September 2015 Goals

Blimey, where are the weeks going??? Once again, we are in the middle of the month before my goals are going up and it’s been four weeks since my last post again! Time seems to be galloping ahead without me at the moment but I’m desperately trying to rein it in and get posts up more frequently! But for the meantime, here are the outcomes of my August goals, and the goals I have set myself for September.

August Outcomes:

Once Upon a Time Sampler – In August my aim was to get the two remaining frames stitched in as well as the design for the month and I completed this so I was thrilled that it is almost up to date! I even managed to make a tiny start on the banner at the top…can you see it? Also, a sneak peek of the September design there too – this month is Black Beauty!

Cut Thru’ Caravan – I also managed to finish the page of the Caravan pattern that I was working on! It is coming together nicely but I am starting to realise that meeting my deadline of Christmas doesn’t look likely to happen – especially with all of the other presents I still need to make!

August 2015 Goals

So sorry I’ve been MIA for a few weeks now! July turned out to be a really stressful month in the end and unfortunately something had to give to help me maintain my sanity (or what I had left of it anyway!) Blogging just wasn’t a priority for me while I had so many other things demanding my attention but luckily I now seem to be getting myself back on track. As always, while I was on my blogging summer break I have been busy with all sorts of things that I have ready to share with you! But for now, I’ll recap on those goals I set way back at the beginning of June! Plus I have risked setting some goals for the remaining two weeks of August (when did it get to the middle of August???) so we will see how I get on with those this month…

June/July Outcomes:

Once Upon a Time Sampler – This one was a success! I managed to get the frames for June and July filled in with no problems…it stitched up really quickly! I do love working on the little design each month to give me a break from my bigger projects!

Barcelona Sunset – My aim for June was to finish stitching the lizard (achieved!) and to stitch half of the wall (not achieved.) However, although I didn’t get the wall stitched in, I did make a start on the backstitch. I know, I always go on about how much I hate backstitch! But in comparison to stitching the solid grey mass of the wall, backstitch seemed favourable! I have completed three quarters of the backstich for the whole project now which is really spurring me one! So I didn’t completely achieve the goal in June, but I did beat my overall target for the project (to finish by the end of August) by finishing it at the end of July! I never thought I’d see the end of it but I am thrilled with the result!

The Yorkshire Spoolettes Blogger Meet Up!

Hello! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week? I know I have because on Wednesday I went to my first ever blogger meet up! When I lived in Hull there didn’t seem to be much of a blogging community, so I was thrilled when I heard that Ali from Thimberlina was arranging a sewing bloggers meet up in Dewsbury…just ten minutes down the road from where I now live!

And look how many people turned up! At various points throughout the day there was a total of 15 people there which was wonderful! It was great to be introduced to a like minded community of sewers…I learnt a lot from them! In the photo above we have, left to right – Margaret, Katrina, Corrine, Rachel, Amanda, Ali, Jeanie, Katharine, Nee, Me, Fiona and Dee. Not all of the ladies are bloggers but for the ones who are I will link up the blogs below…make sure to check them all out!

Skirts and Dresses for First Time Sewers Review

Author: Christine Haynes
Genre: Non-Fiction, Crafts.
Published: January 2015
Pages: 144 pages

Dressmaking is a craft that I have been toying with the idea of for a long time. I desperately want to make my own clothes and dream of having a wardrobe packed full of my own creations, but the idea of it also terrifies me. I imagine there is nothing more satisfying than replying to someone who comments on your outfit, “Thanks, I made it myself!” however, the realm of darts and invisible zips is a pretty frightening one. Recently, I took the plunge and dipped my toe into the murky waters of dressmaking and discovered that it is actually more accommodating than it first appears. If you’re a first time sewer just beginning to explore the craft or a more established dressmaker, this book is an ideal resource for everyone!

March 2015 Craft Haul!

Hello!

I’ve recently had a bit of a spending spree to top up my craft supplies. I have been REALLY good since I moved and hardly bought anything so I felt that I was in need of a treat! I’ve recorded a this video to show you everything I’ve bought, and you can see some photos of everything below 🙂

Remember to let me know what is your favourite item that I have bought! And if you have any tips or inspiration for Project Life or Die Cutting let me know!

23 Before 23 – The Review

For those of you who have been with my blog for a while, you will know that for the last few years I have done a challenge every year, setting the same number of goals as the age I will be on my next birthday. Last year I turned 23, so after my 22nd birthday, I set my 23 before 23 goals. As we all know, 2014 was absolute chaos for me, so I didn’t end up dedicating any time to my goals at all! However, I am going to review them all the same, but I’m not expecting any spectacular results!

1. Make a dress – This one is still on the list! I’m ashamed to think of how long I have had the supplies ready and just not made any progress with it! It is a little more tricky now, as never having made clothes before, I want my Mum to help me through the steps to make sure I’m doing everything right (Mum’s know best of course!) but now that I have moved out, we haven’t yet managed to arrange a day when she can come over and help me through it! I’m hoping to get a day arranged soon though so I can make a start on all of the dressmaking projects I have in mind!

2. Complete 10 cross stitch projects – Looking back at this, ten projects was probably rather ambitious! At the beginning of the year I was on a bit of a roll and manage to complete 4 projects, which you can see in my 2014 Project Gallery, and at the end of the year I went on to finish my Once Upon A Time Sampler and my Liberty kit, which can be seen in my 2015 Cross Stitch Projects post. I don’t think I completed anything in between that I haven’t included, so I’m going to say that I managed 6, which I don’t actually think is that bad! This year there is no way I will achieve 10 as the projects I am working on are so big. However, if I can finish all of the projects that I have got planned for this year, I will be very happy to call that an achievement.

22 Before 22: 6 Month Review

It is exactly 6 months since/to my birthday! But that means that it is also 6 months since I started my 22 before 22 and only 6 months left for me to complete it!

I thought I would review it to see what progress I have made!

My 22 before 22:

1. Buy a lottery ticket done!

The Vintage Fair…Mark Two

If I hadn’t learnt the first time I visited The Vintage Fair, I paid it a visit this weekend on its latest visit to Hull and, once again, my fabric stash has grown and my bank balance has shrunk! This trip was a much speedier visit though, as the fabric stall was right where I walked in this time so I picked up my piece as I had just stepped through the door…the second fabric stall was just two stalls away then I was spent up! It was worth it though, I got some great vintage fabrics at great prices!

The first piece that I bought was a piece of 1980s Laura Ashley fabric that I had no idea what I would use it for but I couldn’t leave without it!

Hobbycraft Fabric Sale!

Yesterday I made a trip to Hobbycraft to buy some embroidery threads for my Woodland Sampler. I’m still busy stitching away at the frames in an attempt to catch up since I started three months late and I didn’t have any of the threads I needed to fill in the designs. Writing this at James’, I haven’t got the sampler with me to photograph it, but you can see the first three blocks in it over at Finally Waking Up…who is making quicker progress than I am! If you want to join in the sampler stitch-a-long, you can join at The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

Anyway, when I was at Hobbycraft buying threads for the January block, I happened to look down the fabric isle after feeling inspired to sew by The Great British Sewing Bee, and my friend Charlotte had been asking about their prices. I’m happy she did, because, when I went to check, I happened to notice that there was a sale on! They were selling the last bits of fabric they had left at reduced prices, and I got some bargains!

The first fabric I got was this really cute London Building’s print by The Henley Studio for a fantastic £3 per metre!

Sew Inspired

After watching The Great British Sewing Bee on Tuesday, I have been feeling inspired to attempt some dressmaking. Recently, Burda Style have been sending me emails featuring their latest pattern collections and I haven’t been able to resist them! Their latest collections were the Yacht Style Collection and the Retro Queen Collection, both of which had some stunning pieces. I particularly liked the Yacht Style Collection, and these were some of my favourite pieces, click the image for the link:

Back Lace Top

This top is simple but looks really affective and, even better, pretty straight forward for beginners! I think I have found my starting point!