Next off the sewing machine

Well not exactly that exciting, but I have made something. 

After publishing my last post I put the granny square project away, out came one of the tried and tested pyjama patterns again, down came the four metres of brushed cotton fabric, which has been hanging over the door since the beginning of May and the said fabric became more pyjama bottoms for the girl's again! 

Nice fabric to work with 

French seams for the legs, very neat!

And finished with a label, not for personalisation but so my girls can tell the front from the back 

I most probably can make these in my sleep (ha ha!), I have made "NINE" pairs of pyjama bottoms this year! I've already done more sewing makes this year than last year. 

All nine pairs!!!!

Now I think that it's time to leave the comfort zone of pyjama bottoms and do something different, as the great pyjama shortage has now ended. But the big question is what to do next? I'm not short of fabric or patterns and I don't even have a shortage of sewing thread or other haberdashery supplies either, so what will I make next? I'm off to look through my pattern box and fabric stash.

Stuck in a big rut

That's how I feel at the moment and it's a horrible feeling too.

Well let's start with the ongoing granny square project, which is basically going nowhere at the moment, a little while ago I counted  how many granny squares I had made and there is over two hundred, which is a quite a positive thing knowing that I had made that many, but I have still got a basket full of yarn which is a negative thing. But I think it's time to put the ongoing granny square project away for awhile.

The positive side 

The negative side

So what have I been doing since I last posted? 

Well on the non-granny square making front I have done some sewing, well a little bit of sewing to be more precise. 

Project number one:- some pattern weights 

A little project that has been on my want to make list, these were a quick easy project to do and they used up some squares that I had left over from another project and are filled with some of the rice from the damaged beyond repair doorstop (ask my youngest daughter why she destroyed it). I have certainly made use of them and wonder why I didn't make some sooner.

Project(s) number two:- pyjama bottoms 

Not for me for a change, for the girl's instead. They both are in desperate need of some new pyjama bottoms and this need was made more urgent by that my eldest daughter was going on a school residential trip and she hadn't got a hole free pair to take with her. This would use up some of the fabric from my stash, it was going to be green brushed cotton with owls for my eldest and cream brushed cotton with monsters on for my youngest. I managed to make two (long and short) pairs out of each piece of fabric.

Project number three:- is something that I'm not ready to blog about yet, as at the moment I have got a problem with it, well let's just say it involves something that my youngest daughter has done, so at the moment I'm trying to salvage it.

So what is happening on the stash fronts Then? Well the yarn diet is sort of working, I haven't bought (or received) any yarn since October last year, but due to the slow ongoing granny square project all the odd bits of yarn are not disappearing as quickly as I want them to do and I desperately want to do some knitting for a change. 

Let's move on to the fabric stash front, well let's just say that is a diet that isn't working. First let's look at the plus side since the beginning of the year I have used five pieces of brushed cotton fabric, but those five pieces have been replaced by five more pieces - another piece of brushed cotton, a piece of polar fleece, a piece of knitted lace fabric, a very nice piece of liberty fabric and yesterday a piece of tee shirt fabric.

 Do I have a problem yet?

Still got a long way to go till the stash in under control

January makes and other things

So what have I been doing last month then? 

Well due to a bout of insomnia I've managed to finish one of my books that I have being reading, well sitting at the side of the bed to be more precise.

Also I've managed to make not one but three pairs of pyjama bottoms, which is quite an achievement for Me!  When I was intending to try and make one item of clothing a month, which is better than none.

Pyjama bottoms numbers one, two and three

I wanted to carry on making, I have basically run out of ready fabric, not fabric I've still got loads of that, but what I mean is fabric that has been washed and ironed.

Well let's talk about cost then; 

Fabric- from stash  £0.

Elastic- from stash  £0.

Thread- also from stash  £0.

Patterns- pair number one are from a pattern I've had for ages £0.

pair numbers two and three  £4. The fabric pieces were not big enough to use my usual pattern, Hobbycraft had a half price sewing event on at the time so the pattern was half price, should of  been £8.

So the cost for three pairs of pyjama bottoms comes to the grand total of £4.
Everything, apart from one pattern, came from my stash. So far so good!

After that mad pyjama bottoms making session I went back onto a granny square making project again! Which is starting to bore me again, but when I have still got a ridiculous amount of odd bits of yarn around (hoarded) I just want to to get it used up because I feel that it is becoming a burden around my neck.

can you see the bottom of the basket yet?

First make of the new year

Fresh start for new year

New years Eve I decided that I wanted a fresh start, so I didn't drink myself into oblivion like I normally would do when welcoming the new year in.
So next morning hangover free I was up early and I decided to start the new year with some sewing and make a new pair of pyjama bottoms for myself, so out came the pattern, scissors, pins and tape measure, along with the piece of fabric which has been hanging over the lounge door since October.

Ready, steady, Go! 

I felt relieved that I was finally doing something with the fabric which had been hanging around the house, for nearly three months let's just say. This is my fifth pair of pyjama bottoms I've made using this pattern, it's a easy pattern to use, it has got to the point that I only look at the instructions to check that I'm turning the right amount of fabric over for the waistband and the hems.
I didn't have any problems major problems, apart from getting the elastic in a twist didn't realise what I had done until after I had sewn the ends of elastic together! Luckily I had been a bit over generous with the elastic, I'm not feeling very skinny at the moment. So now for the Ta dah! Moment.

