Bagged out

Wow, Friday again! 

Much of this week has been spent in planning and booking new classes for the autumn. I think I have got pretty much all of the local ones listed on my workshops page, so why not click here? 

However, as promised I took some pictures of the 'Getting Going Sewing' Bag course which came to an end this week. They are fairly self explanatory, but I will say that this has been a really lovely group to work with, and I look forward to having many of them back when I start the skirt course in September. 

Rightly proud of themselves!

Pictured below is my new beauty. She is a stunning peppermint colour, and I love her. Here is the story of how I have her: 

Strange as it may sound, I have never bought a new sewing machine before. I sewed every stitch of my degree either on industrial machines at college, or a wonderful old Singer which dated from about 1960. An inherited family piece, it served me very well, both during those intense years and beyond. I can still hear the quiet efficient ticking of the stitches being made, if I stop to imagine it. She only did one type of stitch, but that did just fine, and she did it straight and true. She is in happy retirement now, in case you are wondering.

More recently I was given a Bernina, which I also adore. It had been put through its paces before it ever arrived in my life, but (dare I say it for fear of tempting fate...?), it still works perfectly, and is a wonderful companion. I have had it running for so many hours at home, and taken it so many times to various teaching locations and I have never ever had a problem with it. I am aware, though, that it is a high tech computerised piece of kit, and although it has never complained, I have always worried slightly when taking it out on cold winter evenings, or drizzly mornings- it deserves better really. And so, now it is tucked up in a nice padded bag at home, protected and snug for when I need it. 

For my classes I now have Peppa. For the very modest sum of £100 I have a sturdy yet compact basic machine, which is easier to move around and much less of a worry- no computer for starters! She does just exactly what I need for my teaching, and is actually a Janome under that pretty John Lewis exterior. 

Dapper Ties and Formal Gardens

Today I discovered that the ravelry member who was making my beret pattern has finished her project, and also blogged about it- you can read it here.  I am doubly impressed as she used her own handspun yarn. I am so delighted that she has had a successful experience making the beret, and it looks just wonderful. Knowing that somebody on the other side of the world has been able to follow your instructions to a happy conclusion is a really indescribably great feeling. So, thank you, friends, for you help and encouragement in getting this far. 

Something fun that I have designed and made this week is this bow tie. I enjoyed coming up with a standard gents tie a few months ago, but for some reason a cheeky bow tie was even more fun, and don't get me started on the hilarity that ensued as I tried to learn how to tie it using YouTube. Expect workshops... perhaps even in exciting locations (she says cryptically!). 

On another positive note, I received some great feedback for my Getting Going Sewing bag course today. I think it was pretty honest feedback as it came to me via somebody else, so I am over the moon. This group of ladies is one of the best I have ever had though, in terms of their enthusiasm and energy. At the end of the final session this coming week they will have made a gorgeous batch of bags- which I will snap in order to share with you next week. 

This week also threw up a wonderfully peaceful outing to a usually hidden gem. Here are some of the pretty snaps I took

An exotic flash of colour among the Kentish greenery

A beautiful mosaic of logs

I am so mad for ironwork. One day I will learn blacksmithery

Secret statues in walled gardens always feel so timeless

Ancient and Modern

Now that I am trying to blog each Friday, I have come to think of Saturday as the start of the week. Last week, therefore, got off to an exciting start with a trip to London to see the Paul Smith exhibition at the Design Museum. This is in one of our favourite parts of London, and so we were destined to arrive elated, and an encounter with two Portuguese water dogs only enhanced our high spirits.

To my shame I will admit that I was not expecting much from the exhibition: I did not know a lot about Paul Smith, except that I associated him with overpriced T shirts featuring stripy minis. But instead of the obvious symbols of Britishness I was delighted to find a designer laying bare his inspirations, his philosophy and even his work rooms in a generous and engaging way. From the massive collage of inspirations and memorabilia, to surprising gems like the wall covered entirely in coloured buttons, I found the whole experience very affirming, and encouraging as a designer. I really enjoyed the fact that Mr. Smith was not attempting to create an inaccessible mystique, and I found it touching how he credited his wife so often. 

There were clothes to look at too, of course, and if I had to pick a favourite then I would have to choose this military overcoat- I just love its proportions, the unusual style lines, and the shaping in the arms. 

I was in pattern geek heaven in this recreation of the work room

A 3' Post-it note. Genius.

We picnicked outside, then walked across Tower Bridge and along the river, where we soon encountered a pair of geese. They were lovely creatures, and so tame... you can guess what happened to the rest of our picnic! 

The Thames was unusually choppy, giving us a glimpse into its steely yet elegant power. We delighted in the rhythm of waves hitting the river wall and the ensuing spray, making nature's ironic rimshot. 

Before coming home from London we went to take a look at Cleopatra's Needle and its accompanying sphinxes. None of us knew that it had been lost in the Bay of Biscay in the 19th Century. How on earth they found it again without planes, radar, or any other useful technologies I do not know.

It is strangely surreal to find a piece of ancient Egypt in central London, but then so much of London is like a Paul Smith collage, in the way that disparate elements sit happily next to each other, in perfect harmony- like, for example, the wonderful fig tree in rude health along the traffic-filled Embankment. 

Although May was my month for finishing projects, I am still chasing some up now that it is June. I completed this lace scarf and send it to a beautiful friend. She received it well, which made it very rewarding. The crochet blanket is also coming along, although I had thought that having made all of the squares and sewn all of the ends in assembling it would be a quick job... when will I learn that nothing about a blanket in 4 ply will ever be a quick job?!