Thoughts

Well I have been thinking through the implications of me-made-may, As usual I have decided to go for the whole hog before thinking things through properly!! Enthusiasm always wins over practicality with me!!

I have several dresses I could wear, a couple of pinafore dresses, and some tops, plus cardis and socks, but I haven't got any trousers that I have made at the moment. However, I have several pairs of trousers and jeans that are all fine, so I don't need to make any!! I'm really trying not to over buy/make stuff. My whole theory of refashioning and making is also about training myself to be content with enough and not excess.

So I have got enough made by me outfits to last a month with a bit of mix and match, but I know I will need to wear trousers at some point so I may have to say I will do made by me except trews!! I know this is probably splitting hairs and you probably don't need to be so involved in the cogs turning in my brain but I like to be fair about stuff and not cheat!!

I have also been thinking about the back-pack problem and have some ideas that involve an old suit, some shirts and jean offcuts!! Just trying to work out what I can do for the straps, and do they need to be adjustable!

Well I'm off to continue to think and will share any conclusions I come to in a day or so! Feel free to add your conclusions!

I'm home

Well I'm home from my wanderings. I had a pretty good time and I spent 4 days with my gorgeous daughter so that was great. It's now sunday afternoon and I'm feeling pretty lazy so I'm sitting in bed trawling through my fav blogs. I find its a bit like catching up with old friends without the emotional energy needed for that.

As you know I have been a great supporter of Wardrobe Refashion and all that it stands for, well now that it's changing and a new blog has started called The Thrifty Garde Robe and I've been checking posts on there and after a wander away from there, I found a blog called So, Zo and she is holding a, made-by-me-may. In March she pledged to wear only things she had made herself, except undies, tights and shoes and was so enthused she wants to do it again in May and has invited others to join her. You can do a lite version by wearing only 1 handmade thing a day, or just weekends or just 1 week of May. I'm going to try for the whole hog but for me it will include refashioned stuff as well as made from scratch.

On the way back from London we visited Bicester Village outlet shops. It was a lovely sunny day and so was very pleasant walking round, I did buy some shoes cos Clarke's were doing 3 for 2 and my daughter was buying a pair, they are a pair of red loafers, that are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I would never usually buy that style and I'm still not why I did, but they are comfy and I will wear them!!

We also went into several bag shops but didn't really see anything to die for, but I did find several in the Radley shop that were definitely worth hanging on the crook of your arm!! But I have a ton of bags and I can now resisit them fairly well. but I am looking for a back pack to use on my bike, as my normal bags don't fit in my basket and if I get shopping I need the basket for that, and lo! in Radley they had a nice soft cushiony back pack a bit like this, except the one at Bicester was purple!! It did have a 1/3 discount but still a lot of money for what will prove to be a whim!! So I need to make a backpack from all this ton of fabric I have lurking in every corner of my house!!

I handed over the secret projects at the weekend, they were socks for him and a shawl for her!! both were much appreciated but the socks were a little long so I had to alter them but that was a quick job and now fit perfectly, so Happy Anniversary Sara and Andrew.

This is the back of the shawl, it is a feather and fan pattern and the wool was called Silver streak, very apt for 25 years!! I cannot tell you how hard it is to find silver grey sock wool, or maybe I have had that particular moan!!

These are the socks, you'll notice they have one coloured toe! That was because I ran out of wool when I made them originally, however, when I made them smaller, the coloured toe was much admired so I had re-create it even though I did have enough original wool!!

And this is me with pin curls, I think it looked better in real life!! I would definitely do them again, I put the grips in to damp hair in the morning and took them out about 5 hours later and they lasted all evening and the next day!! I think they would have looked better on longer hair but that will have to wait!!

Parasol top and pin curls!!

So this is the parasol top that I made from the Cynthia Rowley

pattern, shown in a previous post. the fabric pattern doesn't show up on this photo, because it is a bit light. Sorry photography is not one of my skills or more to this point one of my husband's!! But it is a really pretty fabric with different colour parasols all over it, in lots of colours and although they are light they aren't as pastelly as it looks here!!

This is also a day old pincurls which have been refreshed with my straighteners!! I'm definitely a fan of pin curls, I'm not sure the back of my hair is quite long enough yet as it is very layered, but the front looked good yesterday when it was done. I'm afraid I have a rotten cold so wasn't really up to posting yesterday, I'm a bit surprised I managed to do the pincurl thing at all!!

