More building than stitching.

 The last couple of weeks have been crazy. First we finished building the garden shed, then the sections for the new workshop arrived. All 5.6m by 3m of it! So there has been very little time left for stitching or even knitting. so unusual for me. Yes, I was fully involved in the building, wielding a hammer or electric drill rather than my usual tools.......

So instead, here is an update for the items I was working on last time I posted here. First the penny rug now looks like this. The backing is a green felt. It is hard work to stitch, but satisfying. I shall be glad when I can get rid of all the pins. I don't mind the stems being a bit wobbly, after all most flower stems are not exactly straight, but I do need the flowers to stay in the positions they have been pinned into.

The knitting did get started and then got ripped back. I started off with a cabled pattern, but found that it made the body far too tight. Having ripped back and started again with a stocking stitch body as per the original design, I am now very bored and have dumped this jumper into a corner. It needs a rethink.

Thanks to a lovely friend at Sew Cool, the sewing group I go to in Chester, I have now got my toile for the cargo pants sorted out. The pattern has been altered too and I just need to complete these ready for dyeing a more sensible colour. Perhaps grey to match the zip? It would be a useful colour and I don't possess any trousers that are grey.

Whilst in Chester, I bought a gorgeous length of cobalt blue cotton ready to make my first pair of cargo pants now that the pattern has been altered to fit. The fabric has been washed and is sitting on my worktable ready to be cut out.

At the Sew Cool meeting, there was a pile of patterns which needed a new home. I got these two. Yes, I know the sizing is too small for me. The Style pattern is dated 1980 and the Butterick probably dates from the late 1970s. I was thinking of sizing up both patterns to fit. The shape of the Butterick pattern is really interesting and would be lovely in a soft crepe de chine.......

 A couple of days ago, I also managed to start work on this next pattern. This is the pattern I showed last time. Deciding that the shirt is really a bit short and needing an additional two or three inches in length. I completed a tissue fit rather than a toile since this isn't a fitted design. I will probably make the tunic length with the rolled up sleeves and the round neck rather than a collar.

This length of crepe de chine from my stash will be used for the tunic. It will be interesting to try to match the dye colour of the wearable toile cargo pants..... Again, this fabric sits on my worktable waiting to be cut out ready to start sewing.

I had to hand back the Pinfold challenge book today before even starting my pages for it. There just hasn't been enough time to start anything for the "Round and round" theme. I will have to get that ready for the next Pinfold meeting in four weeks time, taking some glue or double sided tape with me to stick it in. The photo above is the next theme, "Flowers". I am hoping there will be much more time available now that the garden shed is finished and the new workshop just needs the roofing felt before that too is complete. I'm itching to get on with some sewing projects, especially since there hasn't been much time over the past couple of weeks.

At Pinfold today we learnt about chalk paint and "gold" leaf. This was my sample. Not sure if I will use these techniques any time soon, but it made for an interesting workshop.

If you were wondering, that newly built workshop is for my husband. It will house his woodworking lathe and associated tools. I won't be having another workspace since I know very well that if I do, I will very quickly fill it. The workroom I have at present will do very well. I just need to reorganise and get rid of some of the bits and pieces I know I will never use.