Inspiration for a Thursday morning...

A lovely inspiration article by one of the blogs I regularly follow, Cashmerette: Coming to Peace

What she talks about in the article is definitely part of the reason I started sewing and having found so many amazing women who are inspirational in this regard has been mindblowing. I have almost finished my first hand made item and I love the fact I made it! So proud of myself!

New Years Resolution

Well...here we are in 2015, a whole new year to mess up enjoy! Although I've had this blog for 6 months I've done very little sewing, mainly due to also planning my wedding but now it is a new year and I've got lots more time to spare and have a brand spanking new sewing machine to try out. In fact sewing more is one of my new year's resolutions. I have plans to make some pjamas and a skirt and dress for myself before I go on honeymoon in May and on annual leave in June, as well as having promised my husband that I would sew him a shirt being inspired by Fiona from Diary of a Chainstitcher and her lovely shirt and also Peter from Male Pattern Boldness with his sewalong of a Negroni shirt.

Usually my resolutions are always the same: lose weight; save more money; get a new job but this year I'm trying something a bit different. I read a post in internet land (http://offbeathome.com/2012/12/a-year-of-resolutions) about making monthly resolutions instead of yearly ones as people are much more likely to stick to them. So twelve one-month challenges here I come:

·       Alcohol-free month – this is currently being done in January, not only is better for my liver after it’s Christmas beating but I'm also cutting down calories to help with weight-loss so it will help with this. For a while Chris and I didn't drink in the week and only had a glass or two at the weekend which worked really well. I think that after our dry January we might need to get back to that.

·       Take a photo everyday – last Christmas (2013) husband bought me a snazzy DSLR camera so I've had it a year now but I don’t use it nearly as much as I should so that’s where this goal comes in. Not only will I get more use out of it but I think using the camera everyday will help my techniques and skills improve. This might be a February challenge as I'm going on a photo course at the end of January so will give me opportunities to practise what I learn.

·       No takeaway month – I enjoy cooking a lot but living opposite a Waitrose and round the corner from a Dominos/Chinese/Indian I do get lazy with my food and am swayed by all the tasty treats. This will be a really hard one for me and the husband but it has to be done to prove we can do it, better for bank balance and better for our waistlines & health as well. I have an awful habit of buying food, planning out our menus for the week but never cooking what I planned meaning the food gets wasted, I spend more money and it’s on crap that doesn't fill me up meaning I eat more! It’s a vicious circle…

·       Exercise every day month – in my day job I sit at a desk all day maybe only getting up once or twice to go to kitchen or printer. I know this is bad for me so I'm going to try and combat this by doing more exercise. I already do a little bit but doing some every day for a month would be a challenge. And just to clarify I'm not talking about running marathons every day here, I'm thinking going for a nice walk at lunch or a run in the evening after work. I think the offbeat home post had something about running a mile a day; not sure I could handle that but it’s something to work up to I guess! I might have to try this in the summer when I can be outside more.

So there we go… my resolutions for the first third of the year made, just have to think up another 8! Has anyone else made any resolutions? Are you still sticking to them? Good luck with all of your own ones if you've made them!

                                                 

I actually sewed something!!!

Well after having this blog for nearly 6 months I have sewn my first item and shockingly it wasn't for me! Just before christmas I made a stocking for my husband (oh yeah, I got married btw!) We do proper presents but the last few years we've done each other a little stocking £10 limit max and I decided to make his stocking this year instead of using the shop bought ones we've had previously. After much research I went with the EASIEST pattern I found which was from sew scrumptious (  http://sewscrumptious.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/christmas-stocking-tutorial-and-pattern.html?m=1) plus it had a free pattern so a definite winner! And I also bought my lovely christmas fabric from Duttons for Buttons in York, christmas fat quarters with lovely reindeer on them. 

Now considering I made the stocking on the first day of having the flu I'm quite impressed with myself. I had to go and use the mothership's sewing machine as I didn't have one (...yet...more on that later!) here's some photos as I'm very proud of it 

And now to my new sewing machine!! I treated myself in the sale to a little try out machine. It was only £25 (half price!) and does all the basics and is light enough to carry easily. I figure it's enough to keep me going while I learn and then I can get a proper one if I want. I now feel a lot more excited about sewing again, sort of lost interest with the wedding going on but now I'm looking forward to the summer and have plans of at least a few made by me items and possibly shirt for my husband. Anyway that's all folks...I'm off to the land of nod now! 

Swirly nipples are the best...

So the sewing that I was planning on doing when I started this blog has sort of come to a standstill mainly because I have gone in to OHMIGODIMGETTINGMARRIED mode and have started to panic about all the things I haven't done yet for the wedding. Cue panic buying at Hobbycraft! I still have my lofty ambitions of sewing my own clothes but maybe not until after 6th November! I have made some small progress in that I've now got tracing paper, chalk markers and proper scissors...

