Purl and Seam

handmade in Lancashire

Best laid plans and all that!

I had an inclination to write a sort of “line in the sand” post with the hope that the coming year would be more….amenable…than the past two. Summer is just starting to study “Of Mice and Men” and the quote which inspired it seems so apposite for the last couple of years:

The best laid plans o’ mice and men

gang aft agley*

and leave us nought but grief and pain

for promised joy!

Robert Burns – “To a Mouse” – 1786. *often go wrong

Never a truer word spoken. It has been such a time of grief, and pain, stress and worry. Many have lost loved ones, and those who haven’t have lost time with their people.

We’re into the second week of January 2022 and ‘plus ça change’!**.

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13

I haven’t done a birthday post for quite some time. But today Summer turns 13 and I cannot fail to mark such a special day.

They say that the days are long and the years are short, and until you have children you really don’t appreciate the truth of it. It seems barely a moment since the day we tentatively pushed open the door of the foster carers sitting room. Our hearts were in our mouths as we savoured the moment of seeing our daughter for the very first time.

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New Year

There seems nothing to be said about 2020 that hasn’t already been said. But I really want to start the year acknowledging what has passed in the last months.

Personally, 2020 was really hard. On top of the pandemic there were numerous challenges at home. By December I was on the ropes.

We took time over the holidays to make some changes. We head into this New Year hopeful for better times all round. Although at the time of writing, here in England we sit, as do our national neighbours, in full lockdown yet again, with schools closed, we remain positive.

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Pendle Stitches – a new chapter

I can’t quite believe this, but Pendle Stitches has been running as a blog for the last 11 years. You’ve been with me through beginning a new life in Lancashire with Dave, over 3 years of our adoption journey, and welcoming Summer and Dylan to our family.

You’ve supported me through the loss of my dad and Charlie Dog, and stayed whilst I was absent as I fought for my kid’s diagnoses.

We’ve moved house, and welcomed new furballs to the family.

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Weekend

Whilst I’ve been missing from this little corner of the blogosphere, I’ve been off doing ‘real life’ stuff.  Most of it has just been the minutiae of everyday life, coupled with a real drive to slow things down (not entirely successfully, but we’re making a start).

However, you may have seen on Insta that Dave and I managed to bunk off parenting for a couple of nights and zip up the motorway to the Southern Lake District for a bit of time just being Mr and Mrs.

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The Post Adoption Support Hub

In a break from normal crafty posts , I’ve got a tale to tell that explains the radio silence  around here in recent times.

Last autumn I was invited to a group meeting for adoptive parents, and, against my better judgement, decided to attend.   I had a feeling that it would all be a bit too “hug a tree” for my taste, but the inviter assured me all would be well.

Right up until I got out of my car in the Starbucks car park, I was ready to go home.  But that would have been rude, so I went in, got a large coffee and joined the group of other ladies, none of whom I’d met before.

This is one of those life lessons about how your future can turn on something as simple as walking through the door at Starbucks.  And I should know by now that these things happen, because it was under similar circumstances that I met Dave, and look how that turned out.

The ladies around the table were lovely, and we still have monthly meetups, just to remind ourself that we’re not alone with our quite specific parenting challenges.  But about 20 minutes in, a latecomer pulled up a seat and joined us.  And this is where things take a turn.

I’m sure we knew each other in a past life.  I have other friends like that.  It’s weird, but cool.  And we kept meeting up for coffee, then lunch.  All the time laughing and swapping notes about things we did or didn’t know about the resources and support our children need.   And just how hard it is to find those resources, because often you don’t even know what you’re looking for until you find it!

And over coffee one day, back in Starbucks, we were bemoaning that fact that this information is sooooooo hard to find, and that it should be easier, and all in one place, and somebody should build a website……..

So we did.

 

We launched on Saturday. 

And we’re rather chuffed with it!

This is our first iteration…we have plans for lots more shiny stuff.  But for now we’ve hit the main problems that people like us (parents/carers of adopted children with additional health and educational challenges) have to address on a daily basis.  And when I say address, I mean battle, because the services are so underfunded you have to fight hard and long to get the support they need.

So if you, or anyone you know, has children who need a bit more support than the average bear, do come and check us out.

