Trying to fit everything in

Crocus with bee enjoying the sunshine.

There are times when I really don't understand Blogger at all. I clicked on a single photograph and all the photos I had intended to put into this Blog post, but not yet, arrived all at once. Strange......

Ah well, my first photos are of the crocuses and daffodils arriving in my garden. Such a wonderful lift of bright colours whilst we have been having some really chill weather. Apparently more is to come, but the flowers just cheer everything up.

I had intended to be good and not buy any fabric........

Black spotted fabric - just over a metre

I made the mistake of going into the local haberdashery for bias binding...... Fatal...... I came out with the bias binding, but grabbed this piece from the end of roll bin. It is a crisp, cotton/synthetic blend which should make a nice straight skirt.

Thinking of dressmaking, I did finish the waterfall jacket mentioned in my last post. I'm not entirely happy with it and am thinking about whether or not to alter the shoulders. They feel a bit bigger than I'd hoped for. Ah well, it will have to wait until I have finished a couple of other projects.

Rust fabric from Tracy Fox

On Saturday, I went along to the Quilters' Guild Regional day in Frodsham. So nice to meet up with people I rarely see. Such an interesting event too. Barbara Weeks was he speaker in the afternoon. Such an interesting person. She is also a member of the International Feltmakers Association and it was fascinating to chat about the felt tunic she was wearing. We had both attended the same workshop by Vivienne Morpeth, at different venues, so it was really nice to hear a much more experienced feltmaker's opinion. It was interesting to hear that Barbara is going to attend another workshop to be given by Vivienne in the near future. You can see my tunic here.

I was very naughty and walked around the stalls whilst at the Regional Day. Not a very sensible idea when trying not to buy fabric. I spent a lot of money on quilting threads to add to my stock, and couldn't resist some rust fabric which was being sold by Tracy Fox. It was so nice to catch up with her again too. I find her fabric really hard to resist.

There has been knitting. Test knitting. My green cardigan has been left for the moment. It has got to a stage which I really don't enjoy - picking up stitches for a button band and the buttonhole border too. I will get round to finishing it, but these two test knits have taken over.

This is the Adair Hat by Aida Sofie. You will find her designs on Ravelry, also here.

This little hat is in the toddler size, although this design will soon be available in sizes ranging from toddler to adult. I chose Sirdar's Harrap Tweed for this one. It is a really nice yarn to knit with and has interesting slubs of contrasting colours. The colour I bought was shade 0109, a lovely brick red.

The next knitting project is this gorgeous unicorn design, again from Aida Sofie. I really couldn't resist knitting this one. I have photos of my granddaughter playing with a toy unicorn. So this is being knitted in the size 2 -3 years. I've managed to get on quite well with this jumper despite fitting in the Adair hat too.

Ah well, I must get on with some sewing. I have a pair of shorts cut out ready on my work table and plans for another quilt. The shorts are a trial run on a trousers pattern I first made a couple of years ago. Since I have put on weight since the last time I made these, I really need to check out the sizing again. I know I altered them last time, but I don't seem to adapted the pattern itself, which was a bit silly. Ah well, with a bit of luck I should be able to cut out a pair of trousers after finishing this project. I really do need some nice trousers in my wardrobe. Oh, in case you are wondering. I decided against trying out the new trouser pattern. It is nice, but has a pleated front. Not a good look on me.

Speaking of wardrobes, I am also about a week behind on the Design your wardrobe course from Seamwork. I really must try to catch up before that ends on Friday. It is a really interesting course which is making me think rather more about what projects I ought to sew for myself. As a result I have ordered two lengths of viscose from Minerva to make summer skirts. I planned to replace my elderly silk skirt last year but never managed to get round to it. It was a lovely french navy and such a comfortable skirt to wear. I will be using the Zinnia pattern from Colette Patterns which is similar in style. 

Could I have an extra couple of days this week? Please........

Meeting deadlines and sewing

It has been a really busy couple of weeks with different projects under way. My hat got finished yesterday and the fingerless mittens will be started tomorrow. Not quite sure which two colours to choose for that design. Orange and white, or perhaps the tan and white. But then the aqua and white would also look nice. Decisions, decisions.

The hat fits snuggly and I am looking forward to being able to wear it in the colder weather. I decided not to add a pompom to the top since I really don't like them.

The two blouses got finished and I wore the collarless one with my new culottes the other day. It was really comfy, though I added a waistcoat since it is somewhat sheer. I really should remember to stand up straight when taking photos. The collared shirt is also ready to wear, though it is rather more formal and I haven't had an opportunity to wear it yet. As you can see from the photo, I really need to wear a waistcoat with it, or a suitable pinafore dress. Another couple of pinafore dresses are in my list of things to make, but they will have to wait for a while since I do have some other items to finish first.

I've cut out a sleeveless top - the Malia top and also the Dolores skirt from the first English edition of La Maison Victor magazine. It was published earlier in the summer and I have been really interested in how they fit.

The skirt will be made in a bright blue floral print, while the Malia top has been cut out of the fabric remaining from my recently completed culottes.

The interesting thing about this design is the gathering of fabric under the bust dart. The crepe de chine I am using should hang really well since it is very soft.

This little piece of felt was made for a challenge for the Pinfold group. I can't share the completed design with you since the owner of that book hasn't seen it yet. This particular challenge is a really interesting one since everyone has such different themes for their books. Each is a sketchbook just eight inches square with a spiral binding. We each get to see the work completed by each member of the group before the book is passed to the next person. I really loved the pages added by Meryl to my own book, but forgot to take any photos before the book was passed to the next person. I should be able to see what they have done next month. I really must remember to take my camera......

Oh, I did complete the alterations to the dress purchased by my daughter. It needed to be taken in a couple of sizes since it really was too big for her. A halter neck, beaded dress with a full lining was quite a task. A really interesting challenge which is now waiting to be worn at her friend's wedding next weekend.