Basic Green T-shirt

Finally I am getting around to filling in some of the gaps and making some basic items to go with all my patterned clothes.  This is something I have been meaning to do as I often pull something from the wardrobe then wonder what will go with it, it is easier with dresses as you have the full outfit but skirts and tops don't work if they are all in different wild prints.

I have a lovely skirt I made last year but my lack of plain tops to with it mean it has only been worn once so far, in order to remedy that I ordered some green rayon last week to make a t-shirt, I had to promise myself I would not deviate from this plan as I often do that once the fabric arrives.   As I really like the shape f the red drop shoulder t-shirt I made last week I decided to follow the same idea.  Nice and simple and quick to make up.

It is comfy to wear, I made it long enough to tuck in or wear out if need be and it goes with the skirt which was the point.

This is a nice relaxing make as there a re no fiddly bits and you know it will fit, there are lots of times I spends hours on details only to find it is a seldom worn item.  Sometimes simple really is best.

Here it is just two pieces hastily cut around an existing top and a bit of green binding for the neckline. I think I will wear this a lot, just like my red one which has been worn twice already.

Out in the greenhouse  a pepper is growing quite big,  very exciting. There is something not quite right with the courgettes though as they are suddenly growing pointy and some have brown on the ends??

I will leave you with photo of this blue flower, I just love the colour.  It was a seed packet I scattered in some pots called sea of blue, various flowers in the packet and they are just starting to flower.

I may just have to paint a room that colour.

Sewing for Late Summer

I know it's not late summer yet, but just recently I have been making more summer items and currently I have no problem wearing me made everyday because I do tend to sew more for the summer. There are more items in my winter wardrobe that are from charity shops or ebay especially along the lines of knit cardigans.  I also find it is more fun sewing  for the summer as everything is so bright, in the winter we all tend to wear darker colours.

As I want to be able to extend wear of everything I am making I thought I should plan for later in the season when it is not quite so warm, or in this country that may be just next week, who knows.  I have seen a few ideas for cardigans that could be made with jersey or other soft knit fabrics.  There are some lovely styles but they also have to be wearable. The ones I have seen that are cocoon in shape or too floaty I feel would end up getting the sleeves dipped in the sink when I'm washing up or something.

Here are  a few styles that I intend to copy, as a cardigan is on my sewing to do list for this season.

This is from the next website, I like the tie front as it would go with dresses but perhaps make the sleeves straight.

This one is a more traditional shape it would be just a case of finding the right fabric, this particular one is quite expensive so I would not be buying it , copying it is definitely the way to go.

Has anyone else already began planning their sewing beyond this current heat wave, I am loving it but I also realise it will end at some point.

More Boudoir Shorts

It is so hot! I love sunny weather and like any typical English person I moan about the fact that it rains an awful lot here in England, or it's overcast most of the time.  As  a result of this we are not made for these sudden changes in temperature and I feel like I want to have a nap all the time.  The Spanish have the right idea and everything closes in the afternoon at the hottest part of the day for a break. As a result of this I have made more of the boudoir shorts from the free pattern I downloaded here, I had some jersey left over from making  dress a few weeks ago so it was an ideal way to use that up.

These were quick to make up just now after tea because I have made them before and made an adjustment to the pattern by taking a small pieces off each side.  The first pair were a bit wide so I had to alter them once finished.

That is it just those three pieces, I didn't do an elastic casing as I found last time there is enough room at the top to just do  a turn over and put the elastic in there.
They are so comfy because they are jersey so I am wearing them now, this is a really good way to use up small amounts of fabric and I am sure that you could even do two fabrics together and they would look good.  I only had enough lace to do the fronts on this pair, also it is elastic lace whereas flat trim lace would have been better, but it does the job.

Turmeric Cauliflower Salad

I just thought I would share this salad with you today as it took me completely by surprise how tasty it was from such a simple thing.  After reading quite a bit of the book, How not to Die there appears to be a lot of little things that we can  eat everyday that offer protection against diseases.

 Now I know that this is nothing new to hear, but some of the things are so small that it makes them easy to add in, that is without the need for juicing and consuming large amounts of superfoods to the point where you are going mad.  I had always thought of herbs and spices as flavouring but many help us fight off disease and boost the immune system, turmeric is a good one to eat everyday and a teaspoon is noted in the book to give us a boost, cinnamon can be added to oats and marjoram and oregano provide us with more than an Italian flavour to our food.

While I was making a salad I thought I would give it a twist by adding two of the key foods for health one being cauliflower (which can be a trigger for me so only in moderation!) and turmeric.

