A New Month of Sewing

 Hello where ever you are I hope you are doing well.  I have had such a busy month and it has just flown by.  Last week we went to the Cotswolds in our caravan and that was lovely as we had to postpone our trip to the lakes afew weeks ago due to the weather.  Having a small van and three dogs we at least need some dry weather for it to be enjoyable and this time it was, a fair amount of sunshine too.  I will share a few holiday snaps with you...

This is the tower at Broadway,   we did the walk from the bottom of the hill and up across the fields.  I love this village it is so pretty with beautiful buildings and cute little shops we also had chips at the best chip shop called Russel's with a glas of wine no less.  I had vegan pie too and my husband a a fish.  He is mainly plantbased now but will occasionally have a fish.  I really enjoyed this as we don't often eat out when we are away I always cook and to be honest there is rarely much on offer for me to eat so this was great.

 Here I am looking pleased with my lunch outside!

This is our little caravan set up, we mainly use CL sites now as we like the peace and are not big on large sites with clubs and so on because we wouldn't use them.  

This is one of the many pictures of churches that I took and this particular one is at Blockley where some of father Brown is filmed if you have ever heard of that. I have watched it and there is such beautiful scenery in it, it made me want to visit the area.  The show is filmed over a number of places in the Cotswolds and other places I believe.

I stood there because I thought the car went well with my memade jacket, only a dress maker would understand.  This was in Chipping Camden.

So that is first little jaunt in the van for the year and we have a few more booked in, not too far way I think the furthest we are going is Angelsey.

There has been much sewing and I have just been doing that today too, I have shortened and fully lined the trousers of two jumpsuits this morning  for a customer and she came to collect and dropped off another.  She does love a jumpsuit.

Here are a few of my makes this month...

I enjoyed making all three things from this pattern and the jacket is a lovely fit.

Another Tilly dress from the stretch book i have made four of these now and this fabric was only £2.99 a meter so that was a win.

This is a beautiful dress but requires a night out to wear it, it is fully lined and a super shape.  I really like the colours.

This coat with the oversized collar, I am sure that huge collar will keep me super toasty next winter.

My mustard t shirt from sweatshirting fabric, great for an inbetween day, I had a piece left that I didn't want to go to waste.  I hacked a sweatshirt pattern and added the pleat details myself to pull it in a little bit.  I have worn it a few times already.

Gingham shorts, another good fit so all we need now is a good bit of sunshine worthy of shorts!

A coat or maybe a cardigan either way it is warm, this is teddy coating.

All my fabrics are from minerva.com I haven't listed all the pattern numbers here just because I don't have them to hand right now, but if you are interest in any in particular just leave me a comment and I will let you know the pattern make and number.

Me made May has started today  too, so I will be trying my best to keep up with posting on there so if you don't follow me already you can have a look at that @sewingreenlady.  Are any of you taking part, if so let me know so I can follow your makes/wears too.

Well that all for now, have a lovely week. 

A Random List for Today

 Hello and a lovely day to you all, I am starting with something a little different today because as I was having a tidy through my blog I cam across a post from  October 2015 that made me laugh as a few things have changed but some are still the same.  It just goes to show how nice it is to get things down and out of your head so you can later come back and look at them, ideas and opinions change, we grow, our lives move on but some things are constant and that is reassuring too.  I got the idea from a post on another blog but that blog is now private so the link is nolonger working, the ideas expressed are my own however it was just the list idea I shared.  So with this in mind I have included the original list below with my updated thoughts below each item, if you recall this format doing the rounds or want to join in with a list of your own please link me in and let me know so I can see your lists too.  (For those of you here for sewing I will share more of that over the next few days!)

This list is inspired by Annie feel free to join in, I have read a few of these myself and they are great little snippets into peoples lives.  (I have amended to the current day in blue.)

• (2015) I don't believe in people always telling it like it is, sometimes we need to be kind. If is not essential and nobody's life is in danger if you don't say that mean thing, then maybe don't say it. 

