December Catch Up

 Hello everyone I hope you are doing well, it has been a while.  I have had little motivation to post here mainly because as I have said before there seems to be very little in the way of traffic these days and I know I had comments stating that yes blogs are still read these days but the stats show otherwise. It is another on my list of things to do and I suppose I need to get back into the mind of it being something for me to document on and stop wondering about if these is an audience?  Of course it is not fpr profit so it makes very little difference but I suppose it is that feeling that we have, that what we are doing has some use, a purpose and we all want that don't we. 

So December is quite for us and not the chaotic rush it is for some families, we are having my mum for Christmas day  and my older son also joins me, my husband and youngest son.  This did used to be a bigger get togther but now my dad has passed away and mother in law it has shrunk somewhat. 

We don't do any parties, or mad Christmas shopping.  I have to admit to missing the children in school around Chritsmas time,  when I worked in School there was always so much going on and the excitement of the little ones was quite contagious.  I do not miss some of the staff getting all bent out of shape thinking that the nativity play was a west end show and that every child should be perfect however!  

We are going to see the film Napolean at the cinema, that is our one night out and other than that I will be reading , sewing and walking the dogs.  That is my kind of holiday.  

Here are a few of my recent makes to catch you up on the sewing side of things...

This sweatshirt was a Minerva brand ambassador make and I used a McCall's  8070 pattern, john Louden fur back sweatshirting.  I recycled the cord from my stash of things taken from old clothes so that was a win. It is very warm and cosy so it has been worn lots already.

I also made a hoody for my husband in grey...

This particular one is a Simplicity pattern 9240 again this is getting lots of wear I feel like I am finally making some things are in constant rotation as I love all the pretty dresses but they don not get worn as much do they,

These jeans are to back to minerva but I couldn't help sharing them, I will make another for me.  There has been quite a few makes for minerva that I can't share but they will be coming up at some ppoint on their channel or minerva at youtube.

Next was the Davenport dress that I made as a blouse, I extended the bodice pieces and also left off the frill detail this time.  I am very happy with this and love the fabric, it is also available in black which is also very cute.

That is just a few makes as I said I can't share all mainly because they are for kits which are not out yet. 

In reading I have had a couple of good reads, The Incendiaries by R. D. Kwon,  The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn and most recently Kindred by Octavia E, Butler now this one is quite harrowing but a really good story and also make me think that the Time Travellers Wife idea may have come from this.  They do always say there are no new stories just old ideas rewritten, who knows.

Well I hope you have a wonderful Christmas whatever you are up to, or break if you don't celebrate it and I will be back with you in the new year. I am going to think of a challenge for myself to get back my blogging mojo.  Take care. 

October...ing

 Hello everyone I thought I would share a few things that I have been up to this month, and today we change the clocks here in the UK so it definitely feels a little different already. 

Sew...ing So one of my recent makes this month was a  pair of trousers from burda September, they were a success and I will make them again. The fabric I used was one of the the ones I was given a while ago after a clear out.  It is a linen blend I think and I just thought I would try the pattern first of all but I have actually worn these a few times already.  My only issue with this type of fabric is the slubs in it, it always looks to me as being worn or damaged already and i know a lot of people love that linen look but this is an issue with it I feel, you don't want your clothes looking snagged immediatley do you? Or am I just being fussy? Well anyway I love the trousers, the pockets and fit are really good.  I did choose to make these all in one colour but in the magazine the pattern is designed for a two tone effect on the bottom of the leg.

I do have  a sew along video on youtube if anyone would like a peek and you can find it here

Another make was a bag I made for my friend as a gift, she wanted something a bit bigger for her holiday and she had certain colours in mind so I made this for her birthday.  It has a zip closure and an adjustable strap so she can wear it across her body (with two little ones she needs her hands free).

I have made some other things of course for work but my own sewing has taken a back seat just recently.

Watch...ing the ballet 'Giselle' at Buxton Opera house last Sunday, we really enjoyed that and it is a little reminder to get out and do something different every once in a while.  I haven't been to see a ballet for a while now as the theatre we usually go to seems to have stopped putting it on (The Penistone Paramount) they used to be quite reasonable.  This particular show was more expensive but as it not something we do often we justified it with an upcoming celebration.  There were a lot of people in Buxton but then it was the first weekend of the School holidays. 

