Skip to main content

The Importance of Being Creative

It's been a few months since I wrote a blog post. Life, work, kids, pandemic - it all got a bit hectic and I haven't had headspace to sit and write anything here.

That's not to say I haven't been creative or crafting. I have. In fact I wanted to reopen the blog with a brief musing on how important it felt to me to continue crafting even though at numerous points over the summer I was stressed, pushed for time and exhausted. 


Cecilia 'helping' me by sitting on some new makes I was photographing.


During this time keeping up some creative activity was vital. There were days that I struggled through while constantly feeling an almost physical urge to go and make something. It gave me a focus, a calm and a sense of achievement outside of everything else that was going on. And it's just lovely to make something, even if some of the seams are wonky or the lines of stitching could be neater!

I'll aim to recap a few of the makes I worked on over the summer, while also continuing my 'week in crafting' summaries.

Cleocatra 'assisting' me with taping a new pattern.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Top Tips for New Sewers

 While I still consider myself a beginner sewer, I do feel that I have made some progress. It's now been about a year since I started sewing again, having not got far at all the first time I tried. I dusted off the sewing machine to make some face masks at first, and that really boosted my confidence to start making more and more. Recently I made a couple more face masks and was surprised at how much better I was at them and how much I understood about the reasoning behind the construction method and pattern. Proof of progress!  So even though I still feel very much like a beginner, and have a LOT still to learn and many skills to practice, I thought I would share the most useful things I have learned to date plus some resources that have helped me. 1. PINS . Seriously. Pin everything together. Then go back and add more pins. I used to shove a couple of pins in and then get cross that the fabric slipped or the lines were wonky. Pins (or clips) are your friends. Make your seam ...
4 comments
Read more

Eco-friendly Upcycled Face Wipes

 I recently ran up some eco-friendly face wipes for a friend. These are designed to replace cotton pads or face wipes, and are washable. To increase their green credentials I made the pad section from an old towel. I had some charm squares spare, so used those as the backing fabric. I cut the towel into squares that were slightly smaller than the charm square, and wrapped the fabric over the towel piece to form a small border.  I then sewed the top fabric down with a zigzag stitch. This meant I was mainly sewing on the fabric, as my machine can't sew through towel (unless I haven't found the right setting or needle of course)! Very very simple, but pretty and functional! There are lots of tutorials for other ways to make these face wipes, such as:  https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-make-reusable-make-up-remover-pads/ It seems to be even more simple with an overlocker:  http://juliawithanh.com/sewing/23-reusable-face-pads You can even crochet some! https://dab...
Post a Comment
Read more

Failing better...?

 Choosing to ignore the many arguments about whether Samuel Beckett's 'Fail Better' quote is less motivational and more despairing when actually read in it's original context I'm here today to blog about why I find #sewingfails a useful (if still a dispiriting) experience. And why I think making a toile or muslin is a must in dressmaking, especially when trying a new pattern for the first time! This started with an experiment (SCIENCE!) - In the Year That Shall Not Be Named I had planned to get back into sewing more than I have in recent years. I started the year with a brand new sewing machine (my trusty vintage New Home having finally died a death), a plan to take a class a month on something  craft or sewing related and a vague internal promise to actually use up some of my ridiculous sewing fabric stash. I...failed. Classes were cancelled after I only managed the first 3 (Jan-Mar), WFH did not bring bags of time & energy for sewing and from Monday to Friday ...
4 comments
Read more