White Blouse

 Hello, I am still waiting to get into my spring clothes I don't know about you but over here it is still thick tights and my big coat!  I know I'm going to be standing on the yard at school so I have to make sure I am warm.  I had one day I think where I was a bit over dressed but that was it and then the heating was back on.  

Not to be deterred I have made a white summer blouse and I look forward to wearing it without being layered up.  The fabric is art gallery fabrics from Minerva and the code is LTO-9233 if you are interested in it, or you can head over there and read my post about it there.  The pattern is from Burda January and is style 106  if you have that issue.

I have never been really into overly fussy sleeves but I am sold on this one, when I cut the pieces out I did wonder why I so was bothering but the finished result is very nice so I am glad I went ahead with this style.

 

There is a button at the front of the collar so it is quite fitted around the neck.

It is a lovely fabric I don't tend to have a lot of white as I work in a school and I am quite messy too, so how long before I spill my tea down this or a child uses me as a tissue we will have to see. 

In other sewing I made a dress at the weekend and filmed it but I am unable to share that right now more on that soon I hope.  I have also had some bits of altering and repairs for a colleague.

In books I have loved Pan's Labyrinth and also found interesting The Element by Ken Robinson, one thing I have to say about that though is I had already watched a lot of Ken Robinson's talks on TED and YouTube and this made it so that I was already familiar with most of what was in the book.  I have found this before and if you are like me and watch talks and long interviews with people on YouTube and think oh I'll buy their book maybe don't. 

This isn't the first time this has happened, I watch and listen to the Rich Roll podcast and he has lots of interesting people on as guests. The interviews he hosts usually last around 2hours, if they are talking about a book you have usually got all the important information in that time.  I am not being negative here but books are expensive so it avoids disappointment sometimes.

I nearly bought one the other day after watching a talk about the microbiome of the digestive system, he was really in depth and I looked for a used copy but they were still £14 plus postage, after watching a few reviews I got the idea I had all the important facts and chose not to buy.  If it comes right down in price I may consider it, the book was Fiber Fueled if you have read it please let me know.

Well that is all for now, have lovely week.  

Star Wars Coasters

Hello, I had in mind today to make a little coaster from my pinterest board with lots of little hearts, however I have no need of another but with the boys  working from home I thought I would make coasters for them with a star wars theme.  Once again this is a recycling project using up all the oddments, I have used thick fleece scraps for the backs and two layers of canvas so hopefully that will stop the heat on tables.

I just searched images and copied off the ones I wanted, there will also be a little yoda one for my husband but that one is not finished yet.

I think Darth Vada looks a little surprised I did his eyes a bit big, sad thing is he gets covered by a cup but it's the thought right?

A storm trouper ? I think... well my sons recognised who they were supposed to be.

I also made a pair of boxer shorts for my son this morning and I do not have a photo as he decided to wear them and said they are the perfect fit.  I have since ordered more thick elastic and cotton jersey to make more.

Now none of these are perfect they are made quickly for fun and to be used, there are things to perfect like clothes and special home furnishings and there are fun makes to try ideas out and that is just what these are.  I love to make use of the last bits of fabric and little projects like these are spot on for that. If you have little ones who like a particular theme at the moment why not google some images and use up some scraps for their own personal little coasters for bedrooms.  My boys are grown but they have lots of drinks in their rooms so I know these will get used.

Last night I checked out a book for my tablet it is The Temple House Vanishing, I am already a third of the way through and enjoying it.  It did take me a while to find a screen I like as the glare from it last night was too bright, you can't beat a paper book I think but this enables me to continue using the library. It also means I can read in bed without the light so as not to disturb my husband when he goes to sleep first. 

Bye for now. 

Another Mock Jumpsuit

Hello I hope you are all having a good week, I think it has been a rather calm one and the sun has been shining today so that always makes me happy. Last weekend I completed my top and trouser set that looks like a mock jumpsuit, similar to the one I made last year but this time with a slightly different top.  You can see the one I made last year right here.  I actually found the burda top pattern to be a very good fit and shape so that was a decent freebie with the Simply Sewing magazine, and as someone who doesn't part with money for very basic patterns that is high praise!  I will make it again as a dress and also show some ways you can hack it as promised in my last post.

