February's Word of the Month #WAMSAL2023

#WAMSAL2023

February

February - the Month of love... Well that's what the grating card and chocolate manufacturers would have us think as we celebrate St Valentines day.

But, what does February really make you feel and think?
February is supposedly the last month of winter and there are signs of spring beginning to reveal themselves if you look carefully.

The first snowdrops are all ready out with their tiny white heads hanging gracefully over their fresh green stems - the local churchyard has a glorious sweeping carpet of them, as do many of the road sides along the old road over the tops that was once a packhorse trail. I had heard once that the reason for this was traveling people and gypsies many years ago would plant snowdrop bulbs as they went so as they grew and spread they could harvest bunches to sell along their route - I hope that is true, its a wonderfully romantic tale.

Not far behind are the crocus and daffodils adding their splash of pinks and purples and all the shades of yellow - and I always seem to buy more flowers for the house in February and March, almost trying to encourage spring to hurry up and arrive - but February can also supprise us with Snow and Ice, heavy rain, wind and mud - It is said if February has snow and ice at the start, there is more winter ahead than behind - If it thunders in February, there will be frost in April, but if there is Fog in February we will have frost in May! I know I remember Easters where we had thick snow and others when I got sunburn!
I love the folklore around weather.

Imbolc or St Brigids day is on the 1st February, it marks the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox - St Brigid is the patroness Saint of Ireland and worth looking up and reading about her story.

I often find I am at my lowest ebb in February - in past years when I have made those January resolutions, started the diet, joined the exercise group etc I often get to February feeling burned out and wondering why on earth I thought it was a good idea to take so much on - and inevitably I give up on most if not all of those goals.

This year - I am hoping that after spending January dreaming and embracing the cold dark months by not taking on those unattainable goals in the first place, taking a more considered approach to the whole season that February won't be quite such an endurance test!

And so, February's word is PLAN

As nature begins to make the first tentative steps into spring,  the sap beggins to rise in the sleeping trees and the buds of the new leaves begin to form, as the hybernating animals step out to look for food and a mate, then from the dreams we had last month, we wipe the sleep from our eyes and stretch our limbs and we can begin to formulate our plan for the coming year.

So I am asking the same questions...

What does February mean to you?
What images does it evoke?
Is there a colour you associate with February?
How does February make you feel?

You may be a huge fan of Valentines day, do meals and flowers and dates and chocolates, the colour of February for you may be red, evoke love and joy, or you might avoid it at all costs, have no interest in it whatsoever and have other significant events you celebrate, or maybe February is just another month to be endured until spring arrives. Make it relevant to YOU, not what social media, supermarkets and advertising tell you what it should be about.

Remember to take it at your own pace, and do no more than you have time or feel necessary - of course if you want to spend hours and hours on it, that is absolutely fine too!

This month I will be demonstrating couching.

Head over to my YouTube channel to see a demo and listen to my ramblings! 

(please understand I am very new to videoing myself - they will get better as I go along and I have joined a course to help me improve, but that was after filming this one!) 

https://youtu.be/ym_BgmtuQNc 

Januarys WORD of the Month #WAMSAL2023

DREAM

This is such a strange month I find - it arrives after a month I seam to have spent running around finishing jobs off before the end of the year, buying and wrapping gifts, attending school events, Christmas fairs, pantomimes, kids parties, crazy food shopping, spending time with family, visiting people, tidying, cleaning, decorating...the list goes on and on, and in the midst of all this frantic movement and a head feeling like it's been in a food blender we are supposed to relax 'betwixmas' in the mythical down time we supposedly have between Christmas and New Year, knitting, reading books and drinking hot chocolate with Marshmallows in front of a roaring log fire, but in reality I am usually still finishing projects, planning for January and preparing for the return to school and work. 

Nature on the other hand knows the score. In the northern hemesphere January is slap bang in the middle of winter, the trees are resting in slumber, the wildlife is hibernating or sleeping more and reserving its energy and resources, and while the day light might steadily be growing longer, the weather rarely let's us notice the change. 

Us humans on the other hand are busy setting resolutions for the coming year and throwing ourselves back into work, diets and fitness classes to start the year as we mean to go on - usually giving up the dieting and fitness by February! 

