Crafty Sunday (eventually)

I've been very quiet on the blogging front lately, apologies. Summer got into my bones and life has been all about playing out of recent, which has been much, much fun. Beach trips, walks and a festival have kept me very busy and very happy indeed.

This quite insular mood about making and sharing began with the miserable news that the Lord of the Rings event for which I was excited about designing and making a complete kit for has been postponed which kinda messed up my drive for creating stuff. I've got my head around it now and its actually handy to not have it hanging over me during the long holiday starting next week.

Another thing probably affecting me more than I may realise is that September is looming fast. September means my little one starts school which includes all those usual emotions involved in your children's milestones, but also loses my one excuse I have for not doing all that much in a week!

It's a real test coming up. Full time school means a lot more time to get on and be productive rather than procrastinate and put off. I'm really quite nervous of letting myself and the family down.

I'm also wondering how I will feel about it all, time to focus on me and my life's journey - eek!

Thankfully I have the 6 week holiday in between now and then which I plan to enjoy as much as possible so I may not post much as I may not be doing anything I feel is worth sharing.

I did get a few bits made this week but only have pictures of one due to camera problems again but also due to the fact that as soon as they were completed they were out the door in use!

I do have pics of this however

An order for a military style tactical vest for a 3 day airsofting event that has just finished today, I can't wait to hear how it was received and if it lived up to it's job!

All those straps I thought would be a nightmare of a job. I was right! They were quite a pain but could have been much worse, at least it was all straight lines! The shoulders Velcro together and shock cord lacing down the sides plus the webbing adjusters on the back so adjustments to fit are numerable. All in all I was happy with the job, I just want to hear the tales the vest got up to this weekend now!!

While the boys were away shooting each other, us girls and kids had a nice time too, strolling through the woods after the children who are getting quite skilled at hiding and sneaking whilst herding the toddler onward to ice cream at the end. The evenings were taken with a few good bottles of wine and much putting the world to rights. Very enjoyable indeed... I wonder when the boys will want to do it again?? Fingers crossed it's soon!

Crafty Sunday VI - Made It!!!

Phew, I had pretty much written this week off after too good a weekend away with the family, reality was hard to accept. I was being all useless, not wanting to be productive or practical in any way.

I went with the feeling in the main and had a great week all told, lots of pottering doing nothing in particular, perfick.

The week was finished off by taking my son to his first taster session at his new school - a very emotional day saying goodbye, in fact I should admit here that he only said goodbye so very bravely due to the promise of me going straight to the shops for a big bag of sweets which he kindly insisted on sharing with his sister, I was given a few too as I had been very brave as well.

He, of course, had a fabulous time of playing in the forest (we are very lucky to have this school in the neighbourhood) and on his favourite tractor he knew from when his big sister went there.

Anyway, I really didn't think I would have anything to show for this week on top of completely forgetting to post anything at all last week (oops), but strangely I have made something, I have even surprised myself!

Another confession now, I have realised how much of a faddy crafter I am, I have loads of ideas and plans, get them to prototype stage, figure out the easy way to make them, then get bored and move on to something new. I must work on this, it is fun but it's not the best work ethic to have really.

So my latest fad is Steam punk. I am designing a few ideas but they will stay firmly on the drawing board for now, but I was sent a link from a friend to a Steam punk Etsy shop where I wowed a while, then looked at the prices, wowed some more, then thought... and had a dive deep into my scraps and bits and bobs stashes,

And made this today...

I really like it, I have made a few mistakes and would love to get more findings to attach like D-rings, cogs, clips etc. for the next ones. Going to make a larger one for the man in my life with the pockets sized to his effects for him to use on his boys weekend of Airsoft LRP coming up soon.

Whilst sketching, browsing and making this I also secured a couple of orders for costumes!! A Gondorian Ranger for a Lord of the Rings event and a fitted tactical vest (military style waistcoat) for the boys weekend. All very exciting stuff :)

Confessions of a secret geek

The time has come to 'fess up. My family and I do a downright wierd (but great) hobby. I'm a live role-player. No, don't run away... come back... hear more first.

Remember as a child, playing out at cops and robbers, princesses, knights and dragons? We all did, and we LOVED it. Go on, admit it, forgetting reality for a while and losing yourself in a made up world where anything is possible, only your imagination limits your actions (and, of course, physics... it always seems to win - no flying for me however much I try) is FUN!!

See, I never grew up, I still love dressup clothes and pretending to be some daring heroine in armour, bashing fiends with your trusty blade or damsels in distress (actually it is still rubbish to play a distressed damsel) or a spitty hedgewitch (now they are fun to play), a rufty tufty pirate or even a dirty thieving goblin. So I do, and I'm not alone.

