Ethical Dressing from People Tree

Feel Good Fashion

Way back when I wrote this post, I was already thinking about how to dress more ethically, more rewardingly and more sustainably... or how to dress 'better', if you like. 

Well, I've done ok since then; I've made quite a few items, picked up the odd bit from a charity shop or a boot fair, or second hand on eBay. Of course, I haven't totally stuck to my rule of not buying anything (I'm not that strong willed), but I don't routinely head to the shops either. 

My hand-making has had to take a bit of a back seat for a while now though, so when I discovered that I could order this gorgeous parcel from People Tree, and actually feel like I was doing something positive for the world at large then I was thrilled. Plus, it was in the sale and I had a discount code too- did I need a further excuse...? I thought not.

Ethical Fashion

Judging a Book By Its Cover

The first thing that I loved about this happy package was the brown paper post bag with cute brown paper tape. There was no help for it: I was predisposed to love the contents. 

Fashionable Stripes

Here's a confession: I have no real interest in fashion. As I mentioned above, I don't go shopping, I don't consume the fashion press (or, shockingly, very much press at all), I don't listen to style icons, self-appointed or otherwise, I don't care about 'on trend', and I don't care about the celebrities. 

Don't get me wrong, I have a fashion degree! I love the art that is high-end couture, I'm intrigued by the semiotics of what we wear, I love clothes, I love design, I love colour, I love interestingly-cut patterns, I am intrigued by how things are made, I really enjoy seeing someone with fantastic style, I love feeling that something is a great-quality garment, I love interesting contrasts, and I'm extremely fussy about what I wear... but that's not really fashion is it? 

The reason I mention this is that apparently stripes are fashionable. They must be I guess, as they are everywhere- including People Tree, hurrah! I sense a whole other blog post about stripes coming on at some point, but I'll just mention here that I love them (if you're a regular reader you might even have noticed a few on my blog before), and I feel they are particularly appropriate for my Cornish life. 

People Tree Stripey Dress

A Happy Dress

Needless to say, I love my People Tree stripey dress. It is the perfect weight to wear over tights on a sunny March day, and I anticipate wearing it many times to wander around Cornish harbours and suchlike. 

The dress is beautiful quality, and I am over the moon that is ethically made: fairly traded and made from organic cotton- you can even find out who by on their website.

It is extremely comfortable: the loopback jersey is quite plushy and the fit is great. Two of the key features as far as I am concerned are the pockets (LOVE pockets!), and the full-length sleeves (so much easier to put a jacket over). 

I have long and sloping shoulders so not everything fits over them, but this is just roomy enough to be comfortable without being baggy. My go-to petticoat slip which I wear under most dresses was too long, but that didn't matter as it didn't seem to get caught on my tights like many others do (to my great chagrin). 

The neckline was flattering and neither too high or too revealing, and the sleeves were a great length and diameter. I feel like I could work layers both underneath and over the top if I needed to. I love that being quite snug, this dress will fit well under my longer waterproof parka-type coat for inevitable Cornish rain showers. I also love that it is not encumbered by those annoying back-neck zips which seem to have plagued beautiful clothes like this for a while now.  

Another feature I love is the blue/black colour of the stripes themselves. 

People Tree Organic Cotton Dress 

Accessories

I completed the outfit with my vintage Levi's jacket (from a boot fair many years ago), my Zerelda shawl which I designed and made for 'Knit Now' a couple of years ago, and leggings from GudrunSjoden, plus plenty of Celtic silver.

Stripey dress with Accessories

Crochet Shawls

Cornwall has been bathed in spring-like weather this week. I've really enjoyed going for a less-coat-more-shawl vibe. This one is my Abellona. It's stripey...

Crochet Shawl: Abellona

Lovely Things Linky

Lovely Things!

I've been approaching both of my blogs with fresh interest over the last few weeks, and consequentially I've decided to take part in a couple of 'Linky' events. When selecting which ones to join in with, the fantastic positivity of 'Lovely Things' really appealed to me! so, here are my first three 'Lovely Things', listed with gratitude:

Thing 1: Cornwall

If you have read my blog before you will have seen my snaps of the area I live in. I am so unspeakably grateful to be able to exist in this paradise, that my first 'Lovely Thing' just has to be Cornwall.

Cornish Sunset

Thing 2: My Family

Everyone loves their family. Everyone knows their partners and kids are really something special, there are thousands of blogs devoted to the topic, so I'm well aware of this fact. But these guys, well they really are something!

