Chiswick Riverside

I love living by the Thames in London.

In my dreams I'd live somewhere else by the seaside, but it wouldn't work for either of us for work, and also I'd never actually get any work done as it would be too tempting to spend all day in the sea!!

So the Thames is a great alternative, and I've even swum in it a few times!!

Usually we'd go for a long river walk at least once a month in the winter and once a week in the summer, preferably combining it with a visit to one of the many riverside pubs (ahh how I miss pubs!!).

As the river path is always busy, and fairly narrow in places, I've been avoiding it since the start of lockdown, because it just didn't seem like a sensible place to go, but since the more relaxed rules came in last week, I was just itching to go and see my river.

My usual walk is over Hammersmith Bridge, along to Barnes Bridge, over that, and back to Hammersmith and it's just gorgeous! It usually takes about 1.5 hours, but depends on how many times I stop to smell flowers and take photos!

So I went on Thursday evening and it was just beautiful. A little chilly, but the sun was out, and so it felt just like we were on holiday at the seaside (you know, cos it's always a bit colder than you expected - haha!). It made me so happy!! I'm definitely going to have to go back again soon!!

Making Rainbows

I've admired all sorts of fibre art on social media for years, without ever having the time to have a go and make something of my own, so lockdown was the perfect time to have a go and make a rainbow. Especially as the rainbow image was being used in all the support NHS campaigns, it seemed double perfect.

Luckily, being a craft hoarder, I had plenty of wool, piping cord, and ribbon to get started, so quickly did.

I made this little one for me, and hung it in the window, which quickly attracted admiration from the neighbours (we live in a block of flats, and this was in the window facing our shared garden). 

I then made these ones, and posted a photo on social media, and quickly started to get some love!

By this point I'd run out of piping cord, but was sure I had some rope somewhere (no idea why?!?) and I quickly found a bag with lots of different thicknesses of rope! Winner! I wrapped and wrapped, and pom pom'd and glued, until I'd run out of my initial rope stash. 

Luckily our local independent DIY shop was open, and had some sash cord in 2 thicknesses - perfect for wrapping!

I bought a 10m length and was very happy, but then got so many orders, I'd wrapped the entire 10m in one day! So popped back the next day to but another length. And again wrapped the whole 10m, so popped back a third day to buy another 10m!!

By this point, the lovely shop owner enquired as to what I was doing, and why i needed so much cord!! I assured him I was not some sort of murderer/bondage fan, and showed him some photos of my rainbows!

Since then, I've been steadily making rainbows in all sizes and colour combinations, and making good on one of my lockdown resolutions - to use up my entire wool stash!!

They are very therapeutic to make, and I might sneakily add one to every window in our flat (we have 5 - haha!)

Lockdown Life

I don't think any of us could have expected this would happen  - seeing as it hasn't really happened since the Spanish Flu pandemic. Anyway, the whole world is on lockdown, and I think here in the UK, we have it pretty relaxed. Speaking to friends in other countries, they are actually in lockdown, whereas because we can still go out to the supermarkets, to exercise, it has seemed much less like a lockdown here.

I've been using the opportunity (and extra time now I'm not going out socialising) to make make make! Thankfully I'm a craft hoarder, so have loads of materials to keep me going for weeks yet!! And have found the time has been going so so quickly!!

I've also been using the time to think of 3 things every day, that I'm grateful for. Sometimes it's as trivial as cheese, but I do find that starting the day on such a positive note, really does help with your general outlook.

I've been mainly grateful for all the incredible NHS workers - from the top doctors, to the cleaners, porters and canteen staff - they are all heroes!

I've been incredibly grateful for the postal workers! Our postman turns up every day with a smile on his face, and they have helped me to keep my business going whilst markets are cancelled, and give me some much needed income!!

I'm grateful for all the supermarket staff who are keeping us in tasty meals!! And all the small food businesses who have switched to deliveries to keep themselves in business!

I'm grateful for technology that means we can video call - I feel like I've seen more people that I maybe normally would have!! And when you see someone's face, it's much easier to feel like you've seen them!!

I'm grateful for the sunshine (and the week of rain as all the plants needed it), when you're outside and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, it's definitely good for your happiness levels!!

I'm grateful for friends and neighbours looking out for eachother! We have a lovely community in our block of flats, and I have amazing friends who have done things like found yeast for me!! It's like gold dust!!

