And the times, they are a'changin'

I want to talk a little about autumn, but I'm afraid you're going to have to put up with some rubbish mobile phone pictures to go along with my wonderings. I really need to get around to reading my phone's camera instructions. Or nagging my husband to bring his camera everywhere we go.

The trees above are just a month apart, but look at the difference. I've read elsewhere on the web that the autumn colours are disappointing this year, but those thoughts are coming from bloggers in the south of the UK. Up here in the north, things are glorious. There seems to be much more yellow than usual, in beautiful oil-paint vibrancy. Autumn has been slow, too, with a hesitancy to move through to full-on winter and not enough storms to blow all the leaves away. The lingering is much appreciated. I'm looking up everywhere I go. I'm enjoying it with feet in crisp cornflake-like leaf fall, and eyes in the deep yellow hues of a revelling autumn. My nose always accepts an invite too, for there is that beautiful mulchy decay in the crisp air, and wafts of wood fire waiting to surprise you as you go.

It's such an amazing time of year for walking. Oh you just have to get out in the woods, accept the mud that cakes your walking boots and buggy wheels, and take scarves and gloves that will be peeled off in the autumn sunshine. It's not just the leaves that delight, but there have been fungi treats everywhere. I can't help but look out for them. On trees, in grasses, wherever the damp and decaying can be found. Every time I wish I'd brought a mushroom book with me. My favourites are the bubbling mountains of frogspawn-like blush fungi like in the photo above, right. Or the giant crescents that grow out from trees above your head, like a shelter from a storm. 

We enjoyed the berry season so much, mostly on the hoof as it's pretty hard to get a small child to pop a jewel of candy-like blackberry delight into a box to take home rather than their mouth. Now I'm seeing the shrivelled, dried-out remains of the blackberries that were ignored or forgotten, and will give themselves back to nature. The undergrowth is thinning and the evergreens, hardly noticed the rest of the year, are starting to show off again. The robins seem so much more profuse, although they were here all summer long, and I choose to conveniently forget that they are not the sweet, timid little creatures we like to think they are. Autumn is, after all, as much a fantasy of our concoction as a reality of decay and Darwinian dances. 

Every year in spring I think, "no, I was wrong about autumn and this definitely is the best season". Come every autumn, my allegiance changes again and I crown it king. I like these two changing seasons the most, when the world wakes up and then goes to sleep again.

 

The pine cones, acorns, spinning jennies and conkers are the jewels I'm coveting now. I want a cape of crisp autumn leaves, mustard-coloured like so much of the tree decor this year. I want a crown of mushrooms with a robin on top. Well, I accept I'd look just a tad ridiculous. I shall just have to put on my outdoor gear and go kick leaves.

I have sewn...

... I've created a new page on the tabs above - 'I have sewn', showing many of the things I've sewn. Feel free to take a casual look or use it if you'd like me to make you something. Here's a sneak preview...

 

Sunshine on a rainy day*

(* yes, you have to sing that)

Does that cheer you up a bit? Chatsworth in the summer. And that's the back of the Little One when he was a bit littler.

How about this? It's a Malteser birthday cake (Nigella, naturally, and found in 'Feast') that I made (again) for the Big One's fourteenth. Yes, fourteenth. I feel ancient.

 

Or this? Pumpkin pie for Halloween. It was a Hummingbird Bakery recipe that I slightly over-did with the cloves. But it was universally loved.

 

It's been rainy both actually and metaphorically. Really, really hard. One of those days when you never catch up with the version of yourself that's getting it all right. When you get to the end of the day and feel like, although you've hardly stopped all day, your list of things you wanted to get done still lies unaccomplished.

 

I have so much to do. And blogging isn't on the list so goodbye friends! Let's hope tomorrow's better.

 

 

Toddler's builder's belt tutorial

Surely I'm not the only person out there with a sewing machine and a number of very little builder friends?! I've made three builder's belts in the last few months, and I figured a proper tutorial was in order for any other little builders out there. I've never written a tutorial, but I'm not afraid of something new so let's go!...

