Fancy Elastic

Maia's Quilt

2011-12-06T14:20:00.001Z

One of my best friends just had another baby. Her twin boys are aged six, and I think the question of whether to go for number three was thought about for most of those six years. Happily her then unknown presence was finally deemed very much necessary, and now she is here in the world and how very exciting and pleasing this is for us all. Unfortunately, I won't get to meet her right away as she lives in Italy... Oh, how I would like to zip over and see them!

So, I made a quilt for her. I pieced the top in a weekend which is unheard of for me, I don't know how I did it really, I think I may have been neglecting my children and husband somewhat. Then it took me a little longer to back and quilt and bind. The fabric is American Jane Recess. I bought a FQ stack of this line yonks ago, and sadly I think this will be the last quilt it makes, but it has served me well. It did this one, and this one. And clearly that duvet cover picked up in the charity shop has done me well too, as it backed the three Recess quilts and this one! Gosh, I am predictable aren't I?

So, sewing is being slipped in between the rest of life. Although this 'rest' of life is proving to be rather stressful. We have sold our home and are in the process of buying a new one. The new one being 200 miles away. Eek.

And, I would like to thank Knotted Cotton for this post, by reminding me that I have a blog.

How to make a lady very happy

2011-07-26T09:59:00.001+01:00

I made a new bag! Whoopee! I have had this t-towel since my hen do... we went to a car boot sale on the Sunday and I came away with, among other things, a stack of kitch souvenir kitchen linens.

And, I made a bag... look! I am so pleased. This morning I went swimming and took my new bag and oh what a bright start to the day. Check out the fun illustrations... how could that not make you cheery?

The green handles and lining is Lime Klona Cotton.

Did I tell you that I love it?

Tummy Ache Supper

2011-07-16T20:32:00.000+01:00

Supper for Mil this evening was a Tummy Ache recreation.

Mils Blue Quilt

2011-07-15T09:19:00.001+01:00

I hadn't meant to blog this morning. I logged on to look at my much neglected blog reader and realised I would rather write a post.

I have neglected this space and it distresses me so. I wish I had the time to dedicate more to it... perhaps this will change in time.

Anyhow, want to see what I finished? I'm not sure I even told you I had started it, but I made a quilt for Mil. It's blue, it's a simple nine-patch, it is quilted in a very simple way, and actually I am really pleased with it.

And the best thing is that Mil likes it. This is remarkable as he has an inherent dislike of all that is new. But as I put it on his bed and started to take some photographs, he came upstairs and immediately got into bed and closed his eyes for a moment, then got back out and took great care in straightening it back out again.

Last night after bedtime he came back downstairs and said 'I really love my quilt mum, thank you for making it for me'. I don't doubt for a moment that he knew how much that meant to me.

Speak to you all soon!

Patches and scrapes

2011-02-23T16:31:00.000Z

My little Mil never crawled, instead went straight to walking. This was great for us, as we could sit him in the middle of the room and as long as he couldn't reach any furniture then he wasn't going to go anywhere. He was even pretty safe if left by a piece of furniture or wall as he used to shuffle his way around the edge of the room going in and out of the alcoves, until he got where he wanted. We never had to have a stairgate at the bottom of the stairs as along with crawling, he didn't get the climbing thing until later either.

However, even with an early start with walking, he didn't take to running in the same way. Now, he can run pretty well, but like any 3 (nearly 4) year old he still goes flying on a regular basis. And flying boys means scraped knees, and holey trousers.

I have not been doing much (any) sewing recently. What can I say? I've been busy. I am determined to do a bit more though, and before I can make real progress I have some small 'clearing the ground' jobs to do. One of which was this patching job.

I think they look super-cute and am dead chuffed to be back in the sewing saddle. Of course, now they have patches on Mil will probably not go near these trousers with a barge pole. He's very fussy about what he wears... but that will remain to be seen... I'll keep you posted.

Some Knitting

2011-02-07T21:45:00.000Z

I have not been doing much crafting. I have been snowed under with Backstitch work, and it seems that it may continue that way. But I do sneak the odd bit in.

Over Christmas I made Mil some Legwarmies... Ravelry link here. But he rejected them, so they have been adopted by Emmett. Good old Emmett - always up for a cast off. They are knitted with the totally gorgeous MillaMia yarn who have brilliant colours... yet another Swedish export that I can't get enough of.

And just in shot there on Mil is his tank that I made him back in Summer. This was my hospital knitting for when I had Emmett. Mil did not reject this. I told him it would make him run faster, and now it is his favourite. The pattern was recommended by the lovely Helen over at Angharad Handmade it is called 'Bob'. Ravelry project page here. The pictures are taken on our allotment at the end of the summer. We were planting peas and onions for the mice and birds to eat over winter.

And if you're wondering if he noticed the new eiderdown... he didn't. I couldn't believe it. I had to point it out to him in the morning having slept under it all night. I never for a moment thought he wouldn't notice... it was just meant to be a headline. Oh well.

Do you think he will notice?

2011-01-07T17:46:00.000Z

Do you think my husband will notice that we have a new eiderdown on our bed? The red one below is what we used to have and the green one is what we have now.

I couldn't help myself. It was in the window of the charity shop as I ran past last night. The shop was closed and I was pawing at the window. I even had dreams last night of coming into the shop in the morning and seeing someone else at the till with it in their arms... argh!

This morning I piled the boys (as of course there are now two) into the pushchair and hurried up to the High Street, in the rain, to be there as the shop opened. I won't say how much I paid, but it is worth it already. Although, now I want new bed linen to complement the gorgeous eiderdown. Oh dear.

And, hello! Is this a one time only appearance or am I back for good? I would like to think the latter, as I have missed it here.

Catch you later! x

Emmett

2010-06-25T09:39:00.000+01:00

So, he was born a month ago today... all was great, he was 9 lb 2 oz and I am relieved to have him here in the world safely. We're all settling into our new ways okay... there is a fair bit of yelling going on, but I'm confident it will pass.

Apologies for the absence... I fear it may last a little longer!

Too small and too big

2010-05-23T22:16:00.000+01:00

A little while back I finished Mil's jumper. Ravelry link here. The first thing I have knitted for my lovely boy. I am fairly happy with it. I love the yarn (Stylecraft Pure Luxury Merino DK)... so so soft, but I made a bit of a mess of the neck... not thinking very clearly about how the two-tone was going to work. And then... the damn thing ended up being way too small! Good old Mil wore it for a while, insisting that it was 'fine' but really it was way too short in the arms and in the body.

I'm knitting him a new jumper now... a tank top, which will be the right size! And, luckily there is a cousin this can go straight to, and then it can come back for our next.

So, too big? That's me. I'm too big, way too big. Going for the op on Tuesday... wish me luck!

Backstitch pattern review series

2010-05-10T10:10:00.000+01:00

Over at Backstitch, we've started a series of pattern reviews by lovely bloggers. The idea is to give you a useful resource for when choosing patterns from the shop.

The first of our pattern reviews is by Helen of Angharad Handmade. You all know Helen don't you? She has a great blog as well as an Etsy shop where you can buy all the nice things she makes.

The review gives you some valuable information about the pattern, as well as some inspiration... who could not be inspired by this lovely spotty number?!

Read the full review here within the articles section on the Backstitch website.

Clickerty-clack

2010-05-03T10:08:00.000+01:00

I can't get enough of knitting at the moment! I am seriously missing sewing but just can't get my backside off the sofa. I think B is getting a bit bored of me saying 'I know what I'm going to sew next' and then not doing any of it... I have masses on my 'to sew' list and zero motivation for it.

But, those knitting needles? Click, clack, click, clack. I'm in heaven!

I've finished this unborn childs second pair of shoes... I know, daft. I am fully aware that babies don't wear shoes, but those cute little bootie patterns - irresistible! (Saartje's Booties, ravelry link here). That's it though. I've moved on to some serious functional knitting.

I really wanted to knit the boy a cardigan. He likes cardigans over jumpers really, but I couldn't find a pattern I was happy with, so I have opted for the placket neck jumper from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I am knitting it in this super-soft Stylecraft 100% merino.

But, anyone have any ideas how to get me off this sofa and up into that sewing room?

Baby Knits

2010-04-11T16:08:00.004+01:00

Today I finished two projects. A red jacket and some booties. Both for the baby. Some might be forgiven for thinking that this baby is going to be born in December, not May, but hey, you know the what the British summer is like.

I am loving knitting at the moment and now feel quite lost that I have nothing on the go... not sure what I can get click-clacking on next? Perhaps something for the boy... poor chap has not been knitted anything yet.

Both projects are in my Ravelry. The jacket here and the boots here. Both projects are free ones, the jacket from here and the boots here, and both were really great quick knits... highly recommended. The only concern I have is that the booties really are tiny. I think if I made them again, I would make them longer in the foot. They currently measure up at 7cm heel to toe... I know babies are small, but 7cm? Besides, it looks like I'm cooking up a nine and a half pounder in here.

And, how are you all? Enjoying this sunny spell?

Backstitch: Free Alphabet Embroidery Transfer

2010-03-30T09:30:00.002+01:00

New blog post over at the Backstitch blog: Download a free alphabet embroidery transfer.

Knitting for the bump

2010-03-27T09:37:00.003Z

I haven't done any knitting for ages. I have been slogging to get Backstitch up and running and craft-wise I have been beavering away on some projects that will be for the Backstitch blog.

But a couple of days ago I picked up the needles again.

I am 31 weeks pregnant and really getting quite big now. Getting to the stage where I am not just moving slowly, but trying to move less too. And although this goes against my nature, I have realised that moving less and knitting make a winning combination.

Now, this poor little baby that is wriggling away inside me hasn't been crafted anything yet (actually that's not exactly true, but near enough) so a small red cardigan is on the needles.

The pattern is a free one (God bless Ravelry), and is available here. This is the link to my project in Ravelry.

As we don't know what flavour this baby will be I am knitting it in a nice universal red, and shall be using a big brown wooden button, yet to be purchased, as the feature. I think the cardi has a pretty unisex shape too.

Hooray for knitting!

Backstitch goes live!

2010-03-20T13:32:00.008Z

Well, whoever would have thought I would do this?!! I've only gone and done it though...
Backstitch the online store selling fabric and patterns opened it's virtual doors yesterday.

I hope you like it... it has taken some time and some more effort, but I am pleased with the result.

Please feel free to spread the word!