Normal crafty service will now be resumed.

Sewing room reveal

This project has been a long time in the making.  Not just the months since we moved into our wonderful new home in August, but the 10 years I spent sewing in the tatty loft room in our old home.

(Not that I didn’t love having that tatty old loft.  I had some great sewing fun up there.  But it was very tatty.  And boiling in summer.  And freezing in winter.  With no storage)

But this room.  This room is just perfection.

It was originally going to be our company office with a projector and screen so we could use it as a home “cinema”.  The previous owners had wired (and decorated it) as a cinema room:

However, I pointed out that:

  • we only use the office for a couple of hours a week
  • we have the most ridiculously large tv in the sitting room so why the heck do we need a projector
  • there is no way on God’s green earth I’d have got all my sewing crap supplies into the fourth bedroom that is now the office
  • I wouldn’t get a large cutting table in what is now the office
  • I want the big room, dammit!

No one was more surprised than me when The Husband said yes!  Love that man!

And so began the plotting and scheming.  I knew that my main priorities were storage and cutting space.  I’m so sick of not being able to lay hands on a pattern, or thread, or whatever.  And also trying to cut out on the floor or kitchen table.

So, off to Ikea I went.

The first thing to purchase was supplies for the cutting table.  It’s about 150 x 160cm. It’s constructed from 2 of the 8 box Kallax units with a 4 box unit at the top end. They are screwed together in a U-shape and then topped with 12mm MDF.

A pinnable surface proved invaluable in the tatty sewing loft.  Sadly we couldn’t lay hands on any of the insulation board that we had used 10 years ago, but I’m giving it a go with layers of the underlay that you use under laminate floorings piled 3 high on the MDF.

Finally it’s wrapped with curtain lining stapled to the underside of the MDF to secure. And set on castors so you can move it to get around all sides for large projects.  Or cleaning!

The top layer of spaces on each long side have drawer units, with boxes in the bottom. This gives me loads of storage options for tools, notions, patterns, yarn and all the other wee bits and bobs you have in a sewing room.

It is a joyous thing!

For books and magazines I have a run of Billy bookcases with half glazed doors.

I may have quite a few sewing, knitting, embroidery and quilting books!

There’s plenty of room for the odd magazine or two, too!

Crates of fabric and the stuff I don’t need to access often are stashed out of sight in the understairs cupboard that runs along the back of the room.

I’ve also got all my drafting/measuring tools hung up here, as they’re too big for the drawers.

All of this covers my need for storage and a super cutting table.  Now all I needed was somewhere to sew.

We picked up this little table at GB Antiques in Lancaster a couple of years ago.  It’s perfect for this corner, with a daylight lamp for when I need it, and a bluetooth radio for listening to music or podcasts as I sew.  An Ikea Raskog trolley holds projects handy, and my overlocker sits to the side of my gorgeous new Bernina.

I have the luxury that if I decide I need a larger table for sewing on, there’s one in storage in the garage that I can swap for this.

The chair needs a lick of paint, but I’m in no hurry for that.

After, all, I do have sewing to do!

I love this room so very much.  It makes me smile every time I think “I need a needle and thread” and can put my hands right on them.

And when we were house hunting, I never in my wildest dreams thought I end up with something so perfectly perfect.

Of course, none of this would have happened without my wonderful husband. Despite rolling his eyes at some of my ideas, he worked it out and brought them to life in the most amazing way.

“Thank you” seems so inadequate in the face of such a wonderful gift, but I hope he knows just how grateful I am for such an amazing room, and how very happy it makes me.

 

Steampunked sewing

The sewing room is ready to reveal.  The last boxes were unpacked a couple of weeks ago. All the fabric has been sorted, measured and catalogued.  All paper patterns have been scanned to Evernote ready for tagging, and then packed into easily accessible boxes.  Even the new blinds have been fitted.  I just need a bin, an ironing board and iron specifically for that room, and a full length mirror.

As the first thing I’m going to be making is curtains, and I’ve got all of the missing items in other parts of the house, I’d say I’m good to go!

I need to take some photos so I can share with you, but till then I’ve got quick snaps of a lovely sewing room warming present the husband bought me last week from Pipecreative in Hebden Bridge.

