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Overtaken

July 14, 2009 By 7 Comments
The list of things I want to do is long. There’s making things for the shop, both old favourites and new, tidying up the shop for my maternity leave, blogging obviously, finishing writing the messenger bag pattern and working on secret project number one, about which we cannot speak, just in case it goes horrifically wrong. This weekend all of these things got overridden by Operation Janome, aka ‘make room for the baby even if it means going to the tip weekend after weekend for three months on end’. I am at the mercy of my hormones.
living room
We have a small room at the back of the house, which has been occupied by both me and Mr J at various times since we moved in, but for the last year or so has been the room in which we’ve put problematic things. The chairs that need fixing that I wish we hadn’t been given in the first place, the bits of old computers, the shelves and shelves of books that there’s no room for anywhere else, the old desk that Mr J made when he was at school, various power tools, boxes of tiles…Things. The problem isn’t really the things of course – it’s us, and our unique combination of hoarding things that might be useful, and good old-fashioned laziness.
But the things must go, either elsewhere in the house (see above) or straight out of the front door, because if the spare room is going to become the boy’s room, then it has to cease being my craft room, and the only place left for me and my sewing machines is the little room at the back of the house.
the little room
We still have to finish emptying the room, and then tear down the horrid shelves, mend the walls, and sort out replacement furniture. I know it is not exactly blog etiquette to show off the chaos before the finished perfectly textiled calm, but I am very fond of before and afters (design*sponge is addictive), and I’m always sad when I have forgotten to take photos of the before.
It might be a while before it’s done, because I still have to make a colour related decision. These are just the first two tester pots, but I’m sure they won’t be the last.
testers
Filed Under: Life - 7 Comments

Milestones

July 7, 2009 By 8 Comments

milestones

Goodbye feet.

Filed Under: Pregnant - 8 Comments

Credit Crunch Cushion

July 6, 2009 By 3 Comments

I took part in another session of early morning crafting yesterday, since it was again too hot to lie a-bed, wondering if the croissant fairy was going to visit…

On my last visit to Ikea some time ago I apparently bought some of their lightweight cottons, half a metre a piece, which I’d completely forgotten about. A rummage in the stash cupboard can be terrifically rewarding. I’d planned to make new cushion covers since the last ones I made were a couple of years old and looking a little tired, so yesterday set to, and produced one before Mr J had even opened one eye. But why is it so crunch-worthy?

credit crunch cushion front

The fabrics are quite thin, and therefore see-through, so I backed it with some lightweight white material my friend had given me when she was having a clearout – nothing more fancy than binding the edges with the overlocker, honestly.

credit crunch cushion back

The buttons for the back came from a ‘handful for 10p’ in the wimbledon sewing centre a couple of years back, so the cost for those is negligible. Even the thread I was using came free with the overlocker. The only thing I paid for was the material, and that came in at £1 for a half metre, which is just the right amount for a 50cm cushion. If you can’t sew and you have to go shopping, you cannot change a cushion cover on a whim for a £1. You just can’t. Not for something you like anyway.

week

My week is looking fairly empty, and the heat seems to have broken finally. I can open the curtains in my sewing room today without fear of being blinded or roasted alive, so as well as making the other cover, I’m hoping to get some other crafting in, rather than lying about, perspiring. Of course, all things are subject to change, but best to travel hopefully.

Filed Under: Fabric, Finished Things, Sewing - 3 Comments

Busy Bee

July 1, 2009 By 2 Comments

busy-bee

In an effort to be more productive I’ve been paying some attention to the little shop. Perhaps unsurprisingly it slipped off my radar for a while, and I neglected it terribly, to the point where it only had a couple of things left for sale in it. There is nothing like embarking on a new venture and then promptly starting another life-changing one immediately afterwards is there?

Time spent sewing in bulk is always relaxing, since you only have to think about what you’re doing every half hour or so, and the rest of the time can be spent in gentle autopilot. I embarked on some tissue pockets, making use of the smaller pieces in my stash, and rediscovering some larger remnants from the scrap box. (Scrap box seems like such a harsh word for it – perhaps scraps box is the more correct term, with none of the ‘ready for the bin’ undertones.) As always one of the pleasures was rediscovering some favourite fabrics, and at the same time having my enthusiasm reignited. Lots of little plans are buzzing around my head now, and I’m sure I’ll never get around to half of them, but that’s a pleasure too. At least I know I’ll never be bored.

Filed Under: Finished Things, The Little Shop - 2 Comments