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Procrastination Station #3

G'day all, and HAPPY FRRRRRRIDAY! Hoping this week has been good to you, whatever you've been up to. Mine has been pretty great, I must say. Halloween/Fireworks Night might just be my third favourite week of the year (after Christmas and My Birthday, of course), and this year did not disappoint. And even better, I don't expect the flow of mulled wine and toffee apples to subside this weekend...

~ Christmas ~

Now that Halloween is well and truly over, I finally feel like it's finally acceptable to start getting excited about Christmas and the Holiday Season. And when I say excited, I actually mean something more along the lines of this:

Seasonal sewing

First things first, and I've already got one of my Christmas Party Dresses nailed. And another, hot on this one's heels... Methinks it'll be a festive season with our new beauty, the Kim Dress, to see me through.

The fabric is a stunning floral sateen that was so generously and thoughtfully gifted to me by Jennifer Lauren for a Sew Bossy exchange that never happened...! Oh well, it's gone to extremely good use, regardless, and now Jen's officially got free reign to do what she pleases with the Nani Iro double gauze I gave her!

Size matters

When it comes to the Holidays at home with my son, the one thing I look forward to the most is the advent calendar. And I'm not talking about a piece of hanging card with little chocolates waiting behind flappy doors (although those are GREAT). For me, the advent calendar is a way of spreading out the fun and remembering that it's not just about the one Day, or the presents (it so is about the presents though!), or the pressure of pulling off the greatest meal that ever was. For me, it's about the build up, about squeezing out every last festive drop and doing a little Christmassy something, every day. A few years ago I made an advent calendar from an old frame and 24 little numbered pockets. Each pocket would contain a little note with something festive to do that day, and sometimes even a little treat or a lucky coin... This year, I'm absolutely going to outdo myself! I've started knitting 24 miniature Christmas stockings to string up as an Advent garland - free pattern here

I'm knitting these from the cheapest, squeakiest acrylic yarn I could find. Not because I like it, but because you know that if I made these little guys from some exquisite wool or organic cotton it would only be a matter of time before the moths have their way... Trust me on this one - if you want them to last, ornament making from natural fibres is a bad plan.

Make it snow

Still on the subject of Christmas decor (and then enough from me about Christmas I promise!), last year I made these super cute - and deceptively easy - crochet snowflakes, and I'll be teaching a class on how to make them at The Village Haberdashery on Wednesday, 26th November from 7-9pm. The class is suitable for crochet virgins and seasoned hookers alike, so book your spot now to avoid missing out!

~ Sewciety ~

#bpSewvember

Who else has been Instgramming along with Bimble & Pimble's #bpSewvember photo-a-day challenge? If you're not yet in the know, it's not too late to get involved! So far we've been sharing pictures of our unruly stashes, favourite techniques (lots of tips to be tried!) and indispensable tools of our trade. It's been an amazing way to connect with fellow sewists and discover new makers to follow along the way. If you want to sneak a peek into my #bpSewvember antics, you can follow me over at my personal Instagram account @elisalex.

Not quite ladies night

Last night... Babysitter booked. We got all dressed up. Charlotte in a stunning Liberty Anna; Victoire in her latest Holly; me in the above Kim. We had a launch thing at Anthropologie followed by drinks with one of our wonderful pattern testers, Jenny Cashmerette, in Soho. I was so looking forward to it! We get to Anthropologie, I'm taking my first sip from a delicious Sipsmith cocktail when my sitter calls to say she's got a fever. I went home. Boo. Everyone else had a great night. Whatever. 

~ Musings & ting ~

Audrey Horne - a new (to me) style inspiration

Having slumped into a telly-related depression since finishing True Detective (best damn thing I've seen on TV in a long while. I may just have to re-watch it. AVOID if you're not into dark, creepy stuff that forces you sleep with the lights on), I have finally started watching Twin Peaks. Not only has it proved to be the perfect follow-on from TD (no spoilers please!), but I've also found a new style icon in the form of Audrey Horne, as played by Sherilyn Fenn. Her sexy-preppy-80s-does-50s look is KILLER. Remind me to put together a DIY for that sweetheart lace insert sweater...

 

Autumn Flava

And finally, here's my Autumn '14 mix - and if you happen to spot a silver Postman Pat-mobile making the rounds of London with this playlist blaring on repeat, don't forget to give me a wave!  

Procrastination Station by elisalex de castro peake on Grooveshark

xxx Elisalex

  • Post author
    Elisalex de Castro Peake

Comments on this post (5)

  • Nov 10, 2014

    Ahhhhhhh, I’m so glad you found Twin Peaks!!!!! I started watching it through (for the third time) after True Detective ended… now I’m anxiously waiting for season 2 of TD and the new episodes of Twin Peaks!

    — Ginger

  • Nov 10, 2014

    What a beautiful dress and fabulously made!

    — Chris

  • Nov 08, 2014

    I love your Kim dress – I would come and steal it if I wasn’t such a good girl, now I’ll just make a similar one probably…

    — Birgit

  • Nov 07, 2014

    LOVE that Kim dress (and Audrey Horne, and #bpsewvember ;o)

    — Colette

  • Nov 07, 2014

    i love audrey horne! total icon.

    — sew little time

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