This still holds true and I am pleased to have written this long before the whole be Kind movement onto t-shirts, badges and mugs!  We do need to censor our speech to protect the feelings of others because there is just no need to say things that will hurt people.  I recall the person also who I had in mind when I wrote this as she was fond of saying 'I tell it like it is' after some nasty comment.  In recent years I have noticed quite a lot of people posting on social media 'Be Kind' wearing the clothing with the slogan and then proceeding to do and say very unkind things to those around them who they work with, are friends with etc. It is not just a catchy slogan! So with this in mind I will amend the first of my list to...

• I think you should choose your words with care and compassion for others, cruel truths don't always need to be told. Also make your actions match your words (and your t-shirts, ha ha)

• (2015)I love cheese which is odd as I cannot tolerate milk, cream or yoghurt but God decided to let  me get away with cheese. I am very grateful for that.  

Well this one has changed for sure, I have been vegan for quite a few years now so no actual cheese for me but due to growing demand I do get to eat the vegan alternatives so I suppose I still love the idea of it as long as it is plant based. 

• I love following a plant based diet and I am grateful for the variety of options available and the growing awareness around this choice.

• (2015) I am a Christian, currently between churches and a confirmed Catholic. Experience over the years has made me question the need to attend a specific place of worship but I read my bible and have a deep faith.  I am just not sure having a specific leader (usually a man) and a set of social activities centred around a church building makes anyone  a better Christian.

This one remains the same however I would nolonger consider myself between churches, I have my faith and do not need a building or leader to tell me so. If being part of that community helps you that is wonderful but telling people they have to go or they are not believers is just not helpful to anyone. I think people find their own way and music, nature, silence, actions all bring us closer than just one way. 

• (2015) Pets are good for you (unless you are allergic) I've not met one person who  hasn't smiled on seeing our new puppy and not just puppies our other two dogs bring such a lot to our lives.

Such joy in the moment, we all need a bit of that!

Absolutely still agree with this, these guys look a bit younger here they are now 13 and the pup who is not pictured here is now 6.

• (2015)I cannot read just one book at a time I don't know why maybe I have a little ADD. I always have some non- fiction plus a fiction title on the go and sometimes I will be dipping in and out of a book I'm re-reading. (weird I know)

Yes this is still the same I have two on the go at the moment, one non fiction and one fiction.

• (2015) I long to be a morning person but I'm really not.  I have battled with this for years and it is a recurring new years resolution. I manage a week or two then it is back to hitting the snooze button. Anyone who has overcome this after years of failure please let me know.

I am there!  I am always awake early in the morning so it must eventually stick or is it just a getting older thing? So I will amend this...

• I am a morning person yay!, awake early, in fact I don't have an alarm anymore I leave my phone downstairs and just wake up and look at the clock on my bedside (it is just a regular clock) I do wonder if the leaving of the phone downstairs has improved my sleep quality as they do say it disturbs you without you knowing it. 

• (2015) Music makes me smile it always has, rock is my favourite, it has to have guitars, electric, acoustic, you have to hear them. I am learning to play myself with the help of Justin 

Still true, always, music when I sew, when I cook, when I read.  I came on very well with the guitar (well I think so!) but have not picked it up for a month so back to it.

• (2015)I don't know what I want to be when I grow up ( oh yes that already, happened well anyway!) I was a sewing machinist for many years, teaching assistant for the past nine years but only got into that as I wanted to teach, then talked myself out of that. I often look at University courses in textiles and design and wonder about if I'm too old?? Or maybe moving abroad and starting a holiday let?? You see I really do not know.

Yes while this is still somewhat true, some things have changed with time as they always do.  I remained a teaching assistant until December last year then I resigned.  I am currently  creating online sewing content, who knows how long this will be me but I am enjoying life and not worrying anymore that I never thought of a label that I wanted 'to be' . 

• I believe we can be many things in life and that only makes it more interesting, I don't want to know what I will be when I grow up😊

• I am an eternal beginner at Spanish! I know quite a bit now but not if a native speaker starts to quickly speak to me! I try and try but without conversational practice here I stick. 

