Sunshine and Singers

What a great day!  For a start it was blue skies and sunshine which have been pretty thin on the ground lately.  My son suggested a trip to the beach this afternoon, which means going swimming in the freezing cold ocean (which I managed to avoid) and then eating icecream (which I didn't).  Strolling along with our treats we passed a small second hand/antique shop that had a notice mentioning vintage clothes so I decided to take a quick look.  Although none of the clothes took my fancy I browsed the rest of the shop and my eye was caught by a rectangular domed box with a key in the side sporting a tag which read "key for sowing mashine dont loss hte key".  How could I resist?  So I lifted the lid and this is what I saw:

This one turned out to be a Singer Model 99K made around 1932 (approx. 15,000 produced).  When I asked if they had any other machines I was pointed to the following, which is a hand operated Model 28K from 1907 (approx. 20,00 produced).

After mentioning I'd love them both but wasn't sure if I had space the shop keeper said he could do me a deal and I could have both for £20.  Deal done!  I know they will need a good clean,oil and possibly some repairs but there was no way I could walk away from these babies who just need a little love.  Now all I need is an old treadle machine and my collection will be properly underway.

One Week, One Pattern Success!

Recently I took part in the One Week, One Pattern challenge where participants wore items of clothing made by themselves from one pattern every day for a week.  I chose a self-drafted skirt pattern of which I have 3 incarnations.

Day One

This is the second version of this skirt that I made.  It uses a lightweight checked cotton that I bought as a furnishing fabric about 12 years ago.  It then sat unused in my stash for about 10 years but I think it was worth the wait.

The photo here is from Day 3.  I wore this skirt on Day 1 and 7 with a blue cotton top and on Day 5 with a navy fitted T-shirt.  Four outings indicates some favouritism here.

Day Two

This is the original skirt which I then loved so much I made more.  It is made with a fairly heavy, slightly stretchy black pinstripe fabric I bought in Walmart in Canada for $2 a metre.  This was a good choice for a day at the ice rink watching my son skate (although covered with a long coat, scarf and gloves).

Only one other outing for this skirt on Day 6 with a flowing white top.

Day Four

Here is the dress version.  The skirt is in an olive viscose with a peasant style top in a cream brocade.  Although I still love the skirt part, I think the top needs work so this one may have to undergo some alteration.



If you would like to know more about the OWOP challenge you can find the details over at Tilly and the Buttons

Batik in Blue

I've had these photos, taken at the Spey River near Craigellachie one beautiful sunny day, on my hard drive a little while now. They have just been sitting around, waiting for me to be inspired to write something entertaining to go with them. It is said that success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration so I decided to give up on being inspired and just get stuck in.

Many years ago I bought a lovely piece of batik cotton fabric while on holiday in Bali and it has been sitting in my stash untouched ever since. Admittedly this was partly because it was too nice to use and partly because I had no idea what to use it for. So finally I bit the bullet and made a decision. As the piece was too small for a whole garment I had to make a feature of it and design a dress around that. The rest of the fabric came from a roll of navy poly cotton that had also been biding it's time.

I wanted something easy to wear and comfortable for the occasional warm day we get here in Scotland, so this dress just slips over the head and pulls in behind the waist with matching fabric ties made from the batik. The neckline is finished with bias binding also made from the batik and has a false underskirt effect to achieve the length I wanted. It was very much a "make it up as I go along" process.

Overall I'm pleased with the result and have recieved some lovely comments when wearing it. This success prompted another experiment which I will blog about shortly (when I can produce some photos I'm happy with).

Dresses for Charity

This morning as I was browsing the blog-verse I got diverted to a lovely post by Louise at Sew Scrumptious about a charity campaign to provide dresses for girls living in poverty. Louise is encouraging her readers to get involved and has offered to bundle up and send off any dresses she receives by the end of May.

I don't know whether it was the gorgeous sunshine or just the fact that I've been feeling very lucky to be me lately but I really liked this idea. I have plenty of fabric and what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than at the sewing machine. So I offer you pics of the two dresses I came up with, based on the pattern from Little Big Girl Studio. Both use recycled fabrics (another bonus) and ribbon that I got in a bulk lot.

Multicolour floral cotton and mulberry cotton fabric with pink grosgrain ribbon.

Green sari fabric with gold satin ribbon.

Pay It Forward 2011

Well, it's still all cold and frosty outside and there is no better excuse to stay inside keeping warm and getting busy with making stuff. Currently that means finding new ideas for Pay It Forward 2011.

