tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35445724645546926052024-03-13T19:03:31.242+00:00The Pin and ThimbleAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-3153691706046737152014-10-12T11:09:00.000+01:002014-10-12T11:09:10.924+01:00100//100 Progress: Day 50<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IpofWOEaq9A/U-ORPFToiZI/AAAAAAAAAT4/vFTc2YBnxRo/s1600/100100%2Blogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IpofWOEaq9A/U-ORPFToiZI/AAAAAAAAAT4/vFTc2YBnxRo/s1600/100100%2Blogo.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Wow, those 50 days went by <i>fast. </i>With only one <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/myrtle-does-venice.html" target="_blank">finished garment</a> under my belt so far, I'm not quite making the progress I had hope for but I have been sewing more frequently than ever. I'm learning new skills and upping my sewing game. That was the goal. It's still the goal.<br />
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Time to crunch those numbers. Today (Sunday 12th October) is day 50 of the challenge. I have sewn for 32 hours. Not quite up to date huh?! I had a feeling this would happen when I went back to work. I am currently temping and that means I could be traveling anywhere in London. Last week, for example, I had a nearly 2 hour commute. Having spent 4 hours on a train and done a full days work, I did <u>not</u> feel like turning on that sewing machine.<br />
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Still, Day 50 is not over yet. Whilst I have no plans to crush those 18 left over hours today I can definitely cross a few more off the list. Want to see a shot of what I'm working on?<br />
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What are you working on this weekend?Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-37996003321948358842014-08-30T13:39:00.002+01:002014-08-30T14:23:47.023+01:00Myrtle does VeniceCiao Amici! Chris and I have just returned form our honeymoon on the Venitian Riviera, it was blissful, we ate (and ate) very well, and mostly relaxed by the pool or on the beach. We did take a day trip to Venice itself, only an hour or so away from our resort. Where better to take photos of my first <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/100100.html" target="_blank">100//100</a> finished garment? I thought the <a href="https://www.colettepatterns.com/sewing/myrtle" target="_blank">Myrtle dress</a> by Collette Patterns would be an excellent addition to my holiday wardrobe; easy to throw on but still glamorous. Here she is.<br />
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I used a very drapey knit fabric from Goldhawk Road (I forget which shop) which I had bought with a completely different project in mind. I only had two metres of this fabric which is almost a whole metre less than the pattern calls for. Thankfully the pattern is non-directional so with a little creative cutting I managed to squeeze it out of those two metres!<br />
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I cut a size Medium as all my measurements fit into that size bracket but I think the bodice has come out a little large. There is a lot of spare fabric going on as you can see from this shot of the back, although I don't think the way I'm standing is helping with that!<br />
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If I were to make another Myrtle, I think I would cut out a Small and do an FBA as the dress does sit wide on my shoulders, so it either slips off them or I pull them in resulting in the rather low neckline you can see in this photo!<br />
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Despite these fit issues I'm very happy with this dress and have already worn it quite a few times. I was worried about inserting the elasticated waistband but the instructions were very clear and it went without a hitch! I also left out the skirt pockets in the end, they were distorting the line of the skirt so I ripped them out and closed up the side seams. I wouldn't have used them as pockets anyway!<br />
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I finished this dress on day 6 of my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/100100.html" target="_blank">100//100</a> challenge and it took me almost exactly 6 hours to complete (including removing the pockets), so at this point I am up to date. Hurray.<br />
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As for Venice itself, I have to say Chris and I were a little disappointed. Whilst it was nice to wonder around the back streets of Venice, getting lost and coming across many sweet court yards and almost falling in the canal at the end of a few streets, there isn't that much to see and do outside of the Piazza San Marco, which is heaving with tourists (it was the height of the holiday season to be fair) and the ques for the Basillico San Marco and the Doges Palace where miles and miles long! Not to mention, everything is ludicrously overpriced! We're hoping to go back when it might be a little quieter so we have a chance to see some of the big tourist attractions, Chris' parents visited in February and had a whale of a time!<br />
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Have you ever been to Venice? What did you think?</div>
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Catch you soon.</div>
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Alice</div>
Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-46990086276556574902014-08-09T09:13:00.001+01:002014-08-12T12:17:54.856+01:00100//100<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be a master of your chosen skill. That's an hour a day for well over 27 years! Yikes. Of course if you are cultivating a skill professionally it would take less time, and of course this is an arbitrary rule that implies there is only one definition of mastery. Exploring that issue would be an entirely different post!<br />
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So, what's my point? Why am I blathering on about hours of practice?<br />
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I have decided to set myself a challenge.<br />
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I have been sewing, on and off, for about 2 and a half years now. I am definitely a better sewist than when I started but I want to increase my progress speed, I want to get just that little bit closer to 'mastery'. With this goal in mind I am taking a small amount of inspiration from the 10,000 hours theory (1% to be precise) and will be endeavoring to sew for 100 hours in 100 days!<br />
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It's no mean feat and requires an average of an hour a days sewing (a lot more than I do now) but the entire point of this challenge is to push my sewing self (and spend fewer evening watching back to back episodes of 24) and increase my sewing skills.<br />
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I will be tracking my progress here, posting all my makes and hoping that a few of you might join me, or indeed help cheer me on!<br />
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A challenge like this wouldn't be complete without a few <strike>rules</strike> guidelines, so here are mine:<br />
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1. Sew for 100 hours over 100 days (obviously)<br />
2. "Sewing" refers to nearly all the processes of creating a garment, including pattern alterations and cutting fabric but not assembling PDF patterns or tracing patterns.<br />
3. Work on one project/garment at a time.<br />
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And that's it. Keeping it simple.<br />
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The 100 days kick off today and I'm aiming to be finished on Monday 1st December.<br />
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(I know this date is more than 100 hundred days from the start date but I have 2 one week holidays scheduled during which I will not be able to sew!).<br />
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Does anyone want to join me? I'd love some company, whether you start with me today or set your own time frame. All good challenges have a blog button so you can grab one below whether you're joining in or cheering us along!
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Have you set yourself any sewing challenges lately? How many hours do you think you've spent sewing?