Eat...ing or trying to eat a bit more variety especially in the morning.  I have been having a bit of a relapse with my stomach so trying all I can to settle it down. Last week I documented a different breakfast each day mainly as a reminder to myself to change things up and not just eat porridge every day.  I did find though that the gluten free muselie by deliciously Ella is a trigger so I won't be eating that anymore plus it is very expensive. I am glad it was on offer when I bought it or I would have been very annoyed!

So my selection if anyone is looking for ideas was. Gf branflakes with fruit and flax seeds, the muselie (that i will swap for soemthing else!) gram flour vegan pancakes with blueberries, scrambled tofu and tomatoes, soya yogurt, fruit and nuts,  gram flour wrap, vegan sausage, salad and advocado and porridge with apple and almonds. 

Read...ing Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue, I enjoyed this,  it is historical female centred and had relationship at it's core but i would say I found it very graphic.  I don't know why every book I pick up recently has to be like that but there you go! Well written and super characters but a bit much in places. 

Then 'Pine' by Francine Toon this was very atmospheric  for this time of year and another good story, a great one to pick up for the cold dark months or maybe halloween if you are into that kind of thing.  Not very scary just spooky.  After that I read 'Loved Clothes Last' by Orsola de Castro, I loved this book it gives you so much to think about.  As someone who makes clothes I know the hours that this entails so seeing clothes so very dirt cheap in shops has always made me feel that clearly people are being exploited for this to be so.  Then of course the sheer waste as all the fashions change over each season, well worth a read for anyone.  The Witches of Vardo was my next read, another historical fiction about a very real topic and so very sad, I don't think this topic comes up enough in regards to needless loss of life and also how beliefs can be twisted to cause harm or even death to others.  My Current read is Babel by R.F Kuang and I am loving this! Fantasy mixed up with real language and historical facts, the issues of race and colonialism there is just so much going on, a very clever book indeed.

Look...ing at the coming month and wondering what positive habit I can add.  I will get back to you on this one as I feel it is always good to start something new.

Have a lovely week. Back soon. 

October Plans

 Hello everyone I hope you are all well. This past weekend I attended the Minerva Pop up shop in Manchester and was there all day. If you were there too you may have spoken with me, I met lots of lovely people who love sewing and it was such a nice atmosphere. Now that it is all over I may keep adding in a few of the recent makes I did for it as I was uncertain about sharing before the event.  I also have a few things to make for myself now that the rush is over. 

Unfortunately one of the things i had planned I put in my order for on Sunday then today recieved a message that there wasn't enough fabric left so I have had to cancel the whole order as it contained matching thread, buttons zip etc which were no good without the fabric, also sadly it cannot be reordered.  It was a lovely dusky pink twill for some cargo trousers, oh well I will have to choose another shade.

I have just finished reading Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue, the story was very engaging and she writes very well but I have to say a bit vivid in places! I am always interested in books that are based on real life people or historic events. As we are in the Autumn now I feel the need for some spooky reading so I will choose later which book to start next.

This week is a slightly slower pace as I am waiting on some work, I do however have a bag to make for my friend which is almost complete.  I have been working on it all morning while listening to a podcast, now I can't normally do that when I am filming.

October has a few plans ahead, we don't normally have very much going on but this month we have a birthday, an anniversary, a meal out with family, a meet up with friends and a trip to the ballet at Buxton planned.  That is a very busy month for me, I think I am very much a close to home person and I have accepted that is ok as we are not all the same.

Here are a few recent makes, some of these are actually for me and a couple were event pieces at the bottom.  First up is the croissant bag that I spoke of in a recent post, I opted to make it in a leftover pieces of cotton sateen, I backed it in linen, lined it in lining fabric and also did a youtube for it here is the link I haven't used it yet but as we are out  for a meal soon I will use it then.

So the bag was from Burda September as was this next make, and this is a zip through top also in leftover fabric but this time a vsicose jersey.  I am making the most of all these bits I have left. 

A very easy top that I have worn twice already as it is so comfy, I had to do the sleeves in two sections as in scrap busting there wasn't enough fabric to cut them all in on piece.

For the event I made two more coats recently, the named Isla trench coat...

This was a very time hungry make, I had thought I may make one for me but realistally I am thinking when would I wear this, unless I modify and make it a short version so perhaps I will do that.

Then I made the kelly anorak...

