When I was in my twenties I couldn’t understand why old ladies wore such ugly shoes. I swore that I wouldn’t ever wear ugly shoes when I got old. I would wear elegant and fashionable shoes. Well, the years have passed and I’ve now learned why many old ladies wore ugly shoes – because they were COMFORTABLE.  I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, so this challenge theme was very apt. Today’s purchase is these Bared shoes. They are SO comfortable, and I think that they’re also rather lovely*.

I love pointy toed shoes with elegant mid-height curved heels. They are so pretty! As are high heels and strappy sandals. But I simply cannot wear them anymore. Over the past year or two  I have been wearing my fashionable shoes to work only to find that they now pinch, hurt and rub my feet and I can’t wait to get them off. My shoe collection has been reducing at a rapid rate as I send pair after pair to the op shop. Life is too short to have sore feet. Gradually my shoe wardrobe has changed and I am now shod by the likes of Birkenstock, Hush Puppies, Naot and now Bared. Shoes with lots of cushioning, shaped footbeds, lower, broader heels or a gentle wedge, rounded toes, that don’t cause pain. My bunion and fallen arches are thanking me. My wallet is not.  But I have officially become an old lady wearing sensible shoes. Well, a middle-aged lady. However, I don’t think that these shoes are ugly – or maybe my perception has changed over the years!

Mind you, I remember that in my twenties I thought that all shoes should come in the colours of black, navy or brown.  That was it.  I thought that those colours went with everything and didn’t see why the shoe manufacturers would waste their time making shoes in other colours.  Now I do my utmost to find shoes that are green, red, orange, metallic……

* And isn’t that tin that the shoes come in gorgeous? Much prettier than a cardboard box.

This vest ticks many of my boxes because it was quite portable, has a variety of stitches, and even varies in complexity within the one project. It’s in one of my favourite garment yarns, NaturallyCaron.com Spa.

This is described as a layer rather than a vest because it can be worn in a few ways. My photographer wasn’t available when I snapped these photos in the mirror, so I’ll need to show off the styling possibilities another time. But it can be worn back to front and upside down as well as the more conventional way in these photos.

I really do need some proper photos to do this justice! And the mirror obviously needs cleaning as well. I highly recommend this pattern. I found it enjoyable to crochet and it was well written. It needed major blocking to really show off the stitch pattern, but that wasn’t hard to do. Ravelled here.

A friend emailed this to me today.  I was drinking coffee.  I think that I snorted.  Love it!

More Ryan Gosling Hey Girl crochet photos can be found here.  And there is a whole blog devoted to Handmade Ryan Gosling here.

Did you spot the crocheted vest? I’ll be back with more details on that one later.

Oh, the texture! Oh, the touch! Oh, the yarn usage! With this stitch, I have made a Raspberry Bag (although mine is more Scarlet than Raspberry).

This bag took around three balls of Lincraft Cosy Wool. This yarn goes on special fairly often, so it’s worth waiting for a sale. I enjoyed working with it and my 6.5mm bamboo hook. It’s lined with some groovy button printed fabric, which you can just see peeking out in the photo below.

I am now keenly investigating other bag patterns that involve popcorn stitch. I currently have two contenders, the Taupe Bag and the Dolce Tote.  Although I am also sorely tempted to crochet the Thundersnow Bag, which doesn’t involve the popcorn stitch but does involve wonderful texture.  So many choices!

I have been hankering to make an interfacing swatch set for some time (very nerdy, I know). I’ve known what a difference good quality interfacings and waddings make for quite a while, and threw out the cheap non-woven fusible a long time ago. It was such a good thing to actually try different combinations of quality woven interfacing, non-woven interfacing and waddings in different combinations of weights and layers, in order to achieve different results on our fabrics. Nikki’s class is aimed at choosing and interfacings for bags in particular, but she is very happy to extend her knowledge to what works well with clothing. We got to feel different bags and purses and discover what combinations of interfacings and waddings were used in different parts of each of them, then had the chance to sew some bag elements and learn a few more of Nikki’s tricks of the trade.

We played with calico samples and worked on seams and the magic 3cm rule, understitching, when to trim and not to trim, and lots of other exciting bits and pieces. Although some of the information is available in the You Sew, Girl! book, but there is nothing quite like the extra knowledge you gain by doing a class. I thought that I knew a lot already – well, now I know lots more!  Many thanks to Nikki and the other lovely women that took part in the class – some who came from as far away as Tasmania and Greece!  (Yet I, coming from one suburb away, was the person who was late….)

Today is actually my fifth bloggiversary! Who’d have thought that I’d still be doing bloggy show and tell five years down the track! I celebrated in anticipation with a little stretch fabric shopping/therapy with Nikki last week. Guess which one of these Stella chose? And speaking of classes, this year I have enrolled in two of the online sewing classes run by Craftsy. I am undertaking both the Sew Retro Perfect Bombshell Dress and The Couture Dress.  Do you detect a theme?  I am hoping that I will do some “slow slowing” this year and put a number of techniques that have been all theory for me into practice.  I don’t actually anticipate that I will get a great deal of wear out of either dress myself, but am focusing more on what I will learn.  I like the format, in that I can take the classes entirely at my own pace and re-watch segments as often as needed.  And one day I might want to make one of my daughters a “bombshell dress” (but thankfully that is a long way away).

I put this together during the holidays back in January. It took very little time, and was lots of fun to do. I have backing fabric, I have batting, I have binding fabric. I just need some time to baste it and quilt it!

Size wise it’s a small lap quilt, perfect for in the car, on your lap, or for a baby. I’ll possibly make another for my niece Leah – because she’s having a baby in July! I’m going to be a great-aunt! Who’d have thought it…

You can get the pattern for this quilt from the talented Kate.  Go on, make one!  But I’d better get back to that to-do list. Now!

I bet that you can’t tell at first glance which two of these photos were my work outfits – or can you?  The workplace is definitely more smart casual than formal nowadays – well, mine is anyway.  I sit at a desk and work at a computer all day, so need to feel comfortable.  My workplace recently moved locations, and it is absolutely lovely to work in a brand new building.  I am one of the lucky ones who really enjoys her job.

It’s all pretty crowded inside my closet. I’d really like some built-in cupboards in our bedroom. I like to be able to see what I have, hence draping the scarves over some rails on the inside of the door. Hats, clutch bags, gloves and stoles are on the shelf.  The opposite door has lots of hooks and nails to hang necklaces. I mostly keep my shoes in boxes, with photos or descriptions on the end so that I know what box holds what shoes. It could all be a little prettier and more elegant, but it works as it is.

Sitting on the upstairs balcony, quietly enjoying the newspaper, my breakfast smoothie and a very long black decaf.  Listening to my husband cooking pancakes with our daughters downstairs.  Knowing that many of the morning’s mundane chores are already done and that a quiet day at home is ahead of me.  Bliss.