Kenwood love

2010-03-15T10:24:00.003Z

I am in love with a machine. After several years of hankering, I came across this beauty at a car boot sale a couple of weeks ago. The man wanted £30 for it... a fair price. I, as is typical, came to the boot sale unprepared for large purchases. Just before heading home B and I scrabbled together our pennies and I was able to offer him £17. I think he could see the desperation in my eyes.

Mil and I made cakes. I think we might be making cakes more often.

3 years

2010-03-15T10:20:00.003Z

Last week, our little boy turned 3. That's 3 mad years of parenting.

And, biased I might be, but I think he's lovely.

Scarlet fever/ tonsillitus/ double ear infection

2010-02-22T17:18:00.003Z

Our little boy has been lost in a world of poorly... for almost 2 weeks now. First scarlet fever, and now tonsillitis and a double ear infection. He is just starting his second round of antibiotics, and is dosed up with painkillers.

He is not himself at all and I want him back... I miss him.

So, not much of anything going on around here other than getting through the days and nights and hoping that things improve and that our fun-loving, creative and thoughtful boy comes back soon.

I love my ironing board

2010-02-17T09:19:00.005Z

So, ages and ages ago I picked up an old wooden ironing board from a car boot sale for £2. Yes! A whole two pounds. Up until this point I was using a duvet cover laid out on my cutting table.

The ironing board was grubby and with rusty bits and the cover, if you could call it that, was pinned on very badly with multi-coloured drawing pins. Also, when you ironed it gave off a nasty whiff... Nice. I did take some before pictures, but it was so long ago that I cannot find them.

It took me ages and ages to recover it, and I have been doing it in stages, but it is complete. I stripped it down and beeswaxed the wood, tacked on some new luscious thick felt, and have just recently added some jolly red canvas.

Ta-da! One brand new spanking delicious ironing board.

I love it.

Edited to ad: Can I just make it clear that I only iron for sewing purposes, oh, and weddings and interviews. I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about me and ironing.

Oooooh, and I have been very slack. A few weeks ago, Petit Filoux awarded me my very first blogging award. A Sunshine Award. It is 'awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world'... do you hear that? Can you imagine!

Well, I am dead chuffed, thank you Petit Filoux, and sorry for being so slow with my response... real life has been getting in the way of this one.

I am going to be a bit naughty and not pass it on, but please do all have a look over on the right there and take a look at a few of the very many blogs that I follow. And go and check out Petit Filoux... that girl is a whirlwind of creativity.

And, bring on the sunshine.

my mate for life

2010-02-14T16:55:00.002Z

Happy Valentine's everyone. We don't really celebrate Valentine's day in this house with any seriousness. Occasionally, if the other is lucky we might present a card. Like a lot of the world we try to celebrate our love and togetherness in small ways every day, and rather rebel at being told to show love.

However, I did feel compelled to make my love a small lavender pillow to keep his smalls scented. With a heart on one side and a swallow on the other. As well as some rather dubious homo erotic and criminal meanings, swallows also symbolise love and loyalty as they choose a mate for life.

And B? He made bagels... what more could a girl ask for?

Next project: a quilt for the new blog

2010-01-25T11:20:00.011Z

I've started on my next project... a quilt for the Backstitch blog (which will be up and running soon) I was basting it at the weekend which is a bit of a job with an expanding bump!

I'm hand quilting this one so some dedicated hours in front of the TV I think.

Just desperately in love with this fabric though, which will be in the shop once I go live.

Hello out there!

2010-01-25T11:20:00.010Z

We are had our 20 week scan last week, and I'm happy to say that all is well in there. Next time I see this little chap/ chapess (there were no clues!) it will be in the big wide world. Gosh.

Finally Finished!

2010-01-25T11:17:00.004Z

I have finally finished my 'first' quilt that I started back in September 2008. Yes, I know, it's a miracle, it only took me 16 months! Truthfully, I am overjoyed and relieved to have completed this project. I have started quilting it twice, and unpicked it twice, started with one type of batting, and ended with another... basically changing tack many times before ending up here, at the end.

I completed the quilt top in October 2008 after joining a quilting and patchwork class. Then I had to figure out how to quilt it on my own. It sounds daft saying 'on my own' about a task that seems pretty straightforward to me now, but I just didn't have the confidence, or (dare I say it) experience, that I have now. This quilt really makes me realise how much I have been learning over the last year or so, not just in being able to finish it, but in the quality of my stitching.

I am VERY pleased to have it finished. I love that it is no longer in a pile under my desk. I love (most of) the fabrics and it's rich and playful colours. I love that it is for us, and I won't be wrapping it up and giving it away like so much that I make. And, I love that we have already been snuggling under it rather a lot.

Kimono for May

2010-01-13T13:36:00.003Z

My friends seem to be producing babies faster than you can say reproduction at the moment and so there has been a load of baby makes recently. This is the last for a while... I actually think that I am next... now there's a terrifying thought!

I liked the look of this 'Lucy's Kimono' in Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing. Like a lot of people in the Flickr pool I did have some trouble with bunching where the sleeve seam meets the main body, but it is not too bad.

I made an error with the shoulders too - the shoulder seams meet each sleeve in a different place, but again, it hasn't effected the overall appearance too much.

I used a red flannelette so it's all cosy, and some floral bias binding that I got from my local yarn shop... I bought them out when I saw it! I think if I do this pattern again I will do a snap closure on the inside (rather than another tie) like some others on Flickr have done. I think a snap would be more practical.

Overall I am happy and I think I'll do this one again.

Quiet

2010-01-11T13:37:00.002Z

It's all been a bit quiet on here over this cold festive snap. We had a very lovely Christmas and New Year, and things have been happily peaceful.

We are all back to our normal routines now though, so I should be back blogging, but the crafting has slipped a bit.

I have been busy with other things including the new business, of which there will be more talk another time, and of course busy growing.

But until my crafting enthusiasm thaws, here is a picture of some roses, taken last night after dinner.

Technorati Claim Code

2009-12-23T13:56:00.001Z

PD6GEVMJ2GUY

Sorry to all those who have received this in their readers... just a boring formality!

Merry Christmas to you all.

Shark and lavender embroidery patterns

2009-12-22T15:10:00.002Z

During our big pre-Christmas tidy-up on Sunday I found this plain grey t-shirt in my to-do pile. I had put it aside to embellish for Mil in some way, but until now I had not got around to doing anything with it. Last night I fancied some mindless stitching in front of the TV, and this morning this is what he got. I have added the pattern here in my free downloads.

I was really struck when Mil first put it on this morning, as he immediately began tracing his finger over the lines, which is exactly what I am compelled to do with embroidery. Do you do that?!

I've also added to the free pattern sheet, my lavender embroidery pattern. I'm not sure how many of you are doing lavender related embroidery in the depths of December, but maybe for next year!

A little bag for little groceries

2009-12-18T09:11:00.002Z

Look at these lovely wooden groceries. We bought these as a Christmas gift for my nephew who will be spending Christmas here at our house. These groceries are so tactile they are really wonderful. But what are little wooden groceries without a handmade bag to put them in?

I love making these simple little bags. And this turnip fabric is just the thing.

A couple more gifts to sort today and then I think we are done! Phew.

Made in the UK Advent Calendar

2009-12-14T19:48:00.003Z

Just discovered that my funny little Advent Calendar Pictures (which you can still download here) were featured on UK Handmade's 'Made in the UK' Advent Calendar, Day 6.

How cool is that?! I'm dead chuffed.

The greatest make...

2009-12-07T11:09:00.004Z

So all those evenings that I haven't been crafting with my hands, I have been crafting with my tummy. That's my excuse anyway! I'm 4 months gone... due end of May.

Ruben's grey cardigan

2009-12-04T13:12:00.005Z

One of my very best friends had her first baby about a week ago, and on the weekend we went to meet the little chap. Very, very, very cute.

But, as his mother is one of the very few people that read this blog who also know me in the 'real' world, I have had to hold this post back. Time for the grand reveal.

I knitted him a Baby Sophisticate and the great free pattern is available from Stockinette. My Ravelry link is here. I used Debbie Bliss Merino Aran, Colourway 325105. It took 2.7 skeins.

The pattern was a real joy to follow and knit, and dead quick. The end result is cute, but I'm not sure how practical it will be for such a little one. The aran yarn makes the cardigan very bulky, so I don't think the baby will enjoy wearing it so much. I do find that there are a lot of baby knit patterns online that use aran wool. My yarn store doesn't have a great selection of colours in aran, and I do wonder about this bulk issue.

I went for grey and have jazzed it up with some green buttons!

Lavendar bags and crockery love

2009-12-04T12:56:00.004Z

I finished up some of my lavender bags I was embroidering as Christmas gifts. I still have to do a couple, particularly for the lovely lady who donated all the lavender to me. I am pleased with how they have turned out, but I don't think I will embark on production line embroidery again, it is too time consuming and rather takes the fun out of it. I'm now longing to embroider something else!

They smell lush too.

And the other day I was in the charity shop looking for Christmas gifts when I came across this gorgeous set of crockery. I spotted the jug and bowl first as they were priced together, then priced separately on another shelf were the plates. I'm becoming pretty choosy in charity shops now, but these I had to have... and, for myself! I'm also struck by how seasonal they are with their snowflakey pattern and colours.

They are Alfred Meakin, Morning Star. Yum.

Pretty Cookie Mix

2009-12-04T12:45:00.002Z

I am going to be carrying on with the Christmas theme for a bit, as I get my gifts sorted. Next is these great Cookie Mix jars from Bakerella. I haven't tested the mix so I really hope they bake up alright. The jars were a bargain 99p from our local hardware store. I have been buying them like mad as the lady there says she can't get any more and once they are gone, they are gone...

And, the Advent Calendar is working a treat. I had a long day at work and left the bowl as per the previous post with envelopes and pegs and ribbon with B and asked him to put it up somewhere and look what he did! I would never have thought of doing it this way! Brilliant.

Advent Calendar and Sloe Gin Labels

2009-11-29T11:07:00.007Z

I am full steam ahead with Christmas planning right now. We are off to London at the weekend and need to drop off 90% of our gifts, and I only really realised this a few days ago. We are getting there though and it will be a great relief to be a little ahead.

Also, I've been doing Mil's advent calendar. That's what that little preview on the last post was. I have numbered 24 little envelopes and drawn and coloured a Christmas themed token for in each one, as well as a written activity for each day. I am going to peg them to a ribbon, in an as yet undecided location. I'll show you pics when they are up.

If you would like to use the sheet I made for the 24 advent tokens I have made it available as a pdf here. You could use it for colouring-in fun, or gift tags too. I warn you, some of the drawings are somewhat primitive! I have also put our activities here as a pdf too. A lot of these are the same as those that are all over blogland at the moment.