I had to save a frame from a video here as I can't find my still images of it, my son took a fancy to this as I think it is quite neutral. 

So that is all for now as the dogs need walking, enjoy your sewing whatever you are making this week and I'll be back soon. Take care.

Coat Making

 Hello everyone, I hope it has been a good week for you and at least we are still getting a bit of sunshine in the mix here in the UK. That said I am moving towards my warmer makes and this week I have made a coat although it is not for me I thought I would show it here in case anyone is planning a coat for the coming season.

Now this coat is a sample, and it is Butterick 6720 and made up in boiled wool, now that is something I wouldn't buy for myself and I have to say if you making this you need a strong machine as the layers are thick.  Sewing seams of double thickness is fine but once you get onto the areas where it has pockets and lots of layers around the collar it is super thick.  Of course this makes for a very warm coat but do be aware that you will be walking it through in many places. 

 Unless of course you have an industrial machine and then it will be a breeze.  I have a very old one in the garage that I can't have in the house as it is so noisy and is not working properly anymore, time to time I think of getting it repaired for times such as this however as I can't have it in the house there doesn't seem much point.  I don't wish to sit and sew in the garage amongst my husbands mess and that would not be a nice video either when I am filming.

I made version B of the pattern that is medium length, belted and with four larg buttons up each cuff, although you do have options for length and adding a fur cuff or contrast if you wish.  It is fully lined and has shoulder pads, again had this been for me I would have left omitted the shoulder pads.  The boiled wool comes in lots of colours if you are interested and this shade is red but there are a few different shades of red.

When I made a coat for myself I used the vegan wool coating and I thought this to be much easier to handle and super soft if I was wanting a fabric that was easier to handle for this particular coat and if you are vegan you mat prefer to make this in the Vegan wool coating.  Both fabrics and the pattern are from Minerva.

Winter makes aside, yesterday was so glorious that we went for a walk around Dam flask, lots of people were out walking and running and generally making the most of the late sun. We stopped at The Plough for lunch half way round and also noticed that a cute little ice cream parlor has opened up across the road from the pub.  It had four flavours of vegan ice cream for me, this was unexpected and most welcomed.  I had the mango flavour which I think I enjoyed all the more because I thought I was only going inside to buy one for  my husband.

In other sewing I have cut out the pieces for the Croissant bag that I have planned to make from the Burda magazine and also purchased some fabric for a bag that my friend wants me to make for her.  I am still planning what other bits of contrast I want to add to that one though.

Here is the Croissant bag, pictured above.  I have to say I do think Burda sometimes give limited instructions and make things look harder than they are.  This bag would be finished already I had I just made it my way and not opted to show how it it is put together for the magazine version.  In fact I may still do that and explain my way.  

Well have a good weekend, and take care. 

Sewing Plans for Autumn

 Hello everyone, this week I have been thinking about what I would like to make for the coning season, I usually just make whatever takes my fancy and this does not always fit with the weather ahead.  I often think my wardrobe is more suited to the Mediterninean, and a lot of wishful thinking on my part.  This involes wearing summer dresses with three hundred denier tights in february and wondering why my clothes don't match.  So I thought I would at least do a tiny bit of panning this year and to aid in this I bought myself the September issue of Burda.

Now if you read this blog you may know that I have subscribed to Burda for a year in the past, so I have a number of copies.  I know a lot of styles repeat but it is good to have a brouse as a treat and also to see how things are put together, which may or may not be to your taste. (I do think some of the Burda styling is odd at times)

I have chosen a few things I want to make over the coming months and I know I do have similar patterns in my stash the odd thing is I rather enjoy the whole tracing them out of the magazine and hunting for the lines it is part of it somehow like doing a puzzle and very relaxing.  There is also the fact that I often find the Burda magazine patterns to be the best fit and far better than the bought print copies of the patterns.  This makes no sense but they always turn out well.

One of the patterns that I have chosen is along the same theme as an outfit I maded for work this week by Know Me Patterns by mimi G.  So the trousers I made from that set had a two tone effect here they are...

So here the two tone effect is in a wave across the trousers and the top, now this outfit is not for me.

The pattern I saw in Burda has french pockets and the effect at the bottom of the leg is in a straight diagonal across the calf like this...

