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!

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Santoro Fabric Bag Complete

Well I finished this bag this morning, it was sort of complete last night there was just a little hand stitching I needed to complete.  I have really enjoyed making this and feel I may get back into bag making, I did stop because I have a little collection that are unsold upstairs but for myself and gifts they are always appreciated.  The rivets have not arrived so I have left off that detail, I may add a couple later to strengthen where the strap meets the bag when they eventually arrive!
Here it is...

Now it isn't stuffed with anything here so I think it is standing up quite well empty, I will definitely use faux leather in future to strengthen bags.

It is the same on both sides, I was expecting the buckle and claws on the strap to be more silver or at least bronze but never mind.  There was also lots of pulling and straightening to get the folds out of the strap when it arrived but I suppose that it was you get for £3.49, I didn't want leather so there we are.

I made the little charm from a bit of the faux leather, an old key ring and some jewellery making beads and bits I had in my sewing box.  The tassel was a lot longer but I thought it looked too much so I cut a chunk off, I was also unsure how to attach it but I decided on a bit of embroidery thread plaited and stitched in before rolling the tassel.

The piping is just mock, I simply folded over some cord fabric, the only problem being that you don't have a definite width guide to follow.

Inside I have used a leftover bit of cotton from a dress I made last summer, and a saved zip from an old bag.

So in total this project has cost me £7.69.

Materials list

Santoro Gorjuss fabric £3.00 fat quarter from Happy Hare
Black strap  £3.49  ebay
Piece of black ribbon  £1.20 ebay
Cream faux leather;  leftover from an upholstery project for a relative.
Lining; leftover cotton from a dress.
Zips; recycled some years ago when they were unpicked from an old bag.
Mock piping; recycled cord leftover from making a cushion for a friend.
Bag charm; assorted bits from my sewing box ( and a lesson never to throw out old key rings, I have just recalled we got rid of a few two weeks ago when sorting the junk drawer!)

All in all this bag had a lot of recycled items and it has made me think a bit more about the details that make up a bag. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference and not what we spend on supplies.

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Half Term Makes

I have started my new bag but unfortunately I can't go any further until my ribbon and other bits arrive in the post.  This is very annoying as I am itching to get it all finished, one side is complete and the bottom/sides are on one piece but I need the ribbon to complete the rest. I have had a play at making a tassel which I am going to embellish with beads and bits (I think) it may be a bit big we will have to see.  The lining is ready and I think the leftover faux leather from an upholstery project has come in really handy.  I will share a few pics here of just the cut pieces and lining I don't want to show too much before it is finished.

So the zips I am using are recycled from an old bag and have been in my sewing box a long time, the faux leather was from my mother in law ( I recovered one side of her corner suit with it), the bit of ribbon I had already but I have had to order a bit more and the lining is leftover fabric from a dress.  The only new items bought  for the project are the Santoro fabric (a fat quarter) a strap, a new bit of ribbon and some rivets.

Here is the lining with the recycled zip for the inside pocket.

This evening as I was making curry I thought I would make some little bits to go with it, I have this magazine from 2017 Vegan Food and Living (my only copy) and there is a recipe I thought I'd give a try.

Now I was quite excited about making these and they were quite messy to make too...

Sorry that is a bit blurry, masala dhal vadas, they looked interesting and I didn't have any fresh chilli but went on ahead.  I made two trays of these and to be fair nearly all of them went down well but I would say they were not that exciting and a lot of faff when you consider you can buy ready made pakora, samosa etc for quite a reasonable price.  I'm sure these were a lot cheaper as I  made so many but also messing about mashing potato, making the patties etc, I also covered mine in gram flour too.  So another recipe tried but on this occasion perhaps not worth the effort.

I know mine do not look much like the photo in the magazine but I didn't deep fry mine, I fried them a little in the pan then into the oven to keep warm.  I don't deep fry ever!

While I was cooking I was also watching this video from Handmade by Ditsy Tulip here  she has made some lovely covered buttons but more eye catching than that is her own logo she has created, it is so professional.  If you don't watch her videos go and have a look now, she has some lovely ideas and makes on her channel.   She is currently putting together a dolls house as a haberdashery  and has made some gorgeous mini bits for it, I look forward to watching it take shape.

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