Jacketfest: Day two

Here's the results of day two of Jacketfest, a lovely little single-breasted number in more earthy tones. I liked the fabrics but I wasn't sure I loved them until I finished. But now I love them and I'm totally convinced it's worth taking a bus trip to get more. In fact, I'm more than a little desperate to make this coat for me.


One side has branches and berries in white, black and mustard on a deep grey background and three black buttons.


The other side picks up the black, white and mustard in a geometric leaf print and also has black buttons.


If I wasn't already married and there was legislation to allow it I'd totally marry these buttonholes.


And I'm happy to report that the 'awkward hand' phase seems to have run it's course, although she is showing her reluctance in other ways.

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Olive and fuchsia flowers

I finally got my scissors into some of my new fabrics yesterday and I'm pleased to introduce my first coat of the season! One side is olive cotton sateen with pink and white flowers and lighter green stems and butterflies. It's one of my favourites of my new crop of fabrics.


It has two big fuchsia buttons to the side. I had planned on having loop closures for the buttons but (please note anyone else who uses this pattern!) as I found out at 2AM last night loops don't work on the asymmetrical coat. They are way too far over, almost onto the shoulder!


The other side is bright fuchsia needlecord velvet with olive buttons. The needlecord velvet is beautiful and soft and because it's cotton it's machine washable too!


If it looks absolutely massive on Maia, it should... It's a 3T/4T!

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Polkadot bubble skirt

I've been meaning to try out some new skirt designs for a long time. Other things have come up, and I've never had the time or headspace. But a customer is keen for a skirt for her daughter so I had the perfect opportunity last night to play around with a new design.


This skirt is dropwaisted with a gathered lower tier so it's nice and full.


I lined it with plain orange cotton so that the bottom edge is bubbled instead of hemmed.


I really like bubble hems, so I'm thinking about extending the pattern into a dropwaisted winter dress. What do you think, is it a Go? Maia was quite taken with it, so I already have one vote for 'Yes'...

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City mouse, country mouse

Yesterday we went to visit some friends who have just bought a cottage in Aberfoyle in Stirlingshire. They're lovely folk who are just about to have their first baby in November, and I was curious to see where they have laid down roots for their impending family of three. Within seconds of our arrival, the kids were in the back garden on the swing set:


We don't have this, we have a communal back garden that's landscaped. With nine retired neighbours who watch our every move from the window lest the kids disturb the garden. Let me pan out:


That spot of water that you can see is Loch Ard. And let's swivel around to the other direction:


Those are (I believe, pardon my ignorance) the Trossachs. We went for a walk down their quiet lane towards the village, and met a stream and bridge:


And a further three minutes down the road, a playground right at lochside:


Here's a random Bavarian milkmaid with a rather fetching bag me at the playground:


And a closer photo of Loch Ard:


And the boys admiring the view:


And another swivel to the side:


We had such a nice day, a glorious day, a perfect day... Well, minus the fact that Maia was foam-at-the-mouth jealous that Daddy's friend was named 'Jamie' and not Maia, and cried half the way home as our Jamie rubbed it in.

I grew up in the woods of northwest Connecticut, no neighbours for miles, just forest. Wild animals, adventure, tree forts, and freedom. No threat of traffic, no worries of 'predatory strangers', my parents let me and my friends roam free in the woods for hours in the age before cell phones. We were around, somewhere, and that was enough. We would come back when we were hungry, or tired or it was getting dark. And we did. But growing up in the middle of nowhere made me want to live in a city, I wanted what I never had. The convenience, the culture, the architecture, the history, the bustle, the ready-made friends just next door. But that's just me, I wanted those things. And now I've chosen this city upbringing for my children. I've started agonising over this decision. We live in a city of half a million residents. We live near a very busy road. We worry about 'predatory strangers'. We live near green spaces but they're not our own. Is is right my children won't have the freedom I did? The glory of nature that I did? I'm torn.

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Something cool, something clever, something random: Part two

Something cool:

I had my first sale on my relaunched website yesterday, one of these:


And not only that, when I was just about to share my excitement on Twitter, I saw this:

Double cool!

Something clever:

Steven brought home some chocolate buttons for the kids last night. I didn't want to open them because it was too close to bedtime. But Maia was pestering for a treat, I said she could have one if she went wee on the potty. She has never done this, she hates the toilet, she hates the potty. Despite being physically ready for potty training, she is resolutely against the concept. How smug I felt that those buttons wouldn't be opened. But with the specter of chocolate looming, she plopped herself on the potty and promptly deposited a capful of wee. And so a single button was given. Five minutes later, another capful of wee, another button. Five minutes later, another capful of wee, another button... And repeat four times. This little game of tiny wees and rewards was only cut short by bedtime. Clever little minx.

Something random:

Elton John tribute pic.

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Further proof that my life is unfair

I've grown up a lot in the two weeks I've been in my thirties. I realise now that it was silly for me to look for age-inappropriate crushes. Let face it, they were boys. Boys who wanted to shag their mums, or commit crimes against hairdressing, or geeky boys that are too cool to acknowledge crushes even after being harassed by Vonnie. And I don't need boys in my life. Neither do I need men. What I need is hot vampires. I dare you to look at these pictures and not agree with me.


For those of you unfamiliar with True Blood, this is Eric. I was doing a lot of *ahem* research last night for this post and I'm not the only one who's obsessed. Here's my favourite geeky graphic from the awesomely named 'F*ck Yeah Eric Northman' fan site: It's one of life's great injustices that I have never been in a vampire love triangle. But a girl can dream, right? So with the final episode of series two looming this weekend in the US, here's how I think it should go:

Wow, check out that girl over there.

(Looking coy)

I can't stop thinking about that girl.

Listen, Eric, have you told Sookie yet?

I've met someone else.

I need some advice, how am I going to find out who she is?

Don't worry, I'll Google her.

Look, here's her blog.

Hey, she's really funny.

But what's this she posted last Sunday?!

It was her *sob* wedding anniversary?! She's married! Nooooooo!

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It's disguise time

Maia gave herself a goatee yesterday.


Even Jamie was disappointed in her.

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