 

 

This belt should fit your average 2-4yr old with room to grow. The pretty belt above was my first attempt, which is why there's a pocket on either side of the belt's velcro 'buckle' and some tool loops too. When making more, I found it better to have the loops on one side and the pockets on the other, which this tutorial shows you how to do.

 

1. Cut out your belt fabric. Use something thick like canvas that won't require any interfacing. Cut one strip of 66cm x 10cm. This will be your belt. If you have a toddler waist nearby to measure, measure it and adjust accordingly! You need a decent overlap for a long-ish piece of velcro that will allow for growth. Cut another piece of 26cm x 9cm and another of 26cm x 6cm. These will be your tool pockets.

2. Fold your longer, belt piece in half along its length and press with your iron. Fold both of the shorter ends in by 1cm each, press and then sew to secure.

3. Now for your pockets. Fold over 1cm of a shorter end on both, press and sew down. Then fold each piece in half to make a pocket, and adjust so that you have 4cm of fabric exposed at the top as in the picture. Press with an iron. Make sure your sewn hem faces outwards.

4. Now, sew down each side of the two pockets with a 0.5cm hem, making sure you backstitch at both ends and that the backstitch at the pocket top runs right over the hem fold. Remember, clumsy toddler hands will be trying to force hammers into these pockets!

5. Turn your pockets inside out, using a knitting needle or similar to get into the bottom corners. You will notice that just above the pocket top the single-width fabric naturally folds over at an angle.

6. Press your pockets with an iron, pressing the natural angled folds at the top of the fabric too (see picture). It doesn't really matter where the tops of these folds peter out, just that they match on both sides of the pocket (in my case, there's about 1.5cm unfolded fabric left at the top). Then use a zig-zag stitch on these folds to secure them and prevent fraying. Make sure you don't sew onto the pocket part itself. There must be a better, neater way to do this but I'm still too much of a beginner to know it!

7. Now return to your belt fabric. Unfold it. Cut a 4-5cm piece of velcro, separate and sew one part in place about 0.5cm below the long fold on the belt at one end, and just clear of the hem on the belt end. Do the same at the other end of the belt with the velcro twin, but on the other side of the long belt's fold. I.e., make sure your velcro matches up when belted (one piece visible on each side of the belt). Sorry, this is a bit hard to explain so I hope it makes sense! Have the scratchy side of velcro facing outwards from the tummy so that your toddler doesn't get scratched by it.

8. Right, let's make the tool loops for the belt. Get a new, contrasting piece of ordinary fabric that's at least 40cm long and 10cm wide. Fold it in half longwise, press, and fold each half in half again towards the middle and press. All the folds should face the same way - see photo! You won't necessarily need use the whole length of fabric in the end, but you can't know how much you'll need until you start sewing.

9. With the fabric folded up, sew along the open length to make a quadruple thickness length of fabric. You needn't sew up the short ends: we'll be sealing them in a minute.

10. We're going to start sewing the tool loops in. Place your canvas belt flat down, unfolded and with velcro facing up. Fold the end of your coloured fabric over by 0.5-1cm, place on the belt about 2cm from the end of the velcro (so that, when worn, the other end of the belt doesn't touch it) and just below the long belt fold line. Make sure your coloured fabric runs parallel to the canvas belt. Also make sure your long seam on the blue fabric faces down so tools slide in unimpaired. Sew down.

11. Time for your judgement. I can't give you measurements here, but just allow a nice loop that will hold a tool, sew another parallel line down to hold it in place and keep going. Remember the loops need to be accessible, so don't extend them beyond where the child can reach back. I make the loops all slightly different spacing and tightness to allow for different tools. If you have the toy tools to test as you go, lucky you! Once you have 3 loops, cut the end of the coloured fabric to the right size for your fourth loop then sew down.

12. We're almost done. Time for some assembly. First, fold the long lengths of your belt over to make 1cm hems and press with the iron.

13. Now place your two pockets on the other end of the belt to the coloured tool loops you've just made. Place them inside the belt, 1cm down from the belt inner fold and with the first pocket 1cm from the end of the velcro on the other side of the belt.

