Planning for distraction

I feel like this blog hasn’t got off to the happiest start.  I started my last post by saying how exhausted I was. And this one…. well, it’s fair to say I’ve had an incredibly bad week.

And I’ve wondered whether to put this on the blog or not, particularly as I’ve achieved precisely zero sewing this week.  But then I reasoned that I wanted to be honest here, for myself even if no one else reads it.  So, with apologies, this has been a very, very bad week.

On Sunday afternoon, our beloved family cat, Murray, died after climbing up into my car engine.  He got his neck stuck and despite the best efforts of the AA, RSPCA and fire brigade, he died before they could get him out.  So we’ve been very upset and had two distraught little girls who’ve had nightmares and been very sad and lonely.

In some ways it always feels slightly wrong to me to be so upset when a pet passes away.  Murray was an old boy, we’d had him nearly 12 years, and so many people have such worse problems, it seems like I shouldn’t get so upset over a pet.  But he was our pet. Our family. And we loved him.

Ordinarily, I would sew to distract myself. However, on the one hand I’ve been utterly exhausted after very disturbed sleep. And on the other, my machine’s still awaiting repair and I haven’t unpacked the spare yet.

Instead, I’ve been doing a little sewing planning, trying to get a little more organised and less spur of the moment with my autumn sewing. In honesty, this is partly to stop myself buying more fabric until I’ve worked through some of what I’ve got, and it’s partly in the hope that someone out there will come up with more ideas around which patterns could be used – I need new ideas!

I am blatantly copying several posts I’ve seen out there in blog land recently, for which I’m not in the least sorry – it’s a good idea and right now, I need to feel a little bit organised!  So I’m hoping anyone reading might chip in with ideas for some of my fabrics?

First up is another New Look 6808 in a very bookish cotton lawn from Miss Matatabi.  I’ve twice succumbed and ordered from her and, whilst it’s expensive, I’ve yet to be disappointed with the quality of what arrives.  This is probably pushing it a little as a winter make, except that our office is frequently very warm so I tend to go with layers. I’ve made a few versions of this now, making adjustments to the pattern each time, so I’m hoping it’s now going to be perfect! I make the central top view, very plain but that’s perfect with trousers for me.

Next up is my second By Hand London Flora dress.  I made the first version over summer in navy cotton printed with anchors, and it’s probably my favourite make to date. I’d had a vague idea about making it in something heavier to be more appropriate for work, then got an email from Dorothy Perkins showing models wearing pinafore dresses over blouses and roll necks for winter.  Clearly they’re in 60’s style shift dresses but light dawned and I could see a deep coloured Flora over a white blouse…. So on my first trip to Fabworks in Dewsbury I located this lovely navy suiting with teeny turquoise dots and a coordinating lining material – it’s going to be lush!

The top two fabrics are destined for one of the Linden sweatshirts I have planned – apparently I feel I need lots of these!  The other two fabrics (so let’s hope I like this pattern when I make it!) are from my recent Abakhan trip.  I picked up two heavyweight jerseys for this, both plain colours with lots of texture to add interest.  Can’t you just see the snuggle factor in that pink one?

In addition to a couple more Coco tops (perfect wardrobe staple for me) and definitely at least one more Grainline Morris blazer (because this first one’s going to wear out at the rate I’m wearing it!), I have a little selfless sewing to tackle.  Both little girls chose their own fabric to make a Kitschy Coo skater dress – I love Katie’s choice of skull and crossbones, although I’m a little less sure of Beth’s choice of orange elephants, given her pale colouring! I’ll learn to steer them more I’m sure.

I also have 2m of this luscious babycord fabric from Cloud 9 to make into something for the two of them. Obviously they both loved it on sight so need to make it stretch as far as possible – thank goodness they’re still small!

I’m wondering whether there might be enough to squeeze out the a-line First Day Dress for both of them, but I’m not entirely optimistic… any ideas for a little skirt similar to this one anyone?

http://www.next.co.uk/g412422s5#840809

Then we come to the fabrics I’d love to use but could do with pattern ideas for.  Really what I’m after is a new pattern for a smart/casual top.  I like something a little fitted but designed for a woven which I would wear for work or with jeans – thoughts anyone?  I have either 1.5m of 160 wide or 2m of 145 wide on these – any recommendations?

Hmm.  Now it’s all written down, my suspicions are confirmed – I’m going to have to learn to sew a lot faster!

Here’s to next week being better than this and involving a lot more sewing

Becca x