I did have the idea to make these all in one colour and just use the diagonal detail as topstitching detail on the piece, my husband said if you are going to the trouble of cutting the pieces you may as well use two colours.  So this will mean buying an extra bit of fabric, as I already had the navy I intend to use for this.  My thoughts are this, much as I like these will I wear them much in two colours? As does that limit what they will go with? 

The  next choices are a zip neck top and dress plus a sweater for my husband and a croissant bag, just because it looked fun.  Those are the choices for now, I do tend to come back to these magazines later on too as the ones I own I tend to get out occasionally and have a look through with fresh eyes.

If you are interested in a look through the magazine I did a little flick through here on my youtube...

My youtube channel

Have a lovely week wheverer you are. Take care.

Mornings

 Hello everyone I hope the week is going well for you all, it has been an early start for me as I feel my insomnia is back. So after fighting it I have decided to try a different strategy which is probably what I should have doneall along.

So after trying to get back to sleep for two hours this morning I got up at five, I know that may be a regular getting up time for many of you but we are not early to bed so that is not sufficient sleep but as I am not sleeping anyway laying there pondering is not helpful.  You know that pondering you do about anything and everything in the dark hours of the night?   For many years now I have tried to be still and just put up with it, in part because I didn't want to disturb, my husband, my sons, the dogs! However I know it is the worst thing you can do as the longer you lay awake the worse it gets, also all the things I have not got around to doing I may as well get up and do, then if I get tired later maybe I will sleep better the next night, who knows.  I have also noticed that when my husband can't sleep he will get up, what is it with us women that we feel we shouldn't disturb anyone, I have to say I was still creeping about this morning trying to not make much noise.

Anyway the point is I am going to look at it in a new way, as in hey I have some extra time I will go and do ... whatever that thing is that I want to do (probably quietly!)  I did used to have a very definite morning routine that fell out of favour, maybe I will start that again.  Do any of you have a routine that you stick to in a morning and by this I mean something for you and not just getting everyones lunches and everybody else ready for the day.  If so let me know, how it helps, what is the best thing about it.

I chose to stand outside and what the sky change for a little while, this was quite peaceful.  I often listen to the Huberman Lab and this is something we should all be doing every day he states.  In the morning as close to sunrise and also close to dusk to regulate our body clock.  I know this and yet very rarely do it.

I snapped a couple of images of the sky, as apparently I can't just stand there and be...

Well have a lovely day all of you I don't know if anyone will see this close to when it goes out but I would like to hear your thoughts on this.  Are you a stay in bed and try to get through it type, or do you just get up whatever the time and go downstairs?  I am sure there will be a mixture of us out there, but I don't feel this is going away anytime soon me being of the menopausal age so I need to get a better routine.

Thank you for stopping by.

Sew a Dog Collar, Recycled Project

 Hello everyone, I hope you have all had a good week.  Just when  I thought summer was over we are having a glorious day here, very hot and suuny all day and just when the children are set to return to school.  I think that seems to happen every year.

This week I have made three new dog collars and a dog bandana, I was just thinking the old ones were looking a little tired and I needed to buy new ones.  When you look at a dog collar though there is literally nothing to it, and as a dress maker the amount of small pieces of fabric that I tend to end up with it seems a shame not to make small things like this.  I also wonder why I have not made them before, they are not that expensive you may say, but I have three dogs so every time a piece of dog equipment needs replacing it is times by three, so that quickly adds up.

I used the existing clips and sliders from the old collars and doubled up cotton fabrics a number of times to make it thick enough for a collar.  I gave the clips a good wash first and pressed the fabric once folded.  In all these were very quick makes although I did have to sew very slowly down the length of the collars as it was thick enough to break the needle, I walked it over the fabric in a number of places .

The bandana was simply one pieces hemmed all around then folded in half with a channel sewn for the collar to thread through.  The hardest part was trying to get the dogs to be still and model for me.

This was the first, and if any of you shop with minerva you may recognise Inky Grove pattern!

This one actually has a floral design on it but this little guy doesn't mind at all.

He is not wearing the bandana now I just made it for fun and my husband is not big on dogs being dressed up either.  We may keep it for special occasions.

In other news we have started rewatching Game of Thrones from the beginning, this may seem odd but my husband put it on last week and I sat down to watch and now I am hooked all over again.

