I've been taking full advantage of the shorter working hours this week as client work slows down for the holiday season. It helps that my boss is on holiday (at least in theory - she still works, but less than in a normal week) so the rate of task accumulation is much less, allowing me to clear my decks and tackle the 'rainy day' (or rather slow day) jobs like filing old emails.
I've been listening to a lot of background music this week, and my new discovery is Bella Harper. Thank you Deezer for your 'Hear This' section, I'm discovering some artists I really like through these recommendations. Check out her song 'Good Man's Wife' which you can listen to free and legally online here. (At least in Belgium - not sure how this works overseas...)
In addition to discovering new artists, I've been on a major sewing spree the last week or so. I've made a pair of pajama bottoms, from fabric I originally bought for a dress and then decided wasn't very... dress-like. I've got as much fabric again, and I'm toying between making a skirt for work which I can wear with blue and pink and purple jumpers this autumn (it's quite autumn-y isn't it?) and making another pair of pj bottoms for my sister, because the fabric reminds me so much of her somehow.
I finally got the pleats and darts right on the skirt I'm making from a pair of my boyfriend's wornout trousers. I'm now taking apart an old shirt of my boyfriend's which I salvaged from his last donation to the charity shop, and I'm going to make a skirt lining from the fabric. For those interested, the tutorial I am loosely following is on youtube here.
Remaining tasks after I make an inner skirt from the lining fabric are to attach the waistband, finally decide on the length, and decide what I'm going to do on the bottom hem. Ruffle? Plain? Lace? We shall see. I do feel ultra frugal with this skirt though - a custom-made skirt for work made from cast-offs? Even the thread I'm using to sew with is left over from the grey bedroom curtains. So far, the only cost is my time and the electricity to run the sewing machine.
What's working its way through your machine yet? Any projects you are planning? For me, I've got a very small and a very big project in mind... Any guesses?
I recently watched the Great British Sewing Bee with my seamstress daughter where they repurposed a man's suit and made something new, just as you have. My granny used to do this a lot in the war! Now my husband has ruined a pair of nice grey trousers made of thin, soft, washable wool and as I love traditional Alpine dress and had the idea of making a modern no-frills version, I'm planning to use the leg material to make the bodice - not sure how/where I will find some equally suitable fabric for a dark skirt, but the bodice will probably take long enough to sew and line!! But I'm excited about doing it ;) (the idea is something like this www.derochse.de!)
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