A Bouquet of Crochet

Well maybe not a bouquet, more like a posy but sent to say thank you for all of your lovely, funny, helpful, glorious, boobage comments on my last post. What a wacky bunch you are, lol. I must admit for years I've thought about having a reduction but firstly, I'm a big cowardy-custard and secondly a firm believer in the 'If it aint broke, don't fix it.' brigade.

Be assured I visited all the helpful links and tips you gave me and although dressmaking is on a back burner at the moment, I will return to it scissors in one hand, pins in the other, frown on face and no doubt sticky-out-tongue... well...sticking out!

But first a little thank you project for you to have a go at.

Take some scrummy yarn, any odds and ends will do. I used some dk cotton.


Grab a hook and crochet up some simple flowers.
I started with one of those loops around my finger that you can pull and tighten up when you've finished. Then I simply crocheted 5 petals each made from 3ch, 1trb, 3ch, 1sl st all into the starting loop. Don't worry about any of this just do your own thing.


Snaffle up an old necklace and take a pair of scissors to it. (Little tip, don't cut the necklace without a basin underneath it first to catch those pesky, bouncy, little beads.)

Next raid the garden for suitable twiggy bits. This is far harder than it sound, you don't want anything too thick, brittle, nobbly, slimy, green etc. Elderberry bush worked quite well.

Mix all the above with some PVA glue and sticky fingers.

TA-DAA!

This idea was inspired by the two dull blue flowers with chunky white wooden beads at the bottom of this picture. Pretty... but room for improvement. I think mine are faaaaar prettier.

 hope you agree?

If you don't have an abundance of twiggy stuff in your garden, wooden barbecue skewers cut down work just as well, as you can see from the picture above.

Please pop back soon to share a cuppa and my latest exciting project.

All will be revealed.

Love Fi x

Dressmaking...The Final Frontier

I'm not quite sure where to start with this post so I'll just 'plunge' straight in.

I've got big boobs!

This is no boast my friends quite the opposite, without getting deeply embroiled in a moaning monologue, they make clothes shopping very depressing if not almost impossible.

I don't own any blouses or shirts, I have 2 dresses. The first was bought about 3 years ago for a wedding (floaty and far too dressy for everyday wear) and the second was bought in desperation from a charity shop last year whilst away on holiday when there was an unexpected heatwave and I'd only packed jeans and jumpers!(this one being rather Monroe-esque and far too clingy for my ample figure). My entire wardrobe seems to be made up of dark trousers and stretchy t shirts.

Now I'm really quite a girly girl and occasionally I'd like to dress as such, nothing fancy just a simple dress and pretty flipflops when its warm, you know the kind of thing.

As you may have noticed I'm quite handy with a sewing machine. I can stitch up a fabric cupcake or a pretty bunny rabbit without too many problems so I thought, why not have a go at making your own dress Fiona.

Excellent idea!

Now I have dabbled with dress making once or twice before. At the age of 12 I made a hidious brown polyester A line skirt at junior school. At about 16 I made a pair of floral baggy elasticated shorts and in my 20's I managed quite a nice v neck fitted dress, so I know my way around a pattern, notches, seam allowance, tailors tacks etc., shouldn't be too much of a problem...

With the help of my mum I carefully chose my pattern, multi sized, flattering crossover v neck, simple straps and back. I'd even thought about how to customise it myself to give extra bossom room. How difficult could it be?

THIS DIFFICULT!

Here are my THREE calico attempts at getting the bodice to fit! You can see the last one has notes written on it to help if I'm ever desperate enough to pick it up and have another try!

I altered the armholes, I added more fabric under the bust, I even made darts where there weren't any... all in vain. I tried it on, I pinned, I took it off, I snipped, I stitched, I tried it on, I pinned I took it off. On and on until I chucked it on the floor and pouted like a child.

Now I don't like to be beaten. I had set out to make a dress and a dress I was going to have. After a quick rummage in my fabric stash I pulled out a length of navy jersey type fabric that was about 14 years old. I remember buying it from a Laura Ashley remnants basket with the intention of making child #2 some leggings when she was a toddler (she's now 16 and wouldn't be seen dead in Laura Ashley). I grabbed a stretchy crossover top from my wardrobe and plonked it on the fabric and drew around it. Without any measuring or messing around I quickly cut it out and started stitching. What I haven't told you is that it was now 4pm and we were going out with friends for a meal a 7pm.

I snipped and stitched like a woman possessed, not bothering to measure, tack or mess around making sure my seam allowances and turnings were correct.

two and a half hours later...

TA-DAA!
Home made maxi dress with tie belt.

And yes I wore out to our dinner date even though I'd not had time to turn the hem up, (nobody noticed) and I felt wonderful in it. It's sooooo comfortable and girly, I can't wait to wear it again.

Don't laugh! I know it looks... well ... odd, but it was the only thing I could think to do, to make my lovely slender maniquin (Ethel Maud) more my shape. Necessity, the mother of invention and all that. This is attempt #3.

My own design again but with a stable fabric.(I told you I don't like to be beaten.)

It's NOT going well.

I'll keep you informed...

love Fi x

Edited to add...

For all of you girls out there with plenty of 'boobage' (I love that term Bibbitybob and if I could, I'd give you some) Bravissimo do a range of clothes for big boobed women called Pepperberry. A little out of my everyday price range but much better than the stuff they used to do.

A gift for Mum.

This is my latest offering on the applique art front.

Inspired by my Mum and Dads house and pretty garden.

I made a little watercolour sketch to help me pick out the important features.


Plants on the patio.

Wisteria over the window.

Leaded windows and a suggestion of brickwork.

Stepping stones in the lawn and shrubs around the pond.

Finished just in time for Mums birthday!

And luckily she loved it, she even shed a few tears.

love Fi x

Guerrilla Knitting

Psssst....over here...look what I did!

I've been wanting to do a spot of yarnstorming for a looooong time now.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go to google images and type in guerrilla knitting or yarnbombing.

Now I have to say I don't agree with all yarnstorming. For example, I don't think you should cover a whole tree with it, after all a tree is beautiful in its own right but an ugly grey sign post or railing...well that's a completely different matter!

Would this make you smile?

Inoffensive street art, causing no damage, easily removed even biodegradable as its pure wool. Of course it's got to be done tastefully, some of the guerrill knitting out there is down right tatty and ugly in my opinion. But with a little thought and care it can look pretty, funny, interesting, witty and inspiring.

Got to go the yarn is calling!

x

Community Bunting.

Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my last post. I really wasn't expecting such a response to my DIY fencing, lol! You know what they say...'Necessity is the mother of invention.'

I've been busy a stitching and a sewing as usual. This post finds me a stitching in the garden, well you have to make the most of the sunshine don't you. I've been making 'community bunting'.
A lovely friend and neighbour asked me if I'd like to give up an hour or so and help sew some bunting to be used for our village gala in June. Well how could I say no, after all my sewing machine and I are practically joined at the hip, I start doing 'cold turkey' if I go a day without switching it on.
Apparently this bunting can be borrowed from the gala committee by anyone in the community for parties, weddings and the like, hence the title, Community Bunting. Luckily someone else had already done the hard part of cutting out all the lovely flags, I just had to sew it together. It kind of came in kit form...a carrier bag of precut flags and a roll of tape.

No I didn't stitch all this, lol. It does look wonderful though.

And talking of home made.

A little sneaky peek of my latest artistic offering.

All shall be revealed.

Till next time

love Fi x