Linaloo

Fru-cool Advent

It’s almost that time of year again!  Two years on and my advent calendar is still by far the most popular post on this blog and most ‘favourited’ photo on flickr.  In that time, the pattern has been published in Better Homes and Gardens and countless beautiful versions have sprung up everywhere I can think of!   What I particularly love is that everyone who has made one has added special personal touches and made it their own.  Surely that's the best thing about handmade? 

And if there's any doubt whether handmade is worth all the effort, I was listening to my daughter chatting to her friend in a shop recently when they were looking at chocolate advent calendars and I overheard her saying:   “My mum made us an advent calendar and its much cooler.”  Yay, success! A family heirloom I declare!!

Here’s a list of ideas that I’ve used  to fill the calendar in the past, and some excellent suggestions from Mel, Cassi and Grace too.  I'm hoping to post a few more no or low cost ideas in this space over the next few weeks.

New to me

A list of new things that are making me happy this week.

I found some excellent non fabric related thrifty scores at la fripe yesterday.  Vintage glass baubles and some bargain milk glass bud vases.  The idea of recycling someone's cast offs never fails to bring a smile to my face.

I am really enjoying the hilarious, very clever and new to me, Tim Minchins (best listened to out of the range of children).  Introduced to me via Monda.  My particular favourite here.

I am being sucked into the geeky side of Ravelry - I've recently spent time logging my knitting needle sizes into my profile details.  Seriously.

I found an amazing new yarn store last week with a friend.  I'm knitting a hat and scarf with Merino (as suggested by owner of said new yarn store when I told him of my aversion to itchy wool) which is so so soft. 

I'm excited about my first ever photography course which started last week, my teacher is amazing.  I have an assignment already.  Still life, shooting in RAW and using a tripod.

Done and done

In knitting news, after starting these in June and largely due to being at home under the weather and unable to shift a bad cold this past week, I have finally finished my lace "spring forward" socks.  They are riddled with mistakes, more zag than zig in some places, more zig than zag then others. But they're socks, so I don't mind. I'd like to believe that anyone who would question the randomness of their pattern would be suitably impressed by the fact I had knitted them myself and overlook their quirkiness.  
What I've learned from my first attempt at a lace pattern is that my ability to concentrate on details is pretty poor whilst watching TV/hanging out at my children's skating lessons.  I had romantic notions how they might be a wonderful portable knitting project I could take anywhere with me, but I kept losing my place in the pattern and, rather infuriatingly, the odd needle here and there too. 

After the knitting equivalent of Proust, I feel like I need a little chicknit to lighten things up a little.  As soon as I'm well enough for a trip to the wool shop...

P.S.  Imene just interviewed me on her blog today. Read it to find out my real name and favourite swear word!

I'm just not that into you..

...Halloween.  I try every year.  Really I do.  I even dressed up at work today (as an Angel). But I'm just faking it.  For the children's sake. 

Am I the only one?

In the mail

A while ago I won a giveaway from the very sweet Sonia.  The picture above shows all that remains.  There was some wonderful chocolate and tea also...unfortunately the chocolate was devoured and tea drunk before I had time to get the camera out, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  Thank you Sonia.

 
I also signed up for Heather's Vintage Swap last month, it's been a while since I've done one and this was right up my street.  How well Imene, my partner, did when she picked out these beauties for me.  I have a project in mind already for all these beautiful doilies.   There's also a perfect drawer sized lavender sachet as well as some special napkins and embroidered runner. Thank you so much!  You can see what I sent Imene on her blog here.

Barcelona Boden

I've finally found the time to make myself an autumn skirt this week.  I do love a tights - skirt - boots combo.  Unfortunately the season for this kind of outfit here is pretty short (snow flakes already spotted this week) so I'll probably only get a handful of wears from it this year, including tonight for dinner out with friends.  The pattern is Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt - really straightforward and no nonsense, perfect for novice garment sewists like myself. 

 
Having drooled over their catalogues for years, I was shooting for something Boden like with the addition of these applique circles for added oomph and a dash of light hearted fun.   For those of you not familiar with Boden clothes - they're kind of like J Crew meets Garnet Hill, neither of which we have here in Canada :(

The chocolate brown tweed was thrifted fabric from earlier this year (as was the lining) and the fabrics for the circles were from my stash. The only purchase necessary was the zip, yay!  I feel ready to take my clothes sewing up a notch now...I'm thinking this tunic perhaps but the sleeve part scares me... 

Leaf peeping

In our local arboretum.  Our first visit since arrriving here more than three years ago.  We took a long afternoon stroll there with some friends today and tried out geocaching for the first time too. We found the hidden cache pretty easily and it added bit of extra drama to our adventure!

 

We've had a lovely long weekend (Thanksgiving here in Canada) which means a short week at work and school - yay!

Patchwork Star

Hello friends

There's a little tutorial over there in the top left hand corner, showing you how to make a patchwork star.  I made what seemed like hundreds of these for a craft fair last year and they sold out pretty fast.  Ideal for using up scraps and dare I mention it, perfect for Cxxxxxxxs decorations?!!

Hope it makes sense! Any questions, please let me know!

It's October Scrap Busting Month at Sew Mama Sew - lots of great ideas for other scrappy projects!

Koumpounophobics look away now

So far our weekend has been a bit of wash out weather wise unfortunately.  I'd hoped to take lots of beautiful leafy fall pictures, but alas it was not to be.  However, time inside meant a few more completed projects on the sewing machine - including a tutorial which I'll post in the next few days.  I'm far too lazy to do these on a regular basis, but given that I use a lot of other tutorials, I feel like it's my turn to offer a little something...  Here's a sneak preview - waiting for better weather so I can take some good pictures.  See that little button?  It's my most prized thrifted button - it took a lot of strength to actually use it!

 

Speaking of buttons, here's some more of my collection that are still attached to their original packaging.  I found a huge stash a while back in my favourite thrift store and it looks like many of these are from the local area. The needle trade was (and still is to a lesser extent) big business in Montreal in the sixties and seventies. 

   

And then a simple little project, this linen and doily tote.  Made in just an hour, I never really tire of this kind of sewing project...

 
How was your weekend?

Hers 'n' hers

 

This weekend I have been reacquainted with my sewing machine, it feels like a while since I've sewn anything and I needed a simple project to get back in the swing of things.  Amy Butler's lounge pants again.  I've made quite a few of these now and I'd been saving this particular sheet with another pair in mind.  They really are super comfy and there was fabric enough left over to whip up a pair for my daughter.

I wasn't sure if she'd go for 'hers 'n' hers' matchiness.  She politely declined. Unfortunately, it seems she has yet to inherit my appreciation of old sheets, although she did say that she might wear them on my birthday (so as not to hurt my feelings)!  Ah well,  on the bright side, they fit her really well, so I will use them as a template for some flannel pjs in time for Christmas perhaps.

More pyjama fun here.