Crafty Happenings - Weeks 8-10

Hello!

We're not talking about my inability to post a weekly post, well, weekly.  Suffice to say I've been rushing around like a blue  a little busy and functioning entirely outside my comfort zone - anybody else fancy speaking to a conference of 400+ people about the wonderful work they do for an organisation that will no longer exist ... at 4 days notice?  I was torn between honoured and scared witless - but I did it, and without falling up the stairs to the stage which was the stuff of my nightmares!

Right, stop wittering woman, this is what I've actually been up to ...

 

 Don't you just love this kitchen fabric?  This was a bag for My Girlie's flatmate - a little birthday gift.  She has a red Kitchenaid so this was perfect

 

 

 

 

I made it at Sewing Club, we meet about once a month - I entirely failed to take photos this time which is sad because we had a super time and I actually made a card for Emmie, the first one I've made in months, I should have evidence!

 I found these in a charity shop - I love old notions.  They were going to charge me 10p for both - I couldn't take them for that so we settled on a £1 - apparently they're not used to people haggling upwards :)

 

 

And I got this brilliant pile of things from Freecycle, the lady had inherited a box of stuff and didn't want to throw it away.

 

There's was lots of stuff I couldn't use but my little 3 year old niece took them home for her craft box so we both had a happy pile of useful things.

 

Isn't this beauty? £20 from eBay.  I'm having fun finding things for my daughter's bedroom as she's taken all her furniture to her new flat.  I can't have a double bedroom standing empty - thought I'd get creative.  This is going to be white with a yellow interior eventually.

 

I've been very busy sanding, priming and painting, all still works in progress

When P and I drove to pick it up the lady who was selling it was clearing her Mum's house, she'd sadly passed away at the age of 86.  She was glad the desk was going to a crafter, I found the knitting needle inside when I got home.

 



 

Just visualise the yellow interior :)

 

 

Imagine my delight when we got there and found this too - £5, I kid you not!

 

No, it doesn't go with the wallpaper - I'm still at the thinking stage with this one :)

 

And this makes me very happy - it's going to be a bedside cabinet/seat

Try and imagine white paint and yellow and white fabric OK?

 

The best bit was we'd driven to collect the desk in my mini - I could not leave without any of these things - P had an interesting time making them fit in the back.

We drove all the way home with me barely able to see over the lampshade on my lap - and holding the lamp stand so that it didn't keep hitting him in the back of the head!

 

 

Finally found a use for the small piece of yellow vintage fabric I bought last March in Chester.

 

Foxes and rabbits and bears - oh my!

 

And finished the baby blanket I've been planning with the fabric I bought in San Francisco.

 

 

 Two more bags - both identical, one is for My Boy's girlfriend, she was with me when I bought the fabric and I know she likes it - just need to get it in the post.

 

And a Baby Tag Blanket from scraps - no idea who for, this was an idea I was trying for using up odds and ends from other projects.

 

 

And another bag from leftovers for my work colleagues wife - who bakes cakes for charity.

 

That's it - perhaps not masses to show for 3 weeks but lots of finished items - and given my tendency to be an Excellent Starter and the Master of WIPS I'm pretty pleased with my progress :)

 

Now I just need to find some time to catch up with all the blog posts I've been missing.

x

Crafty Happenings - Week 7

 

Good grief, this is late ... I don't even have time to make excuses to myself!

Right, I have one Finished Object:

Another tote bag using the free Craftsy pattern

 

 This is for my wonderful friend H - it is her birthday on Friday

She's always wanted to have a sweet shop - a proper old fashioned one with jars

This fabric, picked up in Goldhawk Road a couple of weeks ago, is perfect

And another quick turn around on the stash fabric

Then there was some Planning:

I signed up to this Craftsy class forever ago

 

 

Finally got round to watch the class all the way through - I knew I needed to do that rather than rush in

 

And picked out my size - OK I know that's little progress but it is progress!

And printed off all the pdfs I've downloaded recently

I know that, technically, this is a terrible photo but I used it because it proves that the sun shone here last weekend :)

And then I made a start on a Project:

This is the start of a blanket for my friends' new baby

And this will be a laundry bag and taggy blanket

I bought this fabric in San Francisco (Stone Mountain & Daughters actually - all very exciting!), I had exactly this project in mind because I found out on this very day that my friends were expecting their second baby.

And, last but not least, an award:





Dani, who blogs over here, very kindly nominated me for the Leibster Award.

I've been fortunate enough to be nominated before, I did answer the questions the first time and then totally bottled it when Kathryn nominated me.

But there are 2 aspects to these awards that I love:

 

1.  You get to find blogs that are new to you - so please link to the posts above if you want to find some great new bloggers and

 

2.  I'm nosey and love to read the answers people give to their questions.  So, I'm going to answer Dani's here - it's not fascinating, don't say I didn't warn you!

 

What was your best holiday ever?

Oh without a doubt my honeymoon in Portugal - Paul and I got married in 2005, second marriage for both of us.  We wanted to do something different, not the 3-ring circus of stress we'd seen often.  We got married in the UK so that immediate family and friends could be with us and then we went on honeymoon with 14 of the people closest to us. Straight from the ceremony, in a coach to the airport, in our wedding finery (tiaras, bouquets, the lot).  It was my birthday - the other passengers on the plane congratulated us and sang Happy Birthday to me!  We had a ball.  In fact, next April we're doing it all again for our 10th anniversary - except there will be more of us this time as babies have been born, people have got married, life has moved on.  I am so excited I can't express it adequately, a great group of people I love with all my heart on holiday together again :)

 

What is something that comes easily to you?

Communicating!  I'm a talker, and if I'm passionate about something then prepare to hear all about it.  There's a standing joke at work about my invisible soap box - don't get me started! I love helping other people understand stuff, training and teaching new things.  And I'm absolutely not an aural learner so I am really enthusiastic about working to different learning styles.  I probably should have had a different career in all honesty.