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Alice
Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-55875035808809911512014-08-07T16:33:00.000+01:002014-08-09T08:58:05.812+01:00The Big Return...Hello?.... Is there anybody out there? Nope? Fair enough, it has been a whopping 18 months since I last posted here! There are reasons/excuses and so on but in the spirit of a fresh new start (and not wanting to bore anyone into a deep slumber) I shall move swiftly on.<br />
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I have some exciting plans for this little virtual space of mine, and will be revealing them over the next few weeks.<br />
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For now I shall keep it short but sweet and leave you with a few pictures of what I've been up to in the last year and a half...<br />
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* Sewing ONE HUNDRED METRES of bunting<br />
* Celebrating on my Hen Weekend..<br />
*...In Brighton<br />
* Tasting our fabulous wedding meal<br />
* A birthday at the Rainforest Cafe<br />
* There were brand new ducklings at work and it was awesome.<br />
* A very relaxing holiday in Corfu<br />
*Getting married!<br />
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Catch you soon.<br />
<br />Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-45889891689739057102013-02-12T14:57:00.000+00:002014-08-07T15:39:08.357+01:00Sew Grateful Giveaway Winner!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXl4FOQJXTT_CgP52sHswkk0mna-p7MBPQY6Uz83C2ed_2Mt7rTHw3h2gD-lA65Subgzzx4kzNE9WasL4_3MXx8KBzo8EyozW8T-laCpzlKDWcwGmfM8ebiZFzuztJVGneFv8Kk7kuI0M/s1600/DSCN0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXl4FOQJXTT_CgP52sHswkk0mna-p7MBPQY6Uz83C2ed_2Mt7rTHw3h2gD-lA65Subgzzx4kzNE9WasL4_3MXx8KBzo8EyozW8T-laCpzlKDWcwGmfM8ebiZFzuztJVGneFv8Kk7kuI0M/s640/DSCN0295.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thank you to everyone who entered my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/sew-grateful-week-my-first-giveaway.html" target="_blank">first ever giveaway</a>, I loved reading through all you comments and it's lovely to have so many new faces around here, I will be enjoying exploring all your blogs soon too!<br />
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So...the big announcement....<br />
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Congratulations to...<br />
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Emily C of <a href="http://callenderscreations.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Callender's Creations</a>!!<br />
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Emily I will be in touch soon to get your details and will get the fabrics sent off to you asap. Congratulations again!<br />
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Many of you expressed a desire to be entered for a specific piece of fabric, but just to be clear the giveaway was for both pieces together, sorry if I didn't make that clear before.<br />
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Bye for now friends,<br />
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Alice xxxAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-66475943950252736472013-02-05T16:39:00.000+00:002013-02-12T20:42:14.789+00:00Sew Grateful Week: My First Giveaway. Now Closed.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Hello Friends. Unless you live under a rock (or don't follow sewing blogs) you'll know that this week is <a href="http://fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com/p/sew-grateful-week.html" target="_blank">Sew Grateful Week</a>, organised by the fabulous Debi of <a href="http://fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Happy Sewing Place</a>. During the week, we all celebrate the value of the online sewing community, what it means to us and how it has helped and taught us. Such a brilliant idea. Thanks Debi!<br />
Debi has put together a fun schedule for us to follow along with and the first order of business (which was meant to happen yesterday, I am, as ever, a little behind!!) is to host a giveaway. So here goes, my first ever blog giveaway.....<br />
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I am giving away two lengths of lovely cotton.<br />
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Both are a little more than 2 metres and about 115cm wide. I bought them both because they're so pretty, but I know they are not my style, I wouldn't wear a garment made with them, but I'm sure there are lots of lovelies out there who would look fabulous in them.<br />
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To enter, just leave me a comment letting me know how you follow my blog, you must be a follower to enter, and if you like, let me know how you would use the fabric. I'd love to know.<br />
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The giveaway is open until midnight GMT Sunday 10th February 2013 and I will randomly select the winner on Monday 11th February 2013 (which also happens to be my birthday, yay!).<br />
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Good luck everyone!<br />
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Alice xxAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-5468511692368261222013-01-02T15:27:00.000+00:002013-01-02T15:27:02.384+00:00Quilts by Christmas Update.Hello friends, I hope you've all had a lovely festive holiday and a very happy new year to you all. I spent the holidays surrounded by all my favourite people and LOTS of delicious food, it was brilliant. However, now the holidays are over it's way past time I updated you on my crafting progress...<br />
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<a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c71c353ef017c324e4849970b-500wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c71c353ef017c324e4849970b-500wi" width="640" /></a></div>
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Way back in October <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/quilts-by-christmas.html" target="_blank">I challenged myself to make 2 quilts by christmas</a>, joining in with a great challenge from <a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/" target="_blank">Elise</a>. Unfortunately I only managed to finish 1 of them before Christmas and I'm still working on the other but I am delighted to have made my first quilt, I love it, and more importantly so does my Mum. Wanna see?...<br />
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I'm so pleased with how it turned out and I'm pretty impressed that I managed to finish something on such a large scale.<br />
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My favourite part of making this quilt was sewing together the quilt top. It was great seeing the triangles turned into squares, squares into rows and finally rows into one big rectangle, so exiting seeing the pattern come together gradually.<br />
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I used a white bed sheet for the backing, it has a lovely soft texture for snuggling under. For the quilting I used white for my top thread and blue on the bottom,unfortunately this picture doesn't really show the blue against the white very well, but it looks great in the flesh.<br />
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Getting the quilt through my sewing machine was the toughest part of the whole make, the poor thing needs a break after sewing through all those layers. I walked away with many a pin scratch and a rather sweaty brow! I even managed to break a needle, oops! I'm glad I persevered though because I think the diamond pattern looks great, especially on the back.<br />
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For the binding I used leftovers from the quilt top fabrics, not only did it save me some money (I was originally planning to do it all in one fabric but I couldn't find anything I liked) but it turned out even better that I expected, I love how the colours and patterns look next to the plain white background and I think a new colour or pattern would have been too much next to the busy-ness of the quilt top.<br />
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I hand sewed the binding to the back with a blind stitch which took AGES, I even roped Chap in when I'd had enough, he sews very well! I think on my next quilt I'll cheat and machine it!<br />
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It was pretty hard to part with this baby but my Mum absolutely loved it and spent all afternoon snuggled up under it on Christmas day (as we watched and fell asleep in front of Doctor Who, it's something of a Christmas tradition in our house) so it was totally worth it. It looks great in my Parents room as they decorated it in blues and whites, which Mum thought was a fabulous coincidence, it wasn't; I totally planned it that way!!<br />
Have you made anything recently that really pushed you? Any great gifts for friends or relatives?<br />
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Alice xxxAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-28435883063541501292012-12-01T14:14:00.000+00:002012-12-07T13:36:55.677+00:00Blue Period Part Two: More adventures in dying...Months and months ago, I bought a <a href="http://www.hm.com/gb/product/99106?article=99106-B#article=99106-B" target="_blank">lovely lacy knit jumper from H&M</a>, I wore it ALL the time, if I was having a stress about what to wear, I always reached for it. Then, one fateful night I wore it out to see a friend in a (spectacular) play and we had drinks afterwards, drinks plural, lots of drinks, I was on the red wine, well until the red wine was on me, all down the front of my favourite cream jumper. If I hadn't been having so much fun, I probably would have cried. The next day I tried a bunch of stain removal tricks and then I put it through the machine but there was still a trace of that naughty stain. Boohoo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not sure how visible the stain is here but trust me, it's yuck.</span></td></tr>
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Now, before I ventured into sewing and crafts I would've mourned the loss of my top and/or just bought another one. Ok, so I did just buy another one (have I mentioned how much I love this top yet?) but I didn't have to say goodbye to the old one either. I figured if I dyed it a darker colour, the stain would be hidden and I'd have a whole new wardrobe option. Hurray. So what colour do you think I dyed it friends?.. Yep BLUE!<br />
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I used <a href="http://www.dylon.co.uk/home.php" target="_blank">Dylon</a> Navy Blue dye but because the compostion of the jumper is 50% wool and 50% polyester I knew it wouldn't come out navy, but that's fine. I really love the shade it turned out, it's a bit different and now I have more blue in my wardrobe. Woop!<br />
