We chatted, had ice-cream and then he set it up. 

A nice family snapshot as he is playing around with it.

Fancy these bobbing around your kitchen?

This week we got to play with fabric on Tuesday and Friday.  There was hand embroidery, machine embroidery and then examining in greater detail all manner of frills, pleats and other playthings such as shearing elastic all in order to produce our own fabric for our bodice. 

I loved this fabric, its beautiful, I can imagine it being used as a hot water bottle cover in something warm and soft. Or as the fabric for a huge cuddly Shar pie to hug whilst watching scary films.

It is simplicity itself to produce. 

 I very much like the use of pleats on this manly waistcoat.

 I thought the back was very attractive.  I couldn’t make up my mind whether it reminded me of armour or a space age suit.

 This effect was used on the cuff of another male jacket.

And what looks like fur in real life was simply made by fraying the fabric.

I am off to buy shearing elastic, just as soon as I’ve had another nap. 

(tired isn’t the word, the hot flushes woke me up at three)

 You’ll be pleased to know that we weren’t spending the boys inheritance, that hubby has his feet firmly on the ground, he’d noticed that first class was considerably cheaper than second class. so booked it for us, we were at Euston in an hour.  

The show was amazing, I think it was the best show I’d been too, it seems to improve every year.  The free shuttle bus came promptly and took me up the hill, whilst hubby wandered around London seeing the sights he wanted to see.  The students work was amazing, it was certainly very inspirational.  There were more new companies selling wool, which was great and all in all I had a wonderful time. 

 and some gorgeous Araucania Aysen (merino, alpaca and silk) 

And I am going to knit myself a cute jumper to throw on for college (on days we are not painting), those studios with vast ceiling space and huge skylights can be a bit nippy in the mornings. 

Today was intense.  Unsurprisingly it took until 12.30 to get the skirt sewn up, 10 minutes for lunch and then there was the zip to put in, (always a longer job than you expect) the interfacing to draft out and then cut out from calico and interfacing, the stuff you put in clothes to make the fabric a little stiffer. Then came the under sewing, (great technique, loved that one, made the skirt look really professional) and a little hand sewing and then the hem, oh and a little spider embroidery.  Those jobs don’t sound like they would take long do they, but nevertheless I ended up sprinting for the finish and still went over time by a few minutes.

Anyway, I am very pleased to say I finished, sketch books all up to date and a finished skirt on the hanger, plus I had a quick try on and it fitted well. The crowd who witnessed the try on including two teachers and a group of students said all the right things.  Actually one tutor was quite amusing during the day as she was desperate to see the finished garment.

I have to say there was some amazing work, I can’t photograph other peoples work without their permission, but you must come to the fashion show later in the year, its going to be amazing.

 Some quick piccies from my phone,

I added my little spider. 

It must be the size of a 50p, which is nothing considering all the fabric on the skirt, I asked two tutors if they could spot it and they did, very quickly, the human eye is obviously geared up to spot tiny insects, pests, and diseases etc. 

And the best bit, no homework this weekend. 

 

 Wound my bobbin with cream wool and placed black thread on the machine for the top thread. And then slowly followed the design.  Thank goodness for modern sewing machines that will stop with the needle in the down position. 

 And soon had this. 

 I think it looks quite interesting.  And so to finish the night because I have Wednesday’s hand in’s to work on and think about. 

 I decided to colour in the drawing I had made.  I’d been told to develop it, so I coloured it in.  Note the new buying opportunities that leapt into my shopping bag from the college shop. (It really is the greatest of fun – I’m having a ball)  

 And when it is dry tomorrow.  I’m going to cut it up and…

 use it to make a collage for my hand drawn chilli’s.  Do you like my chilli’s? I really like them, and so do my tutors, for some reason they think I am quite good at drawing, I have a bold technique or something, becoming a fabric designer was mentioned.  I don’t really believe it myself, not having drawn so much a stick figure since I was twelve, (or thereabouts) but they seem quite keen. 

And while I was painting, hubby had a little dabble with the paint brushes, I really like his dog and that boat is absolutely right, its almost the image of hubby rowing and I think I would quite like to live in that windmill at the top of a gently slopping hill.  He can’t see it, but I think he is quite good. 

 And it is starting to look so pretty. 

 Hubby bought me tomatoes back from the plot. 

 I am very grateful for them, we lost one set of tomatoes to blight, but thankfully greenhouse number two was okay, these were the expensive tomato plants which had been grafted onto a vigorous root stock and in my mind, (if you don’t love them to blight) they are worth every penny. 

And he also bought me this gorgeous globe artichoke in full flower. 

Next week I am going to be handing in three projects for marking.  I am starting to feel quite jittery and because of the workload all of us in the class will be working hard this weekend.  Some will be working harder than others, I will be working hard because I want the best possible grade. 

Just shoot me now. 

I know its going to end in hysteria, and tears. It feels like knitting Christmas socks for seven people, and then deciding that wouldn’t it be nice to have matching hats and gloves as well,,, on Christmas Eve. 

Its an illness that as I have found out, is totally transferable to any craft I put my hand to. 

 This is part of a skirt I have designed, dyed and printed.  I have decided that it would be ‘fun’, to sew around all of my print, yep even that spikey star thing is getting the mandycharlie sewn around it for fun, extra detailing.  Its big and its taking hours.  And that is only the start of my expedition into textiles, I have other fantasies for this skirt which involve beading, sequins, free motions sewing including using wool in the bobbin and the careful placement of a spider!  (more about that another time) there may also be applique. (yes I am determined to get a high grade)   And there are two other projects…

Just a little bit more detail for you.  

Must get back to it.