Merry Christmas

Well, we’re as ready as we’ll ever be, and I’m about to log off, relax and enjoy an afternoon glass of wine with (hopefully) some crap Christmas telly.I did finish some of the new aprons, but there wasn’t a chance to photograph them (red is very difficult in good light, but in winter, almost impossible). I’m happy to have the ‘reject’ one to keep and wear on Sunday (I always keep the one I am least happy with), the rest will be for next year now.I bought an extremely cheap box of tat from Ebay…to use with some tree rejects (the things that weren’t strung etc) to make a wreath. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but I love it. It only took about 20 mins to make and then a painful hour to fix to the door!It’s on just in time for the weather to turn nasty, as the remains of Storm Barbara head our way. The door has a small overhead porch so I’m hoping it survives alright, but as pretty much everything on there is plastic, it should be OK.So that’s it. I’m quite excited about not leaving the house for a few days and for the first time in forever, we genuinely don’t have anything planned for almost a week (we do have guests, here and there, but I have a stocked freezer and cupboards, ready). I’m thankful we’re all healthy and happy and together for Christmas so I hope for the same for everyone I know.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful 20017.

Glyndebourne 2016: The Barber of Seville

Another year, another opportunity to get glammed up and enjoy a fantastic day out at Glyndebourne Opera House, thanks to my Sister’s generosity.

It was a bit same old, same old, this year, in terms of my outfit. We were in for a slightly cooler day (well, not ridiculously hot and sunny, as it often is) so my vintage 1950’s cloak came out again, along with a regularly worn dress, but I did get new shoes!Even my Paperself eyelashes returned.I did try to take an outfit photo, which is very good of me as I do still HATE having my photo taken…this is the best I got, complete with a lampshade growing out of my head.This year, it was ‘The Barber of Seville’ which was just brilliant. Very easy to watch/listen too, and some amazing(ly fast), beautiful singing!

I know it’s being shown ‘live’ at various cinemas, if you’re interested.The costumes and sets were fantastic, as they always are, but I did note that ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ is back, which is still up there as my favourite set and costumes at Glyndebourne, so far!

I mean, look at the hens with their cockerel, all dressed as show girls – awesome.

Wonder what it’ll be next year (if I get invited) and perhaps I’ll make a change and wear something different…or not 🙂

Butterflies at the Natural History Museum…

I went to London last Tuesday, all on my own, complete with book to read on the train (well Kindle…on my phone actually, Robert Harris ‘Enigma’ which I loved) to see the Wedding Dress exhibition at the V&A.  It was great, not just the exhibition itself, but sitting on the train reading, having lunch in the museum and wandering around the galleries without bored kids in tow.

But it made me feel guilty, as we rarely take the kids ‘into town’ and it’s only a 40 min train ride into Victoria, so I decided to take advantage of an inset day on the Friday and I took them to see the Butterflies at The Natural History Museum.  M was away for his IronMan in Austria (he did it – hurrah!) so it was just me and the munchkins and it was good fun.  They became a bit tired and whiny by the afternoon and we ran out of steam and didn’t get around even half of the Museum, we’ve been before and will, no doubt, go again so this wasn’t a problem.

The butterflies were great, it was quiet, there was certainly no need to have pre-booked our tickets, in fact we were allowed to go in early as there was no queue.  Of course, like everyone else, I had my phone out the entire time attempting to snap photos of the ever moving beauties, but I made lots of time to just watch them and it was fascinating seeing the long, curled tongues sipping nectar.  I’d have loved a shot of the chrysalis, all lined up, as they really were fascinating, but that area was quite busy and I don’t like to take photos at the expense of blocking other people’s views.

