Wild Blackberries & Wilder Weaves

I love ruined buildings, the more romantic and windswept the more I love them, and when chunks of architectural history are strewn about the landscape so much the better. So when this blogging week afforded the opportunity to scramble up a wild hillside and engage with these remains I was delighted. 

There was an owl flying low, and we saw a fox. Plus, there were wild blackberries, just asking to be picked. It was a heavenly morning!

Unwisely, as they were ill-suited to scrambling around the countryside, I wore both the gore skirt I made recently and my hand-knitted jumper.  

I love to draw, but I am poor at making myself do it. I have no idea why I do not draw every day- I certainly did when I was a child. I draw my designs, but not with confidence and conviction. So, I have bought a book entitled '642 Fashion Things to Draw', with a view to drawing a little (or a lot) each day. It is amusing and lighthearted, and ultimately of no consequence, which I find freeing. Being an American publication there are a lot of terms with which I am not familiar (or maybe it is just my ignorance- 'A Pendleton Scarf' anyone...?), but I guess that means it will be educational. Below is my take on 'Patterned Leggings'- such fun! 

Much of this week passed in continuing to sort and tidy, plus lots of tedious paperwork. Until yesterday, when I had such a fun outing to one of favourite parts of London: Bermondsey, to see the 'Made in Mexico' exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum. 

Because I am a supremely lucky person, pictured also is my charm bracelet, with a mini Tower Bridge to carry with me wherever I go. 

 The weaves on show were simply stunning. Although the museum is small, most of the exhibitions I have seen there are impeccably well curated, and provide a mini feast for the eyes.

And this week's culinary treat...? Wild-blackberry Bakewell Tart, using jam made from our earlier pickings. 

Everyday Luxuries

Have you felt autumn creeping into our mornings yet? There is a different quality to the air now, which tells of the seasons changing despite still-sunny days. I don't know whether it is a chill as such, but whatever it is it makes me yearn for crisp fallen leaves and wooly tights. 

A change in seasons is always a chance for a change in thinking, and even if that doesn't mean a radical shift, I find it often leads to at the very least a tidy-up. I discovered that my table did still exist under the piles of paper, and with the timely addition of a sheet of clear pvc-type plastic, I can now use this fantastic hand stitched table cloth without fear of damaging it or ruining it with coffee stains. It really is a work of art, with the most beautiful hand stitching al around the edges, and even a small crocheted trim. 

Now for the rest of the house...

I have found a little time for crafting, but am only allowing myself to go thus far before the tidying mission is complete. Both of these fabrics are from my stash, and until I put them together to photograph them I didn't realise the autumnal orange featured so prominently in both. 

On the left is a wonderful find, a narrow but long length of light fabric I bought from a vintage stall. I just love the illustrative, sketchy rows of print. Shaped and weighted as it is, this fabric is perfect for a circle skirt. Something like this is a quick and satisfying make, and easy to wear yet impressive. I'll team it with sandals and t-shirts now, and boots and woolies in a few weeks. 

On the right, an African wax print that came from a charity shop. It is well washed and very soft, although I do suspect it has served its time as somebody's tablecloth! For me it is a semi-toile (a term which I did indeed just make up), by which I mean I have only made minor modifications to a pattern   which I know fits, so there is a good chance this will turn into a finished dress. However, if something unforseen has gone completely awry then it will be relegated to being a very pretty toile. But that's ok for a tablecloth, right? 

Below is a culinary delight from this week: in my local supermarket I was delighted to find pimentos padron. I have loved eating these on holiday in Spain, for me they are a real taste of a holiday. Hence eating them in the sun in my own back yard was very special

Town & Country

My blogging week started last Saturday with a trip to Walthamstow. 

We came across this wonderful old London gem as we explored the expansive market. 

There were also several fabric shops, my favourite of which was Saeeds, where I purchased the Zebra cotton below, to make a shirt. The service was polite and attentive, the selection of fabrics was really beautiful, and the shop itself was light and airy, and well laid-out.

