Sewing Blue

I think I need to shake things up a bit when choosing my fabric, I have just set out the fabric for my latest make and once again it is blue.  When I am choosing it I must just go into default mode as it is only when it arrives that I realise I have once again chosen the blue option. A couple of my makes were featured on the Minerva Crafts Blog on Sunday 7th (I've had to amend this as I was given a different date!) so if you would like a look go have a look on the blog, you'll have to go back a bit,   but they are of course blue.  Some of you have seen a peek of these before...

This top.

This dress also.

I have to say they have had a bit of wear already, the dress is comfy and the top goes well with jeans, if you want the full details just follow the link above to Minerva. So as I said this came to mind as I was planning my current make, this fabric...

Maybe I can let myself off the hook a little as I did make the green and grey cami on Friday but that was more of a using up small pieces project.   I wonder if any of you find yourselves going into auto pilot and making the same sorts of choices with fabric or wool. It does make sense to shop what you will wear of course but do we sometimes get stuck in a colour rut without realising it?

Here is a little compilation of some of the other blue makes, not including the one above, so as you can see a bit of a theme.  It also seems to have been the last year or so. Note to self to be more adventurous with the fabric choices.

I have just read 'Grit: Why Passion and Resilience are the Keys to Success ' by Angela Duckworth this past week.  It was an interesting read and makes a lot of sense when you consider some of the people who go on to do great things, they are not always the people who were outstanding students or particularly gifted.

 Following on from that one I read 'So Good They Can't Ignore You' by Cal Newport, this was also enjoyable but not always realistic.  A lot of the career stories mentioned  were of people in fields where there is a lot of room for growth and promotion.  While it is always preferable to be doing your best in anything you do, late hours, working and taking no holidays as a life is dedicated to a certain job has seen some people cast aside redundant after many years of service.  Some are simply overlooked no matter what while others may progress  by doing very little, but have the connections, say the right things and so on.  I think in some cases circumstances just fall right for some and other times life just doesn't go that way.   This particular author is very interesting and has achieved a lot, I have another book of his on my to read list and I find his ideas fascinating.  I just think we have to be prepared for the fact that unfortunately good work does sometimes go unnoticed and that is just the way it is, but to not let it ruin the next venture because there will always be something else.  This reminds me of what I mentioned a couple of weeks ago regarding exam results.  Young people need to be aware that there are many paths, some careers may not work out and some will, plus our plans can and will change.  To be believe in a sole dedication to one thing or else is quite dangerous. What do you think? 

Babushka Bag

A lovely Tuesday to you all,  I have just got home and I am feeling relieved as one of my dogs was sick last night but now he is bouncing around and seems perfectly well.  My son has been home all day as exams are finished and he said he has been fine.  Last night he managed to find a bit of cream rug to throw up on in an otherwise hard floor living room, he was ill a few more times with us quickly ushering him to the door.  Aside from the vomiting he was not acting unwell but dogs can't tell you that is the worry.

I completed another little bag on Sunday, I don't know about you all but sometimes I  am not sure what I am going to make until I have all the bits on the table and that was the case here.  I had some babushka fabric leftover from a bag I made a few years ago, just a small amount and various other recycled bits.  The result was this little bag and I like the effect of the colours together, I wasn't sure I had made the right choice when I began stitching.

There is some recycled duvet cover in there for lining,  the red zip was unpicked from an item so long ago I can't even remember what! The stabilizer is some felt that I had and the strap is recycled, the little charm was bought as part of a pack of three a long time ago and this is my last one so I may buy more as I do like them.

This is the back view, pretty much the same without the charm and zip pocket.

I will keep adding to my shops on Etsy and Folksy gradually and the worst that can happen is that I will end up with a bag for every occasion if they don't sell.  I am already finding folksy gets more views than Etsy after just a few days.  There is also the fact that I have read that the search favours large shops over those with just a few items, so my having only a few items listed will not do me any favours.  Also not sure at the moment if I should just concentrate on Folksy as it is more local.

This weekend I read a couple of books 'The Silent Guides' by Prof Steve Peters, he wrote the books on our inner chimps and this one is more if the same really but aimed at raising children.  I didn't really notice that when I picked it up as my children are grown but I do work with children so not a waste of time.  I did find it a quick read, it has 274 pages but lots of graphics and bullet points.  If you have read his previous work I wouldn't say it offered anything new on how to manage your brain or that of your child.