Charlie was keen to get his phone/camera out too and if you’re wondering why F has his hoodie up, it’s because the very first thing that happened when we stepped inside the tent, was a butterfly landed on his head and he instinctively tried to swat it only to have me yell at him in horror.  Luckily it flew off before he smacked his own head, but he thought it best to put his hood up just in case it happened again.  I think killing the exhibits might be frowned upon 😉

They loved both my frock and newly dyed hair.  My top tip?  Go through the side entrance to the museum (the butterfly tent is outside so you don’t enter from the museum anyway) as the queue was ridiculous, it was very, very long and I got totally confused why no-one was using another entrances, apparently it was simply because they don’t know to, or so the guard told me.

Back home, I struggled to get going this morning.  My attempt to re-arrange the studio and shoehorn all my ‘stuff’ in has got out of hand.  I had hit the stage when it felt like I’ve been working for days but with no obvious results so I woke determined to sort things out.  It hasn’t helped that I’ve not been sleeping very well, largely down to the humid weather we’ve been having.  I waited patiently for the forecast rain all weekend, but it never arrived, we had the odd spot, but not the stormy showers I was expecting and certainly not enough to clear the air.  Not only does it make our bedroom (built into the original loft) hot but the studio and kitchen, with all its glass is like working in a sauna.

Today, I finally feel like I made it over the hump, as it were, and I can step into my workroom without tripping up on piles of boxes.  Again, I’ve made myself crack on with unfinished jobs.  The old office chair, kindly given to me by my bosses at The Imperial War Museum (it was out by the bins ready for collection but is, apparently, a designer classic, clearly no-one knew that or I’m sure they’d have never have let me scavenge it!!) has been re-covered ready to go into F’s new room.  Phew, another unnecessary thing removed from ‘my’ space (I use M’s Aeron chair, which is much better for my back and currently has no home…it’s a bit like his old camera, I figure if I borrow it long enough it just becomes mine…no?  Have I got that wrong ;)).

It’s the second time I’ve re-covered it, the first was done in the nice vintage gold linen, but that had worn through, so I’ve gone for a super heavy blue tweed.  It doesn’t feel that nice to touch (it really is very weighty, when I sewed the Weekender Bag above, which I originally bought the fabric for, I nearly cried trying to get the side seams stitched together, with their multiple layers!) but it’s tough and should cope with a little boy mistreating it.

Nearly forgot to mention the lovely cushion came from Felicity at Eclectic Handmade.

I’ve also finally glued and waxed a rocking horse I’ve had since I was a kid.  Yet more of the typical ‘junk’ I hoard.  This has followed me around for years, I stripped it back in 2009, and sadly I can see from the photo I took at the time (as above) that storing it in the roof alcove, directly in front of a glass window, has done it no good and has left me with cracked paint to deal with.

Oh well, it’s glued back together and waxed, maybe I’ll find time in another 5 years to give the head a coat of varnish to stop it flaking even more 😉

I need to get back to sewing now, I am very aware how quickly this school term is flying.  Tick tock and all that!

Glyndebourne Outfits 2013 AND 2014…

Because, hey, apparently I’m totally rubbish at finishing and publishing posts I’ve half written, so here’s two years in one.

OK, for reference, Glyndebourne is a country house that hosts the annual Glyndebourne Festival in it’s grounds (the 80th year this time around).  Apart from some wonderful music and singing, amazing sets and costumes, many of the audience go to town on their outfits and (weather permitting) bring completely over the top picnics, often with tables, chairs, flowers and candles to eat in the immaculate grounds.  Over the course of the evening you eat a multiple course meal around the performance (starter when you arrive, then there is a big interval so you can eat your main course, usually with dessert afterwards, followed by candle lit coffee and mints at the end…..or is that just us!!?).  My very generous Sister kindly treats her best friends and me to tickets each year and as I don’t get out much, I take it as an opportunity to dress up.

When there a few years ago, we chatted about opera coat envy (oh yes, there are opera coats) and there was talk about my making some, but, in reality, the cost of the fabric alone (I was thinking tweed or velvet, Scottish Widow style) would be high, and then there’s the actual making, which I just know I’ll never get around too.  A quick Etsy hunt showed it would be a much better idea to just buy a vintage one.