14. Carefully holding the pockets in place, fold the belt down over them and pin in place. Mine were not as precisely measured as yours will be, hence being slightly different lengths! Now you need to finish the assembly by top-stitching the whole belt: sew down the short end of the belt then all along the length and up again. Your topstitching will seal both the pockets in place and should just skirt the bottom edge of the coloured tool loops.

15. It'll help you to see the whole thing. From left to right: non-scratchy velcro on the other side of the belt end; then two pockets; then a gap where the child's back is; then the row of tool loops; then the velcro facing upwards at the other end (just visible). And yes, that's my shadow in the bottom right corner. I'm such a masterful photographer (insert sarcasm here).

Shall we have a look at the belt all assembled and fastened?

How about from above? Or with tools in?

And for good measure, let's have a few looks at the first belt too.

There you go. I do hope your little builder enjoys it!

Trick or treat

 

Completely useless title for this post: yes, it's Halloween; but no, I've nothing Halloweeny for you. Patience my friends! I am, however, showing you a statue from Chatsworth that I think would make a fabulous costume... one to hold in the bank until the kids are bigger I think. It's a Barry Flanagan sculpture from an exhibition that has just ended. We loved it.

 

Anyway, to business. Shall we catch up on some sewing? I was a bit poorly in August, but September saw the following creations:

More name bunting, for another new arrival. I couldn't tell you what all the fabric is anymore, though I hope you'll recognise Miffy in the 'O'. The red check is from Ikea and the beautiful green tigers behind bars are from Eleanor Grosch's Zoo Menagerie collection, which I purchased here.

I also made a 'man bag' (for want of a better term - yes, I know the better term is messenger bag) for my littlest brother. It is the best thing I've ever sewn, technically speaking, and the pattern was from Mollie Makes issue ten. The original design was quite 'shabby chic' but that won't do for a non-shabby man! So I went with some masculine Ikea fabrics with a hint of deckchair about them.

 

I'm especially proud of the lining and the inner pocket. Now here's the embarrassing confession: I've not sewn an inner pocket before. Or a lining for a bag. Or curved corners. Or, wait for it...

A buttonhole. But now I've done it all, I'm hoping I can progress from novice sewist to beginner sewist. Only 43 more rungs to climb then! (Oh I wish I could say I was daunted but actually I'm desperate to get back on the sewing machine. I'm quite pathetically addicted).

Boo! (a.k.a. she returns, with random thoughts)

Is anyone still out there?
It doesn't matter if you've gone. I'm happy to write to myself a while.

 

I've been doing some building. And some re-building. Life has been good for some time but it is only recently, in the last few weeks, that I feel like I'm getting into my groove. The groove that I had pre-two-toddlers. The groove that I have on my better days and in my better hopes. I'm being the me I'm supposed to be and that's a stellar feeling.



I'm counting my blessings more. I'm getting drunk on the small things. I'm remembering what really matters and I'm also accepting that the things that don't really matter are sometimes still important, if they give you that stellar supposed-to-be feeling.

Back in the summer when we found this beautiful, heart-scratching memorial, I couldn't help but think about how small we are in the crowded vaults of history, and yet how each small loss is a universe of pain and tragedy. This grave-marker haunts me still, but in the nicest of ways. It is good to remember how we all blend into a galaxy of stars, but each one can house a full planet of living. It has been good to think on this as my dad stood up against death's front door, and then, to all our joys, was carried far away from it again.

I am hunkering down, embedding into the curtain-shutting that is autumn. I am feeling very present in our homemade village, and glad to have its soil under my feet. It is a beautiful place, no? We chose to be here. It has involved sacrifice and compromise, but I defy you to find a positive choice in life that hasn't a little darkness at the edges. That's our tiny garden by the way, with the rotary washing line up. It's been like that for weeks, despite air-drying being a distant memory. The rain (see above!) has caused our mossing, rotting decking to turn into an ice-rink, so I can't safely get down to put it away.

I had no idea what I was going to write today, only that today was the day to start writing. It turns out I'm in a random, philosophical musings kind of zone, so if you're still there you'll have joined me in it. We'll get back to normal around here soon. That building I'm doing is really a kind of growing. Little ideas are rising from sapling to, I hope, spruce-like immensity one day. I'll tell you a few of my practical plans before I go...

