How I am sew not a domestic goddess...

One of my most hated moments in the shop is when somebody, I hate to say it but usually a man, comes in and asks if I can just take his trousers up or sew on a button or whip up a dress for his kid. No. No. No. No. NO!!! In my head I'm saying 'come on mate, I don't sew and I don't cook, clean and bring up your kids whilst putting dinner on the table for you either'. Argh. It annoys me. I knit and crochet. I sometimes spin. And I do them to a high standard because that's where my skills lie. It's as if they assume that I'm some sort of 50's housewife/homemarker and I'm bloody not - I'm a skilled crafter. 

OK - rant over.

Sometimes I do sew - but don't tell them that...

I'm not very good. I get inspired by lovely things I see on the internet, or lovely things I see on customers or lovely things I see at knitting club but in reality I'm a bit bad at sewing. I think it's because you've got to be precise. I've never got good enough to splash out on jersey type material, I just haven't got the money to waste when I know I'll go wrong on it so I stick to cotton. And I'm a massive fan of bed sheets for turning into skirts and dresses. You just can't beat the patterns or the prices and it's upcycling ain't it? I'm down with the kids.

As an aside, I did sew a lovely skirt a couple of weeks ago out of some curtain fabric I picked up for free at the Kathleen and Lilies sale. I wore it on the bus to knit night and a lad sat opposite me asked if it was a bed sheet because he had exactly that pattern when he was a kid. How exciting! Mum was embarrassed when I told her... But I'm impressed. 

So, yesterday a new artisan showed me her goods. I think they're just the sweetest. It's a collection of pin cushions with needle books, knitting needle rolls, hair clips and brooches. She's used chocolate browns, rose pinks, duck egg blues and ivory to create the cutest little knitting and sewing accessories you've ever seen. There's lots of blanket stitch. And I like it. Let me show you why:

Prices:

Needle rolls - £13
Pin cushion and needle books - £8
Brooches - £4-£6

As another aside - I discovered the website shapecollage.com by accident and I bloody love it! It's like I've been photoshopping but it does all the work for you. Exciting!

And - here's a gratuitous shot of some pin cushions with chubby baby feet and legs:

He couldn't resist them - I think we may have a crafter on our hands!!!

And just to finish up - here's some sewing I did yesterday - it's still in the idea stage but at least I've got a project bag, it might keep me more organised. Unlikely. Maybe it'll make me look like a more upmarket bag lady...