I wasn't sure if the trousers were a little loud when I first finished this, but after an iron and trying them on I realised that they hang really well.  As an added bonus I already had the shoes/ankle boots to match so it was meant to be, I ended up wearing this outfit to go out for tea with friends last Saturday. There is a tie belt, a little tricky to see in the above image and belt loops neither of these are on the pattern I mentioned in my last post, it was just a case of cutting  strips to make them and fitting them into the waist seam.    I will be posting more on this in my Minerva post so watch out for that, I will post a reminder when it is live giving full details.

Here is an image of the top on its own so you can see more clearly the shape of that, it is a very basic make.  You can easily get way with no facing or binding round the neck by just overlocking and doing a very narrow hem, the same with the sleeves.   The fabric used here is John Kaldor if you are wondering and I was gifted it by Minerva.

I have another piece of fabric that I am thinking of making The Liberty spring dress with, this fabric is also for Minerva so I am uncertain if I can use this pattern as it is a magazine edition and not one stocked by them.  I don't know if any of you have any ideas about this?  For example could I use this one and then find and compare one that is stocked by them in the same style?  If you have any ideas please leave a comment with your thoughts.   Failing that I will have to have a rethink as I can make the dress without and do step by step instructions, but not everyone is confident without a pattern so probably a pattern is best for that project with it being a sponsored post. ( Is it still called sponsored if you are paid in fabric??)  Any how this is the dress in question complete with the magazine below...

It is getting steadily brighter as I leave work but this was still the situation at three in the afternoon the other day...

There are signs of daffodils everywhere so I'm looking forward to those, it is a sign that it may be cold and dreary but not for long.

We have binge watched a series this week on Netflicks  called The Stranger, I really enjoyed it and it starred Richard Armitage (always a bonus!)  If you haven't seen it go and find it now and add it to your watch list. It is a British cast and you will see lots of familiar faces including Jennifer Saunders who I don't really associate with drama, but there she is.

Book wise I am reading After Me Comes the Flood (still) and I can't seem to get into to it, I loved the Essex Serpent and Melmoth but this is plodding along.  I am in a 'started so I'll finish' kind of mood so hopefully it will all pull together.

That is all for now, I hope you are having a peaceful week of making and planning.

A New Year, Making, Reading and Doing

Happy new year to you all and I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and new year, I know I did but mine was probably a little different to many. We are not people who like to go out to pubs or host parties but we enjoy what we do and that is the key I think in having a good time, do what you enjoy and not what the season dictates.   I may have mentioned before Christmas that we were having and unconventional Christmas day this year, we chose to go out for the day to Derwentand and Ladybower and have a long walk with the dogs.  We took flasks, snacks and cake and had a lovely time, I have to say the weather was wonderful so that really made it.  When we got back later I made Chinese and spring rolls followed by Christmas pudding (my one concession, we couldn't leave that out!).  Being out somewhere scenic with the dogs is a favourite thing to do so what better way to spend the day, here are a few images.

 It was starting to get dark in this one but I loved the light and the moody image.

 Derwent dam

This was one of the first images and the sun was shining when we set off.

It was actually amazing how many people were there, we struggled to get parked, it seemed our idea was not so different after all.  The dogs were slowing down on the way back and that is a good sign a good walk has been had, our dogs take some tiring. 

We had a family meal with  our mums round to our house a few days before Christmas so we still had a traditional get together with them, I know sometimes people don't like others to change traditions so we didn't want to upset anyone. People do say well you can do what you want but there is that underlying tone sometimes of 'but why are you doing that?' well not even a tone actually, people did say it, well because we want to is the answer.

Yesterday for New years day we went off again this time to Dam Flask and once again the whole world and their dogs were there, more understandable this time I feel and I do wonder if new years resolutions had something to do with that.  There were quite a few runners there too, we got filthy and I had to bath all three dogs when we got back, still it was a lovely walk.

I have been reading quite a bit both on and off line, I bought myself The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan but I bought the children's version simply because it is such a beautifully illustrated book.  I have read it but now I have ordered the full adult version from the library as I feel I have missed much information (the full version is quite long).  This may seem like an odd thing to do but I love illustrated books and the work that goes into them so this was a Christmas present to myself.

 It also has artistic maps of the ancient world throughout, if you have young people at home I highly recommend it, or buy it for yourself like I did.

 Here a re just a few examples but these photos don't so it justice, the artist is Neil Packer.