Hopefully the first of many makes 

After that the rest of the week was spent trying to get the house back to normal and the girls ready to go back to school, my youngest daughter needed new shoes.
Last day of the holidays I did treat them I took them to Prestatyn for the day and let them play on the beach, along with a picnic which we had in the in the car because it was freezing cold!!! But they enjoyed themselves and I even managed a quick visit to Abakhan in Mostyn on the way home and I didn't buy any fabric, but I was tempted, I bought a pattern instead with the last of my Christmas money, so far so good with the no fabric buying resolution.

Freezing cold day at the beach

Let's reflect and think about new resolutions

First let's reflect on the year just gone and think about the year ahead, but first let me reflect on my resolutions from last year

1. De-clutter and clean the house properly!

Well all I can say there is that it is still an ongoing project, currently I have a clutter free kitchen, bathroom, landing and a sort of clear dining room! The rest of the house, my craft area included are still cluttered, but I have made numerous donations to the charity shops and many trips to the tip as well. 

2. Post at least one photo a day on Flickr 

Well this one of my successful resolutions I actually manged to keep this one and post at least one photo a day, I will admit it wasn't easy there were days I struggled, days when the weather was against me, or illness got in the way, and I couldn't get out of the house but I managed it.

                      Even though I did take some very random photos some days!

3. Try and make one item of clothing a month 

Well to this one I can say yes and no, yes I did make some clothing, but no I didn't make one item of clothing a month but I will say that I made more clothing than the year before. What did I make Then?

1. One pair of knickers 

2. A summer top for me

3. Two pairs of pyjama bottoms 

4. A dress

5. Two world book day costumes, the girls went as golden tickets from Charlie and the chocolate factory 

6. A pirate costume for youngest my youngest daughter 

7. And finally two Christmas skirts for the girl's 

The year before I only made two pairs of pyjama bottoms 

4. Read more 

Well currently ive got three books on the go, I haven't finished one book this year, I'm listening to one audio book, readingone on a kindle and a good old traditional book. This will be one of my new resolutions for the new year finish all these books and not start any more books until these are finished.

5. Try a new craft 

Well this is it, drop spindle haven't done it yet another one for the new list.

6. Finish off the lurking UFO'S 

Well I only finished one UFO that's the one pictured above, that includes weaving in the ends and sewing up any seams, the rest are still waiting to be finished. 

7. Do more baking 

All I can say there is that yes I did, hope to be more adventurous this year.

8. Get the garden looking like a garden 

That is still a on going project, there is a lot of work to be done, well Rome wasn't built in a day was it!

9. Try and grow some fruit and vegetables this year 

Yes, but with success and failure. I got three ripe strawberries and five blueberries, youngest daughter ate the rest before they had the chance to ripen and I only got fourteen potatoes, which is a small success. 

10. Start blogging again 

Well I did, not as many posts as I would of liked but I did and I hope to do more in 2017

Time to move on to a new year 

What are my new resolutions for this year? All of the above, but I'm adding a yarn and fabric diet to the list as my stashes are starting to get a little bit out of control, so no yarn and fabric buying, I will shop from my stash until I've got them under control.

Slowly moving along

November arrived and the leaves carried on dropping along with the temperatures, the first of November we were greeted with a frost, which was a bit of a surprise! 

One of the many November frosts

And we had many more frosts in November, it was was a bit of  a shock to the system after all the mild weather we have had.

              Well what happened craft wise, well not a lot and that's the Truth!

slow crochet and Cake eating

And the crochet got slower and slower, it actually got to the point that it was becoming painful.

On the turn

Well it became so painful, that on December 13th I flogged it and the yarn is now in the waiting pile to see if it is either going to go into hibernation, or be made into something else. But at the moment I think it will be hibernation under the stairs.

Frogging session 

Things got so bad that I got the blanket out that I started to crochet eighteen months ago and finished it. Also I did some more granny squares for the ongoing granny square project, because they are the ideal small project to have in my bag when I'm travelling, the blanket is more of a snuggle up on the sofa with and listen to book, for it's a cold day again project.

Time to snuggle up and listen to a book again 

The blanket is now finished but the book isn't (maybe the book was the wrong choice) well that's it for now I'm off to think about my resolutions for next year and reflect on this year's resolutions. xx 

Big plans that never happened

big plans 

At the beginning of October I had big plans, my husband decided that he needed some man time away from me and the girls, so he was off to the Shetland Islands for a week. I decided to have a making week, in the week leading up to his departure I got some pieces of fabric ready for this big making week. The day of his departure came round, that morning I got up felt a bit rough, in the afternoon I started to feel a bit worse and when he left that evening I felt really bad, I had got the mother of all colds and I did nothing all week,  well let's say nothing in craft terms, in being a mum terms I just carried as usual as if there is nothing wrong with me.

This photo is not taken in the Shetland Islands 

Husband came home from the Shetland Islands with all his tales and photos of his adventures and also brought home presents for the girl's and me, 

A very nice knitting book

And Guess what else he bought home, let's just say that I wasn't expecting this much

how much more yarn!!!!!!!

                         He had teased me in the week by sending me this photo

Which to me in yarn diet terms is equivalent of a large chocolate bar which isn't going to cause too much harm, is it?

What next?

What happened next then? Well I decided to have a try at doing some quilting, which in a way is a bit foolish thing to do the week  before half term. Then it's half term and nothing gets done, because I'm either too noisy or in the way! But let's finish with some photos of what I have done so far.