Catching Up

Hello again!

I don't know about you but just lately my mind has been full of nothing in particular and I have felt the need to hunker down and nest, reflect and just be. The ebbing and flowing of the Virus confused my brain, and I felt happiest doing my limited amount of going out, but otherwise, staying home felt right.

I've been in my sewing room a lot, I've sorted out my wardrobe and organised the kitchen.  That was satisfying.  

We had my husband's family here for a few days, following all current restrictions, and that was lovely.  They are my step grandchildren and I had great fun with them on a picnic, and a woodland adventure playground.  We went to a favourite place of ours called Bolton Abbey.  Nowhere near Bolton, but rather part of the wider estate of the Cavendish family of Chatsworth House fame.  We had a lovely time!

We also were treated to my darling daughter and her fiancé staying here, which was a delight! Lots of time to potter and chat and eat and walk (not at the same time!)  It was a delightful week and I loved every second.

I mentioned time in my sewing room and here are a few things I have made:

Another Miette skirt ("another??!!" I hear you exclaim) from Tilly and the Buttons, this time in a brushed cotton, just in time for autumn.

A cosy long 'Agnes' sleeved t-shirt,  again from Tilly and the Buttons, in a cotton lycra fabric.  Aren't the little anchors cute?

A short sleeved and a long sleeved Agnes in a butter soft stretch cotton. Here is the short sleeved one, but the long sleeved one is in the wash!  I love the fact you can vary this pattern in several ways to make it look different.

I've also been knitting and finished 3 pairs of socks - a 4 ply pair for my husband (he's wearing those today!) and this DK pair for myself.  I used Winwick Mum's great tutorial as a starting point, adapting them to knee high by using my own recipe here.  They are warm and cosy and will be perfect in my walking boots on chilly days. I made a semi matching pair for my husband, hence the plain cuff on mine so we could quickly tell them apart.  Clever, eh?

Hopefully we will have a wedding to celebrate next year, virus permitting, and not only do I have the enormous privilege of making my daughter's wedding dress, I am also making her fiancé's bow tie.  I made one as a prototype, and he's pleased with it, so that's good!  You'll notice a dog collar in the same photo, which I hasten to say is not for him, but for Daisy Dog!  I recently met one of my daughter's best friends, who is enjoying learning to sew, and has mastered dog collars for their new puppy. She made one for Daisy and it is fabulous!  Really soft, looks comfortable, and is completely washable.  They look so professional and neat that I asked her for instructions on how to make them, which she shared with me, and I made one for Daisy to match the bow tie, just because I could!  There are loads of tutorials as well on Pinterest, and I bought the hardware from a great online shop called Petsbits. I can see Daisy having a whole wardrobe of collars.

I promise not to leave it nearly so long next time before coming back for a bit of a chat.

Stay safe, be well, and take good care,

Donna x