January...ing

 Hello everyone I thought I would do an ing pist for the end of the month and try and get back into that habit.  I hope you are all having a good week it certainly has been a lot brighter these last few days and that makes all the difference.  Here goes..

Starting a spring quilt, so I follow Frugal Queen in France on her facebook group and she has organised a spring quile along.  Everyone making their quilts to be ready for spring.  So I thought this was anice idea to join in and also to do some each week will keep it progressing nicely.  Now I certainly would never do these for work as Quilts take so many hours and I wouldn't want a strict deadline or have to try and explain the manhours but as a thing to plod along with it is a nice change.  She shared her block and then everyone is digging out their colours with the aim to do six a week for six weeks and she did say not sashed. So a sofa size, now I am really liking the blocks I have done so far so I think I will sash mine and then that will add quite a bit to the finished size.  Here is a block...

I am not a quilter so I am finding I am not that precise, so having to try and be more so because the seams allowed are tiny on this design. A few pieces of the gifted fabric are being used here so the cream and green, the rest are little scraps I am digging out.

Reading more, now always a reader but trying for a definite book a week this year and so far so good.  It is not always easy when occasionally the book is huge, but enjoying what I have read and also trying to vary the genres.  This last week I am reading Pandora and the previous week I read Fevre Dream by G.R.R Martin and I enjoyed it but had to skip a couple of grisly paragraphs as my brain will not let me forget somethings!  That is why I am not into horror, but this was an old fashioned vampire story and I did enjy Game of Thrones so I thought I would give it a go.

Eating out so we have taken advantage of a few lunch time deals this last month usually at the weekend.  We found a pub not too far from us that did a lunch deal wed - Fri so went on my husbands day off a few weeks ago.  Then a walk last Friday and a meal at the Plough Bradfield agian lunchtime special.  Then last night we met family for a teatime drink and a curry then home for 8.30!  We have never been people that go out much and this is over the course of a month so we are just enjoying it.  It is also nice to see that more places have vegan and vegetarian options now too.

Keeping with my sewing scrapbook so that has been fun.  Now when I want to know what this top is I am wearing for a work video I just flick back in my book and I have all the information I need, very useful.

Watching 1883, that was the origins of the Yellowstone drama we have watched and I thought it was good.  My husband was not a fan of the main character narrating all the way through it, he does not like that effect in drama or films so for him that spoilt it.  Maybe keep that in mind if it is something you don't like.

Listening a lot this week to songs from New Jersey by Bon Jovi.  These were my favourite group as a young teen and I had forgot just how much I love this alsbum in particular.  I have been playing it on spotify, which is somewhat different to how I would have listened back then.  I had all their albums on cassete, then Album and later CD.  These Days,  eh!  That's a Bon Jovi song in case you missed that!

Enjoying walking our dogs and appreciating that I can amuse myself.  After a few conversations with various family members I am left confused as to why so many of them do not know what to do with themselves if they don't have work to go to.  I am talking about jobs they are not enjoying here as well, so we are talking people at retirement age here. Now if you love your job I can imagine never wanting to stop but going just because you are afraid of the free time is something that I cannot fathom.   Therefore I am grateful that I have never been bored, if I don't have work to do then I always have lots to fill my time.

Looking forward to spring, we have a few little holidays booked in our caravan so it will be good to get back into that.  We are returning to a few tried and tested sites and a new one we have never been to before. I think everyone starts to feel the need to book something to look forward to at this time of year.

Making clothes of course  and here are some of this weeks projects...

New Look 6632 dress

This Marlo Cardigan will be made in future in the cropped version.

Well have alovely weekend whereever you are and I hope you manage to get outside and make the most of the weather. Back soon.

Keyhole Blouse from my New Gertie Book

 Hello, this weekend I made my first make from my new book, Gerties New book for Better Sewing.  I bought this for myself as a Christmas present and this was the first thing that caught my eye.  Now the fabric I bought some time ago from John Lewis in Sheffield just before it closed down and I don 't normally having much fabric hanging around I usually have a purpose in mind when I buy but this piece must have been waiting for this blouse.  I think so because the pattern just has the right kind of feel for it.

So completely out of character for me is that I did a little dummy run on an old duvet cover piece just to check because well, this fabric has waited long enough so I did not want to spoil it after all this time.  It was just as well I did that as I found I had to adjust my keyhole neck a little.  Other than that the fit is good, I really recommend trying out the neck shape though to get it just right if you are making this blouse.

For the buttons I made regular button holes, the book suggest bound ones but as the pattern is busy enough just regular ones here.  Also I chose to alternate the colours as I had these colours in my store which go really nicely with the fabric and they are big ones too. There are five rows of shirring stitches at each shoulder that you probably can't make out in this photo.

