So.... next week is half-term... the kids will be home, Mr M will be away and the school year is almost over...how did that happen?  Didn't I just put away the Christmas decorations? (almost true.  There's a roll of wrapping paper behind my door).  I still have some Easter chocolate (true) and I'm still wearing woolly jumpers (true!! blasted weather).

And now they're telling me the summer holidays are just around the corner.  

No way.

I'm not buying it.

I have so many things to tell you I don't know where to start.

 

- Let's enjoy these tulips I found in a tucked away corner of the park first.

- I finished two items of clothing, a crochet shawl (awaiting blocking) and a mini quilt.  Yes, I know my windows needs cleaning, but my kids are fed and are wearing clean clothes so that's ok, right?

- I read "Il Postino" by Antonio Skarmeta.  Really cute story.  Can you believe I've never seen the movie?

- No 1 has been abducted by aliens and replaced with another 12yr old who showers everyday without being reminded, does his homework as soon as he comes through the door and has been known to volunteer to clear the table after dinner.  It's kind of scary. (And I know it won't last, he'll be returned to me very soon).

- But first things first.

The cap-sleeved top from Simple Modern Sewing.

It promised to be a quick project and buoyed by my success with the Tova pattern I was full of good expectations.... only it turned out to be slightly more work than I thought.  Thank you Ali for responding with such patience to my many frantic text messages!

I started off with on wrong foot when I traced the wrong pattern.  Doh.  Far too long in the body it was.  Attempt no 2 was slightly better but still too long in the body:

I felt frumpy in it.

I even tried to disguise the problem with my magic cardigan (it makes everything better, it does!) but still.... meh!

So back I went upstairs and chopped another two inches from the top part and added some Liberty bias binding to the high waist to give it some visual umph.

Of course I didn't have enough of the binding to make the ties as the book suggested so I made a loop on one side instead.

What could have taken a day ... dragged on for dayS instead and I almost binned the whole lot a few times.  The book has lovely ideas but it's very economical with directions.  "Now make sleeves" is just an example, and if I hadn't 'learnt the ropes' with my Tovas I would have been well and truly up **** creek.

I haven't even been able to wear the thing as the weather here has u-turned to winter mode... so I can't comment on the wearability factor.  Stay tuned.

Neither the dress or the fabric need any introduction so I'm going to let the photos do all the talking.

The only modification I did was in the collar.  I used the directions for the Wiksten tank collar and I'm really happy.  So happy that I've already worn it once and can't wait for this nasty weather to go away to wear it again.

Sewing with double gauze was a bit tricky (actually I found the hardest part was accurately cutting the pattern pieces...) but it feels wonderful on and drapes just the right amount.

My two new wardrobe additions... any other pattern you can recommend?

If you ask your son to decorate a pie...

make sure your brief is tight and doesn't leave room to interpretation...

or you could end up eating Homer Simpson's head.

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

No 3's room has been repainted recently and his old quilt just didn't fit anymore.

Oh dear.  What a shame...

Not.

I love this range of fabric and luckily so did he.  

Velocity by Jessica Hogarth purchased some from here and some - serendipitously - at the Birmingham Quilt Festival last August.

Simple squares because let's face it... it's busy enough.

I used quilter's dream wadding for the first time - I normal go for warm and natural - and I must say I was impressed.  Lovely stuff.

There.  Ready for the boy to come home from school.

 

No 2 had to choose his favourite painter and creat art using him/her as inspiration.

Of course he didn't choose Monet or Picasso or some quiet pencil drawing artist... oh no.... he went for Jackson Pollock.

And of course No 3 followed in its steps.

After a few timid attempt at his splashing methods (read: paint everywhere) we moved the whole production outside.

(before you choke on the fact that I let my child paint with a white top... it's a very old stained white top that was rescued on its way to the bin!)

Here they could let the Pollock inside them go wild.

And wild it went...

Move over Jackson.

No 2 had to choose his favourite painter and creat art using him/her as inspiration.

Of course he didn't choose Monet or Picasso or some quiet pencil drawing artist... oh no.... he went for Jackson Pollock.

And of course No 3 followed in its steps.

After a few timid attempt at his splashing methods (read: paint everywhere) we moved the whole production outside.

(before you choke on the fact that I let my child paint with a white top... it's a very old stained white top that was rescued on its way to the bin!)

Here they could let the Pollock inside them go wild.

And wild it went...

Move over Jackson.

1) I wanted a carry-with-me project for the Easter holidays

2) I wanted it to be a crochet project

3) Using yarn I had in my stash

4) Using a pattern I had in the collection

The pattern is called Flori T and I found it in an old copy (May last year) of Inside Crochet.  Sometimes my hoarding 'skills' are useful.

If you can see the Ravelry link you would have spotted the bright crochet flowers are missing from my version.  I'm afraid I'm not a 'bright crochet flower on my sweater' type person, plus I really like it as it is.

I used 7 or 8 (can't remember exactly as I lost the bands.... sorry) balls of Katia Linen, color 5.

3mm crochet.

It's slightly stiff at the moment but I'm sure that the linen will soften with a bit of wear.

The weather is shocking at the moment and I can't find a room in the house where taking decent photos.  Plus No 3 was not in a helpful mood and you have no idea how much dealing has been gone on for him to take the above shot.... I can't afford to have him taking more!