Birthday Treats and York Christmas Market

We have had a busy week around here, it didn't start too well either with two children sick but it picked up towards the end. We had tickets booked to see the Nut Cracker Ballet for my birthday luckily everyone was on the mend by then so we could still go.
We went to the Penistone Paramount and it's the first time I've been there, it was lovely and like stepping back in time (in a good way).  The lady still comes out at the interval with ice creams in the box hung around her neck like they used to at the cinema when I was little.

It has been there 100 years this year so it is lovely that it still used by the community.

The company that did the performance were the Vienna Ballet and they are coming back in March.  When we got home my husband booked tickets for us to go again so he must have enjoyed it.

This is the one we are to see in March.

Yesterday we visited York, this was my idea thinking it would be lovely to see the Christmas Market and have a wander around.  My husband said it would be packed, he was right!  I only got a peak in a couple of the little Christmas stall huts as it was so crowded it made me feel ill.  We managed to get out of the thick of it and walk around the streets where the usual shops are but it was still hectic. 

Still it was lovely to get out, the lights were on later and there were some street musicians playing.  My son said he doesn't ever want to go there on a Saturday again, I agree!  I came home with my birthday money intact, just paid for parking and lunch.  

Which leads me to my wonderful birthday present from my husband that I wasn't expecting. I  have complained that my mannequin is a bit bigger than me but would not have bought a proper adjustable dummy. Look here...

I was very excited when I opened it. It has a  hem guide and a place for your pins at the neck.

Continuing with the sewing theme my lovely friend got me these cute sewing storage tins complete with accessories inside.

Thank you buddy. you know me so well.

Also on order is a book (you guessed it, on sewing) called Basic Black, it has patterns and different shapes to tailor and customise .  I will take photos and share more on that when it arrives later in the week. All in all quite an extravagant week but all planned for well in advance. Any purchases were made from  gifts from my parents with the strict instructions it was to go on me and not into my purse for food shopping!

Easy Frill T shirt

Looking through my fabric box I found a piece of jersey about three quarters of a metre, I made a simple T shirt with it just using one of my existing ones.
I wanted to do something a little different around the neck otherwise they all tend to look the same.  The good thing is they do come in handy when it's cold for layering up with other things.

The fabric is navy blue although it looks quite dark on here. I got the idea for the collar from Tea Rose Home so thank you Sachiko for the inspiration.  On her blog she uses two T shirts and puts ruffles all over the front and on one shirt she also puts them at the bottom.  I have made this shirt and just added one frill at the neck but you could use Sachiko's idea and revamp some of your existing tops maybe by doing a ruffle in a different colour.

I just cut a long straight strip, left it raw at the edges and I pleated it on once I had faced my neckline. It instructed you to gather on the Tea Rose Home blog but I prefer it quite neat so I often do little pleats when I am instructed to gather!

There are some more bits of jersey I have left over from other things but they might not be quite big enough to do long sleeves, there may be a few more variations made up with short sleeves.

Maxi Skirt Refashion

This was a pretty basic refashion, the skirt I bought form the charity shop yesterday had quite a good shape at the top. It was cut on the bias and was an A-line almost to the floor.  I unpicked the lining from the waistband at the top and chopped off quite a chunk at the bottom so it would sit above the knee.
I took it in down one side only, lining also and then re-attached it to the waist.  It was quite quick as I mirrored the other side of the skirt.
I zig zag stitched the bottom and did a tiny hem, I didn't want anything bulky as with it being bias cut they sometimes hang funny.

Here is the size 8 above the knee straight skirt.

This was the size 14 maxi skirt.

It would have cost me far more to make this skirt from start to finish what with lining, fabric and zip.  It is good quality as it was a Per una skirt (Marks & Spencer) I decided against doing anything fancy with the hem as when I tried it on my husband said it was nice as it was.  Sometimes less is more.

A bonus is that I have a big piece of fabric left over measuring 91cm by 50cm on the fold and the same in lining.  If anyone has any ideas for using that up I would love to hear them.