BM time...take 3...

 So it's that time again...the time where when i had wished for more than 3 children i am damn glad there aren't more.

it's bar mitzvah time...again! well actually it's bat mitzvah this time as it's ruby's turn, but full on entertaining our nearest and dearest for an entire weekend.

having done it twice before i haven't quite got the oomph to get going on the organising for a third time.

thankfully ruby being a girl means that this time she has loads of ideas and input of her own. 

that in itself can be double edged...having someone else to consult and negotiate with is just yet another hurdle to jump. still, she's very keen to be on board and it is definitely another pair of hands.

unfortunately my heart isn't quite in this one tho, partly for bad reasons (not having dad with us is playing on my mind) but partly for good (humungous work deadline 2 days after...and one that hopefully by then i will be able to spill the beans about...finally!)

putting all the colour schemes, party prop ideas, food consultations, invitations made, written and hand delivered to one side there is the big issue of dress shopping...

5 people, 3 outfits a piece, 4 for ruby "because it is my bat mitzvah"...as if we didn't know.

(ignore gonky pic...where's a decent photographer when you need on?)

in order to cut down on the wear and tear on my shoes searching for my attire i decided to make one of my dresses and after seeing made by rae's ruby dress it seemed both perfect and rather apt.

when i set out i wasn't sure what fabric it would work for me in but i grabbed what fabric i had in my stash that was big enough to give it a try. i wasn't going to waste precious special fabric if it wasn't going to be right.

after a few changes to the original pattern - the original one has gathers which i felt were a bit baby doll for me so i adapted these to box pleats - i decided that this was indeed a great dress for what i needed it for. next time i do need to use more fabric across the front so the pleat doesn't pull across my ample bazoomerage (yeh right - magnifying glass springs to mind).

the question then was which fabric was i going to make it in. originally i had in mind this nani iro but having received a sample, whilst i love it and will possibly use another time, it wasn't quite right for this event.

looking again i have decided on this beautiful voile below. 

i am actually really excited about having this and bullied kate into sending it pronto (if i could have persuaded her to drive up to leeds from brighton to bring it today believe me i would have). 

because i wasn't sure which one would work best with the voile i have ordered 3 of the brussels washers. i am hoping one will jump out at me when i see them in the flesh. does one of them jump out at you?

so end of october sees bat mitzvah weekend along with **** deadline so if you don't hear from me before i resurface again in november, you now know why!

grabbing it where i can...

 with all the work and family commitments i have going on at the mo (don't you find it all just comes at once?) i have to squeeze in extra things when i can.

hence at 9pm last night i went down to the cellar to get some printing done...

it was an idea that i had visited before a couple of years ago and was an idea i needed to take further in mind for another project i have going on at the mo.

do you like my overly stylised black and white photography?! what with my gorgeous lisa stickley dotty plate and rustic dying in the vase garden roses the black and white app on IG it seemed to be the way to go. besides it's so damn gloomy out today that there was no natural light to use.

so that's how my days are panning out at the mo. i have a feeling tonight may not be quite as productive...

well it is friday night and wine will be involved and no doubt a little graham norton...

Not only was it the first day back to work after school hols today, but the first day back to work with no major event looming.

Renovations completed (bar the searching for finishing touches), Bar Mitzvah been and gone. All that leaves is time to focus on work.

Consequently I was able to finish what I started yesterday and now Manolo is off to his new home, where I hope he'll be enthusiastically received.

By the way, did you guess the colour theme?? Manolo's Mum is Argentinian, so a light blue and white colour-ways, with a hint of black was requested ;-)

Personalised commissioned cushions are now available in my Etsy store.

I am very excited to be getting back to sewing projects.

I have a commission for a log cabin cushion for a new baby. A friend that was around over the BM weekend saw the ones I had done and asked if I would do one for her new nephew.

Obviously I am honoured to do so and was delighted that she loved them so much.

And so I set to work. One of my favourite parts of making the log cabins is picking out all the fabrics. She gave me the colour-ways she wanted...light blue and white with a touch of black. (Any ideas why??) I flicked through my piles of fabrics and made my selections.

It really wasn't very long later when it was all pieced together and quilted ready for the cushion back to be sewn in (I'm thinking linen - obviously...). The white strips on the picture above here, are ready and waiting for the name and date of birth to be embroidered on.

It's such a joy to be getting back to some sewing...and equally so to be doing more of my favourite new found pieces. I'm quite wondering if the novelty will ever wear off.