Tidy Finds

Hello, well it is so cold now that I really don't want to go very far, I am quite happy to be home once I get in from work so other than walking the dogs we haven't been very far at all.  I have been doing more organising of cupboards and it does feel better to be able to see what is in them.  My husband has also got involved and sorted two mess drawers and the cupboard next to the fridge.  This last tidy up found two long forgotten books at the back of the cupboard and it was like getting a little gift!  The first one I bought many years ago and will come in extra handy now that I have a greenhouse (I'm looking forward to spring when I can use it again).  The book is by Geoff Hamilton if any of you remember his show from years ago.

I think we must have put it away years ago and forgotten all about it, so much information in one book.   The second book is full of pasta dishes and really is a lovely book, I remember I got it when I was a member of a book club a long time ago.  It has lots of meat dishes that I won't eat and the recipes are for wheat pasta but I think I can use the recipes for inspiration to make vegan, gluten free dishes, I'll let you know how that goes!

So due to the tidy bookcase that has had seven books removed and taken to the charity shop, these two books have been given a proper place.

My car has decided it does not like the cold, it came to a juddering stop yesterday but then managed to restart after a little rest, I've booked it in for a check-up and service better to be safe I think.  I know the feeling, these cold mornings are really not my thing at all so that must be fuelling all the nesting activities.

A colleague of mine told me today that there has been an increase in the number of donations made to charity shops since Christmas, supposedly off the back of the Marie Kondo organising craze.  This is good news for them I think, hopefully the people donating will not go and buy lots of mass produced items to replace what they gave away.

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A Thrifty New Blind

This week I thought I would share with you how I revamped the roller blind in my son's bedroom, in an ideal world I would have taken step by step pictures but as it was a spur of the moment job I didn't.   I only went in the room the open the window and let some air in (teenagers!) but while I was there I thought the blind was  looking a bit grubby so I thought I would make use of some fabric that was gifted from a friend.

I have recycled my roller blinds before in this way and last time it was the bathroom one.  My only problem with this latest job is that I didn't quite have enough lining in one piece so there is a join.  The join behind is visible as the light shines through,  but never mind it is still clean and fresh.  I had to line it as it is for a bedroom and the main fabric  is light in colour.

So you can just see the faint line behind where I had to join the fabric, my son didn't mind he is pleased with it.

On this particular blind the tube is plastic so what I did was lay all the fabric out on the original blind, pin it to the lining using the original as a pattern piece then when I had stitched all the seams I cut the original fabric away from the tube a few inches away from it.  Then I handstitched my new fabric to the old at the top.  This was going to be rolled over so it didn't matter.  If you had some special glue that would stick fabric to plastic there wouldn't be any need for this step, but I didn't.  On the previous blind I made over the tube was heavy duty cardboard, on that one I stapled the fabric to the tube.
A  little channel at the bottom ensures you can slot the bottom baton back in.  I have to say this job was complete in under an hour and didn't cost me a penny, just a little of my time.

This job was made a little easier due to this little extension  my husband made for my sewing table.  It stops the fabric falling off the end and the leg pulls out and the table folds down when it is not in use.  I love it and again it was made from odd bits that  we already  had.  The leg is in fact part of an old windbreak.

At the recommendation of a friend I have been watching the Marie Kondo show about tidying and decluttering. As I read the book when it came out I knew what the basics were but the show's focus is more on the families.  I have watched a few but it is one of those shows where once you have seen one it is all pretty much the same.  I love the folding methods but I am a person that likes to re-use and there seems to be a lot of emphasis on getting stuff out of the house. Now I don't think we should hang on to everything but if we always got rid of things that were not immediately in use then we wouldn't get the chance to recreate and recycle.   I also suppose it is a matter of style because a plain room containing nothing but a sofa and a TV is not a welcoming space to me, it feels devoid of all personality.

I am fully back into the going to work routine, it's funny how quickly the holiday is a distant memory. I keep taking a few minutes to read my book in the evening.  I am currently reading The Choice by Edith Eger, I ordered it form the library and gives her account of her experiences as a prisoner during the war and the mindset that got her though it.   I have nearly finished it so I am on the lookout for my next read, any suggestions anyone, nothing gory though!

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New Look Jacket and Top Combo

Happy new year everyone, I hope you all had a relaxing time over the Christmas period and are all ready and eager to take on the new year.  Thank you for reading and all your lovely comments I look forward to seeing what all of you make during the coming months.

Yesterday I made up the top from New Look pattern K6532, I shared a little about this last week when I cut it all out, it made up quickly and with just a little tweaking to make it more fitted I know it will be a favourite.  I wore it today and it is very comfy, just a couple of images to share as it is for a Minerva post.

I have also made the jacket from the pattern and I finished that today, I have to say they will not be worn together as it is a bit much but it was fun to try the jacket as it is completely different in shape to my usual style.

It is quite flared at the back. I think a plain top under it would be a better option. 

This morning when I got up I read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, I really wanted to love it probably because I bought it!  I usually get most of my books from the library but had this one on my list so I thought I would have a treat. Oh dear, it just felt like the same message all the way through, and it is a good message but it didn't need a whole book.  The basic idea behind the book is that ideas are out there ready for us to make them real, if you have an urge to make something then do it, don't wait for the right time or permission from anyone else. That is it but said over many pages and in lots of different ways with anecdotes to accompany the points made.  I am in awe of anyone who can write and publish a book and get it out there so well done to her.  I really enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love  but not this book but hey, great job getting her ideas out there!

I am also in the middle of The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and that is fascinating I would urge anyone to read it who is interested in the impact of diet on health or if you are not into a heavy read at least look up the China Study on YouTube and the man himself.  I am sure there is lots of information on there.

By way of sewing I have some practical projects to get on with for friends over the next few days, curtain pelmets and zips.  For myself I plan to make a new shoulder bag over the next month.  I have seen a bag on the Desigual website that is £99 pounds!  The design is lovely so  I am going to make something similar, not exactly the same but taking inspiration from it.  There are a couple of bits of bag furniture I need to order and some bits will be recycled from materials I already have, I am quite looking forward to that.  Other than that my sewing over the coming months will be spontaneous, how about all of you? Do you plan for the year ahead what you will make or do you wait and see what you fancy?


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