Masquerade hen do @ Raouls, Oxford

It was also my hen do this weekend just gone which was a brilliant weekend with all my best girl friends in Oxford! We stayed at one of the colleges and the whole weekend was so much fun and lovely to have everyone all there together to celebrate. There was a treasure hunt/photo hunt in the morning, lovely lunch and then cocktail making and dancing in the evening all with a masquerade theme. Here is all of us together with our masks on. I'm the one at the front in green with the gold mask. The whole weekend was a complete surprise to me with me not even knowing where we were going until we actually arrived at Oxford. I have to say, I chose excellent bridesmaids, they planned an epic weekend for me and I know they will be amazing on the wedding day. 

Speaking of the wedding it is one month today!!!!! I'm getting very excited now but also rather scared about all the things that still need to be done. I made a terrifying list on Thursday that ran to 4 sides of A4 paper of stuff that needs doing and I'm still finding things to add to it. If any of you out there are planning a wedding, listen to all the lovely advice that says do not leave DIY things until the last minute as you will regret it! I had two whole years to get stuff done but it's all getting done now...fail Kirsty, epic fail! Still the list will get crossed off gradually and I will just have to delegate things I think, luckily my sister (one of the bridesmaids) isn't working at the moment and is super crafty so she has now been put in charge of making all of the centre pieces and I will be dealing with the stationery stuff which is more my forte! In some ways I just want the day to be here so I can celebrate with all my friends and family and not have my brain taken up with purple glitter and table plans! 

"People gonna rate you, People gonna hate you, People gonna shove you, People gonna love you, People gonna do whatever makes them feel they own you better!"

Yesterday, dear readers, I brought you the tale of my amazing shoes of love with the gorgeous peacock feathers on. So in infinite wisdom I decided that I really could do with in my life is a matching dress...now not many places sell amazing peacock feather dresses so I, of course, decided to buy some more fabric for one of my as yet hypothetical dresses! 

So here it is in all it's beauty - the peacock fabric of love! 

Isn't it so pretty and bright and colourful :) 

"Charlie, when they close the book on you and me, it will say that at this moment you were not there for me. And for that, obviously, there will be some kind of punishment."

Another day, another post. This one is about shoes and more specifically the beautiful wonderful shoes of love that I have bought! Somehow clicking through various links on facebook I ended up on this wonderful website called Modcloth which has all sorts of lovely things on it and then I found the amazing shoes of love: 

Unfortunately they didn't have these ones in my size, although I have requested them, but they did have the flats available, hooray!! I think these might be my evening shoes for the wedding since our colour scheme features purple heavily and they are decorative enough to be special on the day. I just hope that since they are coming from the US they will get here in time for my November wedding! 

In sewing news, still not got my fabric delivered yet so just sitting waiting to get started now. I suppose I could measure myself so I know what to cut from my patterns. Ah well, that can be a job for when everything is delivered! I think now the weather is turning a bit (read a lot!) more autumnal I might have to make some long sleeves dresses now. It almost feels like going back-to-school weather, which I know sounds ridiculous since I left senior school 10 years ago! 

I have my engagement pre-wedding photo shoot next week and have no idea what to wear, it's going to be done out in the fields near where the photographer lives so don't particularly want to go all glamorous but I still want to look good in them. Luckily I'd already arranged to have my hair cut that morning anyway since I'm on leave so that's one less thing to worry about, just the rest of me to stress over. I'm also hoping that the rather massive big red spot I have just under my nose will disappear in time for it, wicked witch is not a good look on me! If anyone has bright ideas about how to get rid of my spot or what I should be wearing in my photo shoot please speak now or forever hold your peace...

"I am making a mental list of those who are snickering, and even as I speak I am preparing appropriate retribution."

Well here we are with my very first post. After stumbling on to some sewing blogs (A Million Dresses and Dolly Clackett) via the Aspire website I've become inspired to have a go at making my own clothes, more specifically, dresses!

I love dresses and I'm always drawn to them when shopping but being of a slightly rounder body shape than is fashionable these aren't always available in my size in the patterns I love. So this is why I have decided to take the plunge and try and make one myself. So I have committed and bought not one but TWO patterns off of amazon, read all about patterns and how to use them and ordered some lovely fabric(with the help of my lovely fiancé Chris)  with Paris landmarks on it that I'm hoping to wear on my honeymoon there. Oh yes, not only am I venturing into the brave new world of sewing, I'm also planning my wedding at the same time, only 11 weeks and 2 days to go! I know it would probably be best not to start a new project while the wedding is still going on but I can't help it, I got excited! Along side these fabulous projects I am also attempting to re-watch all of The West Wing now it is on Sky On Demand because I LOVE them all so much. It is very 90s now but it still is so good for the snarkiness for example, the title of this post!

So I will keep the world updated on my sewing exploits on this fresh brand spanking new blog. I'm currently awaiting my material and then have to go and borrow (steal!) my Mum's sewing machine to head into my dressmaking era.