September saw me undertake a secret project, or three in fact. Collating photo's for three books as Christmas presents. With a mac it is ultra easy and looks so professional but deciding what photo's to use and spending time taking shots to fill in the gaps has been great fun.
They were all brilliantly well received, if sobbing and a refusal to read the introduction in public are good signs!!
I started a Singing for Pleasure course at Bakewell Adult Education college in October, and instantly regretted not having enrolled earlier (it only took me a year!!). The course was led by folk singer, Lester Simpson and was brilliant fun. Very laid back, an ecclectic mix of music and a brilliant sense of achievement even though most weeks I found myself singing bass owing to the usual lack of men. One did start with his wife but by week three was never seen again! (Well by us at least, am hoping his wife still knew his whereabouts).
Having been given a sewing machine for my birthday in March, I finally found a window to try and see how it worked. The machine is awesome, made for idiots which is just as well as i appear to be such a one. I painstakingly drew a template of a doll's dress onto annoyingly curly greaseproof paper, put it onto an off cut of denim and cut it out full of enthusiasm for my new project.
The photo is here because this was the best part! I hemmed each section - one 6 times determined to get it perfect. Starting off turning the wheel by hand before building up enough guts to try the foot operated pedal. It was all going so well until I realised I'd cut the shoulder straps too short and underestimated my side seam allowance. Hey ho, it looked brilliant in parts but was no good for Lotta the ragdoll. It was also a good exercise in how not to have a psychological melt down. Ghosts from my childhood rose up whispering "lack of abilility"and "missing out on the artistic gene"and a certain maternal spectre of "you don't want to do it like that" put it's oar in...until I realised that even my brilliant mother wasn't born perfect and had maybe even shed, just one, tear of frustration over a hot sewing machine in the early days of her efforts. Demon's battled, I packed away Lotta's dress and will when the time is right, unpick it (AGAIN) and recut the pattern and by golly when that new dress is finished woe betide any little girl who tries to remove it from that doll.
I thought I'd be out of luck, ideas and time for December as plans for salt dough ornaments, fig and date relish and home made cards came and went (well I did manage two but today I have made my thank you cards - little toddler finger prints for rudolph's nose - and a new baby one,for a boxing day addition to our world.
So I come in just before the bell and need to get thinking about what January's challenge may be...
