William Morris Dress

Well I am calling this my William Morris dress because that is what the fabric reminds me of.  The fabric was simply called birds and flowers, which says it all really but as soon as I opened it I thought William Morris.  I have had a look around and had it been based on one of his original designs I think it would have been a bit more than £7.50 a metre!   I only bought one metre too because it was intended for a top but as soon as I saw it I changed my mind.  I kept the shape simple just a tunic shape with a little elastic at the waist to give it a bit of interest.

It is quite thin so I think warm summer wear or definitely with leggings the rest of the time, it also originally had longer sleeves that I cut down to just three quarter. However I had a mishap when cleaning up the seams under the overlocker and it dragged the sleeve in cutting a hole in it!  At that point I had to shorten the sleeves altogether.

There was just enough of a strip left to make a narrow tie belt, I think that just finishes it off.

There was no pattern this time just a bit of making it up as I went, I used another dress for the general size and shape.  Also there wasn't actually enough fabric for any sleeves with the pattern laying in the right direction so what I did was sew the strips that were left together  then cut out the sleeve shape with a seam running down the centre of the arm.  Once the seams were ironed flat it is such a busy pattern you can't notice it.

Here you can see the join, but not once it was ironed.

This fabric was nice to work with and has a bit of a floaty feel so it will be nice to wear in the warmer months. I am also hoping it will be one of those items that doesn't crease too much when you wear it. 

When I wasn't making that I was reading The other Side of Happiness by Brock Bastian.  This was quite an interesting read and I just picked it up by chance in the library.

What I found most interesting were the points about how young people are becoming less resilient due to the way in which they are protected to from everything that could possibly upset them.  Rather then learning and growing form setbacks and challenges many are falling apart at the first problem.   We all want to protect our children but I suppose in our current way of life many problems are prevented before they ever surface. One thing that springs to my mind is the way sports day no longer has individual winners just winning teams, surely we have to learn to take part with the possibility of not always being a winner or ever?    Anyway it worth  a look, although some of the initiation rituals practised by some tribes that are mentioned in the book,  left me a little queasy!

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Santoro Fabric Bag Complete

Well I finished this bag this morning, it was sort of complete last night there was just a little hand stitching I needed to complete.  I have really enjoyed making this and feel I may get back into bag making, I did stop because I have a little collection that are unsold upstairs but for myself and gifts they are always appreciated.  The rivets have not arrived so I have left off that detail, I may add a couple later to strengthen where the strap meets the bag when they eventually arrive!
Here it is...

Now it isn't stuffed with anything here so I think it is standing up quite well empty, I will definitely use faux leather in future to strengthen bags.

It is the same on both sides, I was expecting the buckle and claws on the strap to be more silver or at least bronze but never mind.  There was also lots of pulling and straightening to get the folds out of the strap when it arrived but I suppose that it was you get for £3.49, I didn't want leather so there we are.

I made the little charm from a bit of the faux leather, an old key ring and some jewellery making beads and bits I had in my sewing box.  The tassel was a lot longer but I thought it looked too much so I cut a chunk off, I was also unsure how to attach it but I decided on a bit of embroidery thread plaited and stitched in before rolling the tassel.

The piping is just mock, I simply folded over some cord fabric, the only problem being that you don't have a definite width guide to follow.

Inside I have used a leftover bit of cotton from a dress I made last summer, and a saved zip from an old bag.

So in total this project has cost me £7.69.

Materials list

Santoro Gorjuss fabric £3.00 fat quarter from Happy Hare
Black strap  £3.49  ebay
Piece of black ribbon  £1.20 ebay
Cream faux leather;  leftover from an upholstery project for a relative.
Lining; leftover cotton from a dress.
Zips; recycled some years ago when they were unpicked from an old bag.
Mock piping; recycled cord leftover from making a cushion for a friend.
Bag charm; assorted bits from my sewing box ( and a lesson never to throw out old key rings, I have just recalled we got rid of a few two weeks ago when sorting the junk drawer!)

All in all this bag had a lot of recycled items and it has made me think a bit more about the details that make up a bag. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference and not what we spend on supplies.

