I can Sing a Rainbow

We rollercoasted into half-term on a wave of vomity sick bugs. Just as the scores were coming in on Eurovision night, Little Bun was the first to fall prey to the nasty that's been hanging about these parts. By the following week Miss Rosey had succumbed. Poor kid bang in the middle of her end of year exams which she'd been revising really hard for. She struggled through a day of three exams and now has six more left undone waiting for her return. I've held all the sick buckets, but so far I've just had a spinning tum. My Mr on the other hand went down crash bang wallop for the whole bank holiday weekend.

We had a wedding to get to on Sunday. The sun shone and I had my oufit all sorted. I was really pleased with my grown-up ensemble as most of my outfits involve jeans of different shapes. On Saturday I got it into my head that I definately needed a purple corsage brooch to finish it off just so. I cut out several wee heart shapes and then pinched and stitched until I was very very happy indeed.

I'm so thrilled with my new brooch, that I've gone into overdrive with colours and am chop chop chopping felt to make a rainbow of brooches to suit each and every outfit.

So, with outfit all sorted (bought for the Queenie garden party last year, but new cardi for the wedding), I was really really hoping my man would pull through and be there by my side for a good time. Sadly the nasty bug kept him home and I went off alone standing very high in my shiny heels.

After a fair few Pimms and suchlike I managed to get my act together to go out and play in the sun the next day. My Mr was feeling delicate, but much better so I packed a basket picnic and off we all headed to Binky Hall. 

We lunched in the park, people watching and feeling joyous to be together with the sun on our faces. It really doesn't take much to make the perfect day does it. Apart from wearing a pair of new shiny red sandals that is. I love shoes, colourful shoes I love the most, but I hardly ever get a new pair as I have big old feet. Not many lovely shoes are in big feet sizes sadly.

After lunch, I insisted we head off to find Little Vintage Lover Fair, which had set up in Binky's gardens for the whole weekend. Mr Bun and Little Bun chose to lay in the orchard making daisy chains while Miss Rosey and I went off treasure hunting. The setting was perfect with marquee's alongside the lake, but no photos I'm afraid as I was too busy chatting and scanning stuff.

I was thrilled to find a pattern with exactly the shape dress Miss Rosey has been after for a while now. After a good old rummage I added a few fabrics to my bag too. My head's been turning to thoughts of making another quilt lately. I think these will be the start of my ideas for it.

Several more bits were gathered up and then we headed back to the orchard with a sweet smelling punnet of strawberries. Sitting there in the sun on lush grass and munching our strawberries felt so good too. 

I had a quick show and tell of my treasures before we headed off for tea, cake and the secondhand bookshop. I found a few Ma and Pa Larkin tales, the Bun's added a Poirot, Bunty annual and Enid's Chimney Corner Tales. All exactly what I was reading at their ages. It made me feel warm inside knowing they choose these books. They also get books which is even better. Little Bun sat in one of the worn armchairs with a pile of books and she explained how much she loves the feel and smell of the different papers. Exactly one of the many things I enjoy about a good book.

Now here we are about to hit mid-week. Today is my mum's birthday and I've still not finished the scarf I'm making for her. I'm making a narrow Japanese Flowers scarf in delicate Debbie Bliss eco baby cotton. I made sure I stuck to the more muted colours she prefers and I have to be honest I'm enjoying playing with them. Just hope I can get it finished some time soon as June is already looking a pretty jam packed month.

Now I must away to my bed as we're up early to catch the train to Cambridge in the morn. See you soon I hope.

Disconnected

Good day to you.

As this is is the first time I've tried to use my pooter since my last post, it feels like a slightly strange thing to be doing. It cuts the power off so many times as I try to do anything that in the end I usually give up the battle with it. Today I'm home doing paperwork and I felt a need to write, so I powered up the old girl and here I am giving it a go. Writing a post quickly is about all the time it will allow me. With that said I'll have to keep it short and sweet. There's so many things buzzing around in my head that I want to chat about, but my pooter doesn't like wordy at the moment I'm afraid.

Little connection to a creative world that I love being a part of has felt unsettling at times. I feel out of the loop as it were. I do try and read your blogs on my phone, but I keep mucking up the reply bit, please don't think me rude that you have left your lovely thoughts here and that I'm ignoring you. It's the technology that's making me absent - honest injuns.

 

The most annoying part is that I can't run my etsy shop properly. I got excited about filling it with new makes and now I'm having to be patient and wait a while.

Between times that means I've been getting my stitching machine out more and more.

