Full steam ahead!

I haven't had my usual Friday off for a couple of weeks and have really missed that quiet time to myself to get on and sew. My list of things I have to/want to make was not getting any shorter.

As a result of having today all to myself - well, okay.....six hours - I've managed to make inroads into that ever lengthening list.

I was under no illusions as to my first job. Minx has been asking me for ages to make her a new school bag, as the stoopidly overpriced High School Musical one that I bought for her in September was already falling apart.....and she, apparently, doesn't like HSM anyway!!!

A brief stop off at the Range earlier in the week yielded a few half yard pieces of PVC - all with 10% off and costing about £1.30 each.

Minx made her selections and told me exactly what she wanted (!) and all that was left was for me to get on with it. So I did and here it is....


I managed to salvage the handle and nice blue velcro from her old HSM bag and it came up like new after a whizz through the washing machine.

As per Minx's instructions, it includes a pocket inside deep enough for her water bottle. Her old bag had no such pocket and as a result of her water bottle rolling round inside it we've had one or two soggy moments!!



My sewing machine coped brilliantly with the PVC. I used a jeans needle and my 1/4inch plastic foot (well...not my foot...you know what I mean!). I even managed to topstitch it and only had to swear once!!

Having caught the PVC bug I had to play and made one of these....


...then I made it a tiny friend. The big one holds my patterns perfectly and the little one holds all my sewing machine attachments.

So, that was the first three hours of freedom taken care of. What next?

More bags - two shopping bags, in fact.

I broke out the overlocker for these and whizzed through them in no time. Just lookee at that lovely neat corner!


Not bad for a few hours playing :-)

Now then, onto something potentially very serious. I may end up with quantities of egg on my face with this.

I seem to have been buying a bit of this sort of thing lately....

(for some Minxy clothes sewing I hope)

.....and possibly have succumbed more times than is healthy to beautiful things such as these...

What I'm about to do may truly shock you!

I'm going on a diet!!!!!

No...not a food type diet (although that wouldn't go amiss either!!).

I'm going on a (gulp....breaking out in a cold sweat here...) stash and book-buying diet! For the whole of February ...which, by sheer coincidence happens to be the shortest month ;-)

I will not buy any fabric, sock wool or craft books during February. I will allow myself a concession :

- I can buy any notions that I need to complete my projects, such as zips, thread, interfacing, toy stuffing but only what is absolutely essential.

Apart from that, I intend to only make things that I already have the materials for. This may mean that I have to, temporarily, mothball a couple of projects....including my hexagons....gulp!

It's not going to be easy but I need to stop spending all my wages on books and fabric and it would be interesting to know just how much I can save next month. I may even carry it on into March if I feel up to it!

Wish me luck.....or join me if you dare!!

I know you must be reeling from this shocking declaration so let's restore calm.

Here's what I had for dinner last night and lunch today...

It is not, as appearances may have you believe, mud soup - it's very very tasty cream of mushroom soup from this recipe. I substituted the huge amount of butter for a tablespoon of olive oil and used slightly less cream but the verdict was a resounding yum :-)

I'm sad to say that some or all of this weekend is to be devoted to housework - a big clear up and sort out is in order and Moogsdad is muttering silly things about blitzing our bedroom in readiness for removing (and then replacing) the manky ceiling.

I want to curl up in a corner crocheting...or crying at the very thought of all the mess that that task will produce!!

Wish me even more luck!

I hope your weekend is fragrant and tranquil :-)

xxxx