Bad News and more Bad News

The week started of grand. Then on Tuesday I was contacted by my local college that the course I was due to start on that very night (in fact only 3 hours before), a course in beginers pattern drafting had been cancelled. The tutor had let them know she was unable to teach the course and they began phoning round immediately. How annoing. I now have pattern master templates and no idea how to use them. All well, maybe one day I will.

The next bit of bad news is I have injured my hand, pulled tendons in my hand so currently it is in a splint and a sling for a while. So no sewing or knitting for me. Yep I will no doubt drive everyone crazy for a bit until Ican start 'making ' again. But on the up side this gives me chance to chat up on all the bloggs I have missed so far this year.

I hope your year is off to a better start than mine.

Sew Vala x 

Been bashing those needles....

I have been away from blogland for such along time, and this is what I have been up to.

Knitting. Been on a bit of a knitting obsession for a while now, here are my finished projects.

Snoods and a scarf. These were Christmas and bithday pressents.

Today I have finished sewing up a cardigan but have not taken pictures just yet.

All this has given me the want to buy a knitting machine, so that I can do lots of the lovely fine knitting as I am rather useless with the fine ply wool. My tension is way too loose and my hands are not very good with the smaller needles. If its chunky wool and large needles I am fine.
Has anyone ever had experience of such machines, please do tell and share.

Sew Vala x

An apology from a bad Aunt.

This post is dedicated to all of us related to the Shaw Clan.

I had never realised how much of a bad Aunt I have been. I belong to a fantasic, hugh and ever expanding family.

And I have been very bad at keeping in touch with them. I missed so many births and birthdays of my neices and nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

I want you all to know how sorry I am for this.
I am not the kind of person who makes resolutions, but this year I want to rectify that and all the birthdays I have missed.

Shaw Clan I love you all xx

Still around.

Hello dear all,

Even though I haven't been blogging, I have been working alot and still keeping up with reading all you lovely bloggers.

I know there is plenty I have been unable to join in, Sew grateful @ My happy sewing place. Staturday link up @ sew country chick, bra and tap panties @ a few threads loose, walkaway dress @eldlewiess patterns If I have missed anyone  else I am sorry, (please forgive me I have 3 teens down with manflu, even though 2 of them are girls.)

So there's not much new 'making ' to show today. I have begun making Plain Pattern Project dress 3,  But what I am going to tell you about is a new direction I find my self being drawn to.

Steampunk and Cosplay. Ever since we went to the expo/comi-con, this has been at the forefront of my mind. I don't want to give too much away, (not to tease, but I am keen not to tempt fate).

 In the meantime I would like to share this with you, I hope you like it as much as I do. There isn't any moving pictures, just music and it is so beautiful.

   
Much love Sew Vala,
 thinking of a slight change to my  blogg name, to go along with the new theme.
The current favourite is The Lady Vala Inara Troposphere. I know it's a bit much but after checking out other steampunk pseudonyms , This is what I have come up with, Can anyone find the connection in the name, (Yep looking at you, Debi- my happy sewing place. ) 
xx

I'm excited.....

Evening everyone.

Today's post is not really sewing related but I hope you don't mind. It's just that I am so excited.
As most of you may know I am a huge sci-fan, and I can quite easily turn into geek mode at any moment. Well today I have been in a very happy place, because I discovered this and promtly whipped out the old credit card.

A signed Nathan Fillion picture as Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly/Serenity. Big Yeah.

I am not going to go on about Firefly (as this is really a sewing blog) but if anyone is interested, it was written by Joss Weadon, who also wrote wrote Buffy, incase you wish to google it.

Now this has me thinking. This weekend we are off to another memmobilla/expo event, and will ether be dressing in the same costumes as the London event last month or it will be the Star Trek uniforms.

But for next years London event I would love it, if my skills were up it (alot more practiced needed then) to create the Malcolm and Kaylee shindig outfits for me and S.H.

  Wow how cool would that be. 'Just shiney capt'in.' 
Ahh I can always dream.

Dennis is finished, just in time for winter...

Sorry I have been away from posting for a while. What with moving furniture into the new room, and other general life stuff, its' been rather hetic around here.

But I have managed to use my spare time to finish the Dennis the Mennis jumper. It has been quite a firsts has this for me.

• The first time I have made a jumper, in an adult size (all my other knitting has been one baby cardigan and several baby blankets)
• I looked at a few patterns to check tension/amount of stitches etc
• But designed the jumper myself.

As S.H. lives quite a distance from me I have not been able to fit as I go along. So I am really hoping it will fit but more importantly that he likes it. As soon as he found out I could knit he asked for a Dennis jumper with a big neck.

And here is its' big, baggy, and  got a big neck.

Honestly it is red and black, but camera/computer makes it look pink. Which I'm he would mind, but thats not very Dennis is it.

For those of you who may be unfamilar with the British Dennis the Menace, here he is.

I you wish to know more infomation on this Beano comic book character it can be found over at wikipedia here. He is descibed as 'Dennis is the archetypal badly-behaved schoolboy.'

And just to level things out a bit later they introduced a naughty school, not in any way similar to any St Trinian. The Beano had Mini the Minx

Any way back to the jumper I used Rowan 'big wool', which is 100% merino wool. It was lovely to knit up, so soft. The colours I used

   black and lipstick, which again does look pink (images curtisy of Rowan).

So whats next on the agenda

• Sew buttons on the victorian steampunk coat
• make dress no 3 for plain pattern project
• finish the next loud shirt

mmmm or start something else.

Take care everyone, Sew Vala. x

Yeah, Happy days.

I am so excited, I have just won this pattern from over at new vintage lady

And this week my room that needed a new roof is finished. Which has meant I have started moving 'stuff' in. And the lovely Mr S is coming over to help move the big 'stuff' this weekend.

Folks I hope I am not tempting fate by saying, looks like we are in for a fab weekend.

Wishing all you lovely people a great weekend.
Sew Vala. x