If the dress fits who cares if you wear veg on your head

A few weeks back, and it really must be quite a few now if I think about it, I spent my Christmas voucher on Gerties Vintage Sewing book and was lucky enough to get this fabulous fabric at £4 a metre.

I planned to make the dress on the cover in my 60's check.

Then not a lot happened.

Then all of a sudden it did.

On Saturday a friend was upstairs busy making a loft hatch to cover the very large hole in Miss Rosey's bedroom ceiling. Miss Rosey was at netball and Miss Millie and I were doing our own thing.

The sewing bug crept up on me and off I went.

After drafting the patterns for Gertie's dress I changed my mind. I knew it was going to take a bit of time to get my head around. Next decision was to make a tried and tested dress as I wanted a quick make. One that was done in a weekend. That's how I ended up making yet another Megan dress.

Just before we went out on Saturday night I'd nearly finished my dress.

I altered the darts for a better fit and popped the sleeves in either side of a visit to the most awful and just the tonic we needed circus on Sunday.

There was my dress hanging, waiting to be worn on Monday.

For the first time in ages I felt really good in something I was wearing.

My dress fitted so well, that it hugged without squeezing. It was just the boost needed.

A lady in the middle of the day came up to me and said I love your style, it's quirky. I thanked her and then told her her words really were a tonic as I'd felt emotional all day. A mixture of a discussion that morning with my mum, possible unemployment this week and soul searching.

Amazing what a dress can do sometimes to lift that spirit.

That night at parents evening I think I could have taken a few orders too.

We ended on a high after hearing so many lovely things about Miss Millie (Miss Rosey's year group had theirs a few weeks back).

When we got home I tried on my tinned pea colour hat that I'd stitched up in bed the night before.

               

It was ever so slightly tight and I was pronounced to look like a Brussels Sprout. Cheeky monkeys.

Quite a fair bit of makery these past few days. I'm back on it again.

Posted with Blogsy

Where Am I?

One evening after school we were in Waitrose. Our food was paid for and we were chatting away, heading for the car. 

A lady came up to me and said hello, I read your blog. 

Sometimes people do this and it's lovely to see the people who read the words I write, who look at the pictures I share of our world.  All the happiness in my life is for the most part what I want to focus on, celebrate and share. That's what a creative life is to me.

Well this lady then asked why I haven't blogged so much. I gave her an honest answer and I will give you one too.

I told her my marriage had just ended and so I hadn't found much I wanted to write about.

The next few months will be hard, there's a lot of change that has to come about from all of this.
Some will be good of course, some is scary and some completely unwanted. All the same, we've got one choice my girls and I, and that's to make the best of it.

With that big news spoken aloud, I'd like to get on with the talk of creative whatnots to be honest. Ive not felt like making anything these past few weeks, but I've still been busy hatching plans and continuing with projects.

Some of you might recognise these pictures from Vanessa's blog do you mind if I knit?

Well an idea grew after I set up the online memorial to her. A few people on Instagram asked if there was a way of raising money to go towards mental health, as Vanessa suffered from this as so many people sadly do. 

A conversation grew and the idea of a collective blanket that would then be raffled off came about.

Colours were discussed with my friend Penny of PlanetPenny after I'd come up with the design based on a scarf of Vanessa's. We wanted to keep to her palette of colours so a lot of thought was given to them being as near a match as possible. Then I got in touch with my mate Jane at teawagontales to create an id badge for this project.

Colours were then releaased with details on Instagram, it's such an immediate format almost like being on the phone with everyone at the same time. From Saturday to Monday all the squares had been taken and I'd had to increase the size twice to allow everyone who wanted to take part join in.

The squares have been popping through my door every day lately, the next step will be sewing them all up and then selling the raffle tickets. That's the plan you see, to give everyone the chance to win the Do You Mind if I Knit? blanket and raise much needed funds for MIND.

It's brought a lot of people together to share and chat while they hook their squares.
My apologies for not bringing it into the blogosphere but it would have been so much harder to organise, especially with my world falling around my ears.

In the middle of all this I had a week off work with exhaustion. 

Turns out I'm very anaemic, not surprising for a veggie who misses loads of meals out. 

I sat on the sofa every day, after all the school running back and forth. I watched endless films and found a project to keep me busy.

I'd seen a pattern for a floral heart on Lucy's blog Attic24 that seemed a perfect sofa days make.

I changed the colours to suit me and worked the centres in white instead of adding buttons as Lucy had.

To make it easier to sew the hearts on, I covered the pipe cleaners in a strip of fabric.

I was really pleased with how this turned out..

It's been the last thing I've made for a while, I do feel the urge to get my creative head working again.

First thing I've got to make is something from a beautiful new crochet book Ive been asked to review. 

The book is soon to be released and so I've been asked, along with a few other bloggers to take part in the blog hop. That means there will be links to win goodies too for my readers. 

I'm booked to write that post on the 16th February, so if I'm not back before then, then I will definitely see you then.

Patching together my Summer

 I saw a couple of patchy bags on Instagram recently. That got me to thinking about making my own bag.

