Whimsical Kitten

Operation S.A.D or rather S.A.B as it was renamed commenced phase 2 on Saturday afternoon and achieved completion on Sunday morning with the very satisfactory production of what I am calling my big red reversible sunflower bag. I made my own pattern out of brown wrapping paper, cut some red cotton fabric as the main colour to size and ironed on some heavy duty interfacing, then using some of the red and white bold flower cotton print I had chosen for the lining, I applique’d a simple sunflower design onto the front of it, which was heat fused with bondaweb and satin stitched at the edges.

I then hemmed the bottom and side seams, which were top-stitched for extra strength and did the same for the lining. 

The home stretch was to line the bag, edge-stitch the four corners to make it more rigid and then add the straps - et voila! And if I get bored with red, I can invert it and have the bold print.

Now, I am off to photograph a massive spider that is lurking in our conservatory which I may post for you later – you wouldn’t believe the size of it!

I have successfully purchased presale tickets to see Bill Bailey in his new UK Tour Tinselworm at Wembley Arena in November (yay!) how happy am I? General ticket sales start Thursday 26th April but you can get some of the 30,000 presale tickets here http://www.billbailey.co.uk/tour_details.php by the way Bournemouth has already sold out!

And to whet the appetite Das Hokey Kokey…..

Operation S.A.D (sew a dress) has commenced.  Phase one, locate and dust off sewing machine. Check! The sewing machine I have had for twenty (yes!!) years now, I purchased it as a fresh-faced student nurse, I thought it cost a fortune at the time, earning only paltry student nurse pay, but it is still in really good condition and everything appears to be there and working. Note to self, remember to remove the chilli and sweet pepper plants growing in background.

So now all I have to do is recall exactly how to stitch something together and then we’ll be cooking on gas, I have a pattern (yay!), okay so it is not a dress, the dress I have set my heart on is glorious but a wee bit tricky to kick off with, so being realistic I thought I better start with a top and here is the pattern

The fabric is ordered and I am now waiting in eager anticipation for it to arrive, and then phase two commences………….

To Live Simply ~ William Henry Channing {1810-1884}

To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion;

to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;

to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;

to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;

to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never;

to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.

This is to be my symphony.

Today was a good day, I took myself off to town and had a lovely lunch with my darling husband Ben. Then with a couple of hours before my car park ticket ran out I thought I’d have look around. Never able to pass a charity shop (or four) without having a quick nosey around, it seemed that today success was in the air. I picked up two gypsy style skirts, an embroidered linen tablecloth (perfect for tea on our new patio when it eventually gets finished), and an cute blue gingham apron for all that cupcake making I plan on doing, total spend £16.70 - go me!

I did also buy a book as I am feeling the need to really get to grips with making some of my own customised clothes and because to me dressmaking=stress-making this seemed the perfect introduction. Scratch this last comment I have got back into sewing in a big way – woohoooo!! (re-edited 1/5/07).

And then when I got home, I had a cream tea – how very decadent!

Our friends Adam and Kate are getting married this August, and like we did, they are having a civil ceremony followed by a big garden party afterwards. I promised Kate that I would help make some decorations for the party to hang in the trees and based on some festival decorations I saw at the 2006 Sunrise Summer Solstice Festival here are the prototypes, I hope you like them Kate.

They are very simple to make, just take some old green garden canes cut them in half, make into a cross and fasten together, then wind remnants of wool around each cane in a clockwise direction to make the kite shape; tie off and adorn with crochet flowers, buttons, or whatever takes your fancy. They twist and spin beautifully in the breeze.

I have always been a big fan of buttons, we had a button jar when I was a little girl, its primary purpose being for the thrifty repair of clothing (a hangover from more frugal times than we experience today), its secondary purpose being an object of great wonder to me. Consequently now I’m all grown up (well almost) I have my own button and bead jars, that sadly just sit on my dresser rarely used. However not for much longer, inspired by the wealth of creativity that is abundant on the world wide web, I plan to incorporate them into some projects that I have in mind. But for now, if you like buttons as much as me that you will love this brilliant YouTube short film: