The First of Many Solid Colour Makes

 Hello, I said a  few weeks ago I would let you know how it goes with the viewing of daylight early in the day and if it helped my sleeping at all.  Well I can report that so far yes! It does appear to be working, first of all I am taking the dog longer walk first thin before I do anything else so I get a good amount of daylight there straight away.  I have always had a long dog walk at the end of the day when I finished my sewing jobs but that has meant that it is always gloomy during the winter.  So I do think this shift has helped.  I have kept the same getting up time too but then this has never really varied that much.

In sewing news I have made a plain white sweatshirt this past week, this is to fill the gaps in my very patterned wardrobe and to ensure that more things blend together well.  I have made this pattern before, it is the Simplicity 8982 and I have made it as a sweater before and also as a dress.

Last week I read the book My Name is Monster by Katie Hale, I nearly put it down halfway through but I stuck with it and it did appear to pick up but alas I was not a fan of the ending.  It was one of those that seams to fizzle out. This week my book is The Porpoise by Mark Haddon and so far I am disturbed. More on that when I have read more of it.

Today has been very busy I had to take my mum to the hospital for an appointment, she now needs more surgery on skin cancer on her nose that she has had previously.  We went for lunch after that, as it is her birthday this week and we are back across town to the hospital again with her tomorrow for the eye clinic this time. Old age is not an easy ride, she has been very healthy all her life and I am reminding her of this as for 86 she is doing really well. 

Well that is all for today back soon. 

Denim and Tweed Jacket

 Hello everyone I hope you have had a good week.  Last week I did mention that I had started on a new jacket.  This project was using up some leftover denim, buttons and topstitching thread plus a good sized piece of what I believe to be a tweed that was gifted to me sometime ago.  Now I had held off using the tweed fabric because I was uncertain what to make with it without it looking old fashioned.  I think there is a certain idea I have in my mind about jackets that made from that sort of fabric in that of people out in the country riding horses and walking about the manor house in their jodpurs, do you know what I mean? Anyway I was trying to steer clear of this somewhat outdated picture that I had in my mind, complete nonsense I kow but sometimes you just get a picture in your head and you can't get rid of it.

So I had decided to go with the denim jacket look and a mixing of the two fabrics, also the leftover jaquard lining I had in red was to give it a nice detail on the inside.  I am very pleased with how it turned out and also the idea that sometimes it is good to hold onto things for a while as the just the right idea will present itself in time.  I wore the jacket when we ran some errands on Friday and it has a smart feel to it without being a formal jacket and I think the demin does that.  Be prepared for  a number of images...

I added an additional internal pocket with trim for my phone.

There are also inseam side pockets added which are not on the pattern.

I love the pop of red on the inside.

     I only had to buy one packet of jeans buttons for the whole project as I had some other ones leftover.

So in all this was a great scrap busting/stash busting project and I feel I have something I will keep for a long time.

Not to stop there I carried on with the whole use it up theme and made some super large tote bags using patchwork.   I know I was trying to think of less time consuming projects for them rather than patchwork.  However I have only used a nine square design on each side and it is super for using up leftovers.  I have also added them to my Folksy shop and you can find the link to my shop in the side bar.

I think they are fun and of course big enough for a beach bag with towels etc.

I am off to do some work now so I will leave that with you please share any of your scrap busting ideas with me in the comments. Bye for now.

A Productive Day, Kitchen Cupboard Re-paint

 Hello everyone and a happy Monday to you all. I feel like I have made a good start to the week although I did decide not to do any paid work today and to concentrate on a few things of my own.  Mainly the kitchen, if you are a regular here you may know that I re-did my kitchen units about a year and a half ago with cupboard paint.  I researched this thoroughly before buying any paint and they did look great for a while.  Well six moths ago I did a touch up job and today I have had to do the same again.

Now I do not regret painting the cupboards, they look really well, it has modernised the kitchen and no doubt saved us thousands of pounds.  I am annoyed that I believed the tin as it said no primer needed and usually I would have primed first so now it will be a case of ongoing management I think.  We did discuss a new kitchen but I feel it is such a waste, everyone is in such a hurry to throw out and buy new and when I think that the layout would be exactly  the same as it is now that seems to me to be an awful lot of wasted money and perfectly good cupboards gone to the tip.  My other thought was well so what if they need painting, if in a few years I want a different colour it is easy enough to do for little cost.  For now they are looking ship shape. 

My tiles were also painted with tile paint when I did the whole kitchen and the shelves were added last year as I wanted some open shelving for display and to make it more welcoming.

I never did do the end boards and skirts as I thought it was a bit of a feature to keep them wood.  Knowing now that the paint is not as hard wearing as I thought I think that is a good thing as they get knocked more with three dogs.

My next project is the jacket I am working on for me. It is a stash busting job using some gifted tweed and leftover bits of denim, topstitching threads and lining fabric. In all apart from one pack of jeans buttons it will have been comepletely cost free.  I have made the burda pattern twice before so I know that I like it and I decided to mix the fabrics to give it a more modern feel.  I am just waiting on that pack of jeans buttons to arrive as I have a few left over in another packet, it is almost there.  The button holes, buttons and cuffs need finishing although after trying it earlier I don't think I will add a denim cuff as I planned as I don't want denim overload. 

I will show the completed jacket in my next post, those button packets above have three useable buttons in one packet and two in the other plus a number of bent tacks, |I have to admit I struggle to get these things in!

There was a lovely long walk with one of my dogs, the older two can't manage a long walk any more.  The light was pretty and the wind had dropped so that was good, I tend to leave my headphones out now when I go for a walk as I do feel there is that issue of being permantly connected and if I am outside then I want to hear the outside.

Well that is all for  today, how  was your start to the week? I hope it went well.  Bye for now.