Life of pi.............and other mathematical marvels

I have finished my sewing room which is just marvellous and has sped up my productivity no end, plus my mood is far calmer now I am not searching for pins, needles, scissors, fasteners, elastic......................you get my point. I won't tell you exactly how long it took as then you will guess at how bad it really was, Needless to say I am pleased, as are my husband and children. We can now sit down for dinner around the kitchen table without me having to shift half a made bag out of the way first.

Another thing that has happened is I have set the wheels in motion to have my own website. How exciting is this? The domain name has been bought and labels with the name Funky Yoga Bags have been ordered. There are a lot of sites online that sell yoga bags, most of them import from the East and nearly all of the bags are either too small for a decent mat or the mat has to be rolled up precisely to fit it in. So, who knows fingers crossed my offerings could be welcome.

I have already been making and sewing drawstring bags with a water bottle and iphone pocket but I wanted to also sell a zippered bag.

It took a while to deconstruct the pattern in my head. I knew how I wanted the bag to look but it was the working out of how to do it that was causing me a headache. As with all things, how I could make a zippered tube correctly came to me at midnight. I knew that all I needed to get me started drawing up the dimensions was to know how to work out the circumference of a circle. Waking up Andrew I shouted out how do you work out the circumference if you have the diameter, to which he sleepily replied 2piR (I couldn't work out how to do the symbol on my keyboard). He then fell straight back to sleep and I sat there thinking, huh?

From then on I had it nailed and actually it was simple to make. From measuring the diameter of my mat rolled up and adding on for seam allowances and extra space, I then calculated how wide each panel needed to be. As this was a trial run I didn't line it, and there are still things I am not happy with but overall the pattern works. Whoop.

close up of the zip as I was so chuffed

Its too long so I will change the pattern for next time



My aim is to have the bag big enough to hold a big mat with a towel without having to squeeze it all in. As  I am completely self taught when it comes to sewing, this style of bag had always seemed a logistical nightmare and I am dead chuffed with myself for having worked it all out.

As I type this I am being squeezed of the kitchen table by Martha and her friend who are making puppets for a puppet show that is apparently going to be performed. I better go before I disappear beneath a ton of pom poms and feathers.
  Plus this has all become rather self-congratulatory.

Post weight watchers

So, two things have happened since I left weight watchers at the beginning of March. Firstly I have lost 6lbs in weight. Whoop. Secondly however I've been ill which has been quite debilitating due to the pain. There isn't any fast fix unfortunately just tests at the hospital but I am hoping that acupuncture tomorrow will help with the pain at least. This has reduced my sewing down to a dribble. I have made sales and some bags have sold at the yoga studio in Berkamsted. But lets just say it is not the start that a new business needs.

Sanity is being kept by my daily yoga practises and still making it to Bayoga each week. Now it may seem mad to carry on with Ashtanga whilst in pain. But yoga is such good therapy for the mind and actually I find that the postures can actually help. My strength has diminished though but I am sure that everything will get better eventually.

I have also had to give up coffee, chocolate, sugar, bread and alcohol. The things that basically are the support network for my life! What can i say I have marvellous skin at the moment :-)

So today, I am measuring out a design for a tai chi bag at the moment. A request from Stuart at Tai-ga. IF you have no knowledge of Tai chi like me, you may be unaware that weapons are used. This bag will be a cool and funky way to carry the sword etc around to the classes.

I have a few ideas in my head about how it will work but i think, the truth will be in the first mock-up I make.

This zebra shopping tote is proving popular as well although this is a useless photo I'm hoping to be able to use the services of my 5 year old daughter later to model it for me.

She does a rather good job don't you think?

Moving on

It is impossible to get to the age of 40, a momentous age that I will hit in May without hitting bad and emotional times on the way. How we deal with them and move on is a different thing. Do we keep them compartmentalised in our brains, shut away in a filing cabinet at the pit of our brain with a massive neon sign saying DO NOT ENTER IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES or do we deal with them head on?