I am guilty of all the above and more - but not this year!!!

I approached December with a mind to January this time - determined not to set and resolutions or sign up to any daily task projects, or even start anything new at all. I know I can't clear off and hibernate until the sun has warmth in it again, but I knew I should be more proactive in slowing down and being more mindfull of what I chose to do and how I chose to do it, and that is where the idea for this project was born. Something I could do myself but also share with others who also might feel like me, so here it is.

So - for month 1 of the Word a Month Sew ALong the word I am using is DREAM

Feel free to use the same word - or chose another if that doesn't speak to you! 

I am trying not to plan very much at all in January, but rather to alow my mind to wander and dream, and while I still have school, meetings, work etc etc, I am not planning anything on top of that at all, my 'free time' will be spent reflecting on 2022, doing gentle activities like knitting and sewing without pressure to finish anything, reading some of the almanacs and books I got at Christmas and dreaming. 

I read somewhere recently that all children should be bored for at least an hour a day in order for them to use their imaginations, to stare at clouds, watch ants on a lawn, raindrops running down a window - to be honest I think that's sound advice for anyone at any age. I remember being that child watching raindrops chasing each other down a window and can't imagine even having the time to do that - but in reality I know that if I tried to do that these days I would have to be far away from WiFi to succeed - perhaps I could just leave my tech somewhere and try.

Here are some prompts to help you, if you decide to use the word DREAM (or whichever word you use) keep it in mind as you go through them - this is to help you chose colours and materials. 

The stitch I will focus on this month is Blanket stitch - perfect for dreaming under 

What does January mean to you?

What images does it evoke?

Is there a colour you associate with January?

How does January make you feel?

When you do an Internet search (in the UK at least) the images that come up are usually of clear blue skies, crisp white snow covered trees and fields that sparkle with only the footsteps of wildlife to be seen...

I know that the reality in my corner of Lancashire is usually grey cloudy skies, mud, mud and more mud, cold winds, driving rain, swollen brown rivers waiting to flood, nights that feel like they start at 4pm, mornings where opening the curtains let's no light in - a month that seams to last forever, with the dark foreboding outlines of bare trees black against the grey sky. 

I want my January page to reflect that, but also the cosyness of the home where I wrap up in blankets, keep the fairly lights on and the slow cooker bubbling away with warming stews, where inspiration light up the darkness with sparks of joy and light as I take the time to DREAM...

The link below should (fingers crossed) take you to my YouTube channel and my first video

Tutorial and chat

Welcome to #WAMSAL2023

Hello! And welcome to #WAMSAL2023! 

I have been plotting and planning, procrastinating and putting off - but sometimes you just have to say "sod it" and do the thing.

Who is up for a little stitch along? 

I wanted to make a start or a restart to my little JuicyFig business, but with all the to dos regarding Etsy at the moment, having no idea how to set up a website and looking for the perfect platform to set up my shop - well, it might take me a little longer than I anticipated - so to kick start myself I thought a nice gentle sew-along would be nice.

This is not a subscription or anything fancy, just somethingt I wanted to do myself and share with others, then I thought people might also like to join in as well. 

It is a  project, not a challenge. 

And - it is open to anyone at any time - I thought it would be nice to start in January and make it last a year, but it will be something you can do at any time.

It also won't be a strict "this is how it should be done" kind of project - basically I am trying to make a project even my own AuDHD brain can cope with.

So what is it?

It is a fabric book! 

Each month I am going to choose a word - you are welcome to use the same word, or choose a word that speaks to you personally.

The word is supposed to encapsulate that month - for me when I think about each months I have a a mental image, often a colour, a mood, a feeling or a desire of what I'd like that month to mean. 

Then, we will stitch a page of the book. You can incorporate the word, or suggest it as an abstract or literal image, and embellish it as much as you want or as much as time allows - if you have lots of time and want to work on it all month -- do! If you only have half an hour, then keep it simple. 

I will try and incorporate a particular stitch or technique with a tutorial so if you want to try you can do. 

