Wednesday Wonderfuls - #72

Hello my lovely readers! How goes it with you? I've had such a wonderful week, I hope that you have too!

Doesn't having a bit of sunshine make such a huge difference? Over the last week I have spent my days sunning myself, sipping Pimms, having brunch, discovering beautiful Liverpudlian bake houses, sewing and knitting outside (yes, I'm one of those people!) and generally feeling that life is a gorgeous thing. I really hope that you've had wonderful weeks too, have you been up to anything fun?

I've also been working away at the bumper April/May UFO/Stash Busting Round Up, and it's a good one! Thank you so much to everyone who has submitted their projects, your work as always is stunning, and welcome also to some of the new additions to the project, I hope you're enjoying it!

Anyways I think it's about time for some Wonderfuls, it is Wednesday after all!

• I need to take some of the advice of this time management article from A Beautiful Mess. As always the girls have some great tips, it's well worth a read!
• I'm going to be back in London for a few weeks soon and I have already booked an appointment at the new Rockalily Cuts Salon! I can't wait, and don't worry, I'll tell you all about it :)
• Is anyone else ridiculously excited about this new knitting mag, Pom Pom? I have already ordered a copy!
• I just had to share this link to Casey's summer sewing schedule, she has such beautiful taste and ideas, I'd gladly have one of everything she's planning to make. I can't wait to see how they all turn out :)
• Sick of having bad hair days in the heat? Here's the perfect solution, and it looks so chic too!
• And finally here's some stunning summer sewing inspiration for you, I'm itching to get back to my machine!

Well lovely readers, I'm off to enjoy the sun while it's still here, so for now I'll say goodbye, but I'll be back very soon.

Katie xxx

Me Made May - Week 4

So, I've nearly come to the end of my first ever Me Made May, I can't believe it, it's gone really fast! I've learnt so much about my wardrobe and how I dress it's pretty crazy, but I've loved the experience, it's been great to wear so many Me-Made items :) But enough of that for now, here's what I've been wearing this week:

Day Twenty Two

Shrug: Made By Me, Blouse: Vintage Revamped by Me, Skirt: Vintage Revamped by Me

This outfit is definitely an oldie but a goodie! This top and skirt were some of the first projects that I ever shared on this blog, and I still wear them a lot! Both of these items originally costed me only a few pounds and were pretty hideous, but it just goes to show how far a little tarting up can go!

Day Twenty Three

Dress: Made By Me

Yes, it's this dress again I'm afraid, sorry to be boring! I just love how easy this dress is to wear, it's a simple throw-on-but-still-look-pretty kind of dress. Plus the fabric is vintage and so soft and dreamy that I just can't stop myself wearing it!

Day Twenty Four

Top: Made By Me, Skirt: Made By Me

Look, something new! It's finally hot enough for me to wear this top and I'm thrilled! I love this whole outfit, and it was only the need to wear more Me-Made items together than made me pair this top and skirt together, but I think it works don't you? Another success thanks to Me Made May!

Day Twenty Five

Sweater: Made By Me, Skirt: Vintage Revamped By Me

Another of my many Me Made knits. This one was made a s a part of Tasha's Briar Rose knit-along, an experience that I adored. This is the first sweater that I have ever knitted specifically to fot me exactly, so thanks Tasha for all your amazing advice :)

Day Twenty Six

Dress: Made By Me

Yes, it's the New Girl dress again, but it was so sunny I just couldn't help myself! This dress is just perfect for the summer :)

Day Twenty Seven

Dress: Vintage Revamped By Me

My pretty new Vintage Revamped dress, I'm totally in love with it! It was perfect to wear on my day off whilst sipping Pimms as the sun started to set. Absolute heaven! Thank you so much to the people who have commented on this dress already, I'm so glad you like it as much as I do :)

Day Twenty Eight

Skirt: Made and Embroidered By Me

I think you can tell by this picture that I have just driven three and a half hours back to Liverpool for work, definitely around my crazy hair... But this was a great travel outfit, very comfy but still cute and I think I still look presentable even after my long journey!