I also made some labels for our sloe gin, as we are giving these as gifts. I have done these as a download too, but not sure how many of you will be using Mendip sloes! I'm rather pleased... it feels like things are coming together!

Oh, and look, my hyacinth is flowering and smells glorious.

Christmas is coming

2009-11-25T11:12:00.005Z

A little preview of some Christmas related crafting... what could it be?

A short post as we've been away visiting relatives. Pretty much all our relatives live in Cambridge, and as we aren't going to be there over Christmas we have just spent several days catching up with folk there. A very restful weekend was had with walks along the towpath and at Wandlebury. Lovely.

I'm glad to be back and happily have Christmas on my mind.

Pebble vest

2009-11-17T10:55:00.004Z

I finished my vest! I actually finished it 10 days ago, but it has taken me a little while to get it up here. I really enjoyed this knit. It was simple and satisfying and I love the yarn which was a bargain. I am going to knit another, but try and size it up so that it will last a little longer.

Ravelry link to my project here, the free pattern is Pebble by Nikol Lohr, The Thrifty Knitter. I used the DK yarn Sirdar Escape in colour 0187. I used just under a 50g skein.

Not sure who this is for yet. There are babies due to pop out all over the place so I'm sure it will find a good home, and then I'll be able to have the satisfaction of seeing this on somebody.

And to end, here are some pics of the kids enjoying carnival on Friday night. We had a great time, the power stayed on, and we were able to cook our lasagna (which was yum!).

Kitchen Poetry 05: Friday

2009-11-13T18:07:00.003Z

Tonight is carnival night here in our little city, and seeing as we live on the route, we have friends over so the kids can press their noses up against our front window, and the adults can skulk in the back room drinking wine.

I was going to post some pictures of general merriment from this evening, but we were struck with a power cut in early evening and this has become the story.

It is lasagna, salad and garlic bread on the menu tonight, and luckily B had made the red sauce earlier on today, but I had to make the white sauce and construct the things. Power cuts don't usually last long around here, so I was pretty confident we would be able to get them in the oven, but did need to make this other sauce. Now, you would think the gas hob would work, but it has some safety cut out, so here I am cooking on the camping stove.

All back on now, after an hour and a half which is the longest I've known for a while.

Happy carnival all!

Kitchen Poetry 4: Thursday

2009-11-12T11:42:00.002Z

Now, this really is poetry. Well, poetry to me anyhow.

Welcome to our kitchen... it NEVER looks like this. This morning we have been cleaning like mad things as this afternoon we have an agent coming to value our house. (And, frankly the place is a tip, so it's a good excuse).

We are not going to put the house on the market, but recently have started to think about the possibilities of moving and would like to know the value so we can start looking with a bit more sincerity.

Kitchen Poetry 3: Wednesday

2009-11-11T19:06:00.003Z

I love cooking. B loves cooking. We used to cook a lot together. We would spend all week planning what feast we were going to create on the weekend, and then spend all day preparing, and have friends over to eat with us.

Now we have a little one around, we don't have the time to cook as much as we did, but we do eat well, very well.

Our library of cookery books (there are some gardening ones there too) is dipped into all the time and we try to cook new things as much as possible.

Do you see any glaring gaps that need filling? Any recommendations?

Kitchen Poetry 2: Tuesday

2009-11-10T20:11:00.004Z

Tonight it was a lovely supper of Leek Cheese and Baked Potatoes. This is a childhood favourite of mine. My mum says she invented Leek Cheese, but I am not sure as this feels like it should be a classic in every home. So, does anyone else make cheesy leeks?

Edited to add: so it seems I should have added the recipe first time round... see, there I was thinking everybody knew how to make this... I guess maybe my mum did invent this!

Trim a couple of leeks, and cut in half down the length. Wash.
Quickly steam/ boil leeks to cook.
Put leeks in ovenware dish and pour over cheese sauce (a recipe can be found here)
Bake for 30 mins or so in a medium oven.

So you see, just like Cauliflower Cheese (which is definitely a classic) but with leeks.

Kitchen Poetry 1: Monday

2009-11-09T09:36:00.002Z

We always eat breakfast in the kitchen, sitting on stools or leaning against the counter. Today I had porridge, all the good work undone with a ton of brown sugar. This was M's first porridge... he had jam, ate the jammy bit then decided he didn't like it. Pretty typical of the moment really - the boy is fussy about food right now as he is struggling with his last back teeth.

If you want to join in with this week of kitchen photo posts then please do and comment here so we can all enjoy the fun.

Anyone fancy another round of Kitchen Poetry?

2009-11-08T08:40:00.002Z

I was having a little look back at what was going on in the blog this time last year and found that at the beginning of Nov 2008 Toni of Simple Sparrow (now here) hosted Kitchen Poetry. Kitchen Poetry was a week of photographic posts from in your kitchen. The photo could be of anything as long as it was in your kitchen.

I really enjoyed this exercise and (with Toni's blessing) have decided to do it again running from tomorrow (Monday) through to Sunday.

Anyone want to join me? If you do please comment on this post and point back to it, that way I (and anyone else who joins in) can enjoy the weeks happenings in your kitchen too.

Eeek... here comes a week of daily posting... better go and clean the hob!

Eye Spy... Shoes

2009-11-06T19:00:00.005Z

Did you know Bug and Pop does eye spy and this week it is shoes? I thought I would join in with this one and show and tell you my two favourite pairs. I'm a little late (it starts on Sunday), but better late than never.

First off, the pair I bought to get married in... I obviously LOVE them and they are also surprisingly comfy. From Celine. You can't see from this picture, but they have a very lovely square toe.

And, my most worn pair... my Raw Terrain boots from here. This is my second pair of these. I wear them all winter.... 98% of the time. I walk in them, I hang out in them, they are cosy, they are waterproof, you can drive in them, they only cost £35... and last year, before we had carpets, I even wore them like slippers in the house.

I have just washed all the mud off them from Wales.

Ahh.... Shoes.

And... I did some sewing! I miracle! Very boring but functional sewing. Here we have an inadequate box for a spare airbed and pump...

And here we have an ample and lovely bag for bed and pump, and even a small pocket for the puncture repair kit!! I was very very excited about doing this yesterday... small pleasures!

Good wholesome October times

2009-11-02T12:36:00.004Z

Looking back over the past couple of weeks at the photos I have taken has made me realise that although it feels like a bit of an uphill struggle at the moment, there have been some really wonderful moments and all of it so, so autumnal.

We were lucky enough to be invited to stay in a beautiful house with friends in mid Wales, we paddled in streams, walked up mountains and got looked at by sheep.

We've been walking back in our very own Mendips too, finding bear caves, woody streams and rich brown bracken topped moorland.

I'm also being charmed all over again by our pretty little City. How many people have to walk past a moat in order to get to the swings?

And who cannot get excited about carving up a spotty pumpkin... the gnarliest we could find, and the instructions were to make a happy pumpkin... no scary pumpkins in our house this year.

I've even being doing a (very little) bit of crafting. I'm knitting a vest, and love love loving the autumnal colours in my yarn.

So, uphill it may be at the moment, but we sure are having some nice times too.

Is there anything else to do with sloes?

2009-10-18T08:13:00.006+01:00

Take one small small boy, and a big bowl of sloes...

...have small boy wash sloes...

...then have him prick a few...

...get bored, and do some drawing while you do the rest...

...then have small boy plop pricked sloes into bottle of gin (trying to avoid alcoholic inhalation where possible)...

...add sugar, and put in a place where you will remember to shake them daily for a while...

Now, wait a while!

Recipe from here.

Stitches...

2009-09-22T22:50:00.006+01:00

It's all one big WHOOOSH at the moment. I am busy at work, and busy at home (but aren't we all?) and I've been busy with a little sewing related business plan up my sleeve. And so the blog has slipped again.

As I write this I realise that I've missed it. I like to blog, I do it for me. I like to see the things I have been making and thinking about posted all nice and tidy. It's very satisfying, in the same way that crossing things off a list is. I feel a sense of achievement. And as I collect together some pictures for this post I feel that same happiness.

And what have I been up to? I have clearly been teaching myself a bit of embroidery. I had not done any until recently and I am finding it very pleasing. First a little bit of study from a book (this old faithful).

And then a bit of fun to embellish the bag that I made to contain the HUNDREDS of biscuit cutters that we had in a horrid plastic tub. As you can see the bag is already mucky from kitchen fun.

Then some initials on a bag for my sisters birthday (now holding pencils for school, I've been told). And the current project can be seen in the top picture... lavender bags. I was the lucky recipient of a friends harvest and after a couple of nights of hand threshing (!) in front of the telly I have a nice lot of lavender to make some smelly Christmas gifts.

I could get used to this stitching lark.

Nanna

2009-09-11T21:23:00.008+01:00

I went to my local wool shop for something completely different yesterday. I am in there quite a lot as there is no sewing/ haberdashers in my little city, and the wool shop is your best bet.

Whilst I was having a rummage, for it is the sort of shop that warrants a rummage, I found an embroidery thread box. Now, I have been hankering after one of these for a while and at £3.95 I was sold.

I have started doing a little embroidery, so this was very timely. My post, however, is not about this learning curve, but about my Nanna.

My Nanna was a very special lady. She died a few days before Mil was born, two and a half years ago. A few weeks after this, her descendants gathered at her Yorkshire home with the sad but necessary task of re homing what we could. One of the things I took away with me was a small sewing chest with all sorts in it.

And, in that chest was a book of embroidery threads. An old guide called 'Canada Today' published in 1954 by the Bank of Montreal. The pages had been used to keep her threads organised. All the colours ordered with 'palest', 'middle' and 'deep' tones marked out on separate pages with the colour codes recorded.

I took this book apart today and put all those lovingly ordered and referenced threads onto my brand spanking new spools, and felt like I was losing a small piece of social and family history. But I think my Nanna would have been impressed with how it all came together.

I won't forget, so there is no reason to hold on. Only reason to move forward. Yes?

Excited about needlepoint

2009-09-09T09:11:00.007+01:00

I have been a bit absent of late up here. I have actually been doing a fair bit of crafting, but not got around to posting any of it. I will do, but I need to get this post out of my hair first.

A couple of weeks ago now (gosh time flies!) Attic 24 wrote a post that rang some little bells far away in the depths of my brain. This post was about the possibility of getting excited about needlepoint. And the cushion that she has to demonstrate the excitement is right up my street.