At the end of the year we will then assemble the pages then the book with a wonderful slot technique paper book makers use and the amazing Anne Wood uses for her fabric books too.  (I think I have managed to work out how it's done with the amount of pages we will need)

The project is intended to be done by hand sewing, this way you take the time to slow down from the frantic pace of life. A machine sewing can be used if you want of to make certain bits quicker or easier, but it can all be done by hand if you don't own a machine, bondaweb and glue - all fine if it helps make it easier - and if you don't sew at all and don't want to - it could be done on a good quality paper! 

I will give a list of basic materials needed for what I will be doing each month, and a basic list to get you going. If you have scraps to use or even recycled textiles like clothes etc even better! (best of all if don't need to buy anything and use what you have - and keep your eye out in thrift stores and charity shops for amazing vintage supplies!) 

You can choose a colour scheme, make it bright, multicoloured, monochrome, whatever gives you joy

Each month I will be writing a blog post with my suggested word, explaining why I have chosen it, what it evokes for me - and a hashtag so you can share your work on Instagram or on my Facebook page 

#WAMSAL2023  #WordAMonthSewALong2023 

Interested?

I will be posting my First word etc in a few days but for now here are some suggested materials and equipment you may need.

Page fabric - pages will be approximately 13cm x 13cm this includes the seam allowance for when we assemble the book. 

You will need 16 (this makes a cover as well) in a woven fabric (not a stretch or knitted fabric) for stability. 

You could make these all the same fabric and colour or a different fabric and colour each month.

If you like to use an embroidery hoop you may need to cut them larger then trim to size after.

Scraps of other fabrics 

Embellishments - e.g. Buttons, lace, ribbons, rikrak, charms etc.

Sewing thread

Embroidery thread, crochet cotton, wool, whatever you have to hand

Bondaweb (not necessary but handy)

Pins

Sewing needles

Scissors

Embroidery hoop (not essential but may need one if you want to learn any of the embroidery stitches) 

Iron and ironing board/pad

Cup to tea or coffee.

So far January has been far busier than I anticipated so please be patient if I get a little behind.

Hopefully this week I will be doing a short video with January's word, what I will be making and some instructions on the stitch I am featuring this month for anyone unfamiliar with it. 

If you are joining in please show us your progress either on Instagram using the hashtag #WAMSAL2023. If people want me too I can also set up a Facebook page to share your work - just ask!

See you later in the week 

The season of mist and mellow fruitfulness...

It is hard to believe that only a couple of months ago most of the UK was in the grips of a heatwave. As I searched for the coolest clothes to wear and filled the freezer with ice pops it was inconceivable that before long I would be digging out my winter sweaters and buying an electric blanket! 

Autumn is a season of great contrast, it bridges the end of summer and the start of winter, with cold crisp mornings that take your breath away and dazzles your eyes as the sun sits lower in the sky. The leaves are a riot of shades from green, yellow, orange, red and brown, the hedgerows are filled with fruit and nuts, the woodlands and fields providing edible fingi to pick and non edible fungi to marvel at, the apples are abundant, and we search for conkers like they are precious treasure, filling our pockets. 

There is a sence of comfort that comes from preserving nature's harvest for the coming months.

I get me Sloe Gin and Beeswax book off the shelves, look through the pages and dream of my small holding and my still-room that I probably will never have, but it's still nice to dream.

Autumn is also a time for endings, the nights draw in and the days feel shorter, the warmth from the sun has gone, the trees become bare as the leaves fall and rot feeding the earth around them, small creatures stock their larders and fill up ready for a time when the ground will be hard and their food supplies become scarce, the rain comes more often and the ground slowly becomes saturated leading to flash floods that seam to occur more frequently and to more devastating effect that they used to - and of course this year in the UK we have the "cost of living crisis" and it has become too expensive to even heat our homes, cook those warming winter dishes we crave or even drive our cars! 

Currently I work a couple of different jobs, and one of them is very quiet this month, I rely on orders from one company and this month they haven't ordered anything. I am taking the opportunity to make a start on my new venture, well..it's more of a relaunch of an old venture but in a new way - I mentioned it briefly last time.

It feels perfect for Autumn, I feel like I am preparing for harder times with it, filling my larder in preparation for the months ahead so to speak. 

