October Stash

I am sure there will come a month where I don't buy anything...maybe. So don't be expecting this every month. This time I decided to add some fabric into the mix. Mainly because I bought fabric that didn't come from hobbycraft. I have picked up fabric in other places before but I wasn't very careful in noting where I got it or what it was. These fabrics usually have a purpose in mind even if that purpose still hasn't come to fruition. This fabric though I happened to spy on instagram. Mandors were showing some of their liberty fabrics which they happen to sell on etsy. Now I could have went into town and had a look myself but given the shifts that I have had this week that wasn't going to happen.

As I said both fabrics are Liberty fabrics. They are known for their bright florals. I have been very tempted in the past to buy shoes with Liberty fabrics (this still might happen). I picked up the red and the blue as I thought I would more likely use them. My favourite though is the blue although it's darker than I would have liked. That still wouldn't have stopped me from buying it.

 This fabric is from Hobbycraft. I was going in to get a few tools I needed for my hexies when I spotted this. My sister loves her skulls and she likes black. Her entire wardrobe is pretty much black. However, she also loves pink and accessorises with it. Her bedroom is also pink and so I thought this fabric would be perfect for her. I have made umpteen things for her living room but only one crochet blanket for her bedroom. I think some hexie cushions are on the cards (providing the first ones turn out).

My good friend Lisa has been on top form this month with all of her kits. I should just hand over my monthly wage to her. So far I have ordered the Christmas stockings, the Christmas yarn box, the sock kit and this which is the cowl kit. We were given options as to the yarn base. I chose the donegal base because I liked working with it so much. This came in my favourite colour - blue. I will be making this one for myself. I chose the larger kit and I think I will be making myself a matching hat if I don't use it all in the cowl.

I bought this last month and you saw the hat that I made with one ball. This is the rest which I finally have planned out. In fact I have started to use it up. For that though you will have to wait and see. It's a lovely yarn to work with. Nice and soft plus I am really loving the tweed yarn just now. Normally I wouldn't go for the beige but this was originally meant to finish a lap blanket. I actually like the colour as it seems to change in different light settings.

I can't promise there will be no stash next month but I will do my best. It is coming up for Christmas after all.

Fabric Fiend!

For the last few years I have been wanting to get into sewing. I have managed one or two projects but have never had the confidence to try out something more than backing a cross stitch project. Thanks to some inspiring people at my knitting group I have been wanting to move beyond that. So with a voucher that was given to me by these ladies I got myself a couple of books that will help me (I hope) move beyond inspiring into actually doing. The first book is an accompaniment to last years series of The Great British Sewing Bee. There are one or two things in there that I would like to have a go at. The second book is actually by the runner up of the first series, Tilly Walnes. I have had my eye on this book for a while as I follow her on pinterest and she always pins images of makes from her book. I love all the patterns in it and I can't wait to have a shot. She also has a blog called Tilly and the Buttons. Worth checking out. She is also on twitter, instagram and pinterest. Think it will seem a little too stalkery to link all of those.

In a magazine I picked up recently there was a pattern to show you how to sew your own pants (or panties if you are American). I quite liked the idea and then saw this company advertised in the same magazine. Anncancan is a website where you can buy kits to make your own knickers. Offering different fabrics. Each kit contains three different patterns. It was this that sealed the deal for me as it contains a pattern for the beginner which would be me.

I am also still looking at decorating my flat with my makes (when I get it) and bought these two fabrics for my soon to be bedroom. I plan on making some patchwork pillows. The orange and teal will match the blanket I have almost finished making. All I need is some white on white fabric to set it off. The teal fabric I picked up in hobbycraft. The orange fabric I had to hunt for to find one that I liked. Orange fabric is a difficult one to get it would seem. I got it from Purple Stitches which seemed to have a nice selection.

While on that website I couldn't resist this one. I thought it was cute. I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet but it had to be done. This is how fabric collecting starts isn't it?

I have no idea when I am going to start all of these projects. I have quite a few on the go just now and need to be thinking about finishing one or two of those before I start. That and I need to build up the courage to start cutting into these lovely materials.

Pretty Balloons!

I have a book review planned. Okay, so most of it is still in my head but I will plan it out properly. The problem with these things is that quite often once I have finished a project I want to move on to the next. Even if I haven't blogged about it yet.

Anyway, I bought some pretty fabric. One thing you should know about me is that I am not a fabric hoarder. I tend to only buy as I need and that's not that often. However, I saw this fat quarter set in Hobbycraft and I couldn't walk by it. It also contained some cute animal prints. It was the hot air balloons that caught my eye. There seem to be a lot of items around just now featuring them (don't worry I still love the camper vans too). So I now have this pretty fabric that I don't want to cut but want to use at the same time. I understand that this is a problem that most fabric lovers have. My question is what should I make with it? Any ideas? Keep in mind that my skills are rather basic in this field.