The Weekend's endeavours

Here is what I made at the weekend.  I made the set for a friend who is about to give birth.  As we do not know the sex of the baby I thought to give things for her at the baby shower and can get something later for the baby.

It took a long time to make, about 17 hours.  I used too fine a thread and had to restring several times before giving in and restringing onto wire. 

Emma is bright and cheerful and lovely and also comes from Devon, so used the seaside and her girliness as my inspration.  Enjoy.

Now on to finishing a commission I have had for months!!!

Andrea

Creating in the mind not the hand

Well, with childcare and trying to lose weight and so forth, my creativity the last couple days has been limited to my head and what I can/should/want to do next. 

Having said that, I am baking tomorrow for a dinner party tomorrow night.  It is a rather intimate affair which I do like because I can more easily put a little more effort and panache into what I make/bake/cook then I can when I have my big dinner parties.

I am looking tomake a fruit meringue conncoction, like Eaton mess but with a mix of fruits.  Also some low call low fat lemon muffins.  Main course is a glazed chicken with scalloped potatoes and beans, the starter I am thinking of a stuffed tomatoe.

Did buy a book today to help me a little I hope....it is about trying to remain and be artistic/creative while still being a mom.  Hope it might help give me some insight.  I reckon I may be doing a lot of reading in a couple weeks when the builders start and Tim is off with his grandparents.

Chat soon.

2 days in a row....amazing!

Well, considering being run off my feet and having too much to worry about I managed to make cupcakes for a friends little boy today.  His first birthday is on Thursday and we were all invited to the park to celebrate.  Frustratingly, because I have had to wait in for parcels I had to ask a friend to come and collect them to take for me and here I still sit as I wait for two more deliveries!

I made Victoria Sponge cupcakes and then put some strawberry jam on top then buttercream.  I have to thank my dear friend Emma Ward for the the Vic Sponge recipe.  I have tried making this several times and always failed.  But when I had my baby shower, the friend who held it asked people to bring things and when Emma found out my favorite is Vic Sponge she spent weeks perfecting a recipe and to this day hers is the best I have ever had and rocks my world.

Mine comes pretty close though considering I have so miserably failed previously.  Hopfeully everyone else liked it as much as I thought it did.  That is on my 'create' list which I am collecting for.  A friends and family favorites cookbook.

A picture of the final set:

;p

The new trousers (that word is just WRONG!)

So ! ...

I finished the trousers/shorts/capri's....  the pictures make me look horrible but I thought I would post up a little picture of the details. 

I took a pair of pj short bottoms and winged a pattern off of them but in order to not just have them look like pj bottoms I added the detail you will see in the photo.  The detail is a series of two buttons which you can hike the sides up with.  I have done this for when I take Tim to the park and we go into the wading pool.  Also if it is a hot day I can make them a little shorter.

Being over 35 and very large I wanted something that was loose and airy but also covered my knees and was long enough not to ride up because I do have a lot of issues with that in summer which can be painful.

I chose blue thread as a detail and the the red buttons for a shot of colour.

What do you think?

And later on....

Well, I got the garden work done and most of the sewing but have had to revisit the manual for my machine to work out my button holes.

I am enjoying my sewing though.  I generally go through phases with my sewing as I get fed up or lack the patience.  BUT, i have about 10 handbag designs to try which I have more then enough fabric for and also three dresses to make with fabric bought over a year ago now. 

I am as bad as my mom.  I see fabric, and must have it but it can sit for many a year waiting for 'the time'.  But my obsession goes far beyond fabric like my mothers.  My obsession for craft and inspiration has led to a collection of all sorts of haberdashery, fabric, threads, ribbons, beads, wire, paper, stamps, items to help form, glue, etc, etc, etc.

I am in the process of trying to create three different tiaras and I have been commissioned for an African inspired necklace which I really must work on.  I am hoping once our home renovation work has completed, even just the first set which will see our son have his own private bedroom that I will get my guest room/work room back which I can work in when Tim naps and get more progress on things.  The issue at the moment is that becuase so many of our rooms have things happening in them that I cannot readily access or use the room with all my stuff in it.  This means I try and get the bits that I need and move them downstairs use them and then put them back.

When in the autumn I get my rear extension that will become a slightly more permanent space to have my sewing machine and I can have a small trolley for current projects.

ok, goodnight out there.

The First Day, The First Time

Well.  I have tried Live Journal and kind of inform others on Facebook but have thought this might be a new and potentially more creative outlet to my journey to discover who I am, what I should be doing and how I do it.


I am not very good at self confidence or conviction in my ability or purpose but I like to make,create and share, so I thought this might be a way to help me get a kick up the butt and share my creations and ideas and maybe have the help of the world in finding my place in the world.

At the moment, I am working on a pair of summer shorts made out of t-shirt fabric.  I have done these up so that I have something nice and casual to where to the park to play with my son.  I will post pictures soon.



I have a lot of ideas that I am working on for jewellery at the moment to, but lots of ideas and lots of collected bits do not make final pieces which I struggle with while running around after a 20 month old and also trying to get my house ready for several weeks of construction chaos as our house goes through some renovations.

I will post more later, when the trousers are done and I have finished todays garden work.

Ta for reading.