New Year's Resolutions

1. Blog some more and maybe even rescue Captain Sew from the depths of the attic, where he is hiding from the dust:

2. Exercise some more whilst enjoying the beautiful countryside in Gloucestershire:

3. Do enough of the house to host NYE at our house next year and hope it's as good as this year:

4. Stop nagging Dave. Or he might actually run away and live on a remote island:

5. Don't sweat the small stuff. Life's too short. Instead spend it appreciating the little things, like the sky this morning:

Here's to a happy and healthy 2013.

Lucy x

Big Little Girls' Reversible Bags

This month the little twin girls I used to look after as a nanny suddenly became not so little when they turned 5. I made them little reversible bags to keep all of those 5 year old's essentials in...

I found that making them reversible was more of a challenge than I thought... Any advice on how to stop the 'spilling out' of the inner fabric (see left hand bag in photo below) would be most welcome:

Despite the setback, it was still fun and I loved getting to use 'little girl' fabric. I haven't done any sewing in a while and Captain Sew has been gathering a bit of dust, so here's to getting back on track and trying some more ambitious projects!

Old Jeans + Captain Sew = New Denim Shorts!

Today I hacked up a pair of jeans that had a couple of big holes in and I now have a pair of way-too-short-for-my-chunky-thighs denim shorts! They still need some work, as Captain Sew couldn't quite handle the seams, or perhaps that was just the person in control... But I now have that warm and fuzzy feeling of making something new out of something old, plus not throwing out my favourite pair of jeans. Behold my first 'reconfiguration':

The hole

Still getting the hang of this...

Done! (Almost)

The seams aren't brilliant, but I think this quote (from  Lovely Things to Make for Girls of Slender Means, by Eithne Farry, a most beautiful book which I am currently reading) is apt:

‘If they are close enough to see your seams, it’s not your seams they’re looking at!’

Project Singer

I am now all moved in, finally have the Internet and am ready for my first project- Project Singer.

Meet Captain Sew:

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this 1920s Singer sewing machine, which has been converted for electric foot pedal use, from a very kind lady on Freegle*. My grandmother used to make dresses and made my mother's wedding dress skirt and I would love to learn to sew like her. For now though, I'm sticking to simple projects, like table mats:

I am hoping that with some practice I might be able to handmake some Christmas presents, maybe cloth bags or pin cushions for my fellow sewers.

* Freegle and Freecycle are two of the biggest (and best) websites which enable you to find others in your local area who can give a home to the things you no longer use (anything from wardrobes to craft pipe cleaners) or to find gems like Captain Sew for yourself