I found this 1930’s beauty quite modestly priced and it was swiftly delivered from Mexico City (the listing photos were a bit dreadful, so it was a punt, but one that worked out well).  It’s been shortened at some point, so is a bit below knee-length on me, the lovely beaded ‘phoenix wings’ were in good condition as was the velvet and lining.  I washed it.  Now that was a gamble, but the white lining was more than a bit grubby so I chanced it, the dye did run a bit from the velvet but I managed to wash the lining separately so it ended up looking pretty good.  I did quite a lot of fixing, as some of the actual seams were splitting and I re-stitched nearly all the beads on just to make sure they stay there over time.

These last three photos were taken a few weeks back, as the poor thing has been waiting for a new button before being carefully stored away (I don’t like to leave dark coloured things, or ‘dust catchers’ on display in case they get sun damaged, or worse, clothes moths move in).

The rest of my outfit was matched to the cloak, from things I already owned.  There was this fab Orla Kiely dress that sat on my wish list for months, I remember being a bit gutted that in the sale, there were none left in my size, then my pathetic ‘keep looking at it’ method paid off as some more were listed and I snapped one up.

My shoes were an addition to my Chie Mihara collection, courtesy of a Christmas gift, ‘Anuncio’ in the brown/gold colour.  I notice that these are still hanging around on some sites in the sale, even after a year or so.

A rare chance to get my nails done and drag out some family jewellery, the ring was my Mum’s and the bracelet my Gran’s.  I used to wear the ring daily when I was an art student but it mostly sits in a box now and rarely wear gold, I tend towards silver and more modern style for day-to-day wearing, so the bracelet doesn’t come out much either.  Shame really, I must wear them more often.

A very dodgy selfie complete with out of focus bits.For the first time, we abandoned plans for a picnic.  The year before we’d eaten in windy, cold, dampness and it rather took the fun out of things, so we booked into one of the on-site restaurants.  It’s a quick turn-around for the serving staff, you choose your food order in advance and the starter is in place when you arrive, it was yummy as well as pretty.  Sadly this was the only photo I took of the day itself.  We did take pre-Opera nibbles and champagne to have before, setting ourselves up on a side lawn to try to stay out of the wind, only to discover we had a prime view of the dressing rooms, which didn’t put a few of the male singers off from stripping down to bare chests in front of the glass.  It was a bit like a Diet Coke advert but we’re maybe a bit old for leering (not!).

(Incidentally, we saw ‘Falstaff’ which was funny, easy to watch and well designed; not as exciting, visually as ‘The Cunning Little Vixon’ which we’d seen the year before, which had AMAZING sets and costumes, but still good).

Now for this year.  I did consider wearing one of the many floor length dresses I own, largely donated to me by my Sister, as it’s a rare occasion that I can wear a proper long frock, but then I fell in love with this amazing number some time at the end of last year.  Clearly, it’s not me in the photos, but the shop owner (Animal Head Vintage – what a cool name!)

Being a little…humm…’larger’ it’s not quite so flattering on me, as it hangs off the bust and makes me look like a little dumpling, but I don’t care, I LOVE it!  As it’s another just under knee cloak, the rest of my outfit is the same as above, just in case you think I go the whole hog and wear all new.  I have no problem recycling outfits, I am happy to (and often do) wear a favourite frock over and over with no shame, for a couple of very busy Wedding and Christening years I pretty much wore the same two frocks in rotation, everyone must have thought I owned nothing else (which is clearly not true, as those who read this blog regularly know).Besides, it gave me an excuse to finally buy a jewellery piece from Bill Skinner, in the form of a Tiger Bracelet,

I’ve a bit of a crush on the dome necklaces and rings too, which is the fault of Maison Bentley Style, for blogging these beauties some time ago, but for now they’ll have to sit on the wish list.

We’re going to see Don Giovanni this year, which is an opera I know (phew) and have seen other productions of, I read this one is well staged and from the above publicity photos, I know I’m going to like the costumes.

