To Blog or Not to Blog?

I have been feeling a bit ambivalent about this blog as I have so few followers I have been thinking what's the point if there is no-one to read? But I guess everyone has to start somewhere - it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation.

So, I'll write anyway and maybe I will gradually gather a few more readers!!

What do I have to report? My sewing has been a catalogue of disasters - there was the tea dress I hated I told you about in my previous post and then the net petticoat was a nightmare. After spending several hours pulling net out of the workings of my machine I wish I had never clapped eyes on it!! That's after cutting about 50m of 9" strips!!

I got as far as a two tier layer, tried it on and looked like a ship in full sail anyway!! So now it is hung in the sewing room taunting me with failure everytime I look at it!!

Then I started making view C of this dress out of this fabric:

It was much more of a challenge than the previous garments I have tried, there is three pieces to the bodice, as well as an underbodice and it is all lined .

Anyway, partly due to lack of room in my sewing room I stupidly only cut out the parts for the bodice and have spent a week working on it - it seems to have come together well and I am pleased with it
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Then I came to cut the skirt and I DON'T HAVE A ENOUGH FABRIC!!  It's supposed to be a circle skirt and due to my size I was going to do a circle and 1/4 and there is only enough for a 3/4 skirt!!!!!

A quick call to Fabricland and they tell me the are completely OUT OF STOCK!!

I was hoping to wear this to a friends wedding on 4th March!!

As a result of these calamities I have given up sewing for a few days in disgust!!

I have been busy being completely inspired by other peoples blogs, particularly (as I believe I said last post) Posy and also Coco Rose Textiles - both are girls after my own heart!! Was it Oscar Wilde that said surround yourself only with things you know to be useful or believe to be beautiful?

Let me show you my own dresser, the top two shelves I of which I love (apologies for the quality, light was fading):



The tea set belonged to hubbys Grandma and the plate on the top shelves with the cherubs belonged to my Nanna. The pretty mugs hanging from hooks came from my friend Lucy.

However, I am not so enamoured with the bottom shelf:

As you can see the TV and XBox doesn't quite fit in with the shabby chic lovliness!! But living in a house with three boys I have to make concessions!!

I have more china:

Some of it is my wedding china, some is from the charity shop and some of it is my lovely Cath Kidston Spray Flowers (I'd love the whole set but we're so slapdash with china it wouldn't last five minutes!!)

As you can see the cats have got in on the act here - on the windowsill is Bear and lounging on the radiator below is Jasper - both are Tonkinese.

This week I have also been busy putting up the stagecoach blinds I made from Cath Kidston fabric:

As you can see we're going to need to do some gardening in the Spring!!

(As I type the blind on the single window has just fallen off!! Blimmin' Velcro!!)

Off to repair it....