It's curtains for me.

I am no longer in a grump, you'll be glad to know. I don't know what brought it on, but it lingered for a couple of days and was hard to shift. I am very grump-prone, as my mum and husband will testify, and I've never grown out of them, despite now being in my mid early thirties. Munchkin is currently tantrum-prone, but hasn't mastered the art of the grump. I think maybe that comes with teenage years?

Aaaaanyway. Enough of my emotional well being. I have made curtains! That hang straight and everything! The little bedroom is now liveable in, and is temporarily housing Munchkin whilst we decorate everything else so she can move into her new bedroom (our old bedroom) and we move into the attic. The little bedroom will then be vacant for the next munchkin, although me and mr pickledweasel don't currently have the energy to conduct a coherent conversation, let alone create new life. We seem to spend every waking moment stripping wallpaper or trying to fill huge cracks with polyfiller in the hope that the wall doesn't fall apart when we paint it.

But I managed to take a break from DIY duties and make these slightly boring, yet perfectly acceptable curtains. I didn't want them to be too jazzy as the wallpaper is pretty busy already, and didn't need any competition. The fabric was £1 a metre from the magic fabric shop, and is backed with a sort of rubber backing. I don't know if this is a special curtain backing, or whether it's for upholstery purposes, but it means the curtains block out most of the light. I lined them, just for appearances sake, but only bought the cheapest lining fabric as I didn't need blackout quality.

They weren't the easiest things to sew, but I've learnt a lot and I'm sure my next pair will be better. I failed miserably on mitring corners, despite it being one of the very few things I learnt on my rubbish college course, but I'll have a look on Youtube and have a go again with a few scraps of fabric.

I used a book my mum swears by, Soft Furnishings: Ideas and Fabrics by Designers Guild, which was published in 1980, but curtain construction doesn't really change much, does it? There are loads of diagrams to accompany the instructions, and the book includes cushions, lampshades, blinds, upholstery and loose covers as well. You can get it second hand on Amazon here or here.

The neverending loft conversion is nearly nearly nearly finished, and is looking like a real room. The plaster looks a bit funny because it wasn't dry when I took the picture, and yes, I know the arch is wonky :). I'm trying very hard not to get overexcited and start sewing cushions and wall hangings and duvet covers for it, as I still have a floor cushion to make for the little bedroom, and then it's on to soft furnishings for Munchkin's new room, which include two pairs of curtains and a loose cover for a 1970's child's armchair. Does anyone fancy a loose cover sew-along? No? No-one? What do you mean 'it doesn't sound very exciting'? I can feel a grump coming on...

Yeah, whatever.

I am in a foul mood today, so this post will not be genial, or courteous, or even polite. I really can't be arsed with small talk, so you'll get what you're given.

Here's a bag I made.

It's made of my favourite jeans, which I had to sacrifice because they had a big hole in the knee. The lining is made from some other fabric. I can't be bothered to tell you where it was from.

It holds things, and it was easy to make. I made another one before, but this one is better, because.... well, just because.

If you want me, I'll be on the sofa with my bottom lip stuck out and my arms folded. Now go away! >:-p

Mmmmm, stitches....*drool*

I did some sewing :) I managed to make Very Purple Person's reversible tote, which is a blinding simple and nifty pattern that everyone should download immediately if they haven't already done so. Mine isn't strictly reversible. Well, it is, but I used the same fabric inside and out :) I haven't got anything that goes with this slightly bizarre aqua monkey head fabric,* so I thought I'd better use it for outer and lining rather than trying to carry off some kind of 'it clashes so crazily it matches!!1!' combo. I love the shape of the bag and the size. Munchkin and I test drove it today, and it comfortably carried baby wipes, 4 nappies, my stupidly huge purse, my mobile, a snack bar and a beaker of water. I'm planning to make it again using denim from an old pair of jeans and lining it with something bright and flowery.

I am still planning to draft my own bag pattern, and you'll be relieved to know I've found my set square and my french curve. Now I just have to find the time to sketch it all out and go through the millions of revisions needed before I throw it in the bin and cry create the perfect bag. I'll keep you posted :)

In never-ending loft fund news, we have windows! Four of them, letting lots of lovely light in. And one of them has a very nice view, if you stick your head out far enough.

I found some non-gender specific wallpaper for Munchkin's old room. At least, I think it's non-gender specific, everyone else who's passed comment on it says it's for boys, but what do they know. It was beautifully hung by grandma pickledweasel, and I did the painting. It's not finished yet - the walls need another coat and the woodwork needs doing, but we've bought carpet, and it should be habitable in a couple of weeks. The plan is to move Munchkin back in there (she's curently sleeping in our room), and then start decorating the hall stairs and landing. And then our current bedroom. And then our new bedroom. By which time we will have no money left for food, but we will be so high on paint fumes and turps we won't care :)

* The selvedge says the design is called 'candy' so I'm guessing they were going for boiled sweets rather than monkey heads, but I prefer to see them as monkey heads.

Sewing is my crystal meth.

I'm getting the shakes - we're back in our building site of a house, and I haven't really been able to sew because I'm meant to be doing wallpaper stripping, polyfillering, painting and other dull, soul-destroying, non-sewing related activities.