The flaw in my plans will be if the sun shines, then I’d roast in the large opera coat as we’ll no doubt take a posh picnic to eat in the grounds, but it’s looking a bit stormy right now; and clearly I should be writing this AFTER I’ve been, but I know myself well and bet I don’t take any photos on the day, so I may as well publish now.

On other news, the boys go back to school today after half-term (spent in Centre Parcs for their joint Birthdays) and despite the house and garden needing attention, I’ve promised myself a week of sewing, as I haven’t done any in ages.  Besides, M has come down with a stinking cold and is at the stage where you feel lots of sympathy, but at the same time would like to kit him up in one of those infection control tents as seen in the movies, or in my case, hide out in the studio, donning a mask and lots of Purell before entering the rest of the house.  Perhaps I can give him a bell to ring so we know when he’s coming and can clear the room?  Actually it wont be needed as he’s coughing so much you couldn’t miss him (I joke, but it’s crucial Iron Man training time so it’s bit of a disaster for him really).

Back soon, maybe with some Glyndebourne photos?

Yorkshire and Love Ur Look…

My Yorkshire break was wonderful.  Relaxing, renewing and sadly, not long enough.

On the Friday, when I rushed from the train station to collect the kids, someone at school asked me where I’d been, they then mentioned that I must be excited to see the boys and asked if I’d missed them….humm….the honest truth is not really.  I mean, of course I missed them in a way but it’s not like we were apart for long and I didn’t realise just how much I’d relish this time out, it’s been a long (9 years) time coming. 

Every day started with breakfast in bed.  Sadly, I woke at 6 am ish despite having no-one to wake me.  The luxury of coffee and a dippy egg (I’m mostly not eating bread at the moment, but carbs were one of the holiday highlights), followed by a book read (Longbourn – thanks Fran, for the tip-off!) then a bit of walk planning was heavenly.

Most of my walks looked like this, at some point.  Typical Yorkshire Dales view, old lanes, dry stone walls, lots and lots and LOTS of moss.
The weather was mixed.  I packed badly, originally thinking it’d be sunny, then realising not so reverting back to wet weather, cold walking gear, only to find that although it rained a little on the first day it was quite glorious between showers and on Wednesday I felt ill-dressed for the hot, summer sunshine.
I walked 12 miles on day one, from Burnsall (where I stay) to Grassington (to see my Nana and usually my Aunts, who sadly weren’t around on this visit).  From there I walked to Grass Woods, and what a beautiful little fairy wood it is!  I’d forgotten just how nice.  It was drizzling at this point but it made it all the more pretty, a kind of damp, green wonderland.  It’s the last known natural habitat of the Lady’s Slipper Orchid here in the UK, we went to look at it once, with my Dad, having to be lead there by an arranged guide and step over trip wires that keep it guarded.  I read it had a police guard last time it flowered and is appearing (in it’s cultivated form) at Chelsea Flower Show this year.
I walked back via Linton and Thorpe, I had hoped to take lots of nice photos, but I really struggle with using my phone verses my ‘proper’ camera, partly it’s just that I can’t see what I’m taking a photo of, due to the sun reflexion and also I have no idea what is being focused on so they tend to come out blurred.

This is ‘Manor House’ in Thorpe, it’s my new house crush and is where my Great Gran and her family lived.  I felt like a bit of a stalker trying to photograph it discreetly and had to attempt to avoid the blue wheelie bin that’s just out of shot on the left, hence the not best angle, I thought it might be pushing it a bit far if I wheeled the bin out of the way for a better photo!  Incidentally, if my Fairy Godmother is listening, I’d happily take the old family farmhouse at Beckermonds or better still, Gran’s house in Burnsall…any will do!

I mostly took photos of walls, moss and green things.  I was wondering what makes walking here so different to my local area of Kent, apart from the vastness of the landscape and the feeling of history you get from the geological formations.  I really do think moss plays a big part for me, it’s everywhere, especially in the woodland areas and it’s what makes the difference from walking in a bluebell wood here in Kent to one Up North.  That and the quietness, most days I didn’t meet anyone, especially when out on moorland.