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Not a huge project but I love how it turned out so I thought I'd share...<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-38681163427287938542012-12-01T13:32:00.000+00:002012-12-01T13:32:41.445+00:00Blue Period Part One: Long overdue Pendrell Blouse.It has become increasingly clear that I am obsessed with the colour blue. I own 9 blue dresses, 2 blue skirts and 2 pairs of blue shoes, I even have some blue undies, oh and a pair of navy blue trousers! See; obsessed. So I'm sure, now you know this, it will be no surprise to learn I have a number of blue projects to share with you, some finished, some still in the planning stage...<br />
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So, what's first? Did anyone guess what garment I shared a <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/thoughts-on-inspiration-and-productivity.html" target="_blank">sneak peak</a> of? Those of you who guessed it was a Pendrell Blouse from the ever brilliant <a href="http://sewaholic.net/" target="_blank">Sewaholic</a>, were right.<br />
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I bought this fabric AGES ago during <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/after-to-dorothy-perkins-to-exchange.html" target="_blank">a trip to Goldhawk Road</a> (looking back over that post I realised this is the only fabric I've used from that trip back in March, clearly I am a hoarder) and I finished this blouse a good few months ago, I just didn't get it together to take pictures, oops.<br />
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I did my first pattern alteration on this baby, nothing major, I just took the hips in a little as I'm not quite as pear shaped as the Sewaholic measurements.. All the same I was pretty terrified to cut bits off my (traced) pattern, I'm a wuss, I know. I'm really pleased with how the fit turned out, there's enough room in the hips for wearing trousers underneath but it doesn't flare out in a hip size increasing manner.<br />
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I chose to make view B which features double ruffles on the shoulders but I left off the inner ruffle that goes along the princess seams because when I made my muslin it just felt like too much was going on. I don't exactly have a small bosom so I have to be careful about adding too much to the shoulder/bust area. I think I made the right choice and the single ruffle sort of cap sleeves are super cute.<br />
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So what did I learn.....<br />
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<u>Lessons learnt making the Pendrell Blouse.</u><br />
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<b>How to adjust hip width: </b>unsuprisingly I used a <a href="http://sewaholic.net/pendrell-sew-along-5-altering-the-hip-and-waist/" target="_blank">tutorial</a> to do this, in fact I followed the entire <a href="http://sewaholic.net/tag/pendrell-blouse-sew-along/" target="_blank">sewalong</a>, hurray for sewalongs.<br />
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<b>Princess Seams: </b>I had no idea what princess seams were before this blouse, I did find them a bit difficult, it was definitely a square peg, round hole moment for my brain, but I'm glad I persevered as they're super flattering.<br />
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<b>Uuuuuummmm.....: </b>I can't remember what else, it was so long ago now but I'm sure there's more...<br />
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I'm really proud of this blouse, it's the most worn of all my makes, it fits nicely into my everyday wardrobe and (when the weather warms up) I'll be wearing it lots more.<br />
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I am LOVING this pattern and I have a whole rainbow of them planned in my brain, but I think I will definitely be making one in a similar satiny cream fabric with the pleated drape sleeves featured in View C.<br />
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Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend.<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-88917351650406621682012-11-11T13:43:00.001+00:002012-11-11T13:43:32.496+00:00Sometimes I'm organised....but not often!The lovely <a href="http://pointlessprettythings.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Rachel from Pointless Pretty Things</a>, posted <a href="http://pointlessprettythings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/diy-letter-organiser.html" target="_blank">this great tutorial</a> for a letter organiser and I soon as I saw it I knew I wanted one, and with all the <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/something-pretty-special-happened.html" target="_blank">engagement</a> cards we've been receiving we need one as well!<br />
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I didn't have any pretty paper to hand so I made my own with some flower stamps and paint.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurray for pretty flowers.</td></tr>
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Then I covered the cereal box cardboard in my new pretty paper and assembled my organiser. It didn't cost me a penny, I had all the supplies already and it makes our hallway look a little bit lovelier!<br />
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Thanks Rachel<br />
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P.S. I know that this project wasn't from my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/thoughts-on-inspiration-and-productivity.html" target="_blank">list of allowed projects</a> but I have ZERO money so I can't buy some much needed supplies to finish them off...see, I am not an organised human! Hehe!<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-16401612358678062122012-10-27T23:38:00.000+01:002012-10-27T23:38:11.647+01:00Something pretty special happened...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F8A-wJ3PRwgCC8UqidDVRODAM8uC3tAojKAit56TfNiZtmA7ogxSn5sU4m422dEQG2p94zs4rr7yZxxaINIpGw8j3OTwZgO5_2pfmQrSq-tCRcdK0as3ycao2z8FkEAz8Vd0f48-eSw/s1600/Engagement+Monage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F8A-wJ3PRwgCC8UqidDVRODAM8uC3tAojKAit56TfNiZtmA7ogxSn5sU4m422dEQG2p94zs4rr7yZxxaINIpGw8j3OTwZgO5_2pfmQrSq-tCRcdK0as3ycao2z8FkEAz8Vd0f48-eSw/s640/Engagement+Monage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">his mum, my dad, me, him, my mum, his dad. </td></tr>
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On Sunday 21st October 2012, my incredible boyfriend proposed to me outside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the south bank of the River Thames. I don't think I actually said yes, I was too shocked, but had I been able to speak I would have done, it's all a bit of a blur really, a wonderfully happy blur.<br />
The surprise didn't stop there though, with the promise of champagne my new fiancee led me to The Swan bar where we were greeted by a wall of cheers from all our family and friends who had been waiting with baited breath to celebrate our engagement with us. It was the most overwhelmingly special day. Chris is the best person I know and I can't wait to be married to him. And now, because I'm feeling super loved up and mushy, here are some more pictures of us...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheeky trip to Paris</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The train gave us free ice lollies, it was awesome.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dressed as cats for our friend Kat's birthday!</td></tr>
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<br />Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-14015651132842917942012-10-19T11:32:00.001+01:002013-01-03T21:43:30.680+00:00Thoughts on Inspiration and Productivity.I am a planner and a list maker, the trouble is I'm not so good at ticking things off those lists. I find this problem is even worse when it comes to craft projects. I have endless lists of clothes I want to make and crafty things to make for our home, and I think part of the problem is the huge amounts of inspiration that is available out here on the internet, in blogland. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about all you wonderful, inspiring, creative lovelies, I think you're great, but the wealth of sewalongs and challenges and inspiring makes can be pretty overwhelming sometimes. I imagine for some, super organised people, this wealth of inspiration is an incredible thing, but I am not organised, I am a scatter brain and, sometimes, downright lazy!<br />
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So, what is the solution to my never ending lists and projects that never end? Firstly I'm going to have two lists, sounds crazy I know, how can more lists help? Well, one will be for all my ideas and will probably go on growing forever and ever. The other will be a few projects I must complete before I can start ANYTHING else, well anything crafty that is! This is my current 'shortlist':<br />
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1. <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/quilts-by-christmas.html" target="_blank">Christmas quilts</a><br />
2. A small art project to hang in our bedroom (I've already started this and will be posting about it soon)<br />
3. A Christmas gift for my sister, which will probably be a quilt, I am really enjoying making my Mum's quilt at the moment.<br />
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Finally, just to prove I haven't been completely un-productive over the last few months, here's a sneak peak of something I made quite a while ago but STILL haven't managed to photograph properly!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH13jAFieTo03ZEwxIBZjGR4MaP22Ne5C-AThQN6D2sU-r-R_pH5rRDaD8v3VawcjtyJ_KMPjq4IgqW9sRkOm76GqYnlDl3L90QMG3epC4Wt-hnbnWYeRzlYDlT-HyN8Vu6N0AziZ4jdg/s1600/DSCN0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="593" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH13jAFieTo03ZEwxIBZjGR4MaP22Ne5C-AThQN6D2sU-r-R_pH5rRDaD8v3VawcjtyJ_KMPjq4IgqW9sRkOm76GqYnlDl3L90QMG3epC4Wt-hnbnWYeRzlYDlT-HyN8Vu6N0AziZ4jdg/s640/DSCN0587.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can you guess what it is?</span></td></tr>
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How do you keep on top of all your projects and ideas?<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-17719976688982836422012-10-17T13:30:00.000+01:002013-01-03T21:43:20.412+00:00Quilts By Christmas.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c71c353ef017c324e4849970b-500wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c71c353ef017c324e4849970b-500wi" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to <a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Elise</a> for the great logo.</td></tr>