In books I have just finished The Dance Tree, and picked up a couple more from the library.  I had been very carefully recording my book a week on instagram all year but this last few weeks that has all gone a bit off.  Why is it you forget to do something once then it all goes out of the window, maybe that is just me. 

My Pilates which I have always done daily is also seriously out of favour too, this is something I will remedy this week.  I always think the start of a new week is like a blank page so I will get on top of things again. 

The last few evenings I have really noticed how much darker it is now early on, I do think this seems to happen all of a sudden every year though I am determined to make the most of the seasons.

Have a lovely week everyone. 

A New Channel

 Hello everyone I hope you are all well and enjoying the last bit of the er...summer. It has been a funny one hasn't it?  I keep seeing people now sharing posts about the start of Autumn and so on and I think is that it!  Is that all we are getting this year, and then I have to remind myself to embrace the seasons whatever they may be because after all it is nice that we get them.  It does give a bit of variety to the year so I am going to focus on that. 

Now about a month ago I started a new youtube channel as I don't how or to what purpose but my other channel has some sort of block on it, probably due to hacks or something that I know nothing about?? Anyway I decided to start over with a new one, I have left the other videos up for now so people can still use them but if you haven't already can you hop over and follow my new channel here...  Beyond the sewing Room

So this post here is my latest one, I show how to make a fabric storage box without an actual box, it is all just made from fabric scraps.  The pattern I show just uses A4 paper and it is really easy, another cheaky ask is this, if you watch any videos can you let run to the end please.  I have noticed that the watch time is either half or less of the videos which means that people just skip and watch bits of them and this a bit disheartening when you have put the time in making them.   

What I tend to do is watch youtube videos  of the people I follow while I am ironing, it is my treat and makes ironing less of a chore, I always do it on a Sunday and take my laptop and catch up on the vlogs I follow whaile I get all the washing sorted for the week.  It works for me, although I do know a lot of young people don't iron any more, this I can't get my head around as I like to see everything looking well pressed and cared for and I dont think you get this with things that are not ironed. So as I was saying doing it this way passes the time in a fun way and I do tend to watch videos right through as I am not sat over the laptop skipping.    Also if there is anything you would like to see on my channel please let me know here, or in the comments on youtube and I will try to include it in future videos.

This past week I have read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, now I have mixed feelings about this one.  I did enjoy it in a way but I also had moments of thinking it was very repetitive and a bit out there.  The thing that jumped out at me from it mainly was the idea that if we are meant to be makers and creators then we should just do it rather than thinking about the results, productivity and also how things are reccieved.  We should just do it, because it is what we are meant to do and it makes us happy.  Now I have always been a maker and I know that lots of you are too, a lifelong maker of all sorts of things and I have lots of interests.  However somewhere along the way we get sucked into this idea that we should be making more of it, making it profitable, having more sucess with it.  That can be a killer for everything that we want to do when we start measuring it all based on other peoples ideas on how valuable it is.  Is it worth our time, and also can we make a living from it?  

So this really  hit home for me as I am currently making a living from my making, and I am constantly aware of what other people are thinking about it, is it good enough, are people bored with it, how can I improve, what next etc.  Well this book did spell out the realization that regardless of whether or not I make money from making, or how many other people appreciate it, watch or like, I am still going to always want to make things so I may as well just do.  A funny thing is quite often when I have been making and it may have been with scraps, or painting or whatever it may be Ihave had the question from famliy members 'what are you going to do with that now?' as in are you going to list it etc.  So we are conditioned to think that everything we do has to have a monetary goal, a bit sad I know becasue much as I want to continue making as a living I still want to just do it for me too and not lose that joy.

A few years ago someone did say to me aren't you afraid that if you sew for your job you won't love it any more and it will spoil your hobby?  Well it has not done that but I do need to lose this preoccupation with how it can support me.  Gilbert does say in the book not to expect your creativity to support you, it's great if it can do that but just don't expect it.  She is talking of writing in her case but I suppose it can be applied to whatever it is that you love to do.

So that is my little ramble for today, I would love to know your thoughts on this if you have felt something similar and now I am off to create.  Take care. 

August so Soon

 Hello everyone I hope you are all well.  I am finding the days are rushing past me this year so sorry for my absence on here.  I have a few sewing things to share but I have to keep most under wraps as I am making lots of things for an event.  I have managed to get some sewing done for me so I will share some of that. 