I never blog about them, or put them on instgram... I figure that their lives and their privacy are their own, and I'd rather tell them in person than over the net how awesome I think they are. But maybe a little public shout out once in a while really won't hurt: these two are the best company imaginable, and they give me so much that is positive. They always, without fail, cheer me up, they make me laugh so so much, they show me that they appreciate me, and they believe in me. I consider myself extremely blessed to have them both, as I am in complete awe of them both. 

The best guys in the world

Thing 3: Paws

This member of my family, on the other hand, is something that I do plaster all over instagram. After 5 years I am still completely besotted with her! Before I had a cat I never knew what funny, charming, entertaining and loving little personalities they have. She definitely enriches my life: having a purring, lolling, and at times demanding little heartbeat for company is another gift. Usually to be found asleep on my work table, she never lets me forget that the purpose of being a crafter is to make cosy beds for her, whether I am in the middle of an urgent project or not. 

So there are my first 'Lovely Things'. I look forward to reading yours, and I promise that next month they will be more frivolous and fun! 

Handmade, Homebaked and Cornish

Knitting:

Hello, sock!

I'm excited that this week I managed to do a little sneaky knitting: on this sock, which I started in November. I'm so close now- about half way up the toe. But, it is only the first one, so there will be its partner to make too. 

I'm using Araucania 'Ranco' yarn which is lovely to knit with, in a beautiful turquoise colour (which doesn't show up too well here I'm afraid). I find the brighter colour with minimal variegation a lot easier to work with that some other sock yarns I've tried. Plus of course my trusty Knit Pro dpn's. The turquoise looks like it has sold out everywhere, but here is a link to some other colours, available at a discount on Black Sheep Wools.

Cornwall:

St Michael's Mount

The highlight of my Cornish week was probably this trip to Mount's Bay. There is such a draw to the beautiful mount itself, and the approach around the bay is so full of admiration and anticipation. It really is such a privilege to live in Cornwall!

Baking:

I had prepared an epic picnic, which we were all glad of by the time that we got close to the mount. I included a Saffron & Seed Cake (which I thought was a nice twist on Cornish saffron buns), and I'm delighted that I can share the recipe from Asda here. 

More Cornwall:

But living in this stunning part of the world we are spoilt for beautiful views and exciting skies, so here are another couple of snaps from earlier in the week when a dramatic hailstorm swept in and then out again early one morning. 

Hail Storm Over The Gribbin

Quayside Architecture

Crochet:

And finally, you may remember my crochet bedspread, the one which took me a whole year in between other projects to finish (it is 4-ply after all!)... well, I thought I'd share a snap of it in its new Cornish home. You can see its humble beginnings right back in this old post: here. 

My Happy Place! 

Grateful for Magic Cornish Days Out

Polperro Harbour

Whilst I work pretty intensely on another sort of project (see my other blog if you're curious about where my energies are going just at the moment), there doesn't seem to be a lot of time for designing and making. I am missing my sewing machine- which looks all forlorn under its dust cover- just as I am missing putting my design ideas to the test, and curling up with hooks, needles and yarn. 

Typically, my mind is still active with design ideas... but they'll have to wait just for the moment. 

Thankfully, there was time for a day in Polperro: a beautiful drive, ambling round the tiny streets, watching the river rush through the town, a picnic in the winter sun, exploring the caves, marvelling at cottages built into rock, gazing at the beautiful woods above the town... bliss! There is so much that is enjoyable about Polperro, and so much which seems to be the distilled essence of Cornwall. 

Unfortunately we did not see the Ryder Lifeboat in the harbour, which we had looked forward to. Not only is it a beautiful mini-piece of maritime history, but it was built in Thames Ironworks. Unless you are partner to a dyed-in-the-wool West Ham fan like I am, that probably means nothing, but if you are you will understand the significance. 

Such Pretty Rust!

I am also really grateful for the short trip down to our beloved Charlestown- a wonderful place to be, especially in the early morning. We met up again with this friendly chap: just another of the fortuitous encounters we are blessed with in enchanted Cornwall!

Lucky Black Charlestown Cat

Miss Lemon, or what to wear in a Cornwall February

Colours for Spring:

I'm not sure whether it is my penchant for bright-coloured gym stuff seeping into my everyday life, my new found body confidence, or just a hankering for spring (probably a combination), but I have found myself inexplicably drawn to brightly coloured clothing.

As a life-long devotee of indigo-blue, grey, and just a few contrasting accents in my wardrobe, this has surprised me.