Overall I think it is a really lovely blouse, you do still need some know how though as you are adapting the pattern given for the bow tie blouse. The book is full of lots of useful advice if you are thinking of buying it.  Mine was purchased second hand from wordery.  I don't know what I will choose to make next I will have to have a think.  The blouse was made over a few relaxed sessions and this was nice as many of the things I make for work are done  in one sitting, I quite enjoyed doing a bit then coming back to this over the weekend.

The book The Lighthouse Witches was finished yesterday, I really enjoyed the book however it is so sad that so many women had to die over the centuries for being accused of witchcraft. I have read a few books that are based around this subject and it still astonishes me the kind of ludicrous charges that were passed along with the brutal cruelty. 

So today I have started Fevre Dream by George R.R Martin and so far so good however it is about vampires so I may have to pause if I get scared!  I picked up this one a while ago at a charity shop.

We are still watching Yellowstone but nearing the end of this series so we may watch on eof the origins ones next.  I may have mentioned before we only watch TV after nine in the evening as we like to do other things before then.  Although that said I did watch a ballet early evening one day last week, Coppelia, it was not one of the best not enough dance content for me too much pointing and gesturing if you know what I mean.  Apperently it is a comedy, it was not funny so in a way I am glad this one of the ones I have not seen on the actual stage.

That is all for today,  have a lovely evening.

Stretch Sewing

 Hello everyone, what a rainy week we are having here in the UK. I hope you are well wherever you are and keeping safe I know our rain is nothing in comparsion to the weather conditions going on in other parts of the world, but being English I am preoocupied with the weather always. 

I am making quite a lot of French Terry projects at the moment so I though I would share some of that with you.  It has also given me a scrap busting idea as it is cotton and so soft I have decided to make some knickers with all the little offcuts from it.  Now I have only just decided this today so nothing to show as yet  but I know a lot of people like the Iris Pattern by Tilly and the Buttons, well I had a look and the price! Well I won't be buying it, for a pair of knickers, there are only a few bits to them.  So I am going to use my own as a pattern and work from there.  I have made some quite a while ago but I seem to remember the fabric wasn't quite right I am hoping this will work better.

Here is the fenix sweatshirt by style arc that I made on Monday...

It has side panels with topstitching and the pattern call for twin needle around arm holes and at cuff and bottom. I only chose to do the twin needle around the neck as it is so patterned I felt it would just get lost every where else.  There are also pockets into the side panel seams, I am wearing it today and it is very comfy.

Yesterday was another Style ARC make this time the Kristin dress, these colours are lovely and bright.  The sizing came out right on this dress although I did taper across sizes at the shoulder as I am small there.  

It was evening when I photographed this so it is a little dark. There are lots more to come and I have to say stretchy soft fabrics are the comfiest, not all are going to be made in my size so the manneqinn will be doing the modelling for me.  That said my mannequinn feels like she is about to fall apart if I size her up, the whole point is supposed to be you can adjust them but mine doesn't seem to like it.  I already had an incident once before where the whole top popped off that is why I have ribbon around the top now, it is hiding tape!

I am really enjoying reading the Lighthouse Witches, made even sweeter by having come from the library after I had picked it up in Waterstones before Christmas.  I may have mentioned that already in  my previous post but I love it when that happens. 

Tomorrow lunch is booked to take my mum out,  part of  this years aim to get her out more.  It won't be a weekly thing but I thought maybe once a month for lunch and also when the weather is fit maybe somewhere she can have a potter around markets or garden centres she has not been to, so that could be two outings a month.  Not too far for her  to walk though I will drive of course she is 84 but just a change of scene.

What have you all been up to so far this week, anybody doing anything exciting?

Take care everyone. 

McCall's Shirt Make and Other Sewing

 

Hello I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, a quick catch uo today to show what I have been making and doing this week.  So far I am on track with my intentions, last week I split one of my projects over two days  to take advantage of the dry period on one of the days to get out for a longer walk with my dogs although it did catch us while we were out and the two Jack Russels kept stopping and had to be pulled along. They do not like rain!  The project I split up in sessions was this McCall's shirt and here is my husband in it, he doesn't want his face in the picture though.  The fabric is cotton gingham in a blush pink, my husband really likes this shirt.

I also made two dresses and they are both very bright viscose challis, the red one is lined and the white one ha a lined bodice.

Doesn't this just look like water colours?

I love the colours on this one, the red with the pink is such a good combination and probably not one I would put together when dressing.

The Anthony Horowitz book I was reading A Line to Kill was another good read and I finished that earlier today.  Although I am going to start my library book  before reading the rest of my Anthony Horowitz books as I feel if I read them all in one go it may put me off, too much of the same can do that can't it?

After visiting my mum a few days ago we have arranged to go out later in the week in the day time, this is something I want to try and get her to do more often as she enjoys it once out but can be a bit reluctant when asked, but then feels she is in a lot.  It is just a case of once out and made the effort she enjoys it.