Before I started getting excited about sewing and knitting, I got excited for a while about needlepoint. Mainly due to one book found in a charity shop, and then another. I was living in London at the time and the repeats reminded me of the deliciousness of British Rail and London Underground upholstery fabric... surely I am not the only one?

To go off on a slight tangent here, I just did a search online to see if I could find any lovely examples of the deliciousness of London Underground Upholstery fabric, and drew a blank, but I did find a competition on at the moment to design a fabric of your very own for this purpose. You can apply through this link at Transport for London. Entries close 14/09/09. What an odd coincidence. Perhaps we have a challenge?!

Anyway, back to point. Here are the nice books, they are both currently available through Abe books:

The New World of Needlepoint by Lisbeth Perrone, ISBN 0 00 411824 3

And Trianglepoint by Sherlee Lantz, ISBN 0 670 73030 0

Such yummy patterns.

Marmalade Kiss Sews Curvy

2009-08-31T07:32:00.006+01:00

Just a quick one to let you know about a new online shop.

Do you all know the lovely Julia at Marmalade Kiss? Well, a week ago she started up Sew Curvy Corsetry where you can purchase fab corset kits and benefit from all her corset talent, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Go go gadget corset! How cool is that!

Foot long socks in August

2009-08-30T17:15:00.002+01:00

A week or so ago I finished my husband socks, Ravelry link here. My first pair ever, and I am very pleased. A couple of errors, but hey, that's okay! The main annoyance to me was the fact that because on the second sock the leg and foot were a couple of rows longer the stripes don't match up perfectly and this notices on the toe. This was purely due to me getting carried away knitting and obviously too engrossed in the trash on TV and then not wanting to undo it.

So B, my wonderful husband, here are your foot long socks. It makes me very happy to have knitted them for you, and very happy that you wear them so well. x

Sewing for Knitting

2009-08-18T09:34:00.005+01:00

Brendan took Mil to soft play on Sunday morning and I did some sewing. It was lush. I have not done any sewing for fun for ages, it's all been big thick velvet curtains which has been a bit of a pain, and had me yelling rather a lot.

It seems I have become a knitter. And, up until now, when I take my knitting to the park/pub I wrap it up in a plastic bag. But... no longer!

I made myself a neat and tidy drawstring bag which will hold my wool and notions, and if I am knitting something small like socks, the project and needles too. The idea is that I will also make a rather larger bag which will carry my entire project when I am working on something bigger.

The bag acts as a kind of dispenser for the wool as I am knitting... and it works! Hurrah!

All very simple, but making me very happy regardless. And, the husband socks are nearly ready - update soon!

Fabric used is American Jane's 'Recess' (green and red prints) and Denyse Schmidt's 'Katie Jump Rope' (blue print).

Knitted Hand Towel

2009-08-16T09:12:00.011+01:00

We are on a bit of an economy drive at the moment. So I am planning ahead and trying to make gifts for the very important people. My eldest brother is one of those people, and his birthday is today (and so the surprise can now be revealed!).

I had to put my sock knitting on hold for a few days while I completed this. A knitted cotton hand towel. The pattern is a free one and was sourced through Ravelry. I am loving Ravelry at the moment.

The main yarn is Patons Cotton Aran in colourway 3669, and the hanging loop is Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton in colourway 39013. You can link to my ravelry project here.

I definitely recommend this for a quick and fun knit and I am going to knit another one for somebody else. Although, I can't tell you how strange I found it going from 3mm needles to 5mm needles and back again. Very weird, felt like a giant/dwarf!

I am also coming to realise that a label is required with handmade gifts, primarily with washing instructions on. So I dragged out my very rickety typewriter and typed a little label to go with it. Justifies my keeping the thing for 10 years without using it once... I knew it would come in handy one day.

By the way, thank you for your lovely comments about my Big Granny Skirt. I have to admit to being a bit naughty and posting the pictures that showed it in its most flattering and least representative light. I can assure you... although it looks good in the pictures it looks less good in the flesh - amazing what a good angle can do! I have put it in my clothes drawer and feel that one day maybe it will somehow look wonderful. hmmm.

Big Granny Skirt

2009-08-06T09:57:00.003+01:00

I think I just spent a long time and used up some fabric I love making what shall now be known as my 'Big Granny Skirt'.

The pattern is the yard sale wrap skirt from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing. I bought the fabric whilst on honeymoon in North Wales. It was £4.50 for the pair of curtains in a charity shop. Oh, sorry, had you not noticed that the skirt is made of a pair of curtains?! Arrrgh. I look like a bay window!

There are a couple of issues I have with this skirt. Firstly the pattern is far too curtain-y for if not anybody, then certainly for me. I had been bolstered by seeing Janet Clare's gorgeous skirt, but I don't think I can carry it off. Also, there is a lot of fabric in this skirt, having read the errata, and comments from others who have used this pattern, I added in a few extra panels (making 8 in total). I definitely needed the extra panels, but as the fabric is heavy it all feels a bit much. I think it would work better with a lighter swooshier fabric. A quilting weight cotton would have been more appropriate. Never mind.

At least I can start making something else now.

Funnily enough, the next thing on my list is a door curtain for our living room. I seem to be going round in circles here.

Husband socks and goodbye to nappies

2009-08-02T09:18:00.003+01:00

Since deciding that I was going to spend some more time making things for the people that live in this house, and since I now have a husband, I thought what could be more wifely than to knit the man some socks? I haven't knitted socks before, and funnily there seems to be a couple of others out there who are knitting their first socks right now also.

I am using Regia Jacquard Color 4-ply sock yarn, colourway 5275 and King Cole Sox pattern. Ravelry link to this project here.

After a couple of false starts, and a bit of YouTube study to turn the heel, I was safely on my way. I think I am going to enjoy making socks again!

And, on Friday we said goodbye to nappies, so Mil has been pantless for a while. We had a great day on Friday, and a not so great day yesterday. But I guess the only thing to nail this is time. But seeing as we were housebound, and the sun was out I got to do a bit more socking...

... and managed to finish husband sock number one! Hurrah. I am very pleased, and love the yarn. I made only one small alteration to the pattern, using a different stitch for the heel. I thought socks would be a horror, but I found the whole process very manageable.

Hooray for knitting! I love knitting!

Honeymoon

2009-07-25T13:40:00.005+01:00

After getting married on the Saturday, we hung around to tidy up the garden at the in-laws (its official now!) which only took until lunchtime, then packed up the car and headed off on the first leg of the honeymoon.

We had taken two weeks off work and were spending a night at the Riverside Inn at Cound in Shropshire, then four nights at the Featherdown Farm at Bala in North Wales, then home for the weekend in Somerset, and then off for five nights camping at Combe View Farm near Branscombe.

The Riverside Inn was a fabulous start. I absolutely recommend this as a place to stay. At a gorgeous spot on the river Severn, the room was huge with a fab view, good pub food and very affordable.

We then went on to the Featherdown Farm. I had only heard good reviews of these holidays and we were looking forward to it very much. The idea was that we had a few days of luxury camping before our longer spell of proper camping towards the end of our break.

Like a lot of you, I feel that the blog is the place for positivity, but I can't hide that we had a very difficult time on this first bit of the trip. Most of this was nothing to do with where we were staying, and the rest was down to our error in thinking that this was the right holiday for us at this time - a suitability issue. I will explain.

We were exhausted from the wedding and the run up to the event, and really needed to be able to relax and unwind. We are big campers and I find that being outside and focusing on the moment to moment tasks of cooking and homemaking that camping necessitates makes me very calm and happy. Somehow the Featherdown Farm experience did not do this for me though. I felt in many ways that it took away from the camping experience.

What I realised about camping is that although I appreciate that things are a little more basic, I do like to have a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich first thing, whilst watching the rest of the campsite waking up... saying hello to those that pass on their way to the water tap, or to shower. Also, after a meal there is a great pleasure to be had in trundling off to the washing up station to clean up, again perhaps passing the time of day with polite conversation with your fellow campers.

I hadn't anticipated that Featherdown would be devoid of these small pleasures. The self contained nature of the tents means that you do not have any need to walk about the site, and the wood burning stove really does take a good two hours in the morning to get enough heat to boil the kettle and fry some bacon.

It didn't help that it was very windy in the nights and the tent was flapping quite noisily which meant for a disturbed little boy and therefore some very crabby tired parents in the morning!

I think that maybe it just wasn't for us. And in hindsight we probably should have gone home to relax a bit and regroup before trying to start the honeymoon.

The location was jaw-drop gorgeous though, couldn't fault it for that.

And we had some real fun on the steam train that ran along the lake at the bottom of the hill.

Look! I got some wear out of my Baktus Scarf, and bath time was fun too...

After, a few days at home (don't you love coming home after being away!). We repacked the car to the gills and headed down to the South coast of Devon.

Five absolutely baking days on the coast at Branscombe, in our tent was glorious.

We also spent a lot of time at Beer. A place we had not been before, but that is sure to become a family favourite. Highly recommended for a day trip or a week away. A glorious pebble cove with self hire motor boats and a cafe on the beach. Fishermen bringing in their catch and a shed to buy the seafood from . The town is well stocked with good pubs and tea shops and is a real picture.

This is Beer beach on a day when the sea was eerily glassy and smooth. Like a lake and there was no waves at all... not a sound. Very strange!

Thanks for listening, and the next blog will be crafty, I promise!

Wedding

2009-07-21T09:42:00.011+01:00

Hello All, sorry for being so AWOL for such a long time! Brendan and I have been adjusting to life without a wedding to plan! Before I get onto some crafty posting, I thought I had better do a quick recap of the wedding and honeymoon... so, wedding first.

We got married in Cambridge Registry Office and had our party in Brendan's parents back garden. Above is a picture of the garden before we invaded it, and below you can see the bunting and marquee going up. Hurrah! The bunting was a great success, and (dare I say it) much admired.

Brendan's brother Dan made us a bar. We had asked him to do this, but had no idea it was going to be so brilliant... here is a picture of him standing behind it.

The day itself was glorious sunshine, and what with all this rain we are having now, we couldn't have been luckier... it really made the day super-special. here is one of me before the ceremony - looking a bit nervous, and I was... absolutely terrified I was clammy and shaky throughout the whole thing!

Glad to have Brendan by my side though. This is us waiting for the ceremony to start:

And, saying our vows... the registrar did a bit of a comedy slip up and welcomed everyone 'to be present for the marriage of Alice and Brenda'! That got a bit of a laugh!

Then all back to the house for a party. The food was fantastic, cooked by a friend.