Well there's only three days left on the challenge, so I'll be sharing those outfits with you very soon. For all of those of you who are also taking part in Me Made May, best of luck for the last few days! Enjoy!

Katie xxx

Vintage Revamp #7 - A Stripy Summer Sundress

It's definitely the time for Vintage Revamps, here's my second in a week! Thank you for all your lovely comments on my Jodhpurs Vintage Revamp, I hope you like this one just as much, even though it's slightly more simple!

What do you think of my fancy new sundress?

Vintage Revamped Stripy Summer Sundress 

Don't you just love it? I do! And how lucky was I that it's first item was in the glorious sunshine on my day off? Heaven! Plus Pimms, so double heaven! But the dress didn't look much like it does now when I first bought it...

The original dress before it's Revamp

This dress was purchased almost three years ago now, it's a vintage Laura Ashley, and although it was cute it just wasn't wearable for me in it's previous state. As you can see it was uber long, it finished just shy of my ankles, and the detailing around the hem was just a bit much for me. Also the bodice, despite fitting perfectly on my waist was about 4 inches too small in the bust department, eek! So you can see why it has been unworn for the past three years! Some seriously work needed to be done to breathe new life into this rough diamond...

Revamped!

To start off with I chopped at least 5 inches off of the hem and at once the look of the dress was hugely improved. It swings around prettily now as apposed to swamping me! I then used some of the cutoff fabric to add triangles into the back seams of the bodice so that it finally fitted my bust. You can see this below:

Back detail

Finally I also adjusted the straps into a halter neck style, which I think is much more flattering and Summery :)

I know that these alterations are fairly simple, but as I am touring (and so sadly without my sewing machine) I had to do them all by hand, so I'm really pleased with how the finished dress looks. I hadn't thought I could get my stitching neat enough to be happy, but there you go!

I hope you like this newly revamped Sundress, I've certainly been enjoying wearing it, and let's all enjoy this gorgeous weather while we can!

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

Vintage Revamp #6 - Trousers to Jodhpurs

Well, it's been a while since I've done one of these hasn't it? For those of you who haven't been reading my blog from way back when Vintage Revamps were what started me on my sewing path, so I'm really excited to have another go at some as a part of my Me Made May challenge.

So here's the story. When visting Brighton earlier this year I visited Beyond Retro and found one of the most magical finds that it is possible to find: a pair of trousers that fit me both on my waist and my hips!!! It was an absolute miracle. After years of struggling to find the perfect trousers in high street shops here they were, tucked away in Brighton. I feel in love and fell pretty hard.

Miracle Trousers!

The only problem with these magical miracle trousers was the length. They were obviously designed for someone who was slightly shorter in the leg than me, so I ended up with an annoying two and a half inches of ankle peeking out at the bottom of the trousers. 

Well, I considered leaving these too short trousers behind, but I just couldn't resist their magical fitting qualities, so I bought them anyway and decided to Revamp them to help them reach their true potential! And this is what I came up with...

My newly Vintage Revamped Jodhpurs!

Now they are cute as can be jodhpurs! I took them up until they were just under the knee, then added some edging that I made using the cut off fabric. I finished them off with some cute faux-leather buttons and voila! The perfect pair of jodhpurs :) Here are some closeups for your viewing pleasure:

Vintage Revamp Jodhpurs, close up of yummy details!

It has been so long since I have worn a pair of trousers out (I am a full time covert to skirts and dresses usually!) and I have really loved wearing these. They are casual but cool and they got a lot of attention on their first outing. I'm definitely starting to think that I should get some more Me Made trousers into my wardrobe!

I love my Jodhpurs :)

I hope you like them as much as I do!

Katie xxx

Show me your Stash Busting from April AND May!

Well readers, it's time that time again, it's the call for the UFO/Stash Busting Monthly Round Up!

