More pretties

I'm dangerous on eBay.  I forget which ones I have & how much money I've already pledged (& spent on other winning bids).

Still, I have some pretties and I've done two weeks of overtime to pay for them. I've also finished my exams and essays, so I can relax for the first time in ages!

I really like the shape of this 1976 Style 1510 pattern. I can't find anything online for this pattern, so I'm going to assume it's not a popular one! I quite like view 1 with the sleeveless dress & collar combo, view 2 is the same except is has a purchased belt & two front pockets.

The illustrations from the 1989 Simplicity 9514 pattern are quite amusing, but I fancy trying view 1 with short sleeves and in two colours for the top & skirt. The notions state that shoulder pads are optional!

The 1977 Simplicity 7952 pattern on the left could be quite nice made up with view 1's shorter sleeve length. The 1975 Style 1128 is a nice length & I'm interested in views 2 & 3.

Definitely spotting a theme with my patterns, I'm a bit obsessed with dresses! Especially ones with collars...

The 1971 Simplicity 9205 pattern has a pair of trousers at least, just to shake things up a little! I prefer view 2 with the cute bow just under the collar. I actually really love view 2 for this 1972 Style 3842 pattern too, I have long blonde(ish) hair & I've always found the hippy/70s look works quite well on me! Not sure about the puffed sleeves though.

Last but not least, I picked up this undated Vogue 6654 blouse pattern. It just looks so elegant! I can't find it on Vintage Wikia though, so I have no clue as to how old it is.

Pocketses

I'm loving view number 2: the skirt with pocket detail, plus the casual short sleeves of the top. Plus the models look so cheerful!

Picked this undated, complete New Look Maudella pattern up off eBay. Can't find it in the Vintage Patterns wikia, or anything online so I have no idea how old it is. A quick search found a post on Yes I Like That which says that Maudella turned into New Look, which is now owned by Simplicity. 

My first zip

So here's how NOT to do a zip. (Or hem linings)

I didn't think about the fact the zip didn't meet the top, for some reason I still had it in my head that the waistband would cover it. It really doesn't!!

Ah well. It gives me a chance to rip out my shoddy seaming attempt & try again. Having read a lot of blog tutorials I think I might even be able to conceal it!

The bottom of the zip is awful. I literally went down one side, across and then back up on the other side. I understand how to do them now though!

I made this pattern harder for myself as I wanted to line the skirt (which wasn't in the original pattern). I struggled with getting the lining in, but I was lying in bed last night and something just clicked in my head for how to do it more simply. So as soon as these exams are over (eg, Friday afternoon/Saturday morning), I want to be sat at my desk sewing in the zip again.

Then I'll just need some decent weather & the courage to break out my bare legs!

Black socks

I'm not sure I'll ever quite understand Craig's reasons for putting these in dye remover along with some pink coloured clothes.

But I'm pretty sure these will always make me laugh!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present my "refashioned" leopard style black socks! Hehehehe!

Sewing Patterns

I had some 'new' sewing patterns arrive in the post this morning, courtesy of eBay.

After having read a lot of blogs this week, I've realised that one of the important considerations is the type of clothes I'll be making. I mainly wanted to make skirts & dresses as I'm a pear shape with smaller boobs & a bigger pair of hips (and a bit of a belly!) that I'm quite self-conscious of and it often puts me off buying clothes if that area doesn't fit nicely. However from browsing blogs I've realised that I'd also really like to have tops & blouses that fit me!

So I picked up these for £5 on ebay (including P&P) which I didn't think was too bad as they are cut but complete. I'm a mixture of sizes, 34 bust, 28.5 waist, 39 hips so I went up a size for something that would cover all. Hopefully taking them in around the bust area won't be too hard? I'm thinking I'd like to make views 1 & 3 from the 1968 Simplicity 7734 pattern and views 1, 2, 3 & 5 from the 1974 Style 4745 pattern. 

These are the sewing patterns I already own. I bought these last summer when I decided to start sewing properly (ha!). 

The top two are modern patterns, one from a magazine (Simplicity K2146) & the other an unenveloped apron pattern (Simplicity 1992) I picked up in the fabric shop down the road for £1.50. I've been thinking of sewing the apron as a birthday gift for a friend using some vintage repurposed fabric remnant I had off eBay.

