Housework on a bank holiday is a bit wrong but there wasn’t anything better in the offing, so I gritted my teeth and got on with it. Gripped by a spot of spring cleaning, I decided I needed to clean out some cupboards in our living room (we have four kitchen cupboards on our living room wall for storage, I have two cupboards and Mr. Lacer has the other two) and inspired by the continual problem of where to put my fabric stash, which was up to that point hanging round my bedroom getting in the way. I was sort of inspired by newly acquired copy of Heather Ross’ Weekend Sewing, which I picked up from the post office on Saturday. Weekend Sewing was one of those books that seemed to be cropping up everywhere on the blogs I read and I kept on seeing photos of this blousey type, slightly hippyish top and I was like ‘I don’t care if I can barely sew a cushion, I . . . want . . . that . . . top’, now old me would have brought the book just on that but new me is trying to really make sure that I am going to use a craft book before I acquire it these days and luckily, thanks to the internet, once a craft book has been out for a little while, it’s quite easy to check out the projects in it, thanks to the aforementioned blogs it’s kept cropping up on and it’s Flickr group (I particularly like this take on that blouse I want to make) and well, I brought it. Haven’t made anything yet (well Saturday – shopping, Sunday – sick child, Monday – housework) but I want to make everything (well nearly everything) but definitely pyjamas, a couple of dresses for Girl Lacer, a dress for me, a skirt, that blouse. I’m terrible when it comes to books with sewing or knitting patterns even though I’m still on the cushion / scarf stage, I look through them like I’d have previously looked through clothing catalogues, I want that jumper, that skirt etc. etc. and at the same time I’m finding it harder to buy clothes from the shops, as being on a budget I don’t mind spending money on clothes as long as they are absolutely perfect and I’m fussy, perfect is hard to find these days. I’m not saying anything I’ve made will be perfect (you should see my latest scarf) but at least I’ve had exact control over what wool and what fabric I use and I like that. Anyway, I’m going majorly off track, at the beginning of Weekend Sewing is a little section about creating your own sewing space, sigh dream on here, I have nowhere to have my sewing equipment set out permanently, even if it was in a cute little cupboard like in the book, I sew on our dining room table but those cupboards I started this post talking about, are above our dining room table, so today I cleared out the junk and moved in my fabric stash into my bottom cupboard and sneaked in my felt stash over onto Mr. Lacer’s side.
As you can see, I have way too much fake fur, that was already in the cupboard, the remains of my attempts at what turned out to be short lived craftiness after Boy Lacer was born (I do not get all the many books out there for beginner knitters / sewers that are specifically designed at knitting / sewing stuff for babies, I understand that when having babies lots of people get the urge to start knitting / sewing stuff for their baby but do they actually have the time to learn a new skill? Of course not! When Boy Lacer was born I tried to knit him a baby blanket, I got to two squares! Actually if I were to have a third child (which I’d quite like), then I’d probably knit them a baby blanket, sew some trousers because I used the time once my first two children were out of the really demanding baby phase to learn the skills, so it wouldn’t be quite so taxing as a sleep deprived mother of three to knit the blanket, sew the trousers, because I already would know how to do it). Anyway, I’m digressing again, other than the fake fur, which I haven’t a clue what to do with, the rest of the fabric is from my proper stash. I may end up donating the fake fur to Girl Lacer’s school, she often comes out with her junk sculptures (the sort of thing that seems to be 90% of the reception curriculum) adorned with dubious bits of brightly coloured hideous fabric which were obviously someone else’s donated craft mistake, so I might as well add to that, then I’d be able to fold the remains of my fabric a little more neatly.
As for what was in the cupboard, it had been a hodge podge of old photos, stationary and lots of lots of recipe clippings. So the photos and stationary have gone into the top shelf and the recipe clippings have finely gone into a recipe box I brought last Christmas. In the process I found a further three old folders of recipe clippings, all of which of course I never look at! Anyway the loose clippings have gone into the new box and I’m going to try and actually use it (and the other three folders), I did actually find a few recipes that I’ve used before and absolutely loved and had been wondering where the recipes were, so roasted vegetable lasagne on the menu soon!
