Very much feeling the need to clean up around my blog and my Etsy store, so having a little sale. All my PDF patterns have been reduced to £5.00 plus VAT where applicable, and the remaining tweedy brooches also reduced...they make a nice little Christmas gift.

So, if you've been meaning to buy either Weekend Doris or Maude  as an instant download then now would be a very good time to do it. I'm thinking about no longer selling PDF's, sticking to printed patterns only, would love to know what you think about that, let me know in the comments. What do you prefer? The instant gratification of a PDF pattern or a printed pattern popping through your letterbox?

Last week I was a parent helper on Sid's year 6 school trip to the air raid shelters in Stockport. I have been wanting to help out on this school trip for several years, but always had a small child or two at home to take care of. This year I didn't and jumped with joy at the opportunity to help out. I do love local history, but mostly I just really wanted to dress up!

I had a Butterick 1777 in my pattern stash, and on my trip to Immanuels a few weeks ago I had bought the perfect fabric. The pattern was too small for me, so needed a fair bit of alteration, but otherwise went together easily. I'm not at all convinced it suits me, I'm not really an ideal 1940's shape sadly. I love the 1940's silhouette, but it doesn't love me!


I had rather a dilemma over my hair, my current pixie cut isn't very 1940's at all, I thought I might make a hat, but couldn't quite see how I would get a 40's style to stay on my head, and made this fascinator instead.


I very nearly didn't wear it, it's not particularly authentic, but I did make it from scraps so it fits in the "make do and mend" category at least.


I finished the outfit off with natural tights forgoing natural seamed stockings or gravy browning legs because I didn't want to be worrying about suspender belts and I didn't want to be cold. My plaid jacket from Pepperberry went well, as did my Clarks brogues and my knitting basket.
All together I think I managed a 1940's ish look....except for when I foolishly walked forwards while looking backwards and ended up tripping in my heels on some uneven pavement, crashing to the floor crushing my basket.....although I didn't ladder my tights!

PS, I promise Sid isn't as unhappy as he looks in the first photo. He just doesn't quite understand photos. He had a lovely day!

I had this notion that now I'm childfree during school hours I would have so much time to complete all the projects I seem to constantly have on the go, but somehow that hasn't happened! I've been working every weekend at Ministry of Craft , the only weekend I haven't worked I was hosting the La Leche League Great Britian National Workshop along with my co leaders from LLL Manchester. Add to that general Mumming and it's all been a bit hectic!
So no, Nora, Nell and Nancy my newest pattern is not yet available to buy, but soon, soon, I promise. I'm currently looking into alternative printing options for my paper patterns, but I'll update here as soon as they are ready.
Of course, no time to sew for myself means I have to plan and planning means shopping...I think? My sewing friend and neighbour offered to let me tag along next time she went up to Burnley to Immanuels, and all I can say is WOW!!!
I may have won the competition to see who spent the most out of those of us who went. I only spent £38, but I got a huge amount of scrummy fabrics for that price. Including this odd, yet somehow divine quited yumminess!


It's that horrible polyester/nylon knit with poly fibre quilting sandwiched in between...the kind 1970's dressing gowns were made of! I was drawn to it in the store, kept stroking it and picking it up, then putting it down, then picking it up again. I couldn't decide if I loved it or hated it, but knew I was drawn to it and for £3 a metre I couldn't leave it behind!
I had an urge to make a skirt with it, or possibly even a dress, although I decided the last think my bosom needed was more padding and settled on a skirt.
My friend told me that Gertie had made a quilted skirt recently, so I looked that up and so she had! I wasn't crazy then!
The Delphine skirt seemed the ideal pattern, mostly I admit because I found my tracing of it when I was tidying up and thought the exagerated A line would be perfect to get the most from the "sticky out ness" of the fabric.
The skirt went together easily, but was initially too long.I had thought I'd wanted a longer skirt, but after wearing it on this morning's school run decided that actually it felt wrong in the longer length, so as soon as I got home I rushed out to the shed and chopped off a few inches, and now I LOVE it!

Longer....


Shorter...

I have enough fabric left for a Doris Sweater, and I'm considering it!