 

What is your favourite thing about your home?

Our bedroom - we extended the house a few years ago and I love the room, it's really light and bright and we have a great big sleigh bed and I've wanted one of those since I was a little girl.  I love, love, love my bed - I'm a bit of a dormouse.

 

Of course, my craft room is a close second :)

 

Early bird or night owl?

Probably night owl by inclination but I have to be an early bird!

 

Who was your first crush?

David Cassidy - The Partridge Family - loved it!

 

What two things do you want to do before you die?

I don't have a list - there are loads of things I'd love to do and I'm totally open to ideas I might not have had yet.

 

What makes you laugh?

Oh goodness, loads of things - my family, our cats, The Big Bang Theory, Fawlty Towers, Billy Connolly.  I'm not a fan of slapstick - I think I'm most amused by the ridiculous.

 

What was the best decision you ever made?

To have my children - they've taught me all the important stuff I needed to learn.

 

What are you most afraid of?

I can't even type that - can't tempt fate and put it into words.

On a very superficial level - mice and rats - yuck!

 

What three wishes would you request from a genie?

Funnily enough this isn't the first time I've been asked this question recently and so I've really thought about it and the answer is I wouldn't wish for anything.  I am very fortunate and have more love and security in my life than I ever imagined would be possible.  I'd give the wishes to someone who needed them.

 

What is the most essential thing you've learned so far?

On a practical level - learning to drive, totally broadened my opportunities.

On an emotional level - that you can't do it all, and it won't all be perfect, that good enough is absolutely fine. I need to remind myself of this pretty often!

 

Thanks Dani - remember to go and check out the blogs that she recommended :)

Jacq
x 

Vintage Pattern Bingo or Fabric Match?

OK, my Final 21

 

Now to be clear, these are not necessarily all my favourites, some of those didn't make the Final Cut because I'm focusing on patterns I think I might make multiples of, that don't need massively grading, that have a definite place in my daily wardrobe right this very minute.

I'll go back for those in the future, when I've got to grips with vintage patterns a bit more and think I've got a fighting chance of doing them justice.

That said, I want to make all of these, I love all of these and I think they've
got a place in my life, right here, right now :)

 

Dressing Gowns/Robes:

 

Here's the thing - I desperately need a new dressing gown - I'm envisaging a crisp cotton for spring/summer.

 

My instinct is to make the Simplicity one but I've included the Butterick in this final selection because I'm determined to use fabric already in my stash and that may work better - basically I'm keeping my options open.

 

The Simplicity men's robe was purchased for my brother Qui Gon Jinn - I've owed him this for months, we even went to Goldhawk Road to buy the fabric together. 

 

If I'm honest it's the steaming of 5 metres of wool that's putting me off!

 

Anyway, I also bought fabric to make one for P so I have 10 metres of fabric in my stash to make 2 men's robes - that's a lot of steaming! 

 

When I made my Harry Potter cape it took me the whole of 'Hello Dolly' stood in front of the TV.  I might get through a box set of dvds prepping fabric for my brother and husband!

 

I should get on with it.  My brother definitely wants the double-breasted version, P not so much I don't think.  Having the Butterick pattern in this Final 21 gives P other options.

 

Blouses:

 

I love blouses - I can't make a decision between any of these, I

love them all for different reasons

I didn't realise until I put the photos together that they are all,

each and every one of them, Style patterns

 

Separates:

 

These skirts look pretty similar but there are differences and I love a classic skirt

I think the New Look/Maudella pattern could be super for work - kind of a

more casual suit.  I really like View 1 with the different fabrics

 



 

 

I'm determined to make a knit top, it's on my 'to do'

 - I do love the batwing shape, if I make it with a vintage pattern

I can cross off 2 for the price of 1 garment!

 

Dresses: 

 

I love the Style pattern for work, I think it would be a really

useful addition to my work wardrobe.  I'd be brave enough to tackle this

now I have a machine that doesn't chew buttonholes!

 

And the Simplicity pattern is so lovely, both styles, but I'd probably make the

shirtdress (View 2), I do not have the figure for the nipped in waist/full skirt sadly

 

 

I was lucky enough to get both of the patterns above in last year's Sew Weekly Reunion Swap

Barbara sent them to me with lots of other goodies.

I wanted to make both but I didn't have the right fabrics in my stash to fit in with the Pantone theme

I think I would make the lilac version (View A, short) of the Fit & Flare dress and

the long-sleeved, short version (View B) of the McCalls pattern 

 

I think View 3 (yellow) of the Style pattern is gorgeous for the summer

I'm actually torn about the Butterick.  My instinct is A, probably because the picture is polka dots!

My Girlie wants me to make her View B, she loves the sleeves - I'm not sure if I'm

feeling unselfish enough to sew it for her!

 



I have both of these in mind for work wear - gorgeous

I love the neckline of the Style pattern and the whole ensemble of the Butterick



These are more casual - I'm be aiming for the maxi version of the News of the World pattern, I really like that it's a zip front

I plan to make the short sleeved version of the Woman's Weekly pattern, I'm thinking

about fabric combinations.

 



 

And frankly I have absolutely no idea where I would wear this but I think

it is absolutely beautiful, View 1 I think for me

 

 

So now I need to decide how to proceed with my limited selection:

 

I don't know whether to play Vintage Pattern Bingo.  Basically this is a bit like exactly copied from Sarah Liz's Lucky Pattern Game, I would give them all a number and select at random.

 

Or I can go through my stash and figure out which of these I already have suitable fabric for - thus removing the need to do any more fabric shopping!

 

I'm really not sure which approach to take - think I'll sleep on it :)