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. 

March...ing

 Hello another month moving quickly by, we were supposed to be having a few days away in the caravan but after viewing the forcast for where we were going we have cancelled and are having the time at home instead.  Here are a few things that we have been up to so far this month.

Visiting a few friends for a cup of tea and acatch up, it is important to make sure you see your friends I think as we have such busy lives it is easy to lose touch with people otherwise and I know I don't want that to happen.  There are some people of course who never return messages or only contact you if they want a favour, I have lost touch with a few people like that over the years.  

Reading a variety of things and not really enjoying any of them, very dissapointing!   I have just picked up a couple of books from the charity shop so I hope they will be better.  Every now and then I have a run of bad books, it is helpful if you have people passing on suggestions so please always feel free to let me know in the comments what you have been reading.  I enjoy all kinds of genres but maybe not the sort of slushy romances that my mum enjoys, they are not for me.  These are the ones I bought today...

Day tripping to Buxton, that was today in fact and the weather has been lovely. We were supposed to be in the lakes and the weather was set to be very rainy for days.  We have had a good walk around, a mooch in the charity shops and a drink in a pub. My husband has a few holiday days so we are making the most of them and will have our trip way when it is a little warmer.

Also had a look in this famous second hand book shop, very nice but I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount and also where to look.  Staring at rows and rows of books without a clear idea what I wanted left me stumped.  I had seen the two books earlier in the charity shop so I went and bought those!   My husband said you were in there all that time and came out empty handed. Oh dear, there were plenty of people in and out buying books so I am sure they do ok.

 

Sewing of course I am always sewing, here a re few things below...

This top was made from a selection of scraps using the Tilly stella pattern, a good way to use up odd bits.

A New Look 6106,  skirt in cotton poplin with pockets fabric and pattern from Minerva and that includes the makes below.

New Look 6602 sateen fabric, John Kaldor. I have actually added more shape and darts to this one as I am not for loose dresses but I know a lot of people like them like that.

This one is a really good fitting pattern New Look 6483, I like the way the shoulders are shaped in and it has a button at the back neck.

I like the pleated sleeves on this one, New Look 6145

Brooch making

I have made afew more but my photos are all over the place at the moment!

Watching The Last Kingdom and we  have watched the last one now so I am going to miss it, it has been going quite a qhile so when you watch something over a few seasons it is always a little sad when they do end. 

Well that is all for now, I will try and not leave such a big gap next time and I started the new year so well with my blogging!  Take care everyone. 

A quiet week

  Hello everyone, I have been intending to write a post for the last couple of days but then I get doing something else and another days has passed.  We came away from the storms unscathed I hope you are all ok wherever you are, it was mainly just noisy and there are lots of fallen branches in the local park. A few roads were closed briefly  near by but nothing too disruptive.  These bigger weather events do appear to be happening more often in the UK it is not something we are used to here, I know other parts of the world have these extremes a lot and have a lot to cope with weather wise.  I do have to say other than being a bit wet most of the time we do have it quite pleasant mostly.

As I write this I am watching the birds on the feeders, we have so many, there are currently a couple of long tailed tits (I think that is right) a great tit, a  few sparrows and three pigeons keep coming and landing near by trying to figure out how to get on!  We have feeders all over the garden and  pigeons nearby that have been eating all the food in one sitting so my husband has taken the large trays off the bottom so they can't land as they were stopping the smaller birds from getting anything. I have told him he is getting grumpy as he keeps going to the window and shooing the pigeons off, they have to eat too but they are very greedy. 

The garden is coming alive which I love to see, the alliums are all popping up and I didn't realise I would get these returning I thought I had to buy more but didn't get around to it. So that is a nice bonus, I do garden but I am not knowledgable about it I just plant, nurture and know the names of what I grow and enjoy it.

A favourite make of this last week has been this skirt...

It is in chambray and the buttons down the front are the ones that pop and you use a tool to press them on.  Well I am not very good at applying these  so have hit my fingers many times and lots of cursing but I do love the finished skirt.  Art gallery fabrics chambray from Minerva.  The pattern was not lines but I always line any skirts that I know I will wear a lot.

I have been trying my best to take care of my stomach this week, I think I always do but sometimes slip amd eat things I shouldn't so I printed off the LOWFODMAP list and I have stuck to it. I have had a much better week with my stomach and it pains me to say that maybe it is onions and garlic😢. As a Gf vegan I need flavour in my food so I use these a lot but if it means being miserable with stomach ache it is not worth the taste. I may eat a little when next we go out as it is so hard to eat out as it is, we do this very rarely so that can be my gentle reintroduction.  It does say you should try small amounts to test once you have reached a comfortable point, so we will see. If anyone knows of any alternatives in the way of herbs that I can use that would be great.  I already eat cumin, tumeric, italian herbs with no isuues and ginger. Also I have read you can eat the green of spring onions but not the whites but I have not tried that.

Well that is all for now I hope you are having a good week. Take care.