We had two photo walls, one with pictures of Brendan and I through our relationship (above), mainly self portraits taken with Brendan's long arm, and a Polaroid wall (below) for people to take their own picture and stick it up above their name. It had a dual purpose - for identification and so that we could guarantee we would have a picture of every person there that day.

We had a nice man with a guitar come and sing with the kids (above), and loads of games of ping pong (below).

Then, there was a whole lot of dancing, and a bit of limbo...

All in all it was a perfect day. Surrounded by much loved friends and family, and it whooshed by in one big self-indulgent blur. Best of all though is we are now married, and loving every minute of it.

More photos can be seen on my Flickr.

From Miss W to Mrs S

2009-06-30T14:32:00.002+01:00

We're back! We're married! And gosh isn't it muggy? (for those non-UK readers, we are experiencing a 'heatwave' here)

More coming soon, but just to say it all went very well and normal (if there is such a thing) blogging will resume shortly. I even spent a couple of hours yesterday cutting out a new project.

Baktus Scarf and a blogging break

2009-06-09T08:43:00.006+01:00

Look... I finished my baktus scarf! I can't tell you how pleased I am. I finished it last night and put it straight on - it felt excellent. I LOVE IT. It is the first thing I have knitted for myself, and the first thing I have made for ages that I am not giving away immediately, and I feel really good about that! I am even contemplating only making things for Brendan, Mil and I for the months of July and August... what do you think? Selfish or sensible?!

So, along with showing off my delicious new scarf (I know it is summer, but this is England), I now have to come to terms with revealing myself to you too! Brendan saw these pictures and thought I look really sad (sad as in unhappy, not sad is in uncool I hope). I am not sad, just concentrating on the job in hand. Taking pictures of yourself is difficult, no?!

Tonight we pack, and tomorrow we leave for Cambridge, so I will be AWOL for a while, busy getting married and then busy camping for our honeymoon. We're back in a few weeks... take care and see you on the other side!

And, by the way, have you seen my new scarf?

Weekend Sewing

2009-06-08T11:20:00.003+01:00

Last week I treated myself to a copy of Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. What swung it was seeing other peoples Yard-Sale Wrap Skirt. I need to think about buying some fabric for the skirt project, but in the meantime I thought I would try out the Weekend-Away Travel Bag.

The pattern and instructions were easy to follow, and it took me just a few grabbed hours. I am fairly pleased with the result, although I think the inside pockets should be larger, so they come up the insides of the bag further. The first time I have inserted a zipper too!

This is being wrapped up for a good friends birthday... one day I will make something and keep it for myself!

And, I finished the bunting! Yey! It only took me a year! Here it is bundled into a big blue Ikea bag along with other bits for the wedding which is in FIVE days. Goodness. Pictures of the bunting in-situ will follow after the event. Promise.

Chutney Labels

2009-05-29T15:35:00.002+01:00

I love homemade chutney, and it is a necessity when eating cheese. We are having three different chutneys to go with our cheese at the upcoming do. I really enjoy making the labels for these, it doesn't take too long... the longest part is coming up with a design!

So... a little bit of drawing and colouring in...

...scan it into the computer...

...duplicate in PowerPoint, print out...

...a bit of cutting and sticking...

...and, hey presto! Lovely labels... Hurrah and bring on the cheese!!

Brothers are ace

2009-05-27T09:55:00.003+01:00

I missed a parcel at the end of last week, and this morning I went round the corner with my slip to collect it from the post office... a mysterious parcel! Inside, all gift-wrapped up belated for my birthday (which was in March and I am sure I got something then too) was this really yummy tin of goodies from my brother.

Aren't brothers ace?!

Holiday Weekend

2009-05-26T10:28:00.002+01:00

We visited London on Saturday. It was a great day, reminding us of why we love the big city and also why we are glad we got out - so many people! It was a dual purpose visit, firstly we needed to order cheese for the wedding, and so whilst Brendan and I spent some heavenly time in Neals Yard Dairy at Borough Market ordering 8kg of cheese, Mil got to go to the park with his Oddpop (Mil has Oddparents instead of Godparents) and be spoilt with ice creams.

And then we headed up North to visit the new baby cousin, deliver our gifts, and go to park number two and be spoilt by Oddma! The baby is a real cutie, and all seems to be well there.

On Sunday before running in our local fun run (which was not fun at all - 10k in the sweltering heat saw some casualties) I managed to whip up these drawstring bags which are to hold the pens for our kiddy party bags at the wedding.

So, slowly but surely getting through the list of wedding jobs, and looking forward to being able to relax on honeymoon! I hope everyone had a good sunny weekend.

Baktus Scarf

2009-05-20T08:30:00.007+01:00

First off, thank you for your words of encouragement on Sunday's triathlon. The weather was absolutely ghastly and I really didn't want to go. I sat knitting in bed that morning and I could hear the wind and rain lashing at the windows. Everyone else was asleep and I did wonder what the hell I was doing. But, I did do it, and in a time I was fairly pleased with. The swim went well, the run went really well, it was just the cycling and transitions in between that were totally rubbish! Ah well, I've entered another two this year, so I shall have to get out training on that bike a bit more.

And that knitting... a baktus scarf. Pattern here from Strikkelise. And considering this weather we've got at the moment, it seems a scarf in May is not such a mad idea after all.

The yarn is really lovely Jaeger Baby Merino in shades 203 and 189.

Wish me luck!

2009-05-16T15:10:00.003+01:00

I know this is supposed to be a blog about crafting, but there is another pursuit that has been taking up quite a bit of my time and effort this year.

Tomorrow I am racing in the Taunton Deane Triathlon. That is 400m swim, 23km bike, and 5km run. And the weather forecast? Heavy rain and 20mph winds... fun.

And, the latest baby in our family, and recipient of these gifts, was born at 5.30 this morning, 8lbs and all present and correct. Whoopee!

Easter Tortoiseshell Cardigan

2009-05-15T09:22:00.004+01:00

Last night I finished my Easter cardigan, my first proper knitted garment (I don't count the tiny hand warmers) and the first time I have followed a pattern. I am very glad to have it finished... here it is blocking this morning.

The cardigan is riddled with mistakes, mainly made during the making up... how annoying is this stage? I can totally appreciate now why people have a love for seamless knitting, and knitting in the round. However, even with all it's mistakes, I think it is quite cute... just about passable! The size is 3-6 months and I don't think the style is right for such a little one. In hindsight I would have looked harder for a pattern that was looser - more of a bed jacket. I don't think a tiny baby really wants to be in something with ribbed cuffs or waistband.

I did find the making up of this was very difficult, there were a lot of pieces and it felt very fiddly... it being my first pattern, I'm not sure if this is the norm or not? I have learnt a huge amount, through my successes and errors on this. Hopefully it will get some wear from the next baby in the family (due any day), and I think that only then will I be able to judge the success of this cardigan.

Yesterday I also finished another quilt. Another baby one, just like the first. Again, as a gift for the next new cousin. Here is a picture of it all folded nicely on top of... what's that?

...on top of my brand new spanking sewing machine... hurrah! I LOVE it. It is a Janome Memory Craft 4800 and is a dream. My little Elna got me going on sewing, but it was time for something a bit more serious.

One of the marvelous things about the new machine is how quiet it is. My last one was so noisy it sounded like a jump jet taking off and so when I woke up early, and the boy was still sleeping I never wanted to sew as the vibrations would shake Mil awake in the next room, but no more!

Yesterday morning I got up early and pulled out my Millie Moon quilt which has been sitting untouched since September. Time to get this one finished now I have a sewing machine that can cope with it.

I would also like to say a big thank you to Fieldy who posted me her latest edition of Sew Hip. Fieldy operates a 'pass it on' system with her Sew Hip subscription, picking one commenter a month at random to post her latest issue to, once she has read it. It feels like I never get picked for anything (but we probably all feel like that, no?), and I try not to splurge on magazines too often, so what a treat, thank you Fieldy!

Cluck Cluck

2009-05-06T16:20:00.003+01:00

It was my hen do this weekend just gone... Friday to Monday full of hilarity and joy with 12 of my best girl buddies. I had an absolute ball. I returned a shell of my former self having been the last to bed and the first up each day, desperate not to miss any of it. We ate like kings, drank like fish, dressed up for our own amusement and I wept like a baby at the love, kindness and generosity of my friends.

Most of the pictures are not for public consumption, but of those that are, it shows that there was also some serious girl fun in the way of...

...long walks (not forgetting the pub lunch half way)...

...sea swims (not forgetting a quick vodka to see off the cold)...

...and bank holiday car booty.

The only thing missing were my boys, and boy, distance sure makes the heart grow fonder.

Bring on the wedding.

Bags of fun

2009-04-27T19:48:00.003+01:00

I am very conscious of bleating on about this wedding malarkey, but it is absorbing rather a lot of my active and creative time at the moment. I sense that I am going to bore you one way or another - either by telling you all about it, or censoring it entirely and have nothing to talk about. So I shall tell you about a few things.

There are 13 kids between the ages of 1 and 6 coming to our wedding, plus 3 very new babies. I am concerned that everybody has a good time; that's the parents, the kids and those who are neither. So I figure let's keep the kids entertained.

We decided to do party bags for them. Party bags that they would get at the beginning of the day, that contained things to keep them occupied during the day. Things like:

Colouring in books...

I did want to just buy some, but I could only find expensive rubbish, so a bit of a google search for colouring pages, some coloured card, and a whizz up and down on the sewing machine... hey presto!

Pens, now I have to get pens.

Easter Knitting

2009-04-13T13:17:00.003+01:00

This Easter weekend, I have been mostly knitting.

I have been thinking about starting my first proper knitting project and thought a simple cardigan for the boy would be a good place to start. It was either that or socks, but my trips to the local yarn shop are always slightly fraught as Mil is not a great one for shopping... I think I just went 'Cardigan, I'll knit a cardigan' with that crazed and harassed look of a mother to a two year old. I then realised that I had better make a very tiny baby cardigan first in case I make a mess of it and waste a fortune spent on yarn. There seems to be a steady stream of babies being produced at the moment so should it be a success it will not go to waste.

So here I am making a thing, a real item of clothing, and I am having a ball following the pattern.

This is the pattern, and this is the yarn.

I have also been eating quite a bit of chocolate... yum.

Buttercup Bag

2009-04-08T08:48:00.002+01:00

I did a bit of bunting making over the weekend for the wedding (which is in 9 weeks - ARRRGGHH) and was struggling with using some fabrics I had acquired that I wasn't too keen on. With the bunting, it is more about an overall effect and the fabric I use needs to be nice enough, but not too nice. This led me to suffer that fear of using something nice, not wanting to tear through the loveliest things in my stash but, as I realised this weekend, sewing the fabric that doesn't do it for you is no fun at all.