Remember that this month's Round Up is for both April and May, so feel free to send me pictures of anything you have Stash Busted from both of these months. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!

Remember as always this is a open call for submissions, so even if you have never submitted anything before feel free to get involved! If you want to know more details about the UFO/Stash Busting Project then check out this post, it's never too late to join in!

So without further ado, here's what you have to do to submit any UFO/Stash Busting projects for The April/May Round Up:

**If you have a blog send me a link to a post (or posts!) about any UFOs or Stash Busting Projects you have completed this month/s. Pictures are a must, we all want to see the lovelies you have created!**

**If you don't have a blog, never fear, you can still be included too! Drop me an e-mail we'll find a way to get some pictures of your creations up on the blog if you want to share them :)**

**Obviously completed projects are preferred but if you've got a fascinating work in progress to share then that's great too. Also if you've created any tutorials to use up your stash then I would love to include those too!**

**The closing date for all submissions is May 30th**

So, if you feel like being included then please do drop me a line! Either leave me a comment on this post or email me at 

misskatie.littleredsquirrel@gmail.com

I look forward to seeing all your projects!

Katie xxx

Wednesday Wonderfuls #71

Hello my lovely readers, and a very happy Wednesday to you all!

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my cardigan post this week, I'm really thrilled that so many of you like it, because I love it so much! Like I said before, the book that the pattern comes from, "A Stitch in Time, Volume 2" really is a must have for all you vintage loving knitters out there, it's a ridiculously beautiful book filled with ridiculously beautiful projects. Now that I have finished my cardigan I must admit that I'm dreaming of my next project. Here are a few of my favourites, which one do you like best?

All images taken from Ravelry

Aren't they all just beautiful? At the moment I'm leaning towards the fair isle twinset, after all the lacy knitting I did for my cardigan I think I'd enjoy a bit of colour work :)

Anyways, enough daydreaming about knitting, let's have a look at some wonderfuls from this week, and yes there is some knitting involved!

• Let's start with something sweet, shall we? I need Katie Cakes' nutella and raspberry fondants in my life. Fact.
• Many of you will know already of my love of vintage lingerie, well feast you eyes on all these beauties. Talk about inspiration! Thank you to Tuppence Ha'penny Vintage for sharing these!
• This article from Rock n Roll Bride really touched me this week, so I thought you all might like to read it too. Enjoy!
• And so onto the knitting! I had to share this gorgeous completed sweater by the uber talented knitter Tasha from By Gum, By Golly! because it's from the same set of pattens that my cardigan is from! The Stitch in Time series is clearly getting a lot of use this week :) And as if that weren't cool enough, Tasha has also shared a beautiful vintage shrug pattern this month, which would look gorgeous in anyone's summer wardrobe.
• And let's finish with something sweet too! These raspberry scones should do the trick :) Yummy...

And that's it for another week of Wonderfuls!

Happy knitting, happy sewing and a very happy rest of the week to you all!

Katie xxx

Me Made May - Week 3

Welcome to the third we of my first ever Me Made May! I feel this week has definitely been the most exciting one for me so far as I've started connecting with other Me-Made-Me-ers which has been really interesting. This challenge has been such a great way to bring sewing people together, I'm totally all for it :) If you are joining me for the first time after connecting with me this week through Me-Made-Me-ing then welcome! I hope you've been having as much fun with it all as I have!

Day Fifteen 

Dress: Made By Me

Yes, it's a repeat from last week (damn you airlines and your 20kg minimum on luggage!) but I love this dress so much I don't mind at all. I love the colour combination of blue and red, primary colours always look so cute together :)

Day Sixteen

Skirt: Vintage Revamped by Me

Can you tell from this picture that at this point in the week the show has really been kicking my butt?! I haven't accessorised this outfit as the bags under my eyes felt like enough! But seriously a nice cozy shrug and woollen kilt are perfect for those days when all you want to do is curl up and sleep.

