ITS DONE!......WELL ALMOST.....

The bedroom that is.

I say almost because I still have to make the main curtains and have yet to find some interlining. The big bay window is only single glazed and although we now have blinds which have been fine during the summer months, the windows can be really draughty and cold in winter and so I want to make the curtains pretty substantial, without having to pay out a fortune for them.

Window seat before its new top....

and after..... we decided against another padded seat cushion as it gets the full sun in the morning and the old one faded in no time!

roman blinds recycled from old dining room curtains.....

 I also have to source the backing for the métis linen sheet which I want to make into a throw. I am looking at another toile and can't make up my mind whether to go for a pink or perhaps a natural/ taupe colourway of this little cushion... I want to back it and create a 6 inch border all round .

Finally I have to finish the crocheted  granny puff blanket from the Granny Chic book......

The colour is nearer the second photo.....so it does go with the scheme really!

However I can see this becoming my winter fireside project as at 7 foot by 7 foot it's going to take me some time to complete it. Still it will keep my legs warm while I'm at it. I see all these lovely blogs where talented ladies are turning out throws in what seems no time and I am in awe!
Still at least we are now back in our room and it is so restful and calm. I am so glad we were brave enough to paint the bed

When we bought it 30 years ago pine was very much the thing, but it looks so pretty now and with the pale walls it has really lifted the whole room. I painted it with simple old emulsion, sanded it back and then waxed it with a medium brown briwax to age it especially in the details and corners. I am more than happy with the result.

It's become my little sanctuary, I often sit in the Lloyd loom chair and read......but then I get itchy and off I trot back to the sewing room, which is just as well if I am ever going to completely finish this project!

Have a lovely week whatever you are working on......

TTFN

Jenny xx

TERRIFIC TWINWOOD........

Now I don't want to shout it out too loud but yesterday was my birthday.....A HUGE birthday, and had it not been for two things I might have been a bit depressed. First there were the wonderful cards, presents, flowers and well wishes of my family and friends, rounded off by the most scrumptious impromptu party (in the sunshine) and secondly I felt a real spring chicken after watching 'Fabulous Fashionistas', a program about 6 women with an average age of 80 who completely destroyed any preconceived ideas you might have had about growing old........

However on our little jaunt (was it really 4 weeks ago) to the Twinwood Festival I didn't feel quite so young watching the incredible dancing talent on show! Jitterbug, Charleston, Jive my word did those guys and gals go!

The tickets were bought for us as a Christmas present by our DD and her family and at the time it seemed so far away, but my how those months galloped by and especially the last one when we were still trying to find what to wear.

I love vintage especially the 1940s and 50s, but would never pretend that I could always tell real vintage clothing or accessories. Of course we do have the Internet now and that's where I went for my inspiration. DH was lucky to have a genuine 1940s double breasted suit which I had found in a charity shop some time ago, and a genuine trilby and braces. so his outfit just needed the finishing touches. However for myself and my SIL it was just a case of trawling through books and Internet images and hoping that we would achieve a reasonable look, without it costing us a small fortune.
In the end I made a dress from an authentic 1940s pattern, and even made a hat from a 1940s pamphlet!. I didn't wear the hat however as it was made from felt and the weather forecast was not good, but it will keep.

Well I am chuffed to say that our menfolk must have cut the mustard as they were photographed several times and are now on the Simply Twinwood facebook site and all four of us were captured by a lady for her job, where she helped the elderly by taking photographs at vintage festivals and getting them to reminisce about their past experiences.

The weekend started very badly weather wise with some torrential rain on the Saturday, but our tickets were for Sunday and a rather misty and miserable morning soon gave way to the most glorious hot and sunny day, and though I am sure we would still have enjoyed the event there is no denying that being able to lounge on the grass listening to the big band sound, the incredible singing acts and watch the amazing dancing really made the day. A doubledecker bus took us from the car parks to the arenas and was the perfect start to a perfect day.

There were fabulous vintage stalls, a veritable fashion parade of different costumes, vintage cars, superb music and plenty of places to eat and drink.

As a teenager of the sixties you would think music festivals would be old hat, but I confess this is the first I have ever been to and I was a bit nervous, however the whole thing was just so brilliantly managed and the atmosphere so friendly I am already planning my outfit for when we go again!!.......

So if you haven't been and want a great vintage music filled day out I can certainly recommend it.

Have a great week

TTFN

                                                                           Jenny xx  

THOUGH WE'VE GOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE SUMMER...

OK sorry to mess with the words of a brilliant song, but we have haven't we. Autumn a season I love is already upon us, but for once we have had a summer worth remembering.......