Day two I was meeting a family friend for lunch,  so I walked afterwards, from the house I grew up in, where my brother now lives near Bolton Abbey (he brought me back and dropped me off after lunch…in fact he was my taxi service and dinner companion – along with my SIL –  most evenings for which I own him a huge thanks!) back to Burnsall.  It was hot and sunny and I was badly dressed in jeans, when I should have been in shorts.  I took photos but they are not great, so I’ll spare you.  A highlight was stuffing my face with a chocolate 99 from the ice cream van at Barden Tower bridge, for which my Bro had to lend me money in advance, after I realised I’d come out walking for a second day with no cash.  I took a selfie but I just look hot and sweaty so you don’t need to see that.

On my last day I walked up onto Burnsall Moor via Thorpe, I had hoped to make it to Barden Upper Reservoir but I mostly got lost and wandered around knee deep in mud whilst trying not to step on all the slugs.  It’s all peat and bog up there and I had visions of ‘Jamaica Inn’ style being sucked under, having recently read the book.  It didn’t help that it was grey and a bit wet and I met no-one on my few hours walking.  No drama going on in my brain then.  Still, I gave up and walked back down to Burnsall, thinking all the time that the people who do the yearly fell race there are nutters as it’s quite easy to step badly on your ankle just having a potter, let alone a competitive run!

Clearly, I’m back now, and mildly depressed about it.  I have a throat investigation this afternoon (due to years of acid reflux, I’ve been putting it off for 6 years, since I had the last one, as I know it’s horrid but I’ve agreed with the consultant that he’s going to give me ‘elephant’ doses of sedation this time).  Poor C has to have two grown up fillings (don’t feed your kids dried fruit, or those sticky snacks made from fruit only, as they are evil for little teeth) and despite M having done a great job whilst I’ve been away, I feel overwhelmed by everyday life and the endless lists of jobs.
On a very positive note, I have both the above dresses on their way from the Love Ur Look pop-up shop in House of Fraser.  I had ordered just the top one but having seen how quickly things are selling out, added the second.  I’ll report back on fit and quality when they arrive but figured I’d best write about them whilst the shop is active, so you can go grab one, if you wish.

Right, off to have my last glass of water before I’m no longer allowed to eat or drink anything until after my procedure.  What joy.

 

Leaning tower of books…

I feel like today’s post is a bit of an interlude (should there be a photo of a potter’s wheel here?!) but I am trying to get a grip on things at the moment, not in a bad way, but there are many things, in general, that I have been putting off and it’s time to get on with them, in order to stop me from feeling like this

In the last few days I have booked appointments with the doctor and dentist, finally bought soil needed to get the garden seedlings started and next on the list, I want to clear the piles of all sorts that cover the surfaces of my studio so I can properly get back to work.

There are:

books, many from my Birthday and Christmas that are waiting to be read or have been already, and need putting away;

(you may think these photos are staged, they are in that I cleared a bit of desk to photograph them on, but otherwise they have been sat here for weeks, just hidden under mountains of fabric and threads…and my desk really isn’t all that big!)

vintage jumpers and skirts, also dumped in my studio waiting for any needed repairs, or cleaning, and that probably need to be packed up for next winter now.

Vintage patterns waiting to be sorted through.  This is most of my stash, collected over many years and it’s in dire need of a good tidy.

I’m also going to decide, in the coming days, whether to change how I work.  Basically, I might skip summer sewing altogether and in doing so only work on autumn/winter products.  I know that in the professional world that’s how it’s done and I can see the advantages, how wonderful, come September (after the long school holidays when sewing becomes abandoned) to be ready to go, with work complete, photos taken and items already listed?

The downside is I am generally quite influenced by the weather, I’m not sure I can be thinking of Christmas in the balmy (yes, yes, this is the UK so I might be dreaming here) summer days and from a blogging point of view I would perhaps feel I should keep things hidden until the proper season before posting about them, which would feel restrictive as it’s never as much fun writing about making in retrospect.  It would also mean there wouldn’t be new items in the shop for some time, a problem as it’s quite important for me to keep it updated.  Ho-hum, one to think on there.

