Goodbye January

Well January didn't seem to hang around very long did it? Or is that just another reminder that I'm getting older!

I am rather proud though that one month in I'm still holding to my 'no bought clothes' challenge, though the me made bit has not developed much further. Truth is I do have a well stocked wardrobe and need to have a bit of a cull. That's not to say I don't have a few things on my wish list.

One of those is a new to me pattern called 'Jocko' by Ready to Sew. A simple PDF pattern for a rather cosy top. There are lots of versions of this on the web and I have been inspired.
I have a large stash of fleece from when I made slippers and I'm intending to use some to make a wearable toile.

Picture credit.. Ready to Sew patterns

I have found some gorgeous French terry on line which I am aching to buy, but will be very restrained until I have made my toile.
As any sewer out there knows, patterns which look stunning on one person are sometimes just not you. So watch this space. It's supposed to be a quick sew so I hope to have one done this week.

I haven't been a slouch though! I have been making curtains for my darling girl, for a very square bay window. I had previously made blinds, but because of the way the house sits,  sunlight had got in at a strange angle and faded them in stripes! At least with separate curtains she will be able to draw them to try to avoid this in future.
The fabric I am using is a vintage Sanderson called Rosamund, from 1982 (she would only have been 11 then). It is a beautiful rose pattern on a cream background. I picked up several metres at a car boot last year, but when I came to measure the windows, I didn't have nearly enough.
I went on line and to my amazement I managed to track down about 12 metres. Some of it had previously been made into curtains, but the selve edges were still intact and they had obviously not hung for long as the fabric is like new.

However when I received it, it turned out to be a slightly different colourway to the fabric I already had. The roses are more apricot, whereas mine are deep coral. Luckily the girl loved it anyway and there is enough to make all four curtains we need. The original will now be used for cushions and making a lampshade for a standard lamp.

I have purchased new blackout thermal lining and have already pieced together the curtains that need extra width. I'm quite proud of my pattern matching especially since the fabric was not bought with that in mind. A case of more good luck than judgement I feel.

I managed to find a couple of lampshades to recover at our local Sue Ryder CS for £1 each, what a bargain!!

I just need to acquire a couple of lamp standard bases now!

Well that's about it for now, I will be sticking my Jocko PDF pattern together later and making a start tomorrow. I cant wait as I really do like the look of it. Just hope it likes my body shape as much.

Happy sewing

TTFN

Jenny xx