Beautiful Monday

Its an absolutely gorgeous day here. Islay and I had a very leisurely dog walk along the river this morning. She came home clutching a little bunch of flowers, a scraped knee and very dirty shoes - all sure signs of a good walk.



I'm getting there with my to do list. The dress is finished and I'm really happy with it and I think I will enjoy wearing it. I learnt a few lessons along the way too. Matching fabric pattern scale with dress style is number one lesson - the pattern scale on my fabric (details here) is pretty big which means that the join for the zig zags 2/3 of the way down the skirt is much more obvious than with a small pattern.....I guess I could have attempted to match the fabric - but that would have been quite a cutting challenge across the many triangles that make up the zig zag layer. Its not something that bothers me, especially as I love the fabric and colours, but just something that could be improved upon. I was also pleased to notice that the zip on this one is far more 'invisible' than on the draft - perhaps practice does make perfect!







I have bought a little fascinator to wear for the wedding too. I love the idea of fscinators but am not really a synthetic net froth kind of person. So, when I spotted this little butterfly on folksy, from Tied and Feathered, I knew I had found the fascinator for me. It's made from peacock and pheasant feathers and attaches with a crocodile clip.....perfect for someone who is incapable of styling hair or applying much more make-up than mascara!



I am making good progress with a bag to stash all the kids stuff on the day (suncream, hats, snacks, treats, toys, wipes...I'm quite sure the list will be endless). Its from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing. The bag should be finished tonight I hope.



The picnic blanket should be started before we leave on Thursday evening but finishing it seems unlikely. I'm in luck however as Al and Chris should be up this way in a couple of weeks, after their honeymoon to visit my aunt and uncle, before they head off back to Madagascar.

Phew.....and then I really must finish mum's birthday present (I'm lucky she's still speaking to me let alone helping me out. John was away all last week and, with very bad timing, Islay and I came down with a tummy bug. On the day that I was feeling the worst Mum came over and cooked for the kids and helped me get them into bed. What a star she is).

I do hope your day is a lovely as it has been here - I think some folk are lucky enough to have a bank holiday too, hope it has been fun.