New Skate Set Up

 

I've well and truly caught the skating bug. When I was looking to get back into skating, back in March, I wanted to make sure I bought a good pair of skates that I wouldn't need to upgrade quickly. I bought the Chaya Jump 2 skates. These are designed with park skating in mind and while I didn't really intend to do park skating, I've found I really enjoy it and it's allowed me to make lots of new skate friends.

I'm really happy with my park skates on the whole. I do find that my feet get very, very hot in them as they are mostly synthetic, with this in mind I started considering a second pair. I knew I wanted a leather boot that would mould to my foot and then had to decide what style of skate I wanted.

 

I want to continue to enjoy park skating, do some jam (dance) skating, cruise the streets and give Roller Derby a try. My current skates suit the park, but the wheels are a little soft and I could do with harder ones, especially for the indoor park. I could also do with some slideblocks to enable me to progress in the skatepark. With some harder wheels my current skates would also do for basic roller derby training. so they are staying.

As for dance skating, my current skates are flat and for some of the moves I need my weight to be further over the toe so I knew I needed a boot with a heel. I considered the Bont Parkstar as it has a small internal heel, but ruled it out as I already had park skates. I started looking at Moxi Lolly skates, which are a similar price to the Bont, the Moonlight Roller - which is a bit cheaper and Luna skates, which were out of stock everywhere.

 

After doing some research I discovered Wifa Skates. Wifa are an Austrian Brand that have been making Ice figure skates since 1920. Recently they have developed boots suitable for rollerskating and the come in a range of lovely colours. The boots are firm but comfy and much more sturdy than the Moxi Lolly. You can buy the boots directly from Wifa and have the option of boot only or two different plate set ups that use a plate designed and made in Italy. I opted for the orange boot only. Since I ordered mine, you can now buy them from Roller Girl Gang and they have a full fitting stock in to try.

My plan was to take my boots with me when I visited my sister in London and visit Double Threat Skates to sort out a plate and have them mounted. However, due to the broken arm, we didn't go to London. Instead I called DTS and had a conversation about a suitable plate and plate mounting. I sent off my boots to them and they fitted my Bont Prodigy plates.

 

While they were away being mounted, I started to consider wheel options. I knew I needed something big and soft for outdoor skating and something harder for indoor. I managed to get a set of Moxi gummy wheels and bearings on facebook marketplace. These are 78a wheels, which means they are soft and will be great for rough terrain outside. I also bought some Grindstone Smokeshow wheels from Be Good Skates. These are harder at 92a and will be better for skating on smooth surfaces, especially indoor. I wanted something that will work for both skatepark and roller disco, and possibly roller derby. This will be my first time using a harder wheel, so i'll see how I get on.

The final touch is some coloured laces and new skate socks which I got from Roller Girl Gang. I just need to make a new skate leash for hanging them up and carrying them.

 

By the time they had arrived and were set up my arm was pretty much healed. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn to the worse and I haven't had much of an opportunity to try them out. I managed a short blast along the prom, but then with Storm Arwen, lots of rain and dark cold nights I haven't been outside in them again. I did notice that the Moxi gummy wheels are brilliant outside, they are as soft as my Chaya wheels, but much bigger so made short work of the rough pavements. I only got to try the Smokeshow wheels on Thursday as I managed to get 1/2hr in the sports hall at work (normally there are loads of clubs on). Short video on insta. They slide a lot more than my other wheels, but I soon got used to them. I'm still getting used to the heeled skates as the weight distribution is different to a flat boot, but it does allow me to get much lower. Hoping to get out some more on these in the next few weeks.

My Heart Will Go On Dress

 

I love a quirky fabric and when I saw this one by Little Johnny on Minerva I knew I needed to make a dress in it. The pattern is the Saraste dress from the book, Breaking the pattern by Named Clothing. I have made the sleeveless version of this dress a couple of times so I knew it fit pretty well.

However, after making the shirt version I noticed some strange pulling on the shoulders. I did a bit of investigating and made some alterations. I made a square shoulder adjustment, which meant raising the armhole by 2cm and adjusting the slope of the shoulder to match and a 1.5cm broad shoulder adjustment. I used a straight sleeve from the Solina dress from the same book. I also drafted my own inseam pockets - I mean a dress with pockets is defo the way forward and I miss having them in my other Saraste dresses.

I knew that matching the pattern would be important with this fabric, so that meant some careful cutting out. The repeat isn’t too big so 3m was ample to match the key areas. I worked hard to match the centre front on the button placket and the yoke on the back - I think I’ve done a pretty good job with those. It’s harder to match the princess seams, but I tried to keep the pattern flowing as much as possible here. I did not try to match the pattern on the skirt sections - as they are gathered It’s pretty impossible to see any mismatch and it would have taken yards and yards of fabric and I hate fabric waste!

I’ve dubbed this dress ’my heart will go on’ dress. The pattern is lots of lovely heart shapes and as someone who doesn’t often do florals, It fits well with my likes. It’s a beautiful smooth fabric, presses well, It doesn’t crease particularly. The photos were taken after a full day at work and it’s still fairly crease-free. I have already worn it a few times to work. I am a natural fabrics person and don’t enjoy sewing or wearing synthetics on the whole, so having a long sleeve cotton dress to wear during the cooler months is a bonus. It saves me shivering in my classroom when the heating isn’t on.

I had hoped to get some photos outside, but what with storm Arwen and then torrential rain the next weekend. It’s had to be in the evening when I got in from work - Hate the dark nights - bring on the long days and sunshine!