Ebenezer!

Bah Humbug! I've been struck down by a chesty cough and I'm struggling to feel the least bit Christmassy. Christmas is normally my favourite time of year but this year it seems to be flying towards me so fast I can't enjoy it. Maybe a visit to Granny's for the season's first mince pie (because Granny does make the best mince pies!) will put a stop to all this moping. But I've got to get rid of this blasted virus before I can do that. So in the mean time, I've had a scout about the interweb for some festive makes to banish the scrooge in me! Fingers crossed!

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WIP

I am delighted to report that a fair bit of crafting was taking place over at Jemima HQ last week. It's not often that I have the opportunity to spend some quality time with the sewing machine. The conditions need to be right - comfy warm clothes, no distractions to lure me out of the house, and a nice acoustic play list or a good audio book.


I bought some gorgeous Christmas fabrics a few weeks ago so this was the perfect opportunity to get making. Can you guess what they are yet?? I'll be gingerly cutting some different fabrics to make some more today as I was unfortunate enough to come into contact with some peanuts over the weekend. So it's a slow day getting over the allergic reaction for me today. Plenty of hot tea and vitamin C and maybe a little bit of knitting will set me right again. :)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! We celebrated Halloween early this year and had our ghoulish fun at the weekend.

I got far too engrossed in carving my pumpkin and forgot to do important things like eat and entertain guests. I think it was worth it though:


Then I had lots of fun making myself even paler. Apparently the undead look becomes me!


I hope you have a spooky night whatever you get up to. :)

Brrrrr

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I am a seasonal crafter. This past week, the weather has settled into it's usual autumn crispness, and out have come the woolly jumpers, leg warmers and bulky hats. I love this time of year. Cold and crisp, I've switched from warm milky coffee to hot tea and the knitting sticks have been clicking away. I am a day away from completing my very first jumper - and it's a jumper for me! Imagine that. Of course the camera situation lingers still, but I shall have the all revealing "ta-dah" post for you later this week, when I've sewn it together. I can't wait to wear it!

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Now I have been known on occasion to bring my knitting to the beach, but on the whole I get disinterested with it during the summer months. Maybe it's the association between woolen garments and the cold winter months that make me neglect my needles in the summer, discarding them to grasp on to that little glimmer of sunshiny hope, but it seems silly really only to start making warm, lovely, wrap-me-up-and-keep-me-toasty things when the cold weather is already at your door. I could do with a new hat and scarf already, and I seem to have misplaced the hand warmers I made early this year. I guess my hands will have to move a little faster to keep up with my ever growing make list!

I have managed a fair old bit of people watching over the past few weeks and I can say with delight that fair isle is still very popular this year, so I'll have to get the squared paper out and come up with a few designs for my new makes. Anyone else had success at creating their own fair isle patterns? x

Great Aunty Nel

Yes it's true that I sit and knit in my rocking chair, that my sofa sports a purple granny square throw, and that my flat is kitted out with all manner of charity shop treasures. I have, on many an occasion, been called old before my time. But I'm not sure how I feel with the concept of becoming a great aunt. At the grand old age of 25. No that wasn't a typo. I did indeed say 25. Look I did it again!

For those of you baffled by this concept (believe me I am!) I should explain that my dad had his first batch of kids at 18, and was a graying 40yr old when I was born, so my oldest niece is subsequently only a couple of months younger than me. Keeping up? And it turns out that she has not one, but two buns in the oven! And would you believe that she has two identical buns in the oven?? Oh my! Two lovely, squidgy, can't tell them apart bundles of trouble expected to arrive early next year.

So, once all my Christmas makes are done, I'm in danger of going overboard making things to fit little teeny tiny people. Teeny tiny little boy people no less. I just can't decide what to make - there's so much adorable stuff out there!

Doodle Days

It is extremely frustrating not to be able to do something you love to do. Especially when it's been so hard to explain why I've found it so difficult to craft over the past few months. A few weeks ago I had a bit of an "aha moment" when I realised that I associate crafting with illness, with not being very mobile, and maybe even as a way of fending off the insanity of insomnia. In essence, I used to craft when I was at my lowest, and I think somewhere in the back of my mind I still associate the two. My life is so different since having surgery and moving back to Wales last winter - I am well, I'm healthy, I'm physically active, I sing, I'm sociable, I'm rarely at home, I'm happy - everything that I wasn't last year. And I think my avoidance of crafting is because I don't want to revert back to the way I was.

I'm being silly. Crafting is not going to make me ill again. And the sooner I break that association the better, because quite frankly (beware of the forthcoming blowing your own trumpet moment!) it's something that I'm good at. I shouldn't let my strange brain hold me back.

So, get to the point Nel. You're quite right I am rambling somewhat. I have been missing crafting. A lot. I've been craving that feeling of accomplishment when you see ideas plucked from your brain materialise into something real, touchable, beautiful. So to give myself a creative quick fix (and a little to save on funds, but mostly to satisfy a making itch), I doodled a couple of friends some Birthday cards:

My sister's fella now has an excuse to be grumpy and cantankerous!


Again, apologies for the crappy photography.

I think I'm really developing a liking for doodling. It's taming my symmetrical brain, things don't need to be even, seams don't need to match up, anything you imagine is fine and nothing is wrong. Happy days! And more importantly it's easing me into my old creative ways. I think all in all, it's gearing up to be a handmade Christmas after all!