The other book I read was very short but interesting and  was 'The deal of a Lifetime' by Frederick Backman, more of a short story but an interesting one.  I enjoyed it and would recommend it, sometimes you work your way through hundreds of pages just to come to a poor ending so this was a refreshing change.

On Sunday I also listened to another interesting podcast by Cal Newport, I have read some of his work before and he was interesting to listen to.  His topic was digital minimalism and that is the theme of his latest book.  What was interesting is that my generation are the last to grow up in the developed world who won't have had access to smart phones and social media growing up. It was also stated that this links to the current younger generation having high levels of mental health and anxiety issues.    It was on the rich roll podcast on YouTube again so if you have listening time while doing some menial chores why not give it a go.    It was quite sobering as last week I had read a book on online marketing which basically said you need to be on everything to have any chance of success online.  Cal Newport however has never had a social media account, he does very well with his books and career and the one thing he does keep up is his blog. I might also add he is a professor of computer science!

Have a good week. 

A Mock Jumpsuit

This week I have been putting together this outfit for a Minerva post, I had intended to make a jumpsuit but do you know what I don't feel there is any need for my top to be connected to my bottom garments ;). really it just makes it such a pain when you need to pay a visit that I decided separates give the same effect without the hassle if they match.

I will give a peek here but I am saving the full post for Minerva Crafts . I enjoyed  making this as I didn't set myself the task to do it all in one day as I sometimes do.  When I do that any interruptions to my sewing are annoying  and I wanted to avoid that.  Instead I chose to do a bit each day over a few days.

My son very kindly rook the photo's for me and this saved me messing about with the tripod, this was just as well because it was very windy.   I know I will be more inclined to wear this as it is easy to get in and out of.

Today I have done some hand bag sewing, I have just finished that about twenty minutes ago and will share it once I have uploaded the photo's to Etsy. In an attempt to be more aware of marketing I have been reading this...

I get the idea however I am already on all the social media it suggests, I don't really have much of a following as I don't follow hundreds of people myself.  If you do that how on earth do you ever get anything done. I would rather  follow crafters that I am interested in, food design and stuff like that and then I can enjoy what pops up rather than scrolling, how do you all feel about this? I do understand that it is an important tool.  So there I am no business woman I guess but if I follow you, you can be sure I actually read your content!

In other reading I have just finished 'People in the Room'  by Norah Lange.  I have to say this book was not for me, it never really went anywhere and I kept at it as I was waiting for some revelation that never came.  Has anyone else read this and if so what are your thoughts?

We have also started watching a new drama this week called 'Undercover' and this one is in Flemish (subtitled) we are quite enjoying it.  It is quite amusing that there was a time when my husband didn't watch anything with subtitles  and now that is most of what we watch.. I think it gives so much more variety and you get to know which genres you like from where.  We find a lot on Netflix and BBC4 More 4 are good too.

Simple Sew Dress

I have this lovely little pattern that is so easy to make up, this Simple sew pattern is actually for  a top but I had this piece of fabric I bought on sale a while ago and I thought it would make a lovely dress.  It has a nice drape to it and as the style of the top is a bit like a  kimono shape I thought they would go well together.

You can tie the tie front or back and here I have decided to cross it over at the back and tie it at the front.  I think I like it best this way.

To make the dress I simply cut the pattern pieces out a bit longer the only thing is with this pattern is that once you tie it and it wraps around your body there are obviously bits that hang down longer due to the width of the garment.  This is fine on the top I feel but on the dress I wanted it to look level once tied.  So I tied it on the mannequin and put pins where it was hanging down longer as a guide.  Then I lay it out flat and tapered it in with scissors following the pins, this just meant that I was taking a couple of cm off at each side seam decreasing towards the centre in a straight line.  Now when it is tied the hem is all level and it is not something you would be wearing untied so problem solved.

 Here is the before picture so you can see where the side pieces hang down longer when tied behind. I should have taken a picture while I was cutting it off but I didn't think at the time!  I was just set on rectifying the issue.  It would have been fine left alone I just have to faff. 

This fabric has a bit of a silky feel to it and that is lovely, however once I tried it on I noticed it is also really full of static.  Does anyone have any ideas how to combat this, I do wonder if it will either cling like crazy when I wear it or work its way up.

