Disaster and misery!!!

Argh my computer has died (I am typing this on my boyfriend's).  I switched it on the other day only fora nasty blue screen to appear showing a nasty mean message about parity errors or some such.  This means my half finished accountancy project, and my sewing productivity project spreadsheet are lost in it's depths until I can (hopefully) get it fixed.

I am not happy, now I don't know if I should re-write my project from the beginning or hold out until someone can check my laptop and see if it is fixable.  Also it means all the fancy graphs and pie charts I was going to make on my sewing productivity levels have gone the way of the dodo.

I am not happy.

Oh also I gave up on my embroidery christening gift.  It just wasn't working and I had no time to bash out another one.

Bleugh

On a happier note, I am planning to finish the top of my first quilt , my echino bag and that darned grey leafy skirt in the next week or so.

I've also decided to scrap making pyjama's and have a crack a a summer top or two.  Details to come.....

Unsuprisingly Laura isn't posting about sewing

Yes well I have to confess my "Amazing plan of action" isn't actually working.  But I protest, it's not my fault!!  I mean how can you by rights sit indoors and study let alone sew when you have this outside your front door!

So I confess that this weekend, which was supposed to consist of one day studying and one day sewing, will now more than likely consist of  me and my fella sitting outdoors in the sun, perhaps some doing some hula hoping and maybe just maybe throwing in a bit of studying.  Unfortunately I am working to a deadline with my college project but the sewing can wait (at least a couple of weeks).  The only thing I must make soon is the purses, but I can do both of those in one evening.

So I think I need to re-think my schedule.  I was banking on this weekend and next but I need to buck my ideas up during the week and start spending my evenings sewing and studying rather than lolling about on the sofa watching rubbish tele.

So apologies, I have no completed sewing projects, or embroidery or even any "in progress" pictures to show you this week.  Sorry to disappoint, don't be sad, but instead why don't you turn off your PC and go enjoy the sun, like I'm about to do!

Oh also, after my project is out the way I am thinking of joining in on Tilly's Sewing Productivity Project, so I can sit down and work out what I really do with my time, and how I can be more productive.  I must confess that I am acutely aware that I don't sew nearly as much as the rest of you sewing bloggers out there!

Happy weekend all. xx

Bags and purses a go go! Skirt less go go, more go-slow

Don’t you love getting packages in the mail? When I am ordering things online, I tend to try and order everything at the same time so all my parcels arrive within a few days of each other.  This is mainly because they don’t usually fit through our letterbox so need to be picked up at the post office, and it’s easier to do this in one go.  As a result I tend to get a stash of packages to open, which I love!

Following my updated crafting plan, I ordered the bits I need for my first few projects, which I couldn’t buy locally.  I have now just received the purse frames for my gifts purses plus the bag handles and beady trim for my Echino bag.  I have the lining fabric now too.  Thanks go to Jane for her suggestion of fabric colour.  I like the combo, don’t you?  Best get cracking now.

My grey skirt has taken a back seat just because I’ve decided it needs a lining but am a bit flummoxed as to how to do it as I’ve never lined anything before and the pattern is for an unlined skirt.  An old sewing book my Gran gave me says that for lining skirts, pleats in the main skirt fabric and lining should be done together as one piece (unlike darts which apparently should be done on the lining and main skirt separately), but I’m not sure if / how to attach the back bit of the lining to my zipper in the main skirt, as the rest of the lining will fall free from the bottom of the sewn pleat.  I’m thinking I might just baste it to the seam allowance on either side of the zip and see how that goes.  This is probably not making much sense and is hard to visualise, but if it works I’ll post a pic. 

Also if anyone has any advice on lining a skirt please let me know.  The pattern is McCalls 5803 and it’s a simple skirt with pleats that attaches to a straight waistband.  I’ve already sewn the back pieces together and inserted the zipper (which is not coming out for love nor money) and have sewn one half of the pockets to front piece’s sides and the other half of the pockets to to the back piece sides.  Oh yes I forgot to mention it has pockets, does that matter lining-wise?  Nothings attached to the waistband so I thought now was the time to get the lining sorted.

I have put aside a day this weekend to crafting, so hopefully I will have something completed to post here by next week.  Here's hoping!

Showing off: Look what I've got!

It was my birthday recently, and I want to show off what I got.

My mum gave me loads of cool buttons and ribbons, including the smallest ric rac I have ever seen.  I don't even know how I would sew this onto anything it's so small!

[I like the reindeer ric rac the best]

And this is what I bought with my birthday money

I have a real thing for sashiko, I love how a simple running stitch can make such intricate and decorative patterns.  Yum!


I'm a big fan of Pip Lincolne and have been lusting after this book since it was released.  Waiting for it to become available in the UK has been really frustrating!  Also one of the things I love about her books is that they have a baking recipe at the back, to provide you with sustenance whilst you sew!  It's like she read my mind  :o)

Lastly John got me these embroidery scissors (admittedly I did kinda help him with this gift choice).  They look fancy though right?

Right that's enough showing off for now!  Best make use of some of this stuff instead of just drooling over it.