Inspiration returns!

I have been in a "sewing black hole" since about Easter.  I just haven't been able to get myself motivated to sew anything.  In fact I have lent my machine to a friend for the last month - that's how bad it is!  I had planned to "sew along" with the Sew Weekly for the year, and I was soooo good for the first few months - until I went on holidays (twice in six weeks).  Unfortunately, nothing seems to have been able to drag me back to the sewing machine - that is until I met Kazz.  (Actually I have been a fan of Kazz's for quite some time, but hadn't ventured over to her blog).

Even though I haven't been sewing along with the girls at SW - I still check in pretty much daily to see what they are all up to (and I have missed not being a part of the "gang").  It was while doing this that I found Kazz's Back for Seconds dress.  I LOVE this dress!  So inspired was I with Kazz's fab frock and her pattern for fab frock that I had to hotfoot it over to Spotlight to get fabric - quickly followed by a phone call to my friend to ask for the prompt return of my sewing machine!

This is a very bold choice for me - but I do love it!

This is a very poor photo of the fabric, it looks MUCH better than this.  The pattern is made up of trees.

Using Kazz's pattern I am hoping to turn these two pieces of fabric into fab frocks ....... stay tuned!!

Colette Sewing Handbook

I love reading about what's going on at Colette Patterns.  Sarai and her team have loads of great sewing tips and a fantastic range of patterns.  So imagine my excitement when I read about her new book - The Colette Sewing Handbook.  This book looks like a great resource for sewers of all levels - can't wait until November when it will be released.  Check it out.

Waiting

Where does time go??  It doesn't seem THAT long ago that I last posted ..... I have got to make more of an effort to stay up to date.  So - what have I been doing?  I have no idea really!  Dance exams consumed almost one week - three days of exams between the two girls, lots of cooking (I get the job of catering for the examiner) and LOTS of time spent waiting, waiting, waiting! 

I wonder how many hours of my life is spent waiting?  Too many to count.  I am always waiting for someone - mostly members of my family.  Waiting for the tennis/swimming lessons to finish, waiting for dance class to finish, waiting for "Himself" (man of the house) to get organised, waiting for school to finish ..... and on it goes.  What do we do with this "waiting" time?  For me - I try and spend some of the tiime doing things for me.  At the moment, that means crocheting little circles, other times it might mean a bit of knitting, hand sewing or flicking through a magazine.  Turning this "waiting" time into productive time is what keeps me sane, and makes the time the girls spend doing things they love more enjoyable.

What do you do while you are waiting?

Progress

I have been busy crocheting many little circles, and I have to admit ... I am loving the process, and they look so cheerful when I lay them out!

Last night I finally had some quiet time to sit with Lucy's great instructions on joining hexagons.   It is a fairly simple process, Lucy explains it very clearly.

Tadahhhh!!  I am SO proud of myself, these probably aren't perfect, but I love them - and more importantly, so do the girls.  The pressure is on to get this finished - they want it NOW!