Thursday 27 March 2014

:: march :: in a nutshell...part i

hey there! where has March gone?! 

it started with a birthday just a week after my sister's. here i am with one of my oldest friends...her birthday is 2 days before mine we have a lot of life to live this year as it's our last before the big one. what big one i hear you say? well let's put it this way, it was my sister's 50th the week before and she is a year and a week older than me...you do the maths.


amongst other things this month...which i promise to come back before march actually ends to tell you about...there was the great british studio clean up. this place was a mess. actually a mess is what a teenager's room looks like. this was a war zone.


it took me many many hours of sorting, decluttering, chucking, more sorting, more decluttering, more chucking...you get the picture, but finally i have a studio that i am proud of and delighted to be in. it has made my other resolutions of not hoarding and of finishing started projects much easier to carry out because i can see them. there is no hiding in this space any more.
these are just a couple of peaks of pretty corners in my studio, but i won't show you any more as all will be revealed in a mag coming to you in the near future and i would hate to ruin your mag flicking fun.


the tidy up uncovered all sorts of things including this gorgeous kei geodots that i had bought from the lovely aussie lasses, Danielle and Jeanetter at polka dot tea fabrics
if you haven't come across kei fabrics before, they have that similar buttery feel to liberty lawns and voiles. divine and a joy to sew with.


when i bought the fabric i wasn't quite sure what i was going to make with it. i bought it in the winter and being definite spring/summer fabric i put it to one side (hence getting lost in the mayhem) until warmer climes and inspiration hit.

it is very unlike me to wait patiently to decide what to do but i was determined to with this fabric, as it needed to be right. it was a treat purchase so i didn't want to mess up.
when i found the fabric and had tidied my sewing books to be on view i knew i wanted to make something out of the japanese stylish sewing book which i had never actually used, despite wanting to several times.


thanks to a translation from Kerry i set to work with a bit more confidence. it was a relatively easy make...once i was reading the instructions in english rather than japanese...and was wearing my new top a day later.
i'm really really pleased with it. the fabric was a pleasure to sew with and feels lovely to wear and i would definitely sew this pattern again...with a couple of alterations the next time, but all in all it has the tick of success. i will also definitely be heading back to Polka Dot Tea Fabrics for more of their delightful Keis and other fabrics.


so that's a little bit of what i have been up to this month and i promise to be back before the end of the month to give you a run down of what else i have been up to in march...there i've said it...i had better keep my word.

x


8 comments:

lindsey said...

You have had a busy March, I love how neat and tidy your shelves are. I do mine every now and again but it just doesn't last!!

Charlotte said...

eeeeeep! That top is gorgeous!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful top. I especially love the detail down the front. I've seen some lovely clothing made from these Japanese books, but I don't feel confident enough (yet) to try one.
I've also made myself two new tops this month, and I'm really pleased with both of them.
Your studio is looking so tidy - I hope you manage to keep it that way :0)

Catherine said...

Fabulous top Karen

dropstitch said...

What a gorgeous top... and your shelves look equally lovely! :)

Kay said...

Happy birthday! The studio looks lovely, I love to see folded fabric and books together. xx

Nicky said...

It looks perfect and that fabric is gorgeous !

Josie said...

Stunning top and I now have just a teeny weeny touch of studio envy!