Thursday 30 September 2010

zip and oilcloth frenzy

so i dusted off the sewing machine - well actually scrubbed if the truth be told - and placed it on my desk,  found some Cath Kidston oil cloth (because EVERYBODY has this hanging around!) got my little brown bag of purchases made that morning at fabric world and got ready to sew.  Small snag, peddle and power supply missing. In my break from sewing, nearly two years in all, the room that used to be my sewing room has had many different incarnations.  it is now my son's bedroom.  I have moved into his old room which is now my office but with room to be creative!  Somewhere in all of that movement my power and peddle went missing.  As any normal married woman does when faced with such a crisis, I immediately phoned up my husband (currently working in Dublin) and blamed him.  Three arguments later, me shouting, him ignoring my shouts, the power and peddle were found in the box of power cables that he had told me to look in first during the first phonecall.  Have i told him yet that i found it there? Hmm.

So what to make first?  It has to be said i was practically shaking with nerves at the thought of sewing again (the fiasco with the power cable didn't help any).  So i looked through my old blog posts for inspiration and found this one. So that is what i have made, but a sturdier one made from aforementioned oilcloth.  Not bad for my first bit of sewing in two years.

I have had some thoughts for my bag for the ball including using this gorgeous bag frame.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

So whats with the Pears Joanna

When i made the decision to restart a blog, i then had to think of a suitable name. My top choices had already gone and i was really really REALLY running out of inspiration. So, as i was currently picking pears off our lovely conference pear tree in the garden, the name evolved. Not an earth shattering name i know, but one that i am actually incredibly happy with. I agree that the blog is looking a bit green at the moment and a bit drab. However my art monkey friend is hopefully designing me a funky banner to jazz it up a bit. Well i should call her my broken art monkey friend due to a knackered back. She is hopefully going to be my published partner in crime as we are FINALLY working on a book together. I say finally, this has been discussed over the years or should i say decadesbut over a few recent yoga trips and drunken nights out we have a plan!
So why the restart of the blog. Well firstly, it keeps me writing, something i enjoy but so often neglect to do. Who knows maybe i will finally get round to editting the book i wrote 2 years ago! Secondly, I am sewing again and have a workshop planned at the local gallery. A completely scary proposition but one i couldnt refuse. They are also holding a ladies evening before Christmas which somehow i seem to be involved in.

My first project to get me back in the swing of it, is a bag for a ball that i am going to in October. I will be wearing a gorgeous green velvet dress that was my mother in laws when she was 18! So 50 years old. Properly vintage and everything!! Any ideas about what kind of bag i should make??

This is the bag i made last time i went to a ball, i called her Morag, she was a thing of beauty.

I am thinking something along the same vein, but obviously not red. But what colour? Should it be velvet if my dress is velvet? Maybe a hand sewn beaded number or even something knitted. Anyway it is good to be back.

Sunday 26 September 2010

I'm Back

I have not updated a blog for a good couple of years, but have decided now is the time to do so. Will have lots of fun customising the design over the next couple of days. But post 1 of Pear Delirium done