The Elves are Exhausted

It's been a challenging run up to Christmas, with the chief facilitator of festivities on and off her feet with a knee injury - which has also put progress with the curtain business on hold for a while.

My Labradorable is in the dog house - as she crashed into my knee about a month ago now and did some ligament damage. Several trips to the physio and a few weeks of frustration have passed as I've tried to get back to some kind of productivity (hurray for online shopping - or there really would be some disappointed faces round the tree on Sunday!). What is it with physiotherapists (now referred to as "the physiopath" which is a bit unfair as she's very nice) as I always seem to feel worse after I've been for "therapy" than I did before?? Still, it was hopefully my last visit this morning so things are looking up.

On the bright side, it has given me time out to finish some knitting projects like the cushion above and my jumper. Jonathan's also feeling particularly smug having lost a few pounds by being on the "housewife diet" - it's amazing what helping out with more of the chores can do! (As a disclaimer I ought to just point out that he doesn't particularly need to loose any weight - but can now feel free to massively over-indulge at Christmas).

 I am really pleased with this one - its a pattern called "Valiant" by Kim Hargreaves and its knitted in Rowan Cocoon, a real luxury item.

This is cheating a bit as I made this quite a few years ago, but it still comes out every year! I really should paint that mirror frame - it's looking particularly orange in this photo.

 I did manage to make this cake, although Jonathan has had to heroically step in and make the Christmas cake this year.  The proof will be in the eating...

 The only snow dusted trees we are likely to see this Christmas!

It's amazing what I can get up to when I'm not getting out much - like these homemade gift tags from bits and pieces around the house. I really enjoyed machining the felt ones onto the card - instant satisfaction. If you get a crochet one then you are really privileged - I'm still waiting to feel the love for crochet.....

One of the highlights of the last couple of weeks (apart from a lovely meal out at the White Hart last night) was a trip to Polesden Lacey to see the house dressed for Christmas. It was stunning, even our teenage son was awed by being allowed to take a shot on the billiards table in the saloon where the gentlemen would have escaped to for a quiet drink after dinner.

Here's our tree, not quite a big as the one at Polesden, but it's just as beautiful to us.


Merry Christmas!

Linen Roman Blind

I recently made this Roman Blind for my kitchen in a linen fabric from Linen Me.
http://www.linenme.com/linen-fabrics/




Its quite a rustic weave linen, which reminds me of the current trend for up-cycling vintage grain sacks into aprons, cushions, etc. Like this, for example: http://www.ohsovintage.co.uk/cushion-hungarian-grain-sack-2291-p.asp

Of course, my linen was made in a factory, whereas vintage fabrics would have more character as a result of the hand weaving process and the gentle patina of age.

Even so, the linen fabric is really beautiful and it smells wonderful - a bit like freshly mown grass in the summertime. The photos here can't convey the slight variation in the weave and the sheen it seems to have when it catches the light.

The looseness of the weave and the heavy drape of the fabric did give it a bit of a mind of its own, which made taming it into crisp folds a bit of a challenge.

If you look carefully you can see the leaves still on the wisteria that grows in abundance around our front door as these photos were taken a few weeks ago now. There have been some unfortunate events that have held up blogging, getting my curtain business moving and festive preparations - but that's a whole other story.

Bonfires and Boot Led Zeppelin

This is the blazing inferno at our village bonfire night party. The event is organised by a local group of pyromaniacs who annually build a bonfire the size of a small house and stage a fantastic fireworks display. Everyone throws some cash in a bucket (there's no fixed admission fee) as they enter the field which then pays for the next year's fireworks.

This year my husband took his camera and captured these photos which I thought deserved a place on my blog.

You can really feel the heat despite the substantial tape safety barrier on sticks which keeps spectators at a safe distance.

Once we've had the fun of the massive bonfire, the fireworks begin, accompanied by the usual gasps of amazement from the crowd.

Another event we've enjoyed this autumn was seeing Boot Led Zeppelin at the Boiler Room in Guildford. Our teenage son was keen to see them as part of his musical education and spent the entire evening right at the front studying the guitar techniques.

I never saw the real Led Zeppelin in concert, so I can't comment on how they would compare, but it was a  fabulous night out. It's a fairly small venue so everyone is really close to the stage which adds to the atmosphere.

The music was great and you have to admire any man who will appear in public in what can only be described as a bright blue puff sleeved bolero with lavish silver embroidery!

