It’s Friday. Well just about. I can’t quite believe how I got here or how my eyes have any juice left. The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur. Only myself to blame though. Bit off far more than I could chew, didn’t I, and ended up working a few 14-hour days. But it’s all done and it’s all good apart from I now don’t have the energy to to invest in sewing this evening.
Sleep is the order of the day. I know that. But I am strangely relishing the need to string some words together. And I did promise Karen from Fifty Dresses and Nicole from Nicole Needles that I would accept the baton and rise to the challenge of the Blog Hop.
If anyone knows who blew the starting whistle on this one, please let me know. Always good to give credit where it’s due.
And so I believe that the challenge is to answer four little questions about me and then nominate a further three bloggers to do the same. So here goes.
Q1. What are you currently working on?
I happen to have two works in progress right now, which is odd for me because I do usually finish something before I start another. Honest, guv’!
The first, being a Bombshell Swimsuit from Closet Case Patterns. I’ve rouched the back and backed it with lining. I know it’s a bit off season but lucky for me I have some winter sun booked in and I WILL have a new cozzie ready.
Even if the chances of me looking like Mini Mouse’s granny are totally on the cards! I’m struggling a bit with the instructions for the next stage and rather than get in a tiz with it all I started something else instead…
The second, of which is a Mimi blouse from Tilly’s Love at First Stitch book which is coming together nicely in a drapey viscosey type fabric. I totally need more blouses and if mine comes out half as nice as Scruffy Badger’s then I’ll be making more of these!
Q2. How does your work differ from others in its genre?
D’you know what? I don’t think it does, particularly. As far as I can see the genre is ‘sewing’ and I make lots of different things like lots of other different sewing bloggers. I don’t stick to a particular theme. Though I love working with an old vintage pattern, I get as much pleasure out of a modern indie pattern too. I don’t partake in too many sew-alongs or challenges. Mostly from fear of not delivering on time but also I suppose because I like having something different to report. Kind of contradicting myself by totally blog hopping onto this bandwagon but you get the picture.
Q3. Why do you write/create what you do?
I started sewing before blogging as a release from my computer-based design work. I love fashion and I’ve never dressed high-street per se… never had the funds to keep up in any case… so sewing my own clothes seemed a good way forward. I joined the Burda network for inspiration and that in turn inspired me to host my own blog. I believed this to be a good way to give myself a kick up the butt to keep sewing. If I don’t make anything I’ve generally got nothing to report and so the partnership of sewing and blogging has worked a treat over the last few years. I’d say there’s a bigger picture now in that the friends I have made along the way are the biggest and loveliest surprise ever. I really never expected that.
Q4. How does your writing/creative process work?
In a nutshell, I sew something. I write about it. And I hope thereafter that I’m not boring the pants off anyone!
My day job involves a lot of computerised visual stuff – designing, creating, retouching and tweaking graphics, photos and illos. I also get to read a lot of text but its skip-reading. Not for pleasure. Even if some of those manuscripts do have me in tears! So the opportunity to spill some of my own words on a page comes as pure therapy. I really enjoy it. My English teacher rejoiced in telling my mum that I had an awful case verbal-diarrhoea! And I am ridiculously (not so secretly) hopeful that one day I will have collected enough words and have realised a great idea for a book… and write it. There’s one in everyone, right?!
And now I must make a massive hop off to far flung places in order to pass on this Blog Hop batton. My chosen three should they wish to partake in such blog hopping activities are:
1. Symon Sez
Fellow graphic designer who totally sings from the same songsheet as me. I love her honest approach and how she details her lovely makes.
2. Mokosha
Orignal and edgy. I found Mokosha on Burda and have loved watching her site mature. The snappy posts are perfect for blog gobbling on the hop and her photos are a joy.
3. The Renegade Seamstress
An endless supply of inspired refashions. I seriously don’t know how they keep coming. This lady is so clever and it comes as no surprise that she has recently been published.
Ladies, there is absolutely no obligation whatsoever. But if you choose to take on this challenge you must answer the same 4 questions and nominate a further 3 bloggers.
Wishing you all a wonderful and restful weekend, sweet dreams from Ooobop xxx
