handmade in Lancashire
It seems so very long since Yarndale 2019. To be fair it was back in September, on a lovely autumnal day. Driving to Skipton is always lovely. Whilst the parking for Yarndale is tricky (I ended up parking in town and walking up the hill to the Auction Mart), it’s worth it.
What seems like a million Christmas’s ago, both Ma and my in-laws bought me an Ehrman tapestry kit. The first cushion is Three Tulips Blue. The second is Beautiful Sheep.
This Geranium tunic is the 7th version of the Made by Rae Geranium Dress Pattern. I’ve made it as a baby gift, and Summer has, quite literally grown up in this pattern.
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My Stash Stories for 2019 began in January when I set out some goals for myself to clear the seemingly bottomless pile of fabric in my sewing room.
The three key goals for my stash this year were:
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I’ve finished another pair of socks for Dave. This time in Regia Arne & Carlos Design Line Summer Night Sock Yarn, using the usual Regia sock pattern.
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So…if you follow me on Insta you’ll have seen me sewing up dancewear for my wee fella!
He’s recently partnered up with the lovely Lola (whom you may recognise from Baby Ballroom) and they meet up twice a week for practice sessions, and will be hitting the competition floor very soon.
READ MORESo my first finished garment of 2019 hits it right out of the park!
Not only am I thrilled with the garment itself, but its made from stash fabric and a stash pattern, albeit the updated version.
READ MOREWe made it to Boxing Day before we started falling, like Christmas tree needles, with the flu. Dave and I tag-teamed it, and, thankfully, Nana and Grandad whisked children away once they’d recovered. We’re all on the mend now and trying to keep Dylan healthy before his biggest dance competition to date on Friday!
I haven’t knitted for over a week so it was lovely to do a few rows on Dave’s blue cardigan last night. Mindless stockinette is perfect for when you’re off colour. And a clear sign you’re on the mend!
But…lying in bed, scrolling blogs and instagram full of reviews and resolutions got me thinking about where I want to go with my sewing over the next year.READ MORE
A couple of weeks ago I scored a complimentary ticket from the kindly folks at Linton Tweeds (swoon) to attend the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate. I cannot tell you how much I was looking forward to a day off of mummy duties; petting yarn and getting elbow deep in the fabrics at Linton and Rosenbergs.READ MORE
This post is so overdue it’s ridiculous. And it’s all been hanging on photographs! Yesterday Summer agreed to take a couple of quick snaps as I was wearing my favourite of these tops, so here we go, at last.
I’ve already covered the fitting changes I made to this pattern here and, I’ll be honest, I’m still wearing that top on a regular basis, despite it’s imperfections. It fits better than pretty much anything I’ve bought from a shop and is great to throw on when I’m running around the house with a pair of jeans doing chores.
I have, however, since then made 4 other versions, with varying degrees of success. The success or failure of the finished garment has been purely down to fabric choice.
First up my favourite. This is a lovely sheer, lightweight cotton that has almost a cheesecloth texture to it. The print is delicious, and it’s cool and lovely to wear as we head into warmer weather, but also a great layering piece with a cardigan for us women-of-a-certain-age!
The fabric is from deep stash and was gifted to me by my friend Christian, who is a seamstress with impeccable taste! I’m glad I’ve finally got this one in my wardrobe and its in heavy rotation.
Second favourite is another fabric from deep stash, which I purchased yonks ago from Abakhan. it’s a printed cotton jersey, and it’s my favourite for when I just need something comfy for dog walking or housework. Love this top and it proves that this pattern is great for knits as well as wovens.
The first of the unsuccessful tops is this one.
The fabric is from the wonderful Stone Fabrics in Devon. I bought this on holiday a couple of years ago, so again it’s good to get it out of the stash. I’ve checked their site and the don’t seem to have any of it left. Which is a shame because the fabric is beautiful, and the print is lovely.
Unfortunately I look like an extra from the Walking Dead in it. It’s a really bad colour on me.
And finally is this lovely blue print.
Which is all the colours that look amazing on me. But the fabric (a bargain bin purchase from Abakhan for very little money) is awful. And clingy. And just plan old nasty.
So I can happily say I’ve now got my first TNT pattern. It’s such a useful little top I’m sure to make more. However, on the sewing table at the moment is a Harris Tweed waistcoat for Dave, and the Imogen top in its second iteration with an FBA. As the kids are back at school next week, I’m hoping to get some sewing done on both of them.