Getting Crafty Again! Sewing a Machine Cover for my Serger / Overlocker…

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Ah finally the six weeks of bedlam and mayhem that constitutes the summer holidays are over! The minute the children were shooed on their way back to school, I took a sweeping look at the devastation left in their wake and took to frenzidly cleaning, tidying and organising the house. And, of course, once that was sorted, my attention turned to my sewing space!

It’s not that long ago I assembled my ‘bijou’ sewing area – the beginning of the year in fact. But, like my middle-aged waistline, the area has continued to expand! It seems I’d consoled myself with having my sewing time curtailed during the school break with planning; buying a shedload of fabric and patterns, as well as a number of new sewing tools.

So my sewing space got a bit of a makeover too! And as part of that I decided to get crafty and sew myself a new machine cover for my serger, using the free downloadable pattern from Closet Case Files. Read More

The Surprise Hit of the Summer! The Rosetta Dress by Pattern & Cloth

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I’ve sewn quite a few things for my daughter over the years, including a fair amount of ‘fancy’ dresses. They’ve all had some love but nothing, I repeat, nothing like the amount of love my daughter has for this dress pattern; the ‘Rosetta Dress’ by children’s designer Pattern & Cloth. It’s been the undoubted hit of the summer, the first being worn so often that I just had to make a second so she had something else she wanted to wear!

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The Mystery Blogger Award : Your Questions Answered!

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You may have seen posts on this ‘Mystery Blogger Award’ popping up in your feed; it’s basically an awesome shout out and works like this – a blogger nominates a number of their favourite bloggers and asks them to answer some questions they pose. In doing so, the recipient must then nominate some fellow bloggers and pay the Award forward. I was nominated by some pretty awesome sewing bloggers who asked some really interesting questions! An opportunity to thank them and pay the award forward, as well as answering their questions, meant no way could I pass this one by!

So, what is the award exactly?

“The Mystery Blogger Award is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates, it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging and they do it with so much love and passion.” Created by : Dkoto Enigma

What a lovely gesture!

Colourful canvas sueFirstly, I was nominated by the titian haired goddess that is Sue (A Colourful Canvas). I adore her blog, she’s an engaging writer and always has something interesting to say, and show, with her fabulous creations.

The questions Sue posed are: Read More

A Polka ‘Cheyenne Tunic’ by Hey June Handmade … and a little bit about French Seams

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Hello again!

I seem to be on something of a blogging roll!! I finally got around to cutting out this Cheyenne Tunic by Hey June Handmade; I’d been meaning to sew it for weeks only I succumbed to ‘the fever’ that was sewing my Luzerne Trench Coat instead. But now I’ve sewn one Cheyenne, let me just cut to the chase and say I want half a dozen more of them!

This is the third pattern I’ve sewn from the Hey June catalogue (see their Halifax Hoodie and the Kensington dress I made for my daughter) and again I’m really pleased with the attention to detail in their drafting and instructions. This is such a wearable top! In fact Read More

My Finished Deer & Doe Luzerne Trench Coat!

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Hello again…let’s get this coat finished!

I proceed with sewing my coat like an F1 driver on the home stretch…I want it done and impatience has set in. I’m mindful of this and try and force myself to pay due care and attention…to not rush to the finishing line…but still I find myself easily irritated and rushing anyway. And this is the quandary; I know not to sew when I’m in this mood – mistakes likely happen – but given that my mood is underpinned by bloody-mindedness, I carry on.

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