Friday
The retail therapy didn't really take off yesterday. I received notification of another delivery, due to arrive between 8am and 6pm (!), so gave up any thoughts about going out to buy the rest of the pots and settled on another day indoors ... it was cold and wet, so not really a difficult decision to make! I did order some much needed new undies but that's about it. The delivery turned out to be a pre-planted container of fuchsias, another gift carried over from Christmas.
I don't really like the colours that seem to be popular at the moment and definitely don't like the big prints so I switched to looking for some sewing patterns and will have a go at making some of my own clothes. I used to make a lot of my own clothes when I was younger and, once I thought about it, I was excited at the prospect of doing it again. I have a decent sewing machine and a dressmakers dummy so it'll be good fun, but first I need to find a couple of versatile patterns. I have a shortlist of a couple of skirts and one possibility for a top so will get those ordered today. Then I need to look for the fabric so I'm hoping the local fabric store will open fully - the last I heard they were choosing the fabrics for you and you had to choose from that limited selection which isn't really satisfactory. I know there is a good selection of fabrics online but at the moment I'm completely out of my depth to know what type of fabric I want so need to be able to touch it and see how it drapes. I'll get there! I caught up with the Great British Sewing Bee last night which may in part explain the attraction of doing some sewing.
A good part of yesterday was taken up with family tree stuff. I heard back from my newly discovered cousin and have filled in some more gaps using the information she provided, and also introduced her (on paper) to the branch of the family she knew nothing about ... from having no cousins, she now has thirteen! I've updated my sister on everything which led to lots of reminiscing of childhood events.
Today is supposed to be dry and I'm in need of some fresh air so, if it's warm enough I will sit out on the patio to read but if not, will go over to the marina for a walk and to take some 'red' photos for my monthly photo challenge.
More deliveries! Christmas in May! Yay! That's great that you are planning to do some clothes sewing! I hope that your long-lost cousin is happy to have acquired an instant family! :) I hope you have a lovely day and enjoy some good weather. :)
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed having my Christmas gifts so late, and of course I will continue to get pleasure from them as they grow. I may do the same this Christmas.
DeleteI'm going to start on the sewing as soon as the fabric shop allows you to browse the fabrics yourself. From their website it sounds like it won't be that long and in the meantime I will alter two shirts that are too big.
My new cousin is over the moon about her new family.
I do enjoy watching the Sewing Bee and am impressed how they make such wonderful things under the time pressure. It'll keep you busy making your own clothes and I hope you manage to choose the material you want to use. How marvelous for your cousin to learn about the family she never knew she had. I hope the weather behaves so you can go out and take your photos.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't produce the results they do in that short time.
DeleteMy cousin is very excited about her instant family! It's been interesting to fill in the details of her father, who I knew existed but didn't know his name or anything about him.
No the weather didn't behave sadly, so no photos!
I tried to find The G.B. Sewing Bew on a channel here, but I guess this one hasn't made it across the pond just yet. We do enjoy the Repair Shop of which we get fairly current. It's funny you say about sewing your own clothes again, just before our first lockdown in March 2020 I had signed on with the Sewing Cafe to take some refresher lessons but alas all that was cancelled :( I use to like sewing so I'm hopeful that this September things might just be possible for the Cafe. What a lovely surprise the potted fuchsias were. Cousins sound like a fun idea ... Happy weekend, fingers crossed for warmer drier weather.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried YouTube? There are earlier series available on there but don't know if access is restricted to specific countries. I hope your Sewing Cafe does start up again. It sounds like fun.
DeleteIt's great adding to my many cousins but she loves in the north of England so I have no idea if or when we will meet in person.
I agree with you about the clothing with large size prints. To me the large prints tend to overcome women who are petite, and accentuate a larger woman's size. I look like a human sofa in most large prints. I ordered a blouse recently that had the prettiest rose print that wasn't tiny but just the right size, and I'll be darned if the blouse itself wasn't too big,and they were out of the next smaller size. You are lucky that sewing is a pleasant pastime for you. I am not very good at it, so removing stitches that are mistakes, and re-sewing aggravates me, and what I make always looks homemade. It has been 30 years since I have had my sewing machine out. I hope you find the perfect fabric for what you want to sew.
ReplyDeleteLarge prints don't do anything for me at all. In the first attempts I will use plain fabric so I don't have the hassle of pattern matching. Making my own clothes again is a bit of an experiment. I used to really enjoy it but have no idea how I will get on now as I have arthritis in my hands, so ... I'll have to see!
DeleteI love sewing my own clothes so I can choose the colour, the fabric,the pattern that fits me and make adjustments if necessary. It's very relaxing. I hope you find the right fabric for your clothes. Enjoy the sewing!
ReplyDeleteI find it difficult to buy clothes because the bigger sizes seem to assume that you are also tall and I'm not! I'm hoping I can find my sewing skills again and produce some clothes I'm happy to wear out in public.
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