Here is one of the pieces to the pattern and there really are only a few of them. So easy and yet so nice. 

I finished reading Money A Love Story by Kate Northrup a couple of days ago, I have to say it didn't do much for me.  It is supposed to be motivational and helpful in terms of how we look at and view money and yet it just felt very self congratulatory.  The author mentions her mum wrote a best seller years ago, then she mentions this throughout the book and also did I mention her mum was on Oprah twice?  No well she does often!  I hate to be negative when someone has wrote a book as it is such an amazing thing to get one out there at all but parts of it just put me in a bad mood.  I think there is lots of good advice out there on blogs that is  more realistic and it doesn't have to involve shady  deals, network marketing or any other way of roping people in to pyramid selling schemes.

I plodded on  with the book as I like to finish things and there is always the possibility that you will gain something you didn't know before, and I did, that I am very happy with my way of doing things and it has served me well.  Spend way less than I earn and stay out of debt, no magic formula required!

Wardrobe Fillers

Yesterday I managed to sew two t-shirts, I cut them both out at the same time and this is not something I usually do but may become part of my routine in future as it worked well.  I have said before that as I love patterned fabric  I have a few skirts that are quite hard to dress with.  This is because I rarely buy plain and therefore have very little in the way of plain tops to go with them.  This year that is changing however and I am filling the gaps so that everything goes with something.  That does not mean to say I won't be buying the lovely prints that I see but I will be making a conscious effort to ensure everything has a partner.
First up is this elbow length t-shirt in turquoise made with the same dress pattern I used for the black t-shirt a couple of weeks ago, I just lengthened the bodice on the dress.

The good thing about this colour is that I have three skirts that will go with it, so no pairing dilemmas there.

Now the next t-shirt is patterned  but only because the fabric is leftover from the dress that I made a couple of days ago.  This time I have gone for  a long sleeved version and it can be paired with a navy skirt that I own or of course my jeans.

I wonder if anyone else uses their patterns in this way to make multiple garments from them, after all patterns are just a series of shapes that we can manipulate however we want to make the clothes we like.

So looking at the image above the next step would be to make the skirt part without the top, just add a waistband.

The brighter weather today meant that I could get over to my mums to plant her some flowers then back to mine to plant up some pots.  There are still quite I few to do and I hope to get over to the local garden shop tomorrow to buy more compost, I am also hoping  my compost may be ready soon we have not looked in the bottom only the top as we add to it.  I have to say the top still looks quite gross, it has been about 10 months? Should we peek at the bottom?

I also made a trip to the library I collected Money a Love story and I'm pretty certain I have give up on this before, she started talking (bragging) about network marketing and I think I glazed over at that point once before.   I will persevere this time you never know there may be some wisdom in there.  I have nothing against that kind of marketing if it works for people but I just have memories of getting invited to candle parties, pampered chef, temple spa etc, etc. you sit there listening to presentations and giving up your evenings later to be expected to pay over the odds for products and you feel you should buy as you are a guest in peoples homes.

 I started to politely decline these things then one person who I knew (only in work) was offended when I didn't go to her party and even added on the response 'I thought it would cheer us all up and you are not coming.'  She didn't also add that point it was her daughters business and she was just starting out!  So yes I am a little jaded with the whole multi level marketing thing.

Right then rant over, the other books I picked up are The Summer of Impossible Things, Swing Time and In the Night Wood. I'm hoping to get stuck into those this week so I'll let you know how they pan out.

March Inspiration

It is finally looking a bit brighter morning and evening and my creativity seems to have woke up a little.  The weather is all over the place  but at least it's light so I don't feel like I'm venturing to and from work in the middle of the night (dramatic I know but I loath short days), daylight does wonders for the mood.   I made another bag last week inspired by all the gorgeous daffodils that are everywhere, a few recycled bits and pieces and a repurposed strap from another bag that is no longer used.  The idea for this bag has been in my head for a while but it was the daffodils that finally brought it together in my head I think.

 I have added it to my Etsy shop I will put the link at the bottom from now on as I don't quite know how to add it at the side!  If it doesn't sell after a few months I will have it, it cheers me up.  The problem with that is I often think that so I would never want to part with anything.
There may be other bags along this nature theme as I really enjoyed stitching the design on this one, it is also a great way to showcase lovely bits of fabric you have leftover.

