Recent Work

I've been stitching like crazy for the last three weeks trying to finish this project for my friends who exhibit cacti and are going to be at the Chelsea Flower Show this week. I've made them both a jacket and they have a waistcoat and a skirt all covered in cactus flower embroideries like the one in the photo to wear on their stand.  There are 15 different panels in all; this beaded cactus is just one, it has green faceted glass beads and silk thread. The other panels have stitchery and a range of different colours and kinds of beads.

The skirt I made for my City and Guilds in red seen in a picture on my 15th March post, has been updated to include some applique, I cut out the printed leaves from a curtain fabric and applied them to the skirt.

Now I have cut out the jacket to match in this lovely red wool fabric and want to apply some more applique to the front and back of the jacket. This is something I am still working on. I can't work out yet where to put the appliqued leaves, so I need to spend some time on this before I stitch and put the picture on the blog.

I have finished my waistcoat for my City and Guilds.  I designed it myself and made the pattern, the idea came from a book 'Quick and Easy Vests and Jackets' by Kate Mathews, its an old book that I picked up for £2.50, at the book sale in Bingham, but the ideas can be adapted an turned into more up to date designs. I hope this is what I have achieved here.



I have used a contrasting grey fabric to make the flaps and piped around the collar.  I will use this grey to make some trousers to wear with the waistcoat. I've done a pattern, just need to toile it and try it before making it up in the fashion fabric.   I've found some more of this waistocat fabric in a shop locally, so I bought another 1/2 metre so I can make a new bag maybe a nice Amy Butler bag, I have her book 'Amy Butler's Style Stitches' I'm sure I can find a bag in there to make up, or I might just have some inspiration to design something myself.

My sister had a birthday earlier this year, so I made her a blouse to go with the trousers I made her for Christmas, I hope she likes it.

More New Girls

On Sunday 29th April, I went to collect the latest members of our family.  Six lovely Light Sussex Hens.  There are so many hens in the run now, its hard to get them all together at the same time for a photo shoot!!  They have settled in well and all seem to be getting on together OK. They have however decided that they can fly over the 6 foot fence into the garden.  We put up some netting over the top of the run so they stay inside where it is safer. It also stops the pigeons from coming into the run and eating their corn.

I have only to go out into the garden and they all come running up to the fence to see me, it must be something to do with all the food I give them, they love dandelion leaves and scraps.  Three of them have started to climb onto the smaller hen house when I'm at the top of the garden working in the potting shed, Olive Oil our lovely old hen who died last year, always kept me company when I was working, she sat on the roof of the hen house watching me potting and planting whenever I was in the potting shed.  I miss her, but I think these three will be my new companions.

Looking at the bigger hen house, it has become very shabby recently its about 12 years old, so after a visit to the Malvern Spring Show last week, where we looked at some new hen houses, we have decided to treat our lovely girls to a new home.

Sewing Inspiration

Last month I visited the Leicestershire Museum Services Resources Centre at Barrow upon Soar.  It's a brilliant place to get design ideas for making clothes, using their historical costume collection.  Sarah the Collections Officer is so knowledgeable about the clothes in her care, she is great to talk to and you learn so much from her. Anyone studying fashion, or anyone interested in clothes design and construction should make an appointment to visit the centre it's the best resource around.

This sampler shows some of the beautiful stitches applied to historical corsets made by the Symington Family at their factory in Market Harborough in the 19th & early 20th century's.  The corset collection is outstanding and it's worth a visit just to explore the corsets.

I really love the tailored garments and found this beautiful jacket. I want to use the design idea but to bring it into the 21st century with a modern twist.

 I was so taken by this garment, that I have asked Sarah if she will get it out for me when I visit with my City and Guilds group next month, because I need to see it again to take more detailed photographs.

It's hard to believe that a woman somewhere in the past wore this suit with pride during the 1940's or 50's and although it has some marks on it and one of the button holes is not as it was, it's in very good condition.  The garment is preserved for another generation to view and to understand how clothes were made in the past.

The skirt is amazing, the way it's constructed with the flaps and the pleats, I don't have a fondness of skirt wearing, I prefer trousers and jeans they are more comfortable, but I might even start to wear skirts if they have this kind of style and I can make them as well as this one is made.

Visit- Snibston Discovery Park and the Fashion Gallery at Coalville Leicestershire.  www.snibston.com
         The Collections Resources Centre at Barrow upon Soar, by appointment only
www.leicsgov.uk/museums for information

Planting the onions

There has been a lot of action on the allotment, last week I went twice to put in the onions about 400 in all. We get through a lot of onions!!

Also I have the potatoes in the ground now too; 2 lots of First Earlies and 2 lots of Second Earlies, its back breaking work. But it's good to have them in the ground especially with all this wet weather we are currently having, saves me doing the watering!!

I have taken out all the Kale now and eaten most of the purple sprouting broccoli, only a few leeks and parsnips left.  The parsnips need trimming well, but they made some excellent soup this lunch time, April and it's cold enough for soup!!  Today its only 5.5degrees C in my backgarden at midday, very cold for the time of year.

The broad beans in the front of the picture have only been put in recently too, but they are doing well, I've just planted another lot hopefully to put on the plot next month.
In the green house Mike potted on loads of plug plants today because it was too wet for him to go outside and work. 
My cauliflower seeds are through and need potting on, so do the red cabbage, sprouts and landcress, there is so much to do at this time of year and I need to sew as well.

My lovely new sewing table

On the 25th March my sister, my niece, Mike and I went to the Sewing Exhibition at the NEC.  It was a good exhibition this year, much bigger and better than in previous years we all thought.  Of course we all spent a lot on fabrics, threads, beads and a ... TABLE!

After struggling for years cutting out in my small sewing room, I decided it was time just to have a look at the Horn Cutting Out Table.  Mike said if it was going to help do the job and make my life easier,  I should have it and he treated me to it and its wonderful.

It only arrived last Wednesday and already it has been used a lot, how ever did I manage before.  It is 150cm x 100cm, which makes it great for cutting out especially when fabric has to be flat to help match checks.  I can get all the way around the table if I pull it out from the wall, the casters it is on makes moving it so easy.  Then when I've finished cutting out I can lower it and sit and work at it using the same chair I sit at for my computer, it can be put to the perfect height you need for the job you are doing. When I need space to move about or have clients in my sewing room, I can tip it up and push it up against the wall to give me room to work.  Everything in the sewing room is great just now.

Meet the girls

Two weeks ago our cockerel Giblet has some new lady friends. They have settled in very well.

When they arrived we put them into their new hen house and kept them closed up for 24 hours, the next day it took a while before they came out to explore the run.

Nutkin, Blossom, Petal and Snowdrop

They quickly found they had a new man in their life, but he was shut up for a while, whilst they found their way around.  Our Giblet can be a bit feisty at times and we did not want our new girls upset.

Now they are one new happy family.  The girls are laying lots of eggs for us and we have been enjoying lots of cakes, biscuits and lovely omelets.  Thank you girls.





My New Web Site

I have spent the last two weeks photographing my sewing for my new Web Site, it's almost ready, so I'm getting excited about having it up and running.  This photo of the latest Wedding Dress will be my main wedding photo, it has taken a while to complete, but I am really pleased with the result. I was shown how to use my overlocker to do a rolled hem the other day, so I used it to hem the dress. I was really pleased with the finished result.

The close up shows the plaited feature on the neckline of the dress. The satin fabric used on the underdress has a lovely shine, which added to the dresses sparkle.