My 1st Crochet blanket

Hello again my lovelies! Wow have I got some catching up to do, so I'm jumping straight in with this one. Back in the early Summer I went on a crochet course to learn (at last) how to crochet without it looking like something the cats had been playing with :) I did try to teach myself last year but it was a disaster (probably because I had too much on my plate at the time) all that I got out of it was frustration. My lovely friend Andrea (*waves*) and I went to Toft in Rugby and was taught by a lady called Emily who was a fantastic teacher, she even compensated for the fact I was a lefty!! 

From the second I'd finished crocheting the first row of colour it clicked and I was hooked lol and I just couldn't wait to get started on my first blanket!

Of course it had to be a blanket for my room and of course it had to be mint green and lime green.

It's addictive, I can literally lose myself in it for hours and it feels so therapeutic. Not to mention the self pride when you start to see the blanket take shape.

I literally crocheted every where and whenever I could, I even took it with me when we went to Liverpool for the weekend. It didn't bother me in the slightest that the Lorry drivers were giving me funny looks as we passed them on the motorway :D ha ha!

Even though Mr.B kept asking 'when will that be finished?' I thought it didn't take me that long to make, but when I think back now it took me about 2months to finish it completely. So it was definitely a labour of love.

It's so warm and cosy and will be perfect for the colder days/nights in my sewing room! I just need to learn a different stitch to the zigzag now...the challenge is set!!! 

Emma xxx

Crochet hook rolls, oh yes and pretty button too!

Happy Friday my lovelies, I hope that you've had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. I know I am, I'm hoping to be able to spend a couple of hours sewing at some point. Skimming through my saved posts I had almost forgotton to show you this....

What do you do when you learn to crochet, you buy some pretty crochet hooks and you want somewhere to keep them safe????? Well you go and make yourself a hook roll of course :D

In my favourite colours too!

I actually added a loop later on to safely store my embroidery scissors too....perfect.

It wouldn't be complete without some cute buttons.

Finishing touch...one of my labels. 

I love it, practical and pretty.

Have a fantastic weekend,

Emma xxx

True x Bias - Ogden Cami

Hello my lovelies....I am so sorry for the extended silence from my blog, let me explain. You know that I started a new job a couple of weeks ago right? Well I am pleased to say I'm still there and starting to settle in. On the down side, I have to travel more which means I am out of the house for longer than normal...so sewing, blogging and generally being creative has taken a bit of a back seat. I'm sure things will settle a bit more and I will find more of a balance between work and being creative. 

Whilst dinner is cooking I thought I'd pop by and say hello and then I realised that there are a load of draft posts that I have yet to finish. This was me kinda preempting that I wouldn't have much time in the first few months to regularly blog!! Win win!

So I thought I would start with another make, I can't remember exactly when I made these, it seems like such a long time ago now. I'd seen so many creatives out there making them and they all looked so fantastic I knew I had to get the pattern and try it myself!! So off I trotted to down load it from http://shop.truebias.com/product/ogden-cami. The fabric I chose, I did because I had seen others making Ogden's in them and they looked fab....

Again it was an easy pattern to follow, a front and back piece, front and back facing pieces and the strap piece. The instructions were easy to understand and in no time I'd whipped up my first and was already onto the second!!

With the sizing on this one I made the size 4 as per my measurements, although it was a good fit I think for the next one that I make I will go for the next size down or maybe the one below that? Surprisingly I did make a toile in the size 4, which I thought was perfect but seeing it in the finished fabric I think I would like a smaller fit. I think that's the beauty of making your own clothes, if it's not quite right you can change it next time. I love learning from mistakes...trial and error makes it all more worth the effort when you get the perfect fit.

I am still yet to take some full length photos of me wearing them, but I think it will be a while before I get round to that. If you were thinking about buying this pattern I would highly recommend it. I think the style suits a variety of body shapes and you can dress it up or down with the type of fabric you choose. I'm hoping to make some more in a nice crepe for work wear. 

Well that's all from me tonight...hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to show you some more makes. Hope you've had a fab weekend. 

Emma xxx

September.....

Well my lovelies, I can hardly believe that it is September!!! Does that now mean that the Summer is over? I hope not, I dont think I'm ready for tights, big jumpers, log fires....hang on they all sound pretty nice to me, I love being cosy :D Maybe Autumn wont be as bad after all!

As you all know I finished work back at the end of May and I have had a wonderful three months to myself, sewing, baking, cooking, reading....just generally being creative without any timelines or routines. It has been amazing and although I wish it could continue, reality is I have to get back to work. Bills have to get paid, you all know how it is.

So cue the many job applications, interviews and me stressing myself stupid about going back into a job. Then finally this week it happened.....I sent in my CV, I was asked to go for an interview, I was nervous - god I was nervous, so much so I couldn't even eat breakfast. Five minutes into the interview and I was totally fine. The company is small but with a large turnover, the people are lovely, the office is AMAZING, the job is exactly what I was looking and hoping for......it almost all sounds too good to be true!!! And then they offered me the job on the spot!!!!! My first day will be 11th September and I cant wait, I'm so excited. Do people actually say that about going to work lol :D

I just hope it all turns out as I hope and that I am good enough to fulfil the position, 13 years in the same company was a very long time, so it makes you nervy about something so different and new.

So this means that everything changes again, I will be stocking up my website and etsy shop this coming week and I'm afraid that will pretty much be it for the short term. I am still trying to set up my new venture (I can never just do one thing at a time lol) which will be slow and steady. But until I settle into my new job, which is different hours and further to travel to, I have no idea what 'spare time' I will have. I will still hopefully be making clothes for myself and will try to keep my blog updated as much as I can. 

They say, nothing ever stays the same, well that is very true for me. Another unexpected chapter to be written and I'm going with it, who knows where it will take me???

I have lots planned for next week so hopefully there will be a few posts for the next couple of weeks to keep you going :D

Have a fabulous weekend, we have my Dad visiting this weekend so that will mean, good food, good wine and good company......

Emma xxx