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I'm joining another sewalong/sewing challenge. I found being part of <a href="http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/tag/pyjama-party/" target="_blank">Karen's Pyjama Party</a> such a great motivator and I'm hoping <a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2012/10/feel-up-for-a-quilt-challenge.html" target="_blank">Elise's Quilts By Christmas Challenge</a> will do the same. <a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/" target="_blank">Elise's Blog</a> is choc full of inspiration, I constantly marvel at how productive she is and when I saw <a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2012/08/material-13-of-27-fabric-into-a-triangle-quilt.html" target="_blank">this beautiful quilt</a> I knew I wanted to make one myself and when Elise posted a <a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2012/09/how-to-make-a-triangle-quilt.html" target="_blank">brilliant tutorial</a> I knew that I <i>could</i> make one myself! I now have plans for two quilts; one for our bedroom and one for my Mum for Christmas. If I get those finished before December I will also make one for my sister but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, I've never made a quilt before! I made digital plans for my quilts because I don't have the space to lay out the real pattern pieces and get a nice random pattern. These are my proposed quilts. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqena7_d6FSbQsFc1AQst4XJRxA_A-KJlpVdVva42QFv5aO4TStKEe_6yMjPoKWt6LUMaev353LIFpXCkMS6eNYcv2BFxR9pyV-xbWhfwOcs0OPf73ZKYjxIGtcW9utwbSvbhYuo_wFOw/s1600/Bedroom+quilt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="553" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqena7_d6FSbQsFc1AQst4XJRxA_A-KJlpVdVva42QFv5aO4TStKEe_6yMjPoKWt6LUMaev353LIFpXCkMS6eNYcv2BFxR9pyV-xbWhfwOcs0OPf73ZKYjxIGtcW9utwbSvbhYuo_wFOw/s640/Bedroom+quilt.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This one is for our bedroom, the representations of the fabrics I'm using are pretty crude but this will be so helpful when I'm putting it all together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_jK4CYiJkrOaKIDjsaYsN6-7OxsLSvSxaEz21JqkcE20Zwlyoj88Dr_j0KRQnJtc0CszYtbih7coldRkGHRK3-gZvg0D2YPSJmd3NbbKOiZ6oK9QpqfC7sv1QLtA6eiDLr7MKbHMjfs/s1600/Mums+Quilt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_jK4CYiJkrOaKIDjsaYsN6-7OxsLSvSxaEz21JqkcE20Zwlyoj88Dr_j0KRQnJtc0CszYtbih7coldRkGHRK3-gZvg0D2YPSJmd3NbbKOiZ6oK9QpqfC7sv1QLtA6eiDLr7MKbHMjfs/s640/Mums+Quilt.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This one is for my mum. I've got all the fabrics for this one chosen and I've started cutting the patterned fabrics (I'm waiting for the block colours to arrive in the post) and I'm really excited to start putting it all together. </div>
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Have you started any crafts for Christmas yet?</div>
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Alice x</div>
Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-3197674561861486812012-09-08T11:31:00.002+01:002012-09-08T11:31:20.009+01:00Hello. Do You Like My New Look?Hi friends. It has been a long ol' time since I last posted round these parts. Let me start by saying a long overdue and a huge THANK YOU for all the lovely comments on my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/finished-tie-dye-picnic-skirt.html" target="_blank">latest creation</a>, each one meant so much to me and made me giggle with girlish glee. I am <i>so</i> pleased you liked it!<br />
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I've had something of a reshuffle over here. My old blog design was really thrown together just so I could get it out there so yesterday I spent <strike>pretty much all day</strike> some time designing a new blog banner (I used GIMP if you're interested). My chap very kindly drew me the logo (he's talented like that), because when we were thinking of blog names, I liked 'The Pin and Thimble' best because it sounded like a lovely old country pub, I love old country pubs. Hence the pub sign inspired logo. Apart from the banner, I decided to keep things simple and fresh and let the posts speak for themselves...hope you like it.<br />
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I'll be back soon to show you something I finished ages ago but haven't had time to photograph. For now here are just a few instagram snippets from my summer (you can follow me @alice_fearn)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2r0UwWI68ZDLzSzE2KDpHf_idHMExCXaR0lAD-xxVB4j2sTXcOSn625mKSecV6LUiWM0yH0bKiPF_JQVDiB0YxGb49EFmongJvwAfQmFm7MsDPuYfRFW_ibAgLkUsGEPTGUTgqmdOwk/s1600/Instasummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2r0UwWI68ZDLzSzE2KDpHf_idHMExCXaR0lAD-xxVB4j2sTXcOSn625mKSecV6LUiWM0yH0bKiPF_JQVDiB0YxGb49EFmongJvwAfQmFm7MsDPuYfRFW_ibAgLkUsGEPTGUTgqmdOwk/s640/Instasummer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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1. An impromptu dinner date with my chap at one of our favourite restaurants.<br />
2. Chap looking especially dashing...<br />
3. I loved the clangers growing up so this book display made me super happy.<br />
4. I'm not a sports fan but London was super cool during the Olympics.<br />
5. Trying out the cupcakes at a new local place: Chocolate and Orange = YUM.<br />
6. This is my cat Lily, she is old and she smells but I love her. Also she lives with my mum.<br />
7. Summer skies are beautiful.<br />
8. I lived in these shoes all summer.<br />
9. Again, not a sports fan, but I couldn't miss seeing the Olympic Torch!<br />
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It's been a pretty great summer and I have more pics to share but I'll save them for another time. My best friend is moving in with me and Chap today so I'm off to help with the unpacking and then drink wine and eat pizza. Have a great weekend lovelies.<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-23075718533253303992012-06-27T13:22:00.000+01:002013-01-03T21:42:52.984+00:00Finished Tie Dye Picnic SkirtHi friends. Here is the finished product from my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/adventures-in-tie-dye.html" target="_blank">adventures in tie dye</a>: A Picnic Blanket skirt made using <a href="http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/p/picnic-blanket-skirt.html" target="_blank">this excellent tutorial</a> from <a href="http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/" target="_blank">Tilly</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2EYaMIvFFcsYV2wGvHV-B9F41QfO7WT48jfufriLmMmItMBZd7fXKosYYd1Dxfje20FjFRoj_aU23vDBZcanQ3lJL_e6yOqDRb4PILrS7sxsHc5WRYP-P4A-h5w3a33k61z1Im6_RTk/s1600/DSCN0527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2EYaMIvFFcsYV2wGvHV-B9F41QfO7WT48jfufriLmMmItMBZd7fXKosYYd1Dxfje20FjFRoj_aU23vDBZcanQ3lJL_e6yOqDRb4PILrS7sxsHc5WRYP-P4A-h5w3a33k61z1Im6_RTk/s640/DSCN0527.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I really enjoyed making this skirt, the tutorial instructions were super clear and easy to follow, and the skirt itself is pretty simple to make, very satisfying for a beginner like me.<br />
I used my tie dyed fabric for the body of the skirt and some more of that cheapy white 'cotton' for the waistband. Originally I wanted to use bright turquoise buttons, but as the grey colour turned out so pale I went with some cute baby blue buttons instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-_XNjWp6aY-nqeB4w3NezM5cxesc-LHZ4FbNLs9z5VNu8BNYXz84-N3oyMF0eFFYcZz3EpnPbBDZL3flR8Ye1qWHJnHgjwu1SeIZsTckaF_yavVRZy8VBqJAfiztjdu5_FIlZSLeYt4/s1600/DSCN0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-_XNjWp6aY-nqeB4w3NezM5cxesc-LHZ4FbNLs9z5VNu8BNYXz84-N3oyMF0eFFYcZz3EpnPbBDZL3flR8Ye1qWHJnHgjwu1SeIZsTckaF_yavVRZy8VBqJAfiztjdu5_FIlZSLeYt4/s640/DSCN0542.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Because the material is a little bit too see through I decided to make a slip for this skirt.I used <a href="http://sewaholic.net/make-your-own-slip-version-1/" target="_blank">this fab post</a> from Tasia and whipped one up in just under 2 hours.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fk94eUTkm_wRxib3G1QmqyDLIrafmtcGM7OcWkMqCLEscxbiPW_MCfeHyvzThUgzB8StMIkAKNFJxDpEAz9LeVctLf-tTKKTFBZmtZNTpz_RLNmnfkFFG5IMidiXuRBgvd2gjQj5ivE/s1600/DSCN0537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fk94eUTkm_wRxib3G1QmqyDLIrafmtcGM7OcWkMqCLEscxbiPW_MCfeHyvzThUgzB8StMIkAKNFJxDpEAz9LeVctLf-tTKKTFBZmtZNTpz_RLNmnfkFFG5IMidiXuRBgvd2gjQj5ivE/s640/DSCN0537.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Almost exactly as this picture was taken someone came out of our building (the pictures were taken in our block car park) pretty embarrassing but hilarious too. </div>
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I made the slip out of the same fabric as the skirt (minus the dye) and added a pretty grey lace trim which you can see better in this picture:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4x3-jCMOgyxNS6NmDwUHT_rNAVj8SDR0Cbqai_DGBjM4XXxWIf63zgDHox7Mb_EVkfKzydRGZqRSgRbkJBlRs6HQV3EfFQr_wadIYUfEeW9aceQSjOIBM6AnqY-eHKVSHQXZcwh-YdVk/s1600/DSCN0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4x3-jCMOgyxNS6NmDwUHT_rNAVj8SDR0Cbqai_DGBjM4XXxWIf63zgDHox7Mb_EVkfKzydRGZqRSgRbkJBlRs6HQV3EfFQr_wadIYUfEeW9aceQSjOIBM6AnqY-eHKVSHQXZcwh-YdVk/s640/DSCN0544.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love this slip, it's so fun to be wearing a cheeky bit of lace under a fairly everyday outfit. I'll definitely be making more of these to go under other skirts! </div>
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So.. what did I learn whilst making these garments?</div>
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<u>Lessons Learnt on The Tie Dye Picnic Skirt:</u></div>
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<b>1. I need more practice and patience when it comes to sewing on top of gathers: </b>on both this skirt and my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/finished-crescent-wearable-muslin.html" target="_blank">crescent skirt</a>, I struggled with getting the waistbands sewn straight, what with all the gathers I had to sew through, the waistband on this skirt is a little wonky as a result but a little practice should fix it for next time.</div>
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<b>2.How to make buttonholes: </b>I love the buttonhole foot on my machine, it's so clever. It took me quite a few practice goes (and a little swearing, I can't lie) to work it all out but it was so worth it. Hurray for buttonholes!</div>
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<b>3.Polyester hates dye: </b>ok, so I kind of knew this already but not to what extent, although I do love how they fabric turned out, I was pretty surprised at just how much the colour didn't take to the fabric.</div>