I have also just read Everthing Under by Daisy Johnson and this book was very well written and had me hooked but it is not a feel good book.  In fact I have come away from it feeling a bit unsettled for all the characters concerned. It gives a detailed account of two unconventional families one of which lives on the water in a canal boat for a large part of the story and the apartness of living on the outskirts of society.  Of course there is a link so I won't spoil that in case you want to read it, there is quite a shocking twist too, give it a read but I would describe it as edgy and certainly not uplifting.

Sewing wise I have been making more bags, I have a little routine now where I have an idea and cut out my pieces ready the day before even if I don't have time to sew straight away.   It reminds me of a story The Elves and the Shoemaker, he cut out the pieces and laid them neatly on the counter before going to bed, in the morning were beautifully stitched shoes, and the stitches were small and even.  Well no little elves are coming to make my bags for me, and where would be the fun in that but it does however keep the momentum going.  I have had ideas in the past and then never got around to making them up, this way it is cut and ready and I just need to get on, once I start I am lost in it anyway  so getting the cutting out of the way is a really good trick.

Jo at Three stories High gifted me the middle floral section on this one I enjoy trying to use the pieces in as many different creations as I can.

Here are the next pieces cut out for the elves or just me!  Quite a few recycled bits here too, the red floral fabric is from a £1 charity shop top, the plum pieces are old chinos used for stability.

I have joined a facebook group on going deeper too, if any of you read the Raptitude blog you might have heard of this but it is about mastering things you already know a little about, loving what you have and revisiting things.  A good choice I think, mainly it is posts from different people sharing how they are doing that but a nice change from the usual facebook feed I think.   I will be revisiting my language learning with the materials I already have, developing more skills in pattern making and continuing my exercise from home.  These are just a few but I am never bored there is always so much to do and I have never been able to understand anybody who states they are bored.   

I look forward to seeing what everyone is making and doing in the coming year, but for now I am off there is so much to do,  take care.

December...ing

A little earlier in the month this time but I thought I'd make an early start...

Making a winter dress, I bought this fabric a few months ago when I visited my local fabric shop with a friend.  I have only just made the dress as I wanted to save it for Christmas,  I know that when I make something new I always want to wear it straight away so I have saved this for the season.
The fabric is cosmo, it is Japanese and feels like a linen but I am not certain of that.  It is a good weight.

It is now fully complete but I do not have a daylight picture or one of me in it yet I will try to get one over the coming week. I only just had enough fabric so I used binding for the neck and just squeezed enough fabric for strips for the arm holes.   The lining is a combination of black and white lining, I stitched two pieces together to make a piece big enough as I didn't have enough of either colour.
It has a side zip, front and back darts and a couple of small shaping darts at the neckline to stop any gaping.

Here it is when I cut it out, just a few small pieces of fabric left, I

used another shift dress I made previously from my own pattern as a guide to cut around. Most of the shaping and fitting was done on the mannequin with a few tweaks when trying on.

Listening to some wonderful new music on youtube, I found this gorgeous song the other day after hearing it on UCB radio You came anyway by Ashton Lane it is a Christmas song but a little different  but if you listen to it you will hear the story.  Also Matt Kearney The Air I Breathe is another good one.

Designing more bags, I made this one yesterday and added some applique leaves, the coloured cottons are from a little solids sample pack I received with some fabric a while ago they are only about 5cm square but I have found this little use for them.

Paper crafting a card for a friend, I have not made any cards for a while but I enjoyed making this one. They can be time consuming if you make all the parts yourself and then if people just discard them after so you have to weigh up how much you enjoy the process I suppose.  The thing is with other crafts in fabric or yarn you know your efforts will last for more than a coupe of days.

I found a use for old magazines here as the balloons are fabric image pictures cut up.

Thrifting books from the charity shops, a couple for me and a few for friends. I am collecting the original Jane Austin books for myself, I gave up on the Austin project as I was finding they do not do the originals justice.  I picked up The Miniaturist  as I loved it when I borrowed it from the library.  We picked up a couple last week too when we visited but have not got any images of those to hand. I try to find the ones in the best condition.  Here are todays finds...

Eating probably too much in the way of starch, I am finding I need pasta and potatoes and gravy.  Really filling stuff at the moment, it must be the cold weather.  Today I found these gluten free, vegan friendly mince pies in Holland and Barrett.

 I have tried one and they are quite nice if a little crumbly as all gluten free food generally is.