A thrifty new skirt

Here's Rachel modelling a new skirt I made for myself. I finished it a few weeks ago but was suffering from some IT issues that slowed up blogging at the time - ironic as in theory I should have priority access to my own IT consultant....
Sadly the IT department were on a two week business trip at the time.

The skirt's made from a floral cotton poplin and has a contrasting aqua lining. I bought the materials and ribbon trim from Raystitch (www.raystitch.co.uk) and I think the whole lot cost less than £15. They have some lovely things and a very beautiful looking shop in London.

I have dipped in and out of dressmaking over the years. It can sometimes be a frustrating experience, here are my thoughts on the subject.

Why are some commercial dressmaking patterns so disappointing? This skirt is loosely based on McCalls 3341 which claims to be an A line skirt. Imagine my disappointment when I examined the pattern pieces and discovered that it was hardly A line at all. This lead to a flurry of pattern re-drafting using the sweep of one of my existing favourite skirts as a guide.

Secondly, why are commercial patterns so huge? I carefully measured myself, selected the right size from the pattern envelope, ran up a toile (as I'd taken huge liberties with the pattern this seemed like a wise precaution) and proudly produced a skirt/tent hybrid. Back to the pattern re-drafting for a second time.

Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with the end result. Definitely a hint of Whitestuff, I think. Maybe I should give it a name like they do. Perhaps the "Patience is a Virtue" skirt?

Sheer curtains for my patio doors

These patio window sheers are a small project for my own home that I fitted in during the school holidays.

The patio doors are in our garden room extension that we had built a couple of years ago. They face south, which means that although they flood the room with light, it can also be quite dazzling at times. The sheer under curtains are light,  floaty and can be drawn across to screen out the direct sunlight.

I chose a simple cotton muslin for my sheers and pre-washed it to reduce the risk of shrinkage on future laundering. I added a fun pink bobble fringe - because I was in that kind of mood! The great thing about a haberdashery leading edge trim is that it can always be changed.

I opted not to "pool" my sheers on the floor as I was concerned about the practicality of this on these doors, which see a lot of traffic in a family home.  Maybe I was being a little too practical - they can go in the washing machine after all.

The main curtains here are simple cotton curtains with a tape heading and a contrast leading edge trim. I made them some time ago (well before doing my NDA Diploma) and they have been relocated to this room.

Summer Holidays

It's been a hectic couple of weeks since the schools went back, but before we finally leave summer behind here's some of what we got up to in the holidays.

We went to North Wales for a week and stayed in a holiday cottage on the Llyn Peninsula. This is the view from a little over half way up Mount Snowdon.

 We walked up ( and down) as we couldn't take the mountain railway because dogs are not allowed on the trains. The views really were amazing until the clouds rolled over at the very top. The path was mostly quite walkable, apart from one or two stretches that were a bit of a scramble.

 You can see the railway tracks here alongside the path, for those with more sense ( and no dog).
 A lot of people took the train up and then walked down. We saw one lady walking down in flip - flops, a brave and interesting footwear choice for the terrain.

Pippin on the way back down.  A deranged mix of complete over-excitement and exhaustion. Her four paw drive and low centre of gravity were extremely useful though.

There was a lot to see in this part of Wales - this is one of the trains on the FFestiniog Railway.
Dogs were welcome on this mountain railway and we all had a lovely day out - enjoying a coffee and the stunning views as the train took the strain!

This is the wild and windy beach just a short walk across the fields from where we stayed. You can just about see the foothills of Snowdonia in the distance. Not exactly sunbathing weather..... but great for flying our new kite.

This is the view from the living room. Fields, cows, sea AND distant mountains. Can't really beat that.

For a low budget holiday for 3 and a dog it was life enhancing and very little suncream required.

Meanwhile, back in sunny Surrey, zinnia's were flowering on the patio.

I started growing these from seed a couple of years ago - as I fancied a change from the usual geraniums and bizzy lizzies.

Annual lavetera, also my own creation. I just love the day-glow pinkness of these and they seem to survive the resident slug population.

Teal Polka Dot Curtains

These are some simple curtains made from a dressmaking weight fabric that my client had already purchased.

They have been made to apron length (just below the sill) which is a good option in a bedroom where curtains need to hang over furniture. A simple gathered heading has been used to create an informal but pretty look for a girl's room.