Last night I was going to take the evening off and do a bit of stitching, just to try and slow my heart rate and stop the cramps, but I ended up spending three hours looking for children's wallpaper that was a) non-gender specific, b) didn't make me want to vomit, and c) didn't cost more than a week's wages.

I sort of classed that as 'work' even though it didn't involve paintbrushes or masking tape, and so decided to move my night off to tonight. I'm making a bag based on one I already own, and was hoping to finish drafting the pattern and actually put thread to cloth. Only my set square is still at grandma pickledweasel's. As is my french curve. And I thought I could improvise with a bog standard steel rule, but I can't find that either. The only straight thing I can find is a Transformers board game, which unfortunately isn't marked out in inches and cms :(

I'm seriously strung out - I may have to do some cross stitch just to tide me over until I can get my hands on some proper gear again. In the meantime I'm trying to keep my mind busy with plans of future projects. I've chosen colour schemes for Munchkin's new room (our old bedroom) and our new room (the shiny new loft room) based on a throw and a lamp. Sounds crazy, I know (maybe it's just the cross stitch talking), but I read an article on interior design that said it was the best way to start putting a room together, just to take an item and build everything around it.

The throw is single bed sized, and I love the colours in it, although I'm struggling to find other fabrics to complement it. It has a slightly 70's feel floral pattern on one side, and stripes on the other. The lamp is from Next, and although they do a whole range to match (bedding, curtains, rug etc.) I think I'll just stick to a couple of lamps and a light shade, rather than go overboard. I've found a deep red quilted bedspread that matches perfectly, and I think the rest of the room will be fawns and greys with touches of red. It's all sounding very grown up :)

Hopefully by my next post I'll have managed to sew something. If you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, it'll be one of two things. I'll either have got desperate and be trying to complete my mother's heirloom hexagonal patchwork quilt, which was started circa 1971, or mr pickledweasel will have arranged some sort of intervention, and I'll have had all my copies of Sew Hip confiscated and have been sent away to rehab.

Conversations with my daughter.

Munchkin wears cloth nappies and has waterproof pants that fasten over the top. They're Motherease Airflo ones, and they come in a variety of different prints. This conversation took place during a nappy change this week.

Mommy: Right, lets put some pants on.

(roots around in nappy sack and pulls out a pair)

Mommy: Oooh, look, the ones with safari animals on.

Munchkin: No mommy, not.

Mommy: Not those ones?

Munchkin: No, fishy one.

Mommy: Why don't you want the safari ones?

Munchkin: A bit noisy. Lions a bit noisy.

Mommy: Oh, I see. What sort of noisy?

Munchkin: Hoovering.

Mommy: The lions are hoovering?

Munchkin: Yes.

Munchkin has mixed feelings about the loft conversion, although seems to like the new stairs. She has also warmed to Russell, the joiner who's doing all the work, and often asks where he is or what he's doing. The following exchange took place during tea this week.

Munchkin, holding aloft a pea: Look mommy, Russell!

Mommy: Sorry, what sweetheart?

Munchkin, still waving pea around: This Russell.

Mommy: Oh, ok. What's he doing?

Munchkin gallops Russell / pea around edge of plate.

Munchkin: Look, eat him! Nom nom nom nom!

She is a delight at the minute :) I've whipped up another tunic for her from Kitschy Coo's pattern, this time with some applique on the front. I've had this applique idea in my head for a while, and I'm pleased with the way it's turned out - it's a development on something I did ages ago. I wanted it to have a slight seventies feel to it, and I think the denim is perfect for it.

*pops in*

Helloooo! Still at my mum's, still have no ceilings or bathroom at our house. Never mind, we're making the most of the sunny weather and enjoying grandma pickledweasel's garden.

I have spent a pitiful amount of time crafting since we moved in, even pitifullier considering my mum has a craft room in her attic and a fancy computery sewing machine. However, I have managed to whip up a tunic from Kitschy Coo's tunic pattern, and a yard of fabric that I bought in her 'I'm going to America and need more room in my fabric cupboard so I can bring back yards and yards of textile loveliness with me' sale.

It took hardly any time at all, and I'd have finished it in a couple of evenings, had there not been an elastic shortage in the grandma pickledweasel household. It's a little bit too big for Munchkin, but she seems to be growing at an alarming rate so it should fit nicely in a couple of months.

In other news, the pickledweasels had a lovely time at mr pickledweasel's brother's wedding a couple of weeks ago. Munchkin was a flower girl, and was on her very best behaviour all day. Admittedly she had very few duties, namely a) walk down the aisle holding her aunty Jade's hand and b) look cute for the rest of the day. Mission accomplished :)

Work In Progress

We have stairs!

But they only lead to the top of our semi-demolished wardrobes :(

Hopefully in three weeks we should have some ceilings for our existing bedrooms and a floor for our new attic bedroom.

Oh, and a bathroom :)

We are having fun at grandma pickledweasel's, although a week's holiday to Shropshire was a welcome break for us (and her. and her washing machine, which has been on none-stop since we arrived), and we have another week away planned in bonnie Scotland at the start of July. Which is very fortunate, as the builder has just told us it's going to take about three weeks longer than he thought before we can move back in again :(