Author: Thimberlina

#StitchingSanta Update! 

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Whilst many  people are out and about shopping for pressies, I’ve been busy stitching up some hand made gifts for my Stitching Santa recipitant.  Here’s a little sneak preview of some of the gifts which are being sent off to Father Christmas in the morning. 3 of these gifts I’ve made, 2 have been bought. I also have a piece of fabric that I’ve bought, but that’s going to be a surprise! Thanks so much Sheila for organising this, you truly are Wonder Women fitting everything that you do!

#SundaySevens week 66 (me 41)

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Aren’t the donkeys cute!?  These two live just down the road and we passed them walking down to pick the car up, having left it at a party last night.  It’s a shame the local schools can’t borrow them for their nativity plays! Before I start my Sunday Sevens I’m sneaking in a picture that’s not mine, but something one of my friends put on Facebook.  Thought you might like a giggle, it certainly put a smile on my face!   Now onto my week in 7 ish photos, The Sunday Sevens, as thought up by Natalie over at Threads & Bobbins 1  A lovely lady at the golf club saves her Prima mags, complete with the free patterns, for me.  Here is my 2013 collection, there’s a great shirt pattern which I might try and merge with the Archer. 2   Finished my Christmas bunting.  I just wish I’d have spaced it out a bit more as it was a metre and half short to go all the way around the conservatory. 3  I …

#SundaySevens week 65 (me 40)

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  In case you think I’m 5 days early for Sunday Sevens, I’m not. I’m a couple of days late. Oops! No worries, I’m sure the lovely Natalie from Threads and Bobbins who invented Sunday Sevens will forgive me, hope you will too!!     1 Hubby is reasonably well trained in most domestic tasks and does his own ironing. He dropped the iron on the lounge carpet, scorching the carpet and breaking the iron. So he went off to buy a new one. I’m quite pleased with his choice – lots of steam and quite weighty so should be just right my pressing needs! 2 My Yorkshire take on the Omelette Arnold Bennet. Replaced the smoked haddock with chicken and sweetcorn, topped with diced potatoes roasted in olive oil and garlic and a sprinkling of red leicester cheese. Served with baked beans. Lovely, yummy comfort food 🙂 3 Cut out the triangles for my Christmas bunting. I won the fabric in Natalie’s giveaway to celebrate 1 year of Sunday Sevens. 4 Apologies if you’re …

Grainline Archer – At last!

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One of the first things I lusted over noticed everywhere when I discovered sewing blogs was the Grainline Archer. They really were everywhere and I really wanted one.  I’m fairly certain that most of you seasoned bloggers will have seen them about, but here’s a couple of my favourites……  Click on the photo to be taken to the owners blog post…please! Carolyn from Allspice Abounds is to me the Queen of the Archers!  Her attention to detail is just second to none.  Overtime she made another and I read her blog post I’d want one even more!   Rachel from Sew South London made a gorgeous Chambray Archer which really showed off her stunning topstitching!  And it was her post that lead me to a different way to attach the collar – which worked really well! Thanks Rachel! I couldn’t bring myself to buy the pdf version, not with all those pieces. So when they announced they were selling a paper version I snapped one up immediately!  Not sure now what all the rush was about. …

#SundaySevens week 64 (me 39)

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Hello from a windy and wet Yorkshire! I think it’s been fairly wild all over the UK the whole week which leads to not much outdoor photography.  Apologies if a couple of the pix make your hungry and I hope number 2 isn’t too scary! 1  This was taken at Junction 22 of the M62 which is the highest motorway in England, crossing the Pennines into Lancashire.   2   I heard that sudocrem is great for chapped lips and flaky noses, so I gave it a try before I went to sleep!  Bet you didn’t think you’d be picking up beauty tips on my blog! 3  My fabric arrived from my recent win!  I also treated myself to a concealed zipper foot.  I usually manage with a normal one but as everyone raves on about these I couldn’t resist any longer!  (I’ve also made a couple of other purchases this week as a result of black Friday – I’ve bought SewOverIt’s Pussy bow blouse, Colette’s Negroni shirt (for the hubby!!) and a shirt making class …

#SundaySevens week 63 (me 38)

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Helloooo! It’s still still Sunday and I’m posting my Sunday Sevens on time,  SO that can only mean one thing…. I’ve got the weekend off! Yippeee!! In the unlikely event that I’ve lost you already and you no idea what I’m on about, head over to Natalie’s blog and read more about Sunday Sevens. You can join in too if you wish! Thinking back over the last week I don’t feel like I’ve done very much, but then I look at my pics and realise I have really. That’s the great thing about Sunday Sevens. It’s the photographic diary that I’d never keep up to if it was just for me. But sharing it with you guys makes it all worthwhile, especially when I read your comments. So hear we are….. Apologies for the accompanying text…. Tried to fix it from my iPad in bed and struggling. I’m up early so will look into it tomorrow… Sorry and night night 🙄 1.   This may well be my new place to stand by in Elland when I’m working. …

Giveaway!! I won and you could too!!

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A couple of weeks ago I entered a giveaway to win £50 of fabric over at an online shop I’ve recently discovered – WeaverDee.com It was the first of 6 weekly giveaways, and there’s still 4 left.  If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning then I’d head over there sharpish!   Imagine my excitement when I received an email to say I’d won!! Picture the scene – it’s 4am, I’m 10 hours into my first night shift with 2 hours still left.  I’d been awake for 17 hours.  I was flagging a bit.  It was wild and windy outside and I was sat in the ambulance outside A&E wondering where control  would be sending us next.  I checked my emails whilst waiting….. It’d only been sat in my inbox for 2 days!! An email telling me I’d won £50 to spend on fabric at WeaverDee! I bet you can picture a very different scene now, inside the ambulance anyway!! Needless to say the remaining 2 hours of my shift flew by and I couldn’t wait …

#Sunday Sevens Week 62 (me 37)

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Hello! Sorry I’m a tad late but I’ve been working this weekend and I only have enough hours to sleep and eat between shifts so trying to catch up with things today. H doesn’t have a shirt for school tomorrow yet, but blogging comes before ironing! Just to warn you there are photos of food! If you’re peckish you’d best go grab the biscuit tin! 1  My dad gave us a lift when we went out to our posh do on Monday night.  The bestest dad ever!  And not just cos he gave a lift!   2  Scrummy lamb at the awards. 3  The next day I was a bit delicate.  We ate lunch and tea out.  Here’s a selfie at Nandos. 4  Healthy mediterranean salad at Nandos.  We’ve not been for a few years, was really good and will definitely be back soon! 5  H wanted to get in on the photo of my healthy tea! Not tried roasted beetroot before, yummy!   6  Friday night was the Yorkshire Junior Cricket Awards at Headingley. Was lovely catching up …

My Colette Wren – The Nitty Gritty

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I had a vision! + = POSH FROCK Here’s how it happened! After taking my measurements I opted to trace off size large.  I didn’t notice the chart for the finished measurements.  If I had I would probably have saved myself some time.  The pattern has negative ease and my fabric (being a ponte knit) wasn’t quite as stretchy as suggested. The left photo shows my first muslin in a large.  I recut it in a XL and lengthened the pattern pieces by 4cm (on the shorten/lengthen lines). A lesson to all – Trace your pieces!  I’d have been snookered if I’d have cut into my PDF pattern and would have had to print and stick it all together again! The lower back bodice picture above is the first muslin.  As you can see its tight and also there is excess fabric in the lower back.  I lengthened the bottom by 4cm and then did a 5cm sway back adjustment – following this tutorial. I ended up with a very odd shaped piece but it …