There are probably lots of versions of this doing the rounds but I signed up after a friend posted it (on a social networking site that shall remain nameless). The plan is that I will receive a lovely handmade item from this friend and in return I promise to send 5 other people an item I make myself (who then promise to make items for 5 people and so on). I did see a comment along the lines of "this is the worst pyramid scheme I've ever seen" and this is very true since each participant will actually give out far more than they receive. But I love it. How fantastic to join in with something that is designed to bring a smile to someone's face, give them a bit of a boost, or even make their day. And what a great excuse to try out some new crafts!


Here is my first item and my first ever try at coptic bookbinding, which will be sent off soon. I'm hoping to make something different for each person and I'm trying to match the gift to the person it is for. Each of my five will also get a Morsbag I have made from recycled fabric (if you like to sew and care about our beautiful planet, please take a look at the Morsbag site).

Happy Crafting!

Autumn Madness

No new photos to share and the bag tutorial has been put on hold while the house undergoes a good clear out and some re-organisation. Everyone talks about spring cleaning but I find that autumn is when I get the urge to completely re-vamp my home. I guess it's a preparing for winter instinct (like hibernating animals stuffing themselves to build fat).

There will be some great benefits when I'm finished though. I will finally have all my fabric organised so I can actually see what I have and start to plan some projects. There is currently a pile of storage boxes waiting to be filled, but this will require getting ALL my fabric out so I can sort it by colour (OCD here we come). I will also have a little more space as I've steeled myself to be ruthless and actually give away items I will probably never use. Mind you, this will most likely lead to an uncontrollable urge to buy more to fill the gap.

I also have a small flurry of sewing alterations that have just come in. All of these customers have been looking for someone to do this for several months at least. It seems strange to me that so few people offer this type of service, especially when it is mostly just taking up hems. Oh well, at least it will keep me busy.

Random Rambling

Where did August go? I'm positive some sneaky individual hit the fast forward button while I wasn't looking. If it was you, take note, I'm on the lookout now and you won't catch me out for September.

For anyone looking forward to the Tote Tutorial, I have a little progress report: I have taken a photo of the cut out pieces of fabric. And that's it! Aren't you just amazed at the huge amount I have accomplished towards this project in a mere four and a bit weeks. With my speed and prowess I'm sure I could revolutionise the world in the blink of an eye (or maybe a few centuries).


I did manage to corner my poor husband and force him to play photographer on one of those rare sunny days we had. So I finally have some shots of my polymer clay lentil necklaces on a model (only me, I'm afraid). Due to the wonders of Picnik I was able to take some rather oddly lit shots and come away with decent pictures. I'm particularly pleased with the one below because it's the first image I've been able to get of this necklace where the colours look right.


But now, fair readers, the lists call and I must away.

Handmade Quilts to Support Children with Cancer

As the curator of the McEtsy blog, I have had an event brought to my attention that I think deserves a mention. Michelle of Rubarb & Ginger, has made a commitment to help children with cancer by making quilts. Individual, customised quilts will be made for children at Ninewells hospital plus extra quilts will be sold to raise funds for CLIC Sargent.

Michelle has asked anyone who has spare fabric (or suitable craft materials) that they would be willing to donate or anyone who would like to help make squares for the quilts to please get in touch. You can check out the latest news about the event on the Rubarb & Ginger blog.

I think this is a really worthwhile endeavor and want encourage anyone who can offer their support to contact Michelle.

Sew, Sew, Sew Your Tote

First up on the list of sewing jobs must be the tote bags I've had cut out ready to put together since the beginning of the year. And that brings me to a good tip if ever I had one (although I admit I don't remember if it was my idea or if I borrowed it from someone else): hang onto those heavy duty plastic covers that sheets and duvet sets come in and use them to store your sewing projects. I even included thread and buttons in a couple of the bags (how organised am I?).


I'm looking forward to finally seeing these completed, mostly as an excuse to start cutting fabric for new projects. Fortunately this should only take me a day or two (allowing for the spate of interruptions I can guarantee will occur as soon as I switch the machine on) as you can also see my pile of men's shirts awaiting transformation in the background.


This is what the finished article should look like, and this design is fairly simple to put together. If I'm very organised I'll have my camera ready when I'm putting these new ones together so I can post a tutorial sometime in the near future.