I have in the past been tempted to shut the door to the filing cabinet, turn the light off and forget it is there. It never stays locked though does it? Things manage to seep out when you least expect them to. A photo that you didnt expect to find, a song on the radio or simply too much time on your own thinking.

So what is the best way to deal with life and the crap it can throw? Is this the reason why people approaching 40 suddenly become manic about exercise as it clears the mind? Most men I know are constantly entering into longer and longer races, triathlons, mountaint climbs. Exercise makes you happy and clears the mind, having a target focusses the mind and keeps you at it. It is definitely one of the reasons i practice so much yoga. In fact yoga and regular practice got me off the magic pills prescribed by the doctor. Ashtanga yoga especially is extremely powerful. Some people eat and obviously in my years as a Weight Watchers leader I see this time and time again.

Is the best way to sit down and talk it through with someone? Do the Americans have the best idea of going to see therapists and hearing an objective view. We are all seeking something, some inner happiness, some sense of fufillment. Sometimes it is just good to let the tears flow, let the thoughts flood back in, accept them and then put them back and move on.

ANy thoughts?

While I am here have a photo of a new yoga bag I have made complete with iphone pocket and water bottle pocket

Alone in the playground

Trying to resurrect a blog is a bit like being away from school as an eight year old for a very long time and then suddenly reappearing, only to find that everyone has forgotten you and made new friends. Or if you move away from an area and promise to others as well as yourself that yes, you will keep in touch and yes, obviously you will remain close friends even though 200 miles separate you. Two years later you stumble across their name in your address book whilst writing Christmas cards and it actually takes you 5 minutes to remember who they are and when you phone, surnames are required. All of the lovely bloggers and crafters who I became close to cyberly before will now not remember who I am and really why should they? 

So, a lot of effort needs to be put in by myself too reacquaint myself with the fantastic crafters out there and hopefully some yoga made people as well. I'm not a shy type so I am happy to put myself out there, I will return to my old chat up line that saw me in good stead through my early twenties.

"Hello, my name is Joanna". Simple but effective.

I am just in from yoga, I practice Ashtanga Yoga and although I have practiced yoga on a regular basis for 4 years (although dabbled since I was 23) I started a regular Ashtanga practice a year ago and quite frankly I have never looked back. Ashtanga is a set sequence of postures that link one from the other. IT takes me 90 minutes to get through the practice and believe me you sweat, sweat, sweat. So twice, sometimes three times a week I take myself over to BAYoga to do my stuff on the mat. It is a Mysore style practice and leads you to places within your mind and body that are incredibly powerful. It works as a moving meditation and calms my chaotic brain for that 90 minutes and leaves me buzzing afterwards. Physically it teaches you that things are possible if you practice and perservere; a hard lesson as an adult but one that we accept as a child. If you have ever watched a toddler learn to walk, they constantly fall over but they never give up. I have yet to see a toddler sit down and go "sod that for a laugh, I'm just going to stick with crawling." Time and time again they get and have another go 

When you start the Ashtanga practice some of the postures just seem impossible and at first they are out of your reach but each practice brings you closer and closer to having the necessary strength and flexibility.

One of the items required for a yoga practice is a mat, and what better thing to carry a mat around in than a yoga bag. Can you see where I am going with this? Yoga bags made by me. Marvellous.

Last week I took myself off to an area in Luton called Bury Park and stocked up on gorgeous sari fabrics. I will also be getting some stronger home decor fabrics for a different range. My idea is to stock them in my folksy shop but also to stock them at the studio. The designs I have floating through my head are varied and this is the first one I have trialled. The fabric is just amazing. My personal home made yoga bag is really functional and has been going for a couple of years and has stood up to being lugged around everywhere but is slightly too small and the mat has to be rolled up incredibly tightly. So, the future designs will be slightly roomier.

modelled by the marvellous Rachel

Pockets

I have made two sales today as well which is also incredibly exciting so I foresee busy sewing times ahead. I  Have you got any exciting plans?