The other day I fiddled with a few trims, buttons and lovely fabrics to run up a couple of new Happy Shoppers. One is made from some gorgeous fabric from Jane, the other from a pair of teacloths via Ms Kidston's shop.

I liked the print too much to waste it on drying the dishes. One print for the front and one for the back to make it even cheerier.

I especially love making the labels to go inside. I enjoy making things to sell as much as I do making personal things.

As soon as I can get my shop running properly once more I'll be popping these bags straight onto the shelves.

Stitchin's the Thing

At the moment I'm in love with my sewing machine and all the things that can quickly whizz out of it. I do love to knit and crochet but they have completely different speeds. Straightforward knitting I can do snuggling up in the evenings watching TV. I'm a slow knitter. I can also knit without looking which is handy when I want to look around. More complicated knitting and crochet, the stuff which means lots of counting is involved, is something I have to do when I'm fully awake and there are no distractions. As much as I love knitting and crochet sometimes I fancy a change of direction.

Lately I'm on a roll with the dressmaking. That to be sure is testing my patience to the limits, but I'm learning so much as I go along. Right now I'm learning not to scream and attack the eggy dress I've made with a pair of scissors.

Dress all present and correct, but with a too big top half. I've hung it up to contemplate and ponder what to do next. I'm determined I'll win this battle.

On Saturday, as the rain poured down, I got more and more fixed on the need to make a squodgy floor cushion. For many a year I've meant to make one or two, I just never got round to it and then in a flash the need arose on Saturday. Now having two girls means that whenever I make one thing that they like I must make another. That means one floor cushion made and another is being planned for the next rainy day.

Alfie also has his eye fixed on it. It's just the right height to get on when you've short legs and it's very very comfy if you're small and chubby.

Today's sewing involved something it's only taken me six years or so to get around to doing. In our sitting room is a wee side window. In complete laziness I folded up some fabric and banged in a couple of nails not long after we moved in. Now lazy things can quickly become things you just get used to after a while. Last night I decided I was going to tidy up the window first thing. I had exactly the right fabric. A super soft barkcloth curtain given to me by a friend a while back.

There was just enough muslin left over from the squoshy floor cushion lining to back the curtain panel so that made the job even easier to fix. All I needed was some string and a couple of cup hooks and it was job done. A very very easy curtain panel indeed.

Midday and with the panel up I rushed through some other stuff I needed to do and then settled down with my bowl of hexies and a few books to browse through. I'm between books and trying to find one that feels right for my mood. Books and crafty projects are always dictated by how I'm feeling. Sometimes I need a quick fix distraction and other times it's something that I can get my teeth into.

Tommorow is May 14th. On May 14th 1969 I was coming up to five months old. On that day my mum and dad officially became my parents. It was all touch and go on the day as my dad was an older parent at 43. Despite having had me since I was ten days old the judges thought he might be too old to be there for me for as long as I needed him. On my wedding day he said he was glad I didn't want him to give me away as I was given to him once and he couldn't give me back now.

May 14th is my adopted birthday, the day my parents celebrate as the day I was born to them. On May 14th last year I saw my dad for the last time. In the nature of things we don't always know it will be the last time. On May the 18th dad died. I no longer feel an overwhelming sadness when he enters my thoughts. There are still lots of things I can't get my head around though. I doubt I ever will.

I simply wrote this as I needed to record the significance of the date. Please don't think I'm sitting here feeling melancholic or sad at all. Sadness and melancholy rise up when we least expect them, not at a planned time. I feel quite content to be honest, but I would love it if dad could be joining us tommorow too.

Prettying up The Chores

I loved reading your comments on my last post. I do agree with you all wholeheartedly about the housework thingy you know. It's just that when none gets done on the day off then it gets really stinky by the weekend, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes isn't it. I completely agree that blogging should just be about the fun of it, however, the odd comment is wonderful to let me know I'm not talking to myself, but then that always leaves me feeling guilty for the times when I fail to get back to say hello. So for now I need to banish all that catholic guilt and get on with the process of just being creative.

I'm massaging my pooter gently and thinking I may be a bit nearer a new one. I played the wheeler dealer today and sold two cars handsomely for cash. One I had dumped on our drive and the other I'd dumped at my mum's (in case you think I'm up to naughty stuff). 

At the beginning of the week, before all of this profitable dealing began I parted with a fair few pennies.

Off we went to a vintage fair in a fabulous Italianate garden. We went twice in fact as I got the date wrong, luckily one early, not late as that wouldn't have been good at all and I'd have missed all the goodies. Bundles of fabulous fabric and buttons along with an ironing board that I just fell in love with. If I have to iron then I want it to be pretty (and low, I forgot how these ones aren't made for 6 footers).

