articles about them. I keep thinking I haven't the time ... but whenever I go back to a sale I just want to do it again. I think this time I will commit to it.