Spoonflower have a competition on at the moment to design a piece of fabric for a childrens clothes/toys company. All the entries are wonderful - I am in awe of everyone who designs fabric - but one in particular caught my eye. Its by somebody whose online name is mytinystar - www.spoonflower.com/profiles/mytinystar

A dreadful photo but it does show both the front and back.
I've been doing evening classes for the last seven weeks - fashion draping and intemediate dressmaking at the Cockpit Arts centre. It's been great and I'm finally getting some stuff finished. I have one more class by the end of which I should also have a skirt and a dress.

I just don't get these one-arm styles.  They just look unfinished to me.  I'm obviously wrong though - if I am to believe my fashion bible Grazia. They have no fewer than 3 of these tops and dresses advertised in this weeks issue.

OK, I feel this one is a bit of a cheat for a finished project. It was so easy that it hardley seems fair to write about it.

I've been thinking of making a some vest tops for a while. I love wearing them under tops and jumpers - but I always find that shop bought ones are far too short. My days of showing off my mid-riff are a long way behind me (in fact I'm not sure I ever had any!).

A completed project at last! I have a few things on the go at the moment but my sewing room currently looks like the place of lost sew-ls (pronounced as souls).

I had a wonderful day out today at the Vintage Fashion Fair in Camden (www.vintagefashionlondon.co.uk).  I've not been to one before but they are held every month or so and is a fantastic place to get to if you are in London. There were about 20 stalls selling vintage clothes, jewelry and household ornaments - everything from the turn of the last century right up to the 1980s. However, a lot of the clothes are from the 1940s to 1950s and are absolutely beautiful.

I've been looking at toys again an have almost finished Spaceboy. I've still got to put on his face though.

It's finished - and it was worth the wait!

I love the finished "Pearly skirt" - named by Ottobre not me.  It was exactly what I hoped it would be like - slinky and very special feeling, I actually feel like a grown up - and dressed up - in it.  Perhaps even a touch of Mad Men about it.

So here it is:

Work is really getting in the way of my fun!

I just don't seem to be able to get this Ottobre skirt project finished. With just a couple of hours of sewing time once I get in from work, I seem to get the sewing machine out, sew a seam, do some ironing and then it's time to put it all away again. Oh for a dedicated sewing room.

I'm determined to ramp up the sewing projects for 2010. I'd love to commit to one project a week but I think I would be setting myself up for failure. With full time work, travelling at weekends to visit family and the occasional weekend of fun, it would just not be possible.

So what's a realistic target? 30?Well that's what this blog is here to record.