The Finished Article: Draughty Dawg!

As I mentioned, I stayed home on Monday waiting in for the broadband man to come, and managed to get a bit of sewing done.

As part of my 4 Simple Goals challenge, I am aiming to make more of an effort with my appearance in order to feel a bit more confident in myself. This meant not only buying smart new clothes, but also throwing away old clothes which I wear because they'll 'do', but which actually make me feel fat or frumpy. One of the first items to bite the dust were some rather boring work trousers, which are just slightly too short for me.

Being a seamstress however, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of all that lovely tweedy fabric. So I hit upon the idea of using a stuffed trouser leg as a draught excluder. Trendier people than me would call it 'repurposing' or 'upcycling', I call it 'making a pair of trousers into a draught excluder that looks like a sausage dog'.

So, armed only with my sewing machine, the trousers, two buttons,some red felt, and some contrasting vintage floral fabric (seen here with Mavis, who was helping), I set to work.

I started by making a tail template and sewed two pieces of the contrasting fabric right-sides together. I turned it out and stuffed it, then zig-zagged the raw edge to stop it fraying and to create a flat bit of fabric to be sewn into the body.

I then made an ears template and cut a piece of plain and a piece of floral fabric, sewed them together, then pressed and topstitched around the edge to make them lie flat.

I lopped off one of the trouser legs and cut down one seam to open it out into one piece of fabric, to make it easier to work with. I cut out some floral 'patches', pressed the raw edges under, and zigzagged them onto the dog along with some button eyes and the ears:

I turned it right sides together and sewed up the edges, sewing in the tail and a red felt tongue at either end, and left a large gap for stuffing. For the stuffing, I did some more recycling (have you seen the price of proper toy stuffing?!) and made use of lots of old threadbare socks. I thought socks would be better at stopping draughts than stuffing anyway!

Hey presto! One doggy draught excluder!

Now, what is it about him that makes him look not much like a dog? Is it his white eyes? His weird tongue that's not quite in the right place? Have I placed his ears too far back? The Boyfriend said he looked like a demented eel, and I think he has a point.

Nevertheless, he does stop the draughts! Here he is in situ:


P.S. Alex - those glasses from my last post are indeed green - Givenchy from Dollond & Aitchison. I have one ear higher up than the other one apparently, and they were the only ones in the whole shop that didn't make my face look wonky.

4 Simple Goals - Week Six

Back to work today after a long weekend - had to stay in yesterday waiting for the broadband man ... and yet we still have no broadband. The email says 5-7 working days! And from my understanding all they have to do is flick a switch! And we've already waited since August to even get the phoneline put in! Gah!!

1. Learn to crochet

Well, not having internet meant that I couldn't have a go at a granny square over the weekend as I'd printed off a granny square tutorial, but nothing for the stitches used within it. So I carried on with my scarf a bit but forgot to take a picture, so you'll have to make do with one of the book I bought yesterday. Hoping it helps!

2. Try a new recipe every week

I have to confess, this week I've used jar curries and Schwartz sauce packets for our teas. However, I did make some cupcakes so I could try the piping technique I saw on Ruth's blog - does that count?

Now, I know a shoddy workman blames his tools and all that, but honestly I don't think my star nozzle is big enough! I just sort of piled it all on in the end.

3. Make more of an effort with my appearance

This week, I have mostly been attempting to rock the bespectacled look after my eyes suddenly and inexplicably went all dry and bloodshot and I couldn't wear my lenses. It's hard wearing glasses out and about when you're used to only wearing them for slobbing around the house late at night or early in the morning, I felt a bit like I'd turned up for work in my pyjamas.

4. Write a personal letter every fortnight

Nothing this week but that's OK, because I changed it to every two weeks. Just have to get a wriggle on for next time that's all!

Countdown to Christmas...

Yes - I said the C-word! Hope it didn't offend you too much! I have to start thinking about Christmas now you see, because I want to be all Creative and Crafty for it, and I've learned my lesson in previous years that deciding to be Creative and Crafty for Christmas on the 10th of December only results in Chaos and Crying.