So what did you do for the summer

How did you fill up your days

Did you get bored as the days turned to weeks

Or fill them in all kinds of ways..

We did, we had an adventure

We climbed trees and played in the park

We picnicked inside as the rain tumbled down

Pretending the bed was our Ark

We baked cakes, played board games and giggled (lots)
Made erupting volcanoes on trays
And now that its gone we've the pictures
To remind us of fun summer days........

And so you see although I have certainly taken a vacation from blogging, it has had nothing to do with having nothing to share with you. In fact I am bursting at the seams (not a pretty sight) with all I have to tell, (think bedroom makeover complete....... well virtually ...and fantastic visit to the Twinwood Festival) and well you will see that I will be back very shortly to share these with you.....as well as jam making....chutney making...Autumn wardrobe additions.....and dare I say it ....a tutorial for a Christmas banner....I did whisper ....honest...

Have a lovely week, embrace the changing season, at least we are having some this year!

TTFN

Jenny xx

DEALING WITH THE GLUT......

I don't know about you, but we are fairly new to bulk veggie growing. Our plot though very reasonable has been more leisure planned than aimed at growing our own. Somehow when we were working full time sitting in the summerhouse with a cold glass of wine had more appeal in the little leisure time we had than grafting in a veggie plot.
However now that DH is fully retired gardening has taken on a whole new aspect here, with mini greenhouses squeezing into any available space and I must say some very inventive gardening! Courgettes grown in planters on the wall, tomatoes in hanging baskets...OK!....but it works......

So as a result unlike the usual glut of just tomatoes which I can easily deal with, we now have runner beans, cucumbers, courgettes, french beans with tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins swelling nicely.

So what do you do with your excess? How do you make sure that all the work is not wasted and along with it the lovely fruits of your labour.
Well I turned to my MILs method to salt some of the beans, as I'm not personally keen on them frozen......

Made a lot of stuffed courgette boats.....

.......Yes I know one or two of the little devils hid themselves among the foliage and were a bit large for harvesting, still they made super courgette liners instead of boats, and they still tasted yummy!.....

 others were used in stir fries along with the french beans and some were roasted with Mediterranean veg.

So come on you wonderful self sufficient army, share a few of your top tips for preserving your glut. I for one will be very interested and would appreciate any idea that will make us proud of what we have produced and able to enjoy it in the cold months to come.

Off to make cucumber sandwiches (crusts off of course) for my tea.....

TTFN

Jenny xx

THE ULTIMATE TEE

Phew, hows everyone doing in this lovely weather, although I have to say having cooked in temperatures reaching 32 degrees in the past weeks I was heartily peeved when we were greeted on Saturday with grey clouds, a stiff breeze and a chill in the air!" It wasn't much better on Sunday and we even had some drizzle, but the yellow orb is showing her face again today and so I am feeling much cheerier again.

Well on to the reason for this post.
Are you like me and find it increasingly difficult to find tee shirts that suit both trousers and skirts? Either they are too long, too baggy, plastered with slogans or suitable for teenagers, or you just can't find them in the colour you desperately want for a particular skirt. Well I am not in truth a tee shirt shaped gal, having always been one size bigger in my bust than my hips. Get it to fit the top and its far too loose on the hips and and if it fits my hips I look as though I have gone back to 20s style binding at the top....not a pretty look!

So as you do I decided to do a search for top patterns on the web, knowing that there are now a lot of independent pattern makers producing some exciting designs.
What I found however was something much better! A tee pattern that certainly looked a good shape, but was also FREE!!

And the wonderful person responsible for my joy was icandy handmade. Not only has she produced this simple pattern and tutorial she has a host of other stuff that I would like to try out too.

Well this is my version(s). I don't have an over locker (serger) so I just use the decorative stitches on my machine but I think they did the job OK.

I made the neck band on this striped version a little wide, but it actually looks pretty good on as the band stands out giving it a bit of a 60s vibe!

This turquoise one I made from some jersey Lycra mix which I picked up ages ago for about a pound a metre. I have used it with the matt side as the right side as I'm not over keen on shiny tees, but I think it does the job great and I cant believe how it tones with that old Per Una skirt!

And whats more it fits.....like a dream, so much so that I have been taking all my old too long tees and altering them to this length!

If you have a go yourself I would love to see how yours turns out and if you come up with any other ideas for embellishments. I will certainly be adding more to my wardrobe. Thinking of trying to add contrast sleeves underneath for the Autumn, to give the effect of layering, so will probably add an inch of the contrast to the bottom as well. I'll let you see it if it works out OK.

Right off to get some lunch now...in the garden, before that sun disappears again..

TTFN

Jenny xx