So on the days when the sun filters through and the days are crisp and dry I will embrace my hand knits and cosy boots, and when the weather is wet and muddy my wellies come out and my waterproofs, and inside we will wrap up in our patchwork quilts and knitted blankets, light the candles, eat hot carb filled soups and stews from our slow cooker and hunker down waiting for the dark months to end and spring to peep through once more.

A fresh Perspective

If you have followed me for a while on this blog or on Instagram you will know how many times I have tried to make my own little business out of what I love...Textiles.

I have made random items to sell, decided I needed to focus on one area, got bored with repetition, changed tack, started again and again and again, done courses, qualifications, training... You get the picture.

One thing getting an ADHD diagnosis has done is send me down the rabbit hole of researching everything about it and trying to relate it to my own life, and future.

Something that I see repeatedly is how suited us ADHDers are at creativity and self employment

All I read in the forums is just how difficult ADHDers find it to find the focus to actually start and then be consistent within that business, and when tasks that don't stimulate our dopamine need to be done...we ultimately give up and give in.

I knew this was something I had always struggled with without knowing why - but now I know the why I need to work out the how - just how can I make a business that satisfies my own needs but also engages potential customers, and also keeps those customers returning?

I have found the kind of self employment I have been doing for the past ....years works because the work I am doing has deadlines and set times etc that I have to work to in order to get paid, but working entirely under my own steam as I have tried with the crafting means that without those deadlines and set times and routines I just procrastinate the bits I don't enjoy, get distracted from tasks and also end up being the person who gets called upon time and time again to provide support (elderly parents, family etc) they know I don't work 9 - 5 so assume my time is my own or flexible. And while I do want to help and rescue, and support (as we often do!) it eventually drives me to burnout, meltdowns, and feeling like I have no life to do what I want - and don't get me started on the distractions of social media!

Recently I have had to rearrange my entire week to work with my son at school, he is only in for 2 hours a day at the moment and unfortunately his new teacher said it was OK for mummy to be in the classroom with him when he asked on his first day back. I now have no chance of leaving him now, but I sit in a corner so he knows I am there and the only resource I can take with me is my tablet and note pad (neither of my other 2 jobs can be carried to a classroom, and neither need a computer!) 

So I had to decide what to do with that time, as doom scrolling Facebook was not an option, I had to make it productive!

And so I have picked up the research I was doing in my degree, I am working with how my brain and hyper focus and distraction etc effect me and I am making a plan!

I know my "shop" will be random, but within that random will be the textiles theme interwoven in every fibre of it (see what I did there?) 

I know that I will lose focus on certain areas and plan to have kits, instructions, tutorials etc in place to enable others to create their own items, or to learn new skills or techniques while I can work on the next project 

I know there will be a lot of learning for me, there are new tools  and tech available that I need to learn as the ones from only a few years ago I used in my degree have already been surpassed. Social media much as I loath it and love it in equal measures has also changed a lot in recent years so yes, lots to learn and navigate.

What I won't do is put myself under too much pressure - Hopefully in the New Year our school situation will have changed, but if and when that happened I may have to give up one of my other self employed jobs just to fit in school runs and support, and that seams like a nice time line to bring this new incarnation of The JuicyFig to reality. 

If you would like to follow my misadventures on Instagram I am at @the_juicyfig and soon I will hopefully have a shop etc so check out @juicyfig_makes

And..you never know, I might remember to blag about it all too! 

Upcycled, recycled, cycled all over...

Another goal for 2018 is to make as many of my own and my sons clothes as possible, but to make this just that tad more challenging I am also trying to not buy any fabric this year! 

Sounds impossible? Well, looking around my sewing room I think I probably have enough fabric to keep us clothes for many years to come - it's going to be tough not to buy more though...

For almost 12 months now I have been on a diet - a BIG diet - so far I am 1lb off loosing 6 stone, I have another 4 stone to loose before reaching my goal, so a good source of fabric is my ever increasing pile of clothes that are tooooo big. Some I have donated to charity, some I intend to sell on e-bay but others are perfect to down size!

