Wednesday Wonderfuls #113 + #114

Hello there my lovely readers! Long time no see :) happy Wednesday to you all, I  hope you've been having a great couple of weeks.

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:
1. Sweet biscuity goodness 2. New brooch to add to the collection 3. A candlelit dinner made by my Sweetheart :)
4. New VOH jeans 5. Tailor's tacks 6. Just going to the cinema in rollers, no big deal
7. Fabric addict 8. Beaded cardigans make me happy 9. Homemade sticky chicken and rice 

Over the past two weeks I have been...

Feeling...

pretty overwhelmed actually. As you've probably noticed I've been a bit off the radar with my blogging in general, which has mostly been due to my new job. I'm finding it a bit difficult to adjust to regular working hours, years of working nights at theatres have obviously taken their toll on me! I am now starting to adapt and use my time more productively, but for a while there I was just getting home and crashing before going to bed and doing it all again the next day. I really admire all you ladies who work full time jobs and still find the time to blog, you are super-women! Slowly but surely I'm getting back into the swing of my blogging, and I've got some fun posts planned in the near future, so hopefully I'll soon have my blogging mojo back properly :) we'll see, baby steps for now!

Reading...

the first book in the Beautiful Creatures series. I really enjoyed the film so I thought I'd give the books a go (I'm pretty much always a bigger fan of the book than the film with all adaptations!) and although I'm not hooked yet I am enjoying it. I often think it's a shame that some books get labelled as only for young adults, because if a book is well written surely it can be loved by people of all ages? Just look at Harry Potter! 

Planning...

something that I've been thinking about for a long time: my first tattoo! I know that quite a few of you lovely ladies have ink of your own, I've been a long time admirer of some of your artwork, so I thought it was about time I joined the club! I've got my design all picked out and I'm really looking forward to the big day, I just hope I'm not too much of a wimp when it comes to the pain :)

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:
1. Homemade bolognese 2. Brown paper packages tied up with string :) 3. I think Easter's coming!
4. Grading and notching 5. Treats 6. It's coming along!
7. Sweets from my Sweetheart 8. Every girl loves a pair of new (to her) shoes 9. Homemade paella

Cooking...

a lot more than usual, one of the other reasons I've been a bit more absent than usual! Cooking takes me a while because I'm quite inexperienced but I love it and I've been so happy that I've finally had the time to do it properly. Isn't it amazing the difference a home cooked meal can make to your day? And your energy? It's brilliant. I'm definitely becoming a home-cooking convert.

Working on...

my 1940s suit with every spare minute that I have. It's coming along, but slowly, particularly as I can only dedicate a little bit of time to it each day, but next day off I get I'm going to get as much done as possible. It will be finished in time of the Sew For Victory deadline I tell you! Plus I just want to wear it, it looks so cute!

And, of course, there's been a lot going on in the rest of the blogosphere recently too...

• This jumper makes me adore Cassie Stephens all the more. What a lady and what a cat jumper :)
• What a beautiful place to work, maybe one day I'll have a place like this of my very own.
• Check out Tasha's progress on her jacket for Sew For Victory, I'm blown away considering it's her first ever tailoring project. I can't wait to see how it looks when it's finished!
• And finally I really want to try these hot crossed pancakes for easter, don't they look amazing?!

Have a wonderful rest of the week my lovely readers and I'll be back soon!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

Wednesday Wonderfuls #111 +#112

Hello there my lovely readers and welcome to another Wednesday Wonderfuls post!

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:1. Faux bangs and bow :) 2. The kitchen garden is growing! 3. Loving this books
4. Made over duck! 5. My new bag friend, Mirabel :) 6. Revamping this frame for a brooch board
7. Macaroons = Love 8. Babycham, yes please! 9. Chiffon scarves make bedtime chic!

Over the past two weeks I have been...

Starting...

my new job! It;s all been a bit manic, making the transition from part time work to full time, but it was a necessary change and it seems to be going well so far. I still can't get over the fact that I'm home before 7:00pm everyday, in the theatre I would be getting ready to start at that time!

Finishing...

my pattern cutting course. I have loved every second of this course, and I have learnt so much, I will be really quite sad that I have my Monday nights back again! I can't wait to try out everything that I've learnt by sewing up some of my own patterns, it's very exciting to think of all of the possibilities, watch this space!

Knitting...

like a demon to try and finish my blue jumper. I will finish it, I will, I will!

Reading...