My modern twinset was featured on Minerva crafts here a couple of days ago, I did intend to share that on the day but I had wrote down the 13th for some dizzy reason.  Here is a reminder anyway the full post is available by  following the link above.

The top has had lots of wear already not so much the jacket so I have a feeling the top is going to fade much quicker.

I finally found a fiction book I am enjoying at the moment in fact it is almost finished, it is called The Wonder by Emma Donoghue.  It is historical and I am finding I enjoy that particular kind of fiction more.  I picked it up because I liked the cover as they say you shouldn't but this time it paid off.

I have had a bit of a run of starting books that had a lot of hype or good reviews and they have been terrible, so it does make you wonder how some books get so much attention.  Although I have put quite a few on order at the library so let's hope they are worth a look.


Etsy shop

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!

Etsy Shop

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.


Etsy Shop

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.

Etsy Shop

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?


Etsy Shop

Sparkly Top for Mum

This last  week I made a gift for my mum using the fabric that was sent to me by Minerva Crafts I have only just forwarded their post so here is a quick peak.

Very shiny and right up her street as she loves a bit of sparkle, she has had the top now as I had a feeling she would want to wear it at Christmas and I was right. It hangs better on her as my mannequin is not at the right size in terms of shoulders.  I will share more when it is featured as the original post has photographs of her wearing it.

I am glad she likes it and now she likes that style she may be brave enough to choose some fabric for herself.  I have told her to do this but she always says 'oh but you are so busy'  no it's ok I say, have a look!

I have started a new little crochet project, something small so it is almost done, it would have been finished but today has been a catch up day.  Friday I was sick I had been up in the night being ill and we were supposed to go to the theatre Friday night!  Fortunately the show had a couple of seats left for Saturday so they let me transfer the tickets at a small cost as they were better seats.  So glad they did as we had this booked since March, the show was Rock of Ages and it was brilliant, if you like eighties rock with a comic twist you should try and get to see it.  So that is two weekends running I have been ill on Friday how rubbish is that?

The little project will be shared at a later date but I would quite like to make something wearable in the chunky yarn, I am keen to try out a larger hook. If anyone can direct me to a simple top in a chunky style that would be great.

Last week I finished reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik I really enjoyed this as it was another book of total escape.  In the theme of a grown up fairy tale style so completely out of the ordinary, I will not give too much away but the story follows Agnieska and her village by an enchanted forest, the Dragon is a wizard who must be served by a village girl for ten years. It is total fantasy so if you like to read about every day life then this is not for you, but for me a change in genre is good sometimes.
This week I have just started A Skinful of Shadows, this one is a YA novel but that doesn't bother me I have read some really good stories aimed at that audience.

We have just finished watching The Last Kingdom, I really enjoyed it though I did have to look away in parts (it is a bit blood thirsty) now I am on the look out for another series to watch.

Crochet Fingerless Mittens

It must be something to do with the change in temperature but I had the urge to get out my crochet hooks and have a go at something.  I haven't done any since 2016 how ridiculous! Where has that time gone? So back then I taught myself as best I could  with library books and YouTube and created this Floral wreath  it hangs on the wall near my sewing table.  Well as it has been so long I had to get a book out again to jog my memory, I chose a beginner book by Emma Varnam and decided to make the fingerless mittens.
My first pair are a bit odd in size, I think my tension was varying, the second pair I have made for my son as he said he would still be able to use his phone in them.  My younger son also wants a pair in grey so on with those now, it is nice to be able to make something for them.

I went to fetch this yarn  yesterday after my son said he wanted black, I could barely see what I was doing!  It really made a difference trying to work in a dark colour and was maybe not the best choice for a beginner but they are definitely better then my first pair which turned out a bit bumpy, but wearable.

The black ones I made a bit longer, I seem to have trouble when I get to the end of a row deciding which one is my last stitch so any tips would be appreciated, I end up checking lots because I am uncertain.  With knitting you have a definite number of stitches on the needle that can be clearly seen I find with crochet the stitches are harder to spot.  All you old hands at it will be laughing but I tried putting a safety pin at the ends but that seemed to confuse me more so I took them out.

This is the pattern I used...