Anyway I'm off to a party this weekend and I haven't even had to buy so much as a pair of stockings for it!! My outfit all comes from my wardrobe and that is quite an achievement especially as the dear old tune-king, offered to buy me a new dress!! I'm off to wonderwool in Wales in a couple of weeks and would rather spend there than buy a new dress that won't get many wearings!! Also I kinda like the feel that I had a hand in putting something together, I refashioned the skirt for Saturday from an evening dress I found in a charity shop!! So I would rather make something now than buy it anyway!!

This is the back of the parasol top and as you can see it gaps a bit, which I'm not going to do anything about for this top but next time I will change it. There are 2 ways I can do this, I can make 2 tiny darts in the pattern before cutting, on the neckline so taking in that fullness. I'm a little worried that if I do this it may be difficult to get on as its made from a stable fabric. Or I can cut the neckline a bit lower at the back, and again reduce the fullness. I only have enough fabric for a sleeveless version for the next one and I don't want the neck line to be too much bigger in case it keeps falling off my shoulders!! So have any of you got any ideas for me? It hardly seems noticeable in this picture but it feels like a big gap as I'm wearing the top!!

I have finished all my secret projects in plenty of time and will be handing them over this weekend so will post pics after that.

I have also started an Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise Jacket, and I'm faithfully following the instructions, but it definitely looks odd and even with the instructions and pictures I cannot for the life of me see how it will work so I will post details of that when I finish it. I was too lazy to do a tension square, and - I couldn't read the ball band, the writing was too, too tiny! I had spare balls of 4ply to use so I have done it in that and the tension seemed roughly right but if you fold it where I think you do it will fit a smallish baby doll!! Maybe I'll donate it to a premie unit!!

Are any of you involved in Wardrobe Refashion? I have been a great supporter and follower of it for a couple of years but sadly it is about to change, in a way that I probably won't be able to afford to join in anymore. But I want to thank Nikki, who started it all, for the hard work she has put in and for the intros the blog has given me to so many of you out there whom I follow avidly!! Nikki I wish you well for the future, I don't think you read this blog but I wanted to mention you anyway!!

I'm away now for a week but I will try and return with some pics and stuff to chat about, let's hope the sun stays shining here in Good Ole Blighty!!

Happy Easter

I have been busy on my secret projects this week, although I did manage a bit of sewing on Thursday and I have just got the hem to do of my first top, pics will be here soon.

I just wanted to wish peeps a Happy Easter and hope that you have all enjoyed the break, especially here in England where we get 2 bank holidays either side of the weekend. We had sun today but Friday it rained really hard as soon as I poked my nose outside!! Its still really cold though so lets hope spring decides to get here soon!!

Three things I really like today!!

So I mentioned yesterday about going blonde and I have done it, well as blonde as I can do at home, in one hit!!

This is before, which in reality was quite a lot darker but basically just very dark brown, with reddish lights in it.

I used a pre-lightener to strip out the dark stuff and the instructions said do ends first then do roots but I will do the lot at once in future, cos the front bit is not as light now as I would have liked!!

Anyway, here is the after, quite orange, I know but I thought that might happen, having played this game before!! I may go and have lots of very blonde highlights put through next week, we'll see.

It is definitely a change and that has cheered me up just in itself, I think I should really be a chameleon as I've never been able to stick to one hair colour for long!!

This is the next thing that I really like.

I made these bix this morning, as its a friend's birthday, Its ok I made more than just 6!! The recipe is from The Yarn Yard. This is my second go at them, first time they came out rather well done, my fan oven can be a bit fierce!! Anyway this time I did them at 170C for 7 mins and they came out a lovely golden colour!! They've got oats and golden syrup plus usual stuff and you can put coconut in as an optional extra. Well I didn't have any coconut but I did have some amaretti bix, left over from a making a cheesecake base, so I pulverised them and added to bix mix and it has given them a lovely almondy flavour! Has anyone got any idea why my font has changed and gone blue and I can't change it back no matter what I do!!!

Well there is one more thing that I really like today. I work for a charity and we help young people work with churches in Europe for various lengths of time, from 2-4 weeks in the summer to gap year options of 3-9 months. The charity is called The bless network and we work in France, Croatia and Spain and we have links in Germany and Amsterdam as well. At the moment we have 3 x 18/19 year old girls down in Croatia and they are really working to help the local community and serve the people of Slavonski Brod. Yesterday they went to a home for the disabled and although there were language complications they persevered and have really made some good friends. Go and see their blog and see what a fun time they are having.

I have not said much about my job or beliefs before because I have read several blogs by Christians and quite frankly I find them bum-clenchingly embarassing and totally off-putting!! I want to avoid that because being a Christian is something that is really important to me but it hasn't changed me into some kind of weirdo that wants to bore the pants off any one!! Although it has changed me into a nicer person for quite a lot of the time!! The most important thing for me is relationship and that includes mine with God and mine with anyone else. I'm more than happy to talk about Jesus and what I believe if you ask me about it but I promise I will never shove it at you.

