There I was sitting at my computer trying to force myself to complete the hundreds of exam scripts I still had to mark, I hear the third knock at the door this morning. It's not as if I need distracting anymore than I can do myself. I have had to put my phone away so… Continue reading Something tells me I’m into something good.
The Accidental Winner: why it pays to dig out those sewing UFOs.
Now meet my "Afterthought" dress, the late to the party dress, the slow-slow-slow game-winner. It's months since I made her but only now got around to wearing and writing about it! I'm currently in a phase of craving instant gratification I see a new fabric or pattern and I want to sew it now, but… Continue reading The Accidental Winner: why it pays to dig out those sewing UFOs.
Through my eyes; I made a pattern from a photograph in Vogue
I have lovingly kept this Book of Vogue patterns for years and drooled and dreamed over it many times. Now I'm sewing again, I'm trying not to add to my pattern stash before I use some of the ones I have already, but it's difficult when you see something you like and it's not in… Continue reading Through my eyes; I made a pattern from a photograph in Vogue
Unrequited Sewing: The Pattern Stash gets busted
All of my sewing sisters will be guilty of stashing far more fabric than we know what to do with but since I've joined in with the wonderful world of the sewcialists I have had to concede that it's not just fabrics that I have a huge unused pile of but there is also a… Continue reading Unrequited Sewing: The Pattern Stash gets busted
Neither love or seams can keep you together…
Cloning My 'Wanderer' Jeans Every time I looked at them I knew this time had to be the last time we were together, but I couldn’t give them up. They were so good to me; they knew me so well and they knew how to make me feel good. I always ended up giving them… Continue reading Neither love or seams can keep you together…
7 reasons to try Apartment life on your next holiday.
Whether it be Birmingham or Bari, city breaks are still really popular, and there is a slew of hotels on all the various websites offering city centre rooms. However, increasingly, we've been finding great deals staying in self-catering apartments, in less urban locations for very reasonable prices. Plenty of comforts Why go self-catering? There… Continue reading 7 reasons to try Apartment life on your next holiday.
Albania: first bite… Kings of the Kala
Although we had flown into the capital Tirana, we weren't planning to stay there straight away. Our flight arrived in the evening and we had decided to drive straight to the town of Kruja, a little north of the capital. We had arranged a hire car that we picked up from the airport and drove… Continue reading Albania: first bite… Kings of the Kala
Therapy for Itchy Feet … a trip to less known Europe
The count down is over, the tickets are bought the 24 hour starters orders when we can do our on line check in is ticking closer and the initial packing stage has commenced. We are about to embark on our (becoming) annual early summer expedition and this is a big one. This year's adventure is… Continue reading Therapy for Itchy Feet … a trip to less known Europe
The humble T-shirt was remade in its own image…
I'm setting out to copy an existing RTW item from my wardrobe. When I used to do this kind of thing as a teenager, I always thought was a bit of a knock-off because I hadn't bought a pattern, it didn't involve lots of Complicated Technique and it wasn't done 'properly'. However, since falling in love… Continue reading The humble T-shirt was remade in its own image…
Pattern testing: Sinclair Pattern’s Clementine dress
Once you get to a certain degree of proficiency, one of the key ambitions of many sewists is to take off the training wheels of commercial dress patterns and make your own. Once I had mastered seams and zips and darts and waistbands and had made a few tailored items, this idea began to form in my… Continue reading Pattern testing: Sinclair Pattern’s Clementine dress
Book Clubbing together…
I finally got around to joining a book group. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I miss reading. I've always been a bookworm, I love to read, I love stories, I love to learn. As a child, I devoured books and would always be found in the library on a… Continue reading Book Clubbing together…
Entering an uplifting universe …
In the days when I was a prolific maker, it was the acquisition of new skills which was always a key driver. Once I'd made a two piece T-shirt I had to learn how to insert sleeves, once I knew how to knit and purl, I had to learn how to do cable. This is… Continue reading Entering an uplifting universe …
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