So all I did was slice the florets into discs, so that they would lie flat in the pan, then I added a little olive oil and a teaspoon of turmeric to the pan and lightly fried the florets.  This was on a low heat, more to colour and cook them a little rather than heavily fry.  The rest of the salad was, spinach, grated carrot, red pepper, tomatoes, cucumber and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast.  It was so tasty I will definitely be making it again.

This must serve as a little reminder to myself to keep trying different things with familiar ingredients, it can be tempting to make the same things when tired or in a rush.

Separates or a Jumpsuit?

This morning when I had removed the waistband on these trousers for abut the fifth time I was beginning to wonder if this make was a good idea, I don't  know why but it was one of those times when something just keeps going wrong.  Eventually though I got there and the trousers are a good fit, my issues were with visible stitches under my elastic, I kept unpicking until it was spot on.
Making up the top took no time at all as it is just two pieces copied from a t-shirt.

My worry was would it look too much being so bright but now it is finished I like it and it is a change from the things I usually make for myself.

Excuse my pose I look a bit awkward I never know what to do with myself for these photos!

I have added five belt loops and a long tie belt which is in a bow here but you can't really see it properly. There are also two small pleats at either side at the front, the front waistband is flat and the elastic goes just past the sides to the front.  As you can see I opted for straight legs as I had a feeling I would never wear the wide fitting style.  I am happy with how it turned out I just need somewhere to go to wear it now, it feels a bit overdressed for around the house and too loud for work!

These items can be worn separately so that is a bonus over making an actual jumpsuit, though that was never my intention, they were supposed to be the wide legged palazzo pants until I decided against that.

I bought the fabric from Minerva Crafts you can find it here viscose challis, it is a really good price and I also liked the blue colour option.

Winging it Again!

Today I wanted to start the Palazzo trousers from Sew Magazine so I went onto the site, found I had to register, did that then went to the page where the trousers were.  Well I clicked download the pattern and it is 47 pages, I was already wondering whether I wanted to print out 47 pages when I realized it was taking ages.  I had been sat there a good while when it was only on page 7, that was point when I thought I can't be bothered with this because it was already feeling like a waste of time.

At that point I went upstairs and grabbed a pair of cotton trousers that I already own, they are not wide leg but as I was unsure if that style would suit me I have copied the pair I know I like.  They have little gathers at the ankle and I may incorporate that too.  I had them cut out quite quickly with the other pair I would still have been sat going grey waiting for it to download!

Here it is my unconventional way of doing things but I don't care I do it for me. This is not meant to be a tailored trouser so I feel the throw it on and hope for the best way will work with these.
They are mostly made up and the waistband is partly on, I had to stop as I have a stiff neck so I will continue with these tomorrow.  I had enough fabric to cut out a top too and also a tie belt, the intention being that if I wear it altogether it will look like a jumpsuit.

Here we are so far, the waistband on my other trousers is flat at the front so I have done the same here then the elastic comes around and just past the sides, that is why you can see a pin either side.  It is stitched down but it is the back of the waistband where it meets the flat part that I was just keeping in line. I have left off pockets because I won't use them so why bother making them, it is a light fabric so putting things in the pockets would completely spoil the look.

 I love the colour I am just hoping it all looks like I picture it in my head.  We will see, I hope to have it all finished tomorrow.

Lovely Fabric

I went to collect my fabric today and I always feel it's a bit like getting a present when the fabric arrives, albeit one you have to buy for yourself.  I have a definite plan for it all this time which makes a change.  Here it is still in the bags...

The pink will be started on tomorrow as the trousers I mentioned a few days ago, not yet sure if I am using the online pattern or not.  I will decide in the morning,  the green and white will become tops and the blue a dress.

As the parcel collection place is very close to the library I had a look in there too and got a lovely surprise, the book I was uncertain about buying yesterday 'How Not to Die' was right on the shelves in front of me!  How weird is that?  It is just like it was there just for me, I have read quite a bit already and it actually is really good.  I also picked up this book...

This looks really interesting as that is my kind of sewing, I like to do things without patterns I am starting to use a few recently however as Minerva like you to use one when you blog for them and also I've noticed fellow bloggers like to compare.  Generally however I like to do things my own way so maybe I can pick up a few tips here.

Right I am off to do some pilates, if you haven't had a look at The Balanced Life with Robin Long   workouts on youtube go and have a look now. They are easy to fit in and she explains everything so well, I have been using her workouts for a long time now and she sends you updates when she adds something new like this week.