So, I was in desperate need of a sewing project that would revive me, and when I saw this buttercup bag pattern over at made by rae last week I printed it out immediately, and it had been sitting on my sewing table until Monday night when I gave over to it.

I struggle with starting projects, and need to remind myself to get stuck in, but once I'd started with this one there was no stopping me. What a lovely pattern... thank you Rae.

In making it up, I have totally fallen for the floral fabric, which was a charity find. The colours are really warm. And a bit of jazzy green lining... lovely.

And these are the fabrics sitting on my table at the moment... not sure why I am going all woolly just when the sun is coming out? It seems that although I am embracing spring in all other areas of the house, it hasn't quite reached my sewing space... I'll see if I can't do something about that!

A quilt, a quilt!

2009-04-05T14:48:00.005+01:00

Yesterday Brendan, Mil and I hopped in the car first thing, and drove to Herefordshire, eating a picnic breakfast en route, to go and meet the latest arrival in our family - my nephew, and Mil's third cousin... all boys!

And as far as I can work out, babies means quilts, and so I made a quilt... My first ever quilt! I'm pretty pleased seeing as it is a first, and I am looking forward to making the next.

All the front fabrics are American Jane Recess, and I have been coveting these for a while. The backing fabric was an old duvet cover I picked up in a charity shop.

It was a good day, the baby was a cutie, and the bigger cousins got to do some hanging out.

Sun and Sewing = Fine and Dandy

2009-04-03T14:17:00.005+01:00

I find that there is so much going on at the moment in life, and it can be easy to get bogged down in the mechanics of it all. A lot recently I have found myself running in and running right out again. Taking no time to actually enjoy life.

All the things that are making me busy are good things... things that make life better, like making our house a home and keeping fit, and earning a living, but they don't half get me worked up into a tizzy.

Yesterday I did some sewing, the first in what feels like forever, and whilst Mil napped, I sewed and ironed and measured and I was totally calm, even when I made a mistake... and the sun came out.

And, before I ran out to run in a race (bananas, I know) we sat in the garden, Brendan had a glass of home brew, we admired the tulips and Mil watered the plants.

Life is okay...

No Peeping!

2009-03-27T15:11:00.004Z

The blog has slipped down the list of priorities, hence the lack of posts. It is crazy in our house at the moment and we are all suffering from stress related ailments. But, we are making progress of the painting/ decorating kind with much help from one particular family member, and carpet has been going down, and the like. The end of all this building cannot come too soon. There hasn't been much going on in the way of crafting but here goes...

It was my birthday a week or so ago, and Brendan (that's the one I'm going to marry) made me a cake. I came home from a work trip to this:

It was very hard to follow the rules, but I did and the next day he produced this:

Yum! a polenta/ orange/ almond/ honey cake. Just as well I'm marrying him, huh?

And here is a little bit of knitting... I did these try-outs a while back, and now feel ready to tackle some sort of jumper for the boy, just need to find a pattern suitable for such a beginner.

Moss stitch: *K1, P1* K1

Tracks: Row 1: *K4, P6* Row 2 and alt rows: purl, Rows 3 and 7: Knit, Row 5: *P5, K4, P1*

Chevron Moss: Row 1: *P1, K3*, Row 2: *K1, P5, K1, P1*, Row 3: *K2, P1, K3, P1, K1* Row 4: *P2, K1, P1, K1, P3*

Ridge Stitch: Row 1: Knit, Row 2: *K2 tog all across the row*, Row 3: K into front and back of each stitch, Row 4: Purl.

And I got some lovely yarn for my birthday too, so ought to find a pattern... any suggestions?

Two

2009-03-09T20:37:00.002Z

Our little boy, Mil, was two today. A whole two years old!

We had a little party in the morning with 7 of his buddies over for some playing and some party food. Sadly, Mil wasn't on top form and was feeling a bit out of sorts, but muddled his way through. That's him amongst the balloons waiting for his guests to arrive.

I decided to make bags for give-aways. I hate all the tat that can come with the idea of a party bag, and the tat ends up costing a fortune! So all his buddies got a bag, a packet of pens and a bag of chocolate buttons. And, of course, a balloon on a ribbon.

Then after his nap, Mil was sick and spent the rest of the day in front of the fire in his pyjamas doing jigsaws.

Two years. Gosh.

Tiny Hand-Warmers

2009-03-01T14:31:00.003Z

I've finished my first knitting project! A very shonky pair of hand-warmers for M. With little blue star buttons and a plaited string to loop through the sleeves of his jacket.

The knitting is of terrible quality, but I don't care. I set out to make these, and I was going to finish them whatever. They are functional, but have no function at all as obviously M doesn't want them near him and pulled and yelled until I took them out of his coat. This, actually, was the predicted outcome, but I thought that maybe the special buttons would sway him - no such luck!

Oh well, I am wondering who I might be able to give these to, but fear I am giving away the gift of a battle with your child.

I don't mind, I have finished my first knitting project and have been spurred on to start another, so the exercise has been worthwhile. And, what I didn't want was another unfinished project!

Sack of spuds

2009-02-21T11:36:00.003Z

We have a basket in the corner of our kitchen called 'the basket of plenty'. This basket was acquired on a not so successful camping trip B and I took to Northern Spain in a very noisy and unreliable car when M was just a twinkle in our eyes. The basket of plenty is where we store our vegetables. And at the moment it is looking rather un-plentiful in an end-of-the-month way.

We do usually have potatoes in it though, and this is a source of annoyance for me, as we tend to buy potatoes from the supermarket and they come in horrible plastic bags that get torn open and then our potatoes sit in the light and go all green and sprouty.

Not any more, they don't! Ta-dah! One drawstring bag for potatoes, whipped up from some canvas salvaged from a cushion cover, a few scraps to applique 'POTS', and a drawstring from a box of old sewing bits from my Nanna's house.

This makes me very happy. Happy Saturday everyone!

Invites out

2009-02-19T11:53:00.003Z

We sent our wedding invites out this week. It was quite an operation, and I am glad that the job is done. We have been dithering about how to keep them cheap and personal, and with a handcrafted feel, but without making too much work for ourselves. In the end we decided to draw each other and print this on the front of the card with the date. There is also a green paper insert that is tied into the invite with some jazzy wool.

I'm pretty pleased with them. The picture of me actually looks like me, I think, but the the one of B is a very poor representation, but we thought people would get the idea. If you want a laugh, have a look at some of our other efforts below. As you can see, I am a very poor drawer, where as B is much more accomplished. I do have to say that one of those that I drew was a joke, but perhaps it is hard to work out which one!

Anyway, they're all in the post now, bar one which I am still waiting on an address for, and so I guess we're gonna do this!

Lift off!

2009-02-13T10:20:00.002Z

We had our carpet fitted in the attic on Wednesday... oooh, there's nothing quite like a new room with new carpet! My in-laws also arrived mid afternoon for a three day visit and to take over childcare duties so my time was freed up to sort out the house re-arrangement.

B and I put together all the Ikea drawers on Wednesday night and dis and re-mantled the bed so the big stuff was done. All day yesterday was spent cleaning and moving and cleaning and sorting. The transformation is incredible. We are not finished yet, and I still have to do another Ikea run - why we can't organise ourselves to get it all in one go, I don't know. Actually I do, it's down to mind changing and indecision!

The top picture there is our new attic room. We are yet to put up clothes hanging rails in the eaves, and a curtain rail, on which will hang a curtain (yet to make) to cover up our drawers and associated tat.

And now for the studio/ office... please see before photos: A nightmare of a situation where we had office (in my day job I work from home), and bedroom, and storage room all in one. As you can see, it is not a good look:

But hey! Look what it is like at the moment: Lovely new desk arrangement, shelves with space on them, a standing height work desk... hurrah!

B will have a desk and music set-up in the right hand corner of the bottom photo, and I will have another little desk for my sewing machine. It's coming on, no?

Knit two, purl two

2009-02-09T09:26:00.004Z

I am forever saying I will one day learn to knit, and admiring Kyoko and Ms Cleavers creations always gets me. And, we have a fabulous local wool shop that I go to for thread and buttons and the like. So, at the weekend I went in there and said "Help me! Where do I start?". The very patient lady showed me some options and gave me a little tutorial on casting on, knit and purl and sent me on my merry (for I was most excited) way with my wool and needles.

I spent from 4pm until 10pm (with a small break for putting the boy to bed and eating supper) knitting, and making mistakes that I couldn't identify and unraveling all my work and then starting again not getting past three rows of 22 stitches... argh!

I got very good at casting on, and took this picture on Sunday morning to demonstrate that I could at least get this far, and set to again, and look...

...knitting!! Lovely ribbed knitting! I now have to go back into the shop to have the lady show me how to cast off. Can you guess what it is yet?

Between my furious bouts of knitting this weekend I have been painting like a woman possessed and it finally feels like our new bedroom is in sight... this is what all the fuss has been about. The carpet arrives today and will be fitted on Wednesday. Exciting stuff.

Look...

2009-02-06T18:08:00.002Z

what the optician did to B's eyes today...

Baby bunting safe and dry

2009-02-04T09:33:00.004Z

B's brother and his wife were here visiting at the weekend. They are due to have their first baby in May, and we spent some time going through M's old baby kit which has just been returned to us from my brother. Don't you love the way these things get passed around between family? Although it seems they are coming thick and fast at the moment, we have been very good and staggered them perfectly for this!

The moses basket that M spent his first months in was second hand when we bought it - 99p on eBay, and it has seen two more babies since, and it shows. Look at that handle! Not sure you would want to carry a football up the stairs in that, let alone your newborn!

So on Monday, in between outings in the weather, I set to making some new handles. I am very pleased with the end result. A much finer set of handles than the basket was made new with, and I love a mending project that breathes fresh life into something.

Here is the bottom view of one of the handles... don't you love the pattern the stitching has made? And it is strong... that is double threaded nylbond, stitched twice! Oooer!

The title of this post references Each Peach Pear Plum, a classic picture book which I remember enjoying in my childhood. It is a new one in our collection and M is bananas for it right now.

My very own sticky dust

2009-02-02T13:02:00.008Z

A little while ago DottyCookie posted about a shelf in her kitchen that was prone to collecting 'sticky dust' an evil that seems to escape no kitchen. The comments on that post were all of us cursing the stuff. Well, since we have been having building work done, I have had to give my house over to the filth, and I am just starting to get back on top of it. This weekend I tackled our glasses shelf. The following will explain why we have been using the same few clean glasses from the front, and leaving the ones at the back.