My first down sizing of 2018 is jeans that I have cleverly re-invented as....well, jeans! 

Arranging my pattern onto old jeans

I bought a load of PDF patterns last year, there are three designers I buy from at the moment, they are brilliant, Most of the patterns come in multiple sizes, and when you pay for them, you get them instantly - Most of them are now moving to 'layer' formats so when you open up the PDF in Adobe, you choose the layer with the size on you want and just print that off, simple! 

This finished Ants in the Pants pattern from Puperita

The pattern I used was Ants in the Pants from Puperita on Etsy - the great thing about all these designers is they also have great support groups on Facebook, so if you have any questions, there's always someone there to help - often the designer themselves. 

All of the designers I use are also happy for the finished garments to be sold by the makers. One does ask for anyone doing this to make a donation to a womens refuge, another charity, or to her sponsored child in Africa, and they all ask that they are named as the designer - fair enough I say!

Here they are being modeled - He is hard work to get to model anything! these are the least blurred shots.

His top is also made by me, this is a MBJM (Made by Jacks Mum) pattern.

I will pop the links at the bottom to my favorite PDF pattern shops! 

Happy sewing.

Puperita - pattern for babies and kids

mbjm - from new born to adult

MotherGrimm Kids and adult patterns

195 Thrifty Days till Christmas

I have been a thrifty girl of late, although not everything goes to plan. The socks I knit for Dad for Christmas will actually be given to him for fathers day (I forgot about that one!) and the socks I was knitting for hubby - well, he saw them and really liked them so I just gave them to him - he then quizzed me incessantly about the next pair I was making and well, he's now wearing them as well - Still I am determined the Aran sweater I am knitting him will be for Christmas, I just need to make him something in secret for his birthday on new years eve rather than frantically search the sales for anything he may like.

Last weekend we were invited to my sister in laws wedding. I had been very apprehensive before hand - for many reasons that all seam very trivial - the main reason was that the whole of my husbands family are incredibly thin - I on the other hand have never even been remotely thin! they always look glamorous and gorgeous, I always feel fat and frumpy. 

I spent weeks deciding what to wear, I don't own a skirt or a dress and wouldn't wear one if I did, and we are so skint at the moment that a new outfit was out of the question. 

My dad took me to Burnley to the littlewoods catalogue shop and I found some white linen pants for £4 and a top I kind of felt comfortable in reduced from £70 to £5 - which he kindly paid for - but I still um'd and ah'd over it all. I even cried more than once - I couldn't believe it because for the rest of the time I am perfectly comfortable in what I wear, how I present myself etc.

On Thursday evening after looking through my Molly Makes vintage wedding supplement for the umpteenth time I decided to get a lovely white top my mum had given me last year that I had worn once and managed to get a coffee stain on - out of the cupboard. I rubbed vanish into the stain and found my stash of fabric dyes bought from a closing down sale a couple of years ago. Among them was 'French Pink' - 20 minutes later I had a new pink top. A frantic search through my mountain of vintage lace then ensued to no avail, so on Friday morning I popped into Clitheroe and came back with 2 meters of white cotton lace for £1.80 

A couple of hours in the sewing room and I had pinned, pleated and sewn my new creation. Something was missing though - A coat or cardigan. Off down to mums who said "I don't think I have anything like that but have a look"

In her wardrobe was a pink dressing gown she had worn once on a hospital stay, she had forgotten it was their! She can't stop laughing at some of my ideas and this was yet another.

Off came the bottom 2 foot of the dressing gown, 2 darts sewn into the back, the buttons removed and replaced with some vintage style ones given as a free gift on MM's then disaster! I tried to iron the darts on the back and the second the iron touched the fabric it melted! 

So a patch went over it with 2 more buttons and voila! one hand made vintage style wedding outfit! 

I am not a 'pink' person - but I felt really comfortable in the outfit, and a lovely day was had by all!

Reality check

This week is the week my two subscriptions arrive. Country Living that I have been an avid reader of for about 20 years and Molly Makes, a relatively new mag my mum subscribed to for my birthday last year. 

