Self indulgence.

I have completed this pair of socks. They are so cosy! They will be a joy to wear inside my boots this winter.



The following photos show a project which I have finally started. I grabbed this pair of jeans from some rubbish thrown out a while ago by one of my daughters. They are almost new - the only problem being that the legs have been slit from the bottom edge for a distance of roughly two inches. I have patched the cut and darned the area.



Then I have added some patterned scraps of fabric. The bits were first ironed onto Bondaweb, before being ironed onto the patched area at the bottom of each trouser leg. I shall use free-machine-embroidery to scribble a pattern over the top to secure the fabric scraps. After this I shall embroider some patterns around the fabric scraps just to decorate the area. I shall post photos when I have finished.



Yesterday, I spent a rather self-indulgent afternoon in Chester. This is a beautiful city, right on the edge of Cheshire in the UK. I was visiting to buy fabric, yarn and anything else that took my fancy.



In a Charity shop - Save the Children..... I found these pieces of furnishing fabric. There is just less than a yard of the blue and just over two yards of the cream. The blue is destined for my new recorder music bag. If there is anything left I shall be making rolled, padded, cases for my instruments.

The cream will be used to complete the task. I shall then use the remainder to make rolls to contain my collections of circular needles, double-pointed needles and straight needles. It will be so nice to be able to keep these tidy.......



Whilst in Chester I visited a favourite shop. Stash. I indulged myself, buying three different yarns for three different projects. I have already started the first of these. Its the "Notre Dame de Grace Pullover" by Veronik Avery. This is in the Summer 2007 edition of Interweave Knits. I am using Debbie Bliss' Rialto Aran. It feels so nice................

I found this lovely yarn for the October project for Elizabeth's Year, I bought some Addi bamboo circular needles for the same project.

I found this gorgeous sock yarn too. I couldn't resist..........

Socks and knitting

Sewing has had to be left for a little while since I have been rather short of time recently. Rather frustrating, but once I have got myself better organised I shall get back to stitching once more......








The nice thing about knitting is that I can pick it up when I have even just a few minutes to myself. I've been busily knitting socks lately. I finished my very first pair just a few days ago.

I used the "On-your-toes socks" pattern by Ann Budd from the Summer 2007 edition of "Interweave Knits". Rather a nice pattern, it certainly made it easy for me to grasp the basics of knitting socks from the toe up. I have now started a second pair......







You might recognise the yarn from my original abortive attempt to complete a pair of socks. I shall get back to that pattern one day and master it.

Summer School

Some photos from the Summer School I was talking about in the last post. The four day embroidery course was held near Ormskirk, Lancashire. The title was "What lies beneath" and took antique underwear as an inspiration. We all worked on designs to make a corset-style top. I designed mine to be worn with the shawl I have just completed.



The next photos shows just one of the items from the wonderful collection of underwear we were able to see.



The next photos are taken from the journal I made during the course with some of the ideas I have been playing around with for my own top. The mock-up shows just the centre panel of the princess-style shaped front.



Yes, I am intending to hand paint the fabric I shall use for this garment. Oh yes, I do intend to wear it.........



The green fabric shows a mock-up of one of the flowers from the front of the garment, as well as a completed free-machine embroidered strip of lace which is intended to edge the bottom of the completed corset-style top.



I met some wonderful people during the Summer School. It has left me with the ambition to start the City and Guild Embroidery course. I just need to work out how to fit in the full-time job................

Back again!

Well, its been quite a long time since I last wrote to this Blog. I have been away from home and on holiday.
For the first week, I went to a Summer School. This was really interesting since it introduced me to the style of working needed for the City and Guilds courses. The Summer School was run by the School of Stitched Textiles.
http://www.sofst.org/
I shall post some photos and more information next time.
The next couple of weeks saw me going away on holiday with my husband. We had a most enjoyable holiday which saw us travelling to Hong Kong, a visit into China, then flying to Singapore, moving on to Bangkok and lastly a relaxing week on Koh Samui.
I was able to indulge myself in buying some gorgeous silk. The photos will follow in the next post.
Its been a really interesting summer...........
Oh, and I managed to finish my shawl!