Spring Sewing

 I know it is not spring yet but I am optimistic that it is not too far away, also don't you get fed up with having to think how warm a fabric will be before you buy it I know I do although there are still a few warm makes in the pipeline.  I am however determined to start making things for the warmer days to come and if you remember last year in the UK that came quite early.  So with that in mind here is my first spring dress, a little different to what I usually make but that is a good thing, I am trying to make a few different styles as we all get stuck in our ways with our sewing sometimes and work with the same tried and trusted patterns.  I think a part of that is that we don't want to risk our precious new fabric on a style that will not suit us.  I also feel like you get to a certain age a feel you know what suits you best but of course that can also mean we stop being as adventurous.  

I love the fabric and all the little details of this dress, the piping is made from scrap shirting, I did look at buying some in a lilac shade but it didn't look as if it would show up very well as it was very pale.  I decided to make my own and of course it is always useful for using up all those little bits of fabric.

I was lucky that this fit as I did not allow seam allowances on the pattern cutting!   How can I have made so many Burda magazine dress makes and not know to add seam allowance.  Anyhow it all came good in the end.  The pattern stated snap fasteners on the cuffs but I chose to add buttons and button holes.

The most challenging part of this make was getting all the piping to line up in all the right places, so as you can imagine it was unpicked a few times.  Also the concealed zip not like all the bulk where the piping and central bodice part is so you have to take extra care when unzipping.  It tends to go up easier than it comes down.

So just last week I was making hats and now I am onto the light wear, you have to look ahead.  that said there are some plants I bought a few weeks ago when I was feeling optimist still sat on the windowsill.  We had to keep them in to shelter form the frost it is supposed to get warmer so I am hoping to plant them out.  I also bought myself some rainbow carrot seeds so that will be interesting.

I am currently reading The Glass Woman. I ordered it from the library and I have really enjoyed it, I only started it at the weekend and I am close to finished, put it on your to read list.  Historical fiction set in Iceland so something a little different.

Well bye for now and take care everyone.

 

Making and Mending

 Hello I hope you are all doing well this week and managing to keep busy at home, we had a snow day at the start of the week and it is not looking good for this coming week.  I hope it doesn't settle as it is such a pain worrying about how to get to work and wishing for a closure to make the decision for us.  I live quite a way from my work so walking is not an option and to take the bus would mean two provided they  are running so it can be a nuisance.  Now if we are at home it all looks rather lovely so it just goes to show how your perspective differs depending on responsibilities doesn't it?  

I whipped up a quick top yesterday with a lovely piece of jersey that I bought a few weeks ago, I have been wondering what to do with this and then remembered I am supposed to be making more simple long sleeve t-shirts to go with jeans so that is what I did.   I made the Freya dress into a top again as I know this is a good fitting top, I am very happy with it and wearing it today. 

I loved this fabric when I saw it but wondered about it not looking right with my hair, too similar perhaps but now I am ok with it.  I am trying to branch out with my colour choices a bit.

I made the neck a bit taller then folded it down again as it looked a bit odd on me, I also think a high collar is a bit irritating and I know I would be pulling at it all day.   It has been freezing in school recently so we have been leaving our scarves on and that has been annoying me so I think this was the right decision for me.

There has also been more crochet, I made another hat for myself in a different colour combination and then my friend said she would like one to go with   her new coat so I am currently working on that.  Though I have to say this will not become a regular thing doing crochet for others as I am not fast at it so it is a lot of time for me.  

I made this cowl last year, or maybe it was the year before I forget!  Anyway I think it goes quite well with the new hat.  The colours for my friend's hat are teal and yellow and I am currently up to the middle yellow band.

That picture does not do the lovely teal colour justice but I will share when it is finished.  I have just seen a pattern for a little top but it may be a little beyond my crochet ability for now, I will have to think on it.

I have also done some repairs for my clothes and others, patching things, redoing a few hems, darning tights and a patch on a dress for a colleague, I actually sandwiched some denim between two layers of the top fabric from above as the dress with the hole was a similar mustard colour, you can't actually see it now I have done the repair but should it open in future she will have some pretty fabric showing behind it.  

We have just had a very cold walk but before we left I had just put a nectarine and blueberry crumble in the oven so it was ready when we got back, it was very nice and just what we needed.  This week I have been trying to avoid things that may aggravate my tummy now I cook a lot with onions and garlic so going without those has been hard, I have to say no stomach ache all week.  Now if I have to go without those I will have a very sad face indeed, I may have to introduce small amounts and see how I go as a gf vegan I need to have some flavour!

This week we have been watching a lot of Marcella, in fact we may have watched too much I think I need a little break from it.  We watched the last series then went straight onto the current one, we also watched a film Friday night called Greenland, a disaster film of all things I mean that is just what we need right now!  It was watchable though nothing to crazy about. 

Well I have a workout and a pile of ironing to do so I will say bye for now, take care. 

A Crochet Hat

 I finished the crochet hat this week, as I mentioned last week I am not very fast at this so it was just a case of doing a little each evening.  I didn't follow a pattern although I did see an image I liked and that has three coloured striped so that is what I aimed for.  It was also made up as a flat piece and then gather at the top so perhaps not how may of you would do it but like I mentioned I was just making it up as I went.  The colours look well together and they are just odd bits I had from a few years ago, my main hassle was making the pom pom!  Oh my I have not made a pom pom in so long and the way I remember it with two pieces of card did not come out right, then I tried it around my hand and that was big and messy so finally I settled on a fork as I saw this on you tube.  Now there was still unravelling when I came to tie it but I did get a shape that is not too bad.  I know you can get pom pom tools, are they any good? The thing is I don't feel I will be making enough to warrant a special tool, I have started another hat though as I found the process very relaxing.(Apart form the pom pom! ;)

I didn't plan on matching my hat today it just happened. 

It had a road test when we went for a walk yesterday and it did keep my head warm, so that is the main thing.  I am sure it could be neater but I have not had as much practise with this skill.

There was some more baking yesterday in the form of cake, I did say I wanted to try a new cake each week so we will see how  long it takes me to run out of reasonable bakes.  I say this because the ingredient lists for some cakes are ridiculous and would cost a fortune to make, I am also not a fan when they state about three different sugars in a recipe in large quantities.  Cake is a sweet treat yes but I don't like sickly sweet.

So the recipe I chose to try out this week was from one of my Aine Carlin books The New Vegan, now the cake is called gluten free Orange Polenta cake but that went out the window straight away as Asda did not have any polenta and an assistant saying they had never heard of it and don't have it but I have had it there from before! So they do have it just not that day, so the first substitute was coconut (Ok it is nothing like polenta but I thought I would try it anyway)  Then they had no agave so that was quickly changed to maple syrup.  On the whole my changes worked just fine and I still followed the recipe but I have to admit to halving the sugar, we are so used to less sugar now none of us would be able to  eat it with the stated amount in.  The cashew frosting worked out super too and I might add looks very pretty with the pistachios.  In all it feels like a very posh coffee shop cake that I would normally not be able to eat because they never have gf vegan and this one is so it is one of my prouder bakes.   As usual fading daylight in the photo's and lets face it I am never going to be a food photographer. 

Another job for the weekend was finishing up this bag, again this is continuing the folk art inspiration.  It is actually based on a doodle on my notepad from some art I saw on pinterest but with a few changes and bits left out.  Sewing everything down is the most time consuming bit.  I think these ones are a little bit quirky so I hope they appeal to someone, I certainly like quirky so lets pray that others feel the same or I will have one large handbag collection.

I hope you are all well and have a good week ahead, bye for now.