I wouldn't normally recommend dress weight fabric for curtains as it's a bit lightweight to drape well, but I'm pretty pleased with the way these have turned out with the help of a good quality lining. A blackout lining was considered, but my client opted for the tactile appeal of a softer lining.

This is the second pair made for the same room, being "dressed" in my workroom.

Long Time No Blogging

It would seem that my efforts to keep in touch with friends and family via a blog are about as effective as my ability to pick up the phone to make those social calls! So here, after a rather long absence, is a round up of what's been keeping me busy.

I have completed my NDA Course in Professional Soft Furnishings and Curtain Making and achieved an NOCN level 3 , so I'm now all set to start advertising my new business. Overall, I would say I had a very positive experience of the course - it was very comprehensive and the tutors were excellent. It did, however, require a greater time commitment than the NDA suggested. This may have been just my approach though, as I was determined to get as much out of the course as possible. Anyway, I'm proud of my achievement.

Our son went on a school skiing trip to Bormio, Italy in April. This is the view from the hotel restaurant window - wow! He had a great time and despite the spring-like appearance there was still snow for skiing.

This little jaunt drained the family holiday budget - so it's a "staycation" in Wales for us later this summer.

Staying on the budget theme - we also went camping in the New Forest in half term at the end of May. It was lovely but our tent was sadly inadequate for three and a dog. In case you've never tried it, sharing your air bed with a labrador is like trying to sleep on a bouncy castle. Unfortunately we didn't take any photos, maybe it was to cold to get the camera out.......

June brought another family birthday and yet another cake. You may notice it looks surprisingly similar to my husband's birthday cake back in January! That's the trouble with living with boys - they just don't share my obsession with chocolate! Such a waste of a baking session.....

For a birthday treat we went to see Bon Jovi in concert in Bristol. The concert was great but it was a really late night - we really are just too old for that kind of thing!

The garden has been looking pretty in a chaotic kind of way during late spring and early summer.

Here's some of the best bits.



Herbs in an old tin bath.

Foaming with flowers on a sunny day.

March in My Garden - What's Hot and What's Not.....

Our camelia, pulmonarias and daffodils are all looking lovely. Pulmonarias are great - they spread everywhere and the slugs don't eat them - which is pretty important as we are permanently infested.

I just love this cherry tree. Its supposed to be a winter flowering one, but I think it decided to wait until spring this year and who can blame it! The delicate pink blossoms look just stunning against a blue sky - they also look pretty good against a moody grey one. Just can't have enough pink blossom.

It's taken quite a while for my helebores to get established - but they now seem to be thriving and multiplying.

I've always loved walking in the woods. There's just something magical about it. We have quite a few trees in our garden, providing shady spots for primroses and other woodland flowers.

An early clematis on the house wall.

I'm a bit of a washing line fanatic. Its amazing how you can line dry even in the winter months. I managed to freeze my washing on the line in winter 2010 - my mum had always told tales about the washing freezing on the line way back in 1963 but somehow I didn't believe her until I accomplished this myself!

A colleague of mine told me that according to his sums it cost about £1 a load to dry in the tumble drier ( interesting people, engineers!). I've never done the sums for myself , but it definitely motivated me to carry it down to the line in all but the worst of weather conditions.

Ok, now for the things that I'm not so proud of.

My attempts at an "all year round" vegetable patch.  Hmmm. It's really not as easy as they make it look on the television. In my mind's eye I had a vision of a vegetable garden just like an illustration from a Beatrix Potter book. What I've ended up with is only fit for the most delinquent of rabbits, most likely living on a diet of junk food.

Why is this lovely organic purple sprouting brocolli in the garden crimes section?  It's simple. Apart from my own lazy reluctance to head to the garden in the arctic winter we've just endured - this thug is prime suspect no.1 for the chaos in the patch.

The seed packet didn't give any warning that this would grow to about 4ft tall and flop all over everything. I tell you, it's unstake-able.

There's also something sinister about a vegetable that has a longer gestation period than we do. That's right - this little beauty was sown in spring 2010, has taken up a large chunk of my patch for a whole year, and we'll be lucky to get enough PSB for 2 meals off it. Incredible.

This is also responsible for bad behaviour in the garden. Most notably eating the odd bird (hopefully just the weaklings?) and bullying the dog mercilessly. Just as well that he has redeeming qualities.