Where to buy bright colours:

I was overcome by the urge to go bright when browsing in 'Mistral'; I tried these beauties on, and simply couldn't leave them there. Ok, so I did have to check first with my trusty adviser that I didn't look like a crazy lady, but I just love them! 

I can't find the yellow on their website, but they have other colours, so you can click: Mistral

Seasalt Stripey Sailor Tops:

You may have guessed from my last post that I am a devotee of the Seasalt stripey sailor top. When I saw this cyan colour in their new collection I could not resist! 

I have been teaming it with my Dickies dungarees for a real rustic landgirl-inspired look.  The super-soft organic cotton is a so comfortable. This colour, which they call Poseidon Ecru, manages to  combine being bright with also being completely wearable.

 You can shop for this beautiful T-shirt here: Seasalt if, like me, you can't resist!

Week in Paradise

This was the view on Tuesday: a rainstorm out to sea. Once again we succumbed to the pull of the shore and headed out to the beach, despite the fact that it was actually pretty cold. We were hoping for interesting debris in the wake of Storm Imogen, but either there was none on this beach, or we were not early enough to find it. 

I was planning to have a jog up and down the beach too (this is my favourite running beach), but the fact that I had just been to the gym, and the freezy temperature both enticed me to stay and consume the hot coffee and picnic thoughtfully brought along in the car instead.

We shared our lunch with some friendly rooks. They might look aggressive, but actually they were pleasant lunch-mates, and highly entertaining. The feeding of seagulls is totally frowned upon here in Cornwall, but these blue-black beauties were very endearing.

The sun did show up for a while this week, and I was grateful to be able to hang my laundry out in the hypnotic Cornish sunlight. I couldn't resist a picture of these beautiful stripy shirts, both from Cornish company Seasalt. I adore stripes, and these tops feel practically like uniform in this part of the world.

Cake Break!

Orange Sponge Cake, scroll down for recipe

I am working out quite a lot at the moment, and I am trying to increase the variety and the content of the exercise I do each week.

Hand in hand with this goes and increased awareness of what I am eating. As I heard in an aerobics class a while ago: "Great abs are made in the kitchen!" (meaning, as I see it, that there is no point in working really hard at the gym if you go home and pile on the calories).

I feel I have three key food challenges:
1. Don't eat too much
2. Don't eat too little
3. Don't eat loads of junk

This last one is complicated, because it is very difficult to keep track of the coded ingredients on packaging. I need to get a lot smarter, because even supposedly healthy cereal bars are evidently packed full of additives and sugar.

I'm going back to the philosophy that occasional treats are ok, and if I am craving something really satisfying then home made cake is probably the best- there is nothing quite like the process of baking on a cold winter day to tick all the comfort boxes. And what is more, when you make a cake at home, although it has refined sugars and saturated fats, it has no dodgy chemicals- think inverted this hydrogenated that- and one slice is satisfying and filling, stopping you from being hungry again in an hour.

I improvised this Orange Sponge cake today, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. Let me know how you get on! You will need:

7" spring form cake tin, greased and floured (my tin is 8" and cake is too shallow),
Pre-heat oven to 180º


Sponge:
170g Caster Sugar,
170g Butter,
3 Eggs,
170g Self-raising Flour,
Grated rind of one Orange,
Vanilla Essence,
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice as required,

Cream the butter and sugar, add beaten eggs one at a time, sift in the self-raising flour and fold in. Add a few drops of vanilla essence, the grated orange rind (take care not to grate the white pith of the orange), and any juice needed to achieve a soft dropping consistency.

Pour into your cake tin, tapping the sides to spread the mixture evenly in the tin.

Bake for roughly 30 minutes until the sides of the sponge have come away slightly from the tin, and the centre springs back to the touch.

Allow to cool, then turn out and slice in half horizontally (I find a long bread knife is best for this).


Filling:
150g Icing Sugar,
180g pot of Philadelphia Cheese,
1 desert spoon of Lemon Juice,
Orange Juice as required
Beat all the ingredients together, adding just enough orange juice as necessary to make a filling that will keep its body when sandwiched between sponges. Spread all of the filling onto the bottom of the cake. Allow to stand for just a couple of minutes, then place the top sponge onto the filling.


Glaze:
50g Icing Sugar,
Orange Juice

Add just enough juice to to dissolve all of the sugar and achieve a pouring consistency. If you make this too wet your glaze will roll straight off. Pour over the finished sponge.

Enjoy!