Sewing the mouse (scruffy little mouse)

For a long time I have had this little mouse hanging around:

What a sweet picture he made. But tonight i thought it would be a nice thing to sew the mouse!

He went together in no time! What a sweet one.

He is a scruffy little thing. Not at all as neat as the model mouse in the photograph but I think i like him more this way.

Yours,

Mrs Mouse.  xxx

Fresh fruit bake

This morning I was up bright and early to bake a summery cake delight.

I really really liked the look of Debbie's fresh fruit tarts and then i came across this recipe from the vegetarian cookbook my mum bought for me and decided it would be a good treat for this summer's weekend:

kettle's on

A gem! 

I am going for afternoon tea today, arranged by feminist brighton to raise money and awareness for The Poppy Project. I mentioned that I would make a cake for the day so perhaps this will be a welcome addition for that event (and a good excuse to tuck in!)

Yours better get a move on,

Almond. xxxx

Great minds....

Today I was browsing the elle autumn/winter runway edit supplement, and came across the page devoted to the designer Meadham Kirchhoff, complete with this outfit...

It did ring a few bells...

If only I was a quicker knitter! (although finishing sooner probably wouldn't have got my cardigan onto a model at london fashion week and stolen the thunder)

Unfortunately my version is still a work in progress, but getting there now. Just a sleeve to go (and button bands and collar)

I would quite like to wear it on my birthday next sunday... let's see about that! At least I know which colour lipstick to wear it with now.

Yours, just call me Kirchhoff,
Emilia, xxxx



Jazzing it up

I have really been quiet on the making front this month. I think i have been reading more - at the moment I am reading Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I am really enjoying it and sometimes feel like I want to pick it up more than my knitting if you can believe it!

I think also a reason I have not been so busy is because I am not sure where I stand with the seasons at the moment. This time of year is normally busy with summer dresses, but it's not quite been the weather to inspire me.

However, today I went for a little hunt for pillowcases and flowerpots in the charity shops, and also happened  upon this jazzy little bit of fabric:

It was just £1 but quite small. I was confident of getting a dress out of it after managing to make a dress from a scarf (briefly mentioned here) last year which I wear quite a lot. I used headless harriet and really just draped and pinned the fabric onto her until it looked like a dress and sewed it all up. I wonder if this is how the draping method of pattern cutting really works? I'm not sure. 

I was quite slapdash with my sewing this afternoon as am being a bit lazy today. But I am pleased with my finished result:

And there you can also see my new flowerpot too (trying to detract from the ill appearance of the plant!)

I think this will be a good addition to my summer wardrobe. I hear there is some summer weather approaching so perhaps this will be just in time! Let us have hope.

Lovely afternoon's work.

Yours jazzily,
Emilia. x. xxx

this journey's end

It has been a long time since an update from me. The main reason has been delays with my pattern cutting project, my blue fendi inspired shirt dress.

Much time has passed since my last update on this one. I am not really sure of why it has taken me so long to construct. There seemed t be a lot  of finishing off. And maybe i am not quite there as admit there there is still a little ruck in the side where i need to resew the lining hem. but i am pleased with the state of it and feel that i have reached the end of the road with it and can happily feel i am finished now (because i am just ignoring the ruck for a minute)

In fact I have been at this stage for over a week now, but another hold up has been my inability to take any good photos so I am sorry about these! a shame.

Here is a recap of my inspiration:

And here we are:

hahahahhah

ta da. you can see all different panels and pieces. Need some shoulder pads!

I'm pleased it fits

I have used a great long zip as the fastening to ensure no button popping (there was a question mark for a while over how well it was going to fit, but in the end is quite loose and comfortable) and although thought this might not be so comfortable to wear and that i would have to always sit up straight, it is actually very flexible. I am not sure if this will be a dress for me to wear often though as it does seem to be very heavy. I think that I will definitely be using my pattern pieces again though and perhaps use some lighter fabric, some buttons to fasten, and simplify the sleeves. I tried for the boxy panelled effect of the original, but didn't quite get them.

However, I am really very very pleased that I have been able to see a dream dress in the pages of Vogue, and created a version for myself. That is really a very pleasing skill for me to have learnt, and I think with a few more adjustments, I could really get it.

I only have one more class left now. I have been working on a much simpler dress for the last couple of weeks and still feel that there are loads of things I want to try to make. Unfortunately there isn't a continuation pattern cutting course, but I am keen to take another class next year. And in the meantime will add Winifred's book to my birthday list so I can keep working on my pattern skills.

