Stitchin' the Void

         Thank you to Mini Archie for the prompt to furtle back through July but oh dear, I have pitifully little to share from the crafty side of my life this time. Having said that, I am actually fairly impressed that I've achieved anything indoors this past month as my sewing space usually goes into shut down over the summer. But the reason is .... I've discovered garment sewing! I think I mentioned last time that I'd always wanted to make my own clothes but the faff of how I was taught to sew put me off. But the new generation of designers, approaches and techniques have made the whole process, I think, more accessible to the likes of me and so I've been having a ball building up a few skills. 100 Acts of Sewing patterns have been really instrumental in this and July started with my third Shirt No 1 but this time I felt brave enough to customise the fit a little more. I'm now itching to make another as I had a lightbulb moment as to how to improve the...

My crafting usually grinds to a bit of a halt during the summer months but furtling back through June has left me a tiny bit impressed at what I've achieved! However,  the most exciting thing that happened last month was the arrival of a new chum. Meet mini Kippa, beautifully crafted by the amazing Betti Kogler of @bettis_stitches. I've always admired mini Archie and @budsmam's mini mini Bud, and decided join the club by asking for a replica of a past beloved collie of my own. But who? You may have noticed that I am just a tiny bit obsessed/addicted to mountains and so decided that our new companion should be Kippa, the nemesis of an awesome collie I used to belong to called Cally.  I honestly can't remember why or how we started to call Cally by the name of Kippa but it stuck! Cal was a constant companion on expeditions, although she was so clumsy, reckless and gung ho, and we got into so many scrapes together over the years. Mini Kippa arrived fully clothe...

Happy First of June and thank you for stopping by to catch up with Boo and me as we furtle our way back through May. It was a bit of a mixed month for us but thankfully with more highlights than low points, and I've actually been more productive than I usually am at this time of year... My main focus has been to plough on with the fpp Highland Cow for my island-dwelling friend and I have to say that the quilting part has actually gone quite smoothly. If I want anything to look at all reasonable, it has to be walking foot for me but that's ok. For the cow, I decided to pick out the detail on the head by quilting alternative sections (I think this gives it a little extra texture) and then tackle the background with sweeping trails of leaves. Quilting to pick out the forelock Leaves leaves and more leaves Basic leaf shapes are simple and confidence-giving, and I think the cow looks like she's peering through a hedge! And for the first time ever, I have no r...

HAPPY BELTANE to one and all as we move out of April and into May. 'March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers' and all that. Oh, but there's also 'Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out' - and certainly the weather has taken another chilly turn  here in Lanarkshire.  Which may be as well for me as I have TONS of the stitchy stuff to finish but as the days get longer and warmer, I get further away from my sewing space. I need to make the most of the chill and crack on a bit, I think. So, what was happening stitchy-wise at the Grout Homestead in March? Well, perhaps not as much as should have been but I have enjoyed Highland Cow wrangling as I got a good start on the enlarged version of Tartankiwi's pattern. A friend had asked me to make her an fpp cow at double the size of the original and this seemed perfectly doable. Until I got to the printing, that is. I'd assumed I just needed to find an A3 printer and increase the print size but, n...