I am no seamstress. I need a manual to know how to thread my sewing machine. In my defence it’s an old one I bought a few months ago in a charity shop and this is the first time I’ve used it. You don’t need to know any more about my sewing skills than that 🙂

However, I had a clear Sunday, good sunlight, Venus Dodge by my side and lots of potentially wonderful fabrics..

..and second hand baby clothes that I’ve been hoarding for years for the day when I would be overcome by the urge to sew something for Sasha.

Today was that day.

I chose a baby dress, all white embossed cotton with ready made pin-tucks at the bib. I only had a day, not a week 🙂

I struggled with lining the bodice. Knowing which bits to sew together and which bits to leave open….you don’t need to know that when you’re knitting, so it doesn’t come easy. After a few flicks of the ‘quick unpick’ or seam ripper, I more or less got it right and managed to put together a very simple, sleeveless dress. Then I couldn’t find my button-holer, which I know I have somewhere (!) so I went with press-studs.

And then when they were on and it looked like a real dress I got a bit pleased with myself and probably went a bit too far and added a bit of vintage cotton lace around the neck.

I don’t know why I did it, it’s not a style I’ve ever seen or wanted to wear, but I just had some lace,  a needle and some white cotton and I was on a roll. I might well take the collar off, but here is the finished dress, well maybe I’ll also add a petticoat because Pintucks looks to be having a Princess Diana wardrobe malfunction silhouetted against the light. Now remember I’m a novice 🙂 ……

Unrealistically mad with power now   🙂   Next week dungarees !

 

 

Sasha wanted to stay in and finish her ironing  (she doesn’t get this from me) ..

Rufus wasn’t too happy about that..

but Joe and Pintucks were desperate to get out and play and in the sunshine. Even though they know play = work in harvest season 🙂 Today was all about picking what we grow. Some things are easy to pick..

..and some need a bit more effort

and team work.

 

 

The plums are delicate so Joe wheel-barrowed them to the basket for careful packing.

The blackberries are ready too. These are the thornless ones we grow on the allotment.

We have plenty of apples and blackberries to make lots of pies and crumbles and jams.

The sweetcorn isn’t quite ready

..and the strawberries are having a final fling but they’re not ripe yet.

..but lots of things are ready to pick and bring home to freeze and make jams and chutneys with. I hope Sasha’s finished her ironing. Look’s like she’ll have another job when we get home 🙂

click here for their jigsaw

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