Organised

I actually managed to spend an hour on my sewing machine last night. It may not sound like much, but at the moment this is a major achievement! I enjoyed it too.

I am trying to be more organised and to have more of a system to the way I work, I am hoping this will save a bit of time. So the other day I spend some time cutting out work, I cut out about 10 tea cosies and 10 door stops. I started to add machine embroidery yesterday and after that they will be sewn together. I can see why it makes sense to work like this, as it does defiantly save time, but its perhaps not the most satisfying way to work as it takes much longer to see finished pieces.

Somehow I have managed to re-claim this weekend, so I no longer have any plans. So I am hoping to have a really good sewing session. I know with the fast approaching Christmas craft fair season I need to get moving and I am sure a couple of good session will make me feel better about everything and help find my missing productivity.

I also promise to take some new photo's at the weekend.

GNCCF

This weekend I met up with some friends in Manchester and went to Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. I really enjoyed it and it was lovely to be able to have a good look around. The fair was huge and we were all exhausted at the end, too much eye candy for one session!

These were some of my favourite things:

Lynsey Walters -I love her bright wool jewellery, I was very tempted to buy something, but just couldn't decide what I liked best as its all so gorgeous.

Sarah Thirlwell - I loved these vases, they looked so beautiful with the light behind them.

Maxine Sutton - I really liked the combination of print and embroidery with bold colours.

Ruth Green - Lovely illustrations and print. Have put a link to her NOTHS shop as I couldn't seem to get onto her website. She has so many lovely prints.

There were loads of other beautiful things by some wonderful makers, (too many to list, so maybe I will do a part 2).

So it was a lovely weekend and great to catch up with some friends who I sadly don't see as often as I would like, but another weekend has gone by without me making a thing. I really need to pull myself together and get making and I am seriously running out of time now! Eeek!

Struggling

I am really struggling at the moment, I have been feeling a bit under the weather and very tired, so where I would normally be coming home from work and spend a few hours making things I just don't seem to have the energy at the moment. I am very conscious that its not long until my first craft fair of the Christmas season, so I had hoped to get lots done this weekend, as I think it was my last free weekend until the middle of December. But a combination of no energy, lots of house stuff to do and visitors, meant I just didn't get round to it.

So I am starting to worry slightly now. Normally this is good, as I seem to produce more under pressure and I will do simple things, like do an hour before work and take some sewing to do during my lunch, but I just don't seem to have the energy. I am thinking I may see if I have any holiday left and take a couple of days off. I am sure when I get started things will start to flow and I will probably feel much better, but right now my perfect day off would be to curl up in bed and sleep all day!

Just Wrong

I am currently on day of 9 of working 12 days without a day off, not that I am counting and today I am feeling very tired. I have been working long hours staying in a horrible hotel for a few days, I like my own bed!! But I am so looking forward to to weekend and hope to get lots of sewing done. It feel likes ages since I have made some andI can't wait to get started.

A few weeks ago I decided to have a go at making some stitch and burn Christmas decorations. I really enjoying making my brooches and hoped that would transfer well to decorations. Sadly I was wrong! I am not sure if its just the colours or something more, they also took ages as well. So I think this idea is going to be put away for this year, but I may try again next year as I think it could work.