Sitter

Well it certainly has been a while! But I've been feeling some crafty inspiration lately so here, hopefully, is the start of a few more posts :)

The recent spate of television programmes about hoarders have got me thinking a bit about my stash of "useful" bits and bobs. It's certainly not a hoard on the scale of anything featured on the tv programmes I've been watching, but there were one or two things I identified with. Particularly the idea of keeping things that could be useful one day! As a case in point, I've been hanging on to an old broken shopping bag for ages thinking I would either repair it or re-purpose it in some way. One day......

Well today I finally decided to seize the day, and here are the results!

Firstly, I took the bag apart and got rid of any ripped or broken bits:

Then I cut up some wadding to be slightly smaller than the bag. I used 6 layers but my wadding was quite thin.

To make the sitter water proof I put the wadding inside a thick bin bag and then used gaffer tape the seal it up.

I used my sewing machine set to a long stitch to sew up the two sides of the bag to make a pocket, then put the wadding inside. Then I sewed along the top of the bag, keeping the handles out of the way.

To neaten the edges I used the left over fabric from the bag side gussets to bind the edges. I could have used ribbon or bias binding. I stitched it right sides together to the edge of the bag at the front.

Then flipped the bindings over and hand stitched them down on the back. A thimble and strong needle and thread were needed here.

All this took about half an hour, and now Lily has a waterproof sitter for picnics in the garden. Now all we need is some Sun!

Project Life 2012 Day 16 - Dreams

1/16 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Use today's photo to document a dream YOU have for the future-- for yourself, your family, your children, your country or your world.

Well, where to start? There are so many dreams I have for the future, especially for Lily. I am sure I am similar to many other mummies when I say that my main dream is for her to be happy and healthy through whatever path she chooses in life. However that's not easy to capture in a photo!

I was out and about this morning and passed the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where Lily was born. The hospital was built originally in 1839 and some of the early buildings (like the main frontage I took this rather bad picture of) are now grade II listed. It has also cared for some famous people, such as Douglas Bader and more recently Mrs Carole Middleton through the birth of her two daughters Catherine and Pippa! Maybe Lily will be lucky enough to marry a Prince one day as well?

Project Life 2012 Day 15 - Worship

1/15 National Religious Freedom Day
A perfect time to document your place or form of worship.

I'm not particularly a follower of any religion, but I guess I am one of those people who puts down C of E on their census form rather than put nothing. To me it seems a bit sad that it would be left completely blank!

So today's challenge was a bit tricky to me. There is a church I go to from time to time, but I'm not sure I would call it my "place of worship". To me that suggests a level of commitment that I'm not sure I'm ready for. Having said that, this church has been part of my life in many ways since I was very little so, although it's not featuring in today's entry, I am sure it will at some point in this project.

Instead I've chosen to use another one of yesterday's photos. I picked this one because it is to do with worship (being on the side of the church from yesterday's adventure) but also demonstrates my love of science and shows how the two can sometimes work together.

Project Life 2012 Day 14 - Walk

Didn't really go for today's prompt so I decided.....

....just to include this picture I took during an impromptu photography lesson with Steve!

This was taken on a sunny winter's afternoon so the sun was bright but low in the sky. Lovely conditions for a walk, not so easy for a photograph.

The picture was taken in the grounds of St. Andrew's Church in Sonning. I have a strange fascination with graveyards. I think it's the little snippets of information you get about people that leave you wondering about their story. Why was this grave marked with such a beautiful statue when there were others only marked with a plain stone or not at all?

Project Life 2012 Day 13 - Superstition

1/13 Uhh Oh! It's Friday the 13th! Document any "bad luck" you had today due to the un-luckyness of the date. If nothing bad happens, take a photo that represents a superstition that you hold.

I'm not generally an unlucky person (which I'm sure, obviously, is due to my naturally positive outlook on life!) so the only bad luck I experienced today came in the form of a cheeky toddler who stole my lunchtime apple!

Life could be a lot worse!!

Project Life 2012 Day 12 - Morning Drink

1/12 January is National Hot Tea Month Take a photo of your morning pick-me-up. Is it tea, coffee, 5hr Energy, or chocolate milk?

I always need rehydration in the mornings, before caffeine. And to be honest I drink enough caffeine at work without needing it at home as well! So here it is - Redbush Tea with Vanilla.

Incidently, this is my favourite mug. Not just for the witty (and pretty true) little slogan on it, but it is one of those mugs that just feels right. Not too chunky, not too thin, just the right size. In fact, I might have to go and buy another one just in case this one gets broken as I'm pretty sure I'll never find another mug that quite lives up to this one!

Project Life 2012 Day 11 - Derek

1/11 National Blame Someone Else Day Take a photo of something in your home that you, personally, take NO responsibility for, like the stuffed dear head in the dining room or the neon beer signs in SO's office or the ugly wallpaper in the hallway. Make sure to note who IS responsible.

This is Derek. He is Steve's friend and has lodged with us since we moved into our first house 10 years ago!