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<b>4. Dye garments after you've sewn it up: </b>I cut out my three skirt pieces first and then tied each one separately, this means the stripes don't really match up at the front, never mind, I know for next time!</div>
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I can see more of these skirts in my future, they are so easy to make and so cute. Thank you so much to <a href="http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/" target="_blank">Tilly</a> for sharing this excellent skirt pattern, and for free, so very generous!</div>
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Alice x</div>
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Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-14801315143116611852012-06-23T20:16:00.000+01:002013-01-03T21:42:19.800+00:00Adventures in Tie DyePhew, it's been a while. I'd love to say that it's because I've been super busy doing all manner of exciting things, but that would be a lie. I just haven't been feeling the creative vibe these past few weeks so have had nothing to blog about! This week, however, I feel I've got my mojo back and have been making fun crafty plans and getting stuck in. For my first project, I've been playing with tie dye. My only experiences with tie dye is from summer camps, where we turned all our white clothes psychedelic! Whilst that was a LOT of fun when I was 9, I've gone for something a little more muted this time. I wanted big white and grey stripes (you know I love my monochrome) so I gathered my supplies...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCMVgYd0KvMnAAAfhaF9U6rKuL-4f02Ae1bhcGjcVZm09Vl6RVHjKeXfIkyisDLWaQ2Nly4_vhPZqQfB4gFFwY1LCZt-VSNyefsaYGjTTFf60rZ90yZ4aM8_YTYTt0p4cZKWDvBiswVk/s1600/DSCN0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCMVgYd0KvMnAAAfhaF9U6rKuL-4f02Ae1bhcGjcVZm09Vl6RVHjKeXfIkyisDLWaQ2Nly4_vhPZqQfB4gFFwY1LCZt-VSNyefsaYGjTTFf60rZ90yZ4aM8_YTYTt0p4cZKWDvBiswVk/s640/DSCN0519.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I used a cheapo white cotton, Dylon hand dye in Antique Grey and loads of rubber bands. Tying up the fabric took a ridiculously long time, probably because my stripes were almost 3 inches wide!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxeXMJ3OBR9NzsmRrmqNhSxqy8rzxvcxI4zs6JxoJGQhdOUpy_Z3dTNyqUj-x04w9I7IV7fa7KZ1_7lKT0zMxoYb_JTZTZaTU5Nw4eXB1qqEABKh2VQeR3d2h0NLo_6oJJxGf6O4stqk/s1600/DSCN0523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxeXMJ3OBR9NzsmRrmqNhSxqy8rzxvcxI4zs6JxoJGQhdOUpy_Z3dTNyqUj-x04w9I7IV7fa7KZ1_7lKT0zMxoYb_JTZTZaTU5Nw4eXB1qqEABKh2VQeR3d2h0NLo_6oJJxGf6O4stqk/s640/DSCN0523.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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After what seemed like an eternity I was ready to dye. I mixed up my dye, per the instructions, and plunged the fabric in. i gave it a good stir and then left it to work for an hour (giving it the occasional prod in between bouts of washing up, living the dream y'all). Now I had the sneaking suspicion that this 'cotton' had some kind of polyester content, it was only £2 a metre after all, but I now suspect that polyester is the bulk of it's content. The dye did not take well. This dye is meant to come out as a mid to dark grey, it did not.<br />
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See, definitely pale or light grey. But you know what? I kinda like it, I think it turned out pretty cool. Now all that needs to be done is to sew it up into it's intended garment.<br />
I've starting doing some sketches of possible garments using the croquis that came with a Simplicity Pattern Runway pattern I bought recently (more on that another time). It is so fun, I'm going to try and do it for all my projects. Here's the lady I drew for this project:<br />
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I'll be posting the finished skirt as soon as it's all sewn up and we can see how closely it matches the picture!!<br />
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Hope you're having a lovely weekend.<br />
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Cheerio<br />
Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-29891150163223655722012-05-09T13:29:00.000+01:002013-01-03T21:41:37.128+00:00Finished Crescent (wearable) Muslin.<div>
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It's finished!! Phew that took a while! I cut a size 8 but it's a bit too big, I can get my arm between me and the waistband quite comfortably! I think I'll make another wearable muslin, possibly in navy in a size 6 and, assuming that's not too small, I'l make yet another in my kingfisher fabric.<br />
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Apart from the roomyness, I'm very pleased with this make. I struggled with some of it at times but persevered and it's all turned out well.<br />
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I used a cheapo cotton (which I don't think is all natural, probably a poly blend) that was only £2 a metre. It was really easy to work with and I really like the colour. As with my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/spring-in-my-step-lonsdale-dress.html" target="_blank">Lonsdale dress</a>, I'm documenting what I learn from each project (totally forgot to do that with my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/party-time.html" target="_blank">PJ's</a>, oops) so her we go.<br />
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<u>Lessons learnt making the Crescent Skirt.</u><br />
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<b>1. Gathering: </b>I really like the gathers on the skirt and I'm so pleased to have learnt this, relatively simple, technique. It's amazing what tugging on a few threads can do!<br />
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<b>2. A new zip technique: </b>I don't know if there's an official name for <a href="http://sewaholic.net/crescent-sew-along-21-sewing-the-zipper/" target="_blank">this</a> technique but it terrified me at first. After a little patience and some trial and error, I got that zip installed and I was so proud.<br />
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<b>3. When sewing is making you angry, walk away: </b>As I mentioned, the zip took quite a but of patience. When I first read the sewalong posts I was baffled and cross about being baffled. So, I left it alone for a few days. I know if I hadn't I would have ended up making, potentially un-fixable, mistakes. After that I took it super slowly, stopping for a break every time my brain was finding it all a bit too much. I really felt like I'd achieved something when it was finished.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My proudest sewing moment to date!</td></tr>
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<b>4. Using bias binding on the hem might not always be best...</b>I think in this case it made the hem too heavy so it doesn't hang perfectly. Next time I'll try ribbon or bias binding that's ironed out to be single fold. I do like the way the contrast of the black binding looks though!<br />
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<b>5. Facings: </b>I had no idea what a facing was until I made this skirt. Now I do. Score.<br />
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I'm a big fan of this pattern. I think the waistband is really flattering (probably even more so when it's the right size!!), the pockets are really handy and the fullness on the skirt is lovely and girly. Plus, it's classed as an intermediate pattern so I feel VERY smug that I, a proper beginner, managed to finish it, although I should mention there is no way I'd have done it without Tasia's <a href="http://sewaholic.net/tag/crescent-sew-along/" target="_blank">fabulous sewalong</a>. Thanks Tasia.<br />
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Cheerio for now. Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-72816720639189705352012-04-28T11:28:00.000+01:002013-01-03T21:41:03.253+00:00Party Time...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here it is; time for the big reveal and more importantly time to talk about boys, get makeovers and eat chocolate. This is a pyjama party right?<br />
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I really enjoyed making these PJs. They were so simple but so satisfying and I am super happy with how they've turned out!<br />
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I added a couple of embellishments, a bow at the front of the waistband and some shiny ribbon trim at the bottom of each leg. I think it makes them a little bit fancy and you always wear your fancy clothes to a party, am I right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bows make everything so pretty.</td></tr>
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I was a little concerned I'd cut them out a size too big, especially after I held them up (pre-waistband) next to a pair of my ready to wear PJ's and my pair seriously dwarfed those from Primark! Once the waistband was done they looked a little more my size but I think, now that I'm wearing them, I could have cut out a size smaller and still been very comfy. Speaking of comfort, these jim-jams are so comfy. The fabric is slightly fluffier on one side so I made that the inside and, oh, it's like a big cuddle.<br />
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Now, onto component number two of pyjama party participation...what is my bed time reading?<br />
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I'm still working my way through 'A Suitable Boy', by Vikram Seth. At times I will admit that it feels like I'm wading through treacle in some parts of this book, but in others it's a breeze and I can't read it fast enough. The review on the front of the book says "make time for it...it will keep you company for the rest of your life" and I'm pleased I have done just that. I still have 500 or so pages to go but having read over 900 already that doesn't seem so many, I will be sad when it is over but I'm sure I will think of it often in times to come.<br />
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Thank you so much to <a href="http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Karen</a> for hosting this brilliant sew-along. Her posts were really clear and easy to follow and filled with her charm and wit. I laughed a lot while sewing along with her. It was so much fun.<br />
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<br />Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-43865486347596369832012-04-10T18:46:00.002+01:002013-01-03T21:40:37.468+00:00Karen's Awesome Pyjama PartyWahoo, I'm joining my first sewalong. The lovely Karen of <a href="http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Did You Make That</a> is hosting her first sewalong and I am so excited to be joining in.<br />