• The blog's coming back into regular use. I just like doing it. After so much questioning of it and its purpose, I've decided that's reason enough.
• The sewing's a lot more regular these days. I've made quite a bit in the last couple of months. I'm going to show it to you.
• The sewing's also getting closer to the tiny little business I dream of. I've got more research to do, but I plan to make, make, make until Christmas to up my skills and experience, and then boom.
• I'm going to give this little blog more of a regular shape. It's really just a sapling idea for now. Watch this space (quite literally).
• Already thinking of Christmas, there's a lot of crafting to get done until then.
• I have lots of home plans too. Does this blog have space for the odd bit of DIYing? Do I?!
• It was my birthday very recently. I got a breadmaker. I'm saying here in black and white that I'm not buying any more supermarket bread, but making all my own. Ha! I know, I fail on all my plans. But I get more done than I would've done if I hadn't planned at all.

And with that, a bientot.

Return to sender

Remember me? Yes I was the one who was blogging then abruptly stopped.

 

It was summer. We were busy with (very) occasional sunshine, holidays, children whooping it up (usually in opposite directions).

 

Plus there are some other reasons.

 

I have this sort of thing which is like a variation on post-traumatic stress. I don't want to write about it, certainly not here (which is my happy place), but it rears its ugly head every now and then and my life shrinks down to the very basics. Blogging is not a basic. And so I disappeared for a while, and climbed back up from the blip, and now I'm back again.

 

Also, I started blogging because, in my naivety, I thought it might be a route to getting my writing back up to scratch and getting published. Writing is embedded in my heart. I have to do it. And I also want to be read and paid for it. But in the blogging world I'm learning that that ship has passed. When the blogosphere was less crowded you really could get noticed this way, but now there are thousands upon thousands of blogs. Being so late to the party, I don't think it's going to pluck me from obscurity.

 

So when I stopped blogging, I found it hard to find the motivation again that sent me here, to my little obscure corner of blogland. I'm not naive enough any more.

 

I've decided to blow a raspberry at that original motivation. I just like writing. I hope you read it but it's got to be about the journey, the process of writing, rather than the end of getting published. Just because dreams don't usually come true, it doesn't mean you should stop dreaming.

 

So I've returned. Hello again. And it's an apt time, because September is known as the return month, the time the summer's frivolity is left behind and routines are returned to. I know winter comes at the end of the year but I think summer is the true end. Once that peak has been reached, we're all ready to turn the page and settle back into the earth.

 

I really, really love autumn. You're going to be hearing a lot about it on here soon!

 

Thanks for having me. x

In which I sew some gifts for children

It appears my sewing mojo has returned with a little bunny hop...

I made this little rabbit puppet for a one-year old. Unusually, I made it from a pattern, found in this book by Ellen Luckett Baker of The Long Thread blog. I loved making it, though it took ages and hand-sewing those arms in with two rounds of running stich and an overlock stitch took the longest of all! Still, I'd gladly make another one. It's just so lovely.

Goodbye little bunny - this one has already left for its new home.

I also made some name bunting for a friend's new little boy. I was inspired by Mary Emmens' name bunting, but made it up myself as I went along. To stop the letters fraying and to give them more structure, I used bondaweb. The back (unseen) is leftover blue sheeting from my play house project. The front is a mixture of new, old and very old fabrics (in fact the 'N' is from a dress I wore as a girl!). It has a sort of sky/moon theme to it. I'd love to make some for my boys too. Yet another thing to add to the I-meant-to-make-it-but-I'll-never-get-around-to-it list!

And lastly, for a special little girl turning three, I made her a birthday crown. She has a lot of inner princess, so I hope it suits! It has medium-weight interfacing inside for structure, as well as upholstery-weight fabrics (gosh I do love that pink spot). I thought about adding beads to the points to make it a bit more regal, but she has a little sister (she of the bunny-gift above) and I didn't want to make the crown too tempting to a one-year-old's mouth!

So there we go. I'm heading back to my sewing corner now to work on some UFOs (unfinished objects) for, shock horror, our house! It's lovely making gifts but it's a real treat to sew something we can keep.