Looking at sewing magazines on youtube, yes I know this sounds a little strange but the idea was that I wanted to get a feel for a few different magazines before subscribing to one.  I was  interested in Burda and Knipmode.  I have tried in the past to get in touch with Knipmode but they never responded to my email.  I found that Saturday Night Stitch on youtube has done browse throughs on both magazines throughout the year so you can get a  feel for them that way.   This was really useful as I  now know that I do not want to subscribe to either as from what I can see a lot of the pattern styles are repeated with very little changes.  What I like is the ideas, so I will use these as a reference point then make the patterns myself just using the images for inspiration.  Go and have a look it is quite fun to look through the magazines and hear the opinions and preferences of others.

Well that is all for today, have a good week.

Using up the Scraps

This dark and dreary weekend I have managed to use up some more of my fabric scraps, some of my own and some gifted from Jo at Three Stories High.  There are still plenty left so expect to see more over the coming months, I have also used some of the bag rings I recycled from the rescued bags my mother in law brought from the charity shop rag bag.  They don't put out on display bags that are tatty but the bag furniture does come in handy, I also hate to see zips going to waste.  Now zips can be a pain to unpick but you have the satisfaction of not having to buy a zip and saving the old one from the bin, win, win.  It is also not so bad to unpick listening to a podcast or watching a show on a dark night. Here are a couple of the bags I have made using odd bits...

So this one has some gifted denim and cord from Jo, cherry fabric scraps that have been appearing in all kinds of things for the last few years and will continue to do so down to the last cm! Also the lining is leftover from a mock jumpsuit I made in the summer.  The design is a bit different on each side for this one.

This second one has some recycled shirts in the mix, a skirt and some new vegan leather. Well not new this week but it was new when I bought it ;)  I also took a little photo of the process as I make a mess on the dining room table.  I am always surprised at going form 'oh what will go with that bit of fabric?' to 'Ooh I like that together!' It just goes to show don't be too hasty in throwing out those oddments.

I have my own little pattern that I made for my own style of bag I did wonder whether it might be something I could have printed up and market but as I am not a big name I wonder about the viability of that?  I know you can have your patterns printed but there  are so many out there already.  I was listening to BBC radio  on the laptop while cutting and sewing most of these, also a few podcasts, it keeps me company and you can learn something new.

The next bag is a custom order that I was asked to make for a colleague, I am certain the person she is gifting it to will have never heard of my blog so I am safe to share.

They have a bit of a love of flamingos in the family so this fabric was ordered just for this, I hope the recipient likes it and appreciates the one off nature of such a gift.   

There is such a lot of stuff out there at the moment that can be bought on mass, cheaper and quicker from China or elsewhere but unless we all want to walk around in exactly the same clothes with all the same accessories cheap and quick is not better in my eyes.  Well ok I do like cheap but when relating to pre-owned bargains not mass produced items.  

In relation to this I also find that I get more pleasure out of finding unusual bits in a charity shop or planning what to make with fabric than I would from just going out shopping for new.  This is probably due to the maker in me but if you go in a shop and there are rails and rails of the same garment doesn't it put you off? When I first began sewing in my teens I remember going out in a particular dress and lots of people asking where I got it, as I made it myself they couldn't go out and buy it off the rail.  They could buy the same fabric and try to recreate if they were inclined but I made the pattern too so chances are there wouldn't be any exactly the same.  I liked that and still do.

There was also an evening of making make up bags, more scrap busting and these smaller projects are great for using up random bits.

All of my above makes are available on my Etsy shop here  apart from the custom flamingo bag.  I do have fabric left so will make another but in a different style, or paired with other colours.

Productive?  Well I haven't been out much and the dogs have been getting restless, I had a hospital appointment Monday and been under the weather since.  A bit drained but I can sew from a chair so that is ok, what with one thing and another I am tired so wonder if I am now a bit anaemic.  Must buy some iron supplements to be safe I think.

On a plus note I did manage to get out today to have lunch  with my two lovely friends.  We went to Jameson's Tea Room and I have never been before, it was wonderful, piano playing, beautiful tea cups and pots.  I told my husband about it after and I could see he didn't get what was so cool about that.  It felt a bit like stepping back in time to a quieter more elegant time, although I do realise that if we did step back to such a time  I would more than likely be serving the tea rather then drinking it!  They were also very good about providing me with GF vegan options an the cook had made GF vegan scones this morning (I emailed a few days ago so my requirements didn't come as a  surprise).

I don't very often go to that part of the city so it made a lovely change and we do hope to get together again before Christmas but with everyone being so busy we can only do our best. 

There were a few books returned to the library, I borrowed a couple of Frederick Backman books more to follow on those later and I also checked my placement in the queue for The Handmaid's Tale I am number five now and The Testaments number 82!  I think I will make an exception and just treat myself to these but perhaps wait for The Testaments in paperback. I think Margaret Atwood has certainly seen a revival in sales from her book being televised.  I have read a few of her other works some good some not so much but all a little odd I think. 

Well that is all for now, let's hope for a brighter week. Back soon.   

September...ing

Well here we are in another month and I'm a little late I know, last night my laptop updated from teatime until 9.20 and by that time I was not in the mood for writing a blogpost.  My own fault of course because I have kept delaying the update as I am always using it when it asks, note to future self not to delay it next time. So here is my start to September.

Opening a lovely gift of fabric from Jo at Three Stories High, this is so thoughtful and I can use them in my bag making.  I like to use up lots of different bits and sometimes I have to say I use my scraps until I am fed up of seeing the same recurring patterns so this is a lovely treat.

Returning to work after the summer, this was less painful than I imagined as it is always good to see everyone and there is something to be said for getting back into a routine. Needless to say the first few days I bounced out of bed and by Thursday I was feeling shattered.  The trick would be of course to go to bed early but I am no go at that and end up restless all night, so I will just have to settle into it.

Enjoying a lovely selection of tomatoes from the greenhouse, they really do taste so much better than the ones from the shops. There are still quite a few left to ripen so I am not sure if they will all turn while on the vines.  I have read you can bring them in and put them on a window sill if it gets too late so we will have to see.  I am getting a tub like this each couple of days  and some large ones the size of apples are now turning so it will be good to try those.

Reading Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, I am really enjoying this and wondering where it will lead.  It is good to start another book and enjoy it instantly as that doesn't always happen.  I finished Everything I Never Told You that I borrowed from a friend and had a bit of a book hangover (where the characters are still on your mind!) So I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to get into.

Sorting through this collection of patterns a friend has passed on to me, she buys sewing magazines so ends up with quite a lot but only sew occasionally.  She will pick out the odd one she wants to keep and passes the rest on. I have noticed there are a few I have already so I will passing on a few myself.  I may make the winter coat as it looks like the kind you can fit a good few layers underneath, also the trousers with the paper bag top look interesting.

Making bags but planning ones to gift now.  There is so much more enjoyment from making something to gift and then having it well received than the push of trying to get noticed through online selling.   It is a bit of a joy stealer I feel and I really like seeing things I've made in use.  I was out the other week and a friend of mine was using a bag I made for her years ago, seeing it being used all these years later was lovely and priceless I might add.   

Watching Chernobyl, I have actually just finished the series last night.  It was interesting but of course not easy to watch.  So many mistakes in such a dangerous industry, the story of all the brave people who did what they could to minimise the damage and knowingly giving their lives in the process definitely needed telling.  Worth watching to understand what happened but be aware very upsetting.

Discovering avantgardvegan on youtube, Gaz Oakley has some wonderful recipes for vegans or those just wanting to cut out a bit of meat a few times a week.  He also shows how to food prep for a few days ahead and gives costings.  Very clear and easy to follow instructions, I made the tofu scramble last night and will be trying a few more recipes this week.

Well that is all for now, I have decided to return to my once a week blogging routine unless I have something pressing I want to share.  There have been a couple of times when I have been busy on a Tuesday and then remembered I haven't posted anything.  This is something we do for fun and to connect with fellow crafters so I don't want it to ever feel like a job.  So it will generally be a Friday, updates permitting! Maybe the odd midweek post if I feel like it.

Back soon. 

This and That

Argh! I am a day late with this post after promising myself I would stick to Tuesday and Friday posts oh well it is done now.  Last night we went out for tea with family to a place we haven't tried before and it was fabulous.  They offer small servings as well as full meals so you can have tapas style dishes instead of choosing one big meal. We don't go out often but try to meet up with my mother in law and her partner every few months and go out. We will definitely be going there again as they had a choice for vegetarians and vegans which is rare.  If you are from the Sheffield area it is called The Pheasant and well worth a visit the website is here if you want a peak.

I got this image from the website as it was pouring with rain when we went out, I am sure it is good to sit out front in finer weather. There was also live music on and they were good, acoustic guitar and singing a variety of music.