Inspiration

It's October. October! Is it really October?? I decided that the best way to deal with my lack of sewing inspiration was to do nothing. Just let it come in it's own time. But that seems to have backfired somewhat because it's October. (Is it really October??)

But never fear my fellow craftsters, a recent addition to Jemima HQ has turned my uninspired-ness on it's head. Look!

I have been given, yes given, a 1947 fully functioning electric singer sewing machine. With detatchable hand crank no less. It is hands down the best present I've ever had.

Very annoyingly I've been having some camera trouble but I had to take this quick snap on my phone to show you the paintwork - it's pristine!!

Isn't it the most beatiful thing you've ever seen? I am officially in love. And I can't wait to give her a good workout. Watch this space for lots of crafty goings on! :)

In the Garden

Folksy Friday

Good morrow. How are we all on this fine day? Well fine day is pushing it a little but it's not raining so I'm happy. Unfortunately I'm no closer to finding my sewing mojo. I'd allocated today to sewing and crafty goodness, and so far I've done the washing up, tidied the flat, and baked a loaf of bread. I suppose it's no help that my rotary cutter seems to have grown a pair of legs and sneaked away. Grrrr where has it got to?!

Anyway, I've been looking at my stash and thought I'd try and make myself some cushion covers with some of the fabrics. As it happens my flat seems to have acquired a rainbow colour scheme so I've got free rain really. We'll see what I come up with.

But for your viewing pleasure, here's my Folksy Friday cushion selection:

The Language of Love by Betsy Jarvis.

Hand printed lampost cushion by Joanna Corney.

Screen printed flora cushion by Astrid Weigel.

Rue de Champs-Elysees screen printed cushion by Do Come Again!

Custard Cream screen printed cushion by Nikki Made.

So I seem to be back on top of the blogging malarkey - happy days! I'm hoping to get a few books reviewed for you over the weekend. For once I don't have many plans so I might hermit away in my garden (gray concreted yard more like!) with some yarn and enjoy the sunshine. Fun times! :)

Wishlist Wednesday

Oh look, a second blog post in a week. Might I actually be keeping my promise? I think so!

Now today's Wishlist Wednesday is a bit different. This is something for my immediate wish list, rather than my grown up one. You see I seem to have lost my sewing mojo. Boo! So far this year I've been all about the knitting, I've crocheted myself a throw and more recently I've been bitten by the growing bug, but I look at my sewing machine and I don't get that thrill of excitement I usually do. Anyone else gone through uninspired spells like this?? I'd appreciate some tips if you've got any!

Anyways I'll leave you with these pretty pics - maybe if I stare at them long enough I'll leap forth light bulb moment style and fire up the machine. Fingers crossed! :)

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Bad Blogger

I have officially become an atrocious blogger. Slap my wrists someone. I can but apologize. I do however think that I'm settling in to a bit of a routine so things should be getting back to normal in the blogosphere. I've got a few crafty goings on to share with you this week, but as I've spent the past couple of days pottering around the garden I'll leave you with some spring flowers to enjoy in the mean time.

WIP Wednesday

Help! I have been lost under a pile of granny squares!

I decided that I'd make myself a housewarming prezzie so I thought I'd make me a throw for my sofa (yes I do now actually have a sofa - no more floor for me!). I've crocheted 81 of these purple and cream squares and I've joined two thirds of them but have sadly run out of yarn! So this project is being put on hold whilst I scour t'internet for a match.

Maybe I'll pick up the dreaded shawl and give that another go in the mean time!

Happy St. David's Day

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus i chi gyd! I spent our patron saint's day in our capitol city, marching through the streets of Cardiff in full Welsh costume. Pipes and drums and dancing - what better way is there to spend an afternoon??

Anyways I'm absolutely shattered now, so I'll love you and leave you in favor of a big bowl of cawl and a welshcake. Nos Da!

Folksy Friday

Good morning! Well it's a wet and miserable one today but I'm having fun unpacking more pretty things to put in my flat. Most of my stuff has been boxed up for the past 4 months and I'm finding a ton of stuff I'd forgotten I owned!

Anyway, whilst I try to cram candles and trinkets into non-existent space I'll let you look at some pretty things too!

Sequin hair clips in pink by SeamSoEasy.

Poppy Hair Grip By Culture Closet.


Felt Hair Clip by Eva Millauer.

Hair Clip by Alex McQuade.

Hair Clip Set by Lollipop.

Well I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the weather to improve a little. All this rain puts a dampener on my walking plans this weekend. Although I'm missing my beach a lot I'm lucky to be minutes away from Cardigan Wildlife Park, with runs along the river Tivy. I'll put up a few pics for you next week!

Wishlist Wednesday

Ok so on top of my to do list is to schedule blog posts! So it turns out that my blogging days have become my busiest days of the week. I'm gonna have to start writing in advance me thinks. Anyhoo, this week it's Wishlist Wednesday and this week I have my eye on some lovely prints to liven up my magnolia walls.

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So I'm nearly all unpacked now and have started doing a bit of me crafting. I'm currently crocheting my fingers off trying to make a throw for my currently non-existent sofa. It's fulfilling my granny square obsession no end! Pics to come! :)