Oh, the horror! Will you just look at that! You might think I shouldn't have let it get so bad, but what is the point in spring cleaning if there is a new layer of plaster/ coal/ saw dust every day? Good riddance builders!

Ugh, can you see the grime on top of the glasses? But look, hot soapy water.

And, just look at that... anyone for an orange squash?

Brittle Elastic

2009-01-28T16:27:00.005Z

So, I haven't posted in quite a while.

It feels like we are sinking in this house at the moment... too many big, time consuming and disruptive tasks all on at the same time. There has been no crafting, unless you count taking up a new pair of jeans?! The builders have gone, which is a relief, but we are left with a stack of DIY and it seems no time in which to complete it. We have to keep remembering that it will be finished soon and it will be worth it!

Now, I normally take pictures specifically to blog, but as it appears I am not blogging I thought I might just bung up some randoms...

If you are still reading, then thanks, and I shall endeavour to share a bit more often.

Some biscuits for a Christmas thank you card.

Our landing as it looks at the moment... up those stairs is where we will be sleeping, and through that door is where we will have our office and sewing room... Hang on in there!

Dads, sons, uncles and cousins out walking at the weekend.

Head above water

2008-12-15T11:04:00.006Z

It has been busy around here. One thing after another. Firstly, I've been trickling along with the Christmas crafting: some napkins for gifts...

with applique vegetables.

And than we had a bit of chicken pox

which meant that M wasn't allowed to come to B's brothers wedding and wear this...

and for which I had been tearing my hair out making this...

The result was passable (although the pictures barely are),

And, we still have scaffolding all over the house, and builders tramping in and out,

But yesterday after driving back from the London wedding, we got our tree, and now the place feels much jollier!

Three Christmas Cooks

2008-12-01T09:27:00.006Z

Not that you would know it on here, but I have been pretty busy of late. I am frustrated with myself for not keeping the blog up to date, but I think I have to relax and realise that it is going to slip a bit until we have finished this run of building work - the house and our lives are chaos.

The beauty of it is that when this run of building work is finished, I will have a dedicated sewing space... I will be able to spread out and leave it spread out... I can't wait.

Back to the now though...

I have started and finished three little cooks sets, for three little people for Christmas.

They each get an apron with their initials,

a rolling pin and a couple of cutters,

and a matching bag to keep it all in.

Lovely.

She's back!

2008-11-17T10:04:00.004Z

I went and picked up my sewing machine on Saturday... Hoorah! I was so pleased to see it, I gave it a little kiss!

I got cracking with some sewing. Firstly a bit of housework... a pillowcase for M, and another round of flags for the never-ending-bunting project, taking the current count to 100 exactly - just 50 to go.

And then I got going on my Christmas list. I'm lucky in that I can share my Christmas sewing on here as I go along as most of my family are unaware of the blog at the moment.

One of my little sisters is getting quite into sewing, and so I thought a pin cushion and needle case set would be the thing. I can't tell you how much pleasure I got from sewing these little pieces. It has been long overdue.

The other thing that happened over the weekend was Carnival. Here in the West Country there is carnival season where floats are paraded around many of the towns. Each float represents a carnival club who spend all year making their float in top secret.

It is a serious business! The photos don't do it justice and should be seen to be believed.

The members of each carnival club dress up on their themed floats. Either in a tableau, like the Mozart one above, or dancing to the (very) loud music, like on the devil themed float below.

And as we live on the carnival route, we can watch all this from the comfort of our living room!

Kitchen Poetry: Sunday (on Tuesday - whoops)

2008-11-11T14:11:00.002Z

I have really enjoyed taking part in kitchen poetry, so a big thanks to simple sparrow for suggesting it. I am afraid I lost it with the regular posting at the end there. Oh dear, never mind, just as well there is no blog police!

I rang about my sewing machine today and the shop who are servicing it for me still have it (ready to come back to me) but are waiting for more than one reason to come and deliver it back. They have had it for 3 weeks now and I am going a little potty. M and I might have endure the 2 hour round trip to collect it or no body will be getting any Christmas pressies at this rate!

Kitchen Poetry: Saturday (a bit late)

2008-11-09T07:55:00.003Z

So yesterday was the big mezze cook off. We had a lovely day cooking in the kitchen. The fruits of our labour shown below.

Naturally, I was too full to post this last night.

Flatbreads, olives, falafel, tzatziki, tomato and aubergine dip, broad bean salad, houmous, filo and spinach triangles, kofte kebabs, grilled halloumi, tabbouleh. We didn't make the houmous or olives, but everything else. phew!

Kitchen Poetry: Friday

2008-11-07T21:52:00.002Z

Sorry about yesterdays post! Perhaps a little bit cranky? This daily blogging business is new to me, and I guess it shows your true emotions.

So, for Fridays entry. I did have something else in mind, but Mr Elastic was insistent about show and telling his collection of tinned fish...

How could I resist?

Kitchen Poetry: Thursday

2008-11-06T22:57:00.005Z

I am very stressed out. The full reasons I will no doubt share at some point. Maybe something to do with the whole house being covered in a fine layer of black dust - right down to the top of all the picture frames and the toilet seat, and also the fabulous prospect of having the entire roof taken off in a matter of weeks... yes. that means no roof in December... Joy.

Rant over, down to the evenings Kitchen Poetry:

Mr Elastic's mise-en-place. I assure you he did this off his own back... no rearranging for the camera (obviously just another day in the Elastic household!).

The main event: Chinese Pork Stir-fry with rice.

And sideboard of general mayhem. These silver(ish) pots are out to try and persuade me to polish them. They will probably be there for another few days before I get round to it. There is also some shampoo and conditioner from today's shop waiting to go upstairs, the local paper, some junk mail, and a Mediterranean cookbook to seek inspiration for our big Saturday night cook up... We had a disappointing Meze last weekend and have been talking of nothing but rectifying this disappointment all week. The menu is being fine tuned.

Night night, over and out.

Kitchen Poetry: Wednesday

2008-11-05T20:10:00.004Z

Tonights dinner... spicy potato cakes (made with last nights left over mash - don't you just love left over mash?) with spinach and mushroom daal.

Yum Scrum.

Kitchen Poetry: Tuesday

2008-11-04T22:45:00.005Z

So seeing as my sewing machine is still at the doctors, I thought it would be fun to get involved in an un-sewing-related blog topic. I was inspired by simple sparrow to join her kitchen poetry week. This is a week of taking a picture of happenings in your kitchen and posting this on your blog - sorry, I am a day late starting.

So this evening (camera in hand) I ventured into the kitchen to see what there was there to inspire a picture, maybe the bangers and mash that was to be plated imminently, but no. My walking into the kitchen (camera in hand) clearly inspired Mr Elastic to behave like silly buggers. This was the first picture I took and, I thought, one that ticked all the Kitchen Poetry boxes.

Autumn Scarf

2008-10-23T13:42:00.002+01:00

My sewing machine was collected yesterday for its much needed service. I am hoping it will come back working like a dream. The man said it could be two weeks though! A whole two weeks! Luckily I did manage to get a bit of sewing in last week.

I made myself a scarf for Autumn, although, it will probably have to do me winter too. I patchworked a front piece, and used brown linen for the back. It also has a brushed cotton interlining to give it some body and cosiness. I then hand quilted the patchwork with some lovely pink variegated thread. I've been wearing it every day and although I wasn't sure about the bright colours at first, I am now won over. I think this may be one for the Christmas gift list... Mum and Mum-in-Law.

I also managed to knock up some labels for the chutney, so it can finally be stored away in the cupboard.And, Fancy Picnic has asked for the recipe, so here it is, let me know if you try it!

Chilli Apple Chutney

2 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

10 large apples (2kg) peeled and coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

375g raisins, chopped

115 glace ginger chopped finely

1kg brown sugar

1 litre white vinegar

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp mixed spice

2 tsp five-spice

1 tbsp turmeric

1 bay leaves

Combine ingredients in large heavy-base pan, stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours or until mixture thickens. Discard bay leaves. Spoon into hot sterilised jars, seal while hot.

Makes about 1.75 litres.

Chutney and Tagging

2008-10-14T15:42:00.011+01:00

I was given a big bag of cooking apples last week by a lovely lady who I am attending my patchwork quilting class with. B and I have been meaning to make some chutneys to go with cheese at our wedding and also for some Christmas gifts. We did a fair bit of hunting through recipe books and came across an untried recipe for Chili Apple Chutney. It looked delicious with lots of spices and yummy ingredients such as crystallised ginger. Last night we got out one of our big pans and set too.

I have to admit to sloping off to bed before bottling, but B did a great job... I checked this morning and there was not one dribble... I always manage to dribble hot chutney down the side of at least a couple of jars. He's in trouble now as I'll always get him to do that bit now!

Also, I have been tagged by fancy picnic. I need to disclose 7 interesting facts about myself ... hmm... there's nothing like somebody saying 'tell me something interesting about yourself' to make you feel utterly normal and boring! I have been panicking ever since Fancy Picnic tagged me with this one. I shall give it a go, but sorry if I bore you!!

1. I first met B at primary school... we were 7 and I thought he was a dish.

2. I am a chili fiend and find it quite difficult to eat anything without adding chili sauce. I even have folk bring me stocks of my favourite brand down from London when they come... you can't beat Maggi Marsala!

3. My son has a surname as his first name.

4. When I was 18 I began a chef apprenticeship at The Connaught in London... I didn't last long... chefs can be bullies and I don't like bullies!

5. I hate flying, but love planes.

6. I have a full motorbike license and used to ride a 1971 Vespa... ah, one day I'll have another.

7. A dreadful thing has happened... I have lost faith in my sewing machine... there may be a lull in sewing until I can get it serviced. Consequentially I feel a little lost.

So, the rules are:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

And I am going to tag:

Cotton & Cloud; Kitschen Pink; Marmalade Kiss; Ragged Roses; Dotty Cookie; The Pesky Bombolino and Willow House... looking forward to your facts!

Treacle Tart

2008-10-08T14:29:00.002+01:00

So, Kyoko tells me that treacle tart is her favorite and wonders if it is easy to make.

It is so, so easy, so Kyoko, this is for you... and any other sweet toothed bloggers.

