A Few Friday Thoughts

Today was the last day of exams for my son, I'm sure there are a few of you out there who have children going through it at the same time.  He has been very relaxed about it all so I hope that has been a good thing I know some children find it incredibly stressful and that is so sad. I know there are young people with very fixed ideas about what they want to do, and some of them feel failing now will mean they never get to do it.  However there  are always access courses and taking a year out to try things, I know many people who have retrained later in life so these exams are not a map of life.  Sadly this is not the message that many young people hear, and expectations are piled on by school and home.  We all want our children to do well but this must not come at the expense of our relationships with them or their feelings of self worth and emotional well being.  So to all families out there who have been going through the exam period this last few weeks I wish you well.

Over on Minerva Crafts blog today you can see my post about my sundress that I made a little while ago.  It is a nice easy to follow pattern and the fabric is just wild.

It will be great if I ever get to wear it this year, unless I want to wear it to go for a paddle in the rain!

I have tried a few new recipes this week after my month of sticking to the same routine of foods, these falafel last night were lovely and you can find the recipe if you go on over to Minimalist Baker they are called kale and humous falafel.

Sorry I don't have a prettier picture of them on the plate as I had tow other dishes on the go at tea time and then a rush to get it on the table.  One of which was jackfruit wraps and we enjoy that, my husband had his with chicken in yet another pan.  There was enough jackfruit mixture left over to make some wraps for lunch today too, just a couple.  Youngest son enjoyed that and he has been eating more vegan food weekdays with just meat at the weekend.

On the top of these is a little vegan cheese, I don't use it a lot but it is ok in a wrap or sandwich.

I have just been watching a  few videos on YouTube about the benefits of waking early and how people have transformed their lives, some were really interesting.  One video however feature Mark  Warlberg  walking at 2.45am then working out at 4.00am, I am all for discipline but I don't get that unless you are catching a flight or something.  He goes to bed about 7.30!  If you did this you would be just effectively turning your life upside down to the point where you don't see anyone.  I don't know maybe some  people think that is a good idea but where is time for family if you have a self imposed permanent night shift.   I am impressed by his discipline like I said but I do wonder what his family make of it.  

That is all for now I am off to walk the dogs. 

June...ing

Hi there, I thought I would join in again today with Christina  and Joe with another 'ing' post.  I have to admit that this has come around far too quickly and like many of you I'm sure, feel like I am in a constant battle with the clock.  Well enough of that here goes...

Growing all sorts of things at the moment, quite a lot has gone outside now. I'm very happy that from a few seed packets I now have lots of plants outside so this will have been quite a saving.  Although saying that I would never have bought that many flower plants as I planted out over forty on Thursday and there are still some to go out.  I have peas that need putting out and the lettuce that are inside are doing really well much better than the ones outside.

Reading 'Can We Live Here' by Sarah Alderton, this is a travel memoir and I wasn't sure when I first started it if it was for me.  I have continued with it and it has a funny moments however some of the language feels a bit young to me (or am I just getting old) for example calling people dude, as a grown woman is  a bit weird to me and phrases like that.   The young family in the book rent out their house and set off around the world with a little one in tow to find paradise, or at least something like it where they can live.  Some of the descriptions of places sound stunning and others appalling as you would expect when seeing the whole spectrum the world has to offer. It has been a good change to read something a bit different.

Drinking  tea, water and cordial only as I have decided to do one year no beer, not that I drink very much anyway but I have decided to do this after seeing it on a podcast and listening to a very interesting talk about it.  I probably buy a bottle of wine about once a week and I just decided why? To be honest I often feel sleepy after a glass anyway so I am giving it up.   

Deciding what to make with the lovely purple fabric from Minerva Crafts. I had thought an underwear set like the one below however it occurred to me that they require photos of finished products and there is no way I am being photographed wearing that!

Wearing tights again today and not happy about it, the building at work is cold and just when I thought the summer wardrobe was out to stay here I am walking around all day with a fleece on.  Hopefully this dreary weather won't last.  My son has been at Alton Towers this last couple of days too, not the best for standing in cues.

Eating pretty much the same menu each week recently, pasta, curry, stir fry and so on.  I have just felt it has been one less thing to think about and made shopping so quick on a Friday.  I find I go through phases of trying lots of new things then settle into a pattern now and again, I may have to mix it up a bit soon before the family complain;) I'll maybe have a new set menu for a few weeks.

Listening to the Rich Roll podcasts on YouTube, usually while sewing or ironing.  He is an ultra athlete, former lawyer who completely changed his life.  He interviews a variety of people and some I enjoy more than others.  I like to have something to listen to while I get on with things.

Waking up earlier, this is always so much easier in the summer and mornings feel more relaxed.  I don't stay in at the weekend anymore as I am just naturally awake earlier.  It would be nice to think this will continue through  the seasons but I will have to report on that later in the year.  Just reading a few pages and eating breakfast slowly is wonderful.  Does anyone else experience this more at this time of year or are you an early riser all year round?

Well that is all for now,  thanks for reading.

 

A Ruffle Sleeve Top from a free Pattern

I am always interested to see what everyone else is making and this week I spotted this lovely top from a free pattern.   I bought the duvet cover from a charity shop because I loved the fabric, when I saw this pattern it was the perfect.    I have had to make a few adjustments as I checked the measurements and this indicated the size I needed, I measured myself to be double sure but it came out really big so there has been some tweaking and I will explain that below.  Here is the top and I think the fabric works well.

Now in my image here there is a tie at the bottom and that is not on the original pattern ( I always have to tweak things you see!)  The original hangs away from the body and I just thought it needed drawing in a little and this was my way to do it.

With regards to the pattern I found it on the sara project blog and I love her version that is also in a white print, go and have a look at her blog if you are not familiar with it.  The free pattern is from Peppermint magazine website so you can also have a look around on there.   It is twenty eight pages of printing!  So that is why I am not always a fan of printing off patterns.  I thought I would give it a go as it is good to share these things with the community when you find them and I know a lot of people need a pattern to work from.  

Sticking it all together is a job in itself but if you think of it as a jigsaw it can be a gentle activity;) 

It is clear I will give it that, everything was there I know once before I printed one and there were bits missing (but not from this source). 

I used the recycled duvet cover and I love using these as you get so much fabric from one, it is just a case of keeping your eyes open for one with a good print that can be worn.  I have loads of fabric left and the other side is striped.

I wonder what I can make  with the stripy side?

As I was saying it came out big size wise so it is a lovely pattern but be prepared to take it in a little. I also moved the darts up on mine and made them a little bigger, we are all different and I think dart placement is specific to each person so that is not the fault of the pattern.

When it was finished I wanted it to sit closer to the body so I cut a long strip of fabric about 4cm wide to make a tie for the bottom.  I also cut a little semi circle where the tie would sit and hemmed it.

I did that over to one side as that is where  I want it to tie.  I then folded it in half and began stitching it to the bottom allowing some to hang over each side.   Then I folded it towards the inside and stitched it down to hide the raw edges.

I find doing it this way gives a nice finish to the bottom and it removes the need for overlocking etc.

So I hope this was helpful if you fancy giving it a go but want to add something extra, I would love to see what other versions everyone can come up with.  I will leave you with one final shot of one of my dogs phot bombing earlier!