In my stash I had three odd shaped squares of barkcloth that were too small to do anything with.

I loved these squares and felt sad that I didn't have more. It's always the way with vintage fabric finds. Mostly there's only enough for small makes and so you have to be even more creative about what you do with it.

 

 I chose a few other bits of barkcloth to add to the three cream and floral squares and then got chopping until I had twelve the same size.

All patched together, I took my threads into the garden with a man of mine and a jug of Pimms to run colourful stitches along the rows.

The next morning it was a quick job of making a lining and base before stitching the whole thing together.

I'd planned to use pale blue ready made handles, but when I got them they just weren't right.

Now I need to make cloth handles which I'll have to stitch on the outside as there's far too much unpicking needed otherwise.

On a roll with patching I decided to get on with making a new cover for our sun brolly.

 Last year I thought about it all summer long. This year I thought it was about time I got on with it.

 Being as it was such a hot and sunny day I pictured us sitting under it on the lawn later on. I even baked a cake to eat while we lounged about. 

Well - instead it rained like you've never seen. Apparently there was lots of flooding in Norfolk that afternoon. Ever since then it has rained and rained. The best rain was saved for this weekend so my new brolly has hung limp and wet, probably getting stinky too.

Being inside more than usual I've been attacking the knitting again. I've finished one side and I'm halfway through the back of my short cardi. Problem is I'm not sure I like the pattern any more or if I'll wear it. I've seen quite a few I fancy knitting up more. Not easy trying to decide whether to pull out all those slowly worked stitches and to start again or keep going because I might like it after all.

As a reminder to me of what lovely summer weather looks like. On summer Solstice we met up with friends with a picnic for an evening walk. 

The girls ran ahead with the dog, bounding through the cornfields.

In the middle of the woods we came upon a ruined church. Once the village had been sited here, but had eventually moved further down the hill to drier land.

After trampling through bushes and trees we came upon old brick kilns too. 

I forgot to upload that photo from my phone.

It was a magical evening. Hushed girls voices came to us from their hiding place in a field while we ate and drank. 

Pure bliss.

Happiness Is

Each evening, once theres a bit of quiet time to write a post, I fall asleep. Staying up late for days on end has finally caught up with me. Seems I just can't stay up until 2am knitting anymore and then get up at 7am to do a full days teaching. I do struggle so keeping the same hours as everyone else.

I was planning to write a post with a bit of a history show and tell about it. Being as it's something we got all excited about, I've decided it'll have to wait a few more days. It needs a head that's less fluffy than mine is tonight to get written properly.

 Instead I thought I'd share with you a few Happy Things from the last week or so. 

Well a parcel plopped  through the door one day, full of the most lovely things from Mrs Bertimus.

 We'd decided to send a wee parcel of bits and bobs to one another just because. What a lot of happy things there are in that.

 Our older rescue cat Pip sleeping at home more has made me very happy too. Pip really hates Lily our 1 year old cat. Lily endlessly trails after Pip when she's home so Pip avoids coming home so often. I just wish Pip would give her a wallop and then Lily would leave her alone. Aahhh well, you can't tell them anything.

 Third Happy thing was finding the delightful Daisy Bee Necklines on Instagram. Her place is full of the most delightful colour and felty makes. 

Now I loved a brooch of hers a lot. In fact her style is divine, colourful and kooky I'd say. It's been a while since I got out the felt for a play. I couldn't stop thinking about one of her brooches so I decided I'd make one for myself. In fact I had so much fun, I made a couple and I don't think I've finished with these two alone. I really hope she doesn't mind me making them just for me.

I can't find a link to her in blogworld so if you want to see more of her fabulous makes then just have a peek on Instagram.

 

Another Happy Thing last week was having the most lovely day on my mum's birthday.

We found an old fashioned waterside pub for lunch, ate so much we though we'd burst and then went home to repeat it all for birthday tea.

Alongside all the half-term shenanigins I was as Happy as a Lark having lots of making time.

I was thrilled to stitch up a couple of custom Annual Top orders. While I was at it I cut out patterns for a few new things for me. 

The most amazing Happy thing though was to actually finish knitting the cardigan I started making last year. It's the first clothing thing I've knitted for myself as I usually get bored halfway through. I've always stuck to small stuff and things for the girls when they were younger. This time I made myself keep going because I loved the yarn and colour so much.

 

If you look back to the beginning of this post you'll see my Pink Stinks Regan cardi from the Soft knit Cotton collection by Rowan. This yarn is chain spun so there's no splitting at all and it lives up to it's name, being the softest yarn to knit with. I'll definately be getting more of this when the pennies are flowing once more. 

Next time I'll share Tales from the Grave with you. Ta Ta for now.

Addictions

When I stitch I really get into it. You could call it obsessive, I call it creative therapy.

I made one top.
I showed you that the other day.

Then I made another. 

Then I made a smaller version of the other two.

I also cut out the shapes to make two more because you know there are a lot of days in the week that need clothes to be worn.



My man laughed and wondered if I was getting a bit OCD about the tops.

I plan to make him one next.