Lastly I have to mention something I really hate and that is computers that turn themselves off when you are in the middle of doing a post!! Enough said, no names mentioned, you there laptop, yes you on my lap!!!

And even more lastly, my patterns have just turned up so I'm going to have a good read of them!!

Age and losing weight!

So I've been thinking lately about age, mine in particular I guess. I hit 50 a few years ago and I have always said how much I love it, I feel released to be me!! I have never thought of it as old and I still don't really, in side I'm still about 22 but much battier, which I also like, my ambition has always been to be a bit eccentric!! This last birthday I decided for health reasons as much as any other that I must loose some excess weight, about 4 st (56lbs) and I have given myself a time limit of next birthday, which co-incides well with a wedding I have been invited to! I have lost 12lbs, which is too much to waste but not enough to notice to anyone else. Now I'm stuck, can't seem to get my brain back in the Zone.

Anyway there is a link between these two things and I'm not just rambling!! Part of my trouble in getting back into the Zone is that I'm realising I'm too old for some of the things, I think I would wear if I was thin enough!! Which just goes to show that we kid ourselves it's about health but really it is about looks!! Most of the fashion blogs I look at, are by bright young things and they look so amazing. I love the vintage look, especially the 40s, but I can't wear too much of it, cos I would just look frumpy, especially when I am still tubby.

Well maybe what I need and maybe some of you out there too (please I'm not the only one am I?) is a blog for a bright, slightly batty, old things!! I have a deep fear of catalogues for 5o+ ladies!! Many years ago a friend and I had a pact to shoot one another if we ever had a page boy bob (a deeply frumpy hairstyle in the days when we had big, permed, shaggy cuts!!) and I extend that deal to all of you out there, please, please shoot me if I ever buy or make any remotely 50+ outfit.

So I think I will make it my ambition for this next year to continue, eating healthily and getting some daily exercise and making and wearing stuff that I feel is me. I think I need a change of hair colour - that or a new bag usually helps pick me up!! I had a new bag a couple of weeks ago and I still love it so its the hair that must change. I've not been blonde for a long time, hmm, that's an idea!!

One last question, why do things that don't weigh very much like chocolate, weigh so much more on your hips once you've eaten it?!?

Plans, plans and more plans!!

Well the last couple of evenings have been spent choosing patterns both sewing and knitting and planning what to make next!!

I really want to get away from t-shirts this spring/summer, I know they are easy to wear and wash but they aren't so flattering or stylish are they? Well I was lingering over at roobeedoo's blog (one of my favs btw) and she was talking about a blouse pattern, this lead me to Jaycotts, which I find great for patterns, they usually have some discount going on (50% off Simplicity at the mo) and I ordered 3 patterns, 2 blouses and a top.

I

I have various pieces of fabric that I use for them, half a duvet cover on a faded, pale blue, toile de jouy and that will be one of the blouses. I think that will suit me ok, it's very soft, well washed and floppy . Much as I love this crisp shirt look it just doesn't work on me, not even when I was young and slim. I always felt very wide shouldered and beefy in that look. Probably cos I'm somewhat challenged in the height department!! I bought the Cynthia Rowley pattern as I have a couple of pieces of fabric that I love that are only 45" wide and about 1.2m in length which just won't make a blouse for anyone, let alone a tubby like me, but that simple shape will just work, I may have to use bias binding on the edges rather than facings but I'm happy to do that. I think they will also be nice and cool and I'm informed by a friend that we are forecast the hottest summer since 1976!!

Then knitting, I bought Leisl by Ysolda Teague, which is a fab cardi, there are plenty of options to make with a high neck, scoop neck, sleeves, cap sleeves. Its in aran yarn although you can use chunky as well, apparently. I have been looking at Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton, possibly in Leaf, I like the idea of this wool as it is fairtrade and the water used to grow the cotton was not drinking water (not sure how this works!) . There's loads of colours and I found best deal on considerthelily, and I think my size will take 5 balls so that comes in at £20, which is a pretty good deal for a cotton cardi. Its in a feather and fan pattern so is quite open so I think it will work well for the summer.

I also downloaded Multnomah which is a lovely shawl pattern and is free, I have some sock wool waiting for that but that is a secret project so more of that another time!! I'm off to wonderwool at the end of April and I hope to pick up some yarn for more of these. Both knitting patterns can be found on Rav .

So as well as altering a dress for a friends wedding, changing my 2nd mac, and finishing my secret projects, I'll have plenty of time for all of the above!! Pics will come as stuff is done!!