E is for... Easter

Easter Sunday has arrived. A day for eating chocolate and watching films on the TV. Sadly easter eggs in my apartment are thin on the ground, and there is far too much work to be done for watching TV. Recovering from a weekend of entertaining guests and celebrating the pilot's birthday is number one on the to-do-list.

Nonetheless I wanted to catch up in the blog world before I disappear for a quick holiday tomorrow, and post a quick picture of my latest bag adventure. Made from a Laura Ashley odds bin find, I put this together to hold all my other bits of fabric. Increasing the dimensions of earlier attempts, and adapting a little for the fact that this is made from thick upholstery fabric, this was a bit of a trial and error attempt but I feel it has come out fairly well. I still need to practise on making my lines a little less wonky, but hopefully practice will make perfect. I am especially proud of this bag's special feature, which is the flower made from my exciting find of a roll of vintage bus tickets. I love the little "go by bus" logo printed on the back!

Thinking about my word for the year, rediscover, I am happy to think that tomorrow I'm off to sunnier climes to practice my sailing skills. Please keep your fingers crossed for sunshine for me! Wishing you a happy Easter.

Em x

E is for... Adolescence

It seems undeniable. I think I am growing younger. Evidence as follows:

- Job hunting abandoned in favour of sewing machine adventures. (Snaps of bag #3 to follow shortly, bag # causing issues but expected to be finished soon)

- Hairband Love. Not since the early 1990s has this head felt that undoubtable hairband related headache. But now it seems no outfit is complete without the hairband, it's like a hat you don't have to take off when you go indoors. Genius!

- Fantastic bright nail polish. Shocking pink supplied by little sister, this is so fun and makes everyday tasks a little less dull.

So why am I suprised when people assume I am 5 or 10 years younger than my real age? On the other hand, do I really care? I plan to embrace the inner child some more over the next few weeks, and see where else I can find some fun. 2010 is turning out to be my year for not taking things too seriously, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Em x

E is for... Anybody seen my last 4 weeks?

Oh my gosh, where did February disappear to? After many mentally planned posts covering the beautiful roses that arrived on Feb 14th, sailing holidays, book reviews and new soup recipes, I have managed to update on absolutely nothing! I had been away from my blog for so long it had lost a few of its virtual marbles and insisted on redirecting me elsewhere! Anyway, should all be back in working order now, so I thought I’d share with you a little bag I knocked up on my sewing machine last week. I needed a little bag to carry my sandwiches and flask to work in, and I love the nautical trends of the moment, so this is what I came up with.



I started off with the pattern I found here, and added the fabric flower as an afterthought. As a first attempt I’m pretty pleased with my new little bag. It has received lots of compliments and it’s been great to say “thanks – I made it actually!” followed by pointing out all of the wonky stitching and insisting it is far from perfect.

Now I have a good idea of what I’m doing, I’m thinking about making another, bigger bag (so I can fit in a book with my sandwiches), with a few improvements and hopefully straighter lines of stitching. Hopefully I shall have a chance to do so before yet another month passes.

Em x

E is for... Inspiration

Time to talk about inspiration. This week I am:

• Devouring the books on the TV Book Club list. Just finished Belinda Bauer’s “Blacklands”, and really could not put it down. Not normally a crime/thriller reader, I was surprised how the mix of school boy innocence and creepy serial killer could be such a fascinating read, with hardly a drop of blood spilt. This was so gripping that I found myself sacrificing my snooze time to get in a few more pages before getting up in the morning. Now I’m getting stuck into Nick Hornby’s “Juliet, Naked”. I expect to be giving up sleep and lunch breaks to get through this in the next few days as well.

• Addicted to Glee. OK I admit it, I’m turning into a massive Gleek (yes, I really laughed out loud when I heard that collective noun for Glee fans). Watching the teachers’ love lives unfold makes this more than just a teenage drama. Most of all, I am on the edge of my seat to see the next cute outfit worn by Jayma Mays. I’m loving the cute cardigans, floral brooches and pencil skirts. Oh what I would do for that wardrobe!
  

• Eating Butternut Squash Soup. Throughout January I have been lingering in Christmas food mode, eating junky meals and never thinking about what’s going in my mouth. This week I have dusted off my recipe book and resolved to find some foody goodness. Butternut squash soup is good, but this is made great by the addition of toasted sweet corn just before serving making it buttery and chewy. Plus I can make a big pot and it covers my lunches for almost a week. Tasty, healthy and cheap, what could be better?
  

So, with books, TV and cooking, it looks like February will be a staying in kind of moonth. Plus, with all the rain and continuing dark nights, I am finally finding time for working through my Doodle Stitching book. It's great fun and i'm loving the results, though as yet not sure what to do with the cute bits of aida now lying around.

Em x

E is for... Inventions in Leather

On Thursday I sat down with my sewing machine and made two little creations. One - not so good, probably gonna meet the bin very soon, and the other, a little better. My original project is still on ice, but the marginal success was this little ipod holder. The little apple motif (Apple - apple - see the play on words there!?) was inspired by a similar project found on the Ginger and George blog.



As a first attempt I am quite pleased with this, though it's a little bit of a tight fit so i'm hoping the leather will give a little over time. Working with leather is great fun. There is no fraying to worry about and its easy to cut. Plus there is the lovely leather smell to go with it. I set my machine to the widest possible stitch and took the corners very slowly. My hope is that the visible stitching and ever-so-slightly wonky lines just add to the rustic "handmade" look.

Will be looking out for more leather projects to make soon. Oh and that fabric in the background was bought at hobby craft this week and now have no idea what I should do with it... suggestions welcome!

Em x

E is for... Envisage

At the weekend I had a one of those annoying brainwaves, where my brain works like a fast growing creeper, and a little idea for a crafty project turned into enough ideas to keep me busy for a week. I went to a local fabric factory shop looking for the perfect patterned cotton to use to back it, and came out without the cotton but with a whole different bag of inspiration.




I managed to pick up these 4 scraps of beautiful soft leather for the fantastic price of £1.20! There is a lovely dark brown, a deep red and a vibrant yellow. I had to stop at these pieces and not buy the whole box. Ever since then my mind had been brimming with ideas for ways to put these scraps to use. Whether any of these ideas will turn out as I envisage is another topic entirely. Today I think will be a sewing machine day, and any successes I will be happy to share with you in the coming days!

Em x

E is for... Industrious

Today has been a beautiful winter's day, and I have been rediscovering a local National Trust property that I went to last more than 10 years ago on a school trip. With the snow still making travel tricky, the pilot and I were the only 2 visitors, meaning we had the full attention of the many staff. With demonstrations of carding, spinning and weaving, I now have a very different outlook on my sewing supplies. I have also got great value out of my Trust membership, and it is only day 7 of the year. I'm considering this an achievement in my constant aim to be more thrifty too.

Today we have learnt lots about the cotton industry, enjoyed some of the great outdoors and taken some gorgeous photographs. All in all, I’m very happy with today’s little close-to-home adventure.

Em x