Stones...

As I write, the air in the house is pungent with the odour of chutney. Having harvested all of the damsons off the small tree in the back garden, then left said fruits to sit in the greenhouse for a few days while I decided what to do with them; it was becoming a rather pressing issue today. Do something or have to throw away the lot. So I now have three jars of damson jam and nine jars of damson chutney which will be ready and matured just in time for Christmas, not to mention a pair of stained rubber gloves from trying to extract 300 odd stones from a hot jammy mixture. And I still have half a bag of damsons left. Gin next me thinks...to make that is, not drink!

Its been a busy old time. Rollers have been working over time, paint has been painted, flooring has been laid (by Mr B, not me I hasten to add) birthdays have been had and the toy stock has once again increased! Eldest daughter Wilbsy is off to pre school on Monday and she is extremely excited about it. I'm surprised to find I have mixed emotions about it like most parents I imagine. Its another sign that my little girl is growing up.

I haven't been sitting idle on the makes this week either. It just wouldn't feel like I had used my time efficiently if I didn't have something to show for my evenings, and with a couple of craft fairs and art shows coming up, not to mention Christmas (say it quietly so as not to scare people!) I need to get a few new things on the table.
I put together these cute little fairy aprons from some ex curtain fabric and taking a pattern from an apron we already had.

Next up a wallet made from a pattern that feature in this months Mollie Makes magazine. I need one to match my bag as the little coin purse is far too small for anything but coins. (That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it.)

A trip to Hobbycraft on Monday furnished me with some steam punk jewellery items. I can see steam punk cropping up with me from time to time, it appeals to the teenage goth I once was. The result, a very jangly bracelet.

 And finally, an end to the pile of jeans I have been turning into bags and aprons. I got left with a lot of odd sized remnants and that combined with the need for a new skirt and some inspiration from the Joe Browns catalogue resulted in this:

I took the best fitting top section I had and cut it just above the crotch.

I then cut a load of leg sections and stitched them all together, using a running stitch and a zigzag stitch to finish the edges.

I then sewed a running stitch along the top once the skirt section was long enough and gathered it. After that, all that's left is to attach the top to the bottom and that's it. No hemming required. One easy (and free) new skirt.

I've realised I'm always writing this during Torchwood and have absolutely no idea what's going on despite half watching it for weeks now, so I'm going to sign off and catch up. Take care. xx