"Knit Back in Time" by Geraldine Warner and I'm really loving it so far. I bought the book in preparation to working on some of my original 1950s knitting patterns and everything that I've read so far has been a great help to making the whole process of altering vintage patterns seem much simpler. I'll definitely be writing more about this book in the future, I think it's going to be a must-read for anyone starting out with vintage knitting patterns.

DIYing...

lots of little projects around the house! In the past two weeks I have started my very own brooch board (for my ever growing collection of brooches!) and I have given some rather tired looking flying ducks (that I rescued from my previous job) a make over. These little projects are making me quite ridiculously happy, I feel better for feathering my rented nest to the best of my ability!

Indulging...

in some fabulously retro alcoholic beverages :) I have recently tried snowballs and Babycham and I have to say I'm a big fan of both, particularly the former, it tastes like a lemonade milkshake!

And let's see what else has been going on in the blogosphere over the past fortnight...

• Have you seen the beautiful patterns that Gertie has released for Spring/Summer? One of each please!!!
• These may be the best cupcakes ever. Irish cream and chocolate. What's not to like?
• I want to go to this party, these pictures are just stunning.
• If you're getting involved in Sew For Victory or you just have a love of all things 40s then you really must check this video out: Sew Smart in 1948
• I need to live in Marianne's house. Can that be arranged please?
• And finally a bit of filmic inspiration for you, from the lovely Wendy of The Butterfly Balcony. I want every one of Amy Adams' outfits :)

Have a wonderful rest of the week my lovely readers!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

Sew For Victory: Fabric Choices

Hello there my lovely readers! Welcome back to the next instalment in my Sew For Victory adventure! 

I know that you were all thrilled with the pattern I selected for this challenge, but now let me show you the fabric lovelies I have chosen...

First up the plaid:

This yummy plaid is going to become my jacket. I was originally looking for something with a bit of red or green in the pattern (my go to colours!) but when I spotted this brown and blue design I fell in love. Plus the wool is so soft that as soon as I touched it I knew I would be taking som of it home with me! The blue of the pattern is a lot more delicate in real life, a sort of lighter navy colour rather than the almost black it appears to be in these pictures. I know it's going to look beautiful :)

And next up is my contrast solid wool...

I went for this simple solid brown for the skirt and the contrast trim of the jacket, because I think it will work beautifully as a  separate in it's own right, and it also brings out the blue in my plaid whilst also matching the browns in it nicely. It's also a lovely weight and very pleasing to the touch, one of the reasons I love working with wool so much!

Here the two fabrics are together, so you can get an idea of the overall effect:

So there you have it my lovely readers, we have fabric lift off! I have already traced off my pattern pieces and measured them to ensure they'll give the right fit so cutting out time is approaching! I'm also pretty sure that I'm not going to line this jacket so that it's a bit lighter and can be worn comfortably in cool spring/autumn weather rather than just in winter (lets be honest, in the UK we get cool spring/autumn weather for most of the year!). This means I'll be trying out some fancy seam finishes to make sure the jacket looks beautiful inside and out, so watch this space!

Anyway, if you'll excuse me I've got some plaid to match...

(I must be mental, this is the third matching plaid project I've done recently! See the others here and here)

My First Interview! Learn about my Handmade Style!

Hello my lovely readers! I am very happy to tell you that I've been interviewed by the lovely Joanne over at Stitch and Witter for her "My Handmade Style" series.

I'm proud to be in the company of some of my favourite bloggers (check out the other interviews in the series and you'll see what I mean!) and it was a real pleasure to be involved, so do you check it out if you fancy finding out a little bit more about me :)

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

Wednesday Wonderfuls #109 + #110

Hello there my lovely readers! Sorry it's been a little quiet here, I've been uber busy, but this week I have a bumper Wednesday Wonderfuls post for you to make up for it :)

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:1. Styling the snood :) 2. Why I work in a sweetshop! 3. The sweetest brooch
4. Homemade pancakes! 5. A rather festive outfit 6. Cream cheese cinnamon rolls
7. Packing for pattern cutting 8. I made my own meatballs :) 9. Off the the supermarket in glasses and rollers, classy!