This is the book from the library...

I got the yarn from Hobby craft and it is  Women's  Institute acrylic 100g, you got three balls for the price of two making it £1.50 a ball is that good?  As it is not something I buy usually I have no comparison, I know I got some from there a few years ago when I did the wreath and a few bits from the charity shop.   Also if anyone can point me in the direction of some more good beginner projects that would be great, I don't really want to just do blankets as we have the dogs and little claws will get caught in them.  

While I was getting a bit of crochet finished earlier I listened to Henry James The Turn of the Screw this was a really good dramatization of this story,  I read this a few years ago and enjoyed it, just earie enough without being horrible if you know what I mean.  I don't like actual horror but good old fashioned ghost stories can be enjoyable.

That said, I  had to put down one of the books I got from the library because it was too disturbing 'Alice' by Christina Henry, I got one hundred pages in then stopped, there are some images you just don't need in your head!  I did read The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters over two days.  I enjoyed that, there was  lots of information in there that makes you think and question your thoughts, I am about to start 'Uprooted' the good thing about getting them from the library is I don't have to feel bad if they are not for me, I can just stop and move on.

I am going to have another browse on the BBC radio 4 website to see if there are any other dramas I can listen to while getting on with things, any audio book suggestions I can get on there? My only problem with that though is that if I don't like the voice doing the reading I can't listen.

Minerva Post and Eating Out

I should have added this link yesterday but I forgot! So here is my link to my Minerva post, lucky dip bag.  These are some of the items I made during the summer using this fabulous surprise bag, I have since made a black dress also that I blogged about here, top to dress pattern hack using some more of the fabric.

Today we have been out for lunch to The Botanist in Sheffield, this is not something we do a lot but it was a little celebration.  I have to say I am starting to be in agreement with my husband that eating out is a total waste of money.  I know that I sound like a real grump but honestly after a main meal each you do not expect to still be hungry, especially at thirty odd pound!  That is half of the weeks food budget so really I was not impressed. My meal was a Malaysian curry, basically a very watery soup with the tiniest bowl of rice you have ever seen.  My husband had a kebab that had four small pieces of lamb and a few bits of red pepper and onion, with a side of skinny sweet potato fries (one very small potato.  Funny thing was that his dish came with this tiny bowl of sauce and a lady accompanied the waiter to ask if my husband would like assistance in pouring this sauce over the kebab??  Why I am not sure, maybe to justify the price, anyway he said no thank you he could manage! 

Needless to say we did not stay for desert and when we got home he had a bowl of cereal, how bad is that? The food was tasty don't get me wrong but you shouldn't feel hungry after paying for a meal.

Up to now I have always maintained that yes it is a bit expensive but for special occasions we see it as a treat, today I feel a bit like we were mugged!  I think for future celebrations we may do food at home, a nice walk and a drink in a pub to finish it off and let that be it.  We have found some nice deals where you get two for one meals in the past, perhaps we should leave the over priced food to those who don't mind.  

  

I have a pan of pasta on the go now, got to fill that space! Some nice cherry tomatoes and some olives, better than anything I ate today, you live and learn don't you.

On a thriftier note I did collect five books from the library today that I ordered last week, two of which I was looking at in Waterstones last Saturday but no way was I paying £8.99 a piece for books I may have finished in a couple of days.  That is some nice quiet reading for the coming weeks. 

     

Minerva Makes

Today I have a dress featured over on the Minerva crafts Blog   it is for the scuba floral dress I made follow the link to read the full post.  You will have to scroll down a little I am the third project they have on for today.

I have since worn this to go out in as it was a little warm to wear when we were having the heatwave in the summer months.  It is ideal for now though as this fabric is quite thick, I also thought it would be good for straight skirts for the Autumn/ Winter months so why not have a look at what other scuba fabrics they have on offer.   As it is grey and damp now looking back at that picture makes me crave the summer, oh well may as well embrace the boots and tights season instead.

It was a bit of an effort getting up in the dark this morning, I read somewhere that you should make your breakfast a treat so that you have  something to look forward to.  As I generally have the same porridge most days I am not quite sure how this will work but it might be something to think about.
There is a whole movement of people getting up at 5am when they don't need to just to enjoy the peace of the morning. I had enough of that when the children were babies but it would be good to manage 6am consistently on work days just to have a bit of a chilled morning, it is generally the alarm at 6.30 making me sad so some work there is required. I find I can manage a couple of days of jumping out of bed earlier but then  I slip back. The SAD clock does not work so don't waste your money, I found it just starts to come on brightening the room  about half an hour before the alarm actually goes off and therefore steals more of your rest.