Friday evening we went to see Avatar the way of water, it was so long. Visually really good but being in the cinema for such a long time is not for me.  It seemed everyone was getting a bit fidgety. 

Yesterday I spent a good few hours drawing then adding colour, I chose a ballerina from one of my ballet programmes.  I am really happy with it especially the limbs, also one hand good the other not so much so this needs a lot of practise.  I chose it because I really loved the line of the body, also had fun adding colour to the tull skirt. Later I did some more figures but trying to sketch quickly, I find this hard as I want to stop and rub out and redo. 

I hope you all have a super week, back soon. 

My Sewing Scrapbook

 Hello I hope you are all feeling good and are back into the swing of things now the new year has properly begun.  I know a lot of people were back to work today, me included although that is working from home so it softens the effect but still back into that routine of getting things done.

I have started my sewing scrapbook that I mentioned previously and thought that I would share it with you now before it slips my mind.  If you follow me on instagram you will have already had a peek it was updated as I finished my work for today so I hope this is a habit that will be fun as well as really useful.

Here it is...

I did start with the last projects of December just to get it up and going.

So what I decided to do was divide each page into four boxes because I usually do three work projects per week and then perhaps something of my own, if more I can always go over onto the next side but this will normally give me a week to view.  I know I don't have to write project each time I just wanted it there, I write the pattern, number, view, then list the fabric choices, code if available and any notes if I have altered anything.  For example I may sometimes change things afterwards if they are not entirely to my taste, or make something shorter, slimmer etc.   Also there is a fabric sample and a printed out photograph.

I am hoping this will keep me organised but on the plus side it will be nice to look back on as things get passed on, gifted or returned as in the case of work projects.  There will need to be a little bit of will power involved in filling it in every day, especially if I have been worrking on something complex and it has been a long day.  This will save time later though, in terms of not having to hunt high and low for a pattern number or fabric swatch code.  Oh I almost forgot that I have also added a little pencil line drawing too.

The scrapbook has been in my possesion for about two years so it was destined to be this! Let me know in the comments how you organise yourselves with your sewing, I am always interested in finding new ways to do things.

Have a lovely evening. Back soon. 

New Year, New Start

 Hello everyone and a happy new year to you all. I hope you had a good send off to 2022, personally I just stayed home which is what we always do and that suits us.  We had a couple of drinks and watched a few episodes of Yellowstone, we had to stay up downstairs even though we were tired as the fireworks scare the dogs so we stay and make sure that they are ok and it has all settled down before going to bed. My son went out early to the cinema and then around the pubs with his friends he was telling me how insanley crowded it was, how they couldn't get in anywhere to eat etc.  I thought yes that is exactly how I remember it and give me my evening over that any day!

We have had a nice relaxing day today, got up and did my quick pilates routine, then down with the tree and decorations.  I like it up early but once new year is done we like to clear it all away, though it does look bare without it. Then I made some coffee and walnut muffins in the mini oven.  I bought myself a six muffin tray that just fits my mini oven and I tried it out earlier.  The  idea being to still bake with less electric, they came out well if a few were a little caught on the top.  The thing with the mini oven is that everything is always so close to the elements top and bottom, you don't get that in the standard oven.  It does use a lot less power however and we have used a lot this last month.

Then did a bit of tidying up in the garden and off for a walk with the dogs before making the Sunday lunch when I got back. Also making some roasted pepper humous so I am going to do that shortly.

A  few intentions for this year...

• So one that I mentioned the other day was to do a little bit of art every week, I always used to just do this without any plan but it has somehow dropped off my radar so this will get me back in the habbit. There  will be no definite day for this I just want to create something each week for me, for fun.
• I am going to try and timetable my day a little better.  Work gets done, but sometimes I find myself tagging the dog walk to the end of the day or frantically running to the shop just before my husband gets home.  I also often skip lunch as I am busy sewing and always think to myself I will have something when I am finished but then it is too close to dinner time.  This is not good so I need to give myself some space and factor in some breaks to at least eat or walk the dogs while it is still light.  
• All future sewing projects are going to be noted in my scrapbook rather than just on paper, along with the sample and any notes.
• More trying out new recipes, I did quite well with this but then got into a rut as the year went on this year.  So I will try and document those to keep me on track.

That is as many as I am adding for now, I may add more as time goes on but they do say try to do too much at once and it is asking for failure.  It is also true that it takes a while to develop a new habit so getting a few to stick before adding in more is the way to go. 

Because I felt it was going to feel bleak now that the tree is down my husband took my little bottle from the homemade gin my friend gave me and put some of the little lights inside.  It is now on the mantle piece I just need to take the label off the wire.

It is not blue in real life just a cool white.

Just in case any of you would like a better peak at my sewing space I filmed a little tour for youtube yesterday and here is the link if you want to watch.

See it here, watch the video

Have a lovely evening and I'll be back soon.