Fuzzy Dice of Change

After many false starts, I finally took the plunge and used the template designer to update the look of my blog. Here is me moving away from the safe, but rather plain, black into a new world of light and colour (although I haven't gotten rid of black altogether). As has often been said, a change is as good as a holiday (which I have also been trying to enjoy).

And in this mood of change, I feel that it is time to stop spreading myself so thinly and focus on what is most important. After all, now that I'm 40, I have to admit that there is not enough time in any one lifetime, possibly even in half a dozen, to do all the things I have on my lists. When there are so many things demanding a look in, nothing actually gets the attention it deserves. Very likely, I will also need to stop procrastinating, but that is a whole other truckload of fuzzy dice.

What this means for anyone dropping in on this blog is that, yes, you guessed it, lots more polymer clay with possibly some sewing thrown in. I might even manage the odd tutorial (once I work out how to do the technical putting-it-on-my-blog stuff).

With Needle in Hand ...

I'd really forgotten how satisfying hand sewing can be. And surprisingly quick if you don't have huge numbers of seams and hems, which is mostly the case with ancient Roman clothing.

My husband's braccae and my son's trousers and over tunic have appeared almost as if by magic. My peplos, however, is a little discouraging. Not only do I have multiple seams and edging to do since the modern fabric I'm using has to be cut to size (as I lack slaves to weave me fabric of the perfect dimensions) but my outfit also bears more than a little resemblance to a sack. It would appear that, contrary to the somewhat skimpy Roman fancy dress costumes that proliferate on the Internet, ancient Roman women took a great deal of trouble to wrap themselves in vast quantities of fabric. Not that I should be surprised, statues of clothed Roman women sometimes show no more than face and hands beneath a tower of folds. But the presence of pleats and folds may well be my answer. I hope that after repeated washing, folding and flattening I may get my fabric to drape in a vaguely attractive manner.

If all else fails my consolation is this, my huge swaddling of cloth should at least keep me warm while the winds howl through the tents of our small Roman camp. And I am already considering a second outfit, made with a much finer and lighter linen (that I have yet to source) in case we actually get some sun this Summer.

Eye of the Storm

Well there's another week gone while I wasn't looking. I'm sure it shouldn't be allowed to do that.

Doesn't it sometimes seem like you are caught up in a whirlwind of activity that just seems to be taking you round in circles? This week seems to have left me still dizzy and without that much to show for it. At least I have made a number of new pieces of jewellery with my polymer clay beads, that I just need to find time to photograph properly (but here's a sneak peek at three of them).



I also think I'm ready to start sewing Roman clothing for my family's roles in the Ninth Legion (http://www.ninthlegion.co.uk/) and I have compiled a list of accoutrements I'd either like to buy or make myself (some more new skills to add to my To Do List). At some future date, photos of the ensembles are sure to appear here.

Well, I think the eye of the storm is passing so it's back to the twister for me.

Sewing up Aladdin

The sewing machine made it out of the cupboard today. This is not a sign of major organisation but an emergency measure, as indicated by the fact that the sewing machine is balancing on a small stool next to the sofa.

This is one of those "there's nothing we wouldn't do for our kids" moments. As a costume is required for tomorrow (technically, the costume is optional but not in the mind of a 6 year old) all possible steps to produce one must be taken. So, major scavenge through my fabric to locate that particular blue remnant, bought months ago for I forget what, that should be perfect for an Aladdin jacket. Happily this was sitting next to an old sarong in matching blue and my ribbon box also supplied a close match. For the next step (Warning: do not try this at home), due to lack of a pattern, just fold fabric and cut to an approximate shape and then sew it all together.

My reward this afternoon was a delighted son who offered cuddles and kisses. And no sign of disappointment that I chose not to attempt a turban.

I Have a Dream

I was recently reminded that I have been seriously neglecting the fabric side of my life. Now I do admit that my sewing machine has been hibernating in the cupboard over Winter and by "my sewing machine" I mean the one I have on semi-permanent loan from a very generous friend.

Sadly we only have one kitchen table and it is currently indentured to another craft. But, I have a dream ... a glorious dream of a dedicated workroom with purpose built benches, a cutting table, comfy visitors chairs, a dress mannequin, massive tailored storage systems and a stunning display area to show off my best work. The likelihood of this dream ever becoming a reality is microscopically small but you have to have hope.

For now, I will content myself with crafting in blocks. A week here, a month there and so on. March is not far off, maybe then sewing will get a look in.