So look what popped through my little red door yesterday ... mysterious packages, to make my Christmas cards with! Must start soon - I have about 50 to make and that's an average of almost one a day from now til the beginning of December when I want to post them.

Oh but, oh no, before Christmas there's Halloween, and I've a swap to prepare for that ... and a crayon roll for my godson's birthday on 21st October. And I have draught excluders to make somewhat urgently, as our house is rather draughty it turns out...

Oh well, I work best under pressure!

4 Simple Goals - Week Five

Hello, hope you've all had a lovely relaxing weekend! I have done nothing and sometimes that's just what you need isn't it? Week Five roundup...

1. Learn to crochet

I had intended to try a Granny Square this week but I had a look in my book and by the time it gets to Granny Squares, it has leapt from idiot-steps with fully labelled diagrams, to confusing, text descriptions, full of abbreviations such as 'CS' and 'SL ST' - which I can just about work out but I still need the diagrams for each separate stitch! So I'm on the lookout for a good Granny Square tutorial now.

In the meantime, I've been cracking on with my purple scarf and it's getting more and more like second nature, although I'm still picking the wool with my fingernails (but getting faster at it!). I seem to have dropped and regained a few stitches, but bizarrely only along one side. If I continue in this fashion it might look like an intentional frill?

2. Try a new recipe every week

This week had a go at Spaghetti Tetrazzini from the Jamie's Italy book - really going to have to try more of the recipes as this was gorgeous! I know Jamie is one of those love him or hate him types, and I love him!

You will need:

*20g dried porcini mushrooms (I did without these when I saw the price)

*olive oil
*4 chicken thighs- skinned, boned and cut into bite-sized pieces (I used 3 chicken breasts - saves all the skinning and boning which I didn't like the sound of!)
*sea salt and ground black pepper
*2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
*350g mixed fresh mushrooms, cleaned and torn (just closed cup for me, nothing to be had in the supermarkets round here!)
*200ml white wine
*455g dried spaghetti (but I used rigatoni)
*500ml double cream
*200g grated Parmesan
*a sprig of fresh basil

1. Preheat oven to 200*C, Gas 7.

2. Put your porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour over about 150ml of boiling water. Set aside to soak.
3. Heat some oil in a large saucepan, season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown gently in the oil.

4. Strain the porcini, reserving the soaking water, and add them to the pan with the garlic and fresh mushrooms.

5. Add the wine and the porcini soaking water (or 150ml boiling water if you're cheap like me), turn the heat down and simmer gently until the chicken has cooked through and the wine has reduced a little.
6. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti/pasta according to the packet instructions and drain well.
7. Add the cream to the pan of chicken, bring to the boil and turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Add the pasta to the creamy chicken sauce and toss well. Add thee quarters of the parmesan and all of the basil and stir in.
9. Pour into an oven-proof baking dish and sprinkle over half the remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden brown and bubbling (Jamie is so annoyingly vague with timings - I'd say 10-15 minutes).
10. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese before serving.

Delicious and filling! (More delicious than it looks in my picture, with the withered stuffed mushrooms...)

3. Make more of an effort with my appearance

Well I've had no money whatsoever to be buying myself lovely new tights or bags, so on top of generally trying to not look a fright when I leave the house, this week I have tweezered my eyebrows and trimmed my fringe:

and battled Mount Ironing so that I would have something nice to wear for work:



4. Write a personal letter every fortnight

I'm on a roll! This week it was the turn of my best friend H, who lives in London (writing set from Paperchase).

The Finished Article: Curtain Skirt

If I look like I'm wearing a pair of my Granny's old curtains ... er, that's probably because I am!

