A new challenge.....?

Over the past couple of years I have found myself getting increasingly frustrated with the clothes on offer in High Street shops. I am now stuck relying on my pre-babies wardrobe, most of which I am still just a tad too big for.  The last time I went shopping and actually bought something was just over 12 months ago, and even then I wasn't overjoyed with the fit!

This year everything I have seen can be broadly categorised as follows:
1. Cheap looking and/or badly made
2. Ill-fitting despite me being a UK size 10-12
3. Pattern/colours resembling a fight between clothing from Laura Ashley in the mid-80's (pastel, floral riot) and clothing from the early 90's (retina scorching, fluorescent hell)
4. A hideous combination from all of the above :(

At first I thought I might just be showing my age, but the more I have looked around the more I am convinced that what is on offer is just really bad! Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that some people like and suit what is out there but it's just not me.

So at this point I've concluded that I have limited options available to me: either I start buying/wearing clothes that I hate or I simply opt to never buy clothes again and wear my existing clothes until they fall apart! (There is the unspoken third option of the naturist approach to clothes, but I've had two babies and no-one needs to see that :P plus the weather in Northern England isn't warm enough!)

So herein lies the challenge: in order to have clothes in a material/pattern that I like, that will fit me properly and hopefully look flattering I think the only remaining option is to make things for myself.

I have had limited dressmaking experience, so I think a lot of practise will be necessary to get a decent finished item. However, what I lack in experience I might be able to make up for with determination...? *here's hoping* wish me luck!

Hello kitty blanket

Behold, the Hello Kitty blanket of DOOM! I started this blanket a few months before my due date (December 2011) and managed to get it well underway quite quickly. The Hello Kitty square in the middle was Tunisian/Afghan crochet using a pattern I made myself. The surrounding squares are 7x7 granny squares.

With the various demands of two small children, it has sat languishing at the bottom of one of my (multitude of) craft bags. At the time I thought that having multicoloured squares would make a lovely finished item... Which I think it has. Unfortunately I didn't factor in how many ends I would have to tidy at the end! Life lesson learned: in future I will 'sew as I go!'

I'm going to try and finish this off over the coming months, but perhaps in between other projects to keep me sane!

Time for a quick post

Following a conversation with my husband the other night about his latest blogging endeavours, I felt compelled to come back and have a look at my rather neglected page! In between smiling at some mostly forgotten memories, I realised that the last post was from 2010... *naughty me* so much has changed in the meantime, although my work-life is still equally hectic :P Let's see whether my mid-year resolution to blog more might actually happen?