Creativity, Slowing Down and Taking Back Control of Our Minds

 Hello, well it has been a while and I have certainly wondered whether or not to continue with this blog, the main reason for that being the change in what people are consuming in terms of media.  Now I still do love to read blogs and hope to continue to do so, however when I look down my favourites it seems that everyone I have followed has either stopped updating or closed their blogs altogether, sad I know.

Having looked at my stats for the previous posts there doesn't seem to be a  lot of activity, or views taking place and a lot of people do watch vlogs rather than read blogs it would appear at this moment in time.  I too enjoy watching youtube and have a channel myself, that does not take away from the fact that I like to read the written word and to be able to digest it in my own time.  Thinking things through and engaging with ideas is so much harder to do when watching a vlog or more to the point a 'short'.  

Now the 'shorts' thing on Youtube is something that I just cannot relate to, it goes hand in hand with reels on instagram and I imagine Ticktock but as I don't watch that at all I can only guess.  The whole concept it quick and gone in seconds before moving onto the next thing, this is further fuelling fractured attention spans. Also there is the time it takes to make some of these short films just so that they can pass before our eyes for a few seconds to be forgotten.

In the past I have used instagram as a source of inspiration for sewing and craft projects but this is becoming increasingly difficult as more and more people use reels, having to hold and pause an image before it disappears is awkward and the constant flashing past of the same image in a reel just turns me away from the media.  

Art, sewing, knitting and a host of other crafts take hours to produce,  I personally want to be able to pause and take note of the details, to admire the colours and thought that has gone into each piece.  This is very hard to do with the current speed of consumption and it does make you wonder if anyone is really noticing anything.  Let us be honest now, there is so much out there at our fingertips, so there will always be the next thing to view, infinitely!  

We cannot view it all, so we have to be selective.  With this in mind I have decided that I will continue here on this blog, it may change a little to include more topics but if it just me chatting away into this one little corner of the internet well ok.  

Let us take back control of our minds, for me that will involve seeking out the bloggers that are still out there who share my interests, plus a few new ones I hope, plus being mindful as to what content I choose on youtube while also setting a limit.  

So with that rather long explanation aside I will share a little sewing content for those of you that are here for that. As you can imagaine rather a lot has been made since my last post so I will just give you a little update as to what I have been up to for the start of Autumn.

Autumn Sewing

Earlier this year I bought a couple of pieces of fabric from Annies in Sheffield, one of these was a denim and this was intended for wide leg jeans.  I have made the jeans and they have been worn a number of times already I love them, however I do feel the difference with my usual jeans as the fabric is non stretch.  Many of the jeans we buy  have some stretch content now so it is quite different and unfortunately not as comfortable to wear. 

The pattern is Simplicity 

The next was a top using leftover fabrics from a work project, the t shirt is lightweight but I figured I could layer it up for the cooler months.

I also made two cardigans for the Autumn winter season, one was again using up leftover fabric and the other (the red one) was a complete refashion of a charity shop sweater.  For both of these cardigans I used the Marlo pattern by true bias and I find this to be a really useful sweater pattern if you are on the look out for a cosy make. 

Slightly mismatched buttons on this one.

Bronze buttons on this one

To continue with my use it up theme for the season, I made the Liberty Frill dress from a fabric donated to me some time ago.  I think the navy is just the thing for this time of year and with thick tights and a top underneath it can be worn on cooler days.

I also made a couple of t shirts or tops for my mum using one that fit her well as a template, again this was a 'use it  up' project as I try to work through the left over fabrics I accumulate from my work.

 

I hope that I have given you something to think about today and also that you will continue to drop by from time to time.  Maybe we can all slow down together to appreciate and not  rush our way through our days in search of the next thing.  Thank you for reading and take care.