When I first embarked on my dressmaking course back in September 2009, I had a little flick about on Flickr. It's a wonderful place for inspiration - if you can think of it - then there's a group pool for it! (To illustrate my point, why don't you have a look at my new gravy boat in the Pyrex Love pool?) Anyway, this particular day I was looking at anything with a 'handmade clothes' tag and I came across this lovely lady who recycles all sorts to make quirky original items of clothing, like this skirt, made from an old curtain; this top, made from an old sheet; and this skirt, made from an old tablecloth and doily.

I was totally inspired and motivated, and immediately started trawling charity shops and ebay for vintage fabrics. I eventually got myself this brown floral 70s curtain for £5 on ebay:

I wanted quite a basic skirt, so I went for New Look 6843, view E.

I made up most of the skirt, until I got to the part where I needed to put in the buttonhole, then I stopped and left it for a few months. Finally plucked up the courage to have another go last night, and within half an hour I was wearing the finished item!

I used an old brass and black button which I found in my Mam's tin, I'd love to be able to ask her where it came from, but still it's nice to think it might be off an old skirt of hers from the 70s, and now I'm wearing it on my new skirt (also from the 70s-ha!). It was a bit big for the one-step buttonhole thingy on my machine though so in the end I just had a go at doing it freehand. I don't think it's turned out too badly!

And.... it fits!


Next up, fashioning something out of my 80s duvet cover :)

(Sorry for the flash pictures, I think my days of seeing natural daylight are numbered for another year!)

Happiness is...

A vintage Pyrex gravy boat, for the small donation of £1.49 towards Barnardos :)

Spontaneous Spot of Sewing

I set up this blog as a bit of a way of documenting (showing off) the things I've made, be it sewing, baking, crochet (ha!) or whatever, but since I started I don't seem to have done an awful lot. Then on Sunday afternoon, as Boyfriend was dozing in front of the football, I had a bit of an urge.

A while back, the lovely Cate (who doesn't have a blog, but should!) posted a picture on The Sewing Room on the MSE forum of a little owl she'd made from an old tweed jacket - Hoot.

I was suitably enamoured and inspired and scoured the charity shops til I found a lovely tweed skirt for only 99p (and it was a Monsoon one, seemed (almost) a shame to cut it up!) I folded it up and stashed it away with the rest of my fabric and there the story ended, for a good few months.

Then my Grandma bought herself one of those metalwork trees (like this) for the living room wall, and, being in the midst of a bit of an owl obsession herself at the moment, decided she wanted a little owl to sit amongst the branches. Suddenly my skirt's raison d'être had been found!

I have to admit I flew by the seat of my pants with this one a bit. I basically cut out a small oval-ish bit of tweed, added two buttons for eyes, and had a go at an embroidered beak (this was the hardest part and had to be unpicked twice), then cut out two small wings (pinking sheared along the bottom for a feather effect) which I sewed into the seams. Turned it all the right way, stuffed him with offcuts of the tweed and sewed his head up. Done!

He's far from perfect (which is difficult when making something so small - see picture below with pin for scale!) but I think he has a quirky charm. His one small wing reminds me of Nemo's Lucky Fin.


Finally, here he is in his new home (bad phone picture, sorry!):

4 Simple Goals - Week Four

Can't believe it's Week Four already, the months are just flying by! It'll be Christmas before we know it! (Yeah, I said it out loud!)

1. Learn to crochet

My scarf is about 4 inches long now, might be done for autumn 2011...

I think I've got the hang of the actual crochet, but am still all fingers and thumbs with the hook. I'm pretty sure you're not meant to lift the wool over the hook by grabbing it between your fingernails... Any tips from any hookers out there? I guess practice makes perfect and I'll settle into a comfy position soon. I'm thinking of attempting a granny square this week so I can start on a little baby blanket.

2. Try a new recipe every week

Good Food to the rescue again this week. I was feeling all autumnal with the nights drawing in so I made Sausages with Sticky Onion Gravy and Colcannon (with some stuffed mushrooms on the side).

It looks vile in the picture, but honestly it was a very tasty meal. However, although it sounds simple believe me it was a faff to make! And messy! It'll be plain old sausages and mash from now on I think!