Over the past two weeks I have been:

Watching:

Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and the lovely Marilyn in "How To Marry a Millionaire" and I loved them both! I think that Rebecca is probably my favourite Hitchcock film so far, it's a beautiful adaptation of the book and Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers is spine chillingly wonderful. And as for Marilyn in "How To Marry a Millionaire", well, she's inspired me to get a lovely new pair of glasses of my own! I can't wait to get them back from getting their lenses put in so I can wear them out :) We also watched Glorious 39, which I LOVED and the costumes were to die for. If you want to see what I mean then check out this post over at The Butterfly Balcony.

Learning:

how to draft patterns for trousers! Honestly I can say that taking pattern cutting classes has been one of the most satisfying things I have ever done, I just love it! I have already adjusted my basic trouser block into a capri pattern, so as soon as I find some suitable fabric I'm going to give them a go. Wish me luck!

Matching:

more plaid, this time for my Sew for Victory suit. This is the third plaid outfit I have made in less than six months, I must be a glutton for punishment!

Collecting:

brooches. It's a real addiction, I just love them! I'm making a nice brooch board to display them all :)

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:
1. New-to-me glasses! 2. My little kitchen garden 3. I cannot wait to sew these! Eek!
4. A sweet little parcel... 5. Valentine's Day with my Sweetheart 6. ...look what was in the parcel!
7. Matching plaid, again! 8. Hot cross bun loaf, swoon! 9. Valentine's Day hair :)

Reading:

a collection of short stories by Daphne Du Maurier including the Birds, which have all been brilliant, but they left me a bit freaked out! They are quire chilling and Du Maurier really knows how to work her way into your subconscious :)

Planting:

my own little kitchen garden (a Christmas gift from my lovely Mum). I'm very excited about having my very own herds to use in my cooking, and although it's only been a few days since they were planted I'm anxious for them to grow already!

Remembering:

how lucky I am to have found the one I want to spend the rest of my life with at only twenty five. Sometimes it takes a little rough patch to remind you just how good you have it, and I really do have it good :) soppy I know, but true all the same!

Hoping: 

for better times ahead and seeing the beginnings of them already :)

And here are some of the Wonderfuls of the blogosphere over the past two weeks:

• If you're looking for some hair inspiration then look no further than Solanah's blog post, it's like hairstyle porn!
• I'm quite in love with this jumper, the cherries are so sweet! It's pretty perfect isn't it?
• I've found myself craving cheese recently so I could really get on board with this cheddar cheese bread. I think I can see a midweek baking session coming on... :)
• Gertie's writing another book!!!!! About casual vintage styles!!! I know it's not set to come out until 2014 but I'm still really excited!

Have a wonderful week my lovely readers, I certainly intend to!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

Sew For Victory: Design Inspiration

Hello there my lovely readers! Thank you for all your lovely comments on my chosen pattern for the Sew For Victory sewalong yesterday, I'm thrilled that you all approve of my choice :) 

After doing a bit of research on 1940s suits I have decided that plaid is definitely the way to go (not that I ever need much persuading on that account!) Just take a look at these beauties that I've collected for inspiration: 

Aren't those just swoon-worthy?! I love the big bold plaids, and the matching gloves, every one is gorgeous. I think I'm most interested in making a plaid jacket with a block colour skirt and trim, I love how that looks! Hopefully the jacket and skirt will look lovely together but also work well as separates :)

Next time I'll hopefully have some fabric to show you as I'm heading to Goldhawk Road and I'm sure they'll have something to get my sewing juices flowing!

I hope you're enjoying my little part of Sew For Victory so far, I certainly am!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx 

Sew For Victory: my chosen pattern

Hi there my lovely readers! I don't know whether you know it or not but the lovely Rochelle is holding a Sew For Victory 1940s sewalong over at her gorgeous blog Lucky Lucille. I'm really quite excited about this because the 1940s has to be one of my favourite decades of fashion but I haven't actually sewn many clothes from that era. So let the planning begin!

I decided to raid my stash for a possible pattern, because however much I'd love to go and buy a whole new selection of 1940s lovelies I think it would be better to use what I have first :) And lucky me, I found this little gem that I'd forgotten I even had!

Ever since completing my matching cape and skirt I have been dying to do some more tailoring, so this project will be just the ticket! I'm hoping that I will have the time to make both the long sleeved jacket and the skirt. I love the matching red look, however the plaid jacket with a solid colour skirt is really interesting too! I will definitely need research some suits of the 40s the get my inspiration in terms of colour and fabric. 

What do you think of my chosen pattern? Do you have any suggestions as the the colour or print of fabric? And are you taking part in Sew For Victory too? I'd love to hear about your plans for what you'll be making!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx