More Trousers

I wrote last month about some trousers that I had made for myself, from New Look pattern 6271 - my Hippy Chick trousers. My daughter was very keen to wear them, but I managed to hang on to them. But I have made her two pairs of trousers from the same pattern. 

 

I felt I had to sew carefully, as she is a fashion student. We are calling them her intern trousers, as she is in the process of looking for an internship for some of next year. So I am imagining them swishing around some trendy studio in London, with the stitching being admired.

For the first pair she bought some lightweight denim, and the changes I made for the pattern were the run and fell seams down the outside of the legs, and the top-stitched patch pockets. About 20 years ago I did a City and Guild Fashion course, so had to get out my old file of notes and samples for these.

The second pair is a lovely silky striped pattern, and for these I added some in seam pockets on each side. I found a fantastic on line video from Soften Studio, on how to sew a french seam pocket. There is also a link to download a free pattern piece, and the explanation is so clear and the end result so neat and pleasing, I would highly recommend this.

So getting my value from this pattern, I am now thinking about fabric for the skirt option.

Tamara Way - Boyton to Bridgerule

Quite a while since we did our last Tamara Way walk. It either seems to have been rainy, or when it has been hot perhaps a bit too hot for our dog. So this section has been done in two parts. Perhaps not the most exciting part of the walk, as it has all been on country lanes. Very lovely country lanes, but I think we have missed the excitement of a few stiles, the fear of cows in fields, and the jeopardy of are we going the right way.

We finished the first half at North Tamerton, where we admired this metalwork outside the church.

Today we continued on our way to Bridgerule. Probably the highlight of the walk was meeting another couple of walkers with their Tamara Way book. It was nice to end up back with the River Tamar, which as you can see has really shrunk now. Also interesting to see Bridgerule, which we have passed many times. It is just off the main road to Bude, but we did not know it was there. 

I absolutely hate this photo, but it was the only one taken all day. So many questions - Who is that dumpy women my son is cuddling? Why does she look like she is in a pair of pyjamas? Did she trip on the untied laces? Fortunately I think not many people look at this blog.

Vegetable Garden Diary Update

I have just realised that unlike other years, I have not been keeping my vegetable garden monthly diary. I did try doing a little video, which seemed like a good idea, as it was me showing the garden warts and all. But I did not seem able to upload it, so am doing my usual photo catchup.

Like most years some things have gone well, and other not so good. I think for a lot of things the large amount of rain that we have had has been good, and we are now having a bit of sunshine as well. Also we have had the benefit of chicken poo, and four big sacks of free horse manure from a local stable, which I think have really helped. 

After my rabbit invaders, I covered all of the peas and runner beans with netting or mesh, which seems to have worked. So despite the invaders we have had a fair crop of runnerbeans and peas, and the broad beans have been much better than any other year. For the broad beans I picked off the growing tips of the plants, something I saw on a TV programme, and this year no blackfly problem at all.

 

I also was pleased to try some new vegetables - parsnips and pak choi, both of which have been great. Beetroots as well have at least grown to a reasonable size this year.

 

For salad leaves the American land cress and rocket have kept us going all summer, and I have had better radishes by doing a few small plantings. My tomatoes are way behind, but the plants look good, so hopefully eventually we will get some.

The raspberries have perhaps not been as many as other years, but most evenings I pick a little bowl to have on cereal at breakfast. The one tayberry bush has produced a lot of berries, all of which have gone into the freezer and will be made into jam. We bought a new gooseberry bush and built a fruit cage, with the blackcurrants. These have not produced much, so I cannot blame the birds this year. I think perhaps they need a bit of love and attention. The outside strawberries have been good, and I have high hopes for next year for the plants I have put in a trough in the polytunnel.

 

I realise I am being a bit too positive, so here is the one sunflower that survived the rabbits. I also have some very tiny sweetcorn plants, which have always been successful in other years, but I am really not sure are going to catch up this year.

  

Here is a photo of one of my favourite bits of the garden. The courgettes seem unstoppable, and I also like the self-seeded nasturtiums. The pak choi is on the left, netted peas in the background, and as you can see I have been doing a bit of weeding.

 

I am not too great as a flower gardener, but here is a little collage of some flowers in the vegetable garden. My sister gave me two dahlia plants. This one has settled in and is a gorgeous colour. I also saved love-in-the-mist seeds from last year, as they are one of my favourites. I've also included some courgette and bean flowers - useful and beautiful.

Special Starfish

I am pretty good at watching on Ravelry if someone has used one of my patterns and linked their project. On Etsy I sometimes forget, as comments and photos come at the bottom of the shop page. But every so often I do a catchup, and was delighted to see this beautiful make from my Starfish pattern.

Pat is from Canada, and has made it for her granddaughter, on Vancouver Island, who is having her bedroom decorated with a sea theme. I just love the wool she has used, the mixture of colours. The choice to line of the french knots is lovely, and these are made with yarn spun with merino wool and Samoyed dog hair. Just exquisite - I think her granddaughter is going to be very happy.

 

Hippy Chick Trousers

At this time of year, when The Great British Sewing Bee is on, I suddenly remember that sewing is something I can do.

So this year I decided to make my some trousers, with this lovely piece of Africa waxed cotton, that I bought from a charity shop for £6. The pattern I used is New Look 6271. It also contains a pattern for skirts and shorts, so thought it was good value. My one worry with it was would that the waist look too elasticated. I am usually a jeans girl, and avoid elasticated waists when buying trousers. This waist has a combination of elastic in a channel, and a functioning tie, which confused me a bit at first. But I am really happy with the end result. The thing I really like about this pattern is the width of the legs. They are quite wide, but not silly wide.

 

My daughter was here in Cornwall when I finished the trousers, and also liked them so much, that she tried to persuade me to let her wear them to work. Before I had even worn them out myself! I pretended to be annoyed, but was actually quite flattered that she liked them so much. So they are still my trousers, but I now have two more pieces of fabric to make some for her. Pleased about this, as I love to get more than one garment out of a pattern.

 

After that I am planning to make, in the style of The Sewing Bee, a blouse out of an old embroidered table cloth. I have a few of these to use, but if anyone can suggest a fairly simple pattern, without gathers so the embroidery will lie flat, I would love to hear from you.

Turtle Project

Once in a while someone shows me a project made from one of my patterns which is really special, and they allow me to feature it here.

 

 

This was the case with Lori, from Louisiana, who contacted me a few weeks ago about the finished size of my Tortoise pattern. She had found this beautiful turtle shell in the woods, and decided the time had come to make a body for him. As you see the shell is stunning in itself, but now Cecil has a body too.

Lori had to slightly adapt the pattern for size, and as you can see has done a wonderful job. She has made a body, which she has carefully slid into the shell, which is one piece.

Doesn't Cecil have a wonderful expression on his face. Thank you Lori for letting me share your project here. 

I love to see when knitters have used my patterns, especially for an unusual project. It makes designing a pattern really worthwhile to see it being enjoyed.

Gardening Green with Fleece

I am trying something new in the garden this year, which is to use some of the waste fleece from the mill where I work in different ways. It has been wetter than usual this year, and we seem to have more slugs and snails than ever. I don't use slug pellets, as I enjoy watching the birds here so much, and it just seems obvious that poisoning one of the things that they are going to eat is going to affect them. I want my veg, but not that much.

Over the years I have tried other ways to combat the snails and slugs - beer traps and coffee grinds, which both had some success. The fleece I am using is called greasy waste, wool that has not been scoured and contains lanolin. It may have a bit of sheep marker spray in it. Or even, heaven forbid some sheep poo, but this is all to the good. I have been putting it around the plants that get attacked most - the strawberries in the polytunnel, the courgettes, pumpkins, and squash. It seems to be working well, not blowing away which was a bit of a concern.

I have read online that fleece has other properties that are good. Not only does it help retain heat around the plants, it also can hold 30% of its weight in water, which if the soil is dry it will release if needed, but also soak up water if the weather is wet. So it should mean less watering. If used in larger quantities than I have it will stop weeds growing. It seems like a winner all round.

Another good thing about using fleece is that it adds nutrients (nitrogen and other trace elements) to the soil, particularly when you are planting. Some fleece added to the planting hole will help retain moisture around the roots. I decided to be scientific, and planted half my sunflowers this way, and the other half without, as a control. The experiment failed, as a few days later I think a rabbit got in and ate the lot. I almost had a second take, as every part of every plant was gone. He did not seem to differentiate between those with the fleece and those without, all equally yummy. I may have another try at this with other planting.

Here is my other non-chemical slug destroyer. I have found this toad several times in the garden, and I think he is also keeping the slugs down.

My other use for fleece in the garden this year was stuffing Fergus the scarecrow. I know you may say, but you like the birds, so why make a scarecrow. Fergus is totally ineffective as a scarecrow, and I have seen the odd bird sitting on him, but I do think he may put off the deer that have occasionally invaded the garden. Other years we have stuffed him with anything we could find, but I feel better about using the fleece, knowing that if the odd bit escapes it will probably be put to use by a bird, or perhaps even the thieving rabbit could have a fleece lined burrow.

I deliberately left the brocoli flowers as the bees were enjoying them so much.

There are other uses for sheep wool in the garden -

• Small quantities of sheep's wool can also be used in a compost heap, and will decompose to add fertility to the soil.
• I have seen people use fleece to line hanging planters, which I might give a go next year.
• Woollen garden twine is a really great eco-friendly alternative to imported jute or plastic garden twine. 
  

I was lucky this year to have a source of wool, but I know there are a lot of farmers for whom the wool sheared from their sheep is a waste product. I met a farmer last year whose wool was not good enough to process into knitting wool, who was burning it. I do wish there was a way to get farmers in this situation and gardeners together, as it really is good to garden in a green woolly way.