As it is, I am happier to have some more space around me now, both physically and mentally,  it makes me feel I can breathe more easily…if you ignore the air pollution warnings we currently have and resulting Sahara sand being dumped all over the place.  I was a bit amazed to see the plumes of dust rise into the air when a fat little wood-pigeon landed on the trees in our garden a moment ago, there was so much that I genuinely thought next door had lit a garden fire…most might have noticed the sand and dust on their car but ours is always so filthy I just considered that normal 😉 .

Lastly, I just pledged some money on Kickstarter for the wonderful project called ‘Lightcase’.

Which, to use the designers (Dominic Crinson and Brenna Jensen) own words, is:

“Lightcase is basically a mini photographic studio that gives you a quick, affordable and low-tech way to get clear, sharp and well lit photos. We designed it especially for creatives selling in the various online marketplaces such as Etsy, Folksy, Made it, Zibbet, Ebay… but it’s also a great tool for bloggers and for social marketing on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and just about anywhere you need great photos of what you do.”

Fabulous idea…could do with being a bit bigger for me, but is still too good to miss.  If you fancy knowing more you can read about it here and pledge here.  Clearly I now have a vested interest in their raising enough pledges but I also thought it was a great idea generally for sharing.

Oh, in case you wondered, the little birds are typical of the random (but precious, to me) ‘junk’ that fills my world and I couldn’t resist photographing them before they were put away 🙂

 

Mojo?

I started writing a couple of posts recently, but quite frankly on re-reading them they sounded so whiny and glum I’ve decided to scrap them and start again.  Basically, I’m still trying to hunt down my mojo.  Lots of bad things keep happening to good people I know and I’m struggling a bit with the whole life isn’t very fair thing.  Still, for my immediate family, life is good, we have no complaints and on the sewing front, I’ve decided that part of my slump is that dreaded sense of ‘the list’ not reducing, in that I’ve got things I know I need to make but just don’t feel like it, so I sit in my studio and half heartedly stare at them, not really making progress but feeling that I can’t go and work on something more fun.

Sod that.  Today I decided to work on things that I’m actually interested in, which means beaded spiders, sequined black silk and getting the acorns finished.  At least this way, I might miss Easter (again!…heck I managed new Flower Brooches and Lavender Birds in time for Mother’s Day, so it’s not all a disaster) but I will be waaaaaaay ahead come next autumn.

On the subject of Mother’s Day, this arrived today and it contains…

a little sweet gift from me, to me, because I’m worth it.  M is away so I’ll be begging the boys for a lie in past 6am, come Sunday, and I’m hoping with a little xbox bribery I might get to at least sit in bed drinking coffee and scoffing chocolates, whilst pretending I can’t hear them argue.

I other news, I’ve had a birthday since I last blogged and in the new tradition I got frocked up for a day in London, courtesy of my generous sister; browsing shops, eating lunch in Liberty’s and then going to the Opera.  It was great.  Also, a new tradition of recent birthdays, I took a photo, as I pretty much never take photos of myself as I don’t like having my photo taken but think the once-a-year shot is a good record of me getting older time passing.  In this case I asked M to do it…..where? no not here, the sun is too bright and there’s a wheelbarrow of garden rubbish in the background?  Sorry, it’s fine?  It wont show in the photo?  Ok husband-of-mine who is a MUCH better photographer than me…..that he might well be but he’s crap at choosing backdrops.  I love this skirt, it’s from Viviene of Holloway and the shoes are Chie Mihara (of course!).

Oh and I also took a glitzy bag by Orla Kiely that I’m in love with.  I don’t get out much, so when I do I really enjoy dressing up.  Sad, I know.

Right, I will attempt to catch up on replying to comments, reading my blog list and proper regular sewings posts again soon 🙂