One bit of fabric was used for a tablecloth, so I collected that off the dealers friend on the market later in the week.

The Bun's bought hairbands and pretty earrings. Mr Bun settled for tea and cake in the sun.

Now isn't that a wee, but hard to resist ironing board no less? Plus a hint of bag making, more of another day. I have a bit of a backlog as I can't get this machine working often enough for me.

After a mornings perusing old treasure, it was home for lunch and time to keep the sewing itch scratched. I decided to brave dressmakers paper and see if I could transfer the designs from the Sewing Bee book onto paper. It was nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be. The squares translate as the same just bigger. I made marks where the line would cross and then joined them all up. As it looked like it should I went ahead and used the pattern I'd made to see what would happen.

I chose a simple dress and then made a few cock-ups. Not sure if mine or the patterns. Mine probably as I should know better having made clothes since my teens. Basically I made the bodice too short so it ended up in the middle of my bust. I should have measured it from shoulder to waist, but I forgot that dresses are never long enough here for me. I loved the pale pink spot I'd lined it with, but I'd used it all up in the first try so I had to go with what I had as you know what it's like once you're in the middle of something.

I measured and added another 4 inches to the length, cut the green spot and off I went. So confident was I that I added a label that I'd made too. Mistake number two.

The bodice wouldn't fit properly along the side then so there was no way a zip would have fitted in. All I could think of doing was adding a panel at the side. I left the dress alone in utter annoyance and waited for a solution. Then a dressmaker friend suggested I open the back seam and add a panel in there otherwise the front would have been wonky with more fabric on one side. 

Panel in and the bodice fits like a dream. I now need to add the zip and hem it to and see how it all looks. If I'm pleased I'll definately do a spin in it for you as it's been a blood sweat and tears kind of a dress. With my lovely new red sandals on and this sunny egg dress I think I'll soon forgot how hard it was to make you know.

Is it a SHow & Tell?

My laptop is playing ball right now so I'm grabbing my chance. No pennies for a new pooter at the mo so I can only dabble here.

I did say when I was back I'd to show you what I made the other day. The other day was quite a few days ago now and lots more has happened since. No big show and tell really, more do you fancy a look see. Lately I've been hankering after a few changes, getting restless and bored with some things and content with others. In my head most of the house has been re-decorated, in the real world it ain't happening so instead I stitch and make to bring about the small realisable changes.

The Dotty Blanket I'd hooked up for the back of the sofa where cats and a small black dog sleep in the sun was looking tired. I had an image in my head of a patchy throw so I mixed up a few fabric piles and got thinking about which would work best. 

Now while this is all very lovely, me showing and telling, it's not what I feel like chatting about right now. Right now I want to have a think about the whole blogging/creative thing. Lately I've felt rather overwhelmed by all the wonderful things I see out there. Too many things to take in and think about, too little time to truly appreciate them all. My laptop being poorly has forced me away from blogging world so I can't keep up with all of the new posts as they happen. It leaves me feeling separate from something that I really enjoy being part of. However, this world that we live in moves forward so quickly that we can get lost in the slipstream and find the moment has gone. I'm trying to slow down and appreciate as much as I can, even when it races elusively ahead of me.

Being able to give a whole day over to making a patchy throw became an impossible plan I had to think around. I made it on a day off when Miss Millie came out with a rash which meant late dr's appointments and then just a half day at school. I set myself to choosing the fabrics before the dr's and then decided the stitching was going to be all done and dusted by the afternoon no less.

A very quick stitchy throw followed. Only a simple stripy backing sheet folded over the edges to act as the binding and then it was finished within a hairs breadth of school pick up time.

No beds made, washing up done, food bought and house still as dirty as it was the day before. Sometimes it's good to just say let's be self-indulgent with our time and do what we want to do, not what we should do. I always catch up with everything in the end. So I've decided I'm going to have to be slow and patient about this blogging experience as I will with life for now. Always rushing isn't good.

I've been taking pictures of all that's caught my eye, so slowly slowly as my pooter allows I'll urge it onto my blog and show you. If you're interested that is. With my sitemeter broken so I can't see who's visited and it being hard to connect with your blogs easily, other than on my kindle (which isn't as easy for me somehow) I feel disconnected and that leads me to question the whole blogging thing more than I probably should. I try hard to keep the blog as the place I'm never too analytical. My worklife is analytical and depressing at times so I enjoy the fluff, beauty and fun I can have on here. I'm probably not making any sense at all am I. I'll be off before I waffle anymore. Ta ta for now.