I’m sure the vintage sewing machine purists will be up in arms about this but I absolutely adore it!

A Steampunked sewing machine.  A Jones, no less.  It couldn’t be more appropriate!

The owner was highly amused that he was selling a Jones sewing machine lamp to Mrs Jones to go in her sewing room.  He didn’t believe us at first, and double checked the Mister’s bank card when taking payment.

It’s totally bonkers in the best possible way.

Sitting proudly on the windowsill to the side of my sewing table, it’s straight in your eyeline as you enter the sewing room. It makes me smile every time I walk in there.

My hubby buys the absolute best presents.  I’m one very lucky lady!

Life in a northern town – March 2017

Hello my lovelies.

I had a wee window of time where I should be doing other stuff but, quite frankly, can’t be arsed.

I’ve had a lovely morning skiving off with my friend Julia at my favourite cafe, No 15 in Penwortham.  Julia is wise and witty and should be available on the NHS to cheer all who need it.  She’d save them millions.  With avo and poached eggs on toast and a couple of good cups of coffee, it was the perfect end to the week, even if she had to dash off to get her Louie cat to the vets.

Life here is a full as ever.  The hubby is still working every hour god sends.  The kids are dancing 3 nights a week and we’re about to put an advert out for a partner for our wee man.  Much as I’d love them to dance together, my blood pressure really can’t stand it. The pinch and stomp and whinge and whine and it’s just not worth it. Maybe in a couple of years, but not right now.

I’m on the home stretch with the current studies.  I’ve an exam next week and then two more modules and I’m done for this year.   The jury is out whether I’ll do next year.  Which is actually an 18 month course.  I may bunk off and do something fun like a photography course or a couple of weeks of sewing in London (subject to being able to figure out a solution to childcare other than locking them in a cupboard.  Apparently social services frown on that.  Odd! 😉 )

I have much to share with you but it is so grey here that I struggle to get enough light for decent photos.  But…spring is coming, and then I’ll catch up.

There are knits, almost a quilt, and….drumroll….the sewing room.  As soon as I’ve finished the binding on this quilt that Ma made, I can finally, finally go into the sewing room and get to it.  First up is blinds.  Preferably before the clocks change.

I can make 4 roman blinds in 3 weeks, right? (cue hysterical laughter).

I’ve got a review for a great Craftsy course on the topic of curtain making.  So much to share.

But for now, I can share some super good news.  Some of the best.  As you know we’re having rafts of tests and meetings with various medical and educational peeps to try to get to the bottom of some challenges our wee monsters are up against.  Last night we learned that the boy definitely doesn’t have ADD or ADHD and we’re 95% sure he’s not on the autistic spectrum.  We’ll have final confirmation on that within about a month. We are narrowing the field and it feels good.  Once we hit upon an answer it informs the support strategies we can put in place for them.  This also speeds things up for him as the Autistic Spectrum Pathway (the route to a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder) is currently are 49 week waiting list in our area.  Which is shameful.

So, on that happy note I’m off to pin the final stretch of binding so I can spend a happy evening stitching with wine tonight.

Have a great weekend full of the fun things you love to do.

Eight

The birthdays seem to come in a flurry at this time of the year, hard on the heels of Christmas and New Year.  But, they are welcomed as such a blessing.  Happy, sparkly days in the midst of cold, grey, wet wintriness.

This weekend our sweet boy turned eight.

I can’t believe that the sad wee man who came home to us 7 years ago is now this charming, funny, delightful boy.

Pictures like these still break my heart. He has overcome so many challenges, and still has a way to go.  But whatever he faces, we face together.

And the tricky bits are always overshadowed by the joy and pride we all feel.

Oh, my darling boy.  We are so incredibly lucky to have you in our lives.  The year without you was the hardest every, but I’ll say now what I said then.  You were, and remain, worth the wait.

You are like a permanently lit sparkler, fizzing with light and energy.  Never let anyone dampen that spirit.  Your determination to succeed and competitive spirit will take you to good places.

As will that adorable smile.

Happy birthday, Handsome.  We love you beyond worlds and beyond words.

THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS