Time

I listened to a really interesting Ted Talk this morning while I was doing the ironing about how we use and define time.  You can find it here Ted Talk.   What was really interesting about this particular talk was that the main idea was that we have plenty of time all of us no matter what we do for a living or what our family commitments are.  What saps our time as we see it is that we feel we are busy with things we don't enjoy or that we feel are not of our choosing.

The point of this talk was that we always choose how we spend our time, our jobs, families and our hobbies were all the result of choices we made and we can choose to make different choices.  So this was a very different approach to looking at time rather than trying to save minutes here and there.  I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to save minutes but if you choose to cut an activity you can possibly save hours. 

This was really interesting to me because there have been many times when certain  people have repeatedly said they were too busy to make plans or whatever, while I on the other hand have said yes even when over stretched or sometimes even feeling unwell.  So yes we can all choose what we commit our time to or not.  If you are really unhappy with your career maybe it is time to move on, if you hate your keep fit class don't go! Choose a different activity, switch off the T.V, stop whatever you don't enjoy.

A lot of what we do is just habit and the sad thing is we don't always make a habit of the things we love but only the mundane.  I have been reading lots of posts by bloggers who are taking up running, swimming or retraining, I have a colleague who has just joined a gym so she can do all the different classes.  Choosing to make time for these activities will determine whether or not they become  habit.

The reason I watched this particular Ted Talk today was as a result of a little habit I have set myself that combines a dull activity with one I enjoy. So far this year I have stuck with the habit of ironing on a Sunday morning. Rather than this being a chore it has become a slot of time that I enjoy because I place my tablet on the side with my little speaker, select a theme and listen to Ted Talks on that particular subject.  I am hearing new ideas every week and it feels like a good use of my time, I know a lot of people who say they never iron but I cannot get this concept, I have a husband who wears shirts and now a working son, plus many of my clothes do not come out the wash wrinkle free so how??  I might also add I don't use a tumble dryer as they waste energy, wear clothes out  and so on.

One habit I have decided to try for thirty days is to take a picture each day, this idea also came from a talk and it will be just point the camera and shoot.  So I apologise in advance for blurred, out of focus pictures I am just going to go with it for a month then decide after that amount of time if I want to spend more time improving .

Here is todays picture, dark all day with flurries of light snow.

Problem Fabric

I made a dress over the weekend and I had decided to use one of the patterns that came with the magazines  that I got for Christmas.  A nice style but I felt the recommendations for the amount of fabric were way too much but then they always are.  I used the red fabric I bought before Christmas and I really wish I hadn't,  it was awful!  Such a woven nature to it that it literally fell apart as you cut it, but instead of trusting my instincts which said this was a bad idea I carried on and it didn't make for enjoyable sewing.

The  sewing pattern is very nice, I will make it again but I will add a little length to the body as I feel the waist sits a little high on me, I will certainly  not use this type of fabric again.

This is the magazine it came with.

I liked the style of the sleeve and neck on the dress but I am  sure I would have made a neater job had I not been grappling with a self destruct fabric.

When I tried the dress on I felt it looked frumpy, I'm not sure if I have taken a dislike to it due the  problems with it but I can't see myself wearing it.  This is a shame but not all is wasted, I know what I like about the pattern, I know it works with maybe a small adjustment to bodice length and I know what not to buy again.  So like they say you always learn something.

The fabric is also quite thick which doesn't really suit the style so the gathers hang in a bulky way.  Never mind, in all the years I have been sewing there have only been a few items that I have really not liked, it is just a pity it is the first item of the year.

On a positive note I did a few alterations for someone I know last week and a few repairs for myself I also made a few birthday cards.  I am trying to stick to recycled paper for the cards, I don't like the way there are ready made things to stick on cards as this defeats the idea of making them yourself if you ask me.  With that in mind mine probably don't look polished, maybe more rustic (ha).

Maybe this is just me showing my age but I can't quite believe we are already so far through January, with feeling a bit run down and the dark evenings I just don't feel like I am getting much done.  Making something however small helps me feel a little productive so maybe I need to concentrate on small projects in between the bigger ones.

New Start

Hello I hope everyone has made a good start to the year in a positive frame of mind, that is tricky I know with all these  viruses still floating around.  I didn't get much making done over the Christmas period other than a set of napkins for my Christmas table.  I was really pleased with them though as all they cost me in fabric was a pair of pillow slips from the charity shop for £1.50.

 I quickly whipped those up on Christmas Eve, I also saw this name place idea on pinterest so just copied the image free hand and coloured them...

So that was that sorted I don't spend a lot on dressing the table just a few candles, a table cloth and some tinsel etc and it will do.  I have a real annoyance with crackers as well, I used to buy them when the children were little but they are such a waste of paper and money so now I don't bother.

I also made  some 3D paper snow flakes to hang from the light fitting above the dining table and I have left those up as I have decided that is a winter themed decoration not a Christmas one.

So much you can do with  simple piece of paper, this is something I want to explore a bit more this coming year I think. Paper crafts have such low costs if you stick to recycled materials and stay clear of all the fancy tools and machines.

I still haven't made up the red and black check fabric I bought in December so no fabric purchases for me until that is complete, but I do have a couple of sewing magazines that I will share another day.  They are not something I usually buy but my husband bought them for me for Christmas and there are  a few nice ideas.   I had thought about a subscription to one but I am still undecided on that, I think I mainly like the idea of the magazine coming in the post once a month as a little treat.  If I tell myself I can just go and buy one anytime I never will.