Autumn Makes

I have made a quick long sleeved t-shirt today, these are the things I tend to do in the colder months as my sewing area is very cold even with the heating on!  My sewing table is in a room off the kitchen that has a tiled floor and at this time of year that is not a good choice unless you have under floor heating and I don't.  I suggested putting a rug under the sewing table and my chair earlier but my husband said the table won't sit properly on it.  As the dogs have the run of that room when we are out replacing the flooring is not an option in case of accidents.

Anyway I will give you a peak of the t-shirt now, no pattern required just cut around an existing one and I am enjoying doing v-necks now so this is another V-neck.  The fabric was bought a few weeks ago at John Lewis, I got away with .80 of a metres just to save a few pounds.  I loved the soft feel of the jersey and the little stars so I thought I would just go ahead and treat myself.

The fabric was lovely to sew as well, I just did a double fold on the sleeves and hem and the neckline has bias binding. This is going to be the season of the long sleeved t-shirt for me, I love craft cotton prints but these are the clothes I wear so there will be more comfy jersey sewing going on.

I am also making tops a little longer to keep out the cold, tucked in or left out are versatile.

Another little make was a pumpkin pin cushion copied from Jo at Three Stories High she very kindly sent me the link at the bottom of my last post so I had a look and made one for myself.   I have to say I stabbed my fingers about four times trying to push the needle all the way through, there was a bit of cursing going on.  There are now some strategically placed pins covering the blood spots on the pumpkin.

To be honest I am not sure my version looks very pumpkin like but oh well it does the job.

There has been another bag created for my etsy shop, I popped that one on last week and also linked it to facebook.  That did give it an initial boost in views but they promptly went back down to just a few the next day.  I am trying all I can and reading all the tips, advice appreciated.

Earlier this week I finished The Salt Path, it was quite an emotional read so I now need something a bit uplifting to follow that up.  When I started the book I thought there was going to be more of a resolution for the couple and while they may have discovered a lot about themselves on this journey I am still astounded by the way they were wronged by a former friend.  If you have read this book you will understand what I am referring to, the idea that people can have their lives snatched from them in such a way is just too dreadful. 

As always book recommendations are welcome I always add your tips to my library reading list. That is all for now, I am off to find a film to watch on the T.V take care everyone. 

Free Craft

On the run up to Christmas (there I mentioned it!) I was wondering how many of you are searching for free crafts and patterns.  There are certainly many kits and ideas available to buy but isn't that moving away from the traditional idea of a frugal crafter?  I am not saying we shouldn't buy or treat ourselves to these items but ideally it is wonderful to use what we have or make something new from old when we can.

I have had denim and fabrics passed onto me from friends, my mother in law currently has some old handbags she has held onto because she knows I will unpick the zips and hardware from them, I was even given some vinyl floor samples once 'to do something with'.

It used to be the norm to salvage things and make new and then came the fast fashion years and everyone seemed to turn away from homemade.  Things are changing and people are beginning to see the value in reusing and buying items to last, the only downside is that charity shops are not as cheap as they used to be as they have grown in popularity.  This could have a negative effect as people may be turned off from buying a used item when they can get a new one for less, just a thought.

It is wonderful to see all the colourful quilts that fellow  bloggers are making and I think that has to be one of the best uses for scrap fabrics.  The designs are unique and totally eye catching, I have only done a little quilting and patchwork myself but the results always surprise me I feel no matter what your skill level we can all do something.  Many templates are available for free, here are some of my past scrap busting projects.

This is leaf is great for scraps.

My cathedral window is a bit wonky but colourful.

These two cushions are again a great way to use up scraps, the pink one is called pin wheel and takes a bit more work but I like it and have done a couple of those.  I think with any kind of patchwork you can make something bold and different, and better than anything you would find in the shops.