The crinkle cotton was an impulse purchase from one of the other shops. I love paisley, and at £2/m I decided that it would be worth the investment. I am tempted to make a very simple skirt, but I am as yet undecided. 

One reason for going to Walthamstow was to visit the William Morris house. I am a huge fan of this man, and of the Arts & Crafts movement as a whole. The house had neither the dead feeling of a museum, nor the snobby feeling of an art gallery: we felt welcome and comfortable wandering from room to room. I loved the way that not everything was behind glass, and you could get really close to tools and artefacts, and even touch certain things. Although it was not old, leafing through an accurate reproduction of The Canterbury Tales, as produced by the Kelmscott Press was a surprising delight. 

Walthamstow's indoor market, in Wood Street provided some quality vintage browsing, and threw up this magnificent skein of hand dyed merino wool. I fell in love with these colours, but I am unsure what it will turn out to be, perhaps a hat...?

Pictured below is a dress I whipped up this week. Made from a linen blend with a jumbo print, I used the same pattern that I had drafted for the grey striped dress which you may remember from a couple of weeks ago. I kept this version really simple though, to let the print breathe. I was considering jetted pockets as an alternative to patch pockets, but even that I felt would be too disruptive. This linen is also very chunky, and the 'jets' would have been cumbersome and probably untidy, so I have no pockets. 

As you can probably tell from the background, I debuted the dress when we went walking in the woods (as we seem to do often these days), and as we were slipping around in mud after the rain, I began to wonder whether that was such a smart idea. However, the dress escaped unscathed, which is a testament to what a practical length mid-calf styles are.  

These little beauties came from Abigails Drapery in Lewes, which I visited yesterday. Stuffed full of yarny and textiley goodness, this is definitely somewhere I would like to visit again. The young lady who served us was extremely polite and helpful.

Lewes housed several really beautiful shops (as well as enticing lanes and a spectacular castle), as well as the wonderfully titled 'Needlemakers' arcade. Unfortunately (or luckily for my bank balance) we were early, and many of them were still closed.

Pictured below is one of my favourite places in the world, where we took advantage of the glorious weather and had a swim.

Back in the Friday Groove

Good morning friends! I am greeting you with a little character who I encountered this week- surely everyone loves a Shetland pony...?

Another delight this week included a serene river trip, under endless azure skies. 

I have been meaning to mention this bag for a while: it has become my default day out bag, and even commuted with me on my week in London. Made from beautiful fabric from Mallorca, with a Liberty print lining, and sewn-on leather handles, I was aiming for elegant utility. Sometimes a measure of success is whether a finished object makes you happy, and this bag does just that. Here it is adorned with my scarf, which coordinated surprisingly well. 

Yesterday I started a new knitting project... yes, because I definitely needed one of those! Here is my rationale: I am trying to use up yarns which I have stashed in order to make specific projects. I also wanted a quick fix, and so it made perfect sense to grab something chunky from my stash. This is another summery jumper, which there is no point in waiting until the depths of winter to knit. 

On the left is the brochure photo, and on the right is the start I have made. An added advantage of this pattern is that the body is worked in one piece, with minimal sewing. I was also desperate to try this stitch, which I am sure I have seen called Indian cables in a book. It is fun, but fiddly. 

Below is a little stack of ribbons, which I could not resist purchasing when I stumbled upon them unexpectedly in a cheap shop yesterday. I anticipate that all of my sewing projects will be getting pretty hanging loops for a little while to come! 

   

Out of Sync

Last Friday I wasn't ready to blog, and next Friday seems a long way off, so here is a little pictorial trip through what I have been making: 

I made this dress from grey striped linen, which has been sad and lonely, unused in my fabric stash for a while, and a contrast sort of Scandi-style gingham with red heart embroidery, which I bought in an amazing shop in Bath. They look like they were meant to be together! I'm really pleased as the dress was so easy to wear, and went from the quirky town dress to beach cover-up in one short hop. The lovely lady from here recognised it as hand made and offered her compliments. I will definitely use the pattern again.