I'm grateful that I live in a lovely little flat, and actually like my boyfriend, so we are quite happy spending all this time together, and can live quite happily in such a small space.

I'm grateful for my balcony and hammock, so I can feel like I'm on holiday!

I'm grateful for all my gin birthday presents - keeping us well stocked with essentials!

I'm grateful for the break we are giving to the world. I know it's killing the economy, but it's great for nature!

There are many many more things too, but I think this is enough typing for now, and I must get back to sewing!!

Sun Hats

So last year, I finally got round to sewing some reversible fabric sun hats - having been asked for them many many times. It took me a few pattern tweaks, to find one I was happy with, and I sewed them in 2 sizes.

They were so popular, it was great! Unfortunately, I hadn't planned far enough in advance, so sold out pretty quickly!

Since then, a friend asked for matching hats for her new baby, and herself, so I graded my pattern to include baby and adult sizes.

So here they are - ready for launch tomorrow - take a look....

Four Sizes available - from Baby to Adult!

Quarantine Sewing

Wow - how much has the world changed, since my last post. I don't think any of us can have totally adjusted to lockdown yet - I still struggle to know what day it is - and keep wanting to check my diary, in case I miss something - even though my 2020 diary is currently pretty redundant.

However, my flat is full of craft supplies (I reckon I could keep going for a good six months, before I totally ran out of craft supplies!!

I started by updated my mobile stock. I was still quite sold out after a busy Christmas season, and hadn't quite caught up, so I now have pretty much caught up, as well as adding some new ideas, which I've had in my head for a while...

I've also had a few name banner orders - here are some photos of those....

These last few days, I've been busy working on another project....photos to follow....

Plastic Free Living

It’s been almost a year since I started my pledge to live without single use plastics - and mostly it’s gone very well.

The opening of the fabulous StoreSource Bulk Foods in Chiswick obviously helped make things a lot easier, as well as the great One Step and Four State stalls that pop up at lots of my Duck Pond Market.

The main advice I can give is be prepared. I always have some beeswax wraps, or Tupperware with me, and definitely never leave home without a metal water bottle and my bamboo tea cup!

Milk - is delivered (mostly - sometime they don’t bother!) by my lovely Milk and More milkman.

Vegetables  - come from my fabulous local fruit and veg stalls on Chiswick High Road, or Morrison’s has a brilliant British selection - especially when they do naked cucumbers in the summer.

Meat & cheese
 - comes from the counters in Morrison’s or Sainsbury’s, or sometimes in my local butchers or deli (when I’m feeling richer!) and I take along a good stash of Tupperware for these. All my Tupperware now have fairly sticky lids, from where the price labels get stuck on - but those are the only waste involved in these purchases!

I’ve stopped eating yoghurt, except for when I occasionally treat myself to a glass jar of delicious Riverford yoghurt.

Crisps/crackers/biscuits/cakes - I mostly bake myself. I’ve discovered I’m a whizz at making tortillas, and actually prefer them to the shop bought ones! The only exception to this is our local Lidl sells the most amazing pastries, so again, I take my tubs along to put them in.

Cleaning products - the Source has a great refill selection, so I take along my empty bottles and fill up with toilet cleaner, laundry liquid, white vinegar.

Toiletries - I’ve had a mooncup for about 10 years, so that was already sorted, and have had bamboo toothbrushes for a few years too. I buy soap, shampoo and conditioner bars from lovely people at the markets I do, but also refilled a bottle with shampoo at the Source, for my boyfriend, who refused to use a shampoo bar as he says ‘it doesn’t make sense!’

I am now so repulsed by the thought of buying anything plastic, that if I am out and about and hungry, I usually end up with a banana and a can of something to drink!

We have a few gadgets that help with the cause - a bread maker, and a Soda Stream machine! But I don’t want too many unnecessary gadgets cluttering up the kitchen.

New Name Banners

I've been sewing name banners for a good few years now, and so get lots of repeat design orders - mint and grey elephants being the most popular - so it's very exciting when I get a new design request.

I especially love when a customer knows exactly what they'd like! Here are some examples of some recent new designs....

Embroidered Llamas & Pom poms

Guinea Pigs

Embroidered Llama & Cactus

UFO & Planet

Hedgehogs & Owls