When an email arrived with a subject line of "Crafty fun at 'Sew Over It' sewing cafe" I have to admit that I let out a little squeal of excitement without even reading the contents. I've read about So Over It many times before online and always dreamt of being able to escape there one afternoon to properly indulge myself. I've even seen the founder Lisa Comfort on Channel 4's Kirstie's Vintage Home. The idea of actually going there, for a "mums" afternoon was an amazing one. So much so that if I'm honest it took two reads of the email before I ... read more
Crafty Fox Box Purse
I bought myself an Easter gift this year in the form of the March Crafty Fox Box as put together by the lovely Emily of The Startup Wife fame. I've known Emily for a couple of years now and know what a keen crafter she is, so was delighted when I heard about her latest venture. My box arrived last week and it was a lovely treat once I'd put the kids to bed one evening to unpack it and start thinking about making things from its contents. I'm not going to share everything yet, but spending time with my sewing machine on Saturday made me itch to do more. So I managed to make the time ... read more
An evening of progress
It's taken a while, but finally progress has been made on the cot bed quilt that I'm working on. An evening of 6 Music, red wine, Oban and my sewing machine and it's amazing how at peace I feel. With all eight rows now completed the next stage is to sew them all together. You never know, it might even get done this weekend. Don't hold your breath though! ... read more
Two little lovebirds
Started for Valentines Day, distracted en-route, but finished in time for our wedding anniversary. That's the tale of the above bit of cross-stitch. I happened across the pattern in an email from The Making Spot and fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. There are actually four patterns in the series -these birds, squirells, elephants and penguins - and all are adorable. I'm pretty sure it took me more than the 9 hours they say to sew though - but then their estimations probably didn't account for looking after two children whilst doing so. The last stitch of ... read more
Laying it out
I honestly have no idea where I found the time in the last week, but between trips to the GP, mountains of washing, never ending to do lists and general life with two children I did squeeze in time to lay out all the squares for the cot bed quilt that I am making. It was a rare few minutes with no one else above the age of one at home so twitter was my assistant and the lovely Helen from Crumbs and Pegs provided a great bit of advice on the layout based on a series of photos that I tweeted. Technology really does have its uses. I'm still really pleased with the fabrics in my ... read more
Pretty fabric
For years I have wanted to have a go at making a patchwork quilt. I've stood in many a fabric shop swooning over all the pretty fabrics and I've also been stock-piling old clothing that I keep planning to turn into memory quilts. In my usual disorganised way though absolutely nothing has happened. Until now. I recently "met" Mum of One on a Facebook group and as soon as I read about her plan to make a cot-bed quilt and blog about the steps involved I just knew that I needed to take part. As per the instructions I ordered myself a couple of ... read more
Slow and steady
There might not be much to see yet, but slow and steady progress is being made with Jemima Puddleduck. Whether or not I make the self-imposed Christmas deadline is yet to be seen though. The majority of my progress was made whilst I was at my knitting group last week (I know sewing at a knitting group, but still...) as Master C slept through the whole session in his buggy. Unfortunately I'm going to miss the next two session though due to hospital appointments, so I need to find some extra sewing time whilst Master C sleeps. Maybe less time blogging and more time sewing is the answer... ... read more
Return of the missing mojo
I seem to recall that after Little Miss C was born it took me a while to regain my craft mojo, and the same seems to be the case after Master C's birth. Obviously there have been plenty of other things going on here too this time round (including having a toddler to entertain) but this last week or so the need to create has returned. Before I can start any new projects though there are so many around the house that need finishing off. My plan, certainly for the next 6 months or so, is that I'm not allowed to buy anything for any new craft projects and instead need to concentrate on ... read more
Little Peter Rabbit
Yep, here I am STILL waiting! All I can say is that this baby must be pretty damn comfortable in there. All this sitting around waiting for things to happen is pretty damn frustrating, but there is one small advantage. I have at least managed to finish one of the sewing projects that I started for Baby C. Before Little Miss C came along I had both a knitting and a cross stitch project on the go for her. OK, so neither were finished before she actually arrived (mainly due to carpel tunnel during the last month of that pregnancy) but eventually I did manage to complete both her blanket ... read more
Queen for a day…
... or in reality just a few minutes. If you're in the UK then you really can't have escaped the Jubilee fever that seems to have taken over. Go to any town centre or village green and you'd be forgiven for thinking that there's been an explosion in a nearby bunting factory. If you have children of school age then there have been numerous tea parties, concerts and picnics to celebrate. I freely admit to being a bit of a royalist. I love the royal family and what they do for the country and think the Queen should be celebrated after so many years serving the country. Whatever ... read more