Around the World Bloghop

Hello! I haven't been in here for aaaages. My fellow blogger, and crafty associate, Amy Badskirt has kindly given me the kick up the bum I needed, and nominated me to participate in a little blog hopping fun. Basically, I answer a few questions about my creative process so that you can get to know me a little better, and then I tag a couple of people and get them to do the same. then we can all get to know each other a little better. If you are interested, you can check out Amy's post here, and follow back up to the beginning, or you can follow any of the links off to check out the other nominees' answers. You can see who my lucky victims are at the end of this post.


What am I working on?
My major goal for this year is to make more things for me to wear. So far I have been keeping up fairly well with the target of at least one item per month. I seem to be focussed mainly on stretchy fabrics at the moment. This is not particularly a deliberate thing, it has just happened that way. I find stretch fabrics mostly easy to work with (provided they are of good quality), they generally sew up pretty quickly, have less fitting issues than clothes made from woven fabrics, and (most importantly) are comfortable and easy to wear with no ironing. I have a big stack of things all cut out and ready to be sewn for the boys, a fake croc-skin bag that I really need to finish, and there is also a half-knitted cardigan on the bed-side table that I must get to before Amélie outgrows it.


How does my work differ from others of its genre?
This is a really tricky question to answer. I don't set out to be different, I'm just me. I don't think there are any clear rules about what I do and don't like, I either do or I don't. Many of the "rules" I have, I break anyway.

My tastes are fairly eclectic, but I tend to prefer more saturated colours, rather than pale, pastel colours. Having said that, Amélie's quilt is pretty pale.


I also have a real thirst for trying something new. I generally don't make the same things over and over, but I have made a heap of Kwik Sew Pajamas.


I don't like busy florals, but I love Heather Ross fabrics that are floral.


So, you see, I break my own rules all the time. If there is enough to like about something, then I can see past the things that I don't like and go with what I do. I guess I am still figuring out who I am. I wonder if I will ever find myself?

Why do I write/create what I do?
I love to make stuff. I love the thrill of creating something and being able to say I made that, or I did that. I love learning new techniques. I love that my kids feel loved when I make them something that is especially for them. I love that I can make things fit better than they would if I bought them off the rack. I love it when I really get into creating so much that I can switch off everything else and just make... I mostly write about it to keep a record of what I have made and to share with my friends and family.



How does my writing/creative process work?

Ok, so in a nutshell,

• I see things that I like and want to make,
• I make the stuff, (creating a massive mess in the process)
• I take photos of the finished items
• I write about it.
• I see new things I want to make and the process begins again.

Sometimes the steps get mixed around a bit, or intersect with other projects, as I always have more than one on the go at a time, but that is generally how it works. Lately though, things have not been working for me as such. My biggest flaw, the thing that holds me back, is perfectionism. I'm not saying that I am perfect, far from it. It drives me though, and it also holds me back. If I can see something wrong with something, I have trouble letting it go. If I show a friend something I have made and she says that it's perfect, I will show her the stitch that skipped, or the slightly wonky top-stitching and show her that it is not perfect. I have no idea why I impose these standards upon myself, I don't inspect anyone else's work to see if it is perfect. As time has gone on, I have set my standards higher and higher, and now I feel that they are unreachable. The area where this is a problem for my blog, is my photography. Especially now that I am making so much for myself. This is a really big shame, as I love having my blog as a record of the things that I make. I need to learn to let go and just do it.


And now it is time to nominate some people to follow in my footsteps and join the blog hop. The rules say I can nominate up to three people to participate; I nominate Karen, from And so, I sew, Jodie from Ric-Rac, and my other friend Karen, from Cakes By Karen.