I am  an eternal beginner at Spanish.

• There are so many things I am interested in I never know where to begin, I make lists, read motivational books, ( much to the amusement of my children ) but getting stuck in is a sticking point. I'm working on it! He, he! 

Yes this remains true, I have many interests, lists, and I love a motivational book I don't think any of these are  bad so I am not looking to change this. 

Well that was something different and it does just show what can change over time and what remains the same.  Please let me know your thoughts below I would love to hear if you have made a list too.

Take care, back soon.

A trip to Knaresborough

 Hello what a lovely week we have had here, this was clearly the week we should have booked to go away but doesn't it always work out that way? We made the most of it today by having a trip to Knaresborough, what a beautiful little place that is!  We will definitely be going back there as it not that far, I can't understand why we haven't been before but I suppose there are lots of places like that.  We sat outside and had a drink after walking for two hours and it really did feel like being on holiday, just give us a bit of blue sky here in the UK and we are happy. Here are a few images from my day trip...

There were people queueing to get into a riverside cafe, the queue was really long I would have just gine somewhere else but they clearly really wanted to sit by the water.  We had a gorgeous walk along the river and the properties  overlooking the water were very nice, maybe a bit nerve wracking in high water though.

We had a nice chat with a man whitewashing the sides of the building oppsite this one, he had a beautiful venue for doing his work.

So many people out enjoying the sunshine, we really have to make the most of it.  The temperature is set to drop next week so get it while you can.

Oh I did mean to get a photo of the train station it was so pretty and I have just realised I have not got one, we were sat looking at it too.  

Here are a few of my makes...

John Kaldor sateen in duck egg, pattern New Look 6567.

This handbag with leftover chambray, denim and new cotton fabric.

This jumpsuit, I have added a few stitches front and back to this as it crosses over but hangs loose, so to be secure it needed a few stitches. Viscose challis, grey pattern New Look 

Another bag from recycled bits, the pink denim is from the hem of a pair of jeans I altered for someone, the grey a skirt from the charity shop  £1 rail, the lining recyled cotton and the foxy print is just a quarter that I did buy new,

This one is a lovely summery dress new look again ,I don't have the details to hand.  I will try and collect them together for next post.  There are a few other things that I have not had chance to share, as I film with my phone I keep having to clear and move stuff over to storage regularly.  Quite a few images I took the other day on mannequin I cleared before moving doh!  This included a top for my mum so I will retake them for the next post.

Now I really enjoyed my last read The Pull of  the Stars by Emma Donoghue, I bought that one on my last trip out and I would really recommend it.  There are a few things you need to know it is about the 1918 pandemic set on a maternity contagion ward, very well researched and interesting. So if the  pandemic is something you want to avoid, now you know. I am currently reading The Betrayals but have yet to get into that one.

Despite having a wardrobe packed with handmade clothes I had that thing this morning where I thought what do I wear? The weather has been unseasonably warm so I didn't quite trust it and having been living in tights and layers for months I was  not quite ready to face bare legs!  So I wore the trousers in the image above with a tiny denim jacket that is more of a shrug.  My husband said you could wear that jumpsuit you made the other day ( it is bare shoulders) but it is March I replied.  Anyway as it turned out I could have worn it as there were people in full summer gear everywhere, shorts sandals, vests the lot. British weather though, I was just expecting it to blow a gale or send a down pour at any minute.

We have started watching a new drama Young Wallander, I am enjoying it and my husband thinks it is a  bit slow.  

There has been  a lot of sewing as usual, my overlocker realy gave up last week then after two sessions of faffing and isisting it wouldn't beat me I fixed it, yay. My husband said just buy another you have had it years, 23 years to be exact, I adjusted the needle bar after watching some you tube, tension, etc.  Then after a week it is complaining again while working on viscose challis, it really does  not like that fabric and I know this as I tried a few others and it works fine.  Go back to working on that and it starts playing up again. Anyone else find this?

Well that is a little glimpse of the last week or so, take care everyone and if you are in the UK enjoy that sunshine while it lasts.