Most recently I made the Kielo wrap dress again with fabric that I bought way back in March!  I made it a shorter length as I only bought 1.7m I was being careful so as to not have lots of waste, making everyday has made me really concious of fabric waste and if you have followed me in the past you will know that I like to get things out of the least amount possible.  It worked and the dress is still below the knee so this is plenty long enough for me.  The first one that I made as a sample was full length and I really don't wear dresses that long as a rule.

This made me laugh, this dog was after his ball, I didn't know it was by my foot until after and the dog must have waited patiently it would appear while I had my photo taken. In this photo I am wearing my newish white sneakers that I was reluctant to wear due to all the rain we keep having.  I have now given up and strted wearing them anyway as trying to keep them pristine white is possibly not going to happen.

Still with the emphasis on not wasting fabric I made the top of the tilly and the Buttons Joni dress as a top. Now I had lots of little bits of a really nice jersey leftover from a dress I made for work  and the top is made from all these little bits.  I did do a video on it so if you would like to see it and haven't already it is here Joni Hack to top video .  I have worn it twice already so it was a good use of my time, as sometimes I do find I spend ages on a garment and then never want to wear it and that is a shame.  I do have to say that all my Joni dresses have been worn a lot as I do  find it a very flattering shape.

I look a bit startled in this image, also finding lots of needing many lights for filming this past month due to all the dark clouds and rain. Unfortunate to be using extra energy in summer months so lets hope it improves soon.

In other sewing I also made a strappy dress for a minerva post and a tshirt reworked form a burda mag pattern to my own liking, unfortunately I can't locate those images at the moment.  I have so many sewing project photos on my laptop currently I have to keep moving things.  Hopefully I can share them all with you later after the event in September.  

Recently I got back into doing more sketching again, I am enjoying this as a  switch for my brain from all the sewing.  While I do love sewing I think it is good to vary activities to give your brain a break from repetitive tasks, also to add in new things to keep learning.  Today I have given myself a little treat of a new art book I will share that in a future post.  My aim is to work through the activities in this one.

In fiction reading I have recently read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, I loved this book and read it over a couple of days while on holiday.  Sometimes I find that books that have been hyped are not that good but this one really had me hooked, it is about gaming and friendship in a nutshell but don't let the gaming bit put you off as the characters are really interesting and likeable. I also read the Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell, good but not as good as the last one and The confidence Solution a non fiction book.

On the TV we have recently watched A Small Light on the the Disney Channel about the Anne frank family and the people who helped to hide them.  That was really good and also The Crowded Room also very good. 

I also have to confess that I went to see the Barbie Movie and I found it funny, clearly not for children really but I do think that has been made clear by all the promo and trailers so can't really understand why people are now saying it wasn'r for their young children, no that is why is was 12PG. All very silly but funny as I think there is a lot of serious stuff so it doesn't hurt to have a laugh occasionally. I went with two friends and former collegues from School, so three ladies in their fifties all wearing pink!

We are away in few weeks for a weekend so I am hoping there will be some sunshine for that, I am wishing you well wherever you are.  Back soon.

Simplifying Things

 Hello everyone I hope you are all having a good week wherever you are I am trying to keep  things simple here and doing more decluttering, this time I am branching into digital decluttering too.  Just now, as in a few minutes ago I have just closed my Etsy shop.  I have been on the fence about weather to do this for some time and it is odd as I just listed a number of little brooches a few days ago and my husband said I thought you were stopping with that?  Well I kept putting it off as it seemed a shame, even though I hardly ever got any views or sold anything.  However it was one of those things, even though it didn't make anything it had this invisible thread so I had to check just in case there was a sale and I needed to post something, or I would be thinking maybe if I just made more things I would get more views etc.  In the end I have just accepted that it is just one more thing I don't need to have on my mind, plus Etsy just passively makes money from me and others every time our listings renew, then a big chunk if we are lucky enough to make a sale. So that is that, my husband did joke the other day that if I do decide to close it I have a good stash of birthday gifts ready to go.

Now I only check Facebook for the groups I am in these days, so a caravanning one and a frugal group so that doesn't take up much time but I do have a little look on instagram but I have to say I am not checking that as much anymore either.  I do need to post on it for some makes as a work thing, but I am not falling down the rabbit hole of spending ages on it. Someone said to me the other day oh you should go on tick tock too, no I thought enough!  There are just too many platforms now, we need to live in the real world too.  