Treacle Tart - recipe courtesy of Nigel Slater

Ingredients:
250g Shortcrust Pastry - you could make your own, but why not save the trouble and buy it from the supermarket?
225g Fresh white bread (you can leave the crusts on too)
600g Golden syrup - warning, this is a shocking amount of sugar!
Juice of half a lemon

Method:
Grease a 22 cm Tart tin/ Pie dish.

Roll out your pastry on a floured surface to fit the tin. Lift it into the tin and press into edges. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, cover and leave to rest in fridge for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200c/ gas mark 6.

Take tart case from the fridge, cover with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for 5 minutes until the pastry feels dry. Remove and set aside.

Lower the oven to 180c/ gas mark 4. Whizz the bread in a food processor till you have fine, soft white crumbs. Mix them with the golden syrup, stirring until they are all fully coated and then stir in the lemon juice. Pour the crumb mixture into the warm pastry case and return to the oven for 25-35 minutes. Leave the tart to cool for 10 minutes or so before cutting. Serve with cream or ice cream.

If you have left over pastry you can also add a pastry lattice top or pattern with pastry leaves/ hearts/ stars after pouring the mixture into the case and before putting it in the oven for the last time. I have a star cutter and did stars for B's birthday and it looked really fun.

Let me know if you try it!

B's Birthday

2008-10-06T14:44:00.006+01:00

It was B's Birthday on Wednesday. As tradition dictates, none of us were at work or school and we had a day of holiday. Starting with presents and bacon and eggs. There was a home made gift among the bunch too...

A Moleskine cover. I did look for inspiration in blogland and found this which is great, but not quite what I was after, so I measured something up to my own design.

B never goes anywhere without a pen and notebook, using them for drawing and writing, as well as for shopping lists and explaining things to people. He has a couple of moleskins so I thought a cover would be appropiate.

The patterned fabric is from the Denyse Schmidt Katie Jump Rope range, which I bought at Millie Moon.

I did a velcro close and there is a slot for a pen. It is not perfect, but overall I am pleased with the result... just need to make one for myself now!

In the afternoon we paid a visit to Kilver Court and walked around their gardens, which are really beautiful... you would never expect them to be there, and we had the whole place to ourselves.

We came home as the rain started, and cooked ourselves a fancy supper. I even baked a cake and a treacle tart for pudding, but failed to take pictures before they got demolished... ah well!

The last wedding of the year?

2008-09-28T11:55:00.005+01:00

Firstly, thank you all so much for your kind words after my last post. B is back to full fitness and is currently constructing a compost heap in the back garden.

It has been a good week, we have all had colds, and are feeling fairly run down - is it the time of year? But we ploughed through and got to the other side without any major injuries!

I had my quilting class again on Thursday piecing together the centre of my quilt, and sashing around the edge. I am really pleased with it. I am slightly annoyed about the configuration of the centre panel. I had arranged it so that there were no two pieces the same touching each other and it looked very nice and balanced, but something along the way went wrong and there is a little bit of an imbalance in a couple of places. But, I don't think it has really affected the overall impression so I am going to put it down to learning.

We had another wedding on Saturday. This time one of my cousins was getting married in Carmarthenshire. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful location. We were up and down in the day, so there was a fair bit of driving but it was lovely to see the family.

My mum was there and for her birthday, which was last week, my brothers and I got her a digital camera. Until now she didn't have a camera at all and has been clearly frustrated at not being able to document her growing and changing family. We knew she would never splash out for one herself so we clubbed together and bought one for her. And I made a case...

I love the fabric combination, and it fits the camera perfectly. It is really nice and snug. I was going to put a button on as a closing devise, but then thought it would be a bit fiddly for mum and she would never bother doing it up, and it might also damage the camera in time. I didn't really think this through and what would have been ideal is Velcro. It was too late by the time I realised, but I may make another on for B's camera and get it right second time.

In fact, the buttonhole that I have put in to feed the cameras strap through does hold the camera nicely in the case so it serves its purpose.

Finally, I had a good haul in the charity shops this week and among other things, including a couple of tablecloths for 'The Wedding', I got a few more pillowcases to make into flags for the never ending bunting project. I now have 70 flags, so almost half way to the 150 that I need for 50m of bunting... Hoorah!

Jam and Lawns

2008-09-22T10:01:00.006+01:00

We had an exciting weekend. B's folks were here to visit providing welcome childcare and enabling us to get on with some jobs in the house. I was due to finish decorating the bathroom, a job that has been dragging on and on. I am down to the woodwork and only have one more coat of undercoat and then the gloss finish, but I HATE painting with oil based paints and have been stalling for weeks and weeks. B was going to turf the lawn, to finally finish transforming our pile of mud (picture below taken 2 years ago) into a garden... exciting stuff!

However, dramatic events occurred...

B was taking some last bags of rubble out to the car to take them to the tip and with the sun (wasn't it beautiful this weekend?) in his eyes walked straight into the tail gate of the car and gashed his head open. He came back into the house clutching his head with blood running down his hands and face saying 'can somebody call an ambulance, I've just brained myself' (!).

Well it was all rather frightening, but the cut was not too big and once it had stopped bleeding (profusely) the paramedic was able to glue it up in the front room. So, as B was instructed to take it easy, I didn't paint the bathroom (it is still hanging over me), I turfed the lawn instead.

It was hilariously easy, rolling out this lush thick turf and rather like patchwork cutting it up with big scissors and piecing it together like a jigsaw. We had over-ordered so I was able to turf right up to the back wall in places and tidied up all that mess at the end there. B's parents had brought us some cuttings from their garden which B's mum kindly planted for us, and hey presto, suddenly we have a garden... and it seems that brown chair hasn't moved!

It feels so nice out there now, a transformation.

I also made a small amount of jam on Friday. I lent somebody our wallpaper pasting table through Freecycle and when they returned it they brought us some blackberries that they had picked from near their house. How kind is that?! So, having just finished the last jar of (rather too runny) strawberry jam that I made at the beginning of summer, I turned them into to (rather too thick) blackberry jam. It was yum despite the consistency, which one day I will get right.

And my quilt is coming along - homework completed six days ahead of time (I am a smug swot this week)!

Chili and Lemon

2008-09-17T09:22:00.005+01:00

So, it has been a little while since my last blog. It is hard to find the time to do all you want in life isn't it?! I wonder and marvel at those who manage to stay abreast of all their commitments, and still find the time to relax.

We having been haring about being busy as usual the last week or so. We had a wedding where the skeleton suit was much admired and appreciated, and at which I had the slightly nerve-wracking responsibility of taking the official photos. It was actually all very relaxed and the most terror inducing part for me was having 150 people watch me clamber (in a most unladylike manner) out of a tree in full wedding garb. Imagine hanging over a branch with bum in the air and legs kicking and you'll understand.

But, there has been some crafting too! - Warning! The next picture is ofsomething that I did NOT make.

For the said wedding couple I thought a handmade gift was appropriate. There was a bit of a theme to the invites, being lemon (for her) and chili (for him). So I thought a shopping bag that they could both use appliqued in that vain. I have a lovely orange bag that I picked up in a charity shop an age ago (see above), which I have recently been using as my hand bag. It has a lovely shape and feel, so i thought a same but larger would be good.

This is the end result. It wasn't a total success, with the tension on my sewing machine going all screwy at the end, and I don't like the base of the bag being a different fabric. I thought a more hard-wearing fabric on the base would be good, but I don't think it works - there is too much colour variation. However, I am pleased with the applique and it is the first time I have made my own pattern, so it can't be all bad!

I have also started a patchwork quilting course, at Millie Moon in Frome. The first class was a joy. A smashing environment, lots of smashing people and a whole solid two uninterrupted hours to snip and sew... joy! My second (of six) classes is tonight and I have been trying to sneak snatches of time to do some homework... I am, of course, not as far as wanted to be, but look at all those lovely triangles!!

I am enjoying the patchwork. It is very therapeutic. Much more so than I had imagined. I think this is partly to do with the fact that you don't, thus far, need very much space, and you can do it in snippets of time too. Perfect for someone who doesn't have much of either, time or space!

I'd like to finish of with a pic of this lovely piece of fabric I picked up for 50p in a charity shop last week. I was initially thinking of it for the endless bunting project, but I think it is far too good for that. As it has a lovely soft crepey feel I think it needs to be used for a more tactile end. Any suggestions on what I should make with it?

Making clothes?

2008-09-03T21:20:00.004+01:00

Last week B and I both took holiday from work, but stayed put. We were in Cambridge for the weekend, but then we just hung out at home - lived a little. It was marvelous, and I had a good amount of time to spend sewing.

Firstly, this hat out of snuggley red fleece for M. Again, it was from (an increasingly well thumbed) Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing. I hadn't realised that the fleece had one side that sewed well and one side that didn't. So, obviously I only got one of the four pieces of the hat the right way round! Ah well, there is always next time, and anyway, it looks cosy! At first, disappointingly, M wouldn't have it anywhere near him, let alone on his head, but we went for a lovely walk this evening and the hat remained in place for the entire journey... it made me very happy.

Then, after a good friend of mine directed me to this book in Oxfam, I suddenly had notions of sewing him an entire wardrobe of cute dungarees and jackets, and away I went. Now, I have never made clothes before and as a novice sewer I was a little nervous, but hey, the only way to learn is to get it wrong.
It was all going marvelously. Who couldn't get excited by a blue corduroy autumn jacket with yellow lining? In an evening, I got this far:

And this is where I am stuck. The shape seems very wrong, and as it is too big for M at the moment I am struggling to work out how the proportions are wrong. The arms are long and the jacket is short and wide. It is a very sorry sight! I will come back and conquer, though. Even if I have to start over!
And to finish, a couple of pics of the next round of bunting... as requested by Kitschen Pink! I love the mix. I can see it coming together... flags flapping in the wind. It's going to be brilliant. There's nothing I love more than bunting! And look at those all stacked up neatly. Lovely.

Skeleton Boy

2008-08-27T13:37:00.004+01:00

We are back from Cambridge and survived the river and just about the wedding talks with all the folks and are now at home having this week off... bliss.

This is what B and I have been working on together. I made the black jumpsuit and B cleverly made the skeleton transfer. I am very pleased with the result. I slightly cheated using an old black t-shirt and therefore keeping the neck from that, and there are poppers on the insides of the legs for nappy changing, which were a bit of a pain to sew on, but other than that it was fairly straightforward.The occasion is a wedding in two weeks time. The kids have been encouraged to come in fancy dress and we knew M would never keep any fancy dress accessories on for any period so it had to be an all-in-one.

I also managed to get a stack of bunting flags done yesterday, enthused by the wedding talks over the weekend... I am loving my sewing machine at the moment!