I don't how many of you out there this will appeal to but it is certainly worth a look and it is the range of free printables available on Papercraft inspirations  website.  Even if you are not into papercraft yourself you may have children to keep busy on the dark nights up to Christmas.  Some of the designs I am sure would keep young people busy for a couple of sessions if you go for the more adventurous designs and there is no rush to complete them just yet.

I am going to have a go at these cute penguin cards just as soon as I have figured out what is wrong with my ink.  That is the thing I suppose you have to have a printer but you don't have to print off every element on the download, some of the shapes could be cut out of recycled card.  I just thought this was handy to share as a free resource.

Love sewing magazine also have free pattern downloads find them here if you are looking for clothes patterns, these can run to a lot of paper though so if you are brave enough just deconstruct and old garment and use that as a pattern for fit.  Things like sleeve length and overall length do not really require a pattern and once you have done  it a few times you will wonder why you ever bought patterns.

I currently have fabric for a dress and a top but I have been holding out on making them yet, they are for my winter wardrobe and I know as soon as I make things I want to wear them so it is like saving a treat.   There is also a handbag cut out with a design pinned to it on my table also part of my current slow sewing.  If I had a rush of sales in bags I would crack on but there is no need currently for any rushing.

Today I made another experimental carrot cake, it is a bit odd.  I seem to do a couple of amazing cakes followed by a slightly odd one every now and then.  Maybe it is so I don't get too complacent about gf baking, who knows?

Well that is all for now, take care and  please share any free crafting links you know of in the comments below.

October...ing

These ...ing posts certainly come around quickly don't they?

Settling into the new season and only beginning to get used to getting up in the dark!  What happened there then? The dark mornings have literally come out of nowhere and my body is resisting getting up without daylight.  I am seriously considering trying out my SAD alarm clock again but the only trouble is it bothers my husband. I'll keep you posted.

Making a handbag as a gift for my friend, I had a lovely day sewing yesterday, planning it and finishing it off.  I am going to use similar colour ways for another one for my store but not the same of course, never two the same!  I hope she likes it.

I may add a few beads to the charm, if it doesn't look too much.

Same on the back minus the butterflies.

A bit of hot pink lining.

Reading 'Adventures for your Soul' by Shannon Kaiser, it is a bit airy fairy for me in places although I do enjoy positivity I draw the line at asking the universe for everything and it appearing. I'll carry on though as you never know there could be that one little thing in there that I just love. Also 'What the Dog Saw' by Malcolm Gladwell, now I have loved his other books but this one is very much a series of shorter articles.  A little disjointed and not what I thought but then that is my fault for not reading the review thoroughly.  On a brighter note I have loved 'The Corset' by Laura Purcel this was night time reading for when I go up to bed .  I like something gentle and non threatening before I go to sleep so this book just fit the bill.  I usually have a few books on the go non-fiction, a more challenging novel and an easy read for bed. My mum doesn't understand why I don't read them one at a time however they suit different moods and times of day. Does anyone else agree? 

Baking cakes, my latest was a lemon and walnut cake it was supposed to be just lemon but I didn't feel it was going to be nutritious enough so I swapped 50g of the sugar for ground walnuts and the water for soya milk.  It tasted amazing and I will make it again, no photos as it went so fast.  My gram flour eggless quiche did not fair so well .

Entering lots of sewing prize draws online, this is not something I usually do but I thought why not.  My friend enters these draws and she is incredibly lucky ,maybe some of it will rub off on me. 

Eating lots of seeds, I began doing this after reading an article on seed cycling to regulate hormones in the Healthy magazine.  You eat 1-2 tbs of flax seeds and pumpkin seeds for the first 14 days then switch to the same amount of sunflower and sesame seeds for the next 14 days.  You start all this on day one of your cycle.  It is easy enough to just add to cereals, I am hoping it may be helpful for migraine as I have a definite link with the timings of these.

Walking in the woods and being amazed by the size of the toadstools, much bigger than my hand and keeping my dogs away as they eat everything and we can do without more illness.

Appreciating all that I have, family, friends and a cosy home.

Take care everyone.