3. Make more of an effort with my appearance

I've been waging war on my cuticles, after I realised just how raggedy they were! I bought a few different Sally Hansen products, but this massage cream is my favourite - it smells delicious! Still some work to do but I've seen a massive improvement so far.

Having my new bag makes me feel much more presentable when I'm out and about, and oh, remember those tights I bought? I wore them!



4. Write a personal letter every fortnight

I finally wrote one and posted it - look!

4 Simple Goals - Week Three

1. Learn to crochet

I was really struggling with this so last week went for a change of tack - I changed my book, my hook and my wool. I had thought that using a thick wool and thick hook would be easier but I swapped to thinner ones, and with the new instructions I'm finding it much easier to find which bits I'm supposed to hook into - not least because the book explains the 'anatomy' of crochet, which I've found really helpful.

So I've restarted my red scarf, in purple. I've done about three rows now and although it's a bit wobbly at the top where I didn't quite have the tension down, it's getting better and better with each new row. And I think the wonkiness adds a certain charm anyway!

2. Try a new recipe every week

This week I tried out Millionaire's Shortbread, using the recipe from Attic 24:

This was the second time I've tried Millionaire's Shortbread - the first time being a very tasty but gooey disaster! This time I fared a lot better, although the caramel turned to fudge after a day or so. The secret is in the boiling of the caramel - too little and it won't set, too much and it sets, er, a bit too much! It still went down well though and I feel I'm on the verge of cracking this particular delicacy!

3. Make more of an effort with my appearance

It's been more of the same with this one really - keeping my eyebrows in check and my nails filed and shiny, and wearing a bit of make-up every day. I did however go slightly out of my comfort zone and bought a red floral maxi dress to wear to a wedding on Friday. I wasn't sure about it in the changing room but as it was only £13.50 in the sale with my student discount, I plunged. And I'm so glad I did, I felt fabulous in it and was complimented several times.

Sad to say that's probably the last outing it will get this year; this was my view from the bedroom window this morning:



4. Write a personal letter each fortnight

OK I haven't done this one AGAIN, but as it's only a fortnightly goal now, if I do it this week then it's OK! :D Really must do it this week actually as the girl I'm planning on writing to is coming for a visit at the end of the month, at this rate I'll be able to give it to her in person rather than pay for a stamp!

4 Simple Goals - Week Two

I have to confess the 4 Simple Goals regime isn't going as well as I had anticipated, partly down to last week being taken up making bunting (thank you for all your comments on my last post, friend did indeed love it, but one of my other friends had also bought her some bunting so her home is going to look like some kind of Jubilee Street Party bless her!) and I was away over the weekend so not had much time to focus.

1. Learn to crochet

Well I did sit and try to crack on with this, and managed three rows before getting sick of it. I have somehow managed to crochet really tightly, to the point where I can't distinguish the stitches so I don't really know where I'm supposed to put my hook. Do any of you hookers have any advice? The hook seems pretty big to me? I won't be disheartened though, I really want to do this!

2. Try a new recipe every week

The Good Food website came to my rescue again, and this week I made Chicken, Goat's Cheese and Cherry Tomato Bake (which incidentally was not as nice as the Mustard-Stuffed Chicken I made last night) with Sweet Potato Wedges. I really must make more of an effort to find recipes with the same oven temperatute though as I'm no good at jiggling the cooking times!!

3. Make more of an effort with my appearance

Still been making an effort with the make-up, but no heels in Week Two, they're just not practical enough! I have bought some coloured tights though ... I sense the key to feeling better dressed is in wearing skirts and dresses rather than trousers, and I hope to experiment with tights this autumn...

Lastly, I have got around to sewing on a couple of errant buttons - what a sense of achievement!

5. Write a personal letter every week

Oh dear, big fail on this one! I think one a week might be a bit ambitious (and I also might run out of friends to write to pretty quickly!) so I may change this to every fortnight. And we're already halfway through Week Three and I still haven't done it...