Frosty Garden

One of my goals for 2019 is to use my camera more!  I use my phone camera an awful lot - it is so handy, and takes some quite good photos.  But I also have a Panasonic Lumix which I have had for a  couple of years.  Before that I had a Nikon DSLR, which was very big and heavy, but did take gorgeous photos.  I got the Panasonic mostly because of its small size and lightness, but also because I can change the aperture and speed settings.  But being lazy, I mostly use it on automatic!  In fact, it has an intelligent auto setting which is fantastic.

Here are some photos I took in the garden one frosty morning this week.

Expect more photos on my blog this year, especially of my garden!

2018 Year of Sewing

I love reading about other sewists hits and misses for the past year.  See Gillian's Top 5 Hits and Misses over on her blog Crafting a Rainbow.  I haven't got a top 5 of each,  as I only finished 8 garments:


 Denim jacket  Started in 2017, finished in January 2018
* fleece jacket (unblogged)
* Shirt for Maurice (unblogged)
* Shirt for myself (unblogged)
* leopard print tunic (unblogged)
* dressing gown
* 2 x Long sleeved t- shirts (unblogged)
* Summer 'cold-shoulder' top

Also 3 from fabric I already had in my stash:
* red shirtdress
* cape (unblogged)
* black top - unhemmed at present

I refashioned a  few items too:
* skirt into top
* trousers taken in
* too large top shortened and taken in

Other sewing I did includes:
* new curtains for my newly decorated bedroom (see photo in my previous blog post)
* finished my calendar quilt
* autumn table runner
* knitting bag
* made a bag that scrunches up into a small corner
* a cross stitch sampler - still to frame

I love sewing for Christmas!  Here are some items I made as decorations and gifts:
* felt Christmas decorations
* crayon rolls for great nieces and nephews
* cushion for Tash - for her vintage caravan that she is renovating
* t-cosy for Burnice
* Quilt for Nicholas - it is backed with the softest fleece fabric, so cosy.

I have been very lax in blogging for a few years, so many of these are not blogged.  I need to take some better photos and write more posts! 

It has been a very good sewing year for me!  I am hoping that 2019 proves to be just as good. 

I have plans to make at least 1 quilt from my stash (I have kits for about 4 quilts that I have had a long time)
Use up more of my dressmaking stash
Refashion more items
Challenge myself with dressmaking - maybe make a coat?

I am writing a review of other things I did in 2018, be sure to come back and have a look!

2018 in review - The Year of 'LIGHT'

In the spirit of writing more for this  blog, I have decided to start with a few posts reviewing my year of 2018.  I like to set a word for each year as a focus for my life, following Ali Edwards 'One Little Word'.  Last year I chose the word 'LIGHT', and I think it is the best word yet!  (Words I  have chosen in the past include: SIMPLIFY, CREATE, ACTION, GROW, DEVELOP, FLOURISH SLOW).

I thought that the word LIGHT would be a focus for all areas of my life, and decided to focus on these 3 areas:

LIGHT touch on the planet  
Letting my LIGHT shine 
LIGHT and airy home


LIGHT touch on the planet
I focused my efforts on recycling as much as possible.  We are lucky in that our local recycling centre is very good and takes most things that can be recycled.  I tried to reduce my consumption of single use plastics, and picked up at least 3 items of plastic rubbish on the beach every time I went down there.

I also cut down on buying new clothes, although I did have a little splurge in the summer with new summer tops!  I used up some of my fabric stash to make new clothes, and refashioned items bought from charity shops.  (More on sewing projects coming soon!)

Letting my LIGHT shine
I started meditating using a meditation app - which I really enjoyed, but I have not done so much lately.  I took better care of my skin, instigating a routine of a twice weekly scrub and facepack.  I started using jojoba oil on my face every morning and night.  I wanted to lose some weight, but have failed miserably in that regard!  
I tried out a 'capsule wardrobe' following Style Bee 10x10.  I made a much more concerted effort to wear smarter casual clothes and make up whenever I went out.

LIGHT and airy home
I persuaded OH to paint our bedroom, and our feature wall is now a calming green.  Along with new bedding and curtains, the room looks much lighter and brighter.

I did a lot of decluttering and had some success with selling unwanted items on eBay.  I decluttered my craft stash (again!), and gave some of it away using Freecycle.

It's been a great year for me, and I hope for you too!  I'll write more about sewing projects and our travels soon.