Hello! long time no blog… I’ve been having a few technological issues. Specifically, my lovely loyal computer started dying and then… did die *pause for a moment’s silence* Towards the end it was impossible to do anything without everything crashing …. life was becoming terribly frustrating. Traumatic times! Anyway, long story short; I have a lovely new computer now! Yes, that was the short version, thank goodness for that!
Anyway, time for me to blog some of the things I’ve been making… oh I noticed just today that my blog is just about exactly 14? years old now? Happy bloggiversary to me! I can hardly believe it, how time has zoomed by!
So, I made this skirt and hoodie jacket set a little while ago… this is exactly the sort of thing I love to wear during winter and I’m excited to wear it in autumn too. The fabric is quite warm but the sleeves of the jacket are short, so I can see it being pretty good during the seasonal change too.
Patterns: the jacket is Burdastyle 10/2009, 108; a pattern I have used once before, here. This time I fully lined the jacket, and did not put in any piping.
The skirt is the new Fibremood Marah pattern, available here. I cut the mini version, just bit longer. It’s a pretty cute pattern, like a jeans skirt with a front fly and slanted side pockets. Plus the usual back patch pockets, and for good measure two extra big pockets at the side too. These match the big patch pockets on my jacket, which is quite nice I think.
Fabrics; the mustard patterned black velvet is a fairly heavy upholstery fabric that was given to me years ago by a friend, who was cleaning out her mother-in-law’s stash. It’s almost got thrown out multiple times, but I’ve always saved it at the last minute because it’s really not too bad. I cut the pockets and hoodie from a mustard/caramel cotton corduroy, leftovers from a pair of jeans I made years ago. It matches the pattern on the velvet perfectly! like it was meant to be.
I lined both pieces with a deep olive green lining fabric, from old stash. Yes, actually both fabrics are from old old stash and even the zip was recycled. I’m still using my supplies up as much as I can! I haven’t bought any new fabric this year! although I might allow myself one new piece. My friends gave me a Fabulous Fabrics voucher for my birthday and I would like to use it before the year is out. That’s ok, because this year I have managed to get my stash right down to about a third of what it used to be. I’m so happy about that!
Also recently; I made a new pair of Fridgetown hand warmers for my daughter-in-law Kelly. I’d given her a pair a few years ago; when we first created the pattern, and she’s worn them threadbare! So thrilled that she loved them so much! and she requested a new pair for her birthday. Preferably they would go nicely with this navy and white striped hoodie that I made for her even more years ago, and that she still wears very regularly. I happened to have a just-big-enough length of cranberry merino, leftover from this T-shirt I made for myself a few years ago and ran up the handwarmers. It’s so nice to have family who likes to wear the things that I make for them; truly I do not take this for granted! The Fridgetown hand warmer pattern is available here.
I’ve made a new pattern! along with the help of my beautiful partner 