I have been feeling very exhausted recently and I do think that having a bit of a fractured focus may be in part to blame.  That  feeling that sometimes I am forgetting things, or being distracted is possibly just having too many thoughts, loops to keep up with.  So for this next month I am going to do things differently and try to get back in to a more relaxed routine, relaxed meaning I will have set times for posting things I need to, a bit of a detox from it other than work related posts and getting back to my old pen and pad lists which are much more fun in my opinion. 

So I can continue to clear and sort one cuboard at a time but from on I will be slowing the social media input too.  

Here is a little image of a family of ducks that I tried to capture, I didn't spend too long over that as I wanted to enjoy watching them rather than taking the picture. That is the direction I am going in.

Well after that strange ramble I will share with you what I am reading this week, I actually started it last week and it is Circe by Madeline Miller.  I am enjoying it now that I have settled into it, and I have enjoyed a few Greek Myth retellings recenlty.

On TV I have watched Inside Man, I found that interesting too and we do tend to watch a series over a few nights.

That is all for today, a rather odd non sewing post this time, take care.

Quilt Finished

 Hello everyone.  I am pleased to say I have finished my patchwork quilt that I have been working on for some time.  Now this is not an expert job as I know some of you are quilters out there and this is not my usual thing but I am happy with how it turned out.  In the end I went with straight lines for the quiltingand I ended up doing it by hand after starting it on the machine as it was very bulky.  It reminded me of when I used to work in a factory sewing taupalins but then we had very large machines and very long benches.  The border around the edge is just a polycotton with little daisies on, currentlyit is on my bed over the origianl duvet so in the winter it can be an extra layer but in the summer I thought perhaps just a sheet under it?  Well here it is...

So there is a bit of everything in there, minerva fabrics leftover scraps, shirts, a few craft cotton scraps I bought for bags and someof the gifted fabric from the bag I was given by a friend.  The backing is also out of the gifted bag of remnants, it was a large blue and white piece I just had to put a join down one side. My husbamd looked at it and said 'yes very busy'.

The next thing I did was to remake this Burda top that I have made before.  Now it is oversized but I have worn my other version quite a lot so I thought I would use up this leftover piece of inky grove jersey on this.

It is one of the cool tops that doesn't cling and in the summer I think it is good to have loose fitting clothes, then in the winter I want it all snug and tucked in. 

This week I was given a big bag of Rhubard, my husband has been insisiting he doesn't like it but i said I would do soemthing good with it, so I made a Rhubarb and Custard cake.  Now I saw the name of this recipe but couldn't make anything like the one I saw as it had, eggs and milk, wheat alsorts in it.  So I just made up my own GF vegan version and it came out fabulous.  I did roast the rhurb first beofre adding in layers to the cake.

It tastes good so that is most important and yes, my husband did like it.

Last Friday we made the most of the lovely weather and had a day at Knaresborough, it is only an hour away and such a pretty place.  We didn't eat there but we did stop outside a pub for a drink, had a lovely walk around the castle and along the river.

In other news I am trying to get back into the decluttering mode, I have taken quite a lot of things out of my sewing room in terms of scraps and old clothes that I was going to revamp.  There is only so much we can hang on to and it is very hard when you create fabric waste as part of your job but are trying to be as green as you can be.  I send back, rehome or use all the items I make but the scraps continue to plague me.  I had a big trip to the charity shop and finally got rid of some greek style vases and decorative paltes from years ago, I was a bit attatched but never had them on display so it was time for them to go.  The latest thing has been that I have bought a few books from charity shops over recent months.  That doesn't sound like much however I usually always get them from the library and just recently I have been having that 'I like to own the book'  feeling, now that is something I have got over in the past and I tend to just keep a small selection on my bookcase.  Really I need to reming myself that once I have read it, it just sits there gathering dust and go back to getting them from the library.

There is a lady on youtube and her channel is 'a to zen'  she messes about quite a bit but has a lot on decluttering.  Now I wouldn't want to have a bare home that just isn't me although I am trying to strip things back a little, especially in cupboards, I am terrible at shoving things in cupboards that could go!

Well I hope you are having a super week and I'll be back soon.