The bottom ones are my vintage patterns.

I found the fabric for my skirt in a bargain bin and decided it would make a fab skirt. I then bought these two off eBay as I had no idea how to sew! I ended up using the undated Butterick 5644 pattern, which is currently languishing in the front room/office waiting for me to rip out & reinsert the zip. I'm still interested in view 3 from the Simplicity 6695 pattern (dated 1966).

This is the only dress pattern I have as of right now (have some bids in the pipe line). It's a McCall's 2597 pattern from 1970. I quite fancy view A but in a darker or patterned fabric.

I have some others lined up on eBay, so there may well be another post in the near future!

Picperfic's fantastic blog & giveaway

Just a quick heads up to ask you to pop over & visit Picperfic's superb blog. Marianne is a very talented lady who dyes fibres in fantastic colours & also sews bags & needle cases which are for sale in her shop, Fluff-n-Stuff.

Marianne's currently hosting a giveaway which you can enter to win 350g of her Seduce blend of fibres in a colour of your choice, or one of her sewn bags. I'm entering & have my fingers crossed that I'm picked - her quilted baskets are beautiful and would be brilliant for my sock yarn blanket as it grows ever larger! If I had interchangeable needles I'd be lusting after her interchangeable needle tip organisers too!

Go pay her a visit :)

(PS.I love how this post combines my love for yarn & my newfound interest in sewing!!)

Sewing Again!?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Just a quick post, which adds this blog to Bloglovin's roll call. I found it through Tilly & The Button's blog which Tilly's been using since Google Reader is being retired.

I'm all for recommendations!

I'm currently obsessed with sewing. After months & months of not wanting to do anything crafty, this last two weeks I've been sorting out all my craft wants! I sorted through my Ravelry stash & patterns list so that I now have  patterns printed & yarns picked out for each.

Then I watched the Great British Sewing Bee as I started sewing on & off 2 years back but have found it difficult without anyone to refer to. I was super lucky with finding great knitting support groups it seems! Anyway, I dug out the A-line skirt I started in August last year with Aunty Lynne while I was on placement. I've been dying to crack on with it but I have exams next week & I'm not quite that daft to abandon my revision & spend a fortnight purely sewing! Much as I'd like to...

So in the meantime, I've been watching lots of sewing programmes & reading a hell of a lot of blogs. Which then made me realise my zip (which I was so proud of!) isn't in the right place so I'm tackling ripping it back out using a few minutes each day....

I will finish the skirt by the end of June. I must!

"Valentine" cookies

A week or so before Valentine's Day, I picked up a sugar cookie mix box in Lidl. It was a quid and I'm a student. Plus it came with a heart cookie cutter, which I didn't have any of. So for that alone I figured it'd be worth it.

I never actually got round to making them for Valentine's day. So a few weeks I cooked them up. With great difficulty - I've never made sugar cookies before & this mix wanted me to add 6mls of water and nothing else of liquid consistency! I was tempted to bin it. 

Added more liquid & eventually got the dough to combine. I followed the rest of the instructions & let them cool before using the tube of raspberry flavoured gel icing.

Made up the bag of strawberry flavoured icing (yuck!) & smoothed it carefully on.

Well, I tried to smooth it carefully on, fill in the gaps & not have any spillages. I didn't quite manage it.

And then I decorated them. For giggles.

I'm bloody awful at decorating cookies!! It was easier than piping, admittedly, but still a loooooong way to go before I want to actually give someone a hand decorated cookie of mine!

Craig doesn't count, he's a bit like a hoover & I know he'll eat almost anything. Including chicken hearts & reindeer, while on his travels. 

In the end though, the cookies were okay. And some were almost pretty. 

Speedy Leeks

Last week, I posted about having planted some leek seeds & hoping they'd germinate soon. I think it's fair to say that they have. These appeared in the space of 3 days.

This one even looks like a scythe!!

They started off little, and looked like this I last checked & watered on Saturday. We went to Reading over the Easter weekend, and I checked & watered them again today:

Ta dah!!

Not bad for 4 days growth eh? So long as they don't get spindly & weak. I'll repot them into bigger pots in a week or two, before I leave for placement. Then it'll be Craig's responsibility to get them planted outdoors. I should probably let him know...

They be tall!!