MINI SEWING MACHINE One of my favourite YouTubers is Natasha from Treasure Books. She makes amazing journals with interactive elements, as well as creating her own papers and other creative things. One of her signature techniques is the use of the sewing machine in her paper projects, and this certainly adds an interesting…
DEVON COUNTY SHOW 2025 Our annual treat has come around again! Looking back, I see that we have missed a few over the years but we do try to go each year. This year the weather was perfect - really hot and sunny without a cloud in the sky, and everyone seemed in…
2023 - END OF YEAR REVIEW As usual, it has been a pretty eventful year, both personally and generally. See the end of this post for the most important aspects of changing world events and what they mean for us all. During the year, I have had various health issues to deal with…
BEGINNING A SECOND LINEN APRON, AND SOME HOMESPUN PHILOSOPHY From the outset, I intended to make two vintage-style linen aprons, and last week I began working on the second one. This one will have floral embroidery on it, in a more traditional style. I have already cut the various pieces to make the…
I MADE AN APRON! Since starting my Bonnie Bags project, I've been getting more sewing videos coming up in my feed. I do follow a few channels which show how to make authentic period garments, and while I am not really into this, I am interested to see how things were done in…
IT'S CURTAINS FOR SHOSHI No - that isn't metaphorical, thank goodness - it's literal! Bedroom curtains In my recent charity shop haul, I bought a pair of pale cream curtains with decorative tops. I bought them primarily for the gorgeous trimmings on them, but then I thought I could actually use the curtains.…
A BLAST FROM MY SEWING PAST Back in 1974, when I celebrated my 21st birthday, my parents gave me a sewing machine. It was a Pfaff 1197, and it was listed as the best sewing machine for the year in the Which report. I had it for forty years, during which time it…
EYEGLASS CORDS, BONNIE BAGGIE NO. 2 - GREEN NECK PURSE, AND MY OLD BAGGIES Now that the final supplies have arrived for Bonnie Baggie No. 2 and future projects, I am able to post the completed baggie. Eyeglass cords from Amazon The other day, I spent some considerable time searching online for beaded…
SKIRTING THE ISSUE At the County Show last month, I bought some new clothes from an ethnic clothing stand, including a long multi-coloured tiered skirt made from 80 percent silk. Absolutely gorgeous, except that it had a deep shirred band at the top, and I really don't like this style. I bought a…
BAD TO GOOD HAIR DAYS, EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY, AND SLEEP CAPS YouTube feeds can be useful! A week ago, a video came up in my YouTube feed about how to grow long and healthy hair. I was intrigued, because I already have long hair (to hip length) and am hoping to grow it longer.…