There has been a run of poor books recently so I haven't been able to get my teeth into any of them,
I started reading the sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale and it was no where near as good and I gave up about half way through, I started The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, but after the first few pages I decided that was a bit disturbing and perhaps not for me so I put that down too.  This evening I will start Any Human Heart by William Boyd, it was picked up at the charity shop for 75p so wish me luck with that one. I do like to have a good book on the go and recently they have been disappointing.

Sweater Dress

Well everything is back to normal now, new term and back to work and I have to say this first week has left me very tired.  I think the main reason for this is not so much the early starts as the dog has us awake early all the time, but rather the fact that you are on the go all day and I never adjust my bedtimes which are usually quite late.  I know some people will think just go to bed earlier but that doesn't work for me I will end up being awake all night if I try to go too early.  It is usually just a case of my body re-adjusting  then I will be fine.  Also being on the go at work then being on duty at break and not having chance to get a cuppa until lunchtime all catches up I think.  These things though they sound small do affect how you feel and after a summer of being able to refuel whenever I wanted it is going to take time!

I did manage to complete a sweater dress this last week and that is going to be a guest post for Minerva Crafts I will give a peek here  then post the date it will be live nearer the time.

It is made from a lovely soft jersey which is fleece backed, it was very hot having that photo taken as it was a lovely day and not at all tights and sweater weather.  I may have to do a few more like that as it is so warm and was easy to make.  Also nice and casual without being too sloppy.

I have collected three lovely books from the library, these were on my Amazon list of books to look for (by other means usually!) I ordered them from the library and they came really quickly. I read one of them yesterday 'Morning How to make time a manifesto'. It was a lovely read part diary, part interviews with various people about their morning habits and rising times.

The girl in the tower is the follow on to The bear and the Nightingale, that I  read that  a few weeks ago and Jane Austin at Home, I ordered this after watching a bit of becoming Jane over the summer.  Unfortunately I missed the start so may watch it again, but having read some of her work this film prompted me to want to learn a bit more about her and how much of the film was based on fact. I am starting that one now.

Those three books would have cost me twenty three pounds plus postage and that is with buying one of them used. How brilliant is that? My son really does not get how excited I get by books arriving at the library which is a shame because he loved them when he was younger.  I do feel you don't get as many boys who continue to be readers as they get older.  Right now I'm off to read, bye for now.

Dam Flask

The weather is getting cooler but there are still plenty of days of sunshine, I am really pleased with the summer this year it is usually a bit of a wash out as soon as we break for the summer but this year has made a lovely change.  This weekend we took the dogs to Dam Flask for a walk, it was quiet with just a few dog walkers and runners about.  We have been before but started from a different point this time, we both mentioned how pretty the local village is and again were pleasantly surprised by the beauty in our city.  

 The water was quite low in places despite the fact that it has been raining this last week, I suppose it will take some time to fill what has been depleted over these  past months.

We ended the walk with a drink and some chips, it looked as though a few other people had the same idea.

 Earlier this week  I finished the book The Radium Girls, this was a really good book but very distressing. I was quite shocked that I knew nothing of this subject but I would imagine that lots of cases of profit before life get swept under the table!   The book is about the girls who worked in the workshops and factories painting the luminous dials onto clocks and watches (both domestic and for military use in the war).  This paint contained radium which the workers were told repeatedly was safe, they were even instructed to tip the brushes in their mouths to make a fine point!  The resulting health implications were horrendous.  I would recommend reading this book to honour the women who fought for their cases even as they were dying.

I have just started a little quilt for my sofa as the dogs always sit there with me and I like to have a throw of some sort for them to sit on.  The one  I am currently using just appears to attract dog hair which is not ideal, the one I am making is all cotton so it should just brush or hoover straight off, I hope!

These are the bits I have started sewing together, I am wondering whether to sew a few like this then do neutral bits in-between or just stitch them altogether as they are?  I have seen this image below and that is got me wondering about the neutral bits.