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This morning I was out the door like a shot to buy the pattern (there was a pattern sale on at my local shop so I got it for a mere £2) and some fabric. I knew I wanted some plaid brushed cotton, I already have 3 pairs of PJ bottoms in this fabric and I love them.</div>
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Now, as I say, I love these 'jamas but I'm sure you'll agree they're not in very feminine colours, so my other fabric rule was girly colours. Look what my other local fabric shop had in store for me:</div>
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The picture doesn't show the pinks and purples in the fabric very well but I promise they are there! There was also an exclusively pink plaid available but I don't think my manly PJ collection is quite ready for that yet! </div>
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Is anyone else joining in? I'm so pleased to have found a sewing community event that I feel my levels of ability can cope with and the deadline of 28th April feels attainable.</div>
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In other sewing news: I've been working on some muslins for both the <a href="http://www.salme-sewing-patterns.com/product/pdf-printable-sewing-pattern-kimono-top" target="_blank">Salme Kimono Top</a> and <a href="http://www.sewaholicpatterns.com/product/1101-crescent-skirt" target="_blank">a Sewaholic Crescent Skirt</a>. The Kimono top is pretty much finished short of fixing an upside down cuff but the skirt is proving pretty taxing, well it is an intermediate pattern. It was going well and I was tearing through Tasia's <a href="http://sewaholic.net/tag/crescent-sew-along/" target="_blank">great sewalong posts</a> but I've hit a snag at the zip insertion, I just can't wrap my head around it at all. I'm going to take a few days away from it and try again with fresh eyes/brain! Although I originally intended to sew this skirt up in grey denim I haven't had any luck finding the right fabric and today in the fabric shop I saw this beautiful cotton poplin and I just knew it was desperate to become a Crescent Skirt. I kindly bought it home and promised that one day I would fulfill all it's skirty dreams.</div>
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Isn't it lovely? I just love the bird (I think they look most like kingfishers) and bow print and it is grey so I haven't veered too far away from my plan.</div>
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What a nice Kingfisher he seems. I shall call him Kenny. </div>
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Cheerio</div>
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Alice x</div>
Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-23765712136603755162012-04-01T18:44:00.001+01:002013-01-03T21:39:56.811+00:00The 'Spring in my Step' Lonsdale Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I MADE A DRESS, like, a whole dress all by myself! Hurray for me! It only took, oh, about a month and a half, but, I did it. </div>
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I am so very proud of this dress. That's not to say that it is anywhere near perfect, there are plenty of things that could do with being fixed, like the waistband, my mortal enemy, is not straight. The bodice fit is a bit off, if I make this pattern again I will probably shorten it. The hem is a bit of a mess, It doesn't hang quite right, I still need to master folding and pinning a curve. However, none of these things bother me too much because this is the first real pattern I've ever sewn and it is definitely wearable. Yay! </div>
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Sarai of <a href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/" target="_blank">Colette Patterns fame</a> wrote a great <a href="http://www.coletterie.com/our-projects/the-bra-slip-and-lessons-learned" target="_blank">post</a> about documenting the things you learn with each sewing project, not to mention the finished slip project featured in the post is just too gorgeous for words. I shall take a leaf out of her book. As a beginner I hope this will help me to remember the things I have learnt and show, over time, how much I am learning and improving (I hope!!) So here goes:</div>
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<u>Lessons Learnt on the Lonsdale.</u></div>
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1. <b>How to cut out a pattern: </b>seems obvious? Not to me it didn't, I mainly used Tasia's <a href="http://sewaholic.net/pendrell-sew-along-7-cutting-your-fabric/" target="_blank">great post on cutting fabric</a> from the Pendrell Sew-Along, it was super helpful. I had no idea what a grain line was, never mind how to utilise it! </div>
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2. <b>Keep the iron on low when working with synthetic fabric: </b>ah, lessons learnt the hard way...melted lining was a low point but at least I learnt something from it!</div>
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3. <b>Markings and notches are there for a reason: </b>having sewn the wrong edges of my bodice pieces together I realise how important it is to make notches and pattern markings clear and to take the time to match them up properly.</div>
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4. <b>The seam ripper is my friend: </b>fast becoming my best friend. I am a beginner, I will make mistakes, probably quite a few of them. Without my friendly seam ripper I can't fix those mistakes. All hail the seam ripper. </div>
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5. <b>How to sew french seams: </b>I love french seams, I don't have a serger and i don't really like using zig zag stitches for finishing seam allowances, french seams are so lovely and neat and, where appropriate, I will be using them as much as I can.</div>
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6. <b>How to hand pick zip: </b>this one is a work in progress, I originally hand picked the zip for this dress but it came out<b> </b>bumpy and rubbish so I ripped it out and tried something else.</div>
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7.<b> How to use the zip foot on my machine: </b>the zip insertion in my muslin of this dress was a big ol' mess, because I used the regular foot not the zip foot, I didn't know such a thing existed! Looking in my machine's manual I found the instructions for the zip foot, gave it a go and hey presto a much neater zip. It's not perfect but it's an improvement. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl020C6vgxUDkjAm7Lq2GKTJb1vx4y6YM4mqfqSuJawMHR0wqjjVs3b883rV_UMzW8OEr8oEElfxehR0J0fbWNsHDfwV9z7m5_IEHBQAKJIEhJQt9Pr1IYkAvkHO1-Yt8IB5R5Wkk5-FA/s1600/DSCN0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl020C6vgxUDkjAm7Lq2GKTJb1vx4y6YM4mqfqSuJawMHR0wqjjVs3b883rV_UMzW8OEr8oEElfxehR0J0fbWNsHDfwV9z7m5_IEHBQAKJIEhJQt9Pr1IYkAvkHO1-Yt8IB5R5Wkk5-FA/s640/DSCN0259.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not perfect, but it's mine!</td></tr>
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8. <b>How to slip stitch: </b>I slip stitched the inner waist band and the hem (although the hem could do with a bit of a re-work)<b>. </b>It's a nifty little stitch that one.</div>
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Phew, lots of things learnt there, probably a few more I've already forgotten! </div>
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I think my favourite part of the dress is the pockets, I'm really pleased with how they turned out and I think they're a great design feature.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUmJ7FMw_Y_ahOHR-eKwyLADoa9azx9B1PWrF69hRiO8gGtKuxqAmgg6HxJXrOY-YsEIv7Pw450fcuI2AEqt3S8SQsneX3YYah4tHmH07ps_Plm28KQ6afaehcLw6oP32MMKUbvY6vHY/s1600/DSCN0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUmJ7FMw_Y_ahOHR-eKwyLADoa9azx9B1PWrF69hRiO8gGtKuxqAmgg6HxJXrOY-YsEIv7Pw450fcuI2AEqt3S8SQsneX3YYah4tHmH07ps_Plm28KQ6afaehcLw6oP32MMKUbvY6vHY/s640/DSCN0254.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love them pockets.</td></tr>
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I've named it the 'Spring in my Step' dress because spring has well and truly sprung around these parts and the joy of finishing this dress had made me all bouncy!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurray for spring</td></tr>
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I hope there are lots of things putting a spring in your step. I'm off to do some spring cleaning!<br />
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Alice x</div>
Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-90209456058330926152012-03-13T10:19:00.001+00:002013-01-03T21:39:23.272+00:00I Love the Weekend (no.2)Oh, weekend, where are you so brief? This was the weekend of lamb.<br />
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On Saturday chap and I spent the morning pootling about the shops in Balham. I made friends with the lovely man in a local fabric shop, he gave me 4 metres of cotton (bought to make a few, hopefully wearable muslins) for the price of 3, new best friend. He has a huge selection of block colour cotton for £2 a metre, this is where I will shop for all muslin fabric from now on!<br />
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In the afternoon, we headed off towards the country side to have dinner with chap's family. Having forgotten to have lunch, we had pasties on the train, I love a good pasty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YUM!</td></tr>
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Dinner was, as it always is with chap's family, lovely. We had slow cooked lamb shanks: delicious. There was also a lot of wine, which resulted in very silly board game playing and the wearing of animal masks!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently wine turns chap into a tiger, who knew?</td></tr>
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On Sunday I had a long-overdue catch up with and an old friend, she only lives down the road but somehow we never see each other! She also made lamb, the roast kind, with potato daupinoise (my sinful favourite), it was so so yummy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGTKKU6GuwPafoic4HheDfGSYvztKuFGGllrtJay641bKfmfEac38MYHsVTJqHQp7_MYUqDwGRA7YMCmssTA4sumAzg_oRCs79DQZ2Vbf084FZTJN3gEXIJs7jm7XWdACiEy4_SCp8k0/s1600/Weekend+2+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGTKKU6GuwPafoic4HheDfGSYvztKuFGGllrtJay641bKfmfEac38MYHsVTJqHQp7_MYUqDwGRA7YMCmssTA4sumAzg_oRCs79DQZ2Vbf084FZTJN3gEXIJs7jm7XWdACiEy4_SCp8k0/s640/Weekend+2+019.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was so lovely to see her and we had a great time catching up, giggling, reminiscing, and stuffing our faces (we had strawberries and ice-cream for pudding).<br />