I simply adore the latest one above. I made it out of fabric destined for the ironing board to repair a very torn and tatty cover. I was in need of a pink fix for a top and this was just the ticket.

Then I thought I'd better share the top love, so I made one for Little Bun out of fabric she chose last summer. If I'd been a sewing top obsessive last summer she might have had it sooner. Last summer I was strictly whizzing up dresses.

I'm also halfway through a skirt to go with her new top. 

A plain denim skirt was requested a while back and so the fabric has been patiently sitting there waiting to become just that.

It was lovely being a sewing obsessive to tell the truth.

One morning I had crafty company.

My fabrics spread out at one end, while Little Bun drew, stuck and planned at the other end all watched by new to her Sindy. Bidding for Sindy dolls on ebay has become the latest thing

Day 1 of sewing I had company for half the day and then off she went with her daddy to watch Rent a Ghost. Sindy's and old TV for Little Bun, Miss Rosey is the only modern girl in this house. I think she despairs of us sometimes, although she does love The Herbs, Magic Roundabout, Rainbow, Hong Kong Fuey, Bagpuss and Lovejoy.

Day 2 of sewing I stopped halfway through to pick up my new knitting and watch Thoroughly Modern Millie (an absolute favourite of mine and partly the reason for a wee girls name). 

Next time I stop by here I'll show you what this is and where it comes from. 

Most naughty of me as I still have a sleeve to finish on my other knit and a whole body to go on the other. 

Rolls her eyes in despair at yet more obsessive tendencies.

Here & Now

I feel in need of a bit of a catch up you know. I'm sorely behind with the posts I wanted to write and then there's the pile of posts building up in blogworld that I want to read. Slow down with your posting for a bit please everyone and give me a chance to catch up.

 First news is of a dear friend who is opening up her shop once more. My beautiful and warm hearted friend Ruth came a visiting last week, the daffs she brought me are sadly on their last stretch. Ruth owned Glory Days which was the most delightful shop ever, the sort of shop I always hope to walk into, but don't find very often. Glory Days has moved to Holt and will be re-opening for business on March 29th.  Yay.

 Now at the tail end of Half-term I went yarn shopping all on my ownsome. I'd seen a cosy cardigan pattern which I couldn't get out of my head. The pattern interested me all the more because the whole cardigan is knitted in one go up and up and then outwards with the sleeves. Tons of stitches I know, but no knitting five separate bits and then the button bands which usually has me drifting off and losing interest.

My man was going to drive Miss Rosey over to her friends one morning, then I remembered there was a fabulous yarn shop on that side of the city. I said no problem, I'll go, see you later.

 I'd gone in with the idea of a greyish blue colour in my head, but instead I got seduced more by the feel of the yarn. Once I'd held Rowan Lima in my hand everything else felt a little bit more scritchy. There were only four colours to choose from so I went for the silver grey. All the way home I kept touching my yarn where it sat perched on the seat beside me. I knew I'd made the right choice.

Now the other bit of news about this yarn shop, which I know will seriously interest yarn addicts in these parts, is that it's moving to the heart of the city. As from April Norfolk Yarn will be in Pottergate next to Head in the Clouds. On work days I go past here back and forth - oooerrrr I'm not sure that's a good thing.

 Whilst I've been seduced yet again with new projects, I've finished some and been working on finishing others. My sparkly bunting is all done and dusted - ready to find the perfect hanging spot.

 I love these pastely sparkles so, a complete change from the brighteness I usually go for.

 Meanwhile in the basket of things waiting to be actually finished ......

 Oh yes, there's one other thing I did start manage to start and finish all in one go. I grabbed some time early one morning to lengthen my pretty floral dress. I opted for a black and white polka dot that has the same drape with a small bit of white lace to break the two prints up. The only bad thing I did, which I might end up regretting, is not cutting it on the bias. On the bias all the dots were lined up neat and tidy which just looked awful so I took a chance on having a dodgy hemline. It hangs ok though, could be better, but I'm happy with it.

 

 Nearly all news caught up with now. On Friday I took our wee Lily in to the vets have a lady op. She started yowling in a godforsaken way for the entire week of half-term so I thought right lady the time's come. We'd been tempted to try for kittens, but ahhh that noise, it was ear splitting. Lily is doing ok, but is finding the lampshade a bit heavy on her head poor girl. The same day I drove my man in for a scan on a lump. Thank god that lump isn't what we thought it might be. The NHS Dr referred him to a private clinic so he was in and out before I'd turned the car round.

 This weekend I was determined to get back to my sewing machine and so I grabbed the chance today. I'll show you what I made another day, I loved it and will be back on it again very soon methinks. Little Bun and I are watching the Sewing Bee, so that's probably got me fired up again.

In between sewing and waiting for Miss Rosey and my man (her daddy) to get back from netball training we whipped up a Bruce Bogtrotter Cake (half size I might add).

 I used to loathe Sunday's when I was a child. I love them now. They're cosy do what you want days that demand comforting food. The slight problem with Sunday is that it's always followed by Monday. 

See you in the week.