Today was supposed to be when my tiles went down on the hall floor, unfortunately after another layer of old tiles were pulled up an large crack has been found underneath.  So not wanting to lay expensive tiles on this even if it was filled we made the decision to take them back and choose a floor that would withstand possible future movement.  We chose a grey herringbone effect vinyl and a grey stair carpet, I am a bit sad  about returning the tiles but it would have been worse if they were down and then later cracked.  It is a bit worrying about how much movement is going on with the house but I suppose any house of a certain age will have some of these problems.. My husband has put down insulating material and now says he will board it over before they come to lay the vinyl, I have to wait until the 27th for that.  I think one of the reasons I like painting and wallpapering is that I can do that myself,  so if it needs doing I can just think right I will do it on these days and then it will be done.  Waiting for people to come out and sort things I am not great at!

I have just finished reading Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, I really enjoyed it but I must say this was in the general category of new books but I would class it as YA due to the central characters and the teen speak used throughout.  Set around the Edinburgh fringe festival rather than Bath I thought it was cleverly done and also quite amusing that Cat the main character keeps mentioning the Twilight series throughout.    It is part of the Austin project and this has made me want to try some of the other adaptations, I had a look around and a few people are being quite negative about some of these works including the one I have just read.  It is full of the language of young adults (I don't mean bad language) and if this bothers you I can see how that would put you off.  However it is also witty, engaging and mostly good fun, so if people are horrified by the differences they need to consider how much times have moved on.  If you have read any of the other works in the Austin project let me know what you thought, they are Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld ( Pride and Prejudice  updated) and the one above I have just mentioned. There is to be a Mansfield Park but that has not come about yet and possibly one other I think.  I think it is an interesting idea to do this but I am sure there will be purist fans who are just appalled.

What are you all reading this week?

Making and Sorting

Do you ever start something and then wonder how  a simple job could have taken you so long? Well that is how I am feeling today.  I have a big folder with all sorts of house stuff in it, you know the kind where everyone puts things they don't want to lose. Well I am on my third folder and it had broke again so I have decided everyone is going to have their own as clearly we are trying to cram too much into one large one.  So I set about getting rid of papers no longer needed, organising and so on. Then I couldn't find my breakdown cover, I called them and it turns out that has expired and I was going to call to change the car details too. So another job of finding new  breakdown cover had pooped up!  It is all done now but I did notice the overhead cupboards are a bit untidy  so that is a job for tomorrow.

That aside, over on Minerva crafts today you can see the full post for my mock jumpsuit here . It has had a lot of wear already as it is really comfy and washes well.

This morning I completed another little bag, it would go really nice with my swan skirt but I have listed it.  The idea being I am supposed to be making them to stock etsy and folksy shops but I always like them. The real annoying thing for me is making things and then putting them away in cupboards to just wait around for the possibility of someone wanting them when I could be using them.  I have a feeling I would be a dreadful actual shop owner, the sight of full shelves with items fading but never used would make me sad.

While we were away last week I finished reading The familiars by Stacey Halls it was excellent. I like the fact that she used real people from history to build her story around and it was good to get stuck into a book after a few false starts. After I finished it I watched a little documentary about the Pendle witch trials as this was the central theme to the story.  Unfortunately I have since started 'Circe' and didn't like that, Enchantee, but that was my fault as it is YA fiction and I didn't realise when I ordered it and finally The Meryl Streep Movie club. The last one was in the holiday rental and I did persevere but it really wasn't for me.  Any suggestions for my next read are greatly appreciated.

Blue Bird Dress

Summer sewing is still underway and this week I have a dress for a Minerva post.  The original pattern I was working from has taken a few adjustments as it felt a little like a painting smock without additional shaping.  I took the whole dress in  by quite a bit and added darts, I will provide more detail in the future post on Minerva crafts.

It is looking much better here with a bit of shaping, you can't see very clearly but it has pockets too.  I don't often opt for pockets but this time I did.   With a bit of thought I should have had a before photo.

I think that a fabric with a bit more drape would suit the pattern better, this fabric faired far better with structure.

So there you have it, nothing wrong with the pattern or the fabric just not the two together unless you are adding darts, that is just my opinion you may feel differently.

Yesterday I started reading this book...

When I came in from work I picked it up and couldn't put it down, I took this photo to show my friend and it turns out she has already bought it as a Christmas gift for someone!  Very organised.  It is historical fiction, a bit of fantasy, something different to start the holidays.

I have been sewing skirts all day and I will share these later, right now I'm off for  a cup of tea.