This is a skirt made from the exact same pattern that I have used for gore skirts before: 6 gores, plus faced waist. It is unlined, as I want it for summer, and the dark blue protects my modesty. I bought the fabric in London, back when I visited in January. (Also, I love my Menorca shoes!)

This is some knitting which I started probably about a year ago. When the seasons changed I put it away, as it is quite light and cottony, so I did not think I would wear it  much through the winter anyway. I have finally finished all of the pieces, so I just need to assemble it and knit the neckband. I dislike sewing up my knitting, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. I'll write more about the actual knitting on my ravelry page

This top is not newly made, but I have re-discovered it! It was hiding in my box of hand knits and I genuinely had forgotten all about it. I made it last year and wore it once or twice. Now it is due for its first wash... always a nervous moment! I'll wait for another really fine day so it can dry quickly. 

School's Out!

I spent last week drawing in knowledge from a wonderful tutor, in one of my very favourite areas: pattern cutting. Although I learnt plenty on my degree, I did not learn how to really personalise the fit of a garment. Skirts are fairly straightforward, but for all the reading of books, making of toiles, and peering in mirrors to try to see the back of something like a dress, it is exceedingly difficult to professionally fit something onto yourself. Now, thanks to last week, plus the few days I spent back in January, I have a complete set of personalised blocks, and some really spruced up know-how. 

Thrown in was a bit of a reunion with some marvellous ladies: sparkly-eye Glaswegian Clare, and quietly witty Saranne kept me entertained. There is such a pleasure in going through an intense experience with like-minded souls, especially strong women. It felt like a rite of passage, as we sweltered through London heat-wave days, with no opening windows. 

Sigh: when can go on the next course...?

There is something about a Fashion room:
all those naked dummies seem to suggest endless possibilities

There was no time to recover on Saturday, however, as we were arranging a craft fair. It went well, with plenty of people coming through the door, and only minimal disruption from the rain. I seem to remember that our July fair last year was a popular one too. It is definitely time to re-stock my own stall, which although it means plenty of work, is also a sort of liberating feeling: what will I make this time...?

To top off my week, on Sunday afternoon I was lucky enough to attend a Fair Isle workshop. Colourwork in knitting has always terrified me and yet enthralled me, so it was fantastic to feel like I had learnt so much in just making a small sample: I can hold my yarns in separate hands, make corrugated rib, and twist the yarns where there is a long float at the back of the work. And I have come away with the beginnings of a cute beret- I do love a hat! I was dubious about the Jamieson & Smith Shetland wool, as although it is beautiful I suspected it might be uncomfortably scratchy to work with... but actually I love it. But oh dear, another project to fall in love with!

We also learnt icord cast on, which is very pretty indeed

Bloggin'ell!

Gosh, I've managed to miss three Fridays! Below is a little pictorial resumé of some of the things I have been up to since I last blogged. I have also finished a couple of sewing jobs, which I will hope to get photographed and share with you very soon.

This is a new design called 'Wilderness Flowers'.
This first version was made from raw silk, but I have already made more from different yarns and with different trim options, and even with matching mitts. 

Both for my niece: the 'Darling Bud' baby blanket. Made from chunky yarn this grows pleasingly fast.
The pattern will be coming soon to ravelry.
Plus this gorgeous giraffe, which I did not make, but I did customise with her initial.

Thinking a lot about crochet trims...

More cushions: I bought several cushion pads when I designed the 'Lean on Me', and I also bought a variety of Aran yarns as a bit of an experiment, so it was about time that I got on with the crochet. This top snap is for a round cushion, in Phildar 'Aviso' yarn, which I seem to remember being really quite cheap. The colours are much more pleasing than they appear here, and I am impressed by the quality of the yarn. It is the tiniest bit splitty, but it is very soft and has a lot of body, plus it crochets up nice and evenly.

This bolster is done in Rowan 'All Seasons Cotton', which is actually an acrylic blend (yes, I remember my dismay the first time I ordered some over the net). It is a yarn I have come to like for crochet: I love the palette they make it in, and the depth of colour. It crochets well, and is smooth and comfortable.