I sit ALONE with a coffee, wearing my jimmyjammers and slippers, curled up on the sofa, and look wistfully at the artistic shots of gorgeous homes, spotless sofa's with perfectly placed blankets and patchwork quilts, a farmhouse table with vintage bake ware ready to be used for high tea, mixtures of old and new furniture artfully arranged, a bowl of dust free pebbles collected on the beach, at the end of the cottage garden. 

I dream of how I can transform my little terraced ex-mill workers house into a haven of eclectic ephemera, how magazines will clamour to photograph it, how I will swoosh around my home in long silk kaftan's and hand knit cashmere socks (that never get grubby underneath), slump onto my reupholstered patchwork chesterfield sofa and admire the glorious garden through french doors softly draped with shear linen that billows in the warm air. 

This whole scene is so far removed from reality! I wonder how close to reality the magazine images really are? Has the owner of the house spent days scrubbing, polishing, dusting and tidying up? has an artist been around thoughtfully rearranging items into a perfect tableaux? Is there a huge box of plastic toys just 1 foot to the right of the shot? are the kitchen cupboards crammed full of the Ikea crockery they actually use? is the 10 foot trampoline packed away in the shed? and where do they hide the washing machine?

A jealous part of me hopes it is all an illusion - but the romantic in me hopes they really do live in these serene surroundings.

Here are 2 photo's taken in my tiny sewing room today. The first is the arty shot. The second is the reality check!

The Box Making Workshop

On Tuesday this week I taught my first craft class - a full day workshop making fabric covered boxes - and it was fab! 

The class was very small, 3 lovely ladies had booked, none of whom had made these before, they were surprised we actually built the box from scratch, thinking we would be covering a ready made box. 

I had made a sample for the shop in their chosen fabrics, and all 3 ladies wanted to make the patchwork tops for their boxes, meaning we didn't quite get them finished, but everyone left with about 30 minutes sewing left to do at home, and eager to finish them - I ended up buying this tilda fabric and making a box at the same time - it was amazing to see 4 identical shaped boxes  look completely diferent from each other just because of the fabrics we all chose

Here are the workshop tables with everyones heads missing for camera shyness reasons! :~)

you can see the boxes starting to take shape - looking inside out at this point!

I really wanted to get photo's of everyone with their finished box - one lady has promised to e-mail me a photo of hers - I can't wait to see it! 

This particular box size and shape is now for sale as a kit in my folksy shop, including all the precut mount board, wadding and full instructions!

I am still working on the tutorial!!!

Dogs and Cats and Chicks and stuff!

As the (reportedly) most spectacular spring since 1976 unfurls before our eyes, I decided that getting up early and walking the dog would set me up for a better day, you know, fresh air, bird song, flowers, exercises etc - so this morning I set off with my trusty terrier through the field, up the country lane to the main road where the paper shop is. We have two 9 month old 'kittens' Bodkin and Stitch. Stitch has recently started to follow us on walks, and the little sod pot followed the dog and I, no matter what I did to put him off, so when we got to the main road and he shot across it and back almost causing a crash I decided not to bother with the paper shop, and we set off back. We must have looked quite comical to other dog walkers, me, 1 black and white dog and 1 black and white cat to match.


When will Easter get here? - I know I know, it is the weekend after next (I think?) but like all the other yearly events hijacked by the shops, it seams like it has been Easter for weeks now.
Baby Fig in her infinite thriftiness discovered a shop in London that goes that one step beyond poundland - a 99p shop! - she bought a box of these chicks, Easter Geek chicks! brilliant.



and now - some finished projects!!!!!

My luxurious kid mohair scarf wot I designed myself is now finally finished - Mr Fig said it had an 'ethereal quality' - I am just very chuffed!

And below is another - yes, I said ANOTHER finished project, a lovely ballet style wrap for my littlest niece for Easter - She can't eat dairy products, so no Easter eggs, and refuses to wear anything but pink - I hope this fits all her requirements!

Not sure if you can see this - tiny little charm on the sleeve that just says 'made with love' which it definitely is.

so - time is ticking now, only another week to finish knitting egg cosies, bunnies, chicks, making simnel cakes, roasting lamb and loosing an hours sleep. Easter keeps me busier now than when baby fig really was a baby!