Otherwise known as Live Action Role Playing (LARP) or my favourite description, Cross Country Pantomime, we get out into the woods and fields and play at being kids again (though the bruises last longer and legs hurt more now we're older, the drinking, singing and general merry making around the campfire sure makes up for that!).

If you want to know a bit about the history of the hobby, look at wikipedia's entry for Live Role Playing.

I got into it without even knowing it (I thought everyone played at pirates) but went along festing with friends and their families and wondered where on earth I had landed, orcs, goblins, wizards, fairies, celts and elves all playing with or, more frequently, against each other. All in a make believe world where magic exists, loads of groups pretending to make friends or fall out. Politics and even war - a battle with around a thousand people on each side is really something you have to try, the adrenalin rush lasts so much longer than a bungee jump!!

From there I tried other games and settings and played many different characters, which is a really interesting way to mould your own morals and outlooks, by trying on different personas you soon come to know yourself pretty well.

Pic courtesy of H '5 Dice' Adkins

For the kids the sense of freedom, both phyical and mental, they can feel is so special, I wouldn't want mine to be without it. Also I feel its important to show them how we, the grown ups, can let go and play too. As a hobby it can promote imagination and storytelling, playing music, community parenting, it instills confidence and independance and I feel it's great excercise for knowing yourself.

Why am I confessing all this? Well, it is what started me off on a sewing machine. The need for a girl to look good when you can't buy a cloak or a princess dress off the shelf on the high street. What else can a girl do but to make her own?

All self taught through trial and error,books and chatting to friends already doing it for themselves, I soon got the hang of knocking out kit for myself and later for my other half. When I had my daughter, 12 long years ago, we wanted to continue with the hobby but to make things easier and still wanting to be in the thick of the story, I started making kit (costume) to sell so we could have a trade stall in the market area of events where the story passes by your front door - perfick!

So that's it really, how I came to be a crafter. Little did I know at the time that I would become a whizz on the sewing machine and a dab hand at knocking up patterns and designs for people's characters.

Now Raggedy Revival is here, I am again with the kit making and am picking up orders steadily once more. See my slowly growing Kit (Costume) page by following the link in the top bar above. If ever you find yourself in need of costume design and build, get in touch raggedysana@live.co.uk and we'll talk through your ideas.

Thanks for listening, I'm glad you stayed.

Retail therapy!

I'm not usually one for enjoying shopping. I'm more of a surgical strike kind of shopper, no browsing for me! But, today was different. Maybe it was the sunshine, maybe the fact that I was alone without the kids, maybe because I have felt more productive this week, more than I have for a long time or maybe because I have many plans for making rattling around in my head. Whatever it was, I loved it! So much so I wanted to share. I even found myself trying on a dress, I can't remember the last time I actually tried anything on, proper window shopping. Needless to say I didn't buy it, but I was sorely tempted. I even found a nice necklace to go with it, but I was very, very good and put them back, and didn't feel at all guilty that I had the shop assistant running around after me!!

The shopping trip was for fabrics, I hunted around charity shop for upcyclables and found this pair of curtains.

It's very thick fabric as it's got that blackout coating on it, but this should make it perfect for bags, pencil cases even wash bags. It's still washable at 30 degrees.

I also got bits and bobs to do more Superhero Capes and bits of felt for motif making and the thread I sorely missed having earlier in the week. And managed to find some fabrics for costume orders, namely a haversack for a friend who saw the toddler rucksack, (which I can't find any pictures of strangely and right now it's filthy so it will have to wait) that I made for my son for Christmas to use at nursery and wanted an adult version.

I was looking for some inspiration for a costume with an eastern influence as I mooched round town and I spotted at a stall set up in the church, just couldn't take my eyes of this

I tried so hard not to like it, but I think I fell in love with it so I did that deadly thing of asking the price, then I asked again if she was sure... £15! All hand embroidered and so heavy for just £15!! I had to have it. Now I just have to design the rest of the outfit around it, can't wait!!

 

Then I think I got the bug so when I saw these in the last charity shop I searched, I just threw caution to the wind and bought them too!

So cute! As soon as I got them out, before I could take this photo, my little one said "Ooh, mummy, I'm very thirsty. I would really like to have a cup of tea... In that blue cup please." So duly I gave it a quick wash and made him a cup of rooibos tea, and he did look sweet sat drinking it.

I was good though, in a way... I didn't stop at the coffee shop in the church (I did use their loo though - cheeky me!), or buy a smoothie to sit on the Cathedral lawn. I even remembered the kids and got them a tub of their favourite sweets to share when I got home.

On arrival back at base I found the lawns mowed, dinner in the oven and even the bathroom clean! (I think I should leave everyone at home more often) And to find we are expecting a good friend over for the weekend too, good news!

All in all, a wonderful day! Hope yours has been too :)