JELLYBEANLUPIN

OK the photos are of my first finished clothing project. Yay!! It is a denim skirt - from Sew U by Wendy Mullin. It was easy to make and I enjoyed it. As you can see I finished the raw edges of the facing and the hem with fushia bias binding. I have worn the skirt two days in a row and I have decided to change the hem to black bias binding (as S says, the skirt's best point is its soberness so why ruin that). Hopefully will get that done today. The skirt sits quite high up on my waist and I don't know whether this is how the design is meant to work or whether I am just too fat!!! My measurements do correspond though to the size I made. I had planned on all sorts of details for the skirt. I had even cut out and finished two rounded pockets for the front and toyed with the idea of stiching a design in coloured thread towards the hem. But this is how the skirt ended up. I really do like things simple. Be it food, clothes or er life! I plan to make this skirt again soon in a different material. I will probably widen it so it sits more on the hips and I will try to make it more "fun". Last night I traced the pattern of the top I am going to make onto kraft paper. It takes time but I do this with my patterns for three reasons. 1) being indecisive and of fluctuating weight I can never happily settle on the size I need to cut, 2) kraft paper is less delicate and more suitable for re-use 3) I find kraft paper easier to handle than tissue paper.

D often talks about parties and has play parties with her teddies. Sometimes she asks me (at the most impossible times) whether one of her friends can come round for a party ("but darling it is nine o'clock at night"). The sad thing is that her birthday is in August and so I am guessing she will never have a proper birthday party because of the holidays - so far two of her birthdays have been in Montenegro, one in Biarritz and only one actually at home. So what is the solution? Hey to have a party anyway!!! How rigid to stick to the idea that it has to be a birthday party! So I have promised D that she can have a party very soon. She has decided to invite four of her friends. So a small party. Now all we talk about is what we are going to eat and what we are going to play etc. I can tell it makes her very happy and she is very excited so I am happy too! There will be cake (two sorts) and balloons and sandwiches and I will make hats out of crepe paper for everyone and paint their faces. We will dance and play pass the parcel and I can't wait! We just need to set a date and write it and our address on the invitations that D made the second after I told her we could have a real party. Cool.

Right Onwards!!