A Little Absence, A Holiday and Some Sewing

 Hello everyone I hope you are all well.  We have a lot going on here at the moment and I am aware that I have not posted for some time. That is ok because we have to do what we can, when we can and it was never my intention to turn this blog into a chore. It is something I do for fun and to share with fellow dress makers.  That said here is what has been going on.

I may have mentioned but one of my older dogs has a spinal disc problem now that means we are at the vets a lot or have been, it has just slowed down now and the appointments are further apart.  She is doing well now and has steroid tablets.  They seem to be doing the trick but she can't walk far, has to be  carried in and out for a wee etc but is bright eyed and happy.  We have a range of things to help her and have settled into a routine.  My husband made her a dog wheel chair, she has a carrying bag, and a large dog trolley but we are going to try and list that as it is too cumbersome for us.  It would be ideal for the back of a bike though and has the trailer bar for that. The other problem is she is sometimes wetting on her dog bed so lots of extra washing. 

We have just been away on holiday finally after cancelling two mini breaks due to bad weather!  We drove to Somerset in pouring rain towing the caravan.  It rained Friday, Staurday then brightened for Sunday and we had a day in Bristol (a lovely place)  Bonnie got loads of attention in her bag.  Then it rained all night, then all of Monday, by the evening our pitch was flooded and we couldn't get to the toilet and back with out soaking wet feet and were drying the dogs off one at a time and pasing them in the caravan.  On Tuesday we were ready to call it a day and come home early but the lovely freindly owners were  saying let's move you to another pitch and the weather is set to improve.  So with the help of some kind people we moved the whole set up quite quickly to another pitch and after lunch it did start to clear a little.  The rest of the week was better, with the odd shower.  After all that we stayed and extra night.  The campsite is gorgeous and we have been before we just seem to be having really bad luck with the weather this year on all the breaks we have booked.  Years ago you could book a weekend if the weather looked good, but with more people taking a holiday in the UK now you have to book a long time in advance.  

So I thought I would pop in a few holiday pics here as I know this is turning into something of a ramble.   Above is Bristol and I found this a lovely vibrant place to visit.

Here wearing a recent make a shirt dress in Crane dance viscose challis from minerva.com  the pattern is New look 6651.

A shot of Clevedon pier and anther nice day there.

Above is the little village of Axebridge, very pretty and a really nice dog friendly pub.

Here we have Cheddar Gorge on a quiet day, oh the joys of not having to holiday in the school holidays, it was transformed from the last time we visited, then we could hardly move.  This quiet take on it was much more me.

We do take all three dogs away with us, the other two are stood with my husband, or carried. 

Wells Cathedral, a dog friendly cathedral how good is that, they actually let us take the dogs inside. Very beautiful,  it always astounds me the architecture of places all those years ago.   Wells too is very pretty and I will visit again when we are in that area of the country.   This is Wells Somerset, not to be confused with Wells by the sea.

On with the story...

So once home and we have all the caravan washing, plus pet beds, blankets, son at home so his weeks worth of stuff to wash.  Then catch up on some work, visit mum and after all that I get in and Clyde (my other older dog) has a stroke! Fipping over, constantly very fast, got up disorientated and head swaying.  So we have had him at the vets me fearing the worst again, but he said they often recover well.  So he has had a steroid injection and we are back tomorrow, he has to be carried outside too now because he is falling to one side but apparently this will get better.  The vet said he will get us a season ticket, somehow I'm not laughing.

Today I have had my car in for a diagnostic, it failed on emmisions acouple of months ago, they put it though a full service, ca-ching! Then coudn't find the fault, said to book in a dealer but that has taken ages as everything fully booked. Well they have found the problem so after the daignostic cost, then repair, another MOT, I am looking at a very large bill for that too. They are keeping it in to do next week. 

Now if you have managed to stick with me through all that I will share some sewing with you.  

So this one is not one to keep but it is rather stunning in this fabric I think, I made as a size UK 16 and the fabric is called Beetle Jewels. It is Simplicity 9265 and the ruffles are very fun.

This fabric is Polymorphic prism and the pattern is New look 6594.

These very wide leg trousers in aubergine triple crepe, it ia a vogue pattern 9361

This one I just love the trim on, it is viscose challis, called hounds tooth confetti.  The pattern is Simplicity 8872.

Now there have been a number of other makes but I am going to leave it there for today, I am hoping normal time will return soon as I feel I lost April completely somewhere along the way. 

Take care and enjoy the weekend.