Onwards and upwards,

Yours joyful to have reached this journey's end
Lagerfield. xxxx

Me and Herring

This weekend there was a bank holday, but not much good as the skies were grey. I managed to pull myself out of my ear related malaise a little on sunday night with a trip to the pub and a catch up with friends. Just the ticket. I did drink rather a lot of beer though and suffered somewhat yesterday morning. I was meant to go to London with Rich, but i decided it was a bad idea on account of my hangover and with work the next day, but made the most of my mood with a good helping of cooking and eating and treated myself to some polish dinner. 

My mum bought me this little book when i returned from Poland. It is nice because it has the recipes in both english and polish languages so helps me recognise the dishes. I decided to make Danie z kartofli, jajek i sledzia (casserole of potato, eggs and herring) and Salatka polski (polish salad). Very much egg and soured cream went into it all. And although it didn't quite have the authentic polish flavour, it was treat for sure.

 

 

If i wasn't full enough already, i also decided to test out my new loaf tin and make a brack (fruit cake!) I like this recipe because there is just dried fruit, tea, sugar, an egg and some flour. I also added a little milk and hot water to mine to help loosen the mix a bit. It is a real chewy treat.

After all this food i didn't sleep well, and am rather dozy today. Nice to have some leftover herring in my lunch though.

Yours sleepy headedly,
Emilia xxxx

Dotty

This week i have been going mad with a blocked ear. Isolation has been the theme of the week. A very strange time it has been.

However, on the positive side, it did mean that I got to nip in to The Fabric Shop in Burgess Hill on my way to the doctors and found a lovely array of nice things there.

I justified a new dress to myself because i was 1. going to the doctors 2. missing a violin lesson so saving some money and 3. depressed and didn't much care.

My mood was lifted when i spotted some spotted!

You can not tell the colour in this picture, but it is a lovely shade of antique navy i would say. There was a red there too which was rather lovely. And some florals. Luckily i have to go back for my ear syringe next week so perhaps another treat will be justified.

I thought that a good ting to make would be something very simple (still not finished Fendi - waiting for parts - more on that later) So i decided to use this simplicity pattern as a basis:

I have another dress which is a similar shape to this, but has elastic at the waist and half lined. I decided that it would be a good thing to do. I also decided to change the neckline so it could be worn without a blouse.

It was very simple indeed, although I had a couple of alterations to make - firstly because i lined the whole dress by mistake (instead of just the skirt) - but easy to fix. And also because i added a pocket, but realised it was not such a good feature afterall.

But here is the happy ending:

Good stuff! And nice with a belt.

Until next time,
Emilia. xxx

blankety blank

Now i have been a little bit bad and have been keeping a rather big secret. despite already having a knitting project on the go. and as well with a quilt in progress and some embroidery. and some dressmaking. i still decided that i wanted to knit a blanket.

It all started just before i moved house and i wanted to make lots of things for the home. And this one was a little reward for the time i spent on costume making and a little moving present to myself.

I was inspired mainly by some  pictures of a colinette design which uses feather and fan pattern and really big needles (especially when I saw this one on kathyrnivy.com - there are a great deal of gems in her knitted collection - look at the pile up pups!)

There are so many colours from colinette and i did spend a lot of time mixing and matching. I know though that sometimes the colours on screen are not all that accurate and often vary from lot to lot. Also it was a bit overwhelming to try to match them not knowing how they would kint, so i decided to play it safe and use the colours that i had seen. That combination is called Sedona.

 i searched online for Sedona and found out it is a place in the arizona desert with brilliant blue skies and red rocks and golden sand.

The wool arrived in no time. It looked a bit different to the picture but this is often the way. I used my mum's swift and winder to make these balls which knit nicely from the centre!

Although i knew the lace pattern, there were other things i had to think hard about without the official pattern, such as how to order the colours, how many rows to do before changing, and weather to use garter rows and how often. I used the kathrynivy pictures and some other pictures i found online as a guide to begin with but soon decided that i was happy with a regular texture and it is nice to pick up a colour as i choose.

Although it is quite big, the needles are 8mm and so it is growing at a satisfactory rate. I don't think it looks quite the same as the original one I saw, but i really love the way it's turning out.

strange photos

Yours knowing she really needs to stop starting new things and finish something soon.

Emily

 

European Song

Last Saturday night was the big fun Eurovision song contest (i like that event!)

Rich (a bit of Armenia) and I (United Kingdom) went to Haywards Heath (twinned with Bondues - France and Traunstein - Germany) to see Robyn (United Kingdom) and Dorin (Romania) I decided to make and take an apple strudel (Austria) and some wheat beer (Germany) and Dorin had made us a risotto (Italy).

Wunderbar!

In honour of the event, i decided that my mixtape this month would have a taste of europe about it.

 Et voila!