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Half Term Makes

I have started my new bag but unfortunately I can't go any further until my ribbon and other bits arrive in the post.  This is very annoying as I am itching to get it all finished, one side is complete and the bottom/sides are on one piece but I need the ribbon to complete the rest. I have had a play at making a tassel which I am going to embellish with beads and bits (I think) it may be a bit big we will have to see.  The lining is ready and I think the leftover faux leather from an upholstery project has come in really handy.  I will share a few pics here of just the cut pieces and lining I don't want to show too much before it is finished.

So the zips I am using are recycled from an old bag and have been in my sewing box a long time, the faux leather was from my mother in law ( I recovered one side of her corner suit with it), the bit of ribbon I had already but I have had to order a bit more and the lining is leftover fabric from a dress.  The only new items bought  for the project are the Santoro fabric (a fat quarter) a strap, a new bit of ribbon and some rivets.

Here is the lining with the recycled zip for the inside pocket.

This evening as I was making curry I thought I would make some little bits to go with it, I have this magazine from 2017 Vegan Food and Living (my only copy) and there is a recipe I thought I'd give a try.

Now I was quite excited about making these and they were quite messy to make too...

Sorry that is a bit blurry, masala dhal vadas, they looked interesting and I didn't have any fresh chilli but went on ahead.  I made two trays of these and to be fair nearly all of them went down well but I would say they were not that exciting and a lot of faff when you consider you can buy ready made pakora, samosa etc for quite a reasonable price.  I'm sure these were a lot cheaper as I  made so many but also messing about mashing potato, making the patties etc, I also covered mine in gram flour too.  So another recipe tried but on this occasion perhaps not worth the effort.

I know mine do not look much like the photo in the magazine but I didn't deep fry mine, I fried them a little in the pan then into the oven to keep warm.  I don't deep fry ever!

While I was cooking I was also watching this video from Handmade by Ditsy Tulip here  she has made some lovely covered buttons but more eye catching than that is her own logo she has created, it is so professional.  If you don't watch her videos go and have a look now, she has some lovely ideas and makes on her channel.   She is currently putting together a dolls house as a haberdashery  and has made some gorgeous mini bits for it, I look forward to watching it take shape.

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Use it up!

I  don't know about you but sometimes when I make something there is a bit left that is a fair size but not quite big enough to get a garment out of.  There is also the issue that as I love my prints so much combining bits of this and that won't really work.  Well I am determined to get down the oddments over the coming year so first up is this top...

Now you may recognise the fabric as I shared the dress a couple of weeks ago, the problem was there was not enough to cut front and back pieces in one go.  To solve this I have added a panel up each side.

I  was a bit worried at first that it may look silly with the pattern not matching but my husband said the pattern is busy you can't really notice it.  There is also a little casing of elastic around the sleeves just to pull them in and give them a bit of shape.

There was no pattern involved for this make I just cut around an existing top of mine, I then cut a round neck with a small slit going down from it.  I hen folded back the fabric to hem and this gave the shape.

Yesterday I met a friend for lunch  and we had a nice walk around Wentworth at Rotherham.

 While we were in the garden centre shop I saw this amazing wrapping paper and I bought myself a sheet.  It is too nice to be ripped off a gift so I will use it to cover a box for storage or something.

The colours are not really showing up well in this image but it has gold in it and a really good weight to the paper.  They had other lovely designs so I will have to keep them in mind for future projects. If anyone has any paper projects in mind that are a bit unusual please share. 

Currently I am planning a new handbag, I have had one in mind since New year but this has changed because today I visited the local shop to buy interfacing and while I was there picked up this gorgeous Santoro fat quarter. So I want to use that now and this has changed my colour scheme, fortunately the cream faux leather I was going to use will go with this fabric too.  As it is half term I will be getting on with that and a few other crafty bits I've been putting off.  Spring must be in the air as I can feel lots of plans coming on for things to make. 