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On Monday morning (my weekend doesn't finish until I go to work on Monday afternoon), chap left for the Wales leg of his tour, which made me sad so to cheer myself up I made some serious progress on my Lonsdale dress. I had been putting it off because the waistband was giving me attitude, but I showed that waistband who's boss and we worked it out (well who wouldn't do as they were told if I stuck a tonne of pins in them!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take that, waistband.</td></tr>
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Then I moved on to the pockets, which have been my favourite bit of the whole project so far, there's something super satisfying about producing pockets. Not to mention I sewed beautiful, neat (as in not my usual wonky disaster) french seams, on a curve, without any chalked on guidelines; a major achievement for me.<br />
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Hurray for french seams. </div>
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So now my skirt front pieces have pockets, and I'm enjoying making this dress again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look! Pockets!</td></tr>
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I hope your weekend was delightful, full of yummy foods and achievements great or small.</div>
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Alice x</div>
Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-76865049889194252572012-03-09T23:33:00.000+00:002013-01-03T21:38:34.786+00:0024 before 25...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been meaning to do this for a while now, and now I've done it I would like to share my list of goals for the coming year with you.<br />
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1.<b> Get an acting job: </b>I graduated from drama school last summer and I haven't worked as an actor yet, this needs to change.<br />
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2.<b>Learn to crochet:</b> I love crochet blankets and throws, I really want to make some for our house.<br />
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3. <b>Decorate the lounge: </b>this is the room I have the most ideas for so it seems like the best one to start with.<br />
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4. <b>Try all the <a href="http://thebeautydepartment.com/" target="_blank">'The Beauty Department'</a> Hair Tutorials: </b>I love doing new things with my hair and this website has some great tutorials for some great hair-dos.<br />
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5. <b>Complete my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-stash-busting.html" target="_blank">Book Stash Bust challenge</a>: </b>I hope I will have time to read more than these 6 books but at the very least these must be read.<br />
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6. <b>Join a dance class: </b>I loved the little dancing we did at drama school, it's a great way to keep fit and it's so much fun.<br />
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7. <b>Fill up my recipe book: </b>for Valentine's day, my chap bought me a lovely recipe book binder just itching to be filled with yummy recipes I have tried and tested. I've gotten a bit lazy with my culinary exploits lately, I hope this will change that.<br />
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8. <b>Go on 6 'non-standard' dates: </b>this means not the cinema, the theatre or a restaurant. 6 might seem like too few but as Chap's away on tour for 50% of this year I think it's a realistic number.<br />
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9. <b>Take a photography class: </b>I take pretty rubbish photos and I have no idea what all the buttons on my camera do, I would like to change this.<br />
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10. <b>Try writing a play: </b>it might turn out to be terrible but i'd like to give it a go.<br />
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11.<b> Go to the Edinburgh Festival: </b>I have technically been, once, but I was 15, with my parents and only saw one (amazing) dance show. I want to do it properly.<br />
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12.<b> Run 5km: </b>I am not a runner. I should be, I live opposite a beautiful and rather large common, it's the perfect place to go for a run and it's free! Once the weather warms up I'll be dusting off my trainers and getting out there. I think 5km is a realistic goal given that I am not at all in shape at the moment!!<br />
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13. <b>Go to the Lido: </b>the common also has a giant outdoor swimming pool (apparently it's one of the biggest in Europe) and in the 9 months we've lived 30 seconds away from it we've never been. Come summer time this will change, there will be a picnic involved.<br />
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14. <b>Sew at least 8 garments: </b>I'd like to make more but 8 seems achievable.<br />
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15.<b> Explore more of London: </b>because my job doesn't require me to travel more than a 15 minute walk from my home, I don't get out and around London much and there is so much to see and do. I'd like to explore more.<br />
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16. <b>Do some volunteering: </b>I have a fair amount of free time at the moment and I'd like to use some of it to help out some worthy causes.<br />
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17. <b>Go to the National Portrait Gallery: </b>I love portraits, I think because I'm actor I like to create characters to go with the faces, but I have never been to the NPG!<br />
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18. <b>Go wine tasting: </b>I love wine (I am currently enjoying a lovely glass of Merlot) and I'd like to know more about it and stop automatically ordering Merlot purely because I know I'll like it. (I will, however, always love Merlot)<br />
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19. <b>Make a cheesecake: </b>I don't make desserts much but as a great fan of the cheesecake I should really know how to make one.<br />
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20. <b>Learn Grade 2 on the piano: </b>I'm not planning to take the exam (that requires a teacher and money) but I have some old grade books and I'd like to be able to play the level 2 pieces well. Perhaps by 28 I'll be a grade 8 pianist!! HA!<br />
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21. <b>Make Marmalade: </b>there is nothing better than marmalade on toast and a good cuppa. I bet it's even better when you've made the marmalade yourself.<br />
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22.<b> Visit 5 new places: </b>this can include places I went as a child, as it's such a different experience when you make all the decisions! I'll be visiting Chap on his tour a few times over the coming months so that will help me to achieve this one.<br />
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23. <b>Take a photo a day for a month: </b>i don't think I'm ready for a 365 challenge but perhaps a mini one later in the year after I've accomplished number <b>9.</b><br />
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24. <b>Read all of Shakespeare's plays: </b>ok so this one has rather a lot of room for interpretation, I have already read, studied or seen 27 of them, my goal this year is to get to know the ones that have so far evaded me, either by reading them or seeing them at the theatre. Hey, Alice, don't go and see King Lear for the 4th time, try Pericles of Timon of Athens...<br />
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Phew, all typed up like that it seems like a lot, but it's definitely doable and I think it'll be a lot of fun.<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-89651777530089614612012-03-08T13:49:00.002+00:002013-01-03T21:38:14.266+00:00Goldhawk Road GoodnessAfter a disappointing trip to Dorothy Perkins to exchange a dress with a broken zip for one that , you know, I could actually wear only to discover they'd completely sold out in my size, I decided to take a trip to Goldhawk road to cheer myself up. I've read about this magical fabric land on many a blog and it was finally time to go and explore. I had planned to only but fabric to complete items on my <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.com/2012/02/sewing-plans.html" target="_blank">list of sewing plans</a> but that so didn't happen. My oh my there were some beautiful fabrics. Here's my newly acquired little stash.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNzl_AmaiwwV5i_7cg-wrYqsdPM-eBVCtAUuSZ-VGayCnxVjbN6azRocsGvracyC41bs81D675ovJd4A6KYMMbfYo3NtQXaJ7rOgkQ-HrWpDS8l-4gmuAylEKEJ01ZR821C1M2bKzWds/s1600/Fabric+Haul+07-03-12+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNzl_AmaiwwV5i_7cg-wrYqsdPM-eBVCtAUuSZ-VGayCnxVjbN6azRocsGvracyC41bs81D675ovJd4A6KYMMbfYo3NtQXaJ7rOgkQ-HrWpDS8l-4gmuAylEKEJ01ZR821C1M2bKzWds/s640/Fabric+Haul+07-03-12+004.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I did manage to acquire one fabric from my list. It's for my 'Laurie outfit blouse'. I simply asked the man in the shop (I forget which one) "Do you have anything floaty, navy blue with white polka dots?" and he said "yes!". Hooray. I have no idea what kind of fabric it is but it fits the bill.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqAugbQCtCaezBG8v4L508p2bIiREPFHqs-3Mv3ZXbRenA7xGyJHkEZvrRfGQSpPiXz7ZbGqA27X5gDAZsRrw0JH3d1fSJrYuyA0dNflgepMN3PDo8hyphenhyphenMSJP5zxPQp-cPgEYMVtuL-DI/s1600/Fabric+Haul+07-03-12+007.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqAugbQCtCaezBG8v4L508p2bIiREPFHqs-3Mv3ZXbRenA7xGyJHkEZvrRfGQSpPiXz7ZbGqA27X5gDAZsRrw0JH3d1fSJrYuyA0dNflgepMN3PDo8hyphenhyphenMSJP5zxPQp-cPgEYMVtuL-DI/s640/Fabric+Haul+07-03-12+007.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I couldn't find any grey denim for my crescent skirt anywhere, everyone said they'd had some but it had all been sold! Bummer. </div>
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In one of the shops I found a whole row of satin for £1.99 a meter in just about every colour, I immediately thought of <a href="http://www.sewaholicpatterns.com/product/1001-pendrell-blouse" target="_blank">Sewaholic's Pendrell Blouse</a>, and then fantasised about a rainbow of pendrell's in my wardrobe, but I controlled myself and only bought one colour (this time). I went with navy blue, for no other reason than I like navy blue and want more of it in my wardrobe.</div>
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Next up a floral cotton. I'm not sure what I'll make with this one but it's very pretty and makes me think of summer, perhaps a sundress for picnicing.<br />
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Finally, my favourite find of the day: this beautiful horse print fabric.<br />
