All posts filed under: Me & My Brood

Sunday Seven week 46 (me 21)

Published by

Happy Monday! A belated Sunday Sevens…. sorry! I’m doing this on my iPhone as I’ve forgot to bring my iPad so it will be light on text as it’s not easy to write a blog post on a phone!  1. Meet my apprentice photographer, I didn’t see my camera until the match was over once Sophie got hold of it!  2. Played golf and wore my Osaka skirt i made a few weeks ago. It’s the first time I’ve had chance to wear this in ‘real’ life.  3. We watched H’s buddy play in a final.  4. H had a new haircut for his cricket tour. This is the shortest he’s ever had his hair. He said he thinks he’s now grown into his ears so can have it short! 5. Lunch out with mum and sister  6.  The view from my kitchen window in the caravan – my home for the week.    7. Extra guest this morning waiting for his breakfast.     Normal service will resume after my little holiday with links to …

Lucy’s Lace – who’d have thought my old Janome could do this!

Published by

A few weeks ago my niece Lucy asked if she could borrow my machine to make some lace for her a project for college.  She knew I had a free motion embroidery foot for my new machine.  Little did she know that I also had one for my 16 year old Janome, which had never been used.  Well, not properly.  I think I fastened it on once but never got any further than that! So she set about moving the hoop around – she had some wash away film fitted to a regular embroidery hoop – and in no time at all made this!!  She used embroidery thread and kept adding tiny scraps of fabric as she went. How clever!   Once finished the piece was soaked and the film dissolved away. I think it would benefit from a few days between a couple of heavy books, but I was amazing at how easy it was, and you don’t need a fancy machine to do it.  Just one where you can drop the feed dogs …

Sunday Sevens – Week 34 (me 9)

Published by

I thought I’d be scraping the barrel with the photos for this past week, but now as I’m flicking through them on my photo stream I have 7.  Phew!  I thought before I looked that I might have to add one or two from my Me Made May ones but I don’t. 1.  Spot the vital piece of equipment necessary when I’m sorting out the back of my car at work! 2.  Spotted another shop in Bradford which I’ll have to try and peruse one day.  Apparently it’s really cheap for all haberdashery – as in it’s cheaper to buy the whole roll than just a couple of metres!  It’s on Toller Lane near Bradford Royal Infirmary – if any ‘local’ readers could enlighten us further that would be fab! 3.   An exceedingly windy and chilly day on the golf course! 4.  A rare treat – going out with Mr Thimberlina (to a do at the golf club! where else!) 5.  Look what arrived in the post!  Thanks Amanda! 6.  It was too cold to watch cricket (well …

Sunday Sevens – week 32 (me 7)

Published by

Evening! Phew!  It’s been a long day!   A long week too, really.  It was the 2nd week of the Easter hols in our part of the world. After nearly 3 weeks off I went back to work last Friday.  That was a shock to the system having to get up at 5am! MONDAY Monday we had a chilling day.  Visited Nanny & Nana, and stopped off for an ice-cream on the way. TUESDAY We played golf – it’s not very often we play together. It’s hard to fit it in.  H’s been playing on the ‘big’ course since he was 5 and got an official handicap when he was only 9.    He managed 15 holes before he got bored! It was quite chilly.  We’d both gotten our legs out but could’ve done with wrapping up a bit warmer! WEDNESDAY Some friends came round for lunch.  They’re 2 mums I’ve met since H started playing cricket for Yorkshire 2 years ago.   It was great for the lads to get together too.   H loves jumping out on …

Tartan Half Circle Skirt – a bit of a tutorial…My First!

Published by

Today’s my niece’s 16th birthday. She asked me to make her a tartan skater skirt. After lots of googling we went shopping to Fabworks in Dewsbury on a fabric hunt. As soon as she saw this fabric it was love at first sight. It was also the most expensive one we saw at £10/metre. It was a wool mix, but was machine washable. My sister would hate me if I made something that was dry clean only.  Originally I intended to make her a 3/4 circle skirt but I wasn’t sure how the seam would match up to I chickened out and made a 1/2 circle. I had a trial run in my size as I’d never made one before. I made mine in a thick silver fabric which ended up being a nightmare to work with, it just curled up at every stage.    After pressing the living daylight out of it it eventually behaved, but alas, I have produced another UFO. I’ve not idea when I’ll ever where it so can’t bring myself justify the …

My new sewing machine!

Published by

  Today’s my birthday and I’ve been spoilt rotten! My dad’s made me a sewing machine birthday cake! My parents also bought me a ruffling foot. My hubby bought me a dress form called Gertrude. My sisters bought me some new scissors and a new foot for me to sew leather. A friend bought me 2m of some purple velvety material and my mum in law gave me some money which I think I’ll buy some wool to make a jacket. I also got some plants, a home made apple pie, flowers and a Prima magazine. I feel very very lucky. Unfortunately I had to come to work at 4pm, but after tonight I’ve 3 days off and can’t wait to start sewing something new!

Not A Day Goes By……..

Published by

Not a day goes by, or even an hour, when I’m not thinking about my next project. Today whilst in bed (3pm – I’m on nights and should really sleep until around 5pm but the sewing clogs in my brain had started to turn and I was wide awake) I was thinking of getting up and having ago at my first Sorbetto. But then I remembered it’s my best buddy’s birthday on Thursday and I had intended to make him a little something.  Here’s me & Martin……..fun times.. Usually involving alcohol of some description!  He’s off to America on Tuesday (3rd time since June – lucky guy!) to see him partner David, so I need to work fast so it can be packed in his suitcase on Monday night. I had a look on the internet to find instructions to make him a wash bag and found this….   Details can be found on this link – the cottage mama – it’s a fab site!  I have some fabric left over from making a headboard for Harrison’s …

Mums sewing adventure Part II

Published by

Previously…… I started and finished my mums dress, it didn’t really get to be a UFO for my mum as she never started it. Today mum has been shamed into making another ‘1 hour dress’ which she spent 3 hours cutting out a month ago. I called in at 3pm so see how things were getting on….. 3 broken needles 2 broken needle threaders & a machine that would play ball. 2 mins later, all ok….! Replaced the bottom spool as the thread hadn’t been wound on with any tension it was loose. Mum started sewing the first seem, took her foot off the pedal and the machine carried on on its own! So funny! If I hadn’t have been there I wouldn’t have believed her! The pedal’s sticking, think due to lack of use! Oh dear, think my mums destined not to sew…not today anyway!

My Mums Sewing Adventure

Published by

Back in July my mum & I paid a visit to Minerva Crafts shop in Lancashire. I’d seen some fabric in their online store and wanted to see it in real life. Whilst there my mum got all excited and bought some material & a pattern. She’s not sewn for ages and ages so was going to be dusting off her machine that was neglected in her spare bedroom. Here’s the pattern (simplicity 1611) & fabric (a woven soft fabric with a lovely drape): My mum decided to make the dress full length but without the overlay. After seeing the material and pattern for a few weeks in the dining room, neglected, I decided to help her out and cut the pattern out for her. Then ‘we’ (the royal we!) began stitching. Lots accomplished in just an hour – all stitched up – it just needed hemming and the arm hole edges finishing. Then things came to a grinding halt as we were thinking the dress needed sleeves as the arm holes were a little …