Sehr gut,

zdob si zdub,

Emilka Backerberg. xx

slow and steady wins the race...

... (and hopefully finishes the dress)

Tonight was meant to be my first evening class back after easter, but i did a sneaky bit of skiving. As I am still to finish putting together my dress, i knew that i would get more done at home so devoted my evening to it.

I continue to be pleased with progress, but starting to feel distressed that i am still not finished. I am not sure what is taking me so long!! I think it is too much stopping to sit back drink tea and eat biscuits (tonight i ate 11) and just admire it.

But i wanted to show the next step...

As you can see, i have done a little bit of work, and managed to put together the sleeves (just pinned on so far) and sorted out the front facings and collar. There was a little adjustment needed there, but i think i've done the trick.

All that is left now is the lining and then sewing in the sleeves. One more sewing machine session surely.

Now i must think of a good excuse to tell my teacher...

Also there was a rainbow. I love those.

And for another thing, i must put my mouse on a diet. I think he is filling up on muesli and not his healthy balanced mouse food diet. He definitely has a double chin now.

So now i better get on with tidying up.
Next time you see me, i'll be wearing that dress by jove!

Yours unfocused and biscuit tummied,
Emilia. xxxxx

Trigonomatry

Today was the last of the long weekends for a while so i really thought i better get on with sewing together my quilt triangles (also i was in a bit of a restless mood and felt that if i did any dressmaking i might not have done such a good job)

I prepared these such a long time ago now, but hadn't forgotten what i had learnt during that process (it had thrown up many a dilemma) and with my trusty working out drawing to refer to, managed to lay the pieces out nicely:

This was the fun part of the task over with and on to sewing all my triangles together. It did feel like quite a chore (probably because of my mood) but once i dedicated myself to the task in hand it didn't really take so long.

And voila, the fruits of my labour:

I am ever so pleased with it. I think my pattern worked out well, and although i was bored and had a couple of sewing mishaps and mismatching seams, the result is not too shoddy (just need a couple of touch ups with my needle and thread. another day.)

Although this was a lot of the work done, there is still quite a lot to do in putting on the border and backing and wadding, and sewing in the quilt design. Although I have told my quilt mentor (a lady i work with likes to make quilts) that i would do the quilting by hand and I know there are some beautiful effects to be gained from doing that, I am keen on keeping things simple for my quilt and using straight lines of stitching along the lines of the triangles. That probably means it is sensible to use the machine. And also sensible considering all the things i am working on at the moment.

Now it is the end of the holiday time for a while, but i am really pleased with all the things i've managed to get done in the last couple of weeks and really feel refreshed for it.

Not so long until the summer holidays. Joyful times are coming!

Yours in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy. xxx

Greensleeves (and blue sleeves. and wedding sleeves)

There was a bit of a theme this weekend!

Despite being rather weary after a whole day of walking by the sea, i decided that I would put the evening to good use doing some drawing and working out. I am making two things at the moment from my own patterns, my blue designer rip off dress, and my green cable detailed (also rip off) cardigan - but was yet to work out the sleeves for either. I think i have a mental aversion to them as they always seem like the most difficult and labourious parts.

But I am pleased to have pushed on and look what i've done:

The sleeves for my dress are quite boxy and panelled so there are a few pieces for them.

I am pleased i have sorted that out as it was playing on my mind a little. And hopefully now i will be able to go ahead with some sewing tomorrow (bank holiday joy!) I only hope it works out as have only enough fabric left for one attempt (and failed to find any more in the shop!)

As i was in the swing and had sleeves on the brain, i also managed the knitting workings out...

I am really happy with the progress i have made with this knitting. I (finally) managed to work out a cable design I was pleased with and have now finished the back. Despite my thorough plan making, there was still quite a strong element of trial and error. But completing the back means that most things are worked out and the rest of the pieces should fall into place nicely.

I am wondering if perhaps i have sleeves on the brain because of this most beautiful dress:

the most beautiful dress

I was so joyful that day, and thought everything was so perfect. I was pleased it had a vintage feel as that is my favourite type of style. Kate was a vision - what a lovely wife she will be.

I am pleased to have this dressmaking pattern now... McCalls 1962 wedding dress suddenly seems much more current than before:

disintegrating a little!

Just to clear up the facts quickly incase you get the wrong end of the stick about it - I didn't buy this for the wedding dress, just for when i was a bridesmaid. I made one in navy blue for work too. it's rather a grand one.

I also just want to include this picture of the cake as well! Amazing! 

Yours going to try to stop thinking about the royal wedding now and do some knitting instead,

Lady Greensleeves (of cambridge),  xxx

ps. i also bought some hair tongs. i am kate middleton mad now.