A Dress for June

Today I finished off the dress I started with the material I bought in Devon, it cost a grand total of five pound so nice and thrifty the way I like it.  I already had matching thread and it evolved somewhat as I went along.

It began quite a bit longer then I decided I don't like them that length and chopped off the bottom, the sleeves were also longer, then one had elastic but that that didn't quite work with this fabric so out it came!  Then I shortened those as well, I tried it on and decided the neckline was a little dull so I cut a line down the front, faced it with some cotton and added some ribbon loops and a ribbon tie.  The loops were made from the hanger tabs you get at the shoulders in clothing but no one ever uses.

I have taken a few photos some on the mannequin and some on me.  It is a light fabric so I may add a quick skirt lining using some cotton or satin I have already, I like my skirts to feel like they won't blow up or even if they did to have a lining safely underneath so it is likely that is what I'll do.

It has an elasticated waist so can be worn without a belt.

After taking this photo I made a little loop for my belt as the excess was annoying me when it kept falling down.

Now I do like dresses and especially summery ones but the reality of it is we only get a short time to wear them here in England, so I will definitely be making a top of some sort with the other piece of fabric then at least I can wear it with jeans on a dull wet day with a jacket on if I go out.

Sad news for the day is that I had another disaster from Vegan food magazine.  This time it was buns, they looked good again, the ingredients looked promising but as I was mixing it I thought the consistency looked wrong. They were just like rubber, awful!  Right now they are in the bin and I am annoyed at the waste of food again.

Now I know that they weren't over cooked as I tested them at the required time and they were still catching on the fork so they just had an additional few minutes.  I know it is harder with specialist flours but even cakes I have thrown together myself with GF flour have come out better than this, grrr!   They were almond and cherry in case you were wondering.

A Fab School Trip

Today I had the treat of accompanying Y6 on their trip to Crucial Crew in Rotherham. This was a really interesting day out and I am sure the children got lots out of it, I had heard about it as both of my children had been on the trip in Y6 but as I mainly work with younger children I had never been myself.

If you are not familiar with this, the whole place is set up like a film set so that the children can experience and learn about different personal safety situations in a lifelike setting.  A lot of the staff are volunteers but some are employees of the fire service, police and St John ambulance etc.  I felt it gave them a taste of what could happen in a way that we couldn't in school. Anyway this may not be of interest to everyone but I just thought I would share as education often gets a bad rap and we fail to celebrate all the wonderful work that goes on. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers at the Lifewise Centre Rotherham

Dinner today was very simple just some veggie roll things for me with a baked potato and beans and fish for my husband and younger son. The thing is I really enjoyed it, so I spend all this time trying to find new recipes and faffing about in the kitchen and the thing I enjoy the most all week is just the easiest, throw in the oven meal.

That is my working week done for this week and I really can't explain what a difference it has made to have Friday off.  Of course it  reduced my income but as I watch what I spend this has not made big difference.  Everyone lives to their means so you naturally make adjustments as your circumstances change, the only difference being I chose to reduce my hours.  

We are not all the same and I know some people recoil at the thought of buying second hand, DIY, home cooking and sewing their own clothes but for many these pursuits are not only money savers but also hobbies.  Time is precious and I don't think you can buy peace, so if you ae feeling overwhelmed have a look at where you can cut costs it might just save you a day a week.

Bits and Pieces

A few random bits today grouped under one heading, the first being the pieces of my dress that I am in the middle of making.  I did mention that I needed tops and that is still the case but the piece of fabric was big enough for a dress so it seemed a waste not to make one and have a big bit left over.

I still have unused patterns left from the sewing magazines that I got at Christmas but as I didn't like one of the patterns I tried I have just returned to cutting around my own clothing.  This always seems to work for me and the fit is much better with my try as I go approach.

Now this is the fabric that changes colour in different lighting, I have decided to do an elastic waist which will then have a belt worn over it and small sleeves, I am undecided at this point whether to line the dress or not.

Last week I decided to buy Vegan Food and Living magazine, I am not a fan of magazines in general as they are usually full of advertisements and  a bit of a waste of money.  The only reason I requested a couple at Christmas was because they contained free patterns so I had been debating with myself if it would be worth the five pounds to buy one about food.

Well I bit the bullet and it has been quite an interesting read  but sadly the first recipe I tried did not go down well.  My husband politely ate it but told me after it was bland, I felt the same to be honest and youngest son just said this is horrible.  Oh dear! 

It was three bean paella and did look promising in the photo and ingredients but I hate it when that happens as you feel like you have wasted time and money, I ate all that was on my plate I mean it was healthy if not that tasty but with so many flavours in there I am baffled as  how it could taste so dull.   I took left overs the next day to work not being one to waste food but it tasted even worse and did end up in the bin.  Here is the magazine photo...

Now I probably won't try everything in the magazine but I have decided to at least try one new recipe a week from it for the next few weeks, I will keep you posted and won't let this little mishap put me off.

The magazine did have some interesting reading and not that many ads so I was pleasantly surprised at that but I won't be buying every month as I don't think it is necessary, they do have interesting content on their website.

I find it quite amusing that the Buda bowls on the front cover are considered a recipe, surely that is just arranging different foods in a bowl? 

At the moment I am still reading this book...

It is good but it is one of those that seem to take forever and I had promised myself I would read more by authors of some depth, the thing is I can't just whip through them and I tend to stop and think for a while, or sometimes think 'what?' as there are some strange goings on.

Also getting a repeat read through was this little book...

Very short but such a lot of wisdom, I know the message so well but just need a reminder from time to time, we are what we think.

Today has been a beautiful day and I have had a lovely walk with the dogs when I got in from work, early finish today out on a school trip all day tomorrow.  There was also a bit of sitting outside with a cup of tea what a difference the sun can make.