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Here and Now

Hello, I thought I would share a little of what I've been up to as we move through February, hard to believe it is here already and wasn't it just Christmas? Anyway I read this fabulous article on raptititude.com and you can find it here.  If you have not read this blog before it is well worth a look through all his back posts as they are so interesting.  This article is all about how we often start new hobbies, strive for new achievements and meet new people without ever really getting to know in depth that which we set out to do, learn or achieve.  The same goes for some relationships he stresses, for some people.  He talks about he spent  time developing lapsed hobbies, returning to previous learning projects and also spending time with people close to him.

I thought this was a really  thought provoking article as today we are often encouraged to keep striving for the new, the novel and the latest craze and it is somehow seen as being left behind if you are not at least trying to get on board with the latest social craze. David (the author) also recommends returning to much loved books and half finished projects around the house.  Just developing a feeling of having and being enough without looking for the next thing.

I have been trying to keep this in mind as I go about my days, and there are all kinds of areas we can apply this to. Just  before Christmas I started a  course on Future learn about English in early Childhood.  This relates to my job and while there was lots of overlap with courses I have already done there was still lots of  new and interesting information.  I have lots of non fiction books that I have enjoyed but I can't remember all that they contained, I have decided that my current book pictured below will be read with an eye to learning rather than just whizzing through it, I have to say I sometimes do that and it is not a race to the finish is it?

All in all the theme was to go deeper into everything we do or already do and I am trying to keep that at the front of my mind whatever I am doing or am about to do, without seeing things as a task to be got through.   When we first start  new things they are not tasks are they?  I think perhaps we make them so just because they are no longer new.

With that in mind today I had some alterations to do and while I have done rolled hems before I thought I would watch a professional first.  I found this on YouTube How to sew a perfect rolled hem and this is really good as she does not recommend using the rolled hem foot just your zipper foot.  This will depend on your machine but I have always found my regular foot works well, the tips on handling though are really useful and I did notice a difference so take a look at that. 

Yesterday a top I made for my mum was featured on the Minerva Crafts blog if you want to take a look you can find it here Minerva Crafts  you may have to scroll down to find it, it's the metallic jersey top.

I am also reading The Little Drummer Girl in fiction, I did watch the drama when it was on TV so I have had this on order from the library. Sometimes the book is so much better and other times they disappoint we will have to see how this one measures up. 

Oh I have one last link for you, this song from Hillsong United, Hold Me Now , it is a worship song and I know that may not be for everyone but they are amazing musician's so have a listen, it is so beautiful.  I have it on now as I write this, it's a current favourite of mine. 

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Abstract Winter Dress

Today while it snowed outside I finished a dress I have had sitting on my sewing table all week.  There is no particular reason for my current sewing dry spell, I suppose it is just one of those things. I have to say that once I sat down and got on with it I enjoyed it as I always do but it is the getting started that seems to be eluding me lately.

The fabric for this dress is my Minerva Crafts test piece for the month, I was very pleased to get this through the post as it is just the thing for winter with a good heavy feel to it.  I made it up using a McCall's pattern from the selection my friend gave me.

This is a lovely fabric to work with and it is also available in a grey and red pattern. It doesn't fray and I always think that is a bonus as there are some fabrics that create such a mess as you work with them  it spoils the fun.

I have know idea what I was doing in this photo but I thought I had better save most of the photos for my Minerva post.

This week I have also finished reading this book, about halfway through I got into it and really wanted to find out what happened to the main character Frankie ( who is struggling with her mental health) but unfortunately it doesn't really go anywhere.  I have noticed on Amazon there are quite a few five star reviews for this book but I found it disappointing.  It is clearly well put together as I wouldn't have stuck with it otherwise but I am a bit old fashioned in that I like a book to arrive at some sort of conclusion and this one doesn't.  There are also black and white photographs throughout the book of dead animals, linked to the characters project of photographing them.  I assume this is also symbolic of her internal mental state but I just found that unpleasant. Oh I clearly didn't get it so no, not for me.  Feel free to comment whether you enjoyed it or not.

I saw some really nice wool the other day and I was tempted to buy that to do some crochet, however I didn't know what I wanted to make with it so no idea how much to buy.  As it was I just left it, my husband keeps saying just get things when you see them. The trouble is there is no point getting it with no project in mind, it was King Cole chunky tweed so if you have any ideas of an easy project for me let me know and I will treat myself from my unspent birthday money.


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