Au Revoir for a spell

Well my friends I am off to Holland tomorrow for an adventure, and I shan't be back for three weeks. This of course means that I'm going to be going AWOL for a while. I have no idea if I will be able to get internet access where I'm staying, so I can't promise any updates, but I'll do my best! Although I won't really have anything exciting to say on the sewing/crafting side of things, because obviously I won't be able to take my sewing machine along with me! I will however be taking my Briar Rose Sweater with me as I finished my mighty calculations on the pattern today, just in time to pack in away in my suitcase :)

My swatch, all washed and measured up!

Measuring, Calculating, Adding up, Writing down, Hard Work!

I'm hopefully going to get a good chunk of the Briar Rose finished before I get home, and then I can wear it when Spring starts sprunging! I can't wait for the weather to start picking up so I can stop trudging about looking like a snow beast and wear something pretty for a change :)

I must admit that I have missed being able to make things recently, it's been driving me a little bit nuts! But one of the nice things that comes from these forced breaks is that I can plan the type of lovely things I'm going to do when I return. So I thought I'd share with you some of the things I'm hoping to do post Holland - hopefully you'll stick around through my absence if I tempt you with what's to come! :)

• Well firstly I'm going to finish both my Crepe Dress and my Swing Dress (which was rather rudely abandoned after I had a little sulk I'm afraid! But I'm determined to get back on that horse soon) as I can't stand being surrounded by UFOs, and I really want to wear them both as the weather starts picking up :)
• Recently the blogosphere seems filled with fabulous vintage hair - Yesterday Girl, Wearing History and Land Girl 1980 for a few examples - and I am so jealous! So one thing I am determined to get a good quality hair cut upon returning (perhaps at a fancy vintage salon) and really try and learn as much as I can about vintage hair styling, sets in particular. You may remember I recently bought Belinda Hay's Style Me Vintage, and last weekend I tried out a hair roll which I feel was quite successful, so hopefully I'll have a go at most of the styles in the book - watch this space!

The Hair Roll!

• I've actually got a few book reviews in the works, I've collected some lovely vintage fashion books that I'd love to share with you and I have also been reading The Party Dress Book and Couture Sewing Techniques, both of which are great. So I'm thinking of adding the occasional book review into the mix with the blog, so hopefully you'll all enjoy that!
• I have also developed a terrible habit of buying vintage dress patterns, I've really got to stop buying and start making! So my return will also herald the return of my make-not-buy challenge :) I intend to start again with a vengeance, hopefully being away from my sewing machine for such a while will see me coming back full of ideas and inspiration.

I feel like I have a lot to look forward to at the moment, I'm going to a beautiful country with a beautiful group of people and when I get home I have a whole bunch of ideas to get stuck into. Happy days :)

Anyway, I guess this is goodbye for now, but I'll be back soon so I'll just say "Au Revoir!"