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Again, I have no idea what kind of fabric it is but it's very see-through and seems pretty delicate. It will definitely need under-lining. As soon as I saw it I was reminded of <a href="http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/02/hand-stamped-diy-pony-print-dress.html" target="_blank">this gorgeous dress tutorial</a> from <a href="http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/" target="_blank">A Beautiful Mess</a>. I really want to hand stamp a dress of my own some day, but for now I have plenty of pony fabric to play with. I'm planning to turn this into a <a href="http://shop.megannielsen.com/product/mn2001-darling-ranges-dress-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">Meghan Neilsen Darling Ranges dress</a>, I've seen loads of these popping up all over the blogosphere and I can't wait to have one of my own. Although I think I will be waiting a little while as I need to find the perfect buttons (would horseshoe buttons be equine overkill?) and build up the courage to conquer this 'intermediate' pattern.<br />
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I am so excited to start these projects.<br />
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Alice x<br />
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<br />Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-71696864796524489832012-03-05T23:56:00.000+00:002013-01-03T21:37:38.002+00:00I Love the WeekendWell, who doesn't? Guilt free lazing around, plenty of time to be crafty and lots of fun with friends.<br />
My weekend consisted of:<br />
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Cutting and sticking.<br />
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I'm trying to get some collages/moodboards together for when we actually get round to decorating our flat and I spent a lovely few hours on Saturday cutting and sticking and playing with paint. I think this one for our lounge is coming together nicely. We get lots of light coming through our windows (when the sun is shining) so I want the room to be a lovely fresh blue and white with lots of warm neutrals to stop it looking like a bathroom! I'm so excited to get started and I have lots of ideas for crafty DIY's to make our home extra special!</div>
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Sorting Sunday.</div>
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On Sunday I had a little sort our of the sewing bits and bobs my mum brought over for my birthday last month, including this big box of thread that was my grandma's (the woman kept EVERYTHING). There is tonnes of the stuff in every colour, I must find a way to organise it in pretty colour order. It's so lovely to have supplies that my Grandma used to make her own clothes, I discovered sewing after she passed away but it feels like she's still spurring me on with these little bits and bobs. I also received lots of buttons, some maroon bias tape and a box labelled 'finest pins'. I know that this means that the pins are super thin, but I like to think that they were really the pins reserved for the finest projects, the pins one gets out when the queen comes to sew. I can't express how happy I am to be sewing with my Grandma's tools.</div>
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Pink drinks by candle light.</div>
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On Sunday night I met up with two of my favourite girls for some drinks and gossip. We went to a lovely little place in Balham called The Balham Bowls Club which is full of all sorts of quirky decor and lovely little trinkets. They also have a ukele club every other Sunday! I love Fruli beer, it's nice to have a pink pint to make me feel a little less blokey while indulging my love of beer and, it's delicious. Pink beer is the perfect accompaniment to girly chats. Lovely evening had by all.</div>
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Sunny Monday. </div>
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Ok, so Monday isn't technically the weekend but it was so lovely and sunny this morning and I didn't start work until 3.30pm so I extended that weekend feeling. I only popped out to run a couple of errands but the sun was so pretty and the blue sky was divine, I had to take a picture.</div>
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I also saw this super cool car just trundling down the main road outside my house. I wonder what all that stuff strapped to the top is? So glad i had my camera to capture this little oddity.<br />
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I did make some progress with my Lonsdale dress this weekend, but then I got to the waistband and it's testing my last nerve. Lonsdale and I are not on speaking terms. Some time apart should fix it and we'll be friends again before I know it.<br />
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I hope your weekend was full of joyous things, here's to the next one.<br />
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Alice x<br />
<br />Alice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3544572464554692605.post-87828465677558117052012-03-01T12:50:00.001+00:002013-01-03T21:37:08.798+00:00Book Stash Busting!Happy World Book Day!! I loved world book day when I was a kid, my favourite costume was the Snow Queen from The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe (what a book) my Dad made me an excellent crown with lots of cotton wool (snow) and glitter (evil magic!) my dad is an excellent costume maker (he can also crochet, which I hope he'll teach me some day).<br />
At the beginning of this year I noticed that our bookshelves were overflowing somewhat, and shockingly there was a large number of books on those shelves that I haven't read, much like a stash of unused fabric. I don't really have much of a fabric stash (yet) so I've decided to bust my book stash instead. Here is my To Read List 2012.<br />
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1. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth<br />
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I've already started on this one but at over 1400 pages I think it's going to be a challenge (I'm only 250 pages in). I really like it though. It's full of wonderful characters and although nothing hugely dramatic has happened yet, I'm still desperate to find out what happens next to each and every one of them. This book is lusciously descriptive and everything sings with colour and sound a smell and taste, I can't wait to read on...<br />
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2. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin<br />
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This one is not something I ever saw myself wanting to read and I have to admit is a little bit of a busting cheat as it's not technically my book, it belongs to my lovely Chap. We both really got into the HBO series based on this series of books because one of Chap's classmates from drama school is in it so we thought we'd check it out and we were hooked within the first 10 minutes!! We are both nerdishly excited for series 2 in April. I am usually a read before watching kinda girl and will often miss a film in the cinema because I am stubbornly finishing the book, but I wasn't so bothered about the book this time round. However Chap and one of my besty's have been going on and on (and on) about how good the book is that I've been coerced in to adding it to my list. At 780 pages this is another mountain of book but I'm looking forward to it a lot.<br />
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3. If This Is A Man and The Truce by Primo Levi<br />
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I have a particular interest in books, poetry and plays about the First or Second World Wars. I don't really know why it enthralls me so much but it does. I'm not interested in the political and strategical history of these times but in the human stories. I adore the poems of Wilfred Owen, Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks is one of my all time favourite novels and Blackadder Goes Forth is definitely the best of all the Blackadder series. I picked up this book in my local charity book shop, which is full of weird and wonderful books (and staff!) and have been itching to read it ever since. I know it will be hard going and harrowing but I also know it will be worth it.<br />
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4. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel.<br />
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I <strike>stole</strike> borrowed this book from my parents years ago and I keep hearing people say how wonderful it is but have never gotten round to reading it. My Dad has clearly forgotten that I pinched it from him, as he bought me a stunning illustrated copy of the book for Christmas.<br />
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How could I possibly not read such a beautiful thing?<br />
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5. The Idiot by Dostoyevesky<br />
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I started reading this maybe a year ago during a break from uni and I was really enjoying it but then I went back to uni and the poor thing got forgotten. I'm hoping to get to this by the time summer hits us so I can go and lounge around on the common just opposite our flat (maybe in my finished <a href="http://thepinandthimble.blogspot.com/2012/02/work-in-progress.html" target="_blank">Lonsdale dress</a>) and read in the sunshine, otherwise I shall just have to enjoy it under a blanket with a cup of tea and some chocolate digestives.<br />
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6. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.<br />
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I picked this one up at The RSC bookshop for a mere £3, that place is usually pretty expensive. I love ancient Greek myth and legend and I love Margaret Atwood and I love that it's all about the girls. This is a nice short one to finish the reading year off.<br />
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There they are my six books for 2012, in theory that makes it a book every 2 months but, as we are now in month number 3 and I'm nowhere near finishing book number 1, that theory is already somewhat out of the window!! Not to mention I've just joined <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">goodreads.com</a> which is a great way to keep track of what you've read, what you want to read and to get recommendations, but not a great way of keeping my reading wishlist in any way realistic!!! Oops.<br />
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This has been a pretty long post huh? Here is a beautiful bunch of flowers on my lovely sunny windowsill to say thanks for reading!!<br />
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Alice xAlice Fearnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02002114955791170025noreply@blogger.com1