Day Seventeen

Sweater: Made by Me

I was evidently feeling much perkier on Friday after a good night's sleep and a restful day, which is reflected in this fun floral outfit :) This is another good example of how this challenge has added diversity to my wardrobe, I really wanted to wear this dress but didn't want to repeat Day Two's outfit, so I paired it with my green sweater and I really like it. Plus I got to wear another of my Cassie Stephens belts which really makes me happy!

Day Eighteen

Cardigan: Made by Me, Skirt: Made by Me

You're probably sick of this cardigan by now, aren't you? Well, sorry, but I love it and wearing it has become an addiction. Can you blame me?? So pretty...

Day Nineteen

Sweater: Made by Me, Trousers: Vintage Revamped by Me

Good grief, is that me, in TROUSERS?!?!?! Yes, for the first time ever on this blog I am wearing trousers! My beautiful new Vintage Revamped trousers that I love because they make me feel like a cross between a land girl and equestrian Betty Draper. Plus they fit me on my waist and my bum, which is, quite frankly, a miracle. They are my miracle trousers and I love them.

Day Twenty

Dress: Made by Me

 I mentioned previously that this dress was a dream to transport in a suitcase, well it turns out it's also great for aeroplane journeys! I wore this for my flight back from Aberdeen (a 5:30 start to the day, ouch!) and managed to look relatively unruffled by the time I arrived home! 

Day Twenty One

Sweater: Made by Me, Skirt: Made by Me

You can tell I'm home because there's finally some new Me Made outfits to share! Hurrah! I have never paired this sweater and skirt together before but today they just jumped out of the wardrobe at me and I think they look pretty cute together :) The sweater is another Stitch in Time number, but this time from Volume 1. If you're into knitting you really should own both volumes 1 and 2, they really have the most beautiful patterns I have ever seen! And yes, those are tiny Alice in Wonderland White Rabbits all over my skirt :)

And there you have it for another week! I promise that since getting home I have repacked my suitcase with some other different Me Made items to spare you having to look at identical things each day, and I'm looking forward to having some new clothes to make into fun outfits. Bring on Week 4!

Bye for now!

Katie x

Stitch in Time Volume 2 Cardigan, a closer look...

My Kasha from A Stitch in Time, Volume 2

Isn't this cardigan just ridiculous?! As you probably know from my previous posts including it I have fallen pretty hard for this completed cardigan (Kasha from A Stitch in Time Volume 2) and I can't wear it enough. It's definitely my favourite new knit of this year! A lot of you expressed an interest in it so I thought I'd give you a closer look...

The original Kasha

Although the pattern may look complicated I actually found it fairly simple once I had gotten used to the repeat. It was really fun working on something intricate for a change as I've been facousing on colour work quite a lot recently. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner as I think it would be a bit overwhelming and it doesn't grow particularly quickly, but if you're a fairly competent knitter and can read patterns well then you shouldn't have any problems. Give it a go, it's too pretty not to!

Here are a couple of close-up shots to emphasise the prettiness...

This is the first pattern I have worked with from A Stitch in Time Volume 2 and I loved working with it, it's a beautiful book and I'm already planning my next project. All in all this was a really fun project, using a great pattern and resulting in a gorgeous knit, so I couldn't be happier!

I love my Kasha!

Have any of you knitted anything from A Stitch in Time Volume 2? I'd love to hear about it :)

Katie x

Wednesday Wonderfuls #70

Hello there lovely readers, a very happy Wednesday to you all!

First up I want to say a huge thank you for all the lovely comments I've been receiving on my Me Made May challenge so far, your words have made the whole process so much easier and more enjoyable! I've learnt so much about my wardrobe so far, I can't wait to see where this challenge leads me, so thank you for your support :)

This week I have been dreaming about plans for the future (as I'm now over half way through my tour! Eek!) and one of the things that has really been catching my attention is the upcoming Diamond Jubilee. Now, regardless of your views on the monarchy I'm sure that you would appreciate a good old fashioned English tea party in honour of this special day, I can't wait to get home and get baking for it! I think that all of the items below would definitely be welcomed at my house :)

Image Sources, Clockwise from Top Left:
1. Cath Kidston Tea Towel, 2. Union Jack Cake, 3. Emma Bridgewater Tea Pot,
4. Tea with the Queen Tea Towel, 5. Long May She Reign Tea Pot, 6. M&S Jubliee biscuit tin

Are you excited about the jubilee too? Planning a party maybe? I do hope so, and I hope you have lots of cakey-treats in mind! But enough of that for now, because now it's time for the Wonderfuls of this week:

• Post-show hair is a real problem for me, so I'm thinking I should make one of these 1940s headscarves to control my unruly mane. Thanks to Va-Voom Vintage for sharing!
• I love recycling out clothes and fabrics into something new and beautiful so this article about the life of curtain in a upcycling charity by So Zo... was fascinating to me. Well worth a read.
• I have serious crochet envy because of this blanket over at Coco Rose diaries. Seriously, how beautiful??!!
• And finally of course I had to give you some yummies to enjoy! Personal favourites from this week are Katie Cakes' Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Technicolor Kitchen's Banana Blondies and Joy the Baker's French Onion Soup Sandwiches. Swoon! 

That's it from me for another week, but don't worry I'll be back here with more collections of Wonderfuls same time next week!

Bye for now

Katie x

Me Made May - Week 2

Week two of Me Made May is done and I've still kept up with the challenge, so yay! However, I warn you that this week's pictures reveal quite a lot about life on tour, mostly that some home sewn clothes don't like being carted around in a suitcase that much and also having a 20kg bagging allowance means that I don't have much room for a vast variety of clothing (especially considering I packed my tripod in order to take these pictures!), so be warned! Saying that I am liking my outfits from this week, so enjoy!

Day Eight

Dress: Vintage Revamped by me

It's been a while since I've worn this dress, so thanks again to Me Made May for giving some of my outfits new life, and I'm loving wearing it again! This dress always gets a lot of attention and is great to just throw on so it's perfect for touring :)

Day Nine

Dress: Made by Me

It's the New Girl dress! I love this dress so much, the colour, the style, the fit, everything about it making me happy. But sadly this dress doesn't travel so well, just look at those wrinkles! Eek! But I forgive it because it's so damn pretty, so it comes on tour with me anyway!

 Day Ten

Sweater: Made by me, Skirt: Vintage Revamped by me

You can tell from my slightly dazed expression that this was clearly a lazy day outfit (I was very tired and sore from too many shows and too many classes at the gym, ouch!). This kilt and this jumper really are some of the coziest clothes to wear :) I haven't ever blogged about revamping the skirt because it was a very simple job (a little hem and waist adjustment) but it's something I wear a lot so I'm glad it's finally making an appearance on this blog. And can you tell what the weather is like here in Aberdeen considering that I'm wearing knits and wool even though it's May??! :)

Day Eleven

Dress: Made by Me

I love my Swing Dress, even though it took me years to complete! This is another throw-on-and-look-good dress, plus the fabric (a polyester mix) means it always looks good even if it's been screwed up at the bottom of a suitcase for two weeks (not that I ever treat my homemade clothes like that...!). This is another outfit that gets a lot of attention, and I like it!

Day Twelve

Cardigan: Made by Me, Hat: Made by Me

Are you sick of seeing this cardigan yet?! I'm sorry, I just can't help myself! You know when you make something and you're so ridiculously proud of it and in love with it that you literally can't stop wearing it? That's what I'm like over this cardigan :) Plus doesn't it look cute with my Cassie Stephens bunny belt? This hat is an old favourite of mine too, it's perfect for covering post-wig cap hair after a show. I made it using this pattern.

Day Thirteen

Dress: Made by Me

Again, a slightly bemused expression after a busy week at the theatre! And this is where the real repeats of outfits is going to start, I've worn pretty much everything I had in my suitcase! I'll try and mix things up a bit, but there's only so much I can with what I have! Anyways, once again we have my ceylon dress. My first ever Me-Made dress and I still wear it regularly. Don't you just love the colour? It makes me swoon :)

Day Fourteen

Sweater: Made by Me, Skirt: Vintage Revamped by Me

Another cozy look with a homeknit and kilt. By the way has anyone else noticed how many tartans I seem to have collected recently? I never noticed until I started taking these pictures, but man do I love a check pattern! Pretty much every other picture this week has some kind of tartan in it, I must be channeling the spirit of Scotland whilst I'm in Aberdeen!

And that's it for week 2 of Me Made May! Look out for week 3 because I've been working on some new Vintage Revamps, so some new pieces will probably be creeping into my wardrobe soon!

Bye for now,

Katie x

My Parisian Adventure

Happy Monday my lovely readers!

About a week ago, as you know, I visited the most beautiful city in the world with my Sweetheart: Paris! We had the most magical time, Paris is still one of my very favourite places in the world to visit, I'm already dreaming of going back there! Here are some highlights of our trip that I wanted to share with you...

Our typically stunning Paris balcony, does it get any better than this?!

The Sights

The sights and sounds of Paris never get old, it really is one of the most beautiful cities in the world

This was mine and my Sweetheart's third trip together to gay Paree, so we have done a lot of the sightseeing before, but I just never get bored of the beauty of the architecture of Paris. Our hotel was less than a two minute walk from the Champs-Élysées, directly between the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre, and just across the way you could see the Eiffel tower in the near distance. It was like being in heaven! We also paid a visit to Notre Dame (one of my Paris favourites!) were we had some of the best French onion soup ever made just gazing out at the truly stunning building. A new adventure was us was visiting Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur (where I had been too ill to go on a previous visit) and I just about fell in love with the whole area. It was so beautiful and so full of life, we will definitely be spending a lot more time there on our next trip :) I also did a bit of fabric shopping there, but more on that at a later date!

The Movie

So, what in the pictures below looks familiar to you...?

The view from the steps in "Midnight in Paris", both in the film and my real life view!

That's right, we actually visited those steps from "Midnight in Paris"! Both my Sweetheart and I fell completely in love with Woody Allen's film back in February so there was no way that we were going to visit Paris without seeking out some of the locations from this gorgeous movie. Obviously when filming was taking place some serious set dressing had been done (I doubt that skip was there for filming!) but it still felt magical and as if we were about to be whisked away to the roaring 20s.

Waiting for midnight on the steps from "Midnight in Paris"

We sat on the steps and waited for a while, just like Owen Wilson, but unfortunately it then started to rain (the only rain we had during our trip though, what a miracle!) so we didn't last until midnight. If we had who knows what might have happened...!

The Yummies

And of course, what is Paris without Patisserie??

Perfect Parisian Patisserie!

I am a complete sucker for all things cakey (as you probably know if you read my blog regularly) so Paris to me is a kind of mecca, after all you can find a boulangerie on every street corner! Nothing can ever really compare to the delicious cakes, pastries and macaroons produced in Paris, they are little pieces of heaven in your mouth, and yes I may have put on several pounds during my trip, but it was worth it! Personal highlights of mine were my old favourite Laduree (in Paris they make large version of my favourite salted caramel macaroons! Swoon!) and Angelina which we visited for the first time during this trip (and my goodness, you've never had hot chocolate like it!). Paris, you may be bad for my waistline but I don't hold it against you, because all those yummies were soooooo good. Totally worth it :)

So there you have it, the highlights of my Parisian adventure. And in case you think I spent the whole time being chic and sophisticated in the style of the Parisian people I will leave you with this snapshot of my antics in Montmartre:

Cat woman in Paris!